Page 72 of Lodged

“Granny, I don’t think Gio here has time for your silly game,” Ruin tells her grandma as she pops a fry into her mouth.

“Actually, I’d love to learn what’s in my future,” I say as I give Ruin a mischievous smile. She laughs and shakes her head.

“Oh, you don’t know what you just agreed to,” Ruin warns with glee in her voice.

As promised, once we’re done with our dinner, I join Granny at her table. Ruin excuses herself to help her sister in the kitchen. Granny has a small tablecloth with zodiac symbols, a crystal ball with electricity inside, and a few gemstones. She has paid a lot of attention to all the little details. As she looks at me, she shuffles a deck of cards.

“I see my granddaughter didn’t want to join us.” I smile and shrug, not really sure what to say. “It’s okay, I wanted to speak with you alone, anyway. You look at her like a man in love.” I inhale a deep breath as my jaw clenches. I’m not sure how much I can share with Granny. “It’s okay, dear. I won’t tell Ruin.” She pats my hand, and I exhale.

“Thank you,” I tell her as I prepare to open my heart. “Ruin and I were together before her accident.” Granny holds my hand and gives me a kind smile, all playfulness is gone. “When I came to Azalea Creek in the winter, River and Rain told me to stayaway, but I just couldn’t do it any longer.” My voice breaks, and my eyes fill with unshed tears. Granny’s eyes mirror mine.

“But now that you found her, I’m here to tell you that she’s worth waiting for. Things are going according to plan. You just have to be patient,” she says, taking a card from her deck. The card readsWorth Waiting For,with a picture of a couple hugging each other. I look at it, confused.

“I thought you read tarot?”

“I do, but I read the angels cards to my family.” She gives me a knowing smile, and I nod.

“Thank you so much, Granny. What do I owe you?”

She waves me off. “You’ve already paid. We haven’t seen Ruin smile this much since before the accident. You just keep coming and making her happy, alright?”

I nod at her with a smile as I get up. “That’s the plan.”

She extends her arms, and I lean down for a hug.

“Okay, Granny. That’s enough. I’m sure Gio has things to do,” Ruin says as she steps out of the kitchen, and we all laugh.

Chapter 32

Ruin MacAllister

Not sure how this happened, but I finally feel like things are looking up. Two weeks ago, the physical therapist said insurance had approved more sessions, so now I have three per week. Even though my ankle and shoulder hurt afterward, I can tell I’m gaining more mobility. I also get those days off from work since Rain was able to hire two more waiters. Again, I’m not sure how, but she says we can afford it.

Then there’s Gio. He’s been coming to the diner every single night, and I don’t know why, but I feel drawn to him—talking with him is easy. He listens, he doesn’t ask more than I want to say, and he puts a smile on my face every single time. At first, I was a little worried. Talking with him felt so natural that I wondered if maybe something was wrong with me. But then, as I got to know him, he’s just a genuinely nice guy. He works at the community college but decided to live in Azalea Creek.

“Raindrop!” I shout as I walk into the diner’s kitchen. We’re closing in half an hour, so the kitchen is officially shut down.

“What’s going on?” Rain turns to look at me, and her face transforms the moment she sees me.

“You won’t believe it,” I tell her, and she grins wide, just like me. “Gio, the guy who has been coming every night?”

“You mean the guy who has the hots for you? What about him?” I roll my eyes at her but can’t help but smile at her description of Gio.

“Yeah, him. He just asked me out.” I squeal in excitement, and Rain joins me.

“Finally,” she says, and I frown.

“What do you mean?”

“Ruin, the guy has been coming for dinner every single night for a month, it’s clearly not for the food.” I frown deeper.

“Hey, you’re an excellent cook. He told me so.” Rain rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, but that’s beside the point. He comes to see you, to spend time with you.”

“How do you know that?” Rain’s shoulders sag at my question.

“I love you, but I can’t believe how obtuse you are sometimes. Have you ever seen me sitting down with him or having dinner with him? No. He hasn’t asked for me to compliment me about my cooking skills. He asks you if you want to join him, not me,not any of the other waiters. You.” I feel my face burning, but it’s true. He never asks for anyone but me.

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