Page 10 of Justice for Radar

“Nice to meet you, Justice. You a friend of Lucia’s here or...?” He trailed off and I sort of didn’t know what to say, eyes widening and taking a big sip of my tea to buy myself time and promptly choking on it as I tried to swallow and inhale at the same time awkwardly.

“Whoa, easy! You alright there?” Atlas clapped me on the back over my denim jacket as I tried not to let tea spill out my nose.

Lucia ripped off some paper towels from the nearby holder and handed me a wad of them.

“Easy.” Radar was suddenly there, taking the glass from my hand and facilitating putting paper towels into my hands which I shoved against my face and streaming eyes as I coughed and sputtered, trying to regain my composure.

“You okay?” Voices started to raise in concern and I waved them off, getting to my feet and making a dash for the bathroom to get it together and to try and figure out how to answer the question without humiliating myself further.

The bad decision that was trusting Billy was just the gift that kept on giving, apparently.

By the time I had relearned how to breathe, my throat felt raw. I had to wash my faceagainfrom my eyes watering uncontrollably, and I was just done with today. Justdone, but embarrassment aside, I had to go back out there, and I figured the best way was the truth – I mean, it always was, right?

With a sigh of defeat as I stared at my reflection, I ditched the paper towels in the bathroom trash and squared my shoulders. I went back out to the kitchen, blushing with embarrassment to a trio of waiting and concerned looks.

“How you doing?” Radar finally ventured.

“I am so sorry. Wow, not sure today can possibly get any worse but then… yeah… there was that.” I tried to laugh and the newcomer, Atlas, smiled at me and shook his head.

“Radar filled me in right quick,” he said, scratching his jaw with his middle finger. “I’m sorry you’re having a rough day.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, retaking my seat. I picked up my glass, widened my eyes and with a gusty melodramatic sigh said, “Let’s try this again,” to a track of some light laughter. I took a drink and didn’t die – yay, progress.

“So, it sounds like you’re going to maybe be here a little while yet,” Atlas declared, taking one of the two final seats at the counter on the other side of Lucia.

“Close to a week more,” I murmured. “First flight I can get is Monday.” It was Tuesday, so… yeah. I wasn’t all that thrilled. I was sure I would overstay my welcome, but the good news was I got paid on Thursday – so at least there was that.

“Book your ticket yet?” he asked. I swallowed hard and nodded.

“I could either afford it or a hotel. If I waited any longer, the flight would be out of reach with climbing prices so…”

“No, that’s good,” Radar said, back at the stove, shaking the pan over the flame the chicken and vegetables within hissing and sizzling, the mixture growing fragrant with seasonings and spices.

“Fajitas.” Atlas clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Alright!” He reached into the top of one of the bags and pulled out a beer, twisting off the top and passing it to Radar who took it and a drink in one smooth, slick movement.

I met Radar’s intense gaze over the beer and startled slightly, averting my eyes immediately.

“So what are your big plans since your vacation got so rudely extended?” Atlas asked.

“Oh, I don’t know that I can call it a vacation,” I said. “I mean, I’ve still been working this whole time.”

“Aw, yeah? What do you do?” Atlas asked.

Boy, wasn’t he just the King of Small Talk?

I shifted on my seat and said, “I’m a graphic designer. I design logos and stickers but most of my business is designing book covers for various novels nowadays.”

“Oh, wow, what’d that take to get there?” he asked.

I cleared my throat and said, “I got lucky. I don’t have any formal training. I’m all sort of self-taught.”

“Wow, you go, girl!” Atlas leaned back in his seat and looked impressed.

“Her stuff is really good. She let me see a bunch of it,” Lucia declared.

“The Wi-Fi at the diner was better than the hotel’s.” I blushed.

“I believe that,” Radar said with a smile, chuckling. “Food’s on,” he declared, and he effectively shut down the chitchat for a time by serving Atlas up first with a wink behind the guy’s back at me. I blushed and tried not to giggle.

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