Page 38 of Stay for Me
There’s only one restaurant in this town that serves anything edible. I’m not sure what the hell to say. Right now, it’s sort of awkward.
“What if we eat lunch together?” Jacob suggests.
“Together? Us?”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, of course not!” I say quickly and then clear my throat. “I just . . . I was going to read over something, and I was a little . . . anyway, I just . . . I haven’t had a lunch date in forever.”
“Are we going on a date?”
“No! I didn’t mean to imply that we were going on a date-date.” Please let there be a meteor or something that comes down and saves me from myself.
Jacob smiles but then covers it quickly. “Would dating me be so bad?”
“I’m sure you’re a great dater,” I say and then shake my head. “I mean, I’m just going to run myself over with a car now.”
He laughs louder, and my belly dips. “I’m kidding. I wanted to talk about the plan for the play. Mrs. Symonds said it’ll take another few days to process the paperwork and since you’re my assistant—”
My eyes widen. “Assistant?”
“Did you want to be a co-director instead?”
“I want to be the silent teacher who is just sitting there making sure you don’t turnGreaseinto some crazy movie with space aliens.”
“Now that would be interesting.” He grips his chin and stares off.
Oh lord, nothing good comes from that look. “Let’s go get lunch and discuss your evil plans.”
“Sounds like a date.”
I laugh, and then Jacob goes around the front of my car and opens the passenger side. “What are you doing?”
“Getting in the car . . .”
“My car?”
“Did you want me to drive for our date?”
“No, it’s not a date, remember?”
“Of course.” His voice dances with mischief. “We both have to come back here anyway, and it’s easier than taking two cars.”
As a matter of principle, I want to argue, but he made a good point. “All right, then.”
We drive in silence the whole six minutes over to the café and grab a seat.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the Navigator in all his glory.”
He smiles up at the waitress. There stands a girl with huge breasts that are barely contained by her top and very large—like 1980’s size—blonde hair. I wonder if she’s single-handedly keeping Aqua Net in business. “Magnolia Knightingale, you are the same specimen as you were when we were kids.”
She rolls her eyes. “And you haven’t changed a bit. You’ve been back in this town a month now and haven’t come to see me? For shame, Jacob Arrowood.”
“I apologize, I’ve been working on some projects. This is Brenna Allen, not sure if you know each other.”
Instead of smiling and doing what most would, she plops down in the seat next to me and grabs my hand. “Oh, you poor thing. Your mother-in-law is one of my favorite people. She comes in here once a week, and she was just heartbroken when he died. We all were, especially me. I don’t know if you knew this,” Magnolia’s voice is quiet and sad, “but Luke and I dated in high school. We were in love at one point.”
“Well . . .” I look to Jacob for some help, but he just grins. “That’s . . . nice.”
