Page 64 of Baby, It's You
“Oh, friends with benefits. Got it.” He turns towards me and winks.
“Gross.” Olive groans as a woman I assume is Missy comes from the kitchen and smiles at us. She is petite, with straight brown hair and a sweet, mousey appearance.
She looks like she would be softspoken or reserved, so I’m surprised when she shouts out, “Hey, guys!”
“Hey, Missy!” Olive responds joyfully. “This is Hunter.”
“Ahhhh, the camera man.” She reaches out and shakes my hand, giving me a toothy, knowing grin.
“That’s me,” I say, chuckling.
“You’re too pretty to be behind the camera,” Missy says to me, giving me a once-over.
“Hey! I heard that!” Rob’s voice booms from behind the kitchen window.
“Don’t you worry, Robert,” Missy teases him. “You have my heart. I’m not swayed by a young, beautiful man with a full head of hair.”
Rob grunts and peeks out the side of the window, eyeing me suspiciously. She winks at me and turns towards Rob, swatting him away. “Back to work, sweetcakes.” Then she reaches under the counter, grabs her pad of paper, and pulls a pen out from behind her ear. “So, what will it be for lunch?”
Olive orders us some burgers and fries and then we sit at a back table in the corner. When our burgers come, we both dig in at once. The meal is exactly what bar food should be: a greasy, savory burger and crisp, hot fries. I swear we inhale the food in minutes, barely acknowledging each other until our plates areempty. Once we’re finished, we look at each other and burst into laughter.
“I was hungry.” I grin, pushing my plate away.
“Me too,” she says, wiping her mouth with a napkin, then tossing it on top of her own plate. She looks at me inquisitively, a smile playing on her lips. I’m ready to talk about our next video and I can tell she is, too.
Olive clasps her hands. “So,” she says and leans closer towards me.
“So,” I respond and do the same. “Have you chosen your next subject for the series,Olive?”
“Why yes,Curls.” She smiles. “I have.”
Holding up her index finger she continues, “Actually, it’s the reason why I chose this table.” She stands and pushes her chair sideways, away from the wall, and squats down. She motions for me to come over. I get up from my seat to see what she’s looking at, and squat next to her, leaning against the table.
On the wall, about two inches under where the table covered my view, there is a heart in black marker with writing scribbled inside it.
The words I read take my breath away.
AR & FR
JUST MARRIED
7-14-1990
TIME OF THE SEASON
“I know, isn’t it so cute?” Olive turns towards me, gushing. “I want to know their love story.”
“I know their story,” I tell her, stammering. I can barely believe my eyes as I say, “It’s my parents.”
Chapter 44
Olive
Istare at Hunter in shock; my mouth is currently hanging open. “Your parents?”
Hunter pushes his hair back, obviously surprised by this discovery, as well. His eyes widen as he continues to look at the heart drawn on the wall.
“How do you know for sure?” I ask.
