Page 99 of Flipping His Script
I reached out and plucked a slice from the basket. I tore off the crust and popped the center part into my mouth. I chewed like crazy and gave it a hard swallow. And then, I did the same thing with the crust.
When I was done, everyone was staring.
Mackenzie gave me a thin smile. "Gee maybe weshouldorder some more."
I was still trying to think of a snappy comeback when she turned to Flynn and said, "So…I'd justlovea tour of your mansion."
Flynn's gaze slid to Preston. "How about you?"
Before Preston could even think to answer, Mackenzie said, "Oh, never mindhim. Hehatestouring houses." She looked to me and added, "Which reminds me, we went through your old place last week."
Already, the bread wasn't sitting so great. Or maybe, it was the wine. "Sorry, what?"
"Your old house," she said. "The one on the river. It's for sale again. Didn't you know?"
No. I didn't.The truth was, I avoided that part of town whenever I could, which considering that I barely socialized, was pretty much all the time.
In reply, I shook my head and reached for my glass. As I drank, I reached out with my free hand and fumbled for another slice of bread.
By the time I was done drinking, the crust was already torn off and sitting on the small plate in front of me. As for the center part, I shoved it into my mouth and chewed like a madwoman while everyone stared.
Yes, I knew I was making a spectacle of myself, but I couldn’t seem to rein it in. I was a nervous eater, and drinker, too.
Dealing with Flynn on my own was bad enough, but to be stuck having dinner withtwopeople who loathed me – meaning himandMackenzie – was double the reason to lose my cool.
Already, I was reaching for a third piece of bread and tearing at the crust.
Mackenzie's nose wrinkled as she asked, "Why are you doing that?"
I froze in mid-motion. "Doing what?"
"Eating it in two pieces like that, first the middle, then the crust."
I didn't have a good answer. Stupidly, I said, "Doesn't everyone?"
With a little snicker, Mackenzie turned and gave Flynn a secret smile, as if to say,"Can you believe this chick?"Or even worse,"If you were with me, I'd never do something so uncouth."
Flynn gave a tight shrug. "That's how they do it in L.A."
Mackenzie's smile faltered. "Really?"
Flynn nodded. "Sure." And then, he frowned. "How doyoueat it?"
At that moment, I could've almost kissed him. Of course, I was under no illusion that he was doing it for me. No doubt, he was just trying to avoid looking like an idiot by association.
Still, I watched with silent amusement as he reached out, grabbed a slice of bread, tore off the crust and popped center portion into his mouth. When he finished, he ate the crust by itself, just like I had.
Afterward, he reached for the bread basket and held it out toward Mackenzie. "You want a slice?"
With a little frown, she eyed the basket. "I, um, don't have a plate."
Just then, the waitress appeared at our table with another basket of bread and two little plates for Mackenzie and Preston. The waitress took their drink orders with only minimal enthusiasm while she ogled Flynn like he was the juiciest steak on the menu.
If he noticed, he gave no sign, just as he hadn't seemed to notice the sudden hush that had fallen over the whole restaurant upon our arrival.
Even now, people were staring. Oh sure, they weren't being nearly as obvious as the customers at the waffle place. Here, there were no cell phones pointed in our direction or heads turned away from their own tables, but people were still staring, even if they were trying to be subtle about it.
When the waitress asked if I needed more wine, I should've said no. But I said yes so fast, it was almost embarrassing. As for Flynn, he ordered another beer and told the waitress that we'd be ready to order in a few minutes.
