Page 75 of Love Me Like It's Real
“Hayworth,” she replies.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“What areyoudoing here?” she repeats and narrows her eyes.
Mrs. Eichenthal is Team Sparky, just like me. She wouldn’t be caught dead at Red’s. And yet here she is.
“I’m showing Felix and his girls around.”
She turns to study my companions who are all watching with amused grins, before she looks back at me. “I’m just getting pie.”
“Sparky’s has pie.”
“Yeah, but it’s snowing,” she answers.
“That’s no excuse.”
“Well, Hayworth, you can tell on me but I can tell on you too.”
I huff. She is right. I’m betraying my team too, just like her.
“I won’t tell if you won’t.” I offer her my hand, and after a moment she shakes it.
“Mutual assured destruction,” she says and walks away. “And don’t you forget it.”
I wave her off and usher the girls in but Felix stays behind, staring at me with a frown.
“What?” I ask.
“You Maplewoodians are weird,” he says and walks inside.
“You got me there,” I tell him and follow him into the sickening, heart-and-rose-infested diner that sends the girls into a sugar high before they’ve even gotten their milkshake.
They make sure Felix and I sit on one side of our booth and they keep telling everyone who passes by our table that we’re boyfriends despite Felix telling them off.
And when we get our milkshakes they tell the waitress to bring the lovers’ special sundae with one spoon for us lovebirds.
“They’re very determined,” I mumble when they’re too busy ordering their own extravagant sundaes.
“Uh-huh. And they’re definitely grounded.”
I can’t help but chuckle. Arya sneaks a glance my way and smiles, and despite my amusement Mom’s words come back to haunt me.
“Isn’t he supposed to protect his kids from the likes of you?”
Is Mom right?
Is what we’re doing wrong?
Are we giving them false hope that will crush them when all this is over?
And why does the thought ofthisbeing over make my stomach hurt?
TWENTY-TWO
FELIX
“Are you sure you won’t get in trouble for daring to step foot in Red’s?” I ask a little while later after we’ve recovered from our mutual brain freeze and paid the check.
