Page 76 of You Were Invited
Reaching for a pair of yellow gloves and the sink hose, he got to work. Two plates in, someone roughly linked their arm into the crook of his elbow.
“Come with me,” Ellie hissed into his ear.
twenty-eight
By the time Annie arrived in Northgold, she was one ounce of bad luck away from giving up and going straight to the cabin for the night.
She drove part way before her fatigue caught up to her, forcing her to stop for coffee and a subsequent bathroom break. She took another break midway — while stopped for forty minutes by a highway collision. When she stopped for gas thirty minutes outside of Northgold, the gas station pump rejected her card, messing it up, and requiring her to call her bank to remove the suspicious transaction hold. After she settled that matter, it was late enough that her sun visor was too high to shield her face against the setting sun.
“Fucking universe,” she muttered. “Dear God, why!”
Cars and pickups clogged and flowed out of the parking lot of No Wait Diner. It was hours past the opening, but the party was holding strong.
She parked a block away. Music and excited voices droned on and grew louder as she walked up the gravel strip on the roadside. The stars were out in the clear night sky on the windless evening. She pulled her jacket closer, regretting her choice of summer dress.
It’s going to be okay. He’s going to light up when he sees you.It’ll be okay.
Annie walked into the light of the open doors and took a big breath of sizzling burgers, potatoes, veggies, and sandwiches. Inside, people laughed, packed in close to one another. She stepped over the threshold. A few people looked up, but nobody’s attention lingered. For a moment, she loitered by the door, but sidestepped when an older couple excused themselves and walked outside.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked around.
She hoped it was from the anticipation.
So far, no Julian.
She took a few more steps, her head on a swivel as she admired the decor. New booths. Warm Edison bulbs, caged with dark iron, hung above each booth; they left soft shadows on diners’ faces.
The guests sitting at the new tall tables blocked her view of the lunch bar. Stopping near a large potted fern, she ran her eyes hungrily over the crowd again. Arms crossed over her chest, she scanned the backs of the folks dining there.
Her eyes stopped on a man in a black V-neck and an apron. He was standing instead of sitting while eating a cream pie. When he turned his head to the side, Annie’s body tightened.
Julian...
He was talking to a pretty woman who stood next to him. When the woman turned a little, Annie caught her profile. It was the nurse from the hospital.
Maybe she’s just checking in on—
The woman played with her hair before leaning forward to rest her hand on Julian’s. She gave an obvious squeeze. Julian looked down and the corners of his mouth turned up.
Annie’s heart fell.
I’m too late...
“Miss, have you beenhelped?”
Annie flinched. The young man — Teagan — raised a brow at her.
She shook her head. “Ah- no, I have — I just came in to check on something.”
He raised a brow. A slow smile crept up his cheeks, one she couldn’t decide was of knowing or hostility. “Hey, aren’t you that girl Julian liked?”
Liked…?
“Sure,” she replied flatly. Her gaze drifted back to the bar.
Teagan followed her gaze and said, “Ah! Worked with him for weeks. Didn’t see him smile like that once.”
Her heart beat in her ears. She wanted to die.
