Page 21 of Falling Backwards
Paxton doesn’t have a problem with her, though.
“What’syourfavorite food here?”he calls to her in an easy tone.“Brunch food, I mean.”
She goes on meticulously folding a napkin.
My kneejerk reaction is to roll my eyes, but right after I do it, I comprehend that she might not realize he’s talking to her.I’m well-versed in what it looks like when she ignores someone on purpose; she’s just busy doing her job to a T right now.
Talk about someone not being able to relax.
‘Don’t cuss when you’re at work,’I mentally mock her, the voice in my head exaggeratedly girly.‘Someone halfway across the building might hear you.Blah, blah, lecture, lecture.’
She’s still in her own little bubble, not answering Paxton, so I prompt her flatly, “Magnolia.”
That gets a pause and a slow blink out of her.She slides an equally flat look to me from beneath the slight curl of her bangs.
Mmhmm.Join the world.
It’s clear she’s actively trying to sound patient when she asks, “What, Luke?”
I tilt my head towards Paxton, and she looks at him.
His light tone doesn’t change a bit.“What’s your favorite Lucent brunch food?”
“Eggs Benedict.”
NowIblink slowly.
Didn’t know we had that in common.
“Aw, is it really?”Paxton is saying.“I’ve never eaten that.”
Maggie has resumed her work, but she still says something back to him.I don’t quite catch it.
Paxton must not have caught it either.“Sorry, what?”
She raises her voice just enough.“I said the hollandaise is phenomenal.”
…Well, shit.
I don’t agree with her out loud, but when I catch Paxton’s eye, I reluctantly nod it to him.He chortles and raises his eyebrows.Maybe he’ll try that dish next time.
My attention shifts to the couple seating themselves at the bar about halfway between him and Maggie.Just after I’ve greeted them and set out cocktail napkins, an order comes in from a server.
Work officially takes over once again.
The couple is as friendly as Paxton and I are, so some chatter gets sprinkled into their visit.We learn they’re looking at houses in town because the husband has just scored a new job.When he orders a whiskey, I tell him it’s on the house celebration-style, which only adds to his and his wife’s happy mood.Paxton is more than willing to recommend the French toast to them when they ask what’s good here at Lucent.
Someone who is more on Maggie’s side of the social scale is a man seated at the opposite end of the bar from the girl herself.He’s quiet and he looks like he has a lot on his mind; he keeps idly rubbing at his thick black glasses frames as he stares at his drink, keeps glancing at his phone lying silently on the bar.Beneath his suit, his buttoned-up shirt is a happy yellow, a stark contrast to his dull mood.He isn’t interested in food, just appears to want to be left to his thoughts, so I take care not to bother him unless it looks like he needs another gin and tonic.
After two drawn-out ones, he’s done and so is the other couple, who decided to share an order of the French toast.
“I’m out of here too,” Paxton tells me after I’ve delivered soft leather guest check holders to the others.He finishes dealing with his, then scoots it across the bar to me and turns his head again.“Celebratory couple and Maggie, ’twas nice conversing with you.A good day to you all!”
I pick up the check holder and tip a nod at him.“Later on, man.”
“See ya!”
After the couple says their goodbyes, he heads off.My eyes find Maggie just in time to see her glance at him and give her own polite nod.Then her attention flicks back to her work.
