Page 82 of Latte Girl
BetterThanFine
Jordan
“You sure thiswillwork?”
“I’m not sure at all,” answers Hailey, as the automatic doors slide open in front of us. “Especially since such a big part of this plan relies on you making my momlikeyou.”
“Well that makes me feel better,” Ireply.
We step into the reception area of the Bernstein Centre. Hailey leads the way over to a few empty chairs and we sit down to wait for her mother toarrive.
“Relax,” she tells me. “It’ll be fine. We’re so closealready.”
“So close, yet so far.” I grip the edge of my seat to keep myself from fidgeting. Our plan has about as many holes in it as acolander.
Hailey has told her mom that the ‘friend’ she mentioned who’s the son of Rosalind Knox is actually a ‘special friend’ she’d like to introduce. She suggested we all meet for lunch at the Bernstein Centre since I’d be there visiting my own mother anyways. Hailey’s mom is allowed to bring us into the employee dining area, and after I’ve charmed her with my admiration for her daughter, our plan is to drop the bomb that I don’t actually have access to my mother and need to be added to the visitors list and/or smuggledinside.
It’s definitely not the ideal ‘Meet the Parents’luncheon.
Hailey places her hand over top of mine and the knots inside me ease just a bit. We wait a few more minutes until a brown-haired woman in scrubs with just a suggestion of Hailey’s features on her face emerges from down ahallway.
“Hailey!” she calls as she approaches us. “How’smygirl?”
Hailey gets up to hug her. She’s almost short enough for Hailey to tuck her underherchin.
“I’m good, Mom.How’swork?”
“Busy as ever,” she sighs, stepping away from Hailey and then locking eyeswithme.
“You must be Jordan,” she greets, a smile forming on her face that makes her resemblance to Hailey more clear. “It’s very nice to meet you.I’mEmma.”
She extends a hand for me toshake.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I say, taking her hand. “This is all such a weirdcoincidence.”
I try not to start laughing like amaniac.
“It definitely is,” Emma agrees. “Have you visited your mom already, or are you goingafterthis?”
Hailey and I exchange aglance.
“He’s going after,” shesupplies.
“Then I’ll sign you both in as my guests. Jordan, you’ll just have to stop back here at the front desk before you go visityourmom.”
Another nervous laugh starts to rise in my throat and I cough to cover it up. We show our ID to the receptionist at the front desk and get registered as visitors. Emma then leads us down the hall into a room filled with a dozen long tables and a small buffet next to a cash register. People in scrubs and doctor’s coats are scattered aroundtheroom.
We grab trays and plates from on top of the buffet and start filling them up. I doubt I’ll be able to swallow any of it. Hailey and I try to protest, but Emma insists on paying for the food after apologising that her lunch break isn’t long enough for us to go anywherenicer.
“Hailey’s kept me in the dark about you, Jordan,” she says, as we slide onto the benches at one of the tables. “I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone until she asked if we could meet forlunch.”
“Oh I wasn’t worth mentioning, was I?” I joke, giving Hailey a look I hope passes as mockinglyaccusatory.
I probably just look like I have something stuck in my eye. Concentrating on not looking nervous or in pain is about the only thing I can manage to do with my facerightnow.
Regardless of my expression, Hailey’s mom laughs and the tension eases a bit. I pick at the pasta salad on my plate as Emma tells us about an incident with an uncooperative patient today that segues into an embarrassing story from Hailey’s childhood I tell her I’m only too happy to hear. An entire half hour passes without either me or Hailey mentioning the real reasonwe’rehere.
“I have to say, you’re a nice change from Selfish Steve,” remarks Emma, after setting down a fork on her now emptyplate.
