Page 71 of The Second Chance Cinema
Jamie raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Smithe’s only does theall-day pancake special on Mondays now.” Drake pointed in the direction of the sign in protest. “You can’t trust the signs around here,” Jamie said.
“What kind of place does a Monday pancake special?”
“Smithe’s does,” Jamie emphasized with a goofy grin. “What are you doing right now?” he asked. “Let’s grab coffee. Get to know each other better.”
Drake had met Jamie a few times at town functions. That was enough for him.
“You’re holding coffee,” Drake reminded him. “Two coffees.”
Jamie ducked his head into the open window. “Oh, this? This is an appetizer, my man.”
For years, the sign at Nathan’s Diner had read Nahan’s, but the spinning parking lot emblem had recently acquired a newt.The diner sat on the outskirts of town, in a place where people still cared about the safety of their family, but a little less about jagged sidewalks. As soon as the diner’s door opened, they were cocooned in the smell of maple syrup and butter. Jamie threw a few coins into the gumball machine by the entrance. He squatted to watch a purple gumball roll out of the winding tube and spit out from a small silver flap. “I never get over this place,” he said, before popping the gum in his mouth. The host stand was empty, but a waitress came over and guided them to a booth where it seemed Jamie always sat, a booth Drake instantly recognized.
It was his booth with Melinda.
Drake retraced his steps and tried to figure out how he’d ended up in this particular booth with Melinda’s husband. Something about being back in his hometown made him too polite. Jamie seemed like a nice-enough guy, but the only thing they shared, other than their looks, was being with Melinda. He tried to think of some excuse to leave, but came up short.
The waitress handed them two menus as they settled in. “Thanks, Cindy,” Jamie said, then rattled off a series of questions at her that exuded familiarity. Was Cindy’s furnace fixed yet? How was her birthday? Drake wasn’t some kind of human census for the town, but it was unusual he’d never met Cindy. Maybe he’d just forgotten her.
“I’m glad we’re doing this, man,” Jamie said after he put in an order of pancakes for himself and the coffee was poured. He got up and grabbed the local paper from a nearby table, sat back down, and fanned it open. His finger searched for something in the pages until he located an illustrated ad in the back section for My Mother’s Shop. “Snazzy,” he said, tapping it. He looked up to Drake for a reaction.
“Yeah,” Drake agreed. “Super snazzy.”
Jamie must have detected some of Drake’s unease, because he brought up the pancakes again. He hoped Beth didn’t mind the pancakes at Nathan’s instead.
“No,” Drake told him. “Nathan’s pancakes are fine.”
Jamie leaned forward. “Good. Good.” He closed the paper. “Although I’m thinking Beth Nielson would know better than to believe Smithe’s Dairy would still be running their weekend pancake deal. Especially with all the bits your mom has going with Marla Smithe.”
“Bits?” Drake asked. “What bits?”
“Oh, you know. They moo at each other when Beth walks in the door, for one. Because,Dairy.”
“They …they moo at each other?” Drake had never known his mom to moo.
Jamie brushed this revelation aside. “You’re not here for the party,” he reiterated. “And I’m getting the sense you’re not here for the pancakes. So, what brought you to town today, bud?”
Panic set in. Drake didn’t want to admit that he was on his way to see Melinda, but the truth was obvious. “I was driving tomy mom’s,” he started. “For advice, I guess. I wanted some advice, and then …” Drake made the motion of heading past the condo with his arms. “I went to the shop instead.”
“Ah.” Jamie nodded. “So, you need advice. From someone who’s not your mom.”
“I don’t know … maybe,” Drake admitted. That was why he had gone there, he realized. He had wanted advice from someone who knew what he was like in a relationship. And the best person for that would be, of course, Melinda.
“Well, Melinda’s busy with the whole party thing, but why don’t you try me?” Jamie suggested.
Drake hesitated. It was hard to believe he was this calm talking to Melinda’s husband. Was he calm? He wiped his forehead. He wasn’t sweating. Jamie was easy to talk to, and Drake feared he might be having a good time. “Well,” he started. Some of the story slipped out. Then, a lot of it. Drake was spilling his guts about Ellie, minus the magical theater. He even admitted to repeating things he’d done with Melinda all over again in their relationship. Now, Ellie was repeating what Melinda had done to him. “She’s going to call off the wedding. I’m sure of it.”
“Slow down,” Jamie said, holding a hand up. “How do you know that?”
Drake explained that Ellie had a habit of locking people out.
Leaving without saying goodbye. Jumping ship.
“You seem pretty focused on the past,” Jamie pointed out. “And who you both were with other people. Which isn’t all that relevant now. Frankly, it sounds pretty unhelpful.”
Drake nodded. He took a sip of his coffee. “I guess I’m thinking about the past because I’m hoping it’ll show me what’s going to happen with Ellie. Maybe even explain why she wants to be withme.”
“Why?” Jamie asked. “You seem like a great guy. Very goodlooking.” Jamie pointed between the two of them. “Yes, I’ve noted the resemblance. So why do you question that?”
