Page 17 of Fight For Us
While she ate, I cleaned up the station and took some inconspicuous deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Did she feel what I felt? I couldn’t tell from the look on her face, but fuck, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping she felt the same spark too.
Chapter 7
Olivia
Two months into theschool year and Alex was no better at waking up on time than on the first day. I’ve seen slugs move faster and that’s not even a joke. There was a slug outside Sunshine the other day and it hauled ass compared to my son. Where was this energy level at bedtime?
I sipped my first cup of coffee and shoved toast into my mouth while stuffing Alex’s homework folder into his backpack. Too bad I didn’t have time to attempt to cook eggs. “Alex, five minutes until we have to leave. Do you have your shoes on?”
He came trudging out of his room wearing a crumpledMario Bros.T-shirt and shorts that definitely didn’t match. I noticed his scowl and decided I’d pick my battles.
“Here, have some toast.” I grabbed a piece I’d slathered with peanut butter and extended the offering to him like I was trying not to startle a wild animal.
“I’m not hungry,” he grumbled, but took it from my hand anyway. “Can I have coffee, too?”
Instead of shooting his request down immediately, I thought for a second. A few ounces wouldn’t hurt him. And maybe it would give the illusion of drinking magical wake up juice. I was too late to argue.
“Here, you can finish mine.” He took my offering with a slight grin. I glanced at his feet as I grabbed my work sneakers.“Hey, I don’t think wearing flip-flops is a good idea at school. You should change.”
“Everyone wears these. It’s fine. I don’t even have P.E. today.”
I looked at my watch again and decided once again that this battle wasn’t worth it. “Alright. Grab your bag. You’ll have to finish eating in the car.” I turned off the coffee maker and the kitchen lights and followed Alex outside.
“Are we picking up Lilly again today?” he asked between sips of coffee.
“Not today. Her grandma is driving her.” Thank God since we would have had to leave twenty minutes ago if that were the case. If Alex moved at the speed of a slimy invertebrate in the morning, Lilly moved half the speed. She was the sloth fromZootopiapersonified. Watching her drag herself out the door was like watching a video in slow motion. “How’s Lilly doing in school?”
Luck was on our side when Alex and Lilly ended up in the same class at school. Although from what Alex has told me, Lilly was having a tough time adjusting to the move. I thought about the spunky girl I met on the beach with her paint splattered shorts and tangled hair. She still had such a baby face but spoke like she was much older than her ten years.
“I’m not sure. She hasn’t really talked about it much. But there’s these mean girls that are always laughing when she walks by their desks.” I white-knuckled my steering wheel. Kids could be such assholes.
“Well, I’m glad she has you as her friend. Keep on being there for her, okay, bud.” I peeked at Alex in my rearview mirror just in time to see a slight eye roll.
“I know, I know.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes back at him. I desperately needed more coffee.
“I thought that table would never leave,” Kelly groaned, dumping a few dirty plates into the bus box at our server station. She wiped her brow with a napkin and neatly folded it into her pants pocket.
“Which one?” I asked. I was busy enough with my own tables in the morning breakfast rush that I hadn’t paid mind to what she was doing. Other than when we crossed paths picking up orders or refilling drinks. Kelly filled a glass with cold water fromthe machine, sipping and leaving a ring of bright red lipstick on the rim.
“Table nine. Loud couple. You didn’t hear them arguing?”
I finished cashing out my ticket and glanced over toward the table in question. “Nope, I guess I was in my own head.”
“Guess so. You know who didn’t miss a word, though?” I smiled when my gaze found Walter at the counter, his body turned toward the other diners. “That man collects gossip worse than my granny’s church group.”
“Can’t blame him. He needs something to do all day,” I said. “And I know he just loves irritating Wes.”
Kelly chuckled and finished off her glass. “It’s like a circle of irritation in this place. Walt gets under Wesley’s skin and Wesley gets under yours.”
I titled my head. Her analogy was spot on. “And what about me? Who do I irritate?”
She pinned me with a look and raised her thinly plucked brow. “I think you already know the answer to that question.”
We both laughed. “Love you too, Kel.” I hip bumped her on my way out to the floor. In my time here, I’d messed up more than I could count, mixing our orders, standing in her way, taking the wrong tables. But I’d slowly grown on her like I was the little sister she never wanted. She was in her forties with a grown son and a grandbaby on the way. As much as our personalities clashed, I valued her knowledge.
“Oh, by the way, dimple guy is here again. He’s sitting in your section.” Kelly peeked around the corner to scope out our newregular. I don’t know anything about him, except that he always sits in the same booth by the window and alternates between our turkey club and our chef’s salad. “I think he’s looking for you,” she singsonged.
