Page 12 of Waste Some Time
Katie had ordered her own sandwich already but had been waiting for Stephen to arrive before eating. Now that they were all together, everyone unwrapped the crisp white paper to reveal their treasures.
Sydney inhaled the smells of the place and her sandwich—half a fried oyster poboy with a crunchy cornmeal batter, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and the softest French bread she’d ever tasted, with a delicately crispy exterior. The whole atmosphere smelled like home.
Katie washed down a bite with a sip of Dr. Pepper then asked, “So what else is on your agenda while you’re back here?”
“I’m not sure. All I can think of is food, and Stephen’s been full of suggestions for that.”
“What kind of food? Besides this.”
Their conversation felt weirdly comfortable. Just like the night they met. Almost as comfortable as it had been to have Katie’s mouth against hers.
“Well, Mom’s making etouffée later this week, so that’s covered,” she said quickly to regain control of her thoughts. “Maybe that place with the fried fish. The one with the Friday plate lunches. It’s not too far from here, I think.”
Stephen made a tiny moaning sound and said, “Oh, that was the best fish.”
“Was?”
“I mean, I haven’t been there in years,” said Stephen.
Katie frowned. “It closed last year.”
Stephen put a hand to his heart. “No!”
Katie nodded. “Jo, the singer for Rachel’s band, knows the owner somehow. He retired and didn’t want to sell the business. Didn’t want to see it in anyone else’s hands. So he just shut it down.”
“Now I can’t stop thinking about catfish,” Sydney said. “Although these oysters are helping with the grief.”
“See, if you’d visit more often, we could have gone before it closed.”
“Maybe if you didn’t nag me about not visiting, I’d visit more,” she teased her brother back.
Stephen slapped a hand on the table. “I have the best idea.”
Sydney’s stomach sank. This could not be a good idea, much less the best one. She knew she should have talked to him last night and cleared things up. But she couldn’t figure out a way reveal what she originally wanted to tell him without spilling her other secret.
She was fine with him knowing she was bi. She wasn’t fine with him knowing she’d lied to him.
“We need to have a talk about your best ideas and workshopping them first,” Sydney said.
Katie gave a sly smile that made Sydney’s breath catch in her chest. “Oh, he’s always like this. Still.”
“This is me workshopping them,” Stephen said. “With you two. Except it’s already settled. No workshopping necessary.”
Oh, no.
“What’s settled?” Sydney asked, her stomach dropping with what her gut knew had to be a terrible idea.
“Since I have to work tomorrow, but this one’s off,” he aimed a thumb at his best friend beside him. “Katie can take you on a welcome-back-home tour around the city.”
5
KATIE
Katie chokedon a piece of fried shrimp, trying to process what Stephen had just said.
He couldn’t possibly have asked her to spend the day with Sydney. With the woman who was pretending she didn’t even know Katie. The woman with those silky blonde waves and wide coral-tinted lips. Lips Katie could practically feel on her own, even from across the table. Her brain couldn’t distinguish between seeing them now and feeling them against her at that party.
No, that wasn’t her brain feeling that.
