Page 9 of Fight

Annie reached out and put her arm around Lena’s shoulder sympathetically. “It’s a small town, babe. Everyone knows everyone. You will soon, too.”

Lena looked around at the rest of the table vivaciously chatting about things that held zero interest to her. She’d always been an indoor kid growing up. Give her a good book and some art supplies and that was all she needed to keep herself happy. This need for speed or adrenaline or whatever that was a part of so many people here was never something she required.

She just needed an outlet. Something to create, see, or read that helped her understand the world, and her place in it, a bit better. She hadn’t had a real opportunity to see how that worked here, so she was starting to get nervous that she'd made the wrong decision.

“Do you think I’ll fit in here, Annie?” she asked quietly, careful to keep the others from hearing her fear and vulnerability.

“Of course I do,” assured Annie. “Look at me. I don’t ski or go flying down hills on a bike and I love my life here.”

“But you’re outdoorsy,” she said, waving her hands vaguely at Annie’s whole sundress and utilitarian sandals vibe. “You of all people know that I am definitelynotoutdoorsy.”

“But you are,” insisted Annie. “You have a love and appreciation for nature and beauty like no one I’ve ever met before.” Lena wondered idly if Annie had snuck in a drink, which always brought out her sentimental, earth mother side.

“You’re an artist,” Annie continued. “This place will give you the inspiration you’re looking for, I know it. And you’ll carve out your own place among all these damn adrenaline junkies. It’s a challenge, but if anyone can do it, it’s you”

Lena sighed and nodded her head firmly. “You’re right, I can and I will.”

“But,” Annie interjected, dipping her head down and issuing Lena a stern look.

“But what?”

“Cool it on the Jake thing,” she whispered. “I thought you crossed your heart and swore to God that you’d be good?”

“I may have crossed my heart, but there was no deity swearing involved.” Lena lifted her hand to her heart as if affronted. “As if I would ever break such a solemn vow.”

Annie pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Okay, okay.” Lena crossed her heart with her finger like she had in the car earlier and this time she lifted up two fingers. “I swear to God.”

Annie pointed her two right fingers into her eyes and then back at Lena. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

The rest of the group laughed loudly at something that Jake said and Cara’s determined voice broke through and interrupted Lena and Annie’s chat. “Ok, guys. I could stand here all night talking to you, but I should probably get back to work. What can I get you to drink?”

She started with Jake who ordered a beer with the same orders coming from Morgan, Ian, and Annie.

“Can I have a Rosé?” asked Lena when it was her turn. She turned over the drink menu in front of her looking for wine or cocktails, but all she could see was beer.

“Rosé?” asked Cara confusedly.

“Yeah, you know, pink wine?”

Cara grimaced. “We don’t have any pink wine,” she stammered.

“Do you haveanywine?” Lena asked, still not seeing anything on the menu that indicated that they might.

Cara shifted and moved to stand over Lena’s shoulder, peeking at the menu she held. “I don’t know. Maybe? Do you see anything like that?”

“No, I don’t.” Lena was very confused about Cara’s confusion on the concept of wine. This was California. Wasn’t Sonoma about two hours west of here? “It’s in a bottle? It can be white, red, or even pink?” Lena prompted.

“Yeah, I don’t know, dude. I don’t think we carry wine here. I can get you a beer?”

Lena narrowed her eyes at the “dude.” She was not a dude and could not abide being called one.

It suddenly felt as if the conversation with Annie had never happened as her fears began to bubble up inside of her again. She started breathing quickly and the panicked feeling started rising within her again. She was not going to burst into tears about this restaurant’s lack of wine in front of hot, annoying Jake. She couldn’t look at him, but she could sense him observing her quietly.

“I’ll just stick with water," she said quietly, tossing the drink menu down in front of her.

“Okay. Great, thanks.” A visibly relieved Cara sighed. “I’ll get the rest of your beers. Be back in a sec.”

Cara rushed off in the opposite direction, but before Lena had the opportunity to process the interaction, Jake stood up and they all looked up at him in surprise. He looked around the table awkwardly as if he was as surprised that he had stood up as the rest of them were. “I’ll be right back,” he said, his gaze settling on Ian. “Ian, get me my usual when Cara comes back.”

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