Page 19 of Four-ever Single

Bella: Hi, we’re all going to Tipsy Taquito tonight. Would you like to join us?

My cheeks burned as the smile stretched across my face as I texted out my response.

Me: That depends. Who is going, and do I have to sit by Capshaw?

Bella: The usual. Me, Lia, Kensy, Capshaw, and hopefully you. I’ll save you a seat by me if you want to come.

Me: What time?

Bella: Lia wants to get there early for happy hour. Four?

Me: Sounds good. I’ll be there.

Bella: It’s a date (kissing face emoji)

I felt flutters dance in my stomach as I read her text again. Was this her way of asking me out on a date, even though our friends would be there too? I tried not to think too hard about it as I finished my morning chores and jumped in the shower.

The day dragged on as I waited for four o’clock to come around. It was supposed to be my last day at work, but since we got called in on Sunday, everyone agreed to adjust the schedule from there, and we worked Monday as the last day of our 48 hours on. I was off for the next three days and found myself obsessing over ways to spend time with Bella.

I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her, but more importantly, I couldn’t get what Capshaw said out of my head. I wanted to be with Bella, but I didn’t want to push her to be in a committed relationship with me if she wasn’t ready. It felt different with her, and I would rather have whatever she wanted to give me than ask for more.

By noon, I was going stir-crazy, so I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out the door. I was in line at Surf ’N Shack when I felt someone bump their shoulder against mine.

“I heard you made quite the beef stroganoff,” Abby said, smiling at me.

“Hey, Abby,” I replied, pulling my arm around her shoulders to hug her. “How are you?”

“Good, though a little jealous of this dish you made that Nate hasn’t stopped talking about.” She laughed lightly.

“Well, I’m glad he liked it, but don’t give me too much credit,” I said with a chuckle. “I was trying to make tacos.”

“You turned tacos into stroganoff?” She turned her head up and looked quizzically at me.

“I used a brown gravy seasoning packet instead of taco seasoning. When I realized my mistake, I called my friend Dylan, who put me on the phone with his girlfriend, Callie. She is a cooking genius, much like you, and she saved the day by helping me turn it into the stroganoff.”

“I think I like her already.”

Abby walked with me through the line as we waited to place our orders.

“Are you sitting down for lunch or heading back to Rockin’ Rooster?” I asked once we were next in line.

“Unfortunately, I’ve gotta get back. I’m just grabbing food before Sherry leaves. We’re short-handed today, so I’m working a double shift since Nate has the day off. Total blessing in disguise we weren’t expecting, but having him work on Sunday and shifting his days off this week is really helping.”

“I’m sorry. I hope things get better for you.”

“Thanks, me too. We should be better soon. Just a stomach bug going around that’s taking out most of my team.”

We got to the counter and went to separate registers. I was going to pay for her lunch, but she walked off before I could. Once her order was placed, she grabbed her ticket and waved as she stepped to the side to wait for it.

I was still waiting for mine to be placed when I saw Capshaw come out of the back and grin at me. He stood next to the kid struggling to ring me up and pressed a few buttons on the screen. The kid's eyes lit up as he looked over at Capshaw.

“Family discount,” he said, then pressed a few more buttons and handed me a receipt.

We stepped to the side as the kid continued to stare in disbelief. He was new—though I wasn’t sure how long he’d been there given that he didn’t seem to know how to ring people up. Another kid came out from the kitchen and took his place at the register. He shook his head and headed to the back before returning a few seconds later with cleaning supplies to clear the tables.

“You working here today?” I asked, pressing my cup against the metal lever to fill it with ice.

“Na, I just came in to check on things and say hi to my parents. They’ve got things covered—for the most part,” he said wearily as he watched the kid who had been ringing me up wander through the restaurant, trying to clear plates from people who were still eating.

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