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“Fine,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t forget to have breakfast.” She didn’t look at me when she got out of the car.
I let my head fall back on the headrest, squeezing my eyes closed. Fuck my life. Seriously. My phone beeped.
Stef:You. Me. Diner. Now.
My lips curved in a smile as I put my shitty old Ford Taurus into gear and eased into the school traffic. A dose of Stef was exactly what I needed.
* * *
Ipulled up outside the diner, studiously ignoring the weird noises emanating from under the hood of old Doris. The last thing I needed to think about right now was trying to pay for car repairs. Entering the diner, I winced at the loud jangling of the bell, but drew in a deep breath as the smells of the diner hit me. Fresh coffee. Bacon. Maple syrup. Man, I loved this place, with its powder blue walls, dark blue leather booths and stools, a checkerboard floor that was always sticky, no matter how much we mopped it. This place was my lifeline, no exaggeration. Getting a job here as soon as I was old enough was the only thing that had stood between my family and homelessness.
“Hey, Esme. You’re not on today, are you?” And it was all thanks to this man. Brayden Sinclair, with his floppy dark hair and kind brown eyes. He picked up strays like he was a magnet for lost souls, and he knew exactly how to steer them home. I loved him to pieces.
“Hi, Brayden. No, just meeting up with the girls.”
“Nice. Help yourself to some coffee.”
“Thanks.” I moved behind the counter, starting a fresh jug and lining up three mugs on the stainless-steel surface. “On that note, though, I don’t suppose there are any extra shifts going this weekend?”
“Lemme check.” Brayden moved into the back office, having to duck his head under the doorway. This diner was not built for guys who topped six foot five. He came back out, his brown eyes surveying me with concern. “No, sorry. Gladys is already pulling a double to help her daughter with car repairs.”
“No problem.” I folded my arms across my chest, watching the slow drip of coffee through the machine.
“You’re not too strapped for cash, are you? Because I can lend you some—”
Oh god, he was so sweet. “No more than usual,” I said with a smile. “Thank you anyway. I just don’t have the kids this weekend and thought it made sense to pick up some extra work.” That wasn’t quite true, though. Spending my birthday alone was something I dreaded, and now that I couldn't work, I needed to find things to do on Saturday to keep myself busy.
“Sorry. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
“Thanks.” Pouring out the coffees, I mustered a bright smile and loaded the mugs on a tray. “Hey, you don’t have to do that!” I protested, when Brayden added three choc chip muffins to the tray.
“They’re from Brandy. Don’t knock them back.”
He didn’t need to say anything else. Brandy made the best muffins on this side of the county line. “Well, thanks.”
Stef and Miriam were already sitting in a booth at the very back. Stef was leaning close to Miriam, her blue hair shining in the sunlight pouring in through the window. They looked to be having a pretty full-on conversation, from what I could tell.
I’d known Stef since middle school and even though she’d left town when we were teenagers, we’d stayed in touch. She’d only recently moved back, because her brother and his wife had had a baby and she couldn’t stand being too far away from her squishy little niece. Miriam had happily come with her, since she had no ties to Seattle and, as the drummer and co-founder of Stef’s punk rock band, it made sense that they were near each other. They’d slotted me into their friendship like I’d always belonged there; a fact I was forever grateful for because my life didn’t really allow much time for friends.
“Okay, why all the urgency?” I asked as I distributed the coffees and muffins.
“This little chicken nugget went on a date!” Stef pointed at Miriam, her whisky brown eyes dancing.
“No way! When was this? You didn’t mention it the other day?” I looked at Stef in inquiry, wondering if I’d forgotten.
“We were waiting for you, so I’m none the wiser, either.”
Miriam smiled at me reassuringly. “Well, it hadn’t happened when I saw you the other day. It was out of the blue.”
“Aaww, I love this for you. How did it go?” I slipped into the booth across from them.
“Great.”
Stef clasped her hands under her chin, staring at Miriam. “That had better not be the end of this conversation. After everything that happened with Angela, I want to know you’re getting your happily ever after, goddamit.”
“Settle down, Stef. It’s only been one date.” Despite her words, Miriam gazed out the window for a long moment, a faraway look in her gray eyes, her lips curved in a soft smile.
“Well, it must have been a fucking good one, judging by that look on your face.”