Page 33

TWENTY-FOUR

AMOS

The front door to Sparky’s closed behind the last tourist who’d cashed out after a late lunch rush. There were only a couple of Rocktogenarians—Maplewood’s beloved elder and badass women rockstars—left in the dining room, and they would likely linger for a while over their coffees.

“Mind if I grab a quick lunch?” I asked Sage as they used the lull to start restocking for the dinner rush.

“Perfect time for it. Grab a table, and I’ll bring you an iced tea.”

“Thanks.”

When I went back to the kitchen to whip up a quick sandwich, Mom looked over her shoulder at me and smiled. I’d felt awkward around her since learning about her and Carla’s friendship a couple of days ago.

“Grabbing lunch? I fixed something for you. It’s in the fridge.” She returned to her prep work.

“Thanks, Mom.” I knew she was trying to smooth things over, but I suspected it would take some time to get used to sharing this secret between us.

She’d made my favorite ham and honey mustard sandwich, and when I returned to the dining room, Sage had put a place setting and iced tea at the booth farthest from the Rocktogenarians. Bless them.

I was halfway through my sandwich when my phone buzzed.

My heart leaped, hoping it was Mickey, but I saw the name of someone I used to work with: Braxton.

Unexpected. I hadn’t thought about him much since he’d left the company early this year for some startup making big promises.

Half the time, startups never got off the ground, but I’d heard this one was doing pretty well.

I answered the call and put the phone to my ear. “Brax, hey. How have you been?”

“Good. I’m good. Great, actually. I heard it’s not going so well for you though.”

He’d always been direct, but I winced nonetheless. “It’s not so bad.” I didn’t have a permanent job or my own place, but I was getting time with my family I hadn’t had since high school, I was rebuilding a friendship with my childhood best friend, and…Mickey.

“Didn’t you get fired?”

“Laid off.” I kept the defensiveness from my voice. “How’s it going at the startup?”

“It’s great, man. That’s actually why I’m calling. Have you found a new job yet?”

“No. I’m back in Vermont and helping at the family diner while I figure out my next move.” I glanced at Sage, but they were busy wiping down tables.

“Perfect. We’re hiring for a couple of positions to help with an upcoming launch. Just send me a résumé, and I can take it from there. They’re trusting me to build a team, and I want you on it.”

“Wow. Thanks, Brax. I appreciate that.” I waited for the wave of relief to crash over me at a legit job prospect. It was what I’d been waiting for, right? So why did I feel nauseous? “Can you tell me about the job?”

“It’s an IT company, and we’re expanding quickly in the financial securities space.”

As he talked about the projects and where the company was headed, my mind wandered. Not a great sign.

I could do the job in my sleep, but it sounded like sleep would be hard to come by.

I knew people who’d worked at startups. They’d said it had sometimes been exhilarating, but for the most part, exhausting.

As I got older, the idea of pulling an all-nighter to nail a pitch wasn’t as appealing as a night of darts with friends at The Striped Maple and betting a round of beers on the rules of the night.

An image of a naked Mickey starfishing on his bed, smiling and sated, filled my mind.

Despite the sharp turn our date had taken, we’d been able to salvage it and have a great evening together.

I wanted more nights like that, and if I moved back to Boston to work for a startup, that would be basically impossible.

Reading between the lines of the job, even a long-distance relationship would be out of the question with the demands of the work.

“There’s unlimited vacation time and stock options. No retirement, but the salary’s solid.”

Unlimited vacation time was code for “you won’t actually have the time to use any vacation.”

“Awesome. I’ll give it some thought and let you know.”

“Don’t take too much time, bro. We want the team ready to go in the new year. It’s a great chance to get on the ground floor of this company. I’m telling you, we’re going places.”

“Sounds like it.” I mustered enthusiasm. “I really appreciate you thinking of me.”

“Sure. I better run. Got a meeting in a few. Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of Vermont and back to the city.”

After hanging up, I pushed the plate away. My favorite sandwich no longer held appeal.

Sage stood next to the bench across from me with a rag draped over their shoulder. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but?—”

“You totally meant to eavesdrop.”

“ But it’s a small restaurant and it’s basically empty. Was that about a job?” Their encouraging tone hit like a punch to the gut.

They tried so hard to support me, but all it did was make me feel shittier.

I picked at the sandwich crust. “Yeah, with a startup in Boston.”

“Good pay? Benefits?”

“Pay seems good, unlimited vacation, but no retirement. Not sure about healthcare.”

Sage’s eyebrows jumped to their hairline. “Unlimited vacation? Sign me up.”

“My sweet, summer child. That doesn’t mean you can actually take unlimited vacation. Companies do that when they have a culture of pressuring people not to take time off. If people earn a specific amount, they’re much more likely to take it.”

“Seriously? That’s messed up.”

“That’s the corporate world.”

They grimaced. “I’ll stick to small-town diner life.”

I wish I could do that too. It was tempting to say it, but what good would it do?

Sage and I had talked about their plans for the diner fairly frequently since I’d begun staying with them.

I threw out a lot of ideas—I couldn’t help it—but they shot down most of them.

We had different visions for how Sparky’s could grow into the future.

Approaching them about running the diner together wasn’t an option unless I wanted to stay a server and work for them like Mickey’s Aunt Ingrid did with his dad or risk butting heads the rest of our lives.

“Well, I’m excited for you. Keep me posted.”

“I’m just not sure Boston is where I want to be anymore,” I admitted.

Sage’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought you loved it. You couldn’t wait to get out of here after you graduated.”

That was how they saw it?

“I didn’t have a choice. Mom and Dad practically pushed me out into the big, wide world.”

Confusion appeared on their face and disappeared just as quickly when new customers entered the restaurant.

“Welcome to Sparky’s! Would you like to sit at a table or the counter?”

It was probably for the best that the conversation was over. I wasn’t sure what else I wanted to share, but I felt better sharing at least a little with them.