Page 65 of First-Time Caller
I snort a laugh. The woman with her soup slurps louder.
LUCIE:Not yet. Can you confirm I’m where I’m supposed to be? It’s possible I got the restaurant mixed up.
Three dots appear, then disappear. I nibble on a tiny piece of bread.
AIDEN:Duck Duck Goose, right? The French place in Fells. They have good soup.
AIDEN:Where are you?
I sigh.At Duck Duck Goose.
AIDEN:Alone?
Not if you count the dining room full of people staring mournfully at me, I text back.
No dots appear. I stare at my phone for a long time, tapping at it with my thumb every time the screen goes dark, but Aiden never responds. I don’t know why that’s more disappointing than the empty chair across from me.
I finish my wine and eat all the cashews, then decide it’s probably time to call it a night. Maya is with Grayson tonight, part of our every-other-week switch off, but I think I’ll crash. Maybe I’ll crawl into bed with her and wrap my arms around her skinny body and listen to the sound of her breathing. Let my heart slow to match.
“You have all the love you need,” I remind myself with a whisper. I slip the napkin off my lap and fold it into a neat square. “You’re fine.”
My waiter appears at the edge of the table. “Don’t worry about the check,” he says.
“No, no.” I dig into my purse. “I had the wine. And the . . . nuts.”
The waiter shakes his head. He’s young. Bright red hair. An explosion of freckles across his high cheekbones. “No,” he says again. “Please. I—um, I know who you are. I’ll cover your bill.”
I wince. “That bad, huh?”
“No. Well, yeah. I guess. It’s shitty you got stood up. But I don’t want to pay for you because I feel sorry for you. It’s because— I—this is awkward. I don’t usually—” He blows out a breath and toys with the string of the half apron wrapped neatly around his waist.
“I was in a bad relationship,” he says quietly. My face must do something alarming because he shakes his head and steps closer to the table, ducking down a little bit. “No, no. It’s okay, I’m—I’m mostly okay. Figuring it out. But what I wanted to tell you, what I wanted to say is—” It’s like his thoughts are coming too fast to form words, like his bravery might run out before he can say whatever it is he wants to say. “I didn’t know it was a bad relationship before I heard your clip, talking about the things you want. I don’t think I realized everything I wasn’t getting and it was—” He shakes his head once, his lips pressed together. “Thank you,” he says again, voice a whisper now. “Just. Thank you.”
Pressure nestles behind my eyes and across the bridge of my nose. I don’t think I realized that because I was choosing to be brave, other people might decide to be brave too.
“You’re welcome,” I manage, my voice tight. “You deserve good things.”
“Yeah. I’m getting there.” He nods. “Okay. So you’re—you’re good to go.” He smiles and claps his hands together. “And fuck that guy.”
“Yeah.” I laugh with a sniffle. “Fuck that guy.”
It’s the heels, I decide as I carefully walk down the sidewalk, making sure to dodge loose stones. It’s the heels that are bad luck. I’ve only worn them twice, and both times have ended in disappointment. Next time, I’ll wear flats.
I brush my bangs out of my face. Next time. Do I want to go on another date? I’m not sure. The long-buried romantic in me screams,Yes!while the always pragmatic part of me whispers,Maybe take some time.
I do know that Grayson is off the date-picking roster. That’s for sure.
“Lucie!”
Someone shouts my name from down the street and I almost tumble head over ass into a trash bin. Is it the soup lady? Someone from Duck Duck Goose demanding I pay my bill? Maybe it’s my date with an explanation and an arm full of daisies. He’s late because he was rescuing a family of ducks or trying to perfect his sourdough starter.
The hopeless romantic in me is ruthless, apparently.
But it’s not my date, or the maître d’ from the restaurant, or anything remotely reasonable.
It’s Aiden, jogging down the sidewalk until he reaches the glow of the streetlight I’m standing in, stupefied. Dark jeans. His beat-up boots. A wool coat I’ve never seen before with the collar turned up. A white T-shirt underneath that clings to his body.
He stops half a foot away from me, his chest rising and falling. “Hey,” he says with a gusting breath. “I was hoping I’d catch you.” His eyes quickly skim down my body before flicking back up again. His throat bobs with a heavy swallow. “You look nice.”
