Page 172 of How To Not Need You

“Still no.”

“Free coffee?”

“Luca.”

“Fine. I'll support small business at full price like some kind of peasant.”

Adrian's phone starts ringing.

“Saved by the bell,” I tell him.

He glances at the screen. “Holly.” He says and you can tell my the wrinkle in his brow that he isn’t expecting her call.

Luca steals the remaining piece of croissant from Adrian's plate while he's distracted.

Adrian gives him a look and answers the phone. “Hey, Hol.”

I go back to my coffee.

I've met Holly a handful of times over the years. Adrian's younger sister. She lives away from Seabrook and comes home occasionally. Somehow she manages to be both much quieter than Luca and related to him by marriage, which I've always considered an impressive survival skill.

Across from me, Harper is trying to convince Leo that no, he cannot ask Natalie to make a dinosaur-shaped croissant every morning.

Then Adrian says, very loudly, “WHAT?”

Every head at our table turns. Actually, several heads from other tables turn too. Adrian has gone pale.

Not slightly surprised by something his sister said pale. More should somebody call an ambulance? pale.

Jake sits forward beside me. Luca drops the croissant. That's when I know it's serious. Adrian doesn't even notice.

“O..okay.” He listens. His eyes flick toward Luca.

“Yeah.” Another pause. “Okay. Just yeah. Of course.” He drags a hand over his face.

“See you soon.” Then he hangs up. And stares at his phone. Nobody speaks. Even the children seem to have picked up on the fact that something weird is happening, although Tilly is still chewing, so there's only so much reverence we can expect.

Luca leans toward him. “Adrian?”

Nothing.

“Babe?”

Adrian looks up.

“What was that about?”

Adrian blinks. “That was Holly.”

“Yes, I gathered that from the part where you answered the phone and said Holly.”

Adrian keeps staring at him.

Luca's expression changes. “Is she okay?”

“What? Yeah. She's fine.”

“Then why do you look like that?”