“Sounds good to me.” I sat my menu down on the table as Jennifer came back with our drinks.
“Do you know what you would like or should I come back?”
Simon glanced at me. “I’ll have the mahi-mahi.”
“Make that two.”
“Very good. I’ll be back shortly,” she said, picking up our menus and walking away.
“So,” Simon began, folding his hands on the table. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been good. How have things been going for you?”
“Really good, actually. I have a lot of balls in the air, so that’s been keeping me busy.”
“Better to be too busy than bored,” I shrugged.
An unsettling silence descended between us and I fidgeted in my seat. I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t know him well enough to even be able to start a conversation. That, coupled with the fact that I felt like I was under a microscope, made me feel hesitant to say anything.
“True, although I would like a little more time to relax and go to dinner. What have you been up to outside of work?” He watched me closely and I couldn’t tell what he was fishing for, although it was pretty clear he was searching for something.
“Just working and hanging out with Kari. I’m getting ready to look for an apartment, things like that.”
“I thought maybe you were seeing Cane Alexander.” I swallowed a lump in my throat as he said his name. “He seemed a little strange when we met him the other day, even for Cane.” He chuckled, never taking his eyes off of me.
I swallowed hard, my ring spinning like a top. “No, I’m not seeing Cane.” I smiled as innocently as possible. “His friend is dating my sister, so we run into each other a lot.”
“I see. How has he been?”
“I have no idea. I wasn’t aware that you knew Cane.”
“Oh, it’s a small world.”
“He didn’t say anything about knowing you.”
Simon bit his bottom lip, scrutinizing my face. “We really don’t know each other. We’ve just ran into each other a few times. No big deal.”
“I see.” I had the incredible urge to grab my purse and bolt for the door.
Simon rearranged his silverware on the table before looking at me again. “Do you see him a lot?”
“No,” I said, becoming increasingly annoyed. “What does it matter?”
Simon laughed, leaning back in his chair stiffly. “It doesn’t. I am sorry for pressing. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s really not.”
The air between us was tense as Simon looked everywhere but at me. I grabbed an advertisement off of the table and pretended to be immersed in the upcoming events at the restaurant.
Why am I even here?
I felt stupid. I only agreed to this because I was pissed at Cane. Now I was paying the price for it. I didn’t want to be there and it didn’t seem like Simon cared that I was there either. It was like being with Decker but with no bond at all, nothing to even pretend to talk about.
Simon tossed his napkin onto the table. “I’m going to run to the men’s room real fast, if that’s okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” I was relieved that he needed to get up.
Simon got up and walked to the front of the restaurant and I relaxed back into my chair, watching the sweat drip down my water glass. My chest felt heavy and I knew it was going to be a really long night.
I sat for a long time, replaying Simon’s words, trying to figure out what was going on. Something wasn’t right, but I wasn’t sure what. Baffled, I grabbed my phone from my purse and turned it back on. I saw a text from Kari and a voicemail from Cane.
Ignoring the voicemail, I opened my texts.
Kari: Hey! Where are you tonight!? I want to watch Sons of Anarchy! Charlie Hun-yum, baby!
Me: I’m out for a little while. Definitely having a movie night when I get back!
Kari: What are you doing?
I shoved my phone back in my purse, ignoring the last question.
I would so rather be home right now with Kari and a bunch of rowdy motorcycle men than in this restaurant, apparently alone. But alone is better than having Simon across from me.
“Is everything all right?” Jennifer asked, setting down our plates.
“Yes, thank you.” I looked at her face. She had wide, friendly brown eyes and freckles. She seemed like the type of girl that I would be friends with. I half wished that I knew her and could ask her to tell Simon I had an emergency and had to leave.
“If you need anything else, please just let me know.”
I need a lot of things, but nothing that can be fixed by the mark of a waitress’s pen.
I watched her walk away before turning my attention to the delicious looking entrée in front of me.
“Hey! Sorry about that,” Simon said with a spring in his step. He pulled his chair out and sat down. “This looks really good.”
“Yeah, it does,” I said, watching him suspiciously. “Is everything okay?”