I roll my eyes. “Yet the blisters will last all week. Oh, the things I do for you, big sister.”
She giggles and delivers her food while it is still steaming, balancing the loaded tray expertly. Even though she has been here every bit as long as me today, she still looks flawless. Her blonde ponytail is still perky, her makeup is still perfect. She doesn’t look for even a minute like she is hung-over. I don’t know how she does it. It’s annoying.
I sink into a nearby chair to rest my weary legs.
“Is this seat taken?”
Before I even look, my heart knows that the husky voice belongs to Pax.
I turn and find Pax behind me, freshly showered and dressed in slacks and a button-up. Holy Hell. He looks amazing. I hadn’t been expecting him to dress up and I instantly feel at a distinct disadvantage. I’m grimy and smell like garlic. Why can’t I look perfect at all times like Madison?
“Hi,” I tell him softly. “You clean up really well.”
He smiles, bright and brilliant. “Thanks. Am I early?”
“Only a bit. Why don’t you come sit at the bar and get a drink while I finish up?”
He nods and I lead him to the bar, introducing him to our lion-haired bartender. Tony’s thick black hair stands up in an uproarious mess all over his head.
“Pax, this is Tony. He’s been with us for years, back when my parents were still alive. Tony, this is Pax. Can you keep him company while I finish up my shift?”
Tony, a forty-year old true Italian, looks interested in this venture. As I walk away, I hear him begin interrogating Pax.
I turn around. “I’m sorry,” I call to Pax. “I won’t be long.”
Pax rolls his eyes good-naturedly and returns his attention to Tony’s inquisition. I turn back around, only to bump directly into Maddy.
“What are you doing, little sis?” she asks sternly. “What’s he doing here?”
I eye her. She’s got her sternest big-sister expression on and I sigh.
“He’s here for a date. He saved my ass last night. And if you’d like to come with me while I change clothes, we can talk about it.”
“Oh, you bet I will.”
Madison calls out to another waitress to watch things in the dining room, and then she accompanies me down the long back hall to her office, where I’d stashed my bag.
As I take off my garlicky restaurant shirt and apply fresh deodorant, Maddy starts firing questions at me. With each word that leaves her mouth, I sympathize even more with Pax, who I know is answering just as many questions in the other room.
As I pull on a soft white long-sleeved shirt and jeans and spray perfume on my neck, I look at my sister.
“Look. I know you’re concerned about me. And I don’t honestly know if I should be taking this chance with Pax. But what I do know is that he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. He makes me feel alive and hopeful that life truly can turn out amazing, if I only try hard enough. And last night, he saved me from Jared’s drunk ass. So please. Just give me some space to try and figure this out and see where it goes. It’s just a freaking date. We’re not eloping or anything.”
Madison sighs, loud and long. “I think you’re insane. The guy has a drug problem. Among many other problems, probably. I don’t think you should be giving him the time of day, much less a few hours for a date.”
I glare at her.
“Maddy, you shouldn’t judge someone that you don’t even know. I don’t think he actually has a drug problem. I think he uses, and of course I hope he stops. He made a mistake the other night by using too much. And again, I hope he stops and that never happens again. But there’s something in him that seems so real and genuine, I can’t help but want to get to know him better. There must be something good in him. He saved me last night. He didn’t have to.”
I stare at her and Maddy sighs heavily once again as she strums her red nails on her desk nervously.
“There’s something I should remind you of—something our mother always said. You can’t change a person, Mila. Not ever. A person will always be what they are. So don’t go into this thinking that you can change Pax, and that his good qualities will overtake his bad. Things don’t work that way. You don’t even know him.”
I’m quiet as I brush my hair and pull it into a low ponytail.
“No, I don’t,” I finally say as I turn to face her. “But you don’t either. I’m going to get to know him because I’m an adult and it’s my decision. Can we please drop this now?”
We have a stare down, me into her blue eyes and her into my green. Finally, she sighs and looks away. I smile at her concession.
“Thank you,” I tell her as I bend to kiss her cheek. “Just be polite to him, okay? I’m not asking you to be best friends.”
Maddy scowls at me, but I pay her no mind as I hurry out to the bar to save Pax from Tony. As I approach, I see that he doesn’t appear to need saving. Tony is chuckling at something that Pax said, and Pax seems to be perfectly at ease.