Chapter 6
I looked over the crowd, wondering how I hadn't noticed all the commotion before.
Against the long bank of front windows, customers were pressing their faces to the glass, cupping their hands around their eyes to shut out the glare. Behind them, others stood to peer over their shoulders, or craned their necks to see around them.
Whatever was going on, it was happening in the front parking lot. And apparently it wasn't your average traffic stop.
Suddenly, a stocky guy with shaggy hair stood and bolted. He strode toward the front exit, leaving his dinner partner, a petite redhead, scowling after him. Fork in hand, she glared daggers at his back as he pushed through the people waiting to be seated and disappeared out the front door.
Sitting by herself, the redhead looked madder than hell, and I couldn't say I blamed her. I'd just delivered their food a few minutes earlier. Now she'd be eating it alone.
And she wasn't the only one.
As if Shaggy's departure had somehow granted everyone else permission, a slew of other diners followed after the guy – a couple near the far wall, a trio of college guys near the waitress station, a lone older man who'd been standing at the bar. Within a few minutes, at least thirty people, maybe more, had wandered outside.
I made my way to the front windows and peered out. Across the parking lot, the lights were still flashing, reflecting red and blue off of two large, silver tour buses that I'd noticed on my way in.
Josie dashed over breathlessly, tray in hand. "Hey, you wanna do me a favor?" she said. "Find out what's going on, will ya? The customers are asking."
She glanced around, taking in the empty seats. "Well, the ones who are still inside anyway." Then she was gone, heading toward one of the many tables that I'd been forced to abandon, thanks to Keith and his employee manual.
If I couldn't help her with those tables, at least I tell her what was going on. I owed her that much. I dashed to the back room and grabbed my coat off the rack.
A minute later, I was shivering outside with the rest of them. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to catch some sort of clue. It was no use. Between the shifting crowd and massive tour buses, a good vantage point was proving impossible to find.
Near the back of the crowd, the shaggy-haired guy was awkwardly taking pictures, or maybe video, with his cell phone. As I watched, he held the phone above the crowd, pressed a button, and then pulled down the phone to take a look. He frowned as he studied the tiny screen.
I hustled to his side and tapped him on the shoulder. "What's going on?" I asked.
"Got me," he said, lifting his phone again. This time, when he studied the screen, he gave a low chuckle. "But I think it's gonna be good."
"Why?" I said. "What is it?"
"Hang on," he said, lifting the phone yet again. This time, when he studied the screen, he gave a sigh of irritation. "Damn it."
"Why don't you just get closer?" I asked.
He gave me a look. "Why don't you?"
I glanced at the crowd, crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in front of me. The parking lot was huge, but the commotion seemed centered between the two buses, leaving only a narrow alley between them.
Unless I was willing to shove someone aside, this was as close as I'd be getting.
"See?" Shaggy said. "You don't wanna get your ass beat neither, huh?" He cleared his throat. "Besides, I already tried. People take this shit seriously."
"But you were the first one out here," I said. "How come you're not up front?"
"Because," he said, "I had to grab my phone out of the car." He glanced toward the restaurant. "You can thank my girlfriend for that."
He mimicked a high-pitched female voice. "You love that stupid cell phone more than me. Can't you leave it outside just once so we can have a nice dinner?" His voice returned to normal. "So I leave it outside, and what happens?" He flicked his head toward the crowd. "This."
I looked toward the commotion. I still didn't know what this was.
"She'd better be grateful," the guy said.
I'd seen the look on the redhead's face. When he returned, he was more likely to get a fork in the eyeball than anything resembling gratitude.
"Um, yeah," I said, as I craned my neck in a desperate bid for a better vantage point.
"Hey, I've got it," he said. His eyes were bright with excitement. "You wanna see, right? I know. Lemme give you a boost."
"A boost?"
"Yeah. Get you higher for a better look." He grinned. "For a price."
I narrowed my gaze. "What kind of price?" My skirt was almost obscene as it was. One lift above eye level, and I might as well be charging him.
"Video." He thrust his phone into my hand. "Zoom in on the car, will ya?"
"What car?"
"You'll see." He licked his lips. "Oh man, this'll be great on my site. Total viral. You just watch."
I glanced toward the commotion. The lights were still flashing. A few paces ahead of me, someone laughed long and hard.
It had been a hellish night. If there was one thing I could use, it was a good laugh. Probably, so could Josie.
Still, this was beyond strange. I bit my lip. "I dunno."
"Aw c'mon, please?" He looked at me with puppy dog eyes. "I'm desperate. Help a guy out, will ya?"
He looked so ridiculous that I had to smile. The sensation felt utterly foreign after faking it far too long. Something inside me uncoiled, and I felt an odd surge of gratitude for the unexpected release.
"I can't believe I'm actually considering this," I said.
He grinned. "Just be careful of the phone, alright? I just replaced it last week." He smile faded, and he looked around. "Some psycho smashed the piss out of my last one. Can you believe it?"
Oddly enough, I could.
A second later, he leapt behind me and called out, "Ready?"
I didn't move. Sure, I owed Josie and all, but how would this work? I looked down at my skirt. It was way too short for what the guy was suggesting.
But then, almost before I knew what was happening, I felt Shaggy's head plow between my knees and his hands on my waist. "Hey!" I yelled, clutching his head for balance as he lifted me skyward. "What are you doing?"
"The favor. Just like we talked about."
"Yeah, but—"
"Now c'mon. Get me some good stuff, will ya? Remember," he said, "the car. Anyone pops out of it, get a shot of 'em, alright?"
Already, this had been one of the strangest nights of my life. I glanced down, relieved to see my skirt – and not my panties – pressed tight against the back of his neck.
If nothing else, at least I wasn't giving the guy's neck a hoo-ha massage.
I shifted my gaze to the commotion, eager for a laugh, or at least a distraction. There was only one problem. What I saw there wasn't exactly the chucklefest I'd been hoping for.