Free Hey Sunshine by Tia Giacalone

my big purse filled with her toys and books. The meal had been interrupted twice more for Chase to take phone calls but neither lasted as long as the first. I picked my way through the large steak and potato I ordered and tried to listen as Chase talked, but the evening’s mood was stilted and awkward. What was the point of him inviting us? He was gone from the table more than he was sitting there, and he was on edge the entire meal, fidgeting with his napkin.
    I hefted Annabelle up on my hip again. She’d been an almost perfect angel tonight, so polite and sweet even though I knew she was hungry and probably bored. As we were leaving, Chase ran into a dealership customer at the bar and decided to stay and have a nightcap, so Annabelle and I said our goodbyes and left.
    I shook my head as I finally reached my car. After I buckled Annabelle, I sat down heavily in the driver’s seat. If tonight was any indication of how we could fit into Chase’s new life, I wasn’t sure I could take it. Chalk up one more disillusioned dream for the Chase Dempsey scrapbook. I let down my hair and pulled off my heels for the half-hour drive home.

Chapter 7
    I’d never been more grateful in my life that Kent’s Kitchen didn’t require some horrible retro diner uniform. My parents had banished the awful polyester mini-dresses when they'd rebranded the old restaurant twenty years ago, and I think every waitress we’d had since then deeply appreciated that, myself included.
    My personal work outfit of choice usually consisted of skinny jeans, Converse, and a black v-neck shirt, with our signature red half-apron over the top. Sometimes I wore a skirt or shorts, and sometimes I forgot my name tag, but I rarely varied from my usual ensemble. And the name tag didn’t matter anyway because everyone already knew me.
    It normally took me approximately seven minutes to get ready for work but this would go down in history as The Day I Primped For An Hour, because today I would work my first shift with Fox.
    My ponytail was extra bouncy, my lips matched my red apron (which I’d ironed), and I actually ran the lint roller over my black shirt before I slipped it on. Checking myself out in the mirror, I decided I looked perfectly casual. Ridiculously excited, but casual. An entire five hours with Fox… I had no right to be so happy about that, and yet here I was.
    Just a new friend , I reminded myself. That’s all he could ever be. Something to distract you from the low-grade uncertainty of your relationship with Chase. Fox has never shown a lick of interest in you anyhow. Watching you carry plates and refill iced teas isn’t going to make him suddenly fall in love .
    Fall in love? I blinked halfway through my mascara application, creating a smudgy mess underneath my right eye.
    “Get it together, Avery.” Sure, now that I was speaking my inner monologue aloud, I was the very vision of sanity. A wayward stuffed bunny that Annabelle had left perched on the bathroom counter eyed me skeptically.
    “Oh, nobody cares what you think.” And now I was talking to toys. If I made it through these next five hours without Fox questioning my mental stability, I’d be thrilled.
    I quickly cleaned up the mascara mess as best I could and grabbed my purse to head out the door. The drive to the diner seemed like it took forever, but just a few minutes later I was walking through the glass doors.
    “Good mornin’, my dear!” Joy greeted me as I stowed my bag. “Slow so far, but I’m sure the lunch rush will pick up.” She glanced over her shoulder. “The new cook seems to be finding his way.” Her eyes twinkled as she took in my appearance.
    “Oh, is it Fox’s first day? I totally forgot.” I ducked my head, busying myself with the all-important task of rearranging my pens in my apron pockets.
    “Mmmhmm.” Joy gave me a sidelong look before she grabbed the coffee pot and headed over to one of the only occupied tables.
    Okay, so maybe I wasn’t as