pajamas.”
“Um, yeah, hi.” Finn pointed at Nathan. “No such luck. It’s so not over yet.”
Nathan started tapping his spoon against his wineglass. “Attention, could I have everyone’s attention?” He clumsily got up out of his seat as the room began to settle down. “Okay, as you all know, this is probably going to be your very last chance… So if anyone would like to share a little Aden story with us, we would love to hear it. For those of you who’ve been waiting for just the right time to tell his ass off…well, we’d really like to hear that. We want to hear the good, the bad, and especially the ugly.”
There was some laughing and clapping and a few raising their glasses, making whooping noises.
“Um, yeah…hello”—I raised my hand—“just remember before you all open your fat mouths, my memory is long…very long.”
Finn scoffed. “Like that’s a real threat. Bambi is more intimidating than you.”
Everyone laughed as I shook my head. What followed were stories of all the fucked-up moments we’d had in the restaurant, sort of a verbal bloopers montage. Finn recalled the night she was waiting on two very large rednecks. She’d placed their dinner plates in front of them; one of the guys looked down at his twenty-two-ounce rib eye and back up at Finn and said, “ Damn, I haven’t seen a piece of meat this big since I got out of the shower this morning .”
I happened to have been walking by with a pitcher of water, and my mouth fell open in disgust. Finn looked at him without so much as flinching and replied, “ Really? Who was in there with you ?”
When the guy came to me pissed, I explained that I didn’t appreciate him coming into my restaurant and sexually harassing my waitstaff, and that maybe in the future he should stick to Hooters.
Several people got up to say how we’d made some special event in their life unique and memorable. Colleen talked about the night she came in for a blind date. In case the guy turned out to be an asshole, she and I had come up with a story about how the police had called and her apartment had been broken into. The guy of course was now her husband. She went on about how much Harlow’s, along with Nathan and me, meant to them, since it was where they first met.
I knew from the minute they walked into the restaurant that night she was hooked. I sat back in my seat listening to her talk, thinking about flying out of Atlanta that day, and all the feelings of anxiety and anticipation that rose up with me into the air. I smiled, remembering how unsure I was at the time about what had happened to me that week. It had been midsummer when I met Logan. It was almost four months later when things shifted and I began to realize my life as I had known it up to that point was over.
* * * * *
“Honey, I really love this one.” I ran my hand over the plush fabric of the chocolate brown sofa with game-show-host flair. Wide-eyed and pleading, I looked up at him.
He snarled up his nose and looked around the furniture showroom, surveying the terrain. Sunlight poured through the two-story plate glass windows located at the front of the store. There were groupings of furniture set up in clusters throughout the room with customers and salespeople weaving in and around them like an obstacle course.
“It’s too poufy.” He cocked his head to one side.
“All the better to cuddle up into.” I sat down, sinking into the cushions. I sighed with a smile and looked up at him, patting my hand on the cushion next to me, trying to tempt him to try it out.
“This sofa leaves me feeling…flaccid,” he said, green eyes twinkling. His sandy brown hair glistened in the sunlight and a mischievous half smile appeared on his face.
“Really.” I rolled my eyes. “Well, I have two words for you, love… Viva Viagra.”
A laugh slipped out from between his lips as he shook his head. “I can’t,
“Um, yeah, hi.” Finn pointed at Nathan. “No such luck. It’s so not over yet.”
Nathan started tapping his spoon against his wineglass. “Attention, could I have everyone’s attention?” He clumsily got up out of his seat as the room began to settle down. “Okay, as you all know, this is probably going to be your very last chance… So if anyone would like to share a little Aden story with us, we would love to hear it. For those of you who’ve been waiting for just the right time to tell his ass off…well, we’d really like to hear that. We want to hear the good, the bad, and especially the ugly.”
There was some laughing and clapping and a few raising their glasses, making whooping noises.
“Um, yeah…hello”—I raised my hand—“just remember before you all open your fat mouths, my memory is long…very long.”
Finn scoffed. “Like that’s a real threat. Bambi is more intimidating than you.”
Everyone laughed as I shook my head. What followed were stories of all the fucked-up moments we’d had in the restaurant, sort of a verbal bloopers montage. Finn recalled the night she was waiting on two very large rednecks. She’d placed their dinner plates in front of them; one of the guys looked down at his twenty-two-ounce rib eye and back up at Finn and said, “ Damn, I haven’t seen a piece of meat this big since I got out of the shower this morning .”
I happened to have been walking by with a pitcher of water, and my mouth fell open in disgust. Finn looked at him without so much as flinching and replied, “ Really? Who was in there with you ?”
When the guy came to me pissed, I explained that I didn’t appreciate him coming into my restaurant and sexually harassing my waitstaff, and that maybe in the future he should stick to Hooters.
Several people got up to say how we’d made some special event in their life unique and memorable. Colleen talked about the night she came in for a blind date. In case the guy turned out to be an asshole, she and I had come up with a story about how the police had called and her apartment had been broken into. The guy of course was now her husband. She went on about how much Harlow’s, along with Nathan and me, meant to them, since it was where they first met.
I knew from the minute they walked into the restaurant that night she was hooked. I sat back in my seat listening to her talk, thinking about flying out of Atlanta that day, and all the feelings of anxiety and anticipation that rose up with me into the air. I smiled, remembering how unsure I was at the time about what had happened to me that week. It had been midsummer when I met Logan. It was almost four months later when things shifted and I began to realize my life as I had known it up to that point was over.
* * * * *
“Honey, I really love this one.” I ran my hand over the plush fabric of the chocolate brown sofa with game-show-host flair. Wide-eyed and pleading, I looked up at him.
He snarled up his nose and looked around the furniture showroom, surveying the terrain. Sunlight poured through the two-story plate glass windows located at the front of the store. There were groupings of furniture set up in clusters throughout the room with customers and salespeople weaving in and around them like an obstacle course.
“It’s too poufy.” He cocked his head to one side.
“All the better to cuddle up into.” I sat down, sinking into the cushions. I sighed with a smile and looked up at him, patting my hand on the cushion next to me, trying to tempt him to try it out.
“This sofa leaves me feeling…flaccid,” he said, green eyes twinkling. His sandy brown hair glistened in the sunlight and a mischievous half smile appeared on his face.
“Really.” I rolled my eyes. “Well, I have two words for you, love… Viva Viagra.”
A laugh slipped out from between his lips as he shook his head. “I can’t,
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