Free Bunches by Jill Valley Page A

text. It’s what I want to do, and overthinking it is only
going to drive me crazy.
    “Or you could just dump her,”
Sylvan offers.
    “Via text?” Ben says, shocked.
Ben has very high standards for behavior. Maybe you wouldn’t expect it of a
bouncer and maybe you would, but he steadfastly believes everyone deserves
respect . . . until they are staggering around starting fights at his bar, then
he just throws them out on their ass.
    “I thought you liked Jessie,” I
say. Jessie’s nice enough, and she gets along decently with most of my friends.
    Jessie doesn’t answer right away,
which tells me she’s a little pissed. She always has her phone on her.
    “Love gives you wings, man,” says
Sylvan, laughing. He’s the biggest confirmed bachelor I’ve ever met.
    “Sylvan, are you lecturing me on
love?” I laugh, tossing my napkin onto my cleaned plate.
    “Don’t look now, but I think you
have some fans.” Ben elbows me and nods to a table a few down the row, where a
group of girls sit giggling, periodically glancing over at us.
    When I look over they wave. I
smile and nod back, being polite, then turn back to my friends. Both Sylvan and
Ben are chuckling at me.
    “Are they from the bar?” Sylvan
asks.
    I shrug. “No idea.” We all see so
many faces at the bar it’s hard to keep track.
    That’s another thing that pisses
Jessie off: when any other girl pays attention to me. I’m pretty sure that’s
why she comes into the bar, because she doesn’t like it.
    “They’re cute. We could ask them
to lunch,” says Sylvan thoughtfully.
    “Still hungry?” Ben asks dryly.
“Because I don’t think I’m going to eat again until dinner. Besides, my lady
would never forgive me.” Ben is very taken with his girlfriend Katie. They’re
about to move in together.
    “You’re going to eat again in a
hour,” I say, laughing and ignoring the girls. “Sylvan, what were you
attempting to say about love?”
    “I’m just saying, man, a lot of
our friends are married now. I’ve seen what love looks like, and you might
think you love Jessie, but you don’t, not really. She isn’t your only.”
    “Yeah, okay Cupid,” says Ben.
“Anyway, let’s get out of here.”
    “Yeah,” I say, “I gotta go feed
Anabella.” My cat Anabella is part of my story. She’s five, and she was my
mother’s. Moving here from Boston was hard for her, but she’s adjusted pretty
well. She hates having to stay inside all the time, and every once in a while
she gets out. When that happens my roommate calls me and I have to leave work
to go find her. I’m usually frantic and she’s usually very amused when I
eventually show up.
    I sigh and leave the diner. I
should be thinking about Jessie, wishing I could see her tonight. We had plans
for before I go to work, after all. But I’m not thinking about her. Truth to
tell it’s been a while since I’ve thought about her much. Instead, I’m thinking
about a girl and wishing I could be the kind of guy who would always make her
smile.
     

Chapter Eleven - Nora
     
    It’s Saturday, and I was having a
lazy day in bed, reading and watching bad TV shows, until Lizzy came up with an
idea.
    “Do we have to go?” I ask, for
what must be the eighth time. Lizzy stopped answering me for a while, but now
she relents.
    “It’s nice we can go. Noah can
come. I love new friends,” she grins. We’re in my apartment. Nancy is who knows
where, and we’re discussing when we’re going to leave for the block party.
    “I like that they have block
parties here,” she says, spinning her gorgeous hair up into a messy yet
attractive bun. “We can get to know our neighbors.”
    “At least we don’t have to go
far,” I say. “And I can take cookies.”
    Even after Michael, I have always
loved to bake. I find it relaxing, but it’s hard to bake for just one. Once
Lizzy mentioned the block party earlier today, I figured the more I baked the
better, and I rose to the challenge. My apartment now