Free Bachelor's Special by Christine Warner Page B

front of her face. “Be adventurous.”
    Jill pushed the menu away, laughing at the playful expression filling Chet’s face. His lips twitched, his eyes sparkled, and his good mood jumped off him to envelop her. Why not? Why couldn’t they eat out and have some fun. She’d been so focused on her problems the last year, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out and just let herself get caught up in the moment without worrying about tomorrow.
    “Are you feeling spicy, sweet, double the meat including bacon? They got whatever you’re craving.”
    He practically drooled as he talked, and she couldn’t control her laughter. She studied the menu, her mouth watering as she read the descriptions on the menu. “What are you getting?”
    “I’ve had them all, but my favorite is the Juicy Lucy.”
    “The one where they seam together two patties with piles of cheese between them?”
    “The best.” Chet licked his lips. “Of course the Mexican burger is another favorite, but you’ll need lots to drink to keep down the fire. I also think you might like to try—”
    “Hold up, I don’t think you can actually choose a favorite.”
    Chet flew the flimsy napkin airplane he’d made toward her and grinned. “I think you might be right.”
    His boyish charm melted her reserve. She picked up the napkin and tossed it back in his direction, hitting him on the forehead. Jill liked their playfulness. A night as friends wasn’t as difficult as she’d anticipated. Of course, Chet made having fun easy.
    The waitress appeared and placed two glasses of ice water before them. “Hey, Chet, you want the usual, or do you want to try Jeff’s special? He’s experimenting, and if it goes well he’ll be adding this new burger to the menu.”
    “Details, Carrie?”
    Jill got caught up in the laughter as Carrie dished out the ingredients for Jeff’s latest creation and Chet rubbed his stomach, teasing Carrie with outrageous questions.
    “Stop it, Chet. If you get me laughing too much Jeff is going to think we’re making fun of his cooking.” Carrie cleared her throat, trying to look serious. “Now let me finish, after all of the normal burger fixins’, he tops it off with coleslaw, French fries, and three onion rings before putting on the top bun.” Carrie pulled her pencil from behind her ear, raising her brow in question for their orders.
    “I’ll take it.” Chet snapped his menu closed.
    “What about you?” Carrie smiled at Jill. “If this is your first time here, I recommend the Juicy Lucy. It’s worth the mess.”
    “Let’s do it.” Jill closed her menu and grabbed Chet’s to put them both back in the rack.
    Carrie made off with their orders, returning minutes later with the two chocolate shakes Chet insisted on and a caddy filled with extra condiments.
    Jill flicked her finger along the edge of the whipped topping on her shake and savored the taste. “While we have a minute, I’d like to discuss the dinner party next week.”
    Chet lifted his hand to stop her. “Not tonight. Tonight, let’s just have fun. I had a rough day at work, you’ve been tied to the kitchen all week. We both need to relax.”
    “I can handle that.” Jill sank back into her seat. She lifted her shake and took a long draw on the straw. “Mmm. If their shake is anything to go by, their burgers are going to be out of this world.”
    “You have no idea, Jill. Be prepared to use two hands and at least five napkins. And be prepared fast because here comes our food.”
    Jill swallowed hard as she looked at the huge burger front and center on her plate. “I’m not sure I can eat half of that, let alone squishing it down flat enough to take a bite.”
    Chet laughed. “I know you’ll give it your best shot.”
    “Well, failure isn’t an option, is it?” Jill chuckled and made a show of stretching out her arms and flexing her fingers. “Wish me luck.”
    “Luck.”
    Jill picked up her burger and bit down into the soft bun