Free Intuition by C. J. Omololu Page B

car pulls up behind ours and starts honking. I think for a second that Mom is going to give him the finger, but she just glares at the driver. “I know you’re not. And soon enough you’ll be away at school and can make your own decisions. But for now, the answer is midnight.” She glances into the restaurant. I can see Kat and Owen standing just inside the door. “Call me if you need a ride home.”
    â€œI’ll be fine.”
    Mom looks like she wants to say something else, but the car honks again, so she just gets in the driver’s seat and pulls out into traffic, swerving to dodge a car that’s pulling out in front of her.
    Peter and Rayne walk up just as I’m reaching for the door, and Rayne lets go of his hand to give me a hug. “Are we late?”
    â€œI don’t think so. I just got here. Had a driving lesson with Mom.”
    â€œUgh. How’s that going?” Rayne asks.
    â€œFabulous.”
    The smells of garlic and lemongrass hit us as soon as we open the door, and I’m glad Kat picked Thai food for Owen’s going-away party. Griffon’s over in the corner talking on his phone, but as soon as he sees me, he hangs up and walks over to give me a kiss. “I missed you,” he says, squeezing my hand.
    â€œMe too,” I say. I feel a pang of guilt about Drew.
I’ll tell him
, I promise myself. When the time is right. I’ve got nothing to hide.
    He pulls me over to the side so no one can hear. “Listen, I can’t stay long. I’ve got some business things to deal with that just came up.”
    â€œBusiness?” I lean toward him. “Sekhem?”
    â€œYes,” he says, glancing around. “Remember the break-in at our fuel cell lab in Switzerland?”
    I nod. “Back when we first met.”
    â€œRight. Well, they’ve decided to abandon that lab and merge the operation with one in Silicon Valley. A couple of the people I work with are coming in tonight to start setting it up.”
    â€œSo that means you don’t have to go away this summer?” I know it’s selfish, but that’s the one thing that’s been hanging over our heads—the fact that he could get called away to help at the laboratory in Europe at any second.
    â€œNope,” he says, his face brightening. “Just to San Jose. I’ll be a little busier here, but it’s so much better for everyone.”
    â€œMuch better,” I agree. I look over his shoulder and notice that everyone’s already gone from the lobby and disappeared into the dining room. As we get settled in our chairs, Kat sits so close to Owen that she’s practically in his lap, but that bothers me less than it usually would. They really have spent almost every minute together that he’s been here, and I know how she must feel now that he’s leaving. I sip the sweet orange creaminess of my Thai iced tea, feeling the caffeine surge through my body, and try not to worry about everything else in my life.
    Rayne splits her spring roll in half to let the steam escape as we pass the appetizers around. “Hey, I saw Veronique again today,” she says. Her tone is casual, but I can tell by her face that she’s testing me.
    I stop mid-sip and watch the orange tea crawl back down the straw. “What? Where?”
    â€œAt the café. She came in right after me. We talked a little bit while we were waiting for our drinks.” She takes a bite of the still-steaming roll. “She’s pretty cool. Is there any way you could give her another chance?”
    Griffon leans forward, his eyes full of concern. “What did you say about Veronique?”
    Rayne looks back at me. “You didn’t tell him?”
    I’m trapped. I put one hand on Griffon’s arm, but he doesn’t move. “We ran into Veronique last week on the street. It was no big deal—she just wanted to apologize, but I told her I never wanted