Free Hell Inc. by C. M. Stunich Page B

my head in disbelief.
“Really, I'm amazed.” Andrea (I wasn't really used to
calling her mother) giggled in a very girlish sounding way.
    “And
darling, I'm paying for our lunches so don't even bother trying to
argue with me.” I gave a silent prayer of relief. I had been
worried this lunch was going to take the last forty bucks I had until
my final payday rolled around.
    The
waitress came back with my drink and a look that told me what she
thought of my drinking habits. I flipped her off surreptitiously
under the table. Andrea appeared not to notice and ordered an iced
tea with lemon as we opened our menus together. “Isn't this
nice?” she asked, sighing and looking around the restaurant.
My back was to Levie, but I knew the moment she laid on eyes on him.
“How does such a handsome young man not have a lunch date?”
she asked. Because he's a sour crab, I thought. “Ginger,
darling, look behind you.” I didn't need to, I knew, but I did
it anyway.
    Levie was
staring at me, his face an expressionless mask. He had a sandwich
dripping with barbeque sauce sitting on a plate in front of him. He
hadn't eaten any, though. I couldn't imagine it either. Sauce all
over that pretty little mouth and staining those graceful, pianist
fingers. I wanted to see, but I turned back around nonchalantly.
    “Um,
yeah, cute,” I said, downing my cocktail. When the waitress
came back (with another drink I didn't order but that actually made
me feel bad for flipping her off), my mother and I both ordered
Caesar salads with grilled chicken. My stomach growled as I realized
I hadn't eaten yet. I watched Andrea closely as she folded her hands
in her lap and beamed at me. This was all still too good to be true,
but hopefully I could get something to eat before it all went to
hell.
    “I've
really missed out, all these years. I missed you growing up, Ginger.
Can you ever forgive me?” This was getting to be a
little too much like a Lifetime movie for my liking, and I shifted
uncomfortably. Andrea reached out and brushed my face with her
fingers. “You're so beautiful, Ginger,” she sighed, a
little strangely. I couldn't say quite what was starting to bother
me, but there was something about her expression that struck me as
odd. I brushed it off as paranoia. All of the times I'd seen her
before, she'd only been nice when she was hitting me up for drug
money. She always went back to being mean after I said no. I always
said no. This time was different but still not right. I still
didn't feel like a daughter out to lunch with her mother. I sighed
as my initial awe began to wear off and tapped my fingers on the
table, listening to her talk. I didn't even want to know what my dad
would say if he ever heard about this. Luckily, I never planned on
telling him. He wouldn't believe me anyway.
    When the food arrived, I concentrated on eating and let her continue to
babble nonsensically at me, hoping she'd get around to telling me the
secret she'd mentioned on the phone. When a shadow passed over our
table, I glanced up and froze in surprise. I definitely
hadn't expected him to show up, not in a million years.
    It
was Queen Bee.
    I
stood up suddenly, spilling my mother's tea. “Oh dear!”
Andrea exclaimed. Terrence rushed forward and began mopping up the
drink with a cloth napkin he'd snatched from an empty table.
    “I
apologize, ma'am.” He smiled at my mother who blushed and waved
her hand at him as if he were forgiven. He turned back to me, eyes
intent and full of questions. “I didn't mean to startle you and
your lovely daughter.” I sat, my mouth gaping like a fish,
unsure of whether to speak or to run.
    I looked around frantically for the rest of the angry museum staff, but
they were nowhere to be found. Lucky for me, since I doubted I could
stand to see the old man or that Cynthia woman again. “Don't
worry, I came alone,” Terrence whispered as he gestured at an
empty