Free Running Home to You (The Running Series) by Suzanne Sweeney Page A

“Hello, miss.  Welcome to Rush Dessert Bar.  My name is Derek.  You’re looking very lovely this evening.  Would you care to try one of our house specialties tonight?”  Derek is staring at me with a silly grin on his face waiting for my reaction.
    I decide to play along.  “Thank you, Dominic is it?  I’m definitely in the mood to try something new today.”  I place my elbows on the bar and lean in a little closer, “What do you recommend?  I’d love to hear what your specialty is.  I’m sure it’s mouth-watering good.”
    “The name is Derek, but you can call me anything you want.  You look a little familiar,” he teases as he begins making me a drink.  “You remind me of someone I knew once.  Sad.  She broke my heart into a million tiny little pieces.  Want to see?”  He finishes with my drink and begins to unbutton his shirt. My eyes open wide, and I can’t hide the silly grin splashed across my face.  I’ve missed this playful teasing we had behind the bar when we used to work together. 
    He gets as far as the second button when Emmy jumps in and swats him with a bar towel.  “Derek, cut that shit out.  You’re not funny, you know.”
    “You sure about that?”  He looks over at me and sees me laughing.  “See?  Jette still thinks I’m funny.”  He hands me a drink in a martini glass complete with a wedge of lemon.
    “I always thought you were funny, Derek.”  I take a sip of the drink, and it’s really very good, although I can’t identify the exact ingredients.  “What am I drinking?  It’s really good.”
    “This is the Red Zone.  It’s got blood orange vodka, Red Bull, and a splash of seltzer.  Created it myself,” he brags.
    Emmy and Derek make me a few more drinks from our specialty menu.  Marcus and I take small sips from each glass.  Each one is better than the one before it.  I’m so happy that they really seem to know what they’re doing and have trained the new bartenders so well, too.  We really have a strong crew behind the bar.  I’m also glad Derek hasn’t lost his sense of humor.
    After Emmy prepares the last specialty drink from our bar menu, an Interception, she glances at her watch and teases, “Guess who should be arriving any minute now?”
    “Evan and Adam?  Did they change their plans?” I venture a guess.
    “Nope.  It’s Auggie and he’s not alone.  He’s bringing his new beau, Lucas.  We’re going to practice on them like they’re real customers.  They’re going to order off the dinner menu, too,” she announces.
    “Do you know anything about Lucas, Em?  I haven’t talked to Auggie in a while.”  Emmy eyes me suspiciously, making me feel guilty.  “What?  I’ve been really busy,” I rationalize.
    Auggie’s last boyfriend, Brandon, was an interior designer who helped me completely gut, design, and decorate the restaurant.  Brandon was great, but I could tell something was up.  Near the end of the process, he hardly spoke two words to me.  I think he was ready to break up with Auggie, but didn’t want to end it until the job was complete.  I’m sorry it didn’t work out for the two of them.  Now Auggie has a new boyfriend and I don’t know a thing about him or how they met.  I guess Evan’s not the only one who’s been unplugged lately.
    “All I know is that he’s a struggling actor.  Auggie seems to really like him a lot.  They met at an after-party for a Broadway play a few weeks ago.  He lives in a huge house in Holmdel his parents bought for him.  Apparently, he comes from money – lots of it.  Personally, I can’t wait to meet him,” Emmy boasts.
    We both turn around when the door opens, and in walks my very best friend in the whole entire world.  Walking beside him is a very familiar looking young man, around our age, with striking Asian features.  Auggie is laughing and seems very happy.
    I watch as the hostess executes her job perfectly, seating our two guests at a table