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

in the back of the restaurant and giving them menus.  They haven’t noticed me yet, so I wait a moment longer before going over to them.  I wait for their waitress to introduce herself and take their drink orders before interrupting the rhythm of the service.  The main purpose for their visit is to test our staff, and I want to observe for a few more minutes before I join them.
    “Jette, come here,” Emmy whispers.  “Doesn’t Lucas look familiar?  I swear I’ve seen him before,” she says with a mysterious tone to her voice.
    As quietly as I can, I agree, “Yeah.  He definitely looks familiar.  I know I’ve seen him before.”  I casually glance over my shoulder and try to get a better look at him.  Lucas can’t be more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but he could easily pass for much younger, too.  He could play high school or college roles.  I run through the list of movies I’ve seen with young Asian actors, and then it occurs to me.  “Hey, Emmy, doesn’t he look like the character Jason from Zenith movies?”
    “Holy crap, Jette, he does.  Do you know who played Jason in those movies?” she asks.
    “No idea.  I only know a few of the names of the actors who played the vampires, werewolves, and witches.  Let’s go over to introduce ourselves and ask,” I tell her.
    Emmy agrees and together, we walk over to their table.  Auggie sees me, and immediately jumps up from his seat and sweeps me up into a warm welcoming embrace.  “Look at you, Jepetto.  That boy must be treating you right because you look hot.”  He takes my hand, holds it above my head, and makes me do a spin so he can inspect from all angles.  “I definitely approve.”
    Auggie releases me, then repeats the whole process with Emmy, verifying that she, too, is looking radiant.  “So Auggie, are you going to introduce us to your new friend?” Emmy asks, getting right to the point.
    “You bet I am.  Juliette Fletcher, Emmalyn Akins, I’d like you to meet Lucas Luu.  Lucas, these two beautiful women are my dearest friends.”  Lucas shakes each of our hands, and then asks us to sit down with them.  Each of the boys pulls out a seat for us, and we gladly join them, hungry for more information.
    “So Lucas, rumor has it you’re an actor.  Have you done anything I might have seen?” I probe.
    “I’ve had a few small parts in a couple of decent movies.  I haven’t really gotten any top-billed roles yet,” he explains. 
    Not satisfied, Emmy pushes for more.  “Lucas, name a movie you’ve been in and I’ll tell you if I’ve seen it.”
    Lucas is about to respond when the waitress arrives with their drinks.  It looks like Lucas ordered a Red Zone and Auggie ordered an Interception.  They take an experimental sip of their cocktails, and both seem pleased with their selections.  “Jette my Pet, this is great.  How’s your drink, Lucas?” Auggie asks.
    “Wow, really awesome.  I might have a new favorite cocktail.  Please give my compliments to that adorable bartender,” Lucas teases, staring directly at Derek, winking at him and holding up his cocktail.  He’s openly flirting right in front of Auggie.  It makes me more than a little uncomfortable.  I don’t like it.
    “So, Lucas, you were about to tell us about your roles.  What’s the biggest movie you’ve appeared in?” I ask.
    “The biggest, huh?  I guess I’d have to say the Zenith Saga.  I only had a few lines in each movie, but I was in all of them.  Did you guys ever see them?”  He sits back in his chair, gloating, waiting for us to gush all over him.
    Emmy kicks me under the table, but I answer first, “Nope, never did.  Sorry.  I have no interest in those vampire movies everyone’s so crazy about lately.”  Auggie knows I’m lying because he watched all the movies with me, but he doesn’t call me out on it.
    Just as there’s a lull in the conversation, the waitress comes over with the boys’ food