Trying not to show any disappointment, I grabbed the bags and brought them out to the girls.
“There’s one more thing,” I said. “Be right back.”
When I got the rest of the food, Lauren took both bags, and Desiree took claim of the box. Lauren smiled.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’m so glad the diner was able to get all this done so fast.”
“Fast?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I just put the order in this afternoon. I honestly was expecting Molly to say that the kitchen was too busy, and I needed to find something else. I almost had Desiree put in the order so she wouldn’t have the satisfaction of turning me down.”
I almost laughed. Molly had taken over Lauren’s role as manager when she left the diner and took what little power the position offered very seriously. There were times when I was sure she made decisions like changing people’s schedules or making them stay late for extra side work just because she could. Desiree had never worked at the diner, so it wouldn’t have been as much fun for Molly to tell her that they couldn’t fulfill the order.
“Well, I hope you have a good time at the bonfire,” I said.
“Thanks,” Lauren said. “What are you up to tonight?”
“Me? I’m just headed home.”
She looked at me quizzically. “Oh.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I just figured you had plans since you didn’t want to come to the bonfire.”
“What do you mean? I didn’t know you were having a bonfire,” I said. “Not until you just came in and told me you were picking up food for it.”
Lauren’s head tilted to the side. “I called you a couple of times earlier and you didn’t answer, so I texted you and you sent back a message that said no.”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. I didn’t get any calls or texts from you today. I’ve been here all day working double.” I reached into my pocket and realized my phone wasn’t there. “I don’t even know where my phone is. Hold on.”
I went into the back of the diner to the tiny room that was used by the staff to store items during shifts. It wasn’t big enough to be an actual lounge or breakroom, but it had a couple of cubbies and hooks for jackets. I looked around and finally found my phone sitting on the one table pressed up against one wall. I picked it up and opened it, pulling up the texts.
The text from Lauren was there, along with a response. But I most certainly didn’t send it. I brought the phone out to her.
“The message is here,” I said. “But I didn’t respond. It was raining when I came in this morning, and I must have left my phone back there when I hung up my jacket. I didn’t even think to check for it. I wouldn’t put it past one of the guys in the back to answer if the message came in when they were standing there. They’d think it was really funny.”
“I can definitely see that,” Lauren said, nodding. “Well, then I’ll invite you again. Do you want to come?”
I had to hold back my excitement. “I’ll have to go home and change.”
“No problem. I can follow you and then drive you out to Deacon’s cabin. He’s hosting tonight. Would that work for you?”
It took everything in me not to jump up and down and scream yes. I managed to keep it to a wide grin and nod.
“That would be great.”
Lauren smiled. “Perfect. Come on. Let’s get going.”
I felt like I was walking on air as we left the diner, so I hopped into my car to lead them to my place. I would have liked to take a shower to get some of the diner smell off me, but I knew the others were waiting, and I didn’t want to keep them. This was a day for dry shampoo and a good dose of my favorite perfume. Combined with fresh clothes and a new coat of makeup, it made me feel good to go.
The drive to the cabin felt long, but it always did. The women lived up on the mountain, a good distance from town. I was sure they were accustomed to it by this point, but there were still times when I went to the gatherings and felt like I must have missed the turn or was lost before arriving.
I couldn’t discount the reality that knowing Deacon was probably coming that night likely made the drive feel longer and created the butterflies swarming my stomach the closer we got. I didn’t say anything to Lauren or Desiree. I’d mentioned to Lauren before that I found Deacon attractive, but that was as far as I’d gone. For now, my feelings for him were kept just for me. Besides, it was just a crush. I didn’t really need it to be a topic of conversation.