Right Place, Wrong Time

36. Waiting Game

Agreeing to work a shift at the ice cream shop on Valentine's day had been a terrible idea. Lauren was being bombarded with couples, a great way to remind her she was alone. By her own choice, but still. Her heart wanted what they had much as her head tried to warn her away from it.

She took her break early, heading into the back room and propping her feet up, tipping her head back with a sigh. She'd tried not to think about Joey all day, but she wondered what he was up to. He was the romantic type; he was bound to be doing something with his girlfriend. And it could have been her.

She got back up, shaking her head to clear away the wistfulness. What was the use in thinking like that? She'd made the right decision. Dating would only hurt them both when she was out of there in a few months.

Apparently, her thoughts had the power to manifest. When she headed back out front and opened her register again, she looked up to see Joey standing at the back of the store, his gaze fixed out the window.

"Can I help anyone?" she said, snapping herself out of it to keep the queue moving.

But she couldn't stop watching Joey. Looking between the street outside and his phone, tapping his foot, he must be waiting for someone. His girlfriend, she could only assume. But the minutes passed, the queue dwindled as they hit an afternoon lull, and he was still standing there, waiting.

"Cover for me?" she said to her coworker, heading into the back again to take off her apron. She ducked under the counter and headed over to Joey, who didn't look up from his phone until she was standing right in front of him. He gave her a surprised smile, then, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey. You here by yourself?"

Was he asking to be polite, or because he actually cared whether she was on a date here? "I was working. But I just finished," she lied.

"Nice," he smiled. His eyes flickered back to his phone for a second.

"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked delicately.

His shoulders slumped. "She's not coming."

"Your girlfriend?"

He nodded. "I texted this morning to see if we were still on, and nothing. I figured I'd show up and wait, maybe she couldn't check her phone for some reason, but..." he trailed off.

She gently squeezed his arm. "She's an asshole."

He shook his head, but she heard his little chuckle.

"Seriously. Standing anyone up is an asshole move, but standing you up? On Valentine's day?" Lauren felt a surge of irrational anger. It felt like this girl was rubbing her face in it, having a Valentine's date with Joey and not even bothering to show up.

"Maybe something came up," he said half-heartedly, and her own heart broke for his nature too forgiving for his own good.

"C'mon," she said, pulling him by the elbow to join the queue. "Let me buy you an ice cream to cheer you up."

"You don't have to do that."

"I'm not letting you go home without one."

He smiled down at her. "Thanks, Lo. It means a lot."

"I can get a discount anyway," she mumbled, deflecting. The real reason he was thanking her was clear, and she could see how much her kindness meant to him. But he was her best friend, and she despised anyone who thought it was okay to mess him around like this.

They reached the front of the queue, luckily not the coworker who was covering for her, and Lauren turned to Joey.

"What do you want?"