“Yeah.” He smiles, his gaze skimming down the length of my body, settling on my legs. “It is sinfully good.”
Um, I don’t think he’s referring to food.
My gaze lifts to find Jackson’s. He’s already watching me with Carson, his hand clutched into a fist, resting on the table in front of him. Oh, he looks furious.
Sexy.
All that fury pointed straight at me, though I’m not his target.
That’s Carson.
“Can I get you anything else? Take anything away for you?” I ask Carson, my tone light and flirtatious.
“You can agree to go out with me next week? When you’re free?” Carson asks, sounding hopeful.
I appreciate how straightforward he is. There’s no games with Carson. He’s interested. He doesn’t hold back with me, which I like. He’s confident. So is Jackson, but that’s a whole other level of confidence.
Carson reminds me, yet again, that he’s more my speed. But…
“I don’t have my work schedule for next week yet,” I tell him with a slight frown. Which is true, but I can almost guarantee my days off will be Monday and Sunday, as usual. Sometimes my manager changes it up, but rarely. She knows I need as many hours as I can get, and since I’ve started here, she’s made sure I get them.
“When do you find out?” he asks.
“Tomorrow night.”
“Well, let me know Friday in class, okay? If you want,” he adds, some of that fear of rejection slipping into his request.
I smile at him reassuringly. “I’ll let you know.”
“Cool. Glad I came in tonight so I could see you.” He nods and smiles.
“You see me every single day in class,” I remind him.
“Maybe I want to see you more.” His cheeks turn ruddy and he takes a sip from his mostly empty cup before awkwardly jumping to his feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“For sure,” I say. “Bye, Carson.”
“Bye.” He steps toward me. Then steps back, indecisiveness written all over his face, until finally, he practically lunges forward and pulls me into the quickest hug.
I rest my hands on his shoulders briefly—they’re not as broad as Jackson’s, not even close—before Carson lets me go, turns and exits the restaurant without a backward glance.
Okay. That was kind of nice, but odd. I think he worked up the guts to do it and then bailed in embarrassment?
Boys can be so weird.
And speaking of boys…
“When you gonna slip us a free basket of fries with our order, Ellie?”
I turn to see Diego, Eli, Jackson and Caleb standing there. It was Caleb asking for the free fries.
“Ask me next time you come in and I’ll see what I can do,” I tell him. I can totally get them a free basket of fries. I’d just use my employee discount and cover the cost, which is minimal. “How was your dinner?”
“Delicious as usual,” Eli says, his brows furrowing as he studies me. “Hey, I wanted to ask if you’re sure you can’t come to San Diego this weekend to see Ava?”
My heart drops and I slowly shake my head. I wish I could. “I have to work Friday and Saturday, so I can’t. I’ll see her when she comes during your bye week, though. Tell her I said hi. Give her a big hug from me.”
“I will. For sure.” He nods. Gives me a quick hug because Eli and I, we have an understanding. A mutual love for our girl Ava. I didn’t necessarily approve of their relationship at first, but I know how much he loves her, and how much she loves him. They’re perfect for each other.