"Well, you did," Steve insisted.
"So?" I said. "That wasn't an invitation."
Anthony chimed in, "But we've got this bet. We want to see who wins."
"A bet?" I hissed. "Again? On what, this time?" I shook my head. "You know what? Never mind. I'm sure I'll hear about it later."
Not that I wanted to. In truth, this was all kind of depressing. They weren't here to offer sympathy or support. Instead, I was just fodder for their entertainment.
Tonight, at Kung fu, part two, no doubt I'd be hearing all about it. I tried to look on the bright side. After that, I'd be seeing Jake, finally.
Reluctantly, I glanced toward Miss Table-for-Ten. She was facing away from us now, talking to Sarah about who-knows-what.
Following my gaze, Anthony said, "Get this. We spotted that lady in the parking lot. She drives this big, black van. It took her like twenty minutes to park."
"Yeah," Steve added. "And she got all mad when this guy parked next to her, told him that he was 'crowding her space.'" Steve gave a low laugh. "Made him move his car. I shit you not."
I gave the woman another quick glance. In a low voice, I said, "I can't say I'm surprised."
"You know what you should do?" Anthony said, "Tell her you're 'sorry' you pissed in her drink."
I shook my head. "What?"
He grinned up at me. "It's an apology, right?"
I stared down at him. The plan was seriously flawed. For one thing, I hadn't "pissed" in her drink. For another, the whole point of apologizing was to keep my job, not be escorted out by security, or worse, prosecuted for food-tampering.
"I'll think about it," I muttered, turning away to fetch the ginger ale.
"On your way back," Steve called after me, "bring us a couple of beers, will ya?"
No. That wasn't going to happen. They had a waitress, whoever it was. And there was no way I'd be calling any more attention to them, or to me, for that matter.
Back at the bar, Robert asked, "How'd it go?"
In my frustration, I forgot to be diplomatic. "Terrible."
He frowned. "How so?"
"Sorry," I said. "Actually, it hasn't even happened yet." I went on to explain how she'd been deliberately ignoring me, but wanted me to return.
By now, a sickening realization was settling over me. She wanted an audience, hand-picked by her, no less.
As I considered this, I couldn’t help but wonder, what on Earth was I doing here?
