“Then during the coming attractions,” he said. “We can grab something to eat before, if you want.”
She wanted.
He gave the counter a tap. “See you later, then.”
She could hardly wait.
But by later she was not quite as cheery as she’d been. Her resolution to remember that her customers were just ordinary people trying to get through the day had completely vanished by the time she saw the mail on its way for the day. Some of her regulars had seen the article in the paper and gushed over her, which had filled her holiday-happiness cup. But as many other people had done their best to drain it with complaints.
“You look exhausted,” Reggie said when he came to pick her up.
“I am. I kept the Christmas spirit going as long as I could, but eventually the Grinch got to me.” She let out a sigh and laid her head back on the car’s headrest. “This job takes it out of me.”
“You ever think of quitting?”
“Only every other day.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“Retirement. I can retire at sixty, but I’ve got five more years to go. That’s not so bad.”
“A few years can feel like a hundred when you’re miserable,” he pointed out.
“I’m not that miserable. I’m just whining,” she said. “Tired of working, but I’ll have a nice retirement when I’m done.”
“You don’t want to wait to retire to start living.”
“Who says I’m not living now?” she retorted. “I’m living it up with you right now.”
He chuckled. “That you are.”
“I hope you’re hungry for Mexican. It’s Taco Tuesday,” he said as he pulled into a Taco Bell parking lot.
Here was another reason Molly was determined to stick it out at her job. She didn’t want to wind up pinching pennies and eating tacos on Tuesdays. She wasn’t all that fond of tacos.
He must have seen the resigned expression on her face. “You don’t like tacos?”
“Not particularly.” She felt somehow guilty for admitting it. Who didn’t love tacos?
“No problem,” he said and started pulling back out. “What do you like? Fish?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, fish it is,” he said, and ten minutes later they were at Anthony’s Home Port on the Bremerton waterfront. Not exactly Taco Tuesday prices.
“I didn’t mean we had to go somewhere expensive.”
“This isn’t expensive,” he scoffed, and went to open the car door.
“No, really, Reggie,” she said before getting out.
“I can afford it,” he said.
That was when she realized he was wearing new slacks. And not his usual tennis shoes. He had on expensive-looking loafers.
“You got some new clothes,” she observed as they crossed the underground parking to the elevator.
“I decided my wardrobe needed some updating,” he said. “Got a smart young pup in the men’s department to help me out. What do you think?”
