Wingmen for Life

WINGMEN FOR LIFE

"It can't be that bad."

"It's bad." I emphasized how bad.

She gave me a shove, pushing me through the park. Amanda wouldn't let me mope around for another minute. She stated that even my blinking depressed her. If she had to hear another lengthy sigh, she'd slap me. It had been two days since Lucy graced my store.

"The way you describe her, she's like a sex goddess."

"Are we going for me? Or you?"

She jumped on my back, legs wrapped around my waist. "Can it be for both of us?" Pointing to the Bistro, she commanded me forward. "To victory!"

I needed new friends.

Simon and I had texted back and forth since dinner at Mom's. It had been cordial, the type of texts friends sent to one another .

"Don't get too much sun, Abraham!" Amanda shouted at the three men playing cards.

Normal friends, not like my friends. They teetered on the edge of crazy, and usually, I loved her and Jon's over-the-top energy. Not even their non-stop memes had brightened my mood.

I realized how bad it had gotten when Mom mysteriously showed up. Amanda had called in the big guns. She hadn't said a word about Simon or his mysterious guest, but she'd heard the rumors. I could see her expression as she came behind the counter and hugged me. I had people who cared, and that made me feel better for a period. Then I'd go back to the backroom to grab a box and swear I could smell his cologne.

As we reached the door to the Bistro, Amanda hopped off my back. "The codeword is honeysuckle." At Spectrum, we always had a codeword. It meant we needed an immediate evacuation without question. Usually, it was for strange men dancing on top of Amanda. I hoped it didn't come to that.

Amanda flung the door open and charged inside. I wanted her confidence. Walking into the lion's den, my skin turned prickly, and I considered running away. Even a fraction and I wouldn't be terrified; it'd be another round of having my heart trampled.

The Bistro was packed. Dorothy pointed to the last table. "Help yourselves. I'll be around in a few to grab your order."

"It's the toast," she said. "There are drugs in those avocados."

As we took our seats, I glanced at the back as the door opened. Try as I might, I couldn't see Simon. I could have spent the afternoon lusting after him while he cooked. If I closed my hands, I'd be able to imagine his hands on my hips as we swayed to music only he could hear.

"Seriously…" Amanda reached across the table, putting a hand on my wrist. "Are you going to be okay?"

I nodded. "You know that stage where it's all possibilities? You're still excited about what might be coming."

"Then they shoo you out the window before their girlfriend shows up."

Amanda had several stories that ended like that. I marveled at her ability to treat each situation as what it is and not what it could be. She never lost her optimistic attitude, no matter how crazy the story. I wish I could be that person. I chalked it up to the rarity of dates in Firefly and my inexperience with relationships. It served as a good argument to pick up my bags and move to the city. At least there, I'd have options.

Dorothy reappeared carrying plates. For the two years, Rise and Shine occupied the space, I don't think I ever saw them this busy. It could be the newness, but after tasting Simon's food, I knew the reason. He brought fine dining to our little corner of the world.

"What can I get for you?" Dorothy had ditched the pad of paper. She balanced a handful of empty plates with more grace than I'd ever possess. "She's getting the toast, as always. How about you, Jason? "

"Damn straight, I am."

"The breakfast sandwich and some orange juice?"

"Sounds good." When she darted into the back, I watched the swinging door. For a second, I spotted Simon looking at tickets. My stomach did somersaults. If I were a braver man, I'd have gotten up and charged into the kitchen. I'd pin him to the wall and push all my emotions into a kiss that laid everything on the table.

"Why don't you talk to him?"

In my imagination, I'd walk out of the kitchen, and Amanda would cheer for me as I left. With fists on my hips, I'd strike a pose and then fly off and stop crime. As the door stopped swinging, I turned back to the table to see Amanda giving me that concerned face.

"I don't know what I'd say." I wasn't the brave man I imagined. Instead, I'd keep to myself and continue drowning in self-pity. The rejection hung in the air. I didn't need it confirmed.

"You can't sit in purgatory forever."

I could.

The door swung open, and Lucy dashed out, holding plates. Well, I hadn't expected this. She didn't have Dorothy's experience. With only a plate in each hand, she'd have to learn to balance at least three more to be on par. I wanted her to trip. I didn't wish her harm, but I needed a small imperfection to appear in an otherwise perfect woman. When the plates touched down on the table, I realized jealousy had turned me mean.

Oh. No. No. No. Lucy locked eyes with me. She had an innocent smile I swore hid some devious thought. Holding a couple of empty plates, she stopped by the table. My eyes went wide as I looked at Amanda for help. My sidekick was too busy undressing Lucy with her eyes. She'd be of no help.

"Fancy seeing you here," I said. "How goes the new stack of comics?" If I could keep the conversation on Lucas, I might navigate the uncomfortable feeling in my bones.

"You're a lifesaver. I still can't figure out what a StarPony is, but Lucas is loving them."

"They're magical creatures from another world…"

Amanda wasn't talking about winged horses. Under Lucy's gaze, I expected her to turn to stone. Maybe if I unleashed Amanda, she'd make a convert of Lucy? Then we could go on the most convoluted double date of the century?

"They have some magical power. Everybody loves them." I didn't want to admit to this would-be model that I had a stack of StarPony comics sitting on my nightstand.

She leaned close enough that I inhaled her perfume. Even Lucy's smell had an intoxicating quality. "I caught Lucas reading one this morning."

"Really?" For anybody else, that might not be a celebratory statement. Simon's biggest fear, the guilt he burdened, came from being absent from Lucas's life. He feared his busy schedule had hurt Lucas, and the damage had been done. Something about the image of him flipping through the pages warmed my heart .

"Simon told me about the first time he went into the shop." I ran my hands through my beard to hide the blush.

"If he ever wants to see how they're made—" Amanda to the rescue. "—He can come hang out at my studio."

Lucy gave me a slight bump with her hip. Apparently, we had moved from strangers to besties. "Everybody here is so nice. Thank you. We'll take you up on that."

"Order up." Simon's voice resonated through the Bistro. Both Lucy and Dorothy darted into the back.

"Thank you."

"Can we take it out of my rent?"

I gave her a dirty look. Normally, when she asked, I scoffed. Saving me from looking like a chubby kid with his hand in the cookie drawer, I owed her. With Lucy's innocent statement, I suspected that Simon hadn't told her the reality of that first encounter. There was no way she would make the comment if she knew her husband pushed me against a wall and…

"Stop thinking about it!" Amanda chided. "God, it couldn't have been that good."

If she only knew. It was good . Simon had set the bar for all future encounters. The sadness returned at the idea of other encounters when all I wanted was another one with that bearish man. My eyes dropped as I sulked.

When I looked up, half the dining room had turned to look at me. It shouldn't have surprised me that the entirety of Firefly knew the situation. I'm sure they had caught wind that the ex-wife had returned. That Lucy hadn't heard a rumor spoke volumes. Firefly had closed its ranks to protect one of its own. Martha and Walter got up from their table. He put a hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze before they exited the Bistro.

Operation Wingman hadn't ended with Simon's request for a date. The gesture might be reassuring, but it didn't change the facts. Though, knowing Firefly, it was only a matter of time before somebody slipped. I'm sure fireworks would go off when that happened.

Dorothy set our food on the table.

"Would you mind if I went for a walk?"

Amanda made a heart with her hands. "I've got you, boo."

I needed time to sulk without the looks of pity from Firefly. Not even food would fill the void in my gut. It looked delicious. Homemade bread and a perfectly cooked egg sat in the middle of the plate. Unfortunately, I had lost my appetite.