The Waiter by Bradleigh Collins (bill gates books recommendations .txt) 📕

for me. I told her I’d love to take her out to lunch or dinner this weekend if she had time.

Then I called Josh. “Guess who’s gonna be in the city this weekend?”

“Seriously?” he responded. “Why? What happened?”

“Lucy,” I said. “She got me an interview on Monday. I am so taking her out to dinner.”

“This is great,” he said. “We can all hang out again.”

As soon as I hung up with Josh, I called Dana. “You’re gonna get laid this weekend,” she said. Suddenly I felt nervous. The Waiter didn’t even know I was coming yet. Doubt quickly set in. Would he still want to see me? What if he already had plans? What if he was seeing somebody else? Why wouldn’t he be seeing somebody else? Of course he’s seeing somebody else.

After talking to Dana, I logged on to ICQ to see if The Waiter just happened to be online in the middle of the day. He was. Was he chatting with somebody else? I messaged him.

“Hey! I have another job interview on Monday. I’m coming back to the city this Saturday.”

“Are you serious?” he responded instantly. “That’s perfect! What are you doing Saturday night?”

“I don’t know yet. Hanging out with Josh and Katie and Lucy and Kyle at some point, I’m sure.”

“I want to take you to this really cool show. My friend is in it. Josh and everyone can come. I’ll get comp tickets for all of us.”

“Okay. That sounds like fun. Thanks.”

“Chat tonight? Regular time?”

“Absolutely.”

I could not remember the last time I’d been this excited. In just the last hour, I had scheduled another job interview in New York, booked my trip, and landed a second date with The Waiter.

I left work right at five o’clock and headed home to start packing. Around six-thirty, Dalton called.

“Hey babe. Wanna go get something to eat?”

“I can’t. I’m packing.”

“Packing for what?”

“I’m going back to New York this weekend. I have another job interview on Monday.”

“That’s great babe. Congrats.”

“Thanks. I’m excited. And nervous.”

“Want some company?”

“If you come over here, I won’t get any packing done. I won’t get anything done.”

“I meant do you want some company in New York this weekend,” he said. “I’ll go with you.”

I was taken aback. “No! It’s gonna be a quick trip. I’m leaving Saturday and coming back Monday.”

“So? I’m up for a quick trip with you. I can visit the New York office Monday. Show my face up there. Maybe I’ll get a better assignment.” Dalton’s company was also headquartered in New York.

“No, Dalton. This is something I need to do on my own.”

“Why? Have you got a boy-toy in New York you don’t want me to know about?”

Oh my god. He knows. How the hell does he know? I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about The Waiter or not. I was afraid if I told him, he would get mad and show up in New York and ruin my entire weekend. If I lied, I would be doing the same thing to him that I begged him not to do to me. So I went with a neutral answer that was kind of the truth.

“No. No boy-toy.” I certainly didn’t think of The Waiter as a boy-toy. “I just need to focus on this job interview, and if you’re there, I’ll be focused on you.”

“Okay. Suit yourself. Where are you staying?”

“I don’t know yet.” I had to lie this time. I didn’t want to tell him the name of my hotel because I was certain he would “surprise” me.

“Listen Dalton, I have to go pack. I’ll call you when I get back from New York, okay?” At this point, I just wanted to get off the phone with him before he asked more questions that I would have to answer with more lies.

“Want me to pick you up at the airport on Monday?”

I laughed out loud. “Are you kidding me? You suck at airport pickups.”

“I’ll be there this time. I promise.”

“Okay Dalton, if I need an airport pickup, I’ll call you.” Yet another lie. But it finally got me off the phone with him.

As I hung up, I glanced over at the enormous bouquet of peach roses on my dining room table. Guilt crept into my weekend plans like an army of ants invading a peaceful picnic. Do men ever feel this much guilt? Of course they don’t.

I felt guilty that I had just lied to Dalton about The Waiter. When I was talking to The Waiter on Saturday, I felt guilty that I had kissed Dalton the night before. The truth was, I wasn’t in a relationship with either of these men. Dalton was my past, and I was trying keep it that way. The Waiter could be my future. But I didn’t owe either of them anything.

Later that night, I was having my usual ICQ chat session with The Waiter.

“You have to dress casual Saturday night,” he said. “Jeans, sneakers. Nothing fancy. Something you wouldn’t mind getting messed up.”

“Are we going to a mud-wrestling bar or something?”

“Not even close. Trust me, you will be blown away.”

“I’m excited,” I said. “And a little scared.”

“The show starts at ten. I’m working until seven. Why don’t you guys meet me at Luna Park in Union Square around nine?”

“Okay. That sounds great.”

“I can’t wait to see you again,” he said.

“Me either.”

After our conversation, I was too excited to go to sleep. I stayed up until two in the morning obsessing over what outfits to pack for a three-day trip. Of course, these weren’t just any outfits. One might help me land my dream job. Another might end up on the floor next to The Waiter. Dana was right. There was an actual chance I could get laid. For the first time in a very long time, I might actually have sex with someone that wasn’t Dalton.

In just three short days, I’d be back in the city again. And face-to-face with The Waiter. Maybe this time, a little more than face-to-face.

CHAPTER 10

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