Page 95 of Gold Rush

Flynn holds my gaze. “I’m not.”

He breaks eye contact to flip his phone over. I think he’s getting a call, until he taps the screen a few times, then slides the device over to me.

I peer at the photo on the screen, spine straightening when the details register. “Where did you get this?”

“Molly. I met her through one of our classmates. Maria was at your party and sent that to Molly. It was part of what convinced me we could pull this off. So, like I said, I’m not sorry. It all worked how it was supposed to.”

“Did you decide what you’d like?” Our attentive waitress reappears, interrupting our conversation, which has veered far off the topic of this restaurant’s menu.

I swallow hard, stealing one last look at the photo of us at my graduation party before shutting the phone off. Flynn is ordering for us both, same as he did at the diner.

“I’d like the black sea bass. And my girlfriend is going to have the clam linguine.”

My girlfriend. His parents aren’t here to hear it, but he said it anyway.

The waitress nods, scribbling on her pad. “Any appetizers or just the mains?”

Flynn waits, watching me. I shake my head.

“Just the mains,” he replies.

“Okay. Any allergies?”

“Peanut.”

“Got it.” She writes something else on her notepad. “Those entrées will be out shortly. Let me know if you need anything else in the meantime!”

“Thank you,” I say before she departs.

I unwrap my silverware, dropping the cloth napkin in my lap, then glance around at the occupied tables. “Have you been here before?”

“Yeah. It’s my dad’s favorite, so this is where we always meet in the city.”

“Sounds shellfish.”

A smile spreads across his face. “Yours was worse than mine.”

“Worse than clam-azing? You’ve got to be squidding me.”

Flynn is full-on grinning now. “I had no idea you were so punny, Florence.”

I open my mouth, fully intending to say, There’s a lot you don’t know about me.

Then shut it.

Because I’m not sure that’s true any longer. Or … that it was.

30

I’m last to arrive. Kit, Rhody, and Leo are already seated at our usual table with a prime view of the baseball game on the television.

“Finally,” Rhody grumbles as I approach. “Even Leo was here on time, and he had literally saved lives all day.”

“I only saved one life today,” Leo says, scooping up a handful of peanuts. “Everyone else died.”

“Fuck. Really?”

“No.” Leo flicks a shell at Rhody. It ricochets off his arm and hits me instead. “I’m an awesome doctor.”