Page 12 of A Lesson For the Grump

“I could have paid for those.”

I shrug and take the bags after sliding my card back in my pocket, nodding my head at the door. “Friends buy things for friends, don’t they?”

Sonnet nods and walks over to the truck, opening the back door so I can put the bags in. “They do.”

We load up in the truck, and I take off toward Maple Lane Cafe. After our conversation on the phone the other night, I decided I was done hiding my true intentions with Sonnet. Yes, I want to do all the dirty things my mind has thought of since high school, but I want more than that, too. I want to take care of her. I want to be the person she comes to when she's sick or scared or just needing a shoulder to cry on. I want to be her safe space, just like I was before. It’s my duty to make sure she’s fed, and if I know Sonnet like I think I do, her dinner tonight was going to consist of microwave pasta.

“Where are we going?” Sonnet’s voice breaks through my thoughts, making me smile.

“The cafe. You said you needed dinner.” Right as I say it, we turn into the lot. Cars fill almost every parking spot, and I know if it were a weekend, we would have to park in the next lot over. The cafe has amazing food, and on weekends, there’s even better entertainment.

Sonnet laughs and jumps from the truck as soon as I put it into park. “Fine by me, but I’m paying.” I open my mouth to argue, but she shakes her head. “That’s what friends do, remember?”

She’s got me there.

We make our way into the cafe and quickly find a table. Lina, the waitress, immediately walks over to us with a pad in her hand and a smile on her face. “Well, look at this! The dynamic duo is back together.” Sonnet dips her head as a blush rises to her cheeks, and I find a small smirk crawling across my lips. She has no idea. “What can I get you two tonight?”

Sonnet doesn’t even look at the menu as she orders a Philly cheesesteak and one of the cafe’s famous lemonades. Lina takes my burger order and promises to be back with our drinks in just a moment.

The cafe has soft music flowing over the speakers, creating a welcoming atmosphere despite the chaos of a dozen different conversations going on around us. Still, nothing could draw my attention away from the woman in front of me. Her arms come up as she wraps her hair up above her neck, showing off the only tattoo I think she has of an oriental dragon curled up on her collarbone.

She clears her throat and sets her elbows on the table, using her hands to prop her face up. “So, this is weird. Right?”

I match her position and shake my head in my hands. “Only if you make it weird.”

She huffs out a laugh and looks around the room before her eyes once again land on mine. “How’s Betsy?”

“Good. Shouldn’t be too long, and she’ll be ready to hit the road again. You have to promise to come in for regular maintenance, though, because I don’t think she has it in her to die like this again.”

Sonnet smirks and nods her head towards me, “I’ll make a deal with you.”

A deal with Sonnet? She always had an ace up her sleeve when she asked for deals before. “What’s the catch?”

Sonnet laughs as Lina appears by the table, dropping two lemonades down in front of us. We each thank Lina before turning back towards each other. Sonnet raises her eyebrow as she picks up her glass. “What makes you think there’s a catch?”

“There’s always a catch in your deals, Sonnet. So, spill.” I take a sip of my own drink, savoring the bitter sweetness of the house's famous drink.

Sonnet sets her cup back down after drinking half in one go. “So…Factory of Screams is open this weekend. You know it’s tradition for me to go the night before the fest.”

I nod. The Maple Lanes Fall Fest is the biggest event of the year. Vendors from all over come to sell different things and the entire town ends up smelling like pumpkins and candy. It’s been Sonnet’s favorite event since she was a little girl.

The Factory of Screams, on the other hand, is the haunted house that opens in the month of October. It runs practically every night besides the one of the fest, and generally, you never know if you’re going to get your money’s worth. Every year, though, Sonnet has to test it.

“You know I don’t like haunted houses. There’s too much screaming and none of the costumes are ever scary. It’s a waste of time and money.”

Sonnet groans at my words, tilting her head down to the table before looking up with wide, pleading eyes. “You’re a buzzkill. Please go with me?” I open my mouth and Sonnet raises her hand. “I know how you feel about these things, but Marie is going out of town with her husband this weekend, and I really don’t want to go alone.”

Well, shit. I don’t want her to go alone either. Despite the place being a shithole sometimes, Sonnet does tend to get scared easily. I just…really fucking hate haunted houses.

Her bottom lip pokes out, adding to the innocent look on her face. She still knows how to win me over. “Fine,” I groan out, “I’ll go with you.”

Her face immediately morphs into the cunning one I’m so used to seeing when she gets her way, with a wide smile across her lips and a wild glint in her eye. “You’re going to love it! I’ve heard the costumes are great this year.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve said that every year, Sonnet.”

CHAPTER 8

To say I’m excited for the night would be an understatement. Not only is tonight my annual trip to the Scream Factory, but I also get to spend more time with Miles.