blunt, but that had gone too far. Charlotte continued speaking.
“It’s just not a good time for you to try and come into Adam’s life like that. And since he’s in my son’s coven and a dear friend of mine that makes it relevant to all of us. You might not understand that until Adam says it, but that’s what is going to happen.” The woman sprung to her feet when a patron on the opposite side of the bar made an obnoxious whistling sound for her attention. “I’ll have the waiter come back for your order. Might I suggest you try the margherita pizza special?”
Charlotte added a brilliant, blinding smile before she trotted off to the other patrons. The woman left Adelaide with a sour feeling in her stomach. She did not feel like pizza, but she also did not feel like crawling home in defeat yet. The waiter showed up at her table with water and a new menu a few minutes later.
“Can I order you anything?”
She reluctantly answered, “ Margherita pizza?”
He nodded and disappeared from the table. Adelaide sunk lower in her seat. When he returned to check on her, he rambled on about combos and soups she might want to try.
“Garlic rolls too?” he asked.
She resisted the urge to scoff. She was getting a pizza and eating alone — it hardly felt like she needed to stack more food on. That’s when someone spoke for her.
“Please. Go big or go home.”
She recognized the voice immediately. Nearly toppling the table, she moved quickly to find its source. Adam maneuvered by the waiter and slid into the booth. The waiter took an unspoken hint to shuffle off and leave them alone.
“Hi,” she squeaked before coughing to clear the surprise out of her voice. He nodded in return.
“Looks like I got here in time to still pay. It’s the least I can do, since the last time you were here Tony ruined the place for you. What kind of pizza did you get?”
“Margherita,” she said.
“That is my favorite!”
She shut her mouth with an audible click. The waiter returned momentarily with another glass of water and when he was gone, Adam addressed the elephant in the room.
“I know I haven’t called. How ’ve you been?” he asked.
“I’m good. And you?”
It was starting to feel more like a bad date by the second and Adelaide engrossed herself with her drink.
“I’ve been okay,” Adam said slowly.
“So I figured if you liked this place so much, you’d show up eventually,” she said.
He smiled at her comment, but didn’t laugh.
“It is my favorite place in the city… but honestly, Charlotte called me and told me you came in.”
The waiter arrived with the pizza and put the hot plate down in front of them. The cheese dripped so much that the slices merged together. It took Adam’s careful hand with the knife to cut them apart and offer her a piece. It smelled delicious, but she reserved tasting it.
“That was nice of Charlotte.” After the lecture the woman gave her, Adelaide was genuinely taken aback that she even reached out to Adam. She knew , though, that the woman had only called so he would reinforce what had already been said.
“Um, yea she called me to chew me out about leaving you hanging up to dry. I ’m sorry, that was rude and cowardly of me.” He never touched his pizza either. He stared at his cooling plate and avoided her eyes. “I haven’t been completely honest with you. And I feel like I might have led you on too much,” he said.
“Led me on how?” she prompted. It felt like a break up with a man she wasn’t even dating. But he needed to answer, so she forced him to say something.
“I’m not saying that in just some romantic way. I’m saying it in the most basic way. I think I presented that we could be friends when we couldn’t be.”
“Why, because of Charlotte? Tony?” She paused for a moment. “I s it because I’m human? The cat is already out of the bag on your magic and that you live among humans. I don’t buy that
“It’s just not a good time for you to try and come into Adam’s life like that. And since he’s in my son’s coven and a dear friend of mine that makes it relevant to all of us. You might not understand that until Adam says it, but that’s what is going to happen.” The woman sprung to her feet when a patron on the opposite side of the bar made an obnoxious whistling sound for her attention. “I’ll have the waiter come back for your order. Might I suggest you try the margherita pizza special?”
Charlotte added a brilliant, blinding smile before she trotted off to the other patrons. The woman left Adelaide with a sour feeling in her stomach. She did not feel like pizza, but she also did not feel like crawling home in defeat yet. The waiter showed up at her table with water and a new menu a few minutes later.
“Can I order you anything?”
She reluctantly answered, “ Margherita pizza?”
He nodded and disappeared from the table. Adelaide sunk lower in her seat. When he returned to check on her, he rambled on about combos and soups she might want to try.
“Garlic rolls too?” he asked.
She resisted the urge to scoff. She was getting a pizza and eating alone — it hardly felt like she needed to stack more food on. That’s when someone spoke for her.
“Please. Go big or go home.”
She recognized the voice immediately. Nearly toppling the table, she moved quickly to find its source. Adam maneuvered by the waiter and slid into the booth. The waiter took an unspoken hint to shuffle off and leave them alone.
“Hi,” she squeaked before coughing to clear the surprise out of her voice. He nodded in return.
“Looks like I got here in time to still pay. It’s the least I can do, since the last time you were here Tony ruined the place for you. What kind of pizza did you get?”
“Margherita,” she said.
“That is my favorite!”
She shut her mouth with an audible click. The waiter returned momentarily with another glass of water and when he was gone, Adam addressed the elephant in the room.
“I know I haven’t called. How ’ve you been?” he asked.
“I’m good. And you?”
It was starting to feel more like a bad date by the second and Adelaide engrossed herself with her drink.
“I’ve been okay,” Adam said slowly.
“So I figured if you liked this place so much, you’d show up eventually,” she said.
He smiled at her comment, but didn’t laugh.
“It is my favorite place in the city… but honestly, Charlotte called me and told me you came in.”
The waiter arrived with the pizza and put the hot plate down in front of them. The cheese dripped so much that the slices merged together. It took Adam’s careful hand with the knife to cut them apart and offer her a piece. It smelled delicious, but she reserved tasting it.
“That was nice of Charlotte.” After the lecture the woman gave her, Adelaide was genuinely taken aback that she even reached out to Adam. She knew , though, that the woman had only called so he would reinforce what had already been said.
“Um, yea she called me to chew me out about leaving you hanging up to dry. I ’m sorry, that was rude and cowardly of me.” He never touched his pizza either. He stared at his cooling plate and avoided her eyes. “I haven’t been completely honest with you. And I feel like I might have led you on too much,” he said.
“Led me on how?” she prompted. It felt like a break up with a man she wasn’t even dating. But he needed to answer, so she forced him to say something.
“I’m not saying that in just some romantic way. I’m saying it in the most basic way. I think I presented that we could be friends when we couldn’t be.”
“Why, because of Charlotte? Tony?” She paused for a moment. “I s it because I’m human? The cat is already out of the bag on your magic and that you live among humans. I don’t buy that
Similar Books
