When 20-year-old Kara Bennett moves to Boston to escape her post-high school drama with her daughter, she didn't expect to fall straight into it in the form of Austin Mayer.
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All Kara Bennett...
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I WAS SITTING ALONE IN A KOREAN RESTAURANT, SHIELDED WITH A GIANT MENU.
I arrived fifteen minutes prior to their arranged time and picked the furthest table from Derek and Kara with the best angle to watch them. Those fifteen minutes passed by the thoughts of how ridiculous this was and I should have abandoned here before they arrived. However, when I convinced myself to leave, they entered together.
My first shock was to see Kara in something other than ripped jeans and a loose t-shirt. Her red dress rendered her someone entirely different—almost that I had to blink twice to make sure Derek didn't turn up with someone else. My second shock was beyond my expectations because she had been laughing for one hour straight at whatever Derek said. I was sure he wasn't joking—he couldn't be joking. His sense of humor was one of the driest I'd ever known.
When the waiter came for the fifth time, asking what I would like to get, I had to turn my gaze away from them and order something. I haphazardly skimmed through the menu and ended up getting kimchi. When he attempted to take the menu away, I told him I was indecisive about the drink.
Turning my attention back on them, I noticed Kara leaned close to him to show something on her phone, which angled her face square at me like if I didn't use this menu as a shield and if she wasn't looking down at her screen, our eyes would meet and I would be busted. Nonetheless, I lowered the menu a little to gaze at her because her smile was so natural, so carefree. I wondered what Derek could possibly have done to receive this treatment whereas I was always welcomed with her stone face. I noticed she had some makeup, which made her look more mature. Seriously, she didn't look like Kara the grumpy barista/mother at all.
I panicked when my phone buzzed in my pocket, loud, and almost turned it off before I saw Nick was calling. I'd told him that I would be here but for a different reason: I wanted to make sure Derek treated Kara right. He approved of the idea. I couldn't tell him that I was here because I was looking for something Kara never offered me—her smile. Alas, when I believed knowing that she could smile would satisfy me, there was an ugly knot in my stomach at the sight of her laugh directed at Derek.
"What's up?"
"She laughs, like a lot."
Nick's low chuckle rose. "I told you he could crack her shell. I'm glad they are having a good time—ten points to Nick Harrison."
And ten punches in the gut to Austin Mayer.
"I think I also deserve some credit for hooking them up, huh?" I said, setting the menu aside. "I mean, I spent my entire weekend for this date and now I'm making sure it goes smoothly. Who does that?" My voice was rising up with each word, the bottled anger within me bursting out. I wasted my entire evening just to see her damn smile and—I needed a drink.
As if the waiter heard me somehow, he came with my kimchi. "Beer," I said aggressively. I didn't want to be feeling passive-aggressive but couldn't help it. My eyes found their table again. Who has a barbecue for the first date? Shouldn't they eat less?
