lie and say he remembered her, but he curbed his impulse. Michelle always said his face was like an open book, and he figured the cocktail waitress would figure out that he still didn’t recognize her. “Uh . . . actually . . .” he said, stalling for time.
“That’s okay,” the cocktail waitress said, arranging the drinks on the tabletop. “I look really different than I did back then. Let me give you a hint. I was class president and I played the flute in the band.”
“Kay?!” Lonnie knew he probably sounded incredulous, but he couldn’t help himself. “But you had brown hair. And you were . . .”
“Fat,” Kay laughed as Lonnie hesitated. “I was fat,” she said, finishing the sentence for him. “My hair’s still brown, but now I have blond streaks.”
Lonnie just stared at her. “You look great, Kay!” he said truthfully.
“Thanks. I’m married now. How about you? I heard you were dating Michelle Swensen.”
“That’s right. I am.”
“I like Michelle. We used to always sit together at lunch. Are you serious about her?”
Lonnie nodded. “I’m serious, but we haven’t talked about anything permanent yet.” He felt a bit uncomfortable discussing Michelle with someone else, so he changed the subject. “Is your husband someone I know?”
“Yes, I married Joe Hollenkamp two years ago.”
“Joe’s a great guy, but he’s . . . uh . . .”
“A lot older than I am?” Kay asked, obviously amused.
“Well . . . yeah.”
“I know Joe’s a lot older. He’s twenty-five years older than we are. I’m good with that age difference, Lonnie. Joe’s the kindest, sweetest, most considerate man I’ve ever met. And I love him like crazy.”
“You sound happy, Kay.”
“I am.” Kay looked slightly uncomfortable. “Darcy should be back any minute now. She went to the ladies’ room with Cassie. What are you going to say if she asks you why you moved over here?”
“I’m going to tell her the truth, that I was sitting at the bar with Brian and Cassie and we noticed that she was fighting with Denny. When he left, Brian and I figured that she might need some moral support from her friends.”
Kay smiled. “That’s perfect.”
“You don’t think Denny’s coming back inside, do you?” Lonnie asked the important question.
“I’m pretty sure he’s not. He caught me right before I was going to deliver their drinks. He told me to go ahead and deliver them, and then he paid and left.”
“And he didn’t say anything about coming back?”
Kay shook her head. “Not a word. He was really steaming, Lonnie. And Denny’s got a real temper. I don’t know what they fought about, but it was really clear that Denny was furious with Darcy.”
“Do you know if Darcy drove out here alone, or if she came with Denny?”
“She came with Denny. I had to run out to my car for something and Denny pulled in and parked right next to me. I walked back in with both of them.”
“So Darcy doesn’t have a ride home?”
Kay shook her head. “Not unless Denny cools off and comes back. And I think the chances of that are really slim. I know I wouldn’t bet the farm on that happening.”
“Okay. Thanks for the heads-up, Kay. I can always drive Darcy home. I go right past her place on the way back to Lake Eden.”
Kay looked pleased. “You’re a good guy, Lonnie. I think Darcy must have been drinking before she got here because she looked pretty drunk when I delivered their last set of drinks. I wouldn’t want her to go home with one of the guys that hang out here.”
“Tell me about Denny. Was he drunk when he left?”
“Not that I could tell. He had a couple of Margaritas, but Denny’s a big guy. And after two, he said that was his limit and switched to plain Coke.” Kay gestured toward one of the drinks she’d placed on the table. “This Margarita’s for Darcy. And the other drinks are part of the flight that Brian and Cassie ordered. The Cokes are for you and Denny, but since Denny’s not here, you can have both of them.”
“Okay, don’t mind if I do. I’m really thirsty tonight.” Lonnie reached for one of the Cokes and took a large sip. “Thanks for all the info, Kay.”
“And thank you for taking care of Darcy. I can’t help feeling sorry for her.”
“Why’s that?”
“Darcy’s always had a real talent for picking the wrong men. Even back in high school, she was the one who dated what my mother