keep his schedule straight, but I think Ryan put her to work doing something else.”
“So, he’s really forgetful?”
Wes nods.
“He might forget plans, or be in New York but by mistake say he was in Chicago?”
He nods again slowly. “Is that what happened?”
I concentrate on my coffee cup. “I was asking hypothetically.”
His spoon clanks onto the table. “That’s it. Isn’t it? I knew Ryan screwed it up. You figured he was playing you or something, right?”
I glance up at him. “I’m not really comfortable discussing this with you, Wes.”
He looks me in the eye and says, “My brother is a total space cadet, but he’s not a liar or a player. I can promise you that. He actually has a real bug up his butt when it comes to lying. That’s one thing you never have to worry about with him.”
“Why is that?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “That’s his story to tell, not mine.”
His intense expression reminds me of his brother. Then our food arrives, breaking the spell.
“Geez.” Wes breathes, eyes wide, the strawberry covered mountain of waffles steaming in front of him.
My own plate is similar, except covered in cinnamon apple slices that dribble over the sides. A plate with a dozen or so greasy slices of bacon is set down beside it.
“Do you usually eat all this?” Wes asks. “Why aren’t you as big as a house?”
I can’t help but laugh. “No. I do not usually eat all this. But we could make a little wager on it.”
He glances at me over his pile of fruit. “What do you mean?”
“Well, if I finish mine first, you have to tell me the truth about what you’re doing here.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “What do you mean tell you the truth?”
“I think there’s more to this than your coming up here to visit Ryan and him forgetting about it. No matter how forgetful you say he is.”
He takes the measure of both me and my waffle as he thinks it over. Finally, he comes to a decision. “I’ll take that bet. But, if you don’t finish first, you have to drop it.”
I watch him carefully. “If you promise you’re telling the truth, then I’ll assume that you take after your brother, and I’ll believe you.”
“All right,” he answers, squirming a bit in his seat. “If I finish first, I have something I want you to do.”
“What?” I ask warily.
“You have to give my brother another chance.”
I open my mouth to respond. Then close it again.
“No bet?” he prods.
I sigh. “It may not be within my control. What if your brother doesn’t want another chance with me?”
Wes smiles slyly. “You still like him, don’t you?”
I think of him kissing me in my kitchen and I feel my cheeks redden. I’m blushing in front of a fourteen-year-old. This is beyond embarrassing. “This is a silly bet,” I answer.
“I won’t take your bet if you won’t take mine.”
I swallow hard. I doubt Ryan wants me to give him another chance. I haven’t heard a peep from him since our last date. “Okay, fine. But it’s out of my control if your brother wants nothing to do with me.”
“It’s a bet then?”
“It’s a bet,” I say, eyeing my heaping plate of waffle and fruit speculatively. I generally have a hard time eating half of a waffle plate like this. What am I thinking?
And so it begins. Wes eats quickly, forking in mouthfuls. I get nervous watching him and warn him to slow down. “It doesn’t count if you barf it all up again,” I tell him. His pace relaxes a little after that. I eat more slowly, figuring this is more of marathon than a sprint.
We eye each other as we chew and swallow. “What about the bacon?” Wes asks, pointing his fork at it after he swallows a huge bite of waffle.
“You can have it if you’re still hungry when I beat you,” I taunt him.
“Big talk,” he replies, a glint in his eye.
My own bravado is quickly drowning in apple topping.
Sometime later, both Wes and I are struggling. I never want another waffle as long as I live. My stomach feels stretched beyond capacity, and Wes is easily gaining on me. He has maybe a half dozen strawberry soaked pieces left, but he’s moving more slowly now, obviously forcing it down.
When the waitress walks by, eyeing us curiously, Wes asks for a glass of water. “Me, too,” I choke out, swallowing another bit.
“You gonna give up?” Wes challenges.
I shake my head.