to her phone, which she starts tapping away on. “Just booze. Thanks.”
I refrain from scolding her on her alcohol intake and head toward the aisle just as Monica, Chloe, and Gavin are walking up the stairs.
“Hey!” Monica lights up. Why can’t I have that same effect on Maggie? “How’s she doing?”
I chuckle and toss a look over my shoulder. Maggie’s still got her nose buried in her phone. “One guess.”
Monica smiles. “I’ll go talk to her.” She raises her eyes to Chloe. “Can you grab me a drink? And a funnel cake?”
Chloe grins. Being Monica’s best friend, Chloe seems well-attuned to Monica’s fixation with food, especially desserts. “Of course.” Then Chloe looks at me. “Coming with us?”
“Lead the way.”
Gavin gives me a fist bump, and we take the stairs two at a time until we reach the top. Like I guessed, the line is a mile long.
Rocking back on my heels, I eye Gavin and Chloe. “You two ready for the big day on Saturday?”
The two exchange big smiles as Gavin wraps an arm around her. “As ready as we can be,” he says. “We’ve only waited our whole lives for this.”
As pessimistic as I am about love, I can see that they radiate devotion toward each other. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.
Chloe looks at me with a humorous gleam in her eyes. “Mostly, things are going smoothly. We can’t thank you enough for catering it for us. We know you usually have classes on Saturdays.”
I shrug. “You booked it far enough in advance, so it’s fine. I should be thanking you. One of my goals for this year is to grow the catering department.”
Chloe beams at me. “That’s so exciting.”
“Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” Gavin chimes in. “We’ll be happy to spread the word, write a review, anything.”
“I appreciate that, man.”
After we purchase our food and drinks, I make my way back to the seat to find Maggie alone with a sad look on her face as she stares out at the field. The entire team is out there now, including Coach, and I can only guess that’s who has put her in a sour mood. I stifle my discomfort and pass her to sit down.
When I hand her the beer, she thanks me and searches my hands, like she was expecting something else. “Where’s yours?”
“I’ve already had four drinks. That’s my limit.”
Maggie looks shocked and confused, and I don’t blame her. That’s the reaction I normally get when I tell people my rule. “Like, in an hour?”
I laugh. “No, in a day.
She looks horrified. “Seriously? You must think I’m an alcoholic.”
I’m still laughing. “I don’t think that at all. I know plenty of people who get belligerent on a daily basis, and I don’t judge.”
“But why? Your rule doesn’t match your whole… persona.”
I’m grinning now. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think I like that she has pegged me all wrong.
“I just like to be careful about what I put into my body. Alcohol messes with more than a person’s state of mind. I like to know that I’m in control at all times.”
She narrows her eyes and nods. “That’s right. You’re a control freak.” She sets her beer down. “Well, now I don’t want to drink this. Thanks for being a buzzkill.” She settles into her seat.
“I don’t mind if you drink, Maggie. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. It’s just a promise I made myself the first time I got really drunk in high school.”
“Why?” she challenges, and it’s another question that I am unsure if I want to give her the answer to.
This time, I decide fuck it. “Because I don’t want to wind up like my old man—that’s why.”
The expression on her face right now—the one filled with a newfound understanding—is one I wish I could capture. It takes all the resistance I have not to reach for my camera. But almost as quickly as the shock and disbelief wash over her, they dissolve like her face just hit the sun.
“I forgot I’m not the only one with daddy issues,” she finally says.
“Yeah, well, at least I still talk to my issue.”
She swishes her hair over her shoulder and purses her lips. “Okay, in that case”—she picks up her drink and puts it between her lips while darting a glare my way—“I clearly need this more than you do.”
I grin, unable to help the way my eyes fall to her glistening lips. “Guess you