To Say Goodbye by Lindsay Detwiler Read Free Book Online Page A

gramps’s eye.” She motioned toward the table beside them where an eighty-year-old man carefully chewed on his spaghetti, slurping the noodles every few moments.
    “Shh, he’s coming back.”
    Stella smiled, giving Sophia a mischievous look.
    When the waiter set down their waters, Stella turned to him. “So, Tim, you went to school here, didn’t you? I graduated a few years after you I think.”
    “Hollidaysburg High?”
    “Yep.”
    “Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”
    “That’s okay. What are you up to these days?”
    “Law school. I’m just working here to make some cash for tuition. How about you?”
    Left out of the conversation, Sophia fiddled with her place setting.
    “My best friend, Sophia, and I are back in town for good. We’re in the process of starting a hair salon.”
    “That’s awesome.” Tim glanced from Stella to Sophia. “Where’s it at?”
    “Allegheny Street.”
    “Cool. What’s it called?”
    Stella eyed Sophia from across the table. They hadn’t gotten that far yet. She smiled.
    “Pink Lemonade,” Stella said with an air of confidence. Sophia raised an eyebrow.
    “It’s a unique name.”
    “Yeah. Well, we wanted it to be memorable. Plus, as Sophia demonstrated, we have a thing for pink lemonade.”
    “I don’t think you have to worry about being memorable,” Tim said, turning slightly toward Sophia, his gaze wandering. Sophia averted her eyes to the table.
    The dinner continued, Tim checking back on the table over and over. Sophia stayed silent, not knowing how to handle the situation. Flirting was never her strong suit.
    When they left after dinner was over, Sophia figured she’d never see the waiter again. Walking back to their apartment, Sophia said, “So, is that really what we’re calling the place?”
    Stella nodded. “Yeah. I think it fits. You?”
    “It’s different. But we do love pink lemonade. Oh, we could paint the place pink and serve lemonade.”
    “Love it. Plus, it goes with my hair.”
    “Now we just need to start building a client list.” Sophia had refocused on the business, trying to push the thought of the encounter at the restaurant out of her mind.
    “We’ve already started.”
    “I mean other than family.”
    “Done.”
    “Oh yeah? Who?”
    “Your soon-to-be boyfriend.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Tim.”
    “Okay, first, he was our waiter. It’s not as if he was trying to jump my bones over the lasagna. Second, he was more interested in you.”
    “Not true. His eyes were all over you. The chemistry was blatant. Plus, ew, he’s not my type, and I’m not his. Too boring for me. Lawyer? Not going to work.”
    “Okay, wild child. It’s not like he has my number or anything. I probably won’t see him again.”
    “Yeah, you will.”
    “How do you know?”
    “I wrote your number on the check. He’ll probably call after his shift.”
    Sophia pretended to be mad, but she couldn’t. There was something about the handsome man, something about his mannerisms, the way he looked at her. From the moment she saw him, there was a palpable chemistry, a connection. She’d never believed in love at first sight. Sure, she’d had a few boyfriends in high school, but they had been slow burns, friendships turned smoldering. This had been an intense wave of heat on sight, a ridiculous conflagration too strange to believe in.
    A few hours later, Tim called her, and they sealed a first date. Over the next few years, Pink Lemonade would get off the ground, and everything would fall into place. There were the months of dating, the building of the business, and the graduation from law school for Tim. There was the proposal—at Mama’s, of course—the purchase of the house, the wedding. There was the moving out, the moving on, the love flowing freely.
    It had all started in a skimpy, scandalous miniskirt over some celebratory lasagna.
    They just had no way to know it would end all too soon, the fire still burning, the ashes