Chapter 23
Natalie
Tip #23: Good disguises are a must-have for subterfuge.
F eathers dropped behind me like a crumb trail as Samuel and I stepped out of the back room into the main dining area of Cherry’s Dairy Bar. With each movement, my black feather boa dropped more feathers—it would be a miracle if the thing didn’t fall apart before the subterfuge was discovered, and I was starting to suspect I resembled a half-plucked ostrich.
Samuel, on the other hand, looked like a mysterious but handsome stranger in his blue sunglasses, black scarf, and fedora.
“If I’d known your grand idea involved raiding the lost-and-found box and getting the cook to let us in through the back door, I might’ve had second thoughts about spying on Owen and Jenna.” Samuel adjusted his hat.
“Quit being so fussy.” I stood on my tiptoes as I tried to find Owen and Jenna in the crowded dairy bar. I had to hold in place the monstrosity of a borrowed trapper hat—which was red and black with fake fur lining the earflaps—I’d pulled down to cover the sides of my face. “No one will recognize us.”
Samuel glanced back at the kitchen door we’d snuck through. “Who was that cook anyway?”
“Joe,” I said. “He’s dating my great aunt’s boyfriend’s daughter.”
“Is there anyone in this town you’re not related to or connected with?” Samuel asked.
“My family has no connections to you Warners.”
“No connections yet,” Samuel corrected. With his sunglasses on I couldn’t read his eyes to tell if he was joking or serious.
“Right,” I said, deciding he must be talking about Jenna and Owen, not us.
Spotting an open table, I gestured for Samuel to follow me, my boa shedding more feathers as we crossed the room.
The dairy bar was vintage-themed, complete with ice cream-parlor knickknacks and booths, a jukebox that actually worked, and a cranky woman named Cherry running the show. All the waitresses wore pink uniforms, adding to the nostalgic ambiance.
We slid into a cramped vinyl booth built into the wall, barely able to see Owen and Jenna at their cozy two-person table in the center of the restaurant.
I squinted, trying to catch glimpses of their expressions. “I can’t see very well.”
Samuel fiddled with the brim of his fedora. “And I can’t decide if this is more or less hygienic than rented bowling shoes. I’m thinking the overall look is worse, as fedoras can be cringey on men my age, whereas everyone was forced to wear the bowling shoes at Cosmic Bowl.”
I glanced over at him, taking in his broad shoulders, the dreamy planes of his face, and his dark hair that showed on the sides of his head. The aviator sunglasses hid his gorgeous gray eyes, but he made them look like a conscious fashion choice. “You look great,” I said, sighing. I used to not care that he was unbelievably genetically blessed with hotness because he irritated me. Now that we were friends, I had to ignore it because friends don’t ogle each other!
“That sigh doesn’t make it sound like I look all that great,” Samuel said.
“No, you look better than great; you look handsome, which is why I was sighing, because it’s unfair you can look so hot no matter what you’re wearing.”
Samuel immediately stopped fiddling with his hat. “You think I’m hot?”
“Isn’t this a surprise?” The familiar voice startled me out of mooning over Samuel.
Leaning out of the booth, I saw my cousin Madison, dressed in the pink Cherry’s Dairy Bar uniform, scoot around a table before she came to a stop next to our booth.
“Madison?” I gaped. “What are you doing here? You don’t work at Cherry’s!”
Madison snapped the gum she was chewing. “Nice to see you too, Nat.”
“Ah, Madison, the cousin who gives her kids questionable sex-ed lessons. How are you?” Samuel gave my cousin a winning smile.
“Warner.” Madison acknowledged him with a nod. “I’m doing fine, thanks for asking. I hope you two are having a great date?”
“We are,” Samuel said.
I waved the tip of my boa like a flag. “I’m still lost. Why are you here, Madison? I repeat: You don’t work here.”
Madison waggled the dairy bar’s paper menus at me. “I used to work here when I was in high school, remember?”
“Your youngest kid is six,” I said. “High school was a long time ago.”
Madison narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you looking to get your food sabotaged?”
I meekly took the stained paper menus from Madison and handed one to Samuel.
“To answer your question—even if the wording was rude,” Madison began, “I still cover shifts here occasionally. My best friend is the shift manager, and two of her high schoolers called out sick tonight.” Madison eyed our unusual attire. “So, what’s with the wardrobe?”
“Natalie raided the lost and found to procure disguises for us,” Samuel said.
“Disguises? Are you two spying on Owen and Jenna?” Madison asked.
“Yep,” I said.
“Interesting.” Madison took out a little notepad and pen from a pocket of her uniform. “Anyway, are you ready to order?”
“How can you be so calm about Owen and Jenna?” I asked. “Aren’t you curious about their date?”
“After having you two, the OG mortal enemies–turned–star-crossed lovers, end up engaged, Owen and Jenna’s going on a date is tame in comparison. Now, are you ready to order or not?”
“Mint sundae, two scoops, please,” I automatically said.
“And I’ll take a large chocolate shake.” Samuel plucked my menu from my hands and handed them back to Madison.
“You got it.” Madison disappeared into the kitchen to put in our order, leaving us to our spying mission.
I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of Owen and Jenna. “Can you even see them from here?”
“Sort of.” Samuel leaned back against the cushioned bench seat. “I can see Owen’s back, but that’s about it. He must be nervous. He’s visibly sweated through the back of his blue shirt.”
“He’s a nervous sweater—it runs in the family,” I said. “We need a better vantage point.”
I peered around the dairy bar and noticed a pair of high schoolers leaving a high-top table that was a little closer to Owen and Jenna. “Perfect! Let’s move.”
I hurried off, the feathers from my boa fluttering as I rushed to claim our new spot. Samuel trailed me, looking cool and stylish whereas my face was starting to turn red from the heat of my trapper hat.
I hopped up onto one of the stools, pleased that I could now see more of Jenna’s face, though Owen’s was still mostly obscured.
Samuel nudged his stool next to mine before he slid onto it and casually draped an arm around my shoulders, a gesture I’d grown so accustomed to that I barely noticed and instead automatically leaned into him.
“Jenna looks happy, right?” I asked.
Samuel briefly flicked his sunglasses down, observing his cousin. “Well, she’s always bubbly, but yeah. She seems like she’s having fun.”
I bit my lip.
“Stop worrying.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Jenna wouldn’t have said yes to a second date if she didn’t actually like Owen.”
“You’re right. Thanks.”
“Sure. So how long has Owen been crushing on Jenna?”
“I first noticed it about two years ago,” I said.
“Ah, so not that long then.”
I turned to look up at Samuel as if he’d grown a second head. “What are you talking about? Two years is a really long time to like someone and not make a move on them!”
He shrugged. “I know a guy who carried a torch for a girl for about a decade before finally getting her.”
“Wow,” I marveled, shaking my head. “That is a seriously slow-moving romance.”
“It’s called loyalty.”
“Or really bad communication. Otherwise, how else could the girl not realize the guy liked her?”
“Sometimes people are just annoyingly oblivious, alright?” Samuel’s voice was low and growly.
“If you say so.” I leaned even further into him to try and see if I could get a better look. I practically ended up in Samuel’s lap as I strained to see Owen’s expression.
Madison emerged from the back kitchen area carrying Samuel’s shake. She paused at our empty booth, a puzzled expression on her face, before spotting us in our new location.
“Really? Playing musical chairs now?” Madison plunked the large glass down in front of Samuel. “Here’s your large chocolate shake.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I just wanted a better view of Owen and Jenna.”
“Uh-huh,” Madison said skeptically. “Or maybe you just wanted to cuddle up with your fiancé.”
I blushed. “That’s not?—”
“You’re not wrong,” Samuel peeled back one of the earflaps of my hat so he could kiss me on the cheek. “We have a highly developed style of flirting that mostly involves awkward situations.”
Madison rolled her eyes and started to walk off. “Does your terrible flirting include fighting? Because that would explain a lot.”
“Madison!” I hissed, but she was already too far away to hear.
I drummed my fingers on the table. The scent of Cherry’s Dairy Bar—a mix of sweet ice cream and grease from the food—tempted my stomach.
“Are you thinking about how much you love me?” Samuel asked.
I paused, my fingers hovering over the table. “I can’t decide if your unshakable confidence is admirable or annoying.”
“We’re making progress, honey,” Samuel said. “Before we started dating, you would have called me a raving egomaniac.”
His smile made me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t quite put a finger on why, which made me even more annoyed.
This was why we needed to break up. It would be too easy to get used to this—not just Samuel’s hotness, but the way he spoiled me with the dresses and his willingness to join whatever crazy scheme I was hatching. The longer we took to break up, the more I would miss him.
Feeling antsy, I scoped out the room again. “We should move.”
“To where?” Samuel asked.
“There.” I pointed to a table that had just cleared on the opposite side of the room, which would give me a better view of Owen’s face.
“Fine, but you better appreciate the wad of cash I’m going to have to leave Madison as a tip after all of this.”
As we scooted around the perimeter of the room to avoid being seen, a few Fox Creek residents greeted me, complimenting my unique sense of style.
I slid onto a chair pulled up to our new table, feeling victorious now that I could see both Owen’s and Jenna’s faces.
Samuel sat down next to me and casually offered me his chocolate shake. “Want a taste? It’s good.”
I hesitated, but… friends shared drinks all the time, right? Not to mention we were still pretending to be engaged. He’d probably offered to keep our cover.
I took the large glass and sipped from his paper straw, savoring the shake’s velvety texture and decadent chocolate taste. “That is really good. Thank you.” I took another sip, then handed it back.
“Of course.” Samuel smiled at me, but his eyes were still hidden by his sunglasses. He planted his straw in his mouth. He must have been bored or something, because he kept the straw in his mouth even though he very obviously wasn’t drinking his shake.
“Madison’s coming this way,” Samuel said. “She doesn’t look too happy.”
I waved his concern off with a dismissive hand. “It’s worth it to see Owen and Jenna closer.”
At that moment, Owen said something that made Jenna laugh and she leaned across the table to show my brother something on her cell phone, which made Owen smile so deeply his dimples showed.
A small stab of jealousy pricked my heart as I studied their easy smiles and genuine connection. “They look happy.”
“Half as happy as we are.” Samuel finally stopped sucking on his straw and casually plucked off his aviators.
I was going to scoff at him, but when I looked his way, his expression was serious. The usual polish his charm gave him was gone—his lips didn’t twitch into an easy smile, and there was something raw about the look in his gray eyes. Too many moments of silence passed between us, and Samuel still held my eyes. I couldn’t look away from him. I couldn’t even blink, and I didn’t know why.
“Finally found you two!” Madison’s voice broke through the spell, shattering the drawn-out moment.
Madison set a sundae in front of me. It was a ridiculous creation: a scoop of vanilla complete with candy eyes, an ice cream cone hat, and whipped cream detailing that formed the face of a clown.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s a clown sundae,” Madison said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Since you’re acting like a clown, I figured it was fitting. Besides, I had to give your mint sundae away because I couldn’t find you.”
“Joke’s on you, because this is adorable.” I whipped out my cell phone to take a picture. “And I told you, we’re here because I want to see Jenna and Owen.”
“Trust me, Natalie,” Madison said. “You don’t need this cloak-and-dagger thing. Jenna is too nice to say anything even if she saw you, and Owen is so over the moon he’s oblivious to his surroundings. He didn’t even notice when I gave him the wrong kind of fries.”
I glanced over at Owen, who was nodding at something Jenna had said, his eyes shining with happiness. Madison was right; my brother was lost in his own little world.
“I get that you’re worried. Everyone knows you and Owen are practically best friends,” Madison continued, her voice softer now. “But he’ll be fine when you and Samuel marry. He won’t be lonely.”
That should have comforted me, but as I looked at Samuel, a new realization settled heavily on me. While Owen might not be lonely, I would be once Samuel and I broke up, even if I still had my brother by my side.
Sensing my unease, Madison patted my shoulder before leaving to attend to another table.
“Are you OK?” Samuel asked.
I smiled, shaking off the heavy feeling that had taken residence in my chest. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you for playing along today.”
Samuel shrugged, his charming smile effortlessly disarming any lingering tension. “I’m always down for an adventure with you, Natalie.”