Chapter 9 #2
“This is where my mom grew up,” he explained.
“Vanessa and I spent our childhood summers here visiting my gran. There’s a restaurant called the Splash Café that has the best clam chowder.
Every time we’d walk down to the beach, we’d stop and get a cup.
It’s a bit touristy, and Vanessa said I only liked going there because it looks cool, but it’s still my favorite place to eat in Pismo. ”
Splash Café lived up to its hype. At least, the facade did—we had yet to taste the food—but it was easy to see why kid Alec loved it so much.
The roof and awning were bright blue, and a surfer was mounted to the front of the building, framed by two massive orange and yellow surfboards.
A huge beach mural was painted on the side of the building, and judging from the line that stretched out the door, it was a popular spot to eat.
“Crap,” Alec said as we parked across the street from the café. “I should’ve known it would be packed.”
I shrugged. The promise of delicious food outweighed my reluctance to wait. “I don’t mind. How long do you think it will take?”
“Er…that’s not what I’m concerned about.”
“Then what?” I asked, but Alec didn’t respond. He watched me silently, waiting for me to figure out the answer on my own.
“He doesn’t want to be spotted,” Asha said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Ohhh!
“Do you want to stay in the car while we go order?” I asked.
“I feel bad ditching you guys,” he said, his cheeks turning pink. “But would you mind?”
“Not at all. We completely understand.” As soon as I said this, I realized how silly it sounded. As if I had any clue how it felt to be famous. “What do you want?”
“A clam chowder bread bowl,” he said, and then, “Are you sure you’re okay with this? We could always go through a drive-through somewhere.”
“Alec, you’re driving us all the way to San Francisco. The least I can do is stand in line for food.” I offered him a reassuring smile before grabbing my bag and lifting the canvas strap over my head.
“Okay, but before you go…” Alec reached for his pocket. After a few seconds of clawing at his shorts unsuccessfully, he leaned back and lifted himself off the seat, finally extracting a wallet. He pulled out a crisp fifty and held it out to me.
My fingers itched to accept his offer. But then I remembered Asha’s comment about how I was absorbed with thoughts of money, so I waved him off.
“Felicity, take it,” he said, but I shook my head and scrambled out of the car before I changed my mind.
Alec turned to Asha with the bill, but she snorted. “Not going to happen.”
“Boomer, you coming with, or should I order something for you?” I asked, but he was too engrossed in his game to answer. Asha snapped her fingers in his face.
Startled, he blinked a few times and glanced up. “Huh?”
“Seriously,” she said, heaving a sigh. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Who, me?” he asked.
“Yes, you. What seventeen-year-old still plays Pokémon?”
He frowned. “I do?”
“Exactly.” She reached over and clicked open his seat belt. “Come on.”
Boomer looked out the window in confusion as if he’d just realized we’d stopped. “Wait, we’re already there?”
“Not even close,” Asha said with an eye roll. “We’re getting food. Hurry up. Otherwise, Felicity’s stomach is going to eat itself.”
“Ha. Freaking. Ha,” I said.
“Sounds painful.” Boomer tossed his Game Boy to the side.
After clambering out of the car, he stretched his arms up in the air and yawned.
It made him look taller than he already was, and I wondered how he could possibly fit in the backseat.
“All right. Let’s go feed you, shrimp.” He mussed my hair, and I batted his hand away. “Maybe then you’ll grow a few inches.”
The inside of the café was as colorful as the outside, and the line moved surprisingly quickly.
After a ten-minute wait, we were out the door with a steaming bag of food—bread bowls for me and Alec, two fish sandwiches for Boomer, and chicken strips with fries for Asha.
As we crossed the street, Alec climbed out of the car.
While we were gone, he’d put on sunglasses and, despite the heat, a zip-up with the hood pulled over his head.
“Thanks for getting the food, guys. I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” I said, switching our meal from one side to another. It was heavier than expected, and without a handle, I had to prop the paper bag against my hip.
“Here, let me.” Alec reached over and took it off my hands. “How much do I owe you?”
Boomer, who’d paid for the meal, waved him off. “Nothing, dude. This won’t come close to covering gas.”
“You don’t have to worry about gas,” he responded. “I’m the one who offered to drive, remember? I’ve got it.”
Asha crossed her arms. “And we have your soup covered.”
The two stared at each other with set jaws, neither wanting to relent, but when Asha leaned in and narrowed her eyes, Alec sighed. “Fine, but I pay for my own meals after this, okay?”
She pretended to consider this for a moment, and then offered him a crisp nod. “Deal.”
My stomach growled again, and everyone turned to look at me. A sheepish grin crossed my face. “Can we eat now or…?”
“Yes,” Alec said with a laugh. “How about we take our food down to the beach? I know a great place for us to sit.”
***
The walk was quick, two minutes at most, and we arrived at a surprisingly large pier.
It was nowhere near as big as the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, which I’d visited once on a school field trip, but considering the small size of Pismo, it was massive.
About halfway down, there was a snack bar/souvenir stall, and at the end, a dotting of fisherman.
Their poles jutted into the air like radio antennas, and seagulls hovered on the breeze above them, waiting for an easy meal.
I expected Alec to lead us down the pier, but instead we descended a wooden staircase into the sand below.
Scattered along the beach were weather-worn picnic tables, and Alec chose the one farthest from the crowds.
We all sat, and I dove into my bread bowl before anyone else had their containers open.
The soup was steaming, but I was too impatient to wait for it to cool.
I scooped up a huge spoonful, and the scorched-tongue pain was worth it.
I’d never tasted a creamier clam chowder in my life, and I quickly shoveled another bite into my mouth.
When I looked up from my food, Alec was watching. “You like?”
Oh no. I’d been eating like a total pig. I swallowed, and the heat of my cheeks was almost as painful as the chowder burning down my throat.
“It’s delicious.”
He offered me a knowing smile. “I’m glad.”
After that, I ate slowly and in silence.
The boys talked cars for a while, but Alec was nowhere near as knowledgeable or passionate about them as Boomer was.
Alec glanced at me during one of Boomer’s particularly detailed discussions about the Porsche 918 Spyder, the world’s first plug-in hybrid super car, and I recognized the look on his face.
I’d seen it on Asha a million times before, whenever Boomer got excited about a car—eyes crinkled in the corners, lips pushed together to keep from smiling.
No doubt, I’d worn the same expression a few times myself.
While the subject of his rants was often boring, it was hard not to find Boomer’s enthusiasm entertaining.
When everyone finished eating, Asha decided to walk down to the water to dip her feet in. She dragged Boomer along with her, while Alec and I stayed behind.
The sun was scorching. I didn’t understand how Alec could stand wearing a hoodie. I could already feel my skin starting to fry.
On the off chance that there was sunscreen buried somewhere in the depths of my bag, I hoisted it onto the table and emptied out the contents.
Which were a lot. There were the usual suspects like my wallet, phone, and books, but I also carried a collection of odds and ends with me: double-A batteries for Boomer’s Game Boy, a compact first aid kit, enough writing utensils to supply an entire school, a spare charger…
Asha called it my Mary Poppins bag, because even though it looked small, I could fit a house worth of stuff inside.
Alec watched me with raised brows as I retrieved a bottle of hand sanitizer and a smushed granola bar. “And what exactly do you need this for?” He held up flat-nose pliers.
“Jewelry making. You use it to bend wire and hold beads and such,” I explained. And that’s when I remembered. “Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you.”
I unzipped the small pocket inside my bag and retrieved a tiny drawstring pouch.
Inside was the leather-wrap bracelet I’d made for Alec, which I finished after my shift the day he came to the Electric Waffle.
This morning when I was getting ready, I’d packed it with the intention of giving it to him at the party.
“Here.”
I undid the clasp and held it out to him, but instead of taking my gift, Alec pushed up a sleeve and offered me his arm.
Biting back a smile, I leaned over the table and wrapped it around his wrist. My fingers fumbled as I tried to push the wooden toggle through the loop on the end.
I could feel Alec’s gaze on me as I struggled, which made fastening the bracelet that much harder.
But the bead finally popped into place, and I dropped back into my seat.
He held up his hand for a closer look, and the amber beads blazed in the sunlight. “Thanks, Felicity. I love it.”
“Yeah?” I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or polite.
“Yeah” was his reply. He pushed himself up from the bench like he was ready to leave.
Shit, was the bracelet too much? Did I freak him out?
I was worrying for nothing. Alec took a seat on top of the table and grinned at me over his shoulder. “Come here,” he said and patted the empty spot next to him.