In this town when two people say they're going to meet for lunch, there's only one place to go, Bernie's, and that's where I was headed the next morning around noon. My mother had taken the car this morning when she went to work leaving me without at faster method of transportation. It felt like I was back in high school again only being able to drive when my mom allowed me to borrow her car. Part of me wished I had driven here, so I would have my own car, but the drive here would've been six hours long, and with the price of gas it would've been more expensive than getting a plane ticket. Luckily the walk to Bernie's from my house was less than fifteen minutes, which seemed to be the case for a lot of places in town.

Bernie's was packed as it usually is on weekends. It's a rather small café and the result of its size and popularity is an eternity of waiting in line, and a really long line at that. Today there happened to be a line that extended outside of the restaurant doors.

I felt guilty as I pushed my way to the front of the line despite everyone's protests. I knew Yulia was smart enough to get here early, so we would've have to wait. There was nothing more I could do to soothe the irritation of the hungry, waiting customers except utter useless apologies. Even the usher seating people was annoyed as she saw me cut my way to the front of the line.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait like everyone else."

"I'm meeting someone who's already here." I informed her.

She frowned as she picked up the reservation book. "Party name?"

"Volkova." I tried my best to pronounce the foreign name as accurately as I could.

She scanned through the list before informing me that Yulia was indeed already here. She escorted me to a booth next to a window where Yulia was seated sipping an iced tea. Her face brightened when she saw me.

"I was afraid you weren't going to be able to get in."

"Well, I somehow managed it."

"I'm glad."

I took my seat across from her in the booth. Why she had picked the booth, I didn't know. We could've sat at a small two-person table and given the booth to a larger party. But looking around it seemed that all the smaller tables were filled as were the big ones and the booths. This place must make a fortune. I wasn't even aware that there were this many people in town.

Yulia had begun leafing through her menu, and I began to do the same even though I already knew what I wanted to get. She was still deciding when the waiter came around to take our orders.

The first thing I noticed about the waiter was his jet black hair and his piercing blue eyes. He was hot. It was a wonder I managed to speak without making a fool of myself.

"I'll have the taco salad." Bernie was famous for his taco salads.

"And to drink?" the waiter asked writing my first order down in shorthand on his pad.

"Just a water."

"Would you like lemon with that?"

"Sure."

"And you, Miss?" he asked turning his attention to Yulia.

"You know, I think I'll have the same."

"All right, two taco salads and one water with lemon coming right up."

He walked off to take the next table's order.

"How long are you going to be in town for?"

"Hmm?" I hummed. I hadn't been paying attention. I was still thinking about the waiter.

"You mentioned you were only going to be here for a few days. I was wondering exactly how long."

"Probably just until the end of the week."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to L.A."

"Back? Well, that explains why I haven't seen you since high school. You weren't here."

"No, I wasn't. I've been going to school out there for the past three years."

"I didn't bother with college. I don't have the money. I'm not smart enough anyway."

I wasn't sure what kind of grades she made, but I did know that she had been in our school's tutoring program. I was one of the few tutors, and she was just one of the many students who had needed tutoring. I hadn't been assigned to tutor her though, so I couldn't be a judge of just how smart she was.

"If you live in L.A., what are you doing here? There has to be some reason you came back. I doubt you decided to take an impromptu trip back home what with classes going on and all."

"Actually, I'm on summer vacation." We got out right before I received the news of my grandmother's death.

"Well, I'm sorry. Maybe you did decided to take an impromptu trip."

Her apology for what she had said before reminded me of a cop apologizing for accusing a suspect when they had an alibi.

"No, I came out here for a funeral. My grandmother's."

"Oh. I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was really little when my babushka died. I was only about three or four. I don't remember much about her." She chuckled. "My mom says I'm lucky I don't remember her. She was my dad's mom and she didn't approve of his wanting to marry my mom. Apparently, she said some pretty nasty stuff about her."

"Like what," I wondered out loud.

"She looked down on her for being a prostitute."

"Your mom was a prostitute?" I asked shocked.

"She was until she met my father. You have to remember this was in Russia. There weren't too many ways for a woman to earn her own money back then."

Man, was I grateful that America wasn't run by communists.

The waiter came back with my water. "Your food should be ready soon," he informed us with no knowledge of when our food would be done. I had taken a witnessing job in high school to help pay for college. They had told us always to say that on busy days, so customers were less likely to get impatient and complain. They also told us to say exactly what he said next. "I'm sorry for the wait. We're pretty busy." He smiled and was as polite as he could be which is what my coworkers taught me to do in order to get better tips.

When he smiled I couldn't help but notice how straight and white his teeth were. He really was cute. I couldn't help but smile too as I watched him walk away. His butt wasn't bad either.

"Cute, huh?" Yulia commented.

"You think so too?"

"No. He's not my type."

Good. That meant I could have him all to myself even though it was just a fantasy and I'd probably never see him again in my life. Unless he brought the food too . . .

"I don't know if I'd be able to stand doing his job," Yulia said once again bringing me back from my waiter fantasy. "I could never remember what order goes to what table, and who at that table had what order. I don't' think I'd be able to deal with complaints and rude customers either."

"I know what you mean. I used to be a waitress. There are some people that will have you take their meal back multiple times until it's perfect."

"I couldn't deal with it. I'd probably end up throwing their food in their face if they did that to me."

"It can get pretty bad, but the job does have its perks. You get tips, and at least you're not working in solitary."

"I make tips," She reassured me. "Sometimes. I have a tip jar, it's just that no one ever puts money in it." we both laughed. "And I don't work alone. Sometimes the manager's there."

"Well, he wasn't there last night. I think night would be the time to have someone else there with you. What if someone tried to rob the place?"

"There hasn't been a robbery in this town in decades," she rationalized. "You know that."

I had to admit it. A robbery was unlikely.

"I won't be working alone for much longer anyway. We're having a second cash register put in, and once we get it installed, we're hiring someone to work it."

The waiter brought our salads sooner than I had predicted, and Yulia and I busied ourselves with eating them. It had been so long since I'd had a taco salad from Bernie's, and they were definitely the best I had ever tasted. It was well worth the wait.

Yulia must've thought the same because neither of us said hardly anything as we ate. We were too busy savoring the taste.

When the waiter brought the check when we were done eating, Yulia offered to pay for everything. I told her that was unnecessary. I had went to the bank last night before coming home, and I was no longer penniless. I wanted to pay for my half of the tab, but she wouldn't let me. "I want to," she pleaded. In the end I let her pay for it, but I felt a little guilty. The lunch didn't cost very much, but I was raised to be polite, and I felt bad for letting her pay for my half.

I wanted to get out of the restaurant quickly, so I wouldn't have to receive another dirty look from the usher who was obviously in a bad mood. She was still at her platform when we left. I tried to hide behind Yulia as we passed her, so she wouldn't see me, but that plan didn't' work too well. Yulia was a good three or four inches shorter than me, and I was positive I was visible behind her. The usher may have seen me, but at least Yulia was tall enough to block my view of the usher.

I walked with Yulia to her car, and I had planned to say good bye to her there, but she asked me where I had parked my car. "I walked," I told her, so she offered me a ride home. I accepted her offer seeing as how I really didn't feel like walking all the way back home.

Her car may not have been the nicest, or the newest, or made by the best brand, but it ran, and it was clean.

I gave her directions to my house, and she said she'd be able to find it with no problem. She knew someone who lived near there.

"Have you tried the patches or the gum yet?"

It took me a minute to remember what she was talking about. "I put one of the patches on. On my shoulder blade."

Despite the fact that she was driving, she reached over and rolled up the sleeve of my T-shirt to reveal the patch. I shivered as her fingers brushed against the soft flesh of my arm, and my body practically screamed as she pulled away.

"Some smokers lie abut trying to quit," she explained. "I had to check. Not that I think you're a liar."

I couldn't talk to her for the rest of the car ride. I didn't know why her touch was so electrifying. It unnerved me.

It didn't take long to get to my house. The fifteen-minute walk was about a five-minute drive.

"Well, bye, Lena," she said as she pulled into our driveway. "It was nice to see you."

Looking at her I was already missing her. It was a shame we'd probably never get to spend time together like this again. She had real friend potential. "We should've been better friends in high school," I said before getting out