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You work too hard. We have half an hour, so relax a little.”
    She was right about that, too. He could use a chance to de-stress a bit. Leaning back against the wall, he took another bite and chewed slower, savoring the taste of warm meat and gravy.
    “That’s better.” Sahara grinned and he found himself smiling back at her. “Sorry to hear Em’s not feeling well. I hope she’s better soon.”
    “Thanks. I’ll tell her you said so.”
    Sahara shrugged.
    “What?”
    “I don’t think she likes me very much.”
    “Em? That’s not true. Em doesn’t dislike anyone.”
    “If you say so.” Sahara still failed to look convinced. “It’s okay, though. Most people don’t like me much. Guess I’m just too much to handle.”
    “I’m sure you’re wrong.”
    “I know I come on kind of . . . strong, sometimes. But I just really want you to like me.”
    “I do like you, Sahara.” Sometimes . “Maybe you shouldn’t try so hard.”
    She seemed to think about it and then shrugged again. “Did you see that guy seated in my section earlier? The big one? Ohmigod . . . he was sweating so bad I could smell him in the kitchen.” She scrunched her face up in a look that made Jay laugh. He had noticed the guy she was talking about and it hadn’t been a pretty sight. “I was afraid he was going to have a heat stroke or something.”
    Sahara went on about her morning, never running out of things to say. Jay laughed and ate, occasionally joining in with a story of his own. The time passed quickly, and next thing he knew forty-five minutes had gone by and Bart was shooting him nasty looks.
    “Crap, I’m late.” Jay had to wait for Sahara to exit the booth before he could slid e out after her. “Thanks for lunch, but I’d better get behind the bar before Bart fires me.”
    “I had fun.”
    “Me, too.” Strangely enough, Jay meant it.
    “We’ll have to do it again, sometime.”
    “Sure.” Jay dropped his plate in a busboy’s bin and ducked behind the already crowded bar.
    ***
    He was so wiped by the end of the night that he nearly crashed into an oncoming truck and came within an inch of sideswiping a parked car on his way home. But it was all worth it when he arrived to find Em curled up in her usual spot on the couch. Only this time, she was still awake.
    “Hey. How are you feeling?”
    “Much better. How was your day?”
    “Long. You didn’t have to wait up for me.”
    “I wasn’t. I was watching . . . a movie.”
    Mmhmm. “What movie?”
    “Some superhero movie. Um . . . Captain something?”
    Now he knew she was lying.
    “You hate those movies. You were waiting up for me.” It was meant to be a reprimand, but he secretly loved that she was there waiting for him a t the end of a long day of work, and he knew it showed.
    “Fine. I was waiting up for you. Is it such a bad thing that I miss you?”
    “No. I missed you, too.” Plopping down on the couch, he wrapped an arm around Em and tucked her close to his side, grateful that her skin felt cool to the touch.
    Em snuggled closer and her stomach growled.
    “You’re hungry.”
    “I’m fine.” She was a terrible liar. One of the things he loved about her.
    “When’s the last time you ate?”
    She didn’t answer. She only did that when she knew he wouldn’t like her answer. He usually loved that about her, too, but now it just made him tense.
    “What did you have for breakfast this morning?”
    She shrugged.
    “Em?”
    “We were out of cereal.”
    “Lunch?”
    She shrugged again. “And bread.”
    Dammit . “So, you haven’t eaten anything all day?”
    “I’m really not hungry, Jay.”
    Her belly growled again in protest and Jay frowned. “You’re stomach seems to disagree. Come on, let’s go find it something to eat.”
    “I don’t need—”
    “Did that sound like a question?” He hauled her to her feet and propelled her toward the kitchen.
    She took a seat on one of the rickety chairs, looking resigned as he ripped apart the