Chapter Eighty-Two

Valerie squirmed in her seat slightly, still not sure how to take what was happening. The Salty Crab, while not the most enticing name for a restaurant, was a rustic establishment with low lighting and the expected ocean decor: nets, anchors, crab traps. Battered wood seemed to make up the tables, and the booths needed some major reupholstering, but were comfortable, much to her surprise. Instrumental music played through the speakers as servers weaved their way among the tables, taking orders, dropping off food, or picking up empty plates. Cheerful diners packed the place, and to her, it felt as if every eye gawked at her. Who was she to think she deserved a proper date? After all, she had tried that with Scott, and that didn’t turn out too well. All right, Scott wasn’t exactly a date. They just so happened to be at the same place at the same time and enjoyed some fun in the backseat of his car afterward, but it was at least slightly normal compared to the way the rest of her life had