An Unexpected Hunger Read Online Free PDF Page A

chicken at the sound of his name. “Ricky? As in your brother?”
    “Yeah,” she said, sm acking Nick’s hand away from her food. “He owns the bar.”

Chapter 4
The First Day
     
    I SMOOTHED MY hands over my shirt, gazing at my reflection in the mirror. My uniform for work no longer consisted of a crisp, white, double breasted chef jacket, monogramed with my name. I traded that for a tight, black, cotton blend tee shirt with a picture of a foaming mug of beer, and black shorts. I pulled my hair back in a short pony tail, tucking the loose ends around my ears.
    I fiddled with the top of my shirt and debated whether or not too much cleavage was showing. Compared to Casey, my chest looked a little underwhelming. With a few adjustments, I thought I had the appropriate amount of waitress cleavage…if there was such a thing.
    I sat on the bed to put on my black Nike shoes when my cell phone started to vibrate. The sequence of numbers looked unfamiliar, so I answered the call without a second thought.
    “Hello?”
    “Lex?”
    My breath caught in my throat at the sound of his voice , and my first instinct was to hang up the phone.
    Danny.
    I had deleted his number from my phone, wanting to erase any evidence of his existence. It had been months since we last spoke, the last conversation ending the most exhausting six months of my life. That night at my apartment was full of apologies and begging for forgiveness. I told him I forgave him, anything to get him to leave me alone. But the truth was I never could forgive either one of us. I made him promise to never contact me again. After that night, the idea of us would just be an afterthought never to be considered again.
    The minute it began to vibrate again , I threw the phone across the bed like it was on fire. I watched it glide along the comforter, the same set of numbers flashing on the screen. I slowly lowered my hand and picked the phone up, sliding the unlock button.
    “You promised,” I said, whispering into the phone. It was just after six in the morning California time. I pictured Danny sneaking out of his bed and finding some dark closet to call me from.
    “I know,” he said in just above a whisper. “I just…I just had to hear your voice. I can’t believe you actually moved back. I miss you, Lexy.”
    I closed my eyes and nodded my head, knowing I should have just let it go to voicemail.
    “Danny…I can’t do this right now. Please. Don’t call me again.” I hung up the phone, cutting off whatever he was about to say, and headed downstairs.
    Mom was in the kitchen, steadily talking away on what was probably the only corded telephone left in existence. She weaved the cord through her fingers, jabbering away to my aunt Carol about the cruise they had planned in a couple of weeks. Nick had finally made it back to campus, but promised to give me a ride to work.
    I decided on a bowl of cereal while I waited for Nick to show up, trying to erase the thought of Danny from my mind. I was hoping I didn’t have to change my nu mber. But if he called again I would have no choice.
    I sat at the kitchen table and watch ed my mother dodge around the kitchen, the cord to the phone plopping me in the head every once in a while.
    “I think you’re the only person I know who still uses a landline phone,” I said when she finally hung up.
    “I have a cell phone,” she said, picking up some cheap pre-paid phone off the counter. “I just don’t want to waste my minutes.”
    I rolled my eyes and continued to eat, watching as she pulled fruits and veggies out of the fri dge.
    “What are you doing with all that?” I asked.
    “Juicing,” she said, pulling out a huge juicing machine from the appliance garage. It looked like a mini rocket ship. “It’s a Jack Lalanne juicer I bought on sale. Juicing is very healthy for you. It would do wonders for that skin of yours.”
    “What’s wrong with my skin?” I asked with a mouth full of cereal.
    Mom peered over at me.