The restaurant they've come to is one they have visited a few times before, and as he has always done, Brian makes it a point to hold the door open for his loves. After following them inside, he stops in his tracks when he sees who's working there now.
"Hi! Welcome to.......CHRISTIE?!!!!" Kacie screams, dropping her professional persona instantly upon seeing her friends and hop-skips towards them, "EEEEHEHE IT'S MY PEOPLE!!!!!"
"Hey baby girl!!" Christie squeals as she catches her tiny friend in a hug.
After rocking each other back and forth in a circle, Kacie reaches for Cindy next, "Oh my gosh Hi my lovely!" she cheers as she hugs her tightly.
Then she sees Brian and her excited momentum dwindles a little.
They stare at each other for a moment, and an odd tension builds. She slowly releases her hold with Cindy, and because she's in her work environment, it makes it easier to force a smile, but it's still hard for her to maintain it as she approaches him.
"YOU!" she calls out in a stern tone with her finger pointing at him.
His emotions are just as mixed, but he doesn't know what to say.
The petite hostess pulls him down by the cheeks and looks him straight in the eyes, "Just where the hell have YOU been, mister?"
The pain in her eyes makes sense to him because it's the same in his.
She rests their heads together gently and quietly asks, "Do you have any idea how worried sick I've been about you? How worried THEY were about you?" She then looks over to the girls, "Where did you find him?"
"Actually, he came to us," Christie tells her.
Kacie turns her attention back to him, "I thought we had a deal," she says, firmly patting his chest with her hand with every other word, "If one of us was in trouble, the other would help them out."
Christie and Cindy glance at each other.
Kacie leans her head against his chest and clinches his shoulders, "They told me you were in trouble, so why didn't you come to me?" she asks, barely trembling.
"I...I'm sorry," Brian says, pulling her into a hug and resting his cheek against her forehead as to not mess up her hair. "I've missed you too little lady."
She feels the rigidness in his physique while holding him and asks, "Why are you so thin?"
"Long story," he replies, "but I'm fine."
She pulls back quickly, "The hell you are! You wouldn't have fallen off the face of the Earth if you were fine!"
"Again...it's a long story. One better suited for another time."
She looks over to Christie, "Is it really a long story, or is it something that he can sum up in three sentences that he's not telling me?"
"It's a rough one, yeah, so it's probably best to leave it be for now," she replies.
Looking back at him, Kacie takes a deep breath to collect herself. With her finger pointing back up at him, she says, "Fine. But you're going to tell me, even if I have to walk all over you to get it out."
Brian grins while the girls snicker quietly amongst themselves.
"I don't think he'd mind that really," Christie teases on his behalf.
With a polite smirk, Kacie hooks a lock of hair over her ear, smooths out her apron, and heads back to her podium for menus and appetizer lists.
"Fortunately for...us," taking a glance at the ladies shoes to be sure an opportunity won't be wasted, "our favorite spot is open," she says, linking her left arm with Cindy's and lifts her right one to Christie. "I'd say it's a stroke of luck considering you didn't call ahead to give me a heads up that you were coming."
"We were a bit preoccupied," Christie says, hooking onto the arm invite.
"Oh I'm sure," Kacie replies while smiling over at Brian. "Anyway, come along," she says, escorting her companions through the dimly lit dining room.
Naturally, Brian follows behind them. At one point he catches her leaning towards Christie, then peering back at him, seemingly reinvigorating her smile. He grins back, trying to listen in on what they're saying, but to no avail.
Arriving at what the group considers "their table", Kacie's old habits of wanting to slide into a seat first are quick to come to mind. This time however, she spins on the balls of her feet, releasing her arms from the girls, and sets out the menus on their side of the table in one smooth motion.
Christie smiles at her, being aware of the error she dodged and bops her lightly on the tip of her nose before sliding into her seat. After Cindy follows and takes her seat, Kacie takes half a step back and holds up the remaining menu to Brian.
He looks around the room first, and then places one hand over hers, "Conveniently quiet over here for not knowing we were coming, wouldn't you say?" he asks with a gentle pinch to her cheek.
Her smile grows behind the pamphlet before he slips it from her grip and takes his seat on the opposite side.
"So! Other than to see yours truly," pointing at herself diva-style, "what can I interest my people in today? Perhaps a slab of meat for the walking skeleton here?" she asks, leaning on the table with Brian in her sights.
Christie giggles, "If you have one in an appetizer serving size, sure. Otherwise he'll be sharing with me....and maybe her if she feels generous."
"As long as he doesn't black out from what I give him like last time," Cindy says.
Kacie looks at him again with uncertainty. Her smile slowly fades from his inability to keep eye contact, and it confirms her suspicion that there is more to his situation than what she can see at face value. She attempts to maintain a stiff upper lip, but hearing that about him bothers her.
"We....we um... we have fruit salads, or like little kids meals that aren't too big," she states, her efforts to subdue her feelings failing her, "you know, because you liked having your own thing."
Brian's face goes blank for a second as her words trigger his thoughts to flash across having his stuff a few years ago, to having nothing and then back to having most of everything today with more to come in the future. While his silence is harmless to him, he doesn't realize that it's causing Kacie a slight panic, provoking her to reach out and squeeze his shoulder to retain his attention.
He focuses back on her and replies, "I think I'll wait to see what she gets."
Squeezing him a couple more times with a tight grin, "Well ok." She clears her throat and asks the girls, "Are you two going to need a few minutes? Maybe start with something to drink?"
Christie sees her lightly scratch the side of her nose close to her eye. It's not because she has an itch, but because she's trying to suppress making a scene.
"Are...you...going to need a few minutes?" she asks her.
"No, of course not," Kacie says, trying to remain professional, "I'm fine. I'm here as your....," she pauses as she glances at Brian again, "I um... I'll start you off with some waters."
