Spring Fling by Sabrina James Page B

the corner of her mouth, Ethan wondered what her lips would feel like pressed against his.

    “Penny for your thoughts,” Danielle said.

    Yikes! He couldn‟t tell her what he was thinking. Ethan‟s mind scrambled. And then he remembered something.

    “You mentioned wanting to go to the beach tomorrow. When we were looking for a spot to put down our sheet, remember?”

    “Uh-huh,” Danielle said around a mouthful of mousse.

    “Still want to?”

    Ethan held his breath while waiting for Danielle‟s answer.

    “Sure.”

    Yes!!!

    This day couldn‟t get any better.

    “Your check,” their waiter announced as he returned to the table with a leather billfold. Ethan reached into his wallet and pulled out one of the two credit cards Cooper had given him, handing it to the waiter, who disappeared.

    Seconds later, their waiter returned.

    “We have a problem,” he said. “Your credit card has been declined.”

    “Declined?”

    “That means it‟s no good.”

    “I know what it means!” Ethan testily snapped. He reached into his wallet and took out the other credit card. “Try this one.”

    The waiter left again and then came back. “Also declined. Since your credit cards aren‟t working, you‟ll have to pay in cash.”

    How could Cooper‟s credit cards be declined? He hadn‟t had a problem when he used one to go waterskiing that morning. Had he hit Cooper‟s credit card limit? And of all days for it to happen, it had to be today ?!

    Ethan knew how much money he had in his wallet and it wasn‟t enough to pay the bill.

    This day couldn‟t get any worse !

    “I‟ll be right back,” he told Danielle, as he stepped away from the table to use his cell phone.

    Outside the restrooms, Ethan dialed Cooper‟s number. But Cooper didn‟t answer.
    Instead, the call went straight to voice mail.

    “Coop!” Ethan hissed. “Where are you? I‟m in the middle of a super-embarrassing situation and it‟s all your fault. Your credit cards are useless! Call me as soon as you get this message!”

    After Ethan got off the phone, he returned to the table. There was only one thing he could do. As much as he didn‟t want to, he had no choice.

    “Is everything okay?” Danielle asked.

    “Danielle, I hate to ask, but could you help me pay the bill? There‟s a problem with my credit cards and I don‟t have enough cash on me.”

    Danielle reached into her tote bag. “You‟re welcome to whatever I have, but it‟s not a lot. I‟m always afraid of losing my wallet when I go to the beach, so I never take a lot of money with me.”

    “Thanks,” he said when Danielle gave him what she had.

    “Are you ready to pay?” their waiter asked when he returned to the table.

    “We don‟t have the full amount,” Ethan said, handing over the billfold.

    The waiter stared down at Ethan, making him feel like he was two inches tall.
    “Really?”

    “But we can come back with the rest,” Ethan promised, trying not to squirm in his seat. “Or we can call our friends and ask them to bring the difference.”

    “Stay right there,” the waiter said as he left with the billfold. “I‟m going to speak with the manager.”

    Five minutes later, he came back. “Follow me. Both of you.”

    “Where are we going?” Ethan asked.

    He hadn‟t called the police, had he? Were they going to jail?

    The waiter led them into the kitchen, where he pointed to a sink full of dirty dishes.
    “Roll up your sleeves and get to work. Once those dishes are washed and dried, your bill will be paid in full. And in the future, I strongly suggest you make sure you have enough money in your wallet before going to a restaurant that you can‟t afford!” Ethan was mortified. Danielle probably thought she was on the date from hell. He turned to face her. “Danielle, I‟m really, really, really sorry about this. All I wanted to do was take you to a nice lunch. I didn‟t know I was going to have a problem with my credit