Page 11 of Finding a Melody

“Were you guys waiting long?” I asked, walking to them. It was getting a little chilly out now that we were almost into October. I should have worn a sweater.

“You drive like a granny,” Seth teased. “We’ve been here forever.”

“I drove just over the speed limit.”

He laughed as he opened the door for us. Inside was a bit packed, but we didn’t have to wait long until they sat us down at a table, our waitress showing up quickly to give us menus and take our basic drink order.

“So this is Combich,” Toby said, looking outside the large window we sat by.

“Never been here?” I asked.

He shook his head. “And you?”

“I traveled a bit when I used to do competitions. Combich has a huge performance hall and does a lot of shows. I used to come here with my dad and we’d do the competition, then he’d take me around the town. They have a lot going on here. It’s very tourist friendly.”

“So bowling.” Toby practically ran his hands together with excitement.

“So bowling. It’s a nice alley too.”

Toby took over the conversation as he talked about everything he wanted to drag us around to do. Bryan kept trying to hold him back, but it wasn’t working. Apparently Toby had his own schedule for us.

My phone buzzed and I checked, smiling in surprise. I hadn’t heard from Micah in a couple of days. I texted with him, replying to his gripes about his family.

“Who’s making you smile like that?” Seth asked.

“Old friend. I met Micah in summer camp and we’ve kept in touch since.”

“So you do have friends!” Toby said. “Why haven’t we met him yet?”

“Probably because he lives in Oregon. We only ever talk now through text messages and once in a while, phone calls. Though he has been more chatty lately.”

Our order came out shortly after and we spent the next thirty minutes enjoying the food, and talking about what was going on in the town.

“There’s a farmer’s market going on today,” Seth said, waving his phone. “Calvin and his dad are checking it out right now. He said they have some fun stuff there.”

“Is that where we’re going next?” I asked as I wiped some sauce off my face. It was a special sauce they put on their burgers. It was really good, on the sweeter side.

“Why not? We have time,” Toby said.

While we finished eating, we talked more about what we hoped was at the farmer’s market. October was just days away, so I was hoping for some good hot apple cider. Toby was going to aim for all the sweets he could find.

“You know what, let’s play a little game there,” Toby said, his closed-mouth smile just a bit too suspicious.

“That look makes me want to say no,” Bryan said.

“Agreed. You look too scary,” Seth added.

I laughed. “I’m down.”

Toby cheered before settling back down and glaring at his friends. “You guys have no sense of adventure. Boring.” He rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice as he leaned forward. “Your mission is to find the most ridiculous item you can and buy it. Let’s see who can find the craziest item.”

I leaned back, crossing my arms, making sure to remain serious. “And when I win, what do I get?”

“Halloween costumes. Winner gets to decide on costumes.”

A million ideas hit me as I stared at them all, slowly planning together something fun.

“Deal,” I said, holding out my hand.