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French Onion Soup

Ivy and Meredith filled their plates on the way back to their table. Ian was working on a stack of hotcakes. Jeff sat beside him with a mountain of salad. Angela was beside Jeff, blowing on her chicken noodle soup.

“I’ll pull another chair over for you.” Ivy said, putting her plate down beside Ian’s.

“That’s going to be a tight squeeze.” Meredith said. “I’ll just sit over here until the others show up.”

“Hey, I’m going to go get a drink. Can I get you something?”

“See if they’ve got diet cola of some kind.” Meredith slid her chair in and kept watch on the entrance.

Ivy returned with the beverages. “Gee, I don’t know what’s keeping them? Are you sure you don’t want to come over to our table?”

“It’s probably just traffic.” Meredith skewered a strawberry. “I’ll be okay.”

Ivy kept an eye on her as she settled down to eat with the others.

‘I wonder what’s keeping them? Did they go to a different restaurant?’ She cut off a piece of her Belgian waffle, topped it with a strawberry and some whipped cream. ‘Maybe Chelsea and Lynn’s Sunday School ran long.’

Meredith could feel four pairs of eyes on her back. ‘Maybe Chelsea and Lynn’s Sunday School ran long, but where’s Toby?’

She finished her waffle and turned to Ivy. “Do I take my plate somewhere, or does somebody come by and collect it?”

Ian wiped his mouth. “Just leave it sit. They’ll grab it for you. Do you want something else? It’s all you can eat.”

“Actually, yes. I think I’ll take another look at what they have out. The crowd is thinning.” She got up and headed back to the buffet stations. ‘Hmm, I had breakfast already. Let’s see what’s good for lunch.’

They had a delicatessen spread with meat, cheese and condiments of all kinds. An Italian station had lasagna, ziti, spaghetti, tortellini, manicotti, a variety of sauces and focaccia bread. She was wandering among the stations, trying to decide what to take when she heard a familiar voice.

“The broccoli cheddar soup is one of my favorites.”

A thrill danced down her spine as she struggled not to show it. “That sounds wonderful. I really like French Onion with the cheese melted over the top.”

“Oh, I haven’t had that before. Let’s see if they have it.” He breezed past her to investigate the soup station. The glistening red jersey explained why he had been so late arriving. She fell in behind. “Is that it?”

Meredith sidled up to where he stood. “Looks like it. Better grab a plate to put it on. Those crocks are usually pretty hot.”

“Ooh, good idea.” He reached out for a clean plate. “I’ve already maxed out on my injuries for the weekend.”

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s not so bad. Having this silly thing taped on my head is pretty uncomfortable, though.”

“That’s a great jersey.” Meredith said, grabbing a plate. “Mine is just like that one. Did you get it at a convention?”

He shook his shaggy head. “Christmas present. I think they ordered it online.”

She bit her lip to subdue the geeky smile that was stealing onto her face. “I got mine at the Station.”

He pivoted. “No way. You’ve been to Sentinels Station? Did you get to talk to HEARTH?”

Meredith grabbed some slices of baguette to stack alongside her crock of soup. “Toby, she’s so real. It sounds like there’s somebody in a control room somewhere doing her voice. It’s uncanny.”

“I heard it’s modeled on Foxfire’s sister’s voice. Well, the second one’s sister. The first one’s daughter.”

Meredith grabbed another napkin or two and led him back to their table. “You know what? I think you’re right. She’s on commercials for the Wisler Institute and HEARTH sounds a lot like her.”

“I think I’m going to have to come to Empire City and check it out sometime.”

‘You could stay at my place.’ The thought came unexpectedly. ‘What?’

“Meredith, would you mind trying yours first?”

“Huh?”

“The soup. If it’s not good, I don’t want to get the wrong idea of what French Onion soup is supposed to taste like. You know?”

She looked down at the crock, grateful for the change in the subject. “Sure, let’s see how it is.” She jabbed through the cheese and twirled it down into the broth, soaked bread and onions. “Looks alright, but there’s only one way to know for sure.” She blew on it and tipped it tentatively into her mouth.

“What’s the verdict?”

“Oh, yeah. This is the real deal. Go ahead and try it. You’ll love me.” Her eyes widened. “It! You’ll love it. The soup.” She grabbed a slice of baguette and bit it in half. ‘Oh, my stars and garters! What is the matter with you?’ She didn’t dare look at him. She could feel her face burning. ‘Yikes, I must be cranberry red by now.’

“Are you okay? Is the soup too hot?” Toby reached for her drink. “Do you need this?”

‘Oh, I need a drink alright.’ She took it and sucked a large swig through the straw. “Thanks.”

“Sure, better blow on that some more before you take your next spoonful.” He smiled that sweet smile of his.

She nodded in agreement, still avoiding his gaze until she could be sure her complexion had returned to some semblance of normal. ‘What was that called?’

“Oh, wow. You’re not kidding.” He said. “How have I not tried this before? I’m glad I met you, Meredith. I had no idea what I’d been missing.”

‘Did he actually just say that?’ She looked up at him. He was swirling the cheese into his crock for another spoonful. ‘Oh, my. He is absolutely adorable. He looks like Pooh Bear raiding a pot of honey.’ She twisted around to look at Ivy, but she was deep in conversation with Ian and the others. “Y-you can call me, Meri.”

“I can? Thanks! There’s not a shorter name for Toby, but you can call me whatever you feel like.” He looked back down at his crock. ‘She’ll call you a rocket scientist if you keep saying stuff like that.’

“Oh, look. Here come the Hannons.”

He looked up. “And there’s Steve, Nancy and the kids. Now it’s a party.”