The waitress brings another beer for me, but Dave still nurses his first mug. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out after Jenna’s gone to bed. The beer buzzes through my system, threatening to make me maudlin, but I don’t want to dwell on Julia tonight. It’s just me and an old friend, and I want to keep it that way.
“What about you?” I ask at one point. “Who all have you been hanging out with since I last saw you?”
Dave finishes off the fries and flags down the waitress for a second plate. “No one much. Kept busy with school, you know, then work. Now that stupid bear thing at the mall. I haven’t really made time for a serious relationship.”
“Why not? You’re a good-looking guy.”
He gives a sardonic look. “I work at the mall.”
I shrug. “So? It’s a job. It’s more than I have at this
