Page 102 of Tasty Cherry

Oh. Dang.

“Okay. Sounds fun.”

Although not as fun as getting naked with Sebastian.

I text him a quick note that I have to spend lunch with HR.

Sebastian: They aren’t nearly as fun as I am.

Me: Don’t I know it.

Sebastian: Tonight? Arya is taking an art class.

Me: Yes. Definitely.

I feel better. I know I’m on a roller coaster with a tunnel that keeps me from seeing the end, but I sure as heck am enjoying the ride.

Suze drives us all to a place called Blackbelly. As she parks in front of the brick building, she says, “Now, this isn’t hazing. Nobody’s going to make you do anything. But we are going to order a plate of crispy pig ears, and we hope you all try them.”

She glances over at Jessie in the passenger seat and they dissolve into laughter.

Ilsa, Brooklyn, and I are squeezed in the back seat and glance at each other in alarm.

“Pig ears?” Brooklyn asks. “I thought I’d tried everything.”

Suze opens her door. “This is a very trendy restaurant and market. Don’t worry. It’s good.”

We scoot out and cross the parking lot to enter the bright open space. There’s a butcher and meat counter, and countless tables. Everything is rectangular, from the bricks to the wood tables and square stools.

Suze gets us a table and we look through the menu.

Ilsa sets hers down. “I’m vegetarian.”

Brooklyn laughs. “Nice try. We saw you eating those steak skewers the first day.”

Ilsa glares at her.

“They have a lovely lunch menu,” Suze says. “Tomato soup. Grilled cheese. There’s no need to eat meat.”

Jessie leans forward. “Other than the pig ears.”

We place our orders and Suze asks for the pig ears to come out first. When they arrive, it’s different from what I expected. I’m not sure what I was picturing, maybe a pile of pink triangles.

But they come out as a stack of crispy fried strips, thin like the tortilla strips you find in migas or tortilla soup. The mound is topped with a fried egg.

We’re each given a small plate.

“Dig in!” Suze says.

Ilsa’s eyes narrow. “You first.”

Jessie laughs. “It’s not poison!” She scoops a hefty chunk of the stack onto a plate, making a great show of stabbing a bite and popping it in her mouth.

It was a big bite. They can’t be all that bad.

We watch as she chews and swallows. “I won’t say it’s my favorite thing in the world,” Jessie says. “But it’s unique and interesting.”

Suze follows suit, taking a solid spoonful for herself and eating a bite.

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