Page 78 of Books and Hookups

A Pepper in the Sun

Rim a copper mug with chili salt and fill with crushed ice. Add 2 ounces jalapeño syrup and 1 ounce fresh lime juice. Top with nonalcoholic ginger beer and stir. Garnish with jalapeño slices.

DANNY

Iwiped a bead of sweat from my temple before I knocked on Lucie’s door. The hallway was stifling, like the rest of the building. Even the central air conditioning in the bar downstairs didn’t cut it in this heat wave. We’d thrown open the doors and windows to welcome in the nonexistent breeze, and Leo and I had bought the last fans the hardware store had to cool off Norm in the kitchen. It was a lot for freaking September.

The upper floors were unairconditioned though I knew Lucie had two AC window units. The one in her bedroom dripped condensation onto my window unit with an incessant pinging sound.

Were they enough in this heat?

The hardware store didn’t have any left, but I’d haul my unit up for her if she needed it. Tina said she always ran hot when she was pregnant.

When Lucie opened the door, the first thing I noticed was her hair. The curls weren’t round and bouncy like usual. They were wiry and frizzy, standing out from her head like a lion’s mane. Her forehead glistened.

“What do you want?” she snarled.

“I’m just checking on you. Are you doing okay? It’s pretty hot out.”

“I’m fine. I’m busy.” She stood in the door, blocking me, which was weird because we’d slept together most nights since her birthday party last month. I’d spent almost as much time at her place as at mine. Though she’d been heads-down in her book project after work all week, and the only time I’d seen her was Wednesday when I’d carried up a case of seltzer. She’d had her friends with her that night, so I hadn’t stayed.

“Can I come in?” I asked. “I want to check if your apartment is cool enough.”

“It’s fine. Or it would be if I could sit still for a minute.”

“Then you should sit down. What can I do to help?”

“Help?” Her nose crinkled. “Nothing.”

“Let me get you some ice water, then you can rest for a minute. I could give you a shoulder massage.”

She rolled her shoulder, then grumbled, “It’s too hot for a massage. I don’t want to be touched.”

I held up my hands. “Okay. No touching. How about some water, and I’ll look at your AC unit?”

She walked into her living room and flopped onto her couch. I went to her kitchen and poured her favorite seltzer in a highball glass over ice. I handed it to her and walked to the window unit. It was blowing cold air like a champ. The perspiration dried on my temples, and I tugged my T-shirt away from my sweaty chest.

When I turned to face her, I found her gaze on me. Specifically, on my loose basketball shorts. I cleared my throat, and her attention rocketed up to my face. Her cheeks pinked. “Are you cool enough?” I asked.

“As long as I sit down, I’m fine. But I was…” She waved her hand at her desk. “Doing stuff.”

I glanced at her monitor, but it was turned off. Then I noticed the hammer on the desk.

“What were you doing?”

“Trying to fix the crib.”

I walked over to check it out. “What’s wrong with it?”

“When Savannah was here this week, she reminded me I can’t use that crib because of the drop side. It’s dangerous.”

“Oh, right. Tina said something about that when I picked it up. But with, you know…” I waved my hand in the air like she could see all my mixed-up emotions from being in love with a woman who didn’t love me back. “With everything, I forgot.”

“I found instructions on YouTube for fixing it, but it was a lot.” She wiped a trickle of sweat from her temple. “When you go, could you take it with you? I’ll order a new one.”

It felt like she’d reached into my chest and grasped my heart. “Why didn’t you ask? I can fix it.”

“You can?”

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