Page 95 of Everything's Coming Up Rosie

The song ends, and Daisy lets out a loud holler. “That wasamazing! I had no idea you were so much fun, Rosie! I’m starving, let’s go get some food.”

At that, she pulls me off the dance floor as a slow song comes on over the speakers.

We make our way through the crowd as a booth opens up, and Daisy slides right into it. “Score! I’ll text Louie to tell him to grab Booker and come over here.” She pulls her phone out of her back pocket, and I sit down across from her. I’m actually a little warm after the dancing, so I pull off my plaid button-down and tie it around my waist.

Daisy finishes her text and looks up at me. “You look hot in that tank top. Are you guys on a date?”

I shake my head. “His grandma sort of tricked us.”

She laughs but doesn’t seem surprised. “Bertie’s a character.”

“Are you and Louie on a date?”

Her eyes go wide. “What? No! Why would you even—?”

“Just picking up on a vibe,” I say.

She makes a face, seemingly brushing off such a ridiculous idea.

But I’ve seen the way they look at each other. I didn’t imagine it, right?

I glance at Louie, who is a little chubby with a baby face and a golden retriever personality. And I get it. I have no doubt Louie would treat Daisy like royalty. And she deserves to be treated like royalty. He and Booker make their way through the crowd, and my pulse spikes in awareness.

“What kind of vibe?” she asks.

I shrug. “I saw sparks.”

Her face brightens. “I feel sparks! I mean, he’s...Louie...you know? Not my normal type. But”—she scans the crowd, and when she spots him, her eyes widen—“He’s just so sweet to me, Rosie.”

“I get it,” I say.

“You do?”

“Louie is good and safe and kind,” I say. “And guys like that are hard to find.”

He’s also hilarious. He’s strutting, duckwalking, and finger-gunning everyone he passes on his way to where we’re sitting.

It’s easy to see why Daisy would fall for him.

“He issonice.” She glances back in the direction of the two men, who are still working their way over to us, then back to me. “I’m going to tell him I like him. Tonight.” She looks like she might burst.

“Shut up!” My eyes go wide. “Just like that?”

She’s definitely tipsy—she’s using her hands to talk like she’s landing a plane. “Life is too short to keep all my feelings to myself. If I like someone, I should tell them, right?”

“What if you try it and it doesn’t work? Or...” I search my mind for the long list of things that could go wrong and wonder where to start. “What if you get all swept up and it makes you do crazy things?”

Her face lights up and she points at me. “Oooh, that last one. Yes! That’s the one I want!”

“Youwantto do crazy things?”

“Don’t you?” She grabs both my hands. “That’s where the good stuff is, Rosie. That’s how we know we’re alive!”

I try to protest but say nothing else because Booker and Louie have made it to the table. I slide over to make room, but Daisy does the opposite. She stands up, faces Louie and says, “Louie? I like you.”

“You... do?” He looks slightly bewildered.

She nods and puts her arms around his neck. “A lot.”

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