Page 45 of Curvy Girl Summer

“You can get it,” I told him as he checked his phone for the second time in ten minutes. “I won’t deduct date points if you need to take the call.”

“Nah, work can wait,” he replied, shoving the phone back into his pocket. Turning, he flagged down Asia. “Can we get two more Amaretto sours, please?”

“I got it,” Ahmad told her, coming from the other end of the bar. “Can you take care of the bachelorette party down there?”

I looked in the direction that he was talking about and spotted a group of five women giggling. They were staring at Ahmad as he grabbed two glasses and started making our drinks.

“They’ve had a lot to drink,” Brayden pointed out.

“Who?” I asked, focusing back on my date.

“The women down there with the dick hats.”

I laughed, noticing what they had on their heads. “Yeah, probably so. But that’s the whole point of the bachelorette party, right? Have a good time with your friends for your last hurrah as a single person.”

“Yeah, I guess. But the hats are a bit much.”

I shrugged. “To each their own.”

He looked surprised. “Would you wear something like that for your bachelorette party?”

“If it went with my outfit and my bridesmaids bought it. I wouldn’t buy it myself, but one of my best friends would absolutely buy that and make us wear it.” I smiled, thinking about Nina. “I mean, I could see her requiring us to do that for her birthday.”

He chuckled. “Oh, wow!”

“What about you? Would you wear something crazy for your bachelor party?”

“Oh, hell nah.”

“You wouldn’t go out with your boys with little hats with…” I put my hand against the top of my head and wiggled my fingers, imitating the phalluses emitting from the hats of the bachelorettes.

“I can guarantee you I wouldn’t have dicks on my head,” he balked.

“Ooooookay,” Ahmad intoned, sliding the drinks in front of us.

“Nah, man, it’s not what it sounds like,” Brayden tried to explain.

Ahmad held up his hands and backed away. “No judgment here.”

I cackled.

“It’s not funny,” Brayden said with a laugh.

“It’s a little funny,” I returned. “But seriously, I don’t think I asked if you’d been married before.”

He cleared his throat. “No, I don’t think you did. Yeah, I was.”

Caught off guard, I took a tiny sip of my drink to mask my surprise. “Oh? Was?”

“Yeah. She, uh… she passed away.”

I gasped. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

He shook his head. “It’s been a long time. But thank you.”

“How long has it been?”

“About three years now.”

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