Page 51 of Full Tilt
“Hello?” I said. “Want me to tell her you said goodbye? Safe travels? How about an autograph?”
“I’ll talk to you later,” Theo said, his voice suddenly stony. The phone went quiet.
Kacey emerged from the bathroom, wearing a T-shirt that came to mid-thigh and nothing else. I stared at her long, bare legs and the bottom edge of a tattoo peeking out from beneath the hem.
“Don’t look so scandalized, Fletcher,” Kacey said, hauling up her shirt. “I’m wearing shorts.”
I blinked. Yes, indeed, she was wearing shorts. Short shorts.
“Your tattoo,” I said. “What’s that called? A sugar skull?”
“A voodoo sugar skull. See the top hat? I love voodoo mythology and magic. Marie Leveau. Vevé.” She held up her leg for inspection and I pretended to study her skull that was done in vibrant colors and two large blue flowers in the eye sockets.
“It’s nice.” I coughed. “So…movie?”
Kacey clapped her hands together. “The originalNightmare on Elm Street.1984. I’ve seen it twice. Johnny Depp is ababyinthis sucker.”
I watched her move into my kitchen and begin bustling around with pots, opening cabinets, and turning on a burner on the stove as if she’d done it a hundred times.
“You’re cooking too?”
She dangled a bag of popcorn kernels. “Homemade. No fats or preservatives or—”
“Flavor?” I finished and then laughed at her huffy expression. “Did I have popcorn stashed somewhere?”
“No, I bought it today,” Kacey said. “Can’t watch a horror flick without popcorn. But I’m using coconut oil. Low cholesterol, heart healthy. And I got you this…”
She handed me a canister from the counter. The label readMilton’s Salt Substitute.
“Sodium free,” Kacey said, shaking the covered pot on the stove. “Fake salt. I’m going to use it on my popcorn too, out of solidarity. Oh, and drinks.”
Kacey rummaged in the fridge, and I was afforded a generous glimpse of the smooth, flawless skin on the backs of her legs before she turned around and handed me a bottle of green tea with lemon and honey.
“Green tea is the healthiest thing ever, apparently. Personally, I never drink iced tea unless it’s of the Long Island variety, but I thought we’d give it a shot.”
I set my bottle on the counter and watched her shake the pot that was now bursting with popcorn. “When did you go grocery shopping?”
“While you were at the hot shop this afternoon. I love Tania, by the way. She’s a quality human.”
“Yes, she is,” I said.
“Popcorn’s ready,” Kacey said. She dumped it all into a larger bowl, eyeing me up and down. “What’s with you tonight, anyway?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re kind of scattered. Something on your mind?”
“I’m just shocked you did all this.”
“That I went to the grocery store? Or that I braved the heat? I guess I have a lot of work left to do in the responsibility arena if buying popcorn and drinks comes as a shock.”
“Shocked was the wrong choice of words. I meant, I’m touched you did all this. For me.”
“It’s the least I could do since you let me crash here.”
She smiled at me and I smiled back, until the moment grew too long for friends to be smiling at one another. I tried some of the popcorn.
“How’s the fake salt?” she asked.
