Page 22 of The Fallacy of True Love
“Yes,” he quickly answered.
“I’ll look around and come back,” I said, shooting a silent warning to him.
Th still-nameless girl’s exaggerated eye roll had me chuckling as I wandered off to the other stalls. I easily found the one selling kakanin and snacks served on banana leaves, and recognized the name of the café printed across the top of the tent.
“You’re Cuppa Jo?” I asked the woman behind the counter.
She grinned. “My café is. I’m Nikki. You’ve been to my place?”
“Last summer. I loved your food.”
“Thanks.” Cocking her head, she said, “Now that you mention it, you look familiar.”
My smile spread. “You don’t have to say that. I’m sure you get plenty of customers.”
“Some are more memorable than others.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m Lonzo, by the way.” I reached out my hand to her, and she shook it with a laugh.
“Great to meet you, Lonzo. Is your arm okay?”
“It’s fine, thanks,” I told her even though it was a lie. The physical pain distracted me from Dani, and I welcomed it.
“What can I get you?”
Nikki’s spread looked delicious, and it was enough to revive my appetite. I took my time deliberating before going for an empanada and biko with latik.
As she prepared my order, she asked, “How long are you here for?”
“Just till tomorrow.”
“Good thing you caught the festival. Are you with friends or family?”
“No.” My answer came sharper than it should have, so I softened the rest of it. “Solo trip.”
“Ah.” She opened her mouth and closed it again, as if rethinking what she was about to say. “You picked a great time.”
“I know. I didn’t expect all this, but hey, I’m not complaining.”
“We have a film screening later and some poetry reading. Oh, and if you’re into tattoos, my friend’s got a booth. She does the hand-poking thing instead of a gun. It’s really cool.”
My brows rose at the revelation that they were friends. Nikki’s bright personality seemed like the complete opposite of surfer girl’s. Then again, this was a small town. “I actually came from there, but she’s busy with a client.”
“Cam doesn’t usually ink strangers?—”
I grinned. Finally, I had her name. Cam.
“—but it’s a fundraiser and our friend organized it,” Nikki continued. “So if you’re interested, go get a tatt while you can.”
Hell yes, I was interested. “I’ll line up right after eating.”
“Tell her I sent you. And don’t be offended or anything if she doesn’t talk much.”
I almost laughed and told her that her friend—Cam—didn’t have a problem talking to me. To the contrary, she seemed to have no hesitation saying what she thought whenever she was around me. “I don’t mind.”
That wasn’t exactly true, but I could deal with it. I still needed to apologize anyway. Now that I had her name and an endorsement from her friend, I hoped she’d be more receptive to my return.
“Shop’s closed,” Cam said as soon as she saw me approaching.
