Page 7 of Love Unavoidable
“Los Angeles, what on earth for?” Babs asks.
“Well—” I start, not really having an answer for them.
“Is dirty,” Mavis interrupts. “You go to dirty place, you be dirty girl.Nakfa!”
“She’s right,” Babs says. “That’s where the whores are.”
“There are whores everywhere,” I say. Both women turn their heads away from me, chins pointed up, toes tapping on the wood floor.
“Fine,” I concede. “I will think about not going to Los Angeles just yet. How’s that?”
“Feh,” Mavis says. “You stay here. Final word. You meet nice boy, havebeybiz.”
“Good lord, no!” I say.
“You know, Sadie Ann, there’s a whole group of nice young men right over there.” Babs points to the group of men I’ve been ogling on the other side of the dance floor. California man number five catches my eye and raises his beer bottle as a hello. My face immediately turns thirty-seven shades of red.
“Quit staring,” I hiss at both Babs and Mavis. “They’ll think we’re talking about them.”
“I think we are talking about them,” Courtney says.
“You hush,” I snap at her. She looks down at the bar, brow furrowed. She’s going to have to toughen up if we are to be friends.
“There, that one right there, Sadie Ann,” Babs says pointing directly at California man number five. “Go ask that young man over there to dance.”
“No! Wait. Which one?”
As if you don’t know which one, Sadie.
“That one.” She points again, zeroing in on my new crush.
“No, he’s with all those guys.”
“Sadie Ann, you are a Texas girl. Strong, willful, brilliant, and beautiful. Any man would be honored—”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re my grandma, you have to say that.”
“Is true,maven,” Mavis, says. “Is goodboychik, that one. Ethan. Fights the fires. Nicetucchus. You could do worse, no?” She shrugs her shoulders, then refills the glass she took from me with bourbon and takes a big drink. “You haf fear of men?”
“No,” I scoff.
Yes.
“Then is no harm.” She looks at Babs, they make an unspoken agreement between them. Mavis nods and stands. “Yes, Sadie, dance you must.” She drains the bourbon, grabs my arm and pulls me across the room toward the handsome green-eyed surfer man who fights fires and his equally handsome friends.
