Page 105 of Sparks
I could have moonwalked out of the restaurant in one of the chicken hats right then and neither of them would have noticed.
Raymond lowered his voice. “Your friends tell you I said hey?”
“Hm.” She played it cool. “They said something about some man with dimples.”
“Oh, yeah? And whatchu think about these dimples now that you see ‘em for yourself?”
“I mean…” She laughed. “I might be a sucker for some dimples. That’s all I’m saying.”
He laughed now too. “That’s what I’m talking about.” Oh, God, they were so cute, but I was going to throw up.
The cashier was just watching them, and Raymond frowned. “You put in that order yet? Come on, now.” He waved at the register and the cashier rang it all up. But before I was going to swipe my payment, Big Raymond swiped his manager card.
“On the house,” he said.
“Aren’t you sweet?” Willa said.
“Thank you,” I told Raymond, and I nodded my appreciation to the cashier. Then I moved aside to lean on the wall and pretended to play on my phone, but really, I was snapping a picture of Raymond and Willa and sending it to the whole friend crew.
I hadn’t planned on eating my fries here, but they were still talking, so I crouched over my food and drink in a corner booth and ate it like a psychotic Gollum. Salty, greasy, potatoey goodness washed down by bubbly, sweet nectar. With every bite and gulp I felt a little more alive.
Finally, they stopped flirting when a big group came in, and I noticed Willa walked out with more sass in her hips than she’d had when we walked in.
“Girl,” she said when we got outside. She sipped her frozen mocha. My only response was to clap my hands and laugh. I felt human again.
“I can’t…I don’t even.” She was smiling so big.
“Please tell me you got his number,” I said.
“No, but he got mine and he better use it.”
“Oh, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” I assured her.
Rhea was jogging up the street toward us in full workout clothes and tennis shoes.
“Get it, girl!” Willa said, slurping the dregs of her frappe.
“I cannot believe you went for a run,” I said, wanting to sweat just looking at her.
“I was so pumped up after all that dancing last night!” she said, letting us into the building after a series of impressive air punches. “And I didn’t drink that much.” She proceeded to jog up the stairs and say, “Come on, guys!”
Willa and I stopped long enough to stare at each other and then bust out laughing. Yeah, not happening.
“I think I’ll make vindaloo tonight!” she said.
“Yes!” I called up the stairs. Curry! “I need to make you something southern one day. Ohh, I know! I’ll make sausage gravy and biscuits.”
“Ew!” Rhea yelled down the stairwell, her feet tapping quickly.
“Whatchu meanew?” Willa said. “That’s delicious!”
“Passss,” Rhea sang, making us laugh. She sounded like she was at the top now.
When Willa and I got up the stairs into the living room, Beth and Holly were sitting properly side-by-side with their feet on the floor, posture perfect, as if awaiting something. Willa and I both stopped in suspicion.
“Um, yes?” I said.
“We were thinking.” Holly looked at Beth, who nodded, then back at me. “That you should go back on Sparks.”
