Page 6 of Rebound With Me
“Yeah. You’re a size seven, right?”
“Yes. Why—do you have any size seven Manolo Blahniks leftover?”
“No, I was just trying to impress you with my ability to guess your shoe size. Impressed?”
“Totally.” That’s a lot of jobs. He can’t possibly be over thirty.
“I’m twenty-eight,” he says, as if reading my mind. “Case you were wondering.”
“Why have you had so many jobs?”
He shrugs. “Just wanted to see what they were like.”
I knew I wanted to be an elementary school teacher ever since I was in elementary school. It never even occurred to me to see what other jobs or lives were like. He fascinates me. Or maybe I just think he’s hot. Both. It’s both. He doesn’t ask me about my job history. I guess because this isn’t a date and he’s fine with just thinking I’m hot.
There’s a pause in conversation when we’re just smiling at each other, and the song that’s playing fills in the space with a slow sexy beat that makes me sway my shoulders and hips again. He lowers his chin and his nostrils flare the tiniest bit. I give myself a mental high-five for managing to hold his gaze until he finally looks away and takes another drink.
“So what else did you sell?”
“Cars. I worked at a luxury used car lot in Queens. Buddy of mine’s place. Only did that a few months, didn’t like it.”
“Why not?”
He shrugs. “Didn’t get to hold very many women’s feet at that job. Didn’t see the point.”
“I would have let you hold my feet if I was buying a car.”Wow, this drink is more potent than I thought it was.
Vince laughs. “And I would have taken you for a nice long test drive.”
Wow. He did not miss a beat. Again, it doesn’t make me feel intimidated, it makes me feel better about myself. Still, I think it’s time I say “adios” to my Adios Motherchucker. There’s about a third of it left and if I finish it I might actually let him take me for a nice long test drive right here in the booth.
“Um. I’m just going to go to the ladies room for a minute. Excuse me.”Do not say you have to tinkle.
“Sure.”
He slides out of the booth and holds his hand out to help me up. He doesn’t step out of the way when he pulls me towards him. I stand with my face one inch from his neck, afraid that if I look up at him I’ll fall backwards, and then I realize he’s just making sure that I can stand on my own. “You okay to walk?” he asks, playfully.
“I’m pretty sure I’m okay to fly.”
He laughs. “You want your purse?” He picks up my purse and hands it to me.
“Oh. Yes I do, thanks.”
“The ladies room is back there past the bar.”
“Got it.”
I put one foot in front of the other and walk in what I’m pretty sure is a straight line, towards the bar. A couple of guys who are standing near the end of the bar step aside to let me pass through them, saying “hey” to me. I feel one of them put his hand on my elbow.
“You okay there?”
I guess I’m more wobbly than I thought.
“Yup. Thanks.”
“Thankyou,” he says.
The ladies room has one stall, and thankfully it is empty. I pull out my phone to call my best friend and co-worker Marnie. Her kids should be in bed by now and she’s probably watching Netflix with her husband. She picks up on the second ring.
