Page 20 of Truth, Lies, and Second Dates
“That’s demonstrably untrue.”
She gave him a playful whap on the shoulder and her fingers promptly went numb. It had been like trying to smack a tree trunk. “No, really. But it’s been an odd day and a long one and you’re gorgeous and smart and a good listener, but now it’s time to go back to our lives and I’m really glad I met you but goodbye.”
His eyebrows arched. “You’re remarkably blunt, but charming enough to pull it off.”
“Thanks?”
“I assume you don’t live in Minnesota.”
Perish the goddamned thought. “Vegas.”
“Well. You have my card. If you’d like to get together the next time you’re passing through, please consider reaching out.”
Puzzled, she shook her head. “I don’t have your… wait.” She pulled a white business card out of her back pocket, then tucked it back—too dim in the parking lot to read, anyway, and it wasn’t like she planned on seeing him again. “Damn, that’s slick. I thought you were just grabbing my ass.”
“Multitasking,” he replied with a straight face, and she had to laugh. She heard a familiar buzz-whir and he produced his phone, unlocked it, looked at the screen. “Ah. My niece is wondering when I’ll be back. It’s ridiculous that she’s up this late.” At her expression, he asked, “Problem?”
“Nope. I didn’t know you had a niece, but why would I? We only met two—holy shit, we’ve been talking for three hours.”
“Time flies.”
“And so do I. But remember, I was already slipping out of your life before she texted you, so it’s nothing to do with her and everything to do with my emotional immaturity.”
“Blunt,” he said, leaning in for a chaste kiss on her cheek. “But charming.”
“Finally a title for my jazz ensemble,” she said, and that was the last she saw of him. Or so she truly thought at the time.
Ten
“Get up! I’m dying.”
Ava spat toothpaste into the sink, wiped her mouth, opened the door, recoiled. “Jesus.”
“Back atcha.” Dennis pushed past her and sat on the bed before his knees buckled. “I’m not gonna make it to lunch. Just so you know. I’ve updated my will and I’m leaving you nothing.”
Despite the chaos of his appearance, Ava was relieved to see him. She’d been staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, eyeing the hickeys Tom had planted on her throat and shaking her head. She looked like she’d been attacked by a friendly, toothless Burmese python. And remembering his pliant mouth and skilled hands (slipping that card into her pocket had been a neat trick—guy probably paid for college by picking pockets), how the two of them had taken turns playing the aggressor, how her heart was pounding so hard she was sure everyone within a mile of the parking lot could hear it, how she camethis closetohauling his ass up the stairs and finding out if he tasted as good as he looked… ummmm. Nice guy, great bod, smart, wonderful kisser, demonstrably responsible if the niece was any indicator. So naturally she kicked him from her life as soon as she could. Why did she pull this shit? Was it simply a matter of—
“Get up! I’m dying.”
So, yeah, she’d been glad for the interruption. She’d pulled a high-necked sweater on to hide the worst of the hickeys and went to Dennis. However…
“You,” she said, staring at this pale, red-eyed, odiferous version of Dennis, “are barely cute right now.”
“I’m barely alive right now.”
“You’ve never looked worse. Well, maybe the morning after junior prom.” Memorable if for no other reason than it was the first and last time Dennis had spent the night drinking chocolate milk with tequila chasers.
He flopped back onto the bed. “What happened last night?”
“You drank about a gallon of dark black something or other, then had a couple of shots.”
“That’s it? Because I either had some pretty fucked-up dreams last night or I was abroad actually doing the fucked-up things.”
“Uh-huh. Don’t read into this, but have you thought that you might have a problem with alcohol?”
“You’re only saying that because I’m drunk just about every time you see me.”
“I know some people you could talk to.” Carefully, carefully. She was on tricky ground, and given her own problems with substance abuse, it was possible Dennis would assumeshe was projecting. “I could put you in touch with some people. If you wanted.”
