Page 17 of Play Fast (Brooklyn Dawn 2)

“Own it.”

“In Lake George? Why?”

I took out my second Big Mac while she worked on her fries. I’d already demolished mine. “Because I like it there.”

“I didn’t see where the final destination was. Is it in town proper? A cute little condo? Or a townhouse? Or maybe—”

“Daisy.”

She clamped her lips together. “Shutting up now.”

My mouth twitched. “You remember.”

“That I used to drive you crazy with my incessant questions? Yeah. Kerry used to goad me to do it more.”

“She liked seeing me lose it?”

“No, she liked seeing you relax, and you always did once I got done b

adgering you.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Sure it does. You’d get annoyed but eventually, I always made you laugh. And Kerry enjoyed watching the show.” Daisy took a long pull on her soda. “She made me promise I wouldn’t hit on you once she went to Cal State.”

Choking again would’ve been ridiculous. Yet guess what happened? Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she went back to sucking on her straw, waiting for me to man up and reply.

“Hit on—what?”

Yeah, that had been worth waiting for. Definitely.

She nodded and pulled back from her drink with a sigh. “We had so many plans. ‘Gonna take on the world, aren’t we, Flanny?’ I didn’t know how to tell her I didn’t want to go to college, but when I finally got up the nerve, she just nodded as if she’d known all along.”

I set down the last of my burger, my appetite gone. Apparently, so was Daisy’s, because she tucked the second chicken sandwich back in the bag.

“Sorry. I can’t stop thinking about her. And there’s no one I can talk to about her who knew her the way we did. I mean, Ever listens, but she always feels sorry for me. She thinks I should talk to someone, like professionally. But I don’t know what I’d say.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever had a problem with talking.”

“True enough.” I hadn’t meant it as a joke, but she gave me a small smile anyway.

It disappeared as I reached across the table to cover her hand with mine. “Even if I growl, you can always talk to me about Kerry.”

Her throat bobbled and she turned over her hand to clasp mine. Holding tight, generating a heat between us that made my breath stumble all over again.

All at once, how small she was struck me. How breakable. But in her eyes shone only strength. Much more than I had.

“What about other things?” she asked softly.

“Like what?”

The moment hummed between us. Then she smiled slyly. “David’s hair.”

Abruptly, I yanked my hand back and stood to collect our garbage. “Find another ride, sprite.”

Four

Oz decided he was going to speed too, while doing air drums on the wheel to a variety of hair metal classics. Dokken. Poison. Cinderella. Great White. There was even some Bon Jovi in there, which he punctuated with some hair banging worthy of a Brooklyn Dawn stage.

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