Page 10 of Skin Deep

Cars flowed past. A steady stream of people walked by.

“You need the menu?” I grinned.

She shook her head and handed me some money. “The usual for me.”

One slice of pepperoni and a salad. Two for one special. I ordered hers and then mine.

“Closer,” Newman said to the young waitress as she took the money from me. “Kiss me.”

“What?”

I lowered the hood and showed her Newman. “My brother’s bird. He’s a flirt.”

“Oh.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and laughed. “I thoughtyouwere talking to me in a weird voice.”

She stared at me, and a moment passed. I cleared my throat and nodded at the register. “Keep the change.”

“Oh. Yeah. Right. Thanks.” She passed me two drinks in red plastic cups.

I brought Mari her drink and sat down across from her with mine. Newman hopped down from my shoulder and turned toward the window, watching the world go by. Occasionally he’d throw out an insult or a pickup line.

“It’s amazing how he does that,” Mari said, laughing. “He hates the guys but loves the ladies.”

“Except for Ivy,” I said. “He destroyed her stuff.”

“Good bird,” she said, petting his head. “You’re so smart to dislikethe bitch.”

Mari leaned back when the waitress set her plates down. Then did it again when my entire pizza was delivered, along with two bowls of salad.

“You always do that!” She took a bite of her pizza after she put some salad on it and rolled it up. “Order too much.”

“You get more for your money,” I said, taking a bite. “Do the math. One slice is five bucks—”

“With salad,” she said.

“With salad and drink,” I said. “But you get an entire pizza, two bowls of salad, and two drinks, for twelve.”

“Yeah,” she said, wiping her hand on a napkin. “But you never finish it.”

“It’s too much.” I nodded. “But it’s the better deal.” And if I threatened to throw away what I could finish but didn’t, she’d eat it or take it home. She couldn’t see any leftover food go to waste.

The conversation flowed with ease as we ate. It always did. She was the only one who could get me comfortable enough to laugh. She had a great sense of humor, even though she’d been through so much. And by the time she finished her one slice, plus three of mine and another salad—I’d said I was going to ditch them—we were the loudest people in the restaurant.

I sighed and sat back as she told me some fucking lame-ass joke about cheese. “You have some of that on your—” I nodded to her chin, where a piece was stuck. I wanted to lean across the table and use my napkin to clean it up, but I didn’t want to scare her away. It seemed too intimate, even though that was exactly what I needed between us. For things to go in a different direction. I didn’t want her to see me as a brother, but something more.

Newman ruined the moment by making some wisecrack to a big guy with a bald head who was ordering ten pizzas to go. Mari and I hightailed it out of the restaurant, still laughing.

Newman laughed with us, but psychotically. “He he he.”

“Shit!” Mari said, the scent of cheese and garlic wafting off her clothes in the cold. “Did you see that guy’s face?”

“Asshole,” Newman said.

Mari started laughing so hard, she had to stop and catch her breath. “I can’t with that bird! He’s a mini version of Lach.”

“Yeah.” I grinned. “He’s going to get me killed one of these days.”

“You’re either going to get killed or get a girlfriend. Did you see the way the waitress kept looking at you after she thought you wanted to kiss her?”

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