Page 54 of The Bad Girl List

The longer they talk and the more animated Kevin gets, the grumpier I become. I find myself slumped in my chair, arms folded, while he drones on about the importance of fog to help prevent the premature ripening of the grapes. I probably wouldn’t be so annoyed if Kevin wasn’t so damn good at this stuff.

When Dom excuses herself to go to the bathroom, Kevin turns to me. “Dude, she is smoking hot. I’m not moving in on your territory, am I?”

“A little late to be asking that question.”

Kevin shrugs. “Yeah, I guess. I couldn’t tell if you guys were here on a date or here as friends, and when I offered to bring drinks neither of you turned me down, so …” He peers at me. “Are you into her?”

My head says yes, but my mouth says, “I still love Elle.”

“Okay, that’s what I thought. You wouldn’t have brought her a jar of dirt if you were into her.” Kevin gives me a wide smile, getting up from his chair. “Give her my number, will you?”

“Where are you going?”

“There’s a hot chick from Tennessee who’s meeting me in ten minutes at Ralph’s.” Ralph’s is another bar in downtown Healdsburg. “Tell Dom I had to go home to get ready for work tomorrow and tell her to call me. Thanks, buddy.”

Kevin slaps me on the shoulder and strides out of Platitude. I stare after him, a mixture of relief and anger boiling inside. It pisses me off that he would treat Dom like an afterthought, but I’m relieved that he’s finally gone.

“Hey.” Dom reappears out of the crowd, taking her seat. “Where did Kevin go?”

I don’t give her Kevin’s number. Fuck him. If he wants Dom, he’s going to have to work for it.

“He said to tell you he had to get home to get ready for work tomorrow, but he’s really going to another bar to hook up with a girl he met today.” I study her reaction, knowing that I’m being a dick.

“Oh.” Dom blinks, not seeming to be at all put off by Kevin’s behavior. I can’t decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

“I’m starting to get a headache,” she says. “Do you want to get out of here and go for a walk?”

“Definitely.” I jump at the chance to get out of this place before some other guy latches onto her.

Outside, we stroll around the downtown plaza, looking into shop windows. The irritation I’d been feeling ever since Kevin interrupted us slips away as Dom and I fall back into the easy conversation we’d been having back on the patio.

“I’m going to spend money in one of these places at some point during the week,” Dom says.

“Number six, right?”

“Yep. I have to buy something that’s not on sale.” Dom shakes her head. “That goes against my genetic code, you know? My family never buys anything that’s not on sale.”

“Gramps is like that,” I say. “He and my grandma were coupon pros. He once kept a running tally of how much money they saved over the course of a year using coupons. It was almost two thousand dollars.”

“Whoa.” Her eyes widen when she looks up at me. “My family would be so impressed if they heard that story. If there’s a lull in the conversation tomorrow night, feel free to throw that one out there.”

“You don’t have to worry about conversation,” I reply. “My dad will be there. He can make conversation with a brick wall.”

“Good to know. Am I reading that price tag correctly?” She leans forward, peering through the window at a dark blue dress with birds on it. “Does that say two-hundred and ninety-nine dollars?”

“Yep. Healdsburg has a reputation for pricey boutique clothing stores.”

“I’m getting anxious just thinking about going into one of these places. I shouldn’t be spending that kind of money when I don’t even have a job. It’s a pretty dress though.”

I’m not sure how to respond to that, so I say, “I’m sure you’ll find a new job soon. You’re really talented.”

“Yes, but I want to find a job I like, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” We continue along the sidewalk in easy silence. There’s no strain to it, no need to fill it with words. It feels comfortable, like a favorite pair of jeans.

“Here’s the tattoo shop.” I stop us in front of a swinging glass door that leads to a set of linoleum stairs. Above us, the second story light of the tattoo shop is on. The windows are open and the buzzing of the needle can be heard.

“This is the place you and Thomas like?” she asks.

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