“It’ll be fine.”
Blythe assessed the tables closest to the mural and picked the one with four middle-aged women. Women loved her and her masc charm. They’d be eating out of her hands in no time. After she’d explained she was a content creator, an influencer, who was showing her girlfriend the city, they readily agreed to help.
“Hey, would you mind shooting video?” Blythe asked the woman who stood to take the picture.
“Let’s just take a picture and sit down,” Abby whispered.
Blythe waved her hand. “Nonsense. I’ll pretend to be the goat leaping along, and you can be the girl.”
Abby glanced at the people at the other table and shook her head. “I think we should just take the picture.”
“Oh, come on.” Blythe bent over and pretended to hop like a goat as the woman filming laughed.
Abby moved around behind her and glanced at the picture before she posed like the girl in the mural.
“Hey, influencer,” a loud male voice came from behind them. “Sit your ass down. We’re trying to enjoy our meal.”
Blythe turned and made eye contact with the red-faced man who looked to be in his late thirties before she turned to the woman, who she assumed was his date.
“We’ll finish up quick,” Blythe said.
“Bullshit.” The man stood. “You and your kind are always disturbing everyone. Well, I’ve had enough.”
The woman he was with gave him a pleading look but didn’t say anything.
Abby grabbed Blythe’s arm. “Come on, it’s not worth it.”
“He can’t just bully people,” Blythe said. “We’re not hurting anything.”
He took a menacing step toward her and then waved his arm toward a nearby server. “Hey, I need your help.”
The server hurried over.
The man pointed at Blythe. “This woman is causing a disturbance. One of those fucking influencers who won’t take no for an answer.” The man looked down at the woman. “It’s our anniversary, and she’s ruining it.”
“Ma’am, where are you sitting?” the server asked.
Blythe pointed toward their table.
“Then you’re gonna have to move it along since this isn’t the area you’re seated.”
“Ha,” the man said. “Get your ass out of here.”
Blythe started to protest, but Abby pulled on her arm. “Let’s go,” Abby said under her breath.
Blythe sneered at the man one final time before she thanked the woman recording and reluctantly trudged back to the table.
“He’s a dick,” Blythe said as soon as she sat down.
Abby rearranged the food that had been delivered while they were away from the table. Her discomfort was evident, but she tried to mask it by spooning chickpea fritters onto her plate. “Do you want me to serve yours, too?”
“Hey, relax. It’s no big deal,” Blythe said. “I deal with idiots like that all the time.”
“Well, I don’t.” Abby kept her head down, painstakingly dividing the fritters between them.
“The hell you don’t.”
Abby looked up. Surprise showed on her face.
