Back upstairs, Addie finishes my mini-makeover. She's right, it's a badass pink—a deep magenta. I'm surprised how much I like it.
"This is what you should do," I say as she curls my hair.
"You think?" Her face brightens.
I nod. She's got the right personality for it when she's not in her own head.
"You should look into cosmetology school," I tell her.
"Will you look into apprenticing with Em?"
"I told you, I can't afford to not work that long," is what I say, but it's not the only reason. The other is that I prefer to sketch life. People. Imperfectly perfect life. I'm not sure why I hide that partof myself from her; it's not like she would care. But it's private, even my InASnap account is a faceless account with no ties to me.
The sky is past dark by the time Addie is done with my makeover. I gather wood from the rack and start the fire while she makes drinks in the kitchen. Sunday night dinners are great, and I'm honored Coop and I have a standing invitation, but I might prefer our fire nights. I think Coop does too. Even as the cold seeps in, the warmth never leaves. With the closest house across the street, the nights are quiet, empty of car horns and sirens. Coop and I live in a decent area, but it's still in town, and even a town as small as Wilmont never really sleeps.
I blow on the fire, and the kindling catches. Then I sit in one of the chairs facing the yard and cover my lap with a blanket. The string lights are off, and the sky is alight with stars. The Big Dipper is easy to find, but it takes me a minute to see the little one. I find Orion's belt too, but that's the extent of my astronomy knowledge. Addie once told me that shooting stars were chunks of flying rock, which kind of kills the whole wish upon a star thing for me.
The slider opens and closes behind me, and Addie appears, placing a serving tray on the table.
A fucking serving tray.
Sometimes I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone when I'm here.
"So we didn't have vodka, but we have tequila," Addie says, handing me a glass from the tray. "I present to you, The Addie."
I sniff the drink and can't help it when my eyes go wide.
She takes the seat on the other side of the table, covering herself with a blanket. Then she picks up her glass and takes a sip.
"Not bad," she says.
"Yeah, it's pretty good," I say.
"You didn't even try it."
"I did, I swear."
"You lie, but that's okay, I brought you a Coke too."
"And snacks," I say, then hold my breath and try The Addie.
She shrugs. "You get grouchier than usual when you're hungry. It's best to keep you fed."
I swallow my drink on a laugh, covering my mouth to avoid spitting it out.
She grins.
"This is good," I tell her, taking another sip.
"I don't know why you still doubt me. I have excellent taste in drinks, food, and fashion."
We cheers across the table as the fire dances.
"Not men though," she adds. "I have terrible taste in men."
"You and me both," I say.
Chapter fifteen
