“Thanks,” I said cautiously. I was thinking of a way to insult her in case that was some sort of a judgmental comment.
“Fancy meeting you here. Shopping?”
“Killing time. There’s a dress shop next door I want to check out, but it’s not open.”
“Oh yeah, Tracy’s Place. They’ve got some nice things. How’s it going with the complicated relationship?”
“I don’t even know,” I answered truthfully.
“You seem different.” Her gaze studied me astutely. Astute is a word I learned in my lessons and I loved the way it sounded.
“I’m just me.” I shrugged.
“‘Just’, huh?” She nodded toward the counter. “I was going to get coffee, if you want to join me?”
I took too long to answer because she added, “It’s not a big deal if you don’t.”
She shrugged and I genuinely believed it would make no difference to her. It wasn’t insulting. It was oddly freeing. I got the impression I could say just about anything to her and she’d take it in stride. I thought of Ford’s list of “to-dos” and on that list was make friends with women. Well, I couldn’t guarantee anything, but I could at least tell him I tried. Then he could shut up about it.
“No plans. That sounds good,” I said.
“Cool. I’ll meet you over there after I check out.”
I made my way to the little coffee shop counter and waited to order but as it turned out the guy behind the bar pulled double duty. So after he finished bagging up Gretchen’s books, he jogged over to help me. With the counter in the way, Gretchen was at my side before he tugged his apron on.
“Geez, the service in this place is appalling.” Gretchen softened her tease with a wink.
“What’ll it be, ladies? We have coffee or hot tea,” the cute guy asked.
“Starbucks it is not.”
“Easy, Gretch, or I’m changing the Wi-Fi password on you again.”
“You’d never.” She leaned toward him over the counter and his gaze flicked to her cleavage and then away. I bit back a smile. “Lucas, this is Suzie. Suzie, this is Lucas, the love of my life. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
The cute man held out his hand to mine and shook it but his ears burned furiously red. He was large and imposing but his gentle handshake was at odds with all that. Gretchen was such a shameless flirt.
We ordered two coffees and chose a little table by the window. “Better for people watching,” Gretchen said.
I sat with my hands tucked between my knees, trying to think of something to say.
“It’s cold out there—”
“No. Don’t do that. Don’t talk about the weather with me. We’ve moved past that. I’ve threatened your dad. No bullshit talk.” She said between sips of plain black coffee. “Or don’t talk at all. Just don’t waste time talking about nothing.”
I chose to focus on my coffee. This was weird. Wasn’t it? People don’t just go to get coffee and talk. This wasn’t a 90’s sitcom. But I guess people had to meet some way. I noticed her bag of books and was about to ask what she had bought but then questioned if she would consider that small talk too.
I was saved from thinking too much because when I looked back to her she was studying me. “I thought you looked familiar in the car but now I’m sure I know you.”
“You live in Green Valley, right?” I had thought she seemed familiar too—but that was Green Valley. Shit, we were probably third cousins or something. I had no doubt we had at least had fifty Facebook friends in common.
She shook her head. “Not anymore. But I lived there for a little while.”
She took another swig of coffee and asked, “What do you do when you aren’t moving in with a single man?”
I had a feeling this was coming. Here comes the judgment and the awkward excuse to leave.
I lifted my chin and said, “I’m a stripper.”
