“Oh, hey, Kerri!” Another victim spotted. A middle-aged woman carrying a tray of beers and expertly navigating around other patrons.
“Yeah?” she calls back over her shoulder, dropping drinks at various tables.
“Do you like your toes?” he yells. A few heads turn to look Kerri’s way, seemingly curious for her answer.
“What? No. I don’t think anyone likes their toes, do they?” she calls over her shoulder as she places the last of her beers on another table and heads back to the bar.
He asks another passerby, who hates that her second toe is so long, and another who claims their big toe isn’t big at all, so can it really be called abigtoe? We laugh at the ridiculousness of it all until my stomach muscles ache and my eyes water.
“See? No one—no one—likes their toes. Can we please stop bothering people now? I’m embarrassed for you,” I say.
Holding the wineglass to my mouth, I take a polite sip, licking the drops left behind that coat my lips. Luke follows the motion, eyes darkening. The moment stretches until an older gentleman approaches our table, popping the bubble of tension mounting between us.
“Son,” he says, looking at Luke seriously, placing a hand on Luke’s shoulder.
“Mr. Brooks, how are we doing this evening? This is Liv. She’s from out of town.” Luke gestures toward me, and Mr. Brooks nods in acknowledgment before turning back to Luke.
“Listen, kid. I’ve listened to you ask several people about their toes now, and I just gotta know. What the hell are you on about? Is this some fetish of yours? ‘Cause I gotta tell ya, if it is, that’s private stuff. There’s a website I learned about for people like you. Foot fetishes and all that weird shit. What's it called?” He snaps his fingers, trying to recall the name of the website.
“OnlyFans?” I ask, failing to conceal the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“OnlyFans! That’s it. From what I gather, you can enjoy yourself there inprivate.” Mr. Brooks pulls at his suspenders.
Luke’s mouth hangs slightly open as if he’s trying to figure out how to respond, and then turns to me. “Gonna help me out here?”
“I think you’re doing a great job.” I prop my chin in the palm of my hand.
I snicker at the look he gives before he returns his attention to the man standing beside us.
“Appreciate the advice, Mr. Brooks. I’ll uh, I’ll consider that.” He scrubs his hand across his neatly trimmed beard.
“Well, alright then. Leave these people alone, would ya?”
“Sir.” He nods.
Mr. Brooks wanders back into the crowd after giving Luke a long, incredulous look.
“I can’t believe you left me hanging there.”
“You brought that on yourself. You justhadto ask all the people. Live and learn, Luke. Live and learn.” I finish my glass of wine and glance out into the crowd. Josh is still twirling Viv about. They’re laughing and singing.
“So difficult,” Luke says.
Difficult.My head snaps back, meeting Luke’s stare. His eyes dance playfully across my face. I clear my throat, bringing my attention to the stem of my wineglass I’m twisting between my fingers.
“I like difficult.” His voice has dropped to a deeper octave, and it should be sexy, but I’m spiraling.Am I being difficult?
Snap out of it!I inhale deeply, collecting myself and meeting his gaze once more. “Well… apparently difficult is something I’ve got in spades.” That didn’t come out as lighthearted as I hoped it would. With the way Luke is watching me, I think Luke senses that. Mind racing, I try to think of ways to deflect and change the subject.
Viv and Josh return to the table laughing, saving me. Little beads of sweat glisten along Viv’s hairline as she holds her hair up off her neck with one hand, chugging water from the cup held by the other.
“Ready to get going?” she asks, breathless from drinking so fast.
It’s late. It’s been a long travel day, and still all I can think is how good a bath would feel right now. I need to check on Sunny, and pajama pants are calling my name.
“I’m ready. Let’s get out of here.”
“How are you ladies getting home?” Luke lifts his nearly empty beer to his mouth, downing the rest.
