Page 41 of Derivation

When Jo walked off, though, Sarai couldn’t hold it in any longer, and she laughed at Gabi.

“What?” Gabi asked.

“Nothing. You really don’t like her, do you?”

“Not really, no.”

“Why not? She’s nice.”

“I don’t know. I just don’t.”

Jo then brought back the padfolio to their booth and set it down on the table closer to Gabi before she looked Sarai’s way.

“I’ll see you around, Sarai.”

“Have a good time at Blue,” she replied.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Jo looked a little confused, but she left the bar through the front door a second later, and Sarai returned her gaze to Gabi, who was stealing one of the nachos that Sarai hadn’t been able to finish.

“What made you want to talk about that last night in Amsterdam?” she asked.

“I don’t know. You had a rum and Coke that night, too, so I guess it just reminded me of that night. In the bar on that first night, you had beer.”

“You remember what I drank?” Sarai asked, liking the idea of Gabi having so many memories of their shared weekend so many years later.

“It wasn’t hard. It was beer and a rum and Coke, Sarai.” Gabi chuckled and stole another chip covered in cheese and green onion. “These are really good.”

“No, they’re really cold now.”

“I guess I like cold nachos, then.”

“Good nachos are like the one thing I know how to make really well.”

“Nachos? Of all things?” Gabi asked.

“I can sort of cook, but nachos are my jam. I don’t make them often because they’re a lot of work and I can’t ever finish them all, so I usually ask everyone if they want some and then make a big batch for all of us to share while we watch something in the living room.”

“Well, now that you know that I like nachos, too, will you make them again soon?”

Sarai leaned over the table and said, “Depends. What do you like on your nachos?”

“I don’t know. What’s on these?”

“Probably just cheddar-jack cheese, beans, green onions, and the guac. There’s usually sour cream, too, but I’m not a big fan.”

“So, your nachos will not have sour cream on them?”

“Is that a dealbreaker for you?”

“I mean, pretty much. Sour cream is the whole point of nachos.”

Sarai laughed a little and said, “I’ll put some on the side for you, then.”

“You’re a good person.”

“I usually make my own guacamole from scratch, and I add meat, too. I like ground beef, and I season it with this taco mix that I make myself. It’s really good.”