Page 51 of Check You Out

Georgie peers at me over his reading glasses. “Who’d you ask out?”

“Aidan Talbot,” I reply. I hold my hand aloft to a height that might reach Aidan’s ears. “He’s tall, cute, wears glasses.”

He nods. “Doesn’t ring a bell. You got a picture of this guy.” I take out my phone, and within a few seconds, I’ve pulled up a photo of Aidan from the Summerville High website. Georgie squints at the screen before saying, “Oh yeah. This is the guy that comes in with Xander sometimes. Real quiet. He seems ok. Not like that old boyfriend of yours, Stephen Gott.”

Nicole and I simultaneously roll our eyes.

“Fuck that asshole,” she groans. “You know, he came into the café today. It was some surprise PR bullshit. Asked for the most complex drink ever conceived and demanded some picture with us. I may have snuck in some bunny ears.”

My eyes grow wide, and I stare at her before grimacing.

Georgie bangs the bar. “How dare he show his face here in this town! After all the shit he’s done. He came in here last week, and I nearly yelled at him. Especially after he blessed us in his name.”

“Wait, what?” Nicole gawks.

“Oh, he did that to you too?” I take a large gulp of my Hawaiian crush. “I might need another if we’re going to talk about Gott.” I lift the glass. “This is dangerous by the way.”

“Thank you.” Nicole snorts at my joke. “Yes, but hold up, what do you mean, he’s blessing people in his name?”

“You know how normal people say, ‘God bless you’ when someone sneezes?” I explain, and she nods. “Well, this jerk is going around saying, ‘Gott bless you’ when someone sneezes. He did it to me when I saw him. Like what in the actual fuck? I should’ve called him out on it.”

Georgie steps over to us, toweling down a bar glass in his hands. “He did it when he came here. Weird as fuck. Charlotte, I love you like a daughter. Your father was my best friend, and I would bury a body for you. But I swear to God, if this Aidan is anything like Gott, I will be—I will be—” His voice trails off as he thinks, tapping his fingers against the bar. “I will be very disappointed.”

Nicole points at me, “She’s dating Aidan, now! He’s so much better than Gott.” She giggles. “Maybe Aidan is the blessing.”

I cackle, the alcohol warming my skin and making me feel lighter. “Oh, so much better. Aidan doesn’t bless people in his own name.”

Georgie raises an eyebrow. “When is the wedding?”

I wave him off. “We have a date on Saturday. A first date, so please don’t go planning my wedding.”

Georgie nods. “We only did that once and it was a disaster. Both the wedding and the marriage. Hey, do you want nachos?” He dips into the kitchen before I can reply in the affirmative.

Nicole snorts. “I love this town.” She whirls back to me. “But I am so happy for you, Charlotte! When was the last time you went on a date? Like a date that you were actually excited about.”

I shrug. “I have no idea.”

“It’s not cobwebs down there, is it?” she asks, her eyes dropping.

I push her shoulder. “That’s so icky. No woman would allow spiders to go anywhere near her vag.”

She rests a hand on my shoulder, caressing it gently with her thumb. “But this is different. I can feel it. There’s something about the two of you. I think you guys are going to be great together. You should name your first child Nicole. Or Nicola. Xander might demand the honor, but intervention was my idea.”

“I’m not having babies.”

“Uncle Georgie, do you think Charlotte and Aidan should name their firstborn child after me?” Nicole asks when Georgie drops a heap of nachos in front of me.

“No. I don’t need another niece who thinks they’re a pop star every time they drink vodka,” he says with a snap before adding, “Eat, or else you’ll feel hungover in the morning.” He walks away.

“Nachos fix everything,” I moan as I practically inhale a chip. “I wonder if Aidan likes nachos. He likes pancakes. And he likes tea now.”

Nicole touches my arm. “Oh, that man is so cooked. You’re definitely naming your first kid after me.”

“Can I name my next cat ‘Nicole’ instead?”

“That’s what we were talking about, right?” She scrunches her nose and makes a face. “Wait, you didn’t think I was talking about actual children, did you?”

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