Page 19 of Make Me Laugh

“Joey baby, it’s okay. You’re so in luck.” I sit forward and put my empty cocktail glass on the table, leaning until I’m in her line of sight. “I happen to know a young, hot comedian who’d gladly give you a few orgasms if you wanted.”

Without missing a beat, Joey responds. “I have a running bet you don’t know where the clit’s at.”

I bite my lower lip and sit back. Knowing she’s talked about having sex with me adds new confidence I probably don’t need. “We can leave here now if you want.”

I watch every move her pretty face makes and can almost see the different emotions behind her insane eyes. “West, this has been⁠—”

“Last call!” the bartenders yell again, interrupting Joey’s attempt to run away.

Just take a chance, I wish I could tell her through some kind of magic connection.

I stand up and offer her my hand, nodding towards the back exit where others are leaving.

Joey stares like I might bite—I’m not opposed if she’s into that. I wiggle my fingers in a nonthreatening way. She glances up and lets me help her from the booth. As expected, she lets go of my hand as quickly as possible but stays close as we exit into the cool September night.

The chatter of voices gathering outside isn’t enough to drown out the words Joey starts to say. “I should call⁠—”

“Walk with me,” I interrupt. “My hotel is only a few blocks from here. I’ll call you a ride from there.” It’s crowded outside the club with cabbies and ride shares fighting to find their riders and a place to park. “It’ll give me time to say goodbye to the love of my life and save you the headache of dealing with that.”

I’m kidding about the love of my life thing… But she can’t argue about the ride share part—it’s always a pain to leave the club when everyone’s drunk and clogging up the sidewalks and streets.

I hold my hands up, slowly walking backwards. “I promise Mama raised me to be the perfect gentleman… and this way we both know we’ve made it home safe. Cause you’ll let me know when you get back to Witch City, where you live.”

Witch City earns me another laugh. It fuels something inside me.

Fuck, am I Mike Wazowski?

Fueled by her laughter.

Joey takes a step forward, and inside I jump for joy. “What is this? Your senior trip? You need a chaperone to walk you back home?” she chides, the breeze blowing her hair behind her shoulders.

I stop in front of her. “I’m twenty-five, thank you very much.” She walks past, and I spin around, falling in line beside her. “Plus, I dropped out and went to clown college instead.”

“Twenty-five? A 2000s baby?” Joey stops, groaning as she leans against the railing. She stares out at the channel, the city lights mirroring against the water.

The sound of a plane taking off at Boston Logan International fills the easy silence before I prop my elbows against the metal railing, keeping my eyes on Joey, because I don’t care to look out at the dark water when the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is beside me. “It’s okay if you’re a couple years older.”

“A couple?” she asks, cocking her head to look at me.

A couple. Ten. Twenty. I don’t care. “Yeah, you’re what? Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight, maybe?” She’s not much older than me.

Her lips curl into a smile like I’ve given her a compliment. “I’ll be thirty-two in November.”

I shake my head, getting a chuckle out of her joke. “No really, how old are you?”

“Thirty-one,” she deadpans.

I can’t help it. My jaw drops.

“You were flirting with women at least ten years older than me tonight.” Joey puts her hand on her hip, her firecracker attitude returning.

I’ll never flirt with someone seriously ever again. I’m sure of it.

“It’s not that I think you’re old! I just thought we’d be closer in age. You must wear your SPF.” I love the eye roll she gives me. “I’m not worried though… I love older women.” I lean my head back, staring at the starless sky like I’m mesmerized by the nothingness. “I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s always the cougars who get me in trouble.”

She slaps me on the arm, drawing my attention back to where it belongs. On her. “You turd, I’m not a cougar!” It’s followed by what I think is my very first true laugh from her.

“Turd?” She laughs harder when I repeat it back to her with a light laugh of my own.