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Like suddenly getting turned on and distracted by tattoos, when they’ve always turned meoffbefore.
“Anyway, just work your nice-guy magic, get her to see how immature she’s being, and get her back to Chicago as soon as possible. Her little vacation is over, and we need her back here immediately.”
Tristan tells me he’ll message his sister my address and phone number before I can even think about all the reasons why this is a bad idea, and then he’s ending the call before I can change my mind and tell him no.
“If this line doesn’t start moving, I’m gonna start throwing hands,” the woman in front of me mutters as I pull the phone down from my ear.
“I wouldn’t do that. That will just make them kick you out, and then you’ll never get pizza. It’s best to just be patient. The line will start moving soon, I’m sure,” I reply, wishing I could take the words back as soon as I say them.
She slowly turns around to look at me with a little bit of annoyance, and I realize she was talking to herself and did not expect me to answer her comment. Going by the black T-shirt she’s wearing that has one of those red-and-whiteHello, my name isstickers printed largely across the front, with the wordsNot interestedwritten in the name section, she’s definitely not a people-person who wants to chitchat with a stranger in line. Now that she’s fully facing me, I notice all the black eye makeup she has on makes her blue eyes stand out even more, and with her lips pursed in annoyance, she’s got an adorable dimple in one cheek. She’sreallypretty underneath all that rage and impatience.
My stomach chooses that moment to growl very loudly, and she raises one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me.
“Hungry, Diane?” she asks in a deep, manly voice that makes me bark out a laugh.
“Police Academy 2.” I nod in approval, knowing that quote very well, since the entire Police Academy franchise is another one of my favorites.
“So he doesn’t just listen to musicals. Good to know you’re not completely a nerd.”
Her blue eyes trail down the front of me, taking in my blue polyester bowling shirt with a bowling alley design on it, tucked into the khakis I paired it with, and ending with my bowling ball bag sitting on the floor by my feet.
“I take that back.” She smiles.
I’ve been made fun of for bowling almost my entire life, so I’m pretty used to it at this point. Even as the varsity bowling coach, algebra teacher, and a fully grown adult, I still get teased at school. Teenagers are jerks, but adults can be even worse. There’s something about the way she smiles at me that doesn’t immediately put me on the defensive though. Like she’s not trying to be mean, she’s just stating the obvious.
Iamkind of a nerd. I love bowling, I like watching musicals, and I never throw away any of the Sudoku puzzle books I complete, because I like flipping through them and studying the combinations I used. I like to stump my students with punny math jokes every day. I play Dungeons and Dragons once a month with friends online, and I still put together Legos in my spare time. I like all of that about myself, but sometimes, I just wish I had the guts to do something a little wild. Like maybe get a tattoo or—
“Are you fucking kidding me? How didthatperson get their pizza already?”
Her smile falls, and it’s replaced with rage again—that quite honestly scares me a little—as she points to a guy who came in after us. His name was just called, and he’s currently walking away from the counter and past the long line of people in front of us… with his box of pizza.
I understand her frustration. Giovanni’s has the best pizza anywhere. It’s on the mainland at the ferry dock, and the small pizzeria is inside the building where you can purchase your tickets for the ferry. You have to walk through here when you’re going to ride the ferry, or if you’re just getting off of it. The smell alone makes it hard for anyone to resist, which is why it’s always packed. I feel like I’m cheating on Island Slice, the pizza place over on Summersweet Island, but you just can’t beat Giovanni’s homemade sauce and fresh toppings.
“I read an article that the owner of this place spends two months in Italy every year to hone his skills and bring back new recipes,” I inform her, trying to get the look off her face stating clearly she’s about to tackle the man and steal his pizza.
You can definitely tell the article wasn’t exaggerating. I get a slice or two every single time I come over to the mainland. I usually grab it before I get on the ferry so I can scarf it down on the ride back to the island, like I’m doing today.
“I would kill my entire family for just one bite right now.”
I laugh, even though a part of me wants to find out who her family is, give them a call, and tell them torun.
“I’ve been looking forward to this pizza all day, and now my stomach feels like it’s eating itself,” I commiserate with her as we lean toward the guy who just got his pizza as he walks by, both of us inhaling deeply and then groaning in misery before he disappears out the door. “It’s always busy like this right before the next ferry leaves.”
Bending down on one knee to stow my cell phone in my bowling bag, I notice a text from Tristan that says,Anytime you need a favor, just ask, bro! You’re the best!Knowing Tristan wouldn’t lift a finger to help me if I called and told him my head was on fire, I just sigh, shoving my phone in the side pocket of my bag and zipping it closed.
“Oh my God! Yes, Iwillmarry you!”
I look up from my bag when my hangry partner in line suddenly shouts at the top of her lungs… to find her looking down at me with a big smile on her face and her hands crossed over her heart.
“What the heck?” is all I have time to mutter before the forty or so people packed in this place all turn around.
They see me kneeling in front of a woman who has clearly lost her mind, and they lose it right along with her. They start screaming, clapping, and cheering, while a few of them quickly pull up their cell phones and aim them in our direction. Since I seem to have lost all ability to move or speak, she leans over and grabs my hands, tugging me up from my knee amid the chorus of well-wishers who all crowd around us. Before I can ask herWhat the freaking heck?this time, her hands are grabbing my face, she’s tugging it down, and then my mouth is suddenly on hers.
The cheering and clapping disappears in an instant, and all I hear is the blood rushing through my ears and my heart thumping in my chest.
Her lips are softer and warmer than I imagined, and the smell of her perfume that reminds me of spicy cinnamon and sweet honey overwhelms me, making me hungrier than the scent of garlic and cheese.
I feel someone pat me on the back in the crowd when her tongue pushes past my lips. And then I forget where I am and what my own name is, as her tongue swipes against mine, and I realize shetasteslike honey too. My stupid knees get weak, and my arms quickly wrap around her waist before I find myself down on the ground in front of her again.
