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Tatiana sunk into the seat across from me at the counter. It was Georgia’s turn to tag in. And she did so with her head held high. “Gigi, you don’t want me to return here tonight after a handful of drinks. Not with a slurred play-by-play as you try to sleep. I suggest you come along.”
The thought made me cringe. “Fine.” I took one last scoop of my ice cream before putting it away in the freezer. “And leave my key on the counter while I get dressed.”
“Who is going to rescue you in an emergency?” As I walked from the kitchen, she yelled, “You can’t have your naked body splayed out for the paramedics to find.” Georgia watched too much TV.
I shook my head and pulled on the dress she picked out. It wasn’t something I would have picked for the night out. I would have gone for somethingbasic.I wanted to thwart any attention, and the dress she picked would do nothing of the sort. But the level of energy I wanted to engage for getting ready was below sea level. I gazed at myself in the mirror, reapplied my lipstick, and decided that was good enough.
“Ready,” I announced, standing before the two of them. They exchanged a look then walked to my front door without a word.
Tatiana’sfuck dudesplaylist echoed through her car speakers. She and Georgia sang and rapped along with the lyrics. From the backseat, I wished I was at home with my ice cream. “I’ll need food,” I remembered. “I only had those few scoops of ice cream.”
From behind the wheel, Tatiana promised, “We’ll eat.”
Except eating was the last thing on their mind as we entered the lounge. People in every corner and crevice of the bar. I had to brace myself as Tatiana tried to shove our way into a spot in front of the bar.
Georgia placed a shot in my face and ordered, “Drink,” when she finally cornered a bartender.
“Food,” I retorted. But she side-eyed me.
I threw it back and slammed the glass on the counter before leaning over to order wings. I didn’t care if they were sloppy, or who would watch me suck on the bone. It’s exactly what I wanted. “They’ll be right up,” the bartender promised.
After the third shot, I forgot I ordered wings. And by the time I was sipping on a martini, I sat at an emptied seat and hung my head.
“Are you having a moment?” Tatiana leaned over the side of her seat and asked.
I nodded. “I am.” Then pouted. “I miss him.”
“Ew, why?”
My eyes darted to hers and then her mouth fell open.
“Not Shawn?”
I shook my head.
Why of all the people in the world would I missShawn? Did people miss the gum at the bottom of their shoe after it got removed? “His mama wasn’t even that bad.”
“What?”
My head raised and shoulders stiffened. “Mrs. Isaac.” The voice that came from my mouth sounded like I was in a scene fromBridgerton.
Tatiana fell forward laughing. “What is that?”
“Why have me meet the mama if you’re going to ghost me afterward?”
“Men suck,” Tatiana concluded. “All of them. The sexy ones, the not so cute ones. The poor ones. The ones with money. Even the ones in church every Sunday. They all suck.” It sounded like a mantra she repeated to herself often.
I eyed her and agreed, “Men suck.” Then I admitted, “But Ilikeyhim. I don’t want him to suck.” I pulled my phone from my pocket. Not sure what I would do next, but it sat tightly in my grip.
“Oh no,” Georgia shouted. She snatched my phone with the quickness. “Absolutely no drunk dialing.”
I rolled my eyes. “What happened to those wings?”
ChapterTwenty-Four
Angelo
Mario wasn’t on the injured list for the game. But it was me who took the field. Unlike the first game, I wasn’t running back and forth to the bathroom before. My head was still dripping sweat, even in the overly air-conditioned locker room though. But by the time I broke the first huddle, I was ready.
