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Jade blinks at me, possibly surprised that I agree with her.
“But only if you’re comfortable with it,” I add.
“Thanks, Sara,” Emma says, but Jade hasn’t taken her eyes off me.
“Hang on,” Jade says, and now I have the full brunt of her attention. “Sara’s been awfully relaxed this weekend,” Jade twists her mouth to the side and wiggles an eyebrow. “Are you getting some frustration out somehow?”
“No!” I protest. “I am not sleeping with my roommate.”
“Wow,” Tessa says, leaning her elbow on the table and propping her chin in her hand, mirroring Jade. “Jade didn’t say anything about your roommate.”
“That’s not . . . I just meant . . .”
Emma claps a hand over her mouth to hide her giggle.
“You!” I say, pointing at her. “Go talk to him!” I jab my thumb over my shoulder to indicate the gentleman at the bar.
Emma groans and pouts for a moment, but her eyes glance back over my shoulder. “Okay,” she says, drawing in a breath and then taking a sip of her bubbling wine. “What do I say?”
“I always start with hi,” Jade says helpfully, and Emma pinches Jade’s bicep. Jade yelps and rubs her arm but laughs as Emma stands, straightens her shoulders, and walks toward the bar.
Tessa and Jade both watch, not subtle at all. “What’s happening?” I ask.
Jade flicks her gaze at me and smirks. “She’s walking to the bar. He sees her. I’m guessing Emma’s just said hi. He’s saying something . . .”
Tessa and Jade both whip their heads at me. “He just looked at us. Busted,” Jade says.
Tessa snickers.
That’s how we pass the next hour or so, talking about our work and Jade occasionally providing commentary on the situation at the bar.
“Oh, they’re standing up,” Jade interrupts my possibly-too-thorough analysis of my YouTube statistics.
“She just winked!” Tessa squeals, grabbing Jade’s arm excitedly.
All three of us watch as Emma and her handsome stranger weave their way through the tables. Emma stops at the back of her chair and leans in toward us. “We’re going to his place,” she whispers, and I have to clap my hand over my mouth to not giggle.
The man stops to her right, and as Emma gathers her things, he smiles at us. “Hello,” he says, Italian accent thick.
I clear my throat and straighten up. “Can I see some ID, please?”
Jade guffaws next to me, but the man just smiles and pulls out his identification card. I snap a picture.
“Where are you going?” He rattles off an address which I write down. “Are you driving?”
“Okay, Mama Bear,” Jade interrupts.
“It’s okay,” he says to Jade and then turns back to me. “We will take an Uber.”
“That she’ll order and share the ride with us.”
He smiles, bright white teeth against olive skin. “Yes, signora. I will take very good care of her.”
At his low, flirty words, Emma’s already pink cheeks deepen in color, and she ducks her head. She rolls her eyes when Jade lets out a low whistle and then blows us all air kisses. “That’s enough. Love you, see you later.”
When Emma and her man depart, Jade, Tessa, and I look at each other. Jade’s smug and offers us a hand for a high-five.
Tessa smacks her palm, and after an eye roll, I do too.
