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Rae perks up, but Liv turns confused. “What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean? I want to take you and Rae to dinner.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re all hungry and Papa Angelo’s has awesome pizza.”
Another kid calls Rae’s name. Before she hurries away to see what they want, she begs Liv, “Annie, please say yes! It’ll be so fun! Please, please!”
Liv looks tempted.
Once I’m alone with her again, though, she shakes her head like she’s trying to get her wits about her or something. “Landon, I can’t accept—”
“Listen,” I interrupt lightly. I hold up my hands and speak with all the sincerity in the world. “If you don’t want to go because you don’t want to be around me anymore, that’s one thing. That’s a good reason to say no. I’d understand and respect that. But if it’s really about the money, just say yes, because I’m a thousand percent okay with paying. It’s what I want to do.” I drop my hands. “I’m not asking you on a date and I’m not trying to be weird. I just like hanging out with you, and Rae is funny, and I want to get food with you guys.” I pause before I add more softly, “Honestly, Liv, you’re good people who entertain me and make me happy. And maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal today because today didn’t totally suck, but itwasa big deal yesterday, plus I haven’t forgotten that you saved my life.” I shrug. “I just want to take you out for a delicious dinner.”
Her expression has lightened since I started talking, but she narrows her eyes at the last part. “Does this have anything to do with you feeling bad about our food stamps?”
“Nope,” I say, and I mean it.
“I don’t want pity from you.” Her expression and tone are almost warning now, like I’d better not feel sorry for her, or else.
That’s cute, but I don’t feel sorry for her. I mean, I doandI don’t—the thing with the food stamps is undeniable shit, but it’s really not why I’m inviting them out. I want them to have the things they need, of course, but I’m not attempting to take on the responsibility of making sure they have them.
“I just want to keep our fun evening going,” I tell her. “I promise.”
She keeps up the suspicion for a second longer, then drops it with a sigh. The look on her face is softening, but I can still see hesitation there.
I let her consider things. I’ve said what I wanted to say, and I don’t think reiterating it would do any good; I’m pretty sure she’s not the kind of person who can be talked into doing what she doesn’t want to do. Rae probably has a special hold on her, but I’d guess she’s the only one. I think if I tried any harder to get her to agree to this, it’d piss her off, and I don’t want that. I’d rather call it a night and be bored by myself than risk upsetting her.
At length, she tells me, “The problem isn’t you. I don’t think you’re weird, and I don’t think you’re hitting on me.”
Hope springs up in me.
She rubs at one side of her face. “It…it really is the money. And it’s my fault we don’t have it—we can only afford to go out once a month, but I messed that up this month because of a car batt—nevermind, I don’t want to talk about that right now. What I’m trying to say is, it’s incredibly kind of you to invite us, and I’d like to go, and I want Rae to enjoy her night, but….”
Yeah, I get it. She thinks being treated to dinner sounds fun,butshe’s not used to it, so she doesn’t know how she would really feel about it.
Indeed, I study the torn look that has come onto her face. I’ve never seen someone wear a look like that so honestly, and it’s endearing.
“If you want to go, then let’s go,” I say. “It’s that simple.”
She chews on the inside of her cheek.
“If you’re really concerned about how much it’ll cost, we can go to McDonald’s, for all I care.” I pat my stomach. “I personally want good pizza now, though.”
A smile curves reluctantly along her lips. “Me, too,” she confesses.
I grin. “Yeah?”
She nods. “My job ordered the Bavarian cream dessert pizza from Papa Angelo’s once, and it was so good that a part of me died and went to heaven.”
I groan at the mention of it. “Holyhell,I love the Bavarian cream pizza. We gotta get one of those.”
She spends a few seconds studying me, and then she asks, “You’re sure you want to buy us dinner?”
“More than sure.”
After a few more seconds: “Okay. We’ll go on one condition.”
