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“You... watched my videos?”
Rather than answer, I sing a few lines from one of her cover songs. When I watched her video the first time, it took me a minute to recognize the song because her interpretation of it was so... different. The original song is dreadfully sad, but Raine’s version was upbeat, fun, something to move to. It made the lyrics take on a totally different meaning without changing a single word. Icouldsing the whole thing, but the surprise on her face has me laughing too hard to continue.
Raine stares at me open-mouthed, turns away for a moment, then looks back at me again. I prod the center of her forehead with a finger. “You okay in there, ciaróg?”
She blinks. “What did you think? Really?”
The wind picks up and blows her hair across her face. I have to put my hands in my coat pockets to keep from tucking her hair back behind her ear. “I said you’re my favorite musician, didn’t I?”
“It’s okay if you don’t like them. I know it’s not everyone’s thing. It comes down to personal taste, you know. For example, I can appreciate house music, but I don’t particularly enjoy it.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. “I told you I very rarely say things I don’t mean. You’re really good, Raine. I’m not just saying that because...”Shite.She looks up at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence. “Because I’m your most professional coworker.”
“You’re the silliest person I’ve ever met.”
“A role I take very seriously.”
Raine shoves me playfully. “Fine, don’t tell me where you’d really go.”
“Can I ask you something?” I say, hoping to change the subject.
“Sure.”
“Would you ever want to play your own music?”
She stares down at her hands for a moment and tugs at the fingers of her gloves. Her hair hides her face from view, and I feel that urge to sweep it out of the way again.
When she lifts her head and looks out over the water, I realize I’m holding my breath. “I want to,” she says. “If I had the courage, I’d find somewhere to stay for a while and put together an album. Really dedicate some time to it. But...” She lets the words trail off, then turns to me. “I don’t know. I’m not ready. I wish I was. But I’m not.”
Before I can find the words to respond, she smiles at me and says, “Want to make a bet?”
“I’m not sure. It didn’t go so well for me last time.”
“Race me to the Annie Moore statue. If you win, I’ll buy you a bagel every day this week. IfIwin, you have to tell me where you’d really go, and your answer can’t be Boston.”
“And you thinkI’mthe silliest person you’ve ever met? Look in a mirror, ciaróg.”
“One beetle recognizes another,” she says.
“Don’t go using the proverbs of my own people against me, now.”
She grins up at me, waiting expectantly.
“Oh, all right,” I say.
Her face lights up, and I’m so caught up in thinking about how beautiful she is that it startles me when she shouts “Go!” and takes off running.
As soon as my brain catches up, I bolt after her. “That’s cheating!”
Raine’s laugh echoes back to me. For someone who says she would never willingly subject herself to cardio, she’s surprisingly fast. Likely all the traveling with that giant backpack of hers. She doesn’t so much as look over her shoulder as she runs, red hair streaming behind her.
Raine is fast, but I’m faster. Just as she’s about to reach the statue, I lurch forward and grab her around the waist, picking her up and spinning away from it. She laughs wildly as I hold her out of reach of the statue and touch it with my boot.
“There,” I say, out of breath when I set her on her feet again. “I win.”
“You cheated!” Raine cries, false indignation in her voice.
“Oh, no,” I say. “Don’t even start with that. You cheated first.”
