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“Like, what a fun dress. So pretty! If it weren’t all legit inappropriate, I’d totes ask to touch it, but you know… Enjoy! Your server will be with you in like less than a minute.”
Charlie flipped open the menu. Where did one begin? Coquito, tostones, pasteles… Her mouth watered. “You know what you want?”
Mack closed the menu. “Nope. I like to live life on the edge. When the waiter comes by, I’ll make a game-time decision.”
“Gutsy. I like it.” Charlie sipped water and accidentally linked her foot with Mack’s. She smiled when Mack didn’t move.
“I didn’t know you guys did a drag queen reading.”
“When I started, I wanted to do it once a month, but I’ve been slacking at coordinating. Next time won’t be until September.”
Mack propped her elbows on the table. “Do the kids like it?”
“They love it. They all huddle down on the floor and look at the queen like she’s a real-life fairy princess. After, they line up and take pictures with her. Super freaking cute.”
Speaking of cute… Mack’s button-down shirt was such a subtle change from her regular wardrobe. That, along with a layered necklace, and Charlie’s pulse had not stopped thudding in her ears since she walked into Mack’s parents’ condo.
They locked eyes, and every cell buzzed.
Mack cleared her throat. “Do you want something to drink at all?”
“I don’t drink.”
Mack cocked her head.
“Does that surprise you?” Charlie asked.
Mack paused for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe a little? Did I just become my grandpa and assume with the sleeve tattoos and septum piercing you’d…”
“Lick salt off my wrist and toss back a tequila shot?” Charlie grinned. “I can see that. Gotta keep people guessing.”
“For whatever it’s worth, neither do I.”
“Really? Well, they have a great cucumber spritzer made with fresh mint. Remi does this dramatic show of slapping it in her palm.” Charlie tossed her head behind her shoulder. “Watch, she’s doing it now.”
Mack lifted her eyebrow. “Whoa. She has one heck of a smack for those who are into that kind of thing.”
And Charlie hooked her finger in her collar to cool down from the flirt in Mack’s voice.
The waiter scooted up to their table. “Ladies. What can I get for you?”
After giving their order, Charlie leaned back. “Can I ask why you don’t drink?”
Mack played with the straw in the water glass. “I used to throw down, once in a while, on the weekends or whatever. Mostly when I was forced to be in social situations.”
“You really hate people, don’t you.”
Mack chuckled. “I do! It’s bad. I love humanity if that makes sense. But individual people make me itchy.”
Charlie related to this on a certain level. She loved chatting and being around people. But individuals disappointed her on a deeper level.
“When I started writing my first book, I discovered that hangovers and writing don’t mix. Even getting buzzed killed my creativity for a solid twenty-four hours.” Mack tapped her fingers against the table. “After I was published, I traveled for book tours and meetings and tried to keep up my social media and author site. Everything became so much harder if I wasn’t clear-headed.”
The waiter delivered their mocktails, and the women clinked their glasses in cheers. The mint and cucumber spritz fizzled down her throat. Charlie soaked in every word as Mack told her about building her site, explained author brands and the marketing needed behind a book launch.
“What about you? Why don’t you drink?” Mack asked.
Charlie unwrapped her silverware and put the napkin in her lap. “My dad’s a raging alcoholic, and in case that gene got passed down to me, I didn’t want to end up like him.” Charlie delivered this with the same tone as if she rattled off her favorite dessert, but her insides cringed.
