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She nods. “Oh yeah. Big time. My mother actually said that if I want to date you, I’m going to have to fight off the other ladies in town who want the same thing.”
My breath goes shallow. I work the rag faster. “Yeah, well then it’s probably a good thing you don’t want to date me.”
“Right. I’d be terrible at fighting for you. I mean, what would I do, get all flirty? Let you win board games? Serve you pie?”
“I will rank your strategies on a number scale, from zero to ten, ten being the best.”
She laughs. “Of course you will…”
“Flirting: ten. Everyone likes to flirt. Not all of us are good at it, but still, it works. Serving pie? Eleven. That’s a winning strategy for sure. And letting me win… zero. I like a woman who gives me a run for my money. Points if she wins.”
“Really? My, my. This is a side of you I haven’t seen. The all-grown-up Nick, talking about what he wants in a woman.”
“I’m not eighteen anymore, Maddison.”
“And neither am I. So, this thing about how not everyone can flirt. How areyourskills?”
“Mediocre, at best. Like I said, I missed out on a lot during my twenties.”
She nods. “Good point. You took all those med school classes and I’m sure you know all about the stages of development. That entire decade is probably devoted to perfecting the flirting ability.”
“Look at you, an English Lit major who knows about stages of development. That’s exactly right, Maddison. Courting a mate is vital to the success of the species.”
“Maybe you’ll get the skill down in your thirties.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Let’s practice. I’ll throw you a softball.” She leans her hip into the counter. With her head cocked she twists a lock of hair. “So, do you come to this diner often?”
I drop my voice so it’s extra deep and cock an eyebrow at her, playing along. “That depends… Do you?”
“My family owns it. These days, I’m a regular.”
“Then I plan on being a regular, too.”
“Oooh!” She claps. “You’re good at it. I’d dial down the suaveness a touch. Like atinytouch. You don’t want women to think you’re too much of a Casanova, or they’ll be too intimidated to flirt back.”
I chuckle. “Ah. Right. Too suave. Got it. How’s this? ‘Well, gee, if you’re here, I’ll come to this diner lots and lots.’”
“Wait.” She scrunches her nose. “What was that?”
“The opposite of suave. Unsophisticated.”
“Yikes. Okay, don’t dial it backthatmuch. Maybe just be yourself.”
“That’s your official advice on how to flirt?”
“It’s not like I’m an expert, Nick. Did I ever say that?”
“You were pretty quick to give me advice.”
“I know a thing or two.”
“Let’s see your moves, then.”
“Really? You really want to? Watch out, because you’re about to get blinded by the Maddison Razzle Dazzle.”
I arch my brows. “The Maddison Razzle Dazzle? Why is this the first time I’m hearing that amazing term?”
