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I kept talking. “Anyway, burglars ransacked our office and that’s why we’re meeting here.”
Maya hesitated. “If you were burglarized, why didn’t you say so when you called?”
“Because it wasn’t the reason I was late.” I was repeating myself, but I could see her forehead ease. The friend with the blue streak smiled. The strawberry blonde only folded her arms.
“You should have told me,” Maya said after a moment.
“Anyway I would love to have dinner with you. I never stood anybody up before and I would never stand you up again. I hope you give me a second chance.” On impulse, I got down on one knee. “Will you have dinner with me if I promise to show up?”
Maya burst into laughter, which made me feel hopeful and happy.
“Please say yes because my knee hurts.”
“Get up.” Maya motioned me up. “People will think you’re proposing.”
“I am, I’m proposing a date.”
“Get up right now.”
The strawberry blonde eyed me hard. “Are you a lawyer?”
“No, an investigator.”
“Do you have a PI license?”
“No, but look at my suit. I’m basically James Bond.”
The blue streak glanced at Maya. “I like him. He’s funny.”
The strawberry blonde shook her head. “I don’t know, sis.”
“You’re sisters?” I asked, confused.
“Sorority sisters,” Maya corrected. “We were Omega Phi at Penn State.”
“I went to Penn State, too,” I said, desperate to connect.
“Really?” Maya brightened. “I got my MBA from Smeal.”
“Wow, an MBA?” I remembered at that moment that I didn’t have a college degree—or a job, for that matter.
Blue Streak said, “Maya wants to own her own company.”
Strawberry Blonde added, “Maya wants to own her owncountry.”
Maya was smiling at me. “My uncle didn’t tell me you went to Penn State, TJ. What class?”
Uh-oh.“Pardon me?”
“When did you graduate?”
“Uh, I didn’t,” I answered. It was my secret shame, on a list as long as other people’s Things to Do. Like I had a list of Things to Be Ashamed Of.
Maya’s smile faded. “Why not? The tuition?”
“No.” My mouth went dry. “I partied too much, my grades went down, and one thing led to another.”
Strawberry Blonde interjected, “Led to what?”
