I try to make her smile, impress her in any way, shape or form. But she’s nonplussed. She rolls her eyes at every woman who begs for a photo and my resulting gloating smile. She lockseyes with Nigel repeatedly, as if the two of them are in on a joke, namely, me. We walk and walk. We taste new products and guzzle coffee. Finally at lunch time, I notice she’s left my side.
“Janie?”
“Right there, lad” Nigel replies out of nowhere like the loitering creep I pay him to be.
She’s sitting a few steps away on a bench, sipping bottled water.
“Excuse me,” I say with a lifted hand to stop the bloke approaching me, about to start what I’m sure will be a long, boring conversation. “You all right?” I ask her.
“Ugh,” she leans back, “I’m exhausted, aren’t you exhausted?”
“Can’t keep up with my cardio, love?”
She rolls her eyes. Again. “It’s not that, it’s all the small talk. Does Nigel have a gun? Tell him to take it out and kill me.”
I laugh and sit. “I would but I’m fond of him and he’d be sent to jail. I’d have to find a new body man and that’s such a chore, you know?”
She snorts, “Right.” She really does look spent.
“Was the mayo suit better?”
She pauses, considering. “The mayo suit was really just one script I repeated all day. Also tiring, but I didn’t have to think or ask questions or, you know, pretend to be interested.”
I chuckle, “Pretty sure the girl in the suit selling the product is supposed to be interested, darling.”
“Well, I wasn’t.”
“Alright, that’s enough then.” I stand.
She frowns, “That’s it? Don’t you have, like, a million things to do around here?”
“Eh,” I extend a hand to help her up, “I am just showing my face. None of this is vital.”
She bats my hand away, “I bet it is if you ask your dad. You can’t just blow this stuff off, man, that’s how you ended up in this mess.”
I inhale and glare at her. “It’s very unbecoming of you to be both beautifulandright.”
“A cross I’m willing to bear,” she deadpans.
I chuckle again, “Fine, I’ll stay. You go. Amish Wives of the Country isn’t going to watch itself.”
“Really?” Her face lights up like the neon Clark Industries sign above our heads. At the sight I have to clear my throat and fight the urge to ask her what else she’d like, so I can give that to her as well. I always make people smile, it’s what I do. So not sure why I’m having this bloody weird sensation now. I shake my shoulders a bit.
“Sure,” still, I can’t let her go completely, not yet. “But you have to join me for dinner.”
She deflates a bit but then begins to nod. “I guess I do have to eat.”
“Damn it, you really are good for my ego,” I mutter and at that, she grins. Well. Now I’m tempted to start listing all my flaws just to keep making her lips turned up that way.
Why’ve I gone all weird? I never care much what birds think of me beyond offering a good time. Must be because she’s a close family friend of my sister-in-law.
“You have my number, right?” I ask.
“No. Why would I have your number?”
“Because we’re friends? Good heavens, woman, throw me a bone here.” I hand her my cell. “Put in your number so you can text me your hotel. I’ll meet you at yours for dinner.”
“Okay,” she says. She types in her info and then looks up. “You’re sure it’s okay for me to bail?”
