“Obviously,” Kiara adds.
I grin at her and then reach in my pocket for my wallet, but John waves me away. “I’ve got it.”
“Oh—no, really—” I protest.
“Please, let him pay,” Kiara cuts in. “I was going to give it to you for free, but this way I get some of John’s money.”
“How much is it?” I ask uncertainly.
“Depends. John, how much cash have you got?”
“I can see the price tag,” he says, handing her a twenty.
“But can you not read?” Kiara asks. “Because it says twenty-five.”
“Family discount,” John retorts, but he gives her a five-dollar bill anyway.
Kiara turns away to wrap the necklace up in a tiny cloth bag and then hands it to me with a smile. “Nice meeting you, Emily. You seem really nice, although you’ve obviously got weird taste in men.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
I kind of want to add something like, “See you around,” or blurt out “Can we please be friends?” but instead I manage to smile like a normal person and follow John to the next booth.
“Your sister’s so cool,” I say wistfully, looking over my shoulder at her. “I wish I could make jewelry like that.”
John laughs. “You wish you could do a lot of things.”
“I know. There are just too many options! How does anyone find their calling in life when there’s literally a million different careers? And what if youdofind your calling, but by the time you realize it, you’re too old to do it?” I sigh. “It’s overwhelming.”
“Maybe you should think less about it,” John says. “Or stop looking so hard.”
“Maybe. Like how people say you’ll only meet your soulmate after you’ve totally given up looking.”
John makes a face. “Who says that?”
“The people in my cult.”
It makes him laugh, like I was hoping it would. I laugh with him, then stifle a yawn.
“You want to head home?” John asks.
“Is that okay?” I ask. “I swear I’m having fun, I just usually go to bed at ten like a loser.”
“I don’t think that makes you a loser. Let’s go.”
We head up the street, waving at Kiara as we pass by, and walk back to the parking lot. Another silence has fallen between us, but this one feels slightly charged, almost electric. We’re getting into end-of-date territory, now.
My feet slow as we approach the car. I’m not sure why, but I want to do this now, not after he’s driven me home. “This was fun,”I say. After the low rumble of the crowd at the festival, my voice sounds loud in the quiet side streets.
“It was,” John agrees.
After another few steps, I stop walking altogether. John stops walking, too, and turns to face me. We’re standing in the middle of a parking lot, and there’s a woman loading boxes into a van nearby, but I don’t care. This night was nothing like I expected. It was—quieter. And more relaxing. And really, really fun.
My heart is pulsing in my ears, and the tips of my fingertips feel prickly. “You still want me to come watch you race sometime?” I ask.
John nods. “Definitely.”
I lick my lips. “Maybe you could come over for a movie marathon before that. We could watchThe Last UnicornandThe Sword in the Stone.”
