“I’m fine.” She pushes me away with a laugh. “Thanks for tonight.”
I shrug. “I’ll always turn up for you.”
“I don’t have the job yet.”
“It’s yours if you want it.” I brush her knee and take a pull of my beer. “You could be the next Tony Stark to those kids.”
Miriam’s curls tip back with her laughter. “I do like him.”
“Is that what got you into engineering?”
She sips the red wine I picked up for her after training. “Bill Nye the Science GuyandMighty Morphin Power Rangers.”
“Power Rangers?” Her teeth seep into her lip at a dimpled grin. “How does that make sense?”
“Someone had to build Alpha 5 and make morphers functional. I tried to mimic the wrist communication but couldn’t get the wiring down. What?”
How do I put into words how incredible she is? Everything about her is magic. “You’re one of a kind, Doe.”
Her blush resurfaces. “Thank you.”
“For real. Those kids would be lucky to have you. I was jumping off roofs when I was a kid.”
Her breathy laugh mixes with a giggle. “Which explains why you needed a babysitter in middle school,” she says.
“I’m glad it was you. I’m happy to know you.”
“I’m happy to know you too.”
I ignore the ache in my throat and reach for the controller. “Well, Inspector Gadget. Round two?”
Chapter 23
Miriam
Idid it.
For the first time in my adult life, I made a decision on a whim. I didn’t consult empirical data or well-researched plans months in advance. I gave myself permission to live in the moment and get out of the bubble of routine.
I’m flying to Vegas to spend the weekend with rugby players.
My departure was far from theLiving Singlefinale, which was on TV last night. Khadijah was a woman of habit who never veered from her life runningFlavor. I don’t have a boyfriend who showed up at my door to inspire a last-minute trip out of the country. But I do have a friend who invited me to do more than deep-condition my hair and fold laundry this weekend. Academia was always my excuse for not doing the unexpected.
So I packed the proper toiletries, ran through the pre-travel checklist for my house, and hopped into an airport taxi. Khadijah might have been comfortable leaving her house with only a purse and the underwear she had on, but I need extra clothes in case my pants snag on a door handle.
Marcela video called me to make me prove I was on my way to Sin City with the Buffalo Steel. Our flight left at seven and will touch down before midnight. Six hours and thirty-eight minutes is the total flight time, and it only took takeoff for the thrill to wear off.
“Breathe, Doe. You’ll crack the armrest if you squeeze it any tighter. Want me to sing to you again?” Antonio’s tone is playful, but he eyes me closely for signs I’ll jump out of the emergency exit.
“Negative.” Witnessing him attempt Usher’s falsetto in “Superstar” with a straight face and the pitch of a wild goat is a one-time experience.
Our friendship bracelets touch when he reaches for my hand to rub my protruding knuckles. It’s a weighted blanket on my nerves and kindle for a foreign sensation stoking embers to reignite.
“I like your bracelets. Mine too,” I say to the trio on Antonio’s wrist. He’s wearing the “Miriam BFF” one. Underneath is the “Buffalo Steel” bracelet the team made, and one that says “Be Happy” with different smiley faces.
“Good.” He nods. “You still got a baseball grip. Nervous?”
“Nope.”
