Anyway, I managed to narrow down family versus friends based on some holiday pictures, then slimmed it down even more by girls he took solo pics with. A big-haired girl with the username ‘nails.hair.body.angel’ clasped her nails around his neck to pull him closer.
That had to be her: digging her nails in.
My nostrils flared. What kind of person would do that to him? I clicked hard on her profile.
Lots of selfies with the girls. Lots of clubbing. She’d been out last night, according to her stories. So, that was probably Janice.
She was mid-laugh, hugging her girlfriends close. Then, making kissy faces in the bathroom. She climbed atop a statue of a dog, sat sidesaddle, and pretended to lead a charge.
What the hell kind of ideal island would Sal be making for her? A club with all her pals?
On the surface, the only things they had in common were big smiles and lots of friends.
But Ash had said Sal was nice and deserved better. So, didn’t that imply Janice was a jerk?
I rubbed my temples. It wasn’t any of my business. Except it was, if I agreed to help Sal. If he was a friend.
I shook my head, then did a few more things for the fucked-up phone to my left. It’d be another hour reloading the items onto it. Might as well take my lunch break.
I headed straight for my usual boxed-in booth, but a girl scooping carrot sticks into peanut butter with perfectly manicured nails caught my attention.
“Janice?” I gasped.
She looked up from her phone and furrowed her darkened brows at me. “Hey. Have I done your hair or something?” Her gaze lingered on the rat’s nest shoved under my cap. “It might’ve been a while ago, I guess.”
Okay, so I wasn’t exactly a beauty queen. I pulled my singed fleece tighter across the thin baseball tee underneath. “Sorry, I recognized you from a friend’s socials. Sal told me a lot about you.”
She twirled a curl around her finger and smirked. “Oh yeah? What’d he say?”
“That…” She wasn’t that bad? I scanned my brain for something better. “You’re a good dancer.”
She laughed and waved me off. “Compared to his friends, I guess I am. What else?”
“He said your birthday’s coming up.”
Her eyes lit up. “Did he mention any plans?”
I squinted. “Plans?”
“You know, dinner, presents.” She flip-flopped her free hand.
“Oh. I think it’s supposed to be a surprise.”
“Can I at least have a hint?” She raised her eyebrows and fixed me with a bright, hopeful smile. She nudged her lunch toward me with her elbow.
What the hell did she expect? That I’d betray him for a pretzel stick?
I sucked in a breath to chide her, but Sal strode up before I could get anything out.
“Hey, what’s this?” He smiled, his dimples twitching in bewilderment. “Are you two friends?”
“No,” I said, overlapping with her chipper, “We just met.”
Shit. That would’ve been a better answer.
He gave me a funny look. “Well, you can probably sit with us. Is that cool with you, Janice?”
“Yeah. Be my guest.” She scooted over in the booth and eyed me, her smile guarded. It wasn’t malicious. If someone like Janice sized me up, it had to be for a nuanced reason.
