“Wings? Really?”
“Yes. And a beer.”
“Well, youdidbasically help put all this together for me. I think the least I can do is buy you wings and a beer tonight.”
“Really?” she asked. “Wait. Were you just really careful with how you worded that?”
“What?”
“You said you couldbuyme wings and a beer but failed to mention that you’d be sitting there across from me at the booth, eating some of your own.”
Larissa laughed and replied, “Harlow, I’m going to eat dinner with you, but I’m not getting wings. Are the wings a requirement? They have a pretty good turkey burger. I was going to get that.”
“I’ll allow it,” she joked. “Come on.”
“Am I allowed to say goodnight to Samantha, or are you going to pretend she’s busy and keep me away from her again?”
“What? No, you can say goodbye to her,” she replied, hoping Samantha had already gone home for the night. “I doubt she’s still here, though. I think she works the day shift. She probably left right after we got started.”
Luckily for her, Samantha was, indeed, gone by the time they made it to the lobby. Harlow had gone to Larissa’s after work to pick her up so they wouldn’t have to deal with two cars, and that had turned out to be a smart decision because when they got to Dave’s, which was only a few blocks away, there was only one parking spot. They didn’t want to leave the car at the co-working space, so Harlow drove them the short distance, street-parked, and hurried Larissa inside the restaurant because she reallywasstarving.
“Can I get the Wild Moon Ale and a dozen of the spicy wings?” she asked their waiter when he walked over.
“Sure. And you?”
“Turkey burger with lettuce, pickle, and tomato,” Larissa said. “No mayo, mustard, or anything else on it.”
“Okay. Fries, chips, or onion rings?”
“Oh, get the onion rings,” Harlow suggested. “I want to steal some.”
“Fine. Onion rings,” Larissa said with a laugh.
“And to drink?”
“Just a water with lemon.”
“She’ll have the Mild Moon,” Harlow said.
“No, I won’t.” Larissa laughed.
“It’s a light beer. You’ll be perfectly fine. I’m having the dark one.”
“I don’t need–”
“Just bring it for her. I’ll drink it if she doesn’t.”
“Sure. I’ll bring that water with lemon, too.”
“Why are you trying to get me to drink tonight?” Larissa asked after he was gone.
“To celebrate. You’re starting on the book now, which means soon, you’ll be able to finish school and start your actual career. I thought we could have a drink to celebrate. The Mild Moon is barely even a beer. You’ll be fine. The one I got is a realbeer. You can try it if you want. It’s got more alcohol in it and actually tastes like a beer, not water with a side of hops.”
“You think I can’t handle my booze?”
“No, Iknowyou can. I knew you in college when you knew how to have fun. Well, you had fun once every three or four months, anyway.”
“I’m not twenty-two anymore,” Larissa replied.
