“Which is, like, the whole prayer group and the local PTA.”
“Exactly. Consider it the small-town version of going viral.”
I grin. “Thank you for always being my emergency contact, April.”
“Text me the minute you’re done. And if he’s ugly? I want details.”
“Fair.”
I hang up, and heave a sigh.
Just then, a text comes in from Thor.
Thor: Hey I just want to let you know everything’s a go for tonight…I’ll text you the location soon. Yeah…this is wild lol. But then again, you did say your ultimate fantasy was…steaming up the back of a truck.
Faith: I did. What a coincidence that you’re a truck driver.
I stare at the screen, my thumbs hovering. This whole thing is ridiculous. And thrilling. And definitely not what Sunday School prepared me for.
Faith: Well… good. Because I shaved my legs. Which is kind of a big deal.
Thor: Well I’ll see you and those smooth legs soon.
I’m only working a half-section since it’s my first official night, and by the time Daphne and I are doing our post-shift utensil roll-ups in the back, I’ve already confessed to her about the “official” breakup with Keith.
“So,” she says, twisting a fork into a linen napkin. “How’s it feel? Official freedom. No man, no ring, no five-year plan?”
“I feel…” I pause, thinking. “Weightless. Free. Like I’m walking away from something heavy. But also? Like I might be walking into traffic with a blindfold on.”
“Relatable,” she says. “When I broke up with my first boyfriend, my mom told me I was nuts. Said I was throwing away stability. But deep down, I knew he wasn’t my forever. So I left.”
“Seriously?”
She nods, smiling. “Best decision I ever made. Because a few months later, I met Wendall. Spent the best ten years of my life with him. It wasn’t perfect, but it was real love. And now I’ve got little June, who’s basically his mini-me.”
Her voice softens, and for a second, I see all the depth behind her sass.
“Thank you for sharing that,” I say, genuinely.
She gives me a sly look. “Sooo… is tonight the big night? You finally meeting Thor Thundercock in the flesh?”
I choke on my own laughter. “Daphne!”
“What?” she shrugs. “You showed me the abs. I’m just calling it like I see it.”
I nod, still giggling. “Yes. Tonight.”
She stares at me like I just said I’m going skydiving with a stranger.
“You’re meeting a masked man—whosefaceyou’ve never seen—in a truck, in a field. Girl, are you high?”
“I’m not high! I have met him before. Technically.”
“Technically…at a sex club.”
“Yes.”
Daphne tosses her last roll-up onto the stack. “Well, I made out with Sheldon in the walk-in freezer last Saturday, so who am I to talk?”
