“In his defense, I think he ate some dairy and he only does that to the people he loves,” she says.
“Well, he could have loved me less. Lexi had to wash my hair out in the sink and then lend me a sweater, which I still haven’t returned. It’s cashmere, so I guess I owe him in the end.”
“Okay, well then, since you say it like that, he’s calling in his IOU,” she jokes nervously.
“Oh my God, what is it?” I put the bottle down on the counter, not sure I really want to hear what she has to say. My pulse picks up speed.
“Well, I set someone up on a blind date,” she starts, “and the girl who was supposed to meet him just bailed.”
“Okay,” I reply, not following where she is going.
“I feel so bad for the guy because, apparently, he was really looking forward to it,” she rattles on.
Then like a light bulb goes on in my head, I gasp, “I’m not going on someone else’s date.” I slap the counter beside my glass.
“It’s not like the guy knows who you are anyway, so it’s not like it’s someone else’s date. He is none the wiser in all of this, so to him you are the original girl.”
I close my eyes and shake my head. “Ariella,” I say her name, “you set up this couple and one of them pulls out, and you think I’m going to go out with this guy, who doesn’t even know he’s being stood up?”
“It’s fine,” she says, as if, “just think of it as a free dinner.”
I burst out laughing. “I think I can afford my own dinner, but thanks for that.”
“Kylie, please,” she pleads. “What? No,” she says, and I hear Jaxon on the other side of the phone.
“Give me the phone,” he demands, and the rustling starts on her end as he pulls the phone out of her hand.
“Kylie—” he says my name with animation.
“No,” I cut him off.
“You have to do this for me,” he whines.
“But do I?” I’m not really asking him.
“This is the last time I ever let her talk me into doing something like this,” he hisses, and I don’t know if he’s telling me or Ariella. “I told her this was a bad idea. I told her we should mind our business. I told her no one does blind dates anymore.”
“They don’t,” I confirm to him.
“Yeah,” he says, “they meet on Tinder.”
“Only to fuck,” I fill him in, knowing he’s never in his life had to be on Tinder.
“Seriously?” he asks.
“Yes, listen, whatever dating app I am on, I have to see the guy, that is as blind of a date as I can go. I need to know who I’m going to be meeting before I just show up. Look at Michael and Jillian,” I mention Lexi’s cousin, Michael, who was at a restaurant when Jillian walked in and thought that she was his blind date. Surprise, she wasn’t, but they ended up hooking up and then she got pregnant.
“I mean, is that really a good example?” Jaxon asks me. “They are still together, and I think they have like four kids.”
“Listen, Jaxon,” I say, picking the wine up and pouring some in the glass, “I would love to help you but?—”
“I will name our next child after you.”
“Oh, for the love of—” Ariella demands. “Give me back the phone. It’s me again.”
“Hey.” I chuckle.
“You have nothing to do tonight,” she reminds me, her voice and tone like a firm mom voice. “You said yourself you were going to take a bath.”
