“Right, because the Internet istheplace for sound medicaladvice.”
Casey put a stop to their bickering by pressing Keith for more information on the mystery woman he had been thinking of bringing to the wedding but didn’t. “You’re talking about the woman you met at the studio, right? I thought you said she was perfectforyou.”
“Yeah, I thought she was, but turns out I was wrong.” Keith shrugged, seemingly indifferent to the conversation. “There were red flags from thebeginning.”
Both Kyle and I groaned inunison.
“What? You guys are assholes. You didn’t meet her so don’t go hatingonme.”
Keith always found some excuse for why he couldn’t get serious with a woman, and usually it was the pettiest excuse you could imagine. He dumped one for wearing red toenail polish and another because he didn’t like the way she ran her tongue over herteeth.
“What horrible disorder did this one have?” I asked. “Ahangnail?”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re referring to.” Keith knew full well where this line of questioning was going but was playing coy forlaughs.
“You don’t think it’s just slightly weird that you won’t call a girl back because you don’t like the way she pronounces ‘caramel’?”
“Okay, I stand by that one. Caramel is not three syllables and youknowit!”
I groaned. “You’re the nit-pickiest person I’veevermet.”
“I like what I like.” Keith slid down in his seat, hooking his hands behind his head. “Bigdeal.”
“You never told us what this one did,” Casey asked, clearly excited for theanswer.
“She probably blinks too much,”Kylesaid.
Keith’s lips curved in delight as he caught our amused expressions and matched it with his own. “Well, now I don’t wanttosay.”
“Did she have a crooked toe?” Kenziesuggested.
“Or bad breath?” Caseyguessed.
“You make me sound so shallow.” Keith beamed. “If you must know, she parts her hair in themiddle.”
The four of us traded puzzledexpressions.
“You know, like smack dab in the middle. I’m telling you, it’s a total deal-breaker.”
Laughter swept through the ranks. Even for Keith, hair parts were stretching it. He hadn’t always been this way, but since breaking up with his ex, his focus was all off. Keith needed to just let her go and move on. I couldn’t tell yet if being in the same room with Sam after so many months apart would be good for him or not, but at least we didn’t have to contend with either of them bringingadate.
“Damn, that girl with the middle part must’ve been hideous.” Kyle shuddered, fixing his stare on Kenzie with a mischievous grin wide acrosshisface.
“Hey.” She jabbed him with her thumb. Her hair was currently being worn with a part smack dab down themiddle.
“No offense.” Keith said, offhandedly. “It looks goodonyou.”
“Oh, right.Thanks.”
I watched her run her fingers through her straight hair, flipping a few strands here or there to lessen the starkappearance.
Trying to be nonchalant with a question she really wanted an answer to, Casey asked, “Did you see Sam at thechurch?”
“She was in the back, but yeah, Isawher.”
We allwatchedhim.
“What?”
