“What is wrong with you?” I laughed.
“You bring out my playful side; what can I say?”
I liked that answer. I’d always been the least playful of my siblings—well, that is, if you shoved Emma in a closet—so it felt good to be cast in the role of ‘fun guy in a car.’
“I currently have no kids,” I answered her question, then added, “But I suppose I want them someday.”
“Suppose or want?”
“Want.”
“Okay, so when is someday?”
“When I’m no longer a complete and total fuckup—that’s when. You sure seem overly interested in my sperm. Is that because, at three hundred and twelve years old, your clock is ticking?”
“Something like that. See, when you get to my ripe old age, you’re willing to accept less as more. So at this point, even a reasonably fucked-up suitor will do.”
“Ah, well, in that case, let me properly introduce myself. My name is Quinn.”
“Nice to meet you, Quinn.” She laughed, taking one hand off the wheel to shake mine.
We continued the handshake for longer than I’d intended, but I felt at home with her touch and wanted to extend it.
“Have dinner with me,” I blurted out.
Her eyes darted from the road back to me. “You want me to go to a restaurant looking like a wet dog?”
“Actually, I wasn’t suggesting dinner out. I thought maybe we could go back to my place and order something in.”
She glanced my way. “Ah…”
“Hear me out,” I interrupted before she could turn me down, which was where this looked like it was headed. “Just dinner and…”
“And what?” she asked as I hesitated.
“The East Coast feed of my performance should be coming up in an hour.”
Her mouth dropped. “You want to watch it with me?”
“Yes, with you… and a large quantity of alcohol.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
“What? Watching the performance or getting shit-faced?”
“Both.”
I laid my head back on the seat. “Tomorrow I’m going to wake up to a clusterfuck of my own doing. I have to know how the show is spinning it so I can tackle the problem in the morning.”
“…with a raging hangover,” Jess added.
“Exactly.”
“Uh-huh. Solid plan.”
“So, you in?”
She looked me in the eye. “I’m in. I’ll have dinner with you. Maybe even one drink. We’ll watch the show together, and I’ll hold you while you cry. But I can’t stay over.”
