With blushing cheeks, she nods and blows him a friendly kiss before stepping onto the sidewalk.
The streets of New York City are alive tonight. The diverse population, the cultural richness, and the urban dynamic make it the greatest city in the world. The greenery is lush this time of year, with dogs and children rolling in the open grass spaces. A gentle breeze carries the city’s fragrances: one second, the acute scent of blossoming flowers, and the next, the aroma of a nearby pretzel stand. By the time we arrive at the park and have been led to our reserved seating, the sun has nearly set, and a canvas of pastel hues paints a backdrop for us.
WhenThe Parent Traptoggles on the giant screen, Joey nearly catapults out of her green inflatable seat in excitement. We lay our food, plastic utensils, and sodas on the small circular table positioned between our chairs and eat our sandwiches straight from the paper wrapping.
When we arrived, there was a black blanket wrapped in plastic, much like those on an airplane, resting on each of our seats.And about the time Chessy figures out Hallie is Annie, we unwrap our polyester blankets and Joey climbs onto my lap. With her butt flush against my hip and her legs draped over my lap, she snuggles into the crook of my neck.
“You smell good,” I whisper.
“Shh,” she scolds. “This is my favorite part.” She quickly kisses me on the cheek. “And you’re a liar. I smell like pickles.”
“Shh,” I tease. “Pickles smell good.” I steal a kiss, smacking my lips against hers for dramatic flair, and someone to the left shushes us.
The movie ends, and Joey slips her arms through her denim jacket. “That was really fun.” She stands and helps me throw our trash away. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I release the pieces of her long hair that are still tucked in her jacket.
Just as I reach for her hand, she spins around on the pavement to face me and walks backward. “Wanna grab a drink?”
I absolutely don’t want this night to end, so I take her hand in mine and drop a kiss to it. “Sounds great.”
She leads me to a bar I’ve never been to about halfway between our apartments, and we snag a high-top by the window.
“Old-fashioned,” I tell the server before we’ve even had a chance to look at the drink menus.
“Make that two,” Joey adds.
When our drinks arrive, garnished with oranges and maraschino cherries, she spins her glass on the sticky surface. “This was my dad’s favorite drink,” she admits, nostalgia caught in her throat. “He used to ask for extra cherries, then give them to me.”
Lifting my glass, I raise a brow, and when she follows suit, I clink mine against hers. “He sounds like a solid man.”
“Did you give Ezra hell about his little mix-up?” She uses airquotes, then drops her elbows to the table and tucks her fists beneath her chin.
“Yeah, he heard it from me, all right.”
He called this morning to make sure I’d made it home, and when I questioned him about not telling me that Joey was sleeping in my bed, his response was along the lines of “are you kidding me? You would have been up my ass for a play-by-play, or worse—you would have flown home early.”
He’s not wrong.
“Too bad he and Millie didn’t work out,” she says, bringing her drink to her lips. “I think he could be good for her.”
I take a sip, too, relishing the way the bold bourbon slides down my throat. “He’s on a date with someone tonight, actually.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Her name is the same as one of those American Girl dolls Claire used to have. Kirsten or Molly or something like that.” I laugh. I can’t keep up with my roommate and his women.
Joey sighs. “I’m sure going to miss your bed tonight. Not looking forward to my pull-out sofa.”
“Spend the night, then.” The words are out of my mouth before I’ve even considered them.
“What? No, that’s not why I brought it up.” She swirls a finger in the condensation on her glass, then wipes it on her cocktail napkin. Her cheeks are tinted pink, like maybe she’s embarrassed. She finishes her drink in two long gulps.
“I know,” I assure her. “But I’m actually going to be gone for work for a couple of weeks.”
She’s chomping on a piece of ice now, but she freezes when the words register. “You are?”
“I got that job I was telling you about. The one in Austin.”
