“So … what did you say then?” he asks from his spot at the table in our main room at the station.
“You’re worse than a high school girl,” I grumble.
“I’m bored. Humor me.”
“I told her, ‘Challenge accepted.’”
“Okay then,” he says. “I’m impressed. So, what’s your next move?”
“My next move?”
“E-Jayyyyy.” Truck manages to draw out the way he says my name, as if I’m the most exasperating person he’s ever met. “You’ve got a next move, right?”
“I mean … yes.”
Champ chuckles from his spot in a recliner at the other side of the room.
“That would be a for sure no,” Truck says.
“I’m just going to ask her out again.”
“Wraaaaannngghhh. Bzzzzzzzt.” Truck shouts, making the sound of a buzzer. “No sir.”
“I don’t know,” Champ says. “That might just be the move.”
Truck’s face scrunches up in confusion. And he goes quiet for a rare moment.
“You already showed her you’re serious,” Champ says. “Bringing dinner was a solid move. It shows her you know she’s got the boys. And you’re not ignoring them or trying to make her neglect them.”
I smile under his praise.
“And you can’t go wrong meeting a woman’s needs,” Champ says. He shakes his head softly. “I’m not saying you’ll always be able to tell what exactly those are, but when you figure it out, you’ve hit the jackpot.”
Truck’s still speechless. We’re in a masterclass and we both know it.
“So, I say, ask her out again,” Champ says. “You’ve brought her a meal. You made her laugh.” He nods, confirming his advice. “Shoot your shot.”
Truck rubs his hands. “My show’s on.”
“I am not your show,” I tell him.
“You actually are,” he says with a smile.
“Just wait til you like someone,” I threaten.
Surprisingly, that shuts him up.
After work, I sit in my truck, not turning the key yet.
There’s really no time like the present.
I take a deep breath, blow it out and put the truck in drive.
“First shot. Not the last,” I tell myself. “She might say no. Then I’ll tuck tail and come back again.”
The salon light is on. I put my truck in park right out front and walk in.
“Well, hello, EJ,” Laura says with a smirk.
