“Why?” he asked. “What do you want to know?”
“If I asked you the question here, it wouldn’t make for much of a prize, would it?”
“True, but that doesn’t answer why.”
Nadine kicked her foot in the water. “We’re here for a while,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense that we stay strangers. We’ve known each other for years, and we’ve barelytalked. It’s weird.”
He was nodding before she finished. “I like it. Do we start now, since we each have a point?”
“We can.” She tilted her head to the sky. He followed her gaze. The city would never get full black thanks to light pollution, but at least there were a few stars visible. She was quiet, and then she pulled her legs in. “Actually, you know what I’m really in the mood for?”
Twenty-five
It was a good thing Wes wasn’t the kind of guy to have his mind in the gutter, because he would have been sorely disappointed when thirty minutes later, they walked into an old-school strip of a diner.
But even if part of him was, the way Nadine’s dimple appeared with her smile as she held the door open went a long way to cheering him up.
Wes took a seat at one of the red vinyl stools that lined the beige-and-sand-marble-patterned counter and faced the cooking area. It was like a time capsule. A woman with dark brown hair in a hairnet flipped an omelet before tossing some breakfast potatoes next to it. He had a brief thrill to be out so late without having to deal with his mother asking where he was going, why, and when he would be back. It was a relief to do what he wanted without answering to anyone.
“I’ve never been here,” Wes said, sniffing in delight. “I’ve always wanted to though.”
“Comfort food at its best,” said Nadine. “Perfect for one-in-the-morning munchies.”
He knew what Nadine wanted—the fish and chips she’d been talkingabout on the way over—and read through the items listed on the bright yellow sign that hung on the wall to decide his own order.
“What can I get for you?” The cook came back after serving the only other customers, a few university kids at the giggly level of high.
Although intrigued by the bandeja paisa, Wes went for that diner classic, a club sandwich. Nadine opened her can of Sprite—he noticed she didn’t drink caffeine after noon—and watched as the cook tossed the fish into the fryer. “Extra crispy, please,” she called.
“You got it.”
It didn’t take long for the food to arrive, glistening under the bright lights. He bit into the sandwich, the toast abrading the top of his mouth, as Nadine cut into the fish to release a puff of steam. Then she said, “Time for me to claim my point. No surprise, it’s the same question you avoided at the grotto. What happened with you at theSpear?”
“I’m not doing exactly what I want, but at least I’m working.” Not having a choice but to answer made it much easier to talk to Nadine.
“That sucks.” Nadine’s voice was understanding. “Where do you want to be?”
“The investigative team. I was seconded for six months before they sent me back to Lifestyle.” He swallowed down the disappointment that always came when he relived Jason telling him,Sorry, man, Rebecca insisted she needed you. It’s fine. I had my eye on Tyler and convinced him to come on board.
“I read your stories. You’re good, no matter what section you’re writing for.”
“Yeah?” That made him feel better, because Nadine was not someone to blow sunshine. If she said his work was good, then it was.
“You always were. You used to drive me bananas at school. I called you Mr. Why.”
This made him laugh. “Why?”
She grinned. “I prove my case.”
“Come on, Nadine.”
“You were never happy with the first answer someone gave you,” she said. “I noticed it when you were doing a story about the new naming rights for the school athletic center.”
“With the donation from the guy rehabilitating his reputation.”
“That one. I saw your interview transcript, and you kept asking why. Why did they accept blood money? Why, why, why, until that vice president finally snapped.”
“I had a big fight with the faculty advisor,” Wes said. That had been one of his scariest days, but he’d been certain of his story. After it resulted in a student protest, Wes had been awestruck with the knowledge that this was what he was meant to do. “I had a name for you too.”
