Page 67

“So when Tony retires, are you going to be the one on the billboards?” I asked.

He dried his hands on the rooster towel and looked around the kitchen. “The king bit isn’t really my thing,” he said.

“No? So a rebrand, then? The Toilet Prince?” I teased.

He laughed, but there was something tight about it. Then he peered into the living room to make sure Mom was still outside.

“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about earlier…” he said, his voice low.

I shifted on my feet. “Oh. Yeah I just—”

He put a hand up. “You don’t have to say anything. I put you on the spot. I’m sorry.”

I licked my lips. “I just move a lot slower, I think? I just need more time.”

“That’s totally fine,” he said. “I get it. I don’t want to rush you. Don’t even think about it, okay?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

He leaned in again and gave me another soft kiss.

Then the sliding glass door opened and shut, and Mom came back in. “So where you taking us to eat, Mike?” she asked, doing her body splash spritz.

“Wherever you ladies want to go,” he said.

“There’s that steak place over in Arbor Lakes,” Mom said. “They got wine flights. No nuts on the menu. I already called.”

I shook my head. “Mom, that place is really pricey…”

“He said wherever we want to go.”

“What about burgers?” Mike said. “Jesse mentioned Smashburger earlier and it sounded good.”

Mom made a face. “Smash burgers? They’ve got wagyu burgers at the steak place. Better.”

“I mean, it’s almost nine thirty,” he said. “You think they’re open this late?”

“They close at eleven,” Mom said.

Mike nodded. “Okay. Sure. Let me just, uh, clean up my tools.”

“Mike, are you positive?” I asked. “It’s really fancy.”

“I got it, babe.” He winked at me.

I went to get dressed and when I came out, my boyfriend took us to eat.

The place was so expensive, I felt bad. I wondered if Mike knew that when he said yes. I mean, I told him but maybe he didn’t know it was going to be this bad? It was the kind of restaurant that people went to for special occasions. A floor-to-ceiling wine cellar in the middle of the room, dim lights and black booths, servers in elegant button-up shirts. I wasn’t even dressed right to be there, none of us were.

While we waited to be seated, I whispered to him that we could go somewhere else but he insisted. When we were looking at the menu, he kept saying I should order whatever I wanted. What I wanted was the rib eye and a mojito, but I ordered the chicken and a glass of water instead because it was a third of the price—and even that was too much.

Mom, on the other hand, did order whatever she wanted. She got a filet and half the appetizers on the menu. I was so embarrassed. I tried to stop her, but Mike kept insisting it was fine. He picked at the appetizers and only ordered old-fashioneds. Mom got two desserts and a coffee at the end. When the bill came, he wouldn’t let me see it.

And when he paid, his card was declined.

13

CHRIS