The Green Ticket

Chapter 10



“Hey, you’re back early!” Lila greeted me when I walked through our door, setting my purse and work bag next to the kitchen table.

“Yeah, I was able to slip away a little early. I have so much to tell you guys. And I figured having more time to get ready would only help me.”

“I was just getting ready to jump in the shower, but I’ll wait ‘till after you leave now. I’ll text the girls that you’re ready. Everything okay?” Lila peered at my face, which I was sure still showed the dismay from Mandy’s story.

“Yeah. Kind of. Maybe not. I’ll tell you when everyone gets here. It’s quite the story.”

“Okay, then. Are you hungry? I know you’re going out to eat, but I was just going to munch on some grapes.”

“Grapes? Not a piece of cake or something?” I teased her.

Lila opened the fridge and pulled out a bowl of green grapes, easing the lid back and heading to the kitchen sink. Turning on the faucet, she replied, “Funny. And no. My casting call with Mary Strubaker is in three weeks, so I’m putting my best foot forward from here on out. Watching what I eat, paying attention to the workout calendar you made me, and I need to schedule an appointment for a facial. I’m thinking next week. Could you get me in?”

“I’m sure we could. Have you ever had a facial before?”

“No, why? Are they scary?”

“No, not at all. But sometimes if you haven’t had them you can be prone to breaking out. I would just hate for that to happen right before the big day. When did you say it was?”

“The 25th. The last Friday of the month.”

“Okay, that should work then. I would suggest about two weeks before. That way you’re skin will have time to react and leave you fresh and beautiful for your call.”

“Casting call.”

“Right. I’ll get you in the books tomorrow.”

“You’re the best!” Lila gave me a squeeze as our door opened and Emma, Carmen, and Hannah all walked in.

“Girls gone wild in a dorm room! Action!” Carmen said when she saw us.

“You’re so hilarious, Ms. Morales,” Lila said, tapping Carmen playfully on the bottom. “Nothing wrong with showing the roommate love for giving me a discount on my facial. Grape?” She offered the bowl of fruit.

Carmen wrinkled her nose, looking at the healthy snack. “Yeah, no gracias, chica. Brought my own refreshments.” She pulled a bottle of wine from her bag, handing it to me. “Happy first date present.”

“Thanks, Carmen! Thanks all of you for coming. I have some major news to share, and I need your help. Badly. Let me just open this quick and we can get started.” I pulled out the wine opener from a drawer, swiftly popping the cork and pouring glasses for everyone except Hannah.

“I still have to study tonight,” she said when I offered her a glass.

“Study? Hannie, love, it’s a Saturday night,” Carmen said, eagerly taking her own glass.

“Yes, well, I would leave it for tomorrow but….I have a date.” She barely got the words out before we all started squealing.

“Shut up!”

“Another date with Peter?”

“So quickly after the first one, I love it!”

“Where are you going?”

“I will not shut up, yes with Peter, I know it’s so soon, and we are going to an early movie and then to Demetri’s for fondue.”

“Demetri’s? You’re so lucky, I’ve always wanted to go there!” Emma exclaimed. “All the guys I go out with are too cheap to take me. You’re a lucky one, Hannah. This Peter seems pretty awesome.”

“I’ll let you slide on the studying tonight then. Only because I am muy excited for you,” Carmen said.

“I wanted to ask you, Alex, do you think I could get in for an immediate haircut and style tomorrow? I’ve been putting it off forever, but I think it’s necessary.”

“Not a problem. I just looked at the schedule before I left and I’m pretty sure Jewel had a pretty open schedule. Can you come in right at twelve when we open?”

“I can. Thank you so much.”

“Pleasure’s mine, Hannie.” I smiled at my friend. It was odd seeing Hannah so excited over a date and actually thinking about her hair and appearance for once.

“Alex, do you know where you are going tonight?” Lila asked, changing the subject. “And let’s continue our convo in the bathroom. We need to help this one get ready.”

We shuffled our way into the tiny bathroom, which wanted to explode once the five of us were in there. “Maybe we should just do this in the bedroom. Lila, you have a bigger mirror on your vanity. Can I just sit there?” I asked. We were shoulder to shoulder and could barely move.

“Good idea.” We picked up our wine glasses and made our way into Lila’s room, where she shoved all her stray clothing and whatever else hid in her room under the bed. I took a seat, and Lila plugged in her curling iron.

“And to answer your question, no. I have no idea where we are going. Henry said he had a place in mind, but he wasn’t sure he could get reservations at such a short notice,” I said, staring at my reflection in the mirror. “To be honest, I’m a little nervous. I don’t do good with fancy food. What if I don’t like anything on the menu?”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Emma said, sprawling on Lila’s bed and picking up one of the many rag mags that covered it. “Every place has to have chicken strips. Those are plain enough.”

“Not necessarily. I’ve been out to eat where you can’t find anything plain. Everything is stuffed or smothered or comes with weird stuff baked on it,” I countered.

“Everything will work out. Stop being so nervous about it,” Lila scolded me, running a comb through my hair and spritzing my strands with a heat protector spray. “I would also like to take credit for this date.”

“How do you get credit? I’m the one that told Peter that Henry could call Alex,” Hannah argued.

“Yeah, but I’m the one that set you up with Peter. Alex meeting Henry through Peter would have never happened if it weren’t for me. Voila–– I’m the winner.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll let you have this one,” Hannah conceded, nudging Emma over so she could sit on the bed as well.

“Alex, I’m thinking big, curly, sexy hair. Lots of volume. Agreed?” Lila asked, meeting my eyes in the mirror.

“Sounds perfect. Who’s working on my outfit?” I asked my friends behind me.

“I am. I brought another pair of Emma’s shoes for you to borrow,” Carmen said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a pair of black strappy sandals with a tall heel. “It’s a little difficult to dress you since you don’t know where you are going, or even what type of restaurant it is. We have to nail a casual outfit that can look formal if need be. But not too formal in case you end up at a McDonald’s.”

“I will trust whatever you pull for me,” I said truthfully. Carmen had a good eye for clothes and fashion.

“Alex, didn’t you say you had something to discuss with us? Is it about your date?” Hannah asked.

“Actually, no. It’s about work. You guys will not believe what one of my employees told me today.” I launched into the Mandy/Kevin story, repeating all the details Mandy had shared with me just hours before. The comments, the cab ride, the money envelope. By the time I finished, Lila was done curling the bottom section of my hair and the girls were looking at me with wide eyes. Emma spoke first.

“Um, let me go ahead and say it–– what the f*ck?”

“I second that,” Carmen said. “What is this guy’s deal?”

“I’m a little concerned for you, Alex. What if he tries to pull that on you?” Hannah asked.

“How much money did he give her?” Lila asked.

“Lila! Why is that your response? And it was two hundred dollars. Probably pocket change to him, but a lot to someone like Mandy,” I said.

“And she doesn’t want you to turn him in?” Hannah asked.

I shook my head, causing an immediate squeal from Lila as she tried not to burn me. “Sorry! But no, she doesn’t. She’s afraid that she was leading him on and the alcohol makes all the events a little fuzzy for her. But I seriously doubt it was her.”

“And even if it was, he’s her employer and he’s married. It shouldn’t matter if she takes her top off and makes him motorboat her, he should still be the one to walk away.”

“I could do without that visual. Thanks, Carmen,” I said, resisting the urge to shake my head again. “But I do agree with you. So I’m just not sure what to do. What do you guys think? Who would I even turn him in to if I wanted to?”

“That’s a tough one, Al. You don’t want to go behind your employee’s back and make things worse for her. But you need to be responsible for keeping them safe.” Emma blew out a breath. “I don’t even know what I would recommend. Ladies?”

“As much as I want to say turn him in, I think you need to do what Mandy is suggesting,” Carmen said. “It’s her wishes. If she were raped, that’s a different story. I’m not trying to downplay what happened, because it sounds awful enough. Let’s hope it was a one-time thing. Kevin got a little out of hand and it can be moved on from. Maybe Kevin paying her was his way of saying he’s sorry. Maybe not the most traditional way–– or best way–– but maybe that really was his way of trying to make things right. Now, if it happens again, that’s a different story. Then he clearly didn’t learn his lesson, and some kind of action would need to be taken.”

“But what kind of action?” I asked. “I feel helpless. If I’m having a problem with the salon or an employee or even a customer, I would go to either Dani or Kevin. I just don’t know what to do in this situation. Obviously, the Dohlmans are both out. So who does that leave?”

“Maybe you could ask that esthetician for help. The one that you like a lot,” Lila suggested, clamping another piece of hair between the prongs and twisting it up towards my scalp.

“Allie? I guess I could. I just would feel bad after telling Mandy I wouldn’t tell anyone. I mean, you guys are fine. Obviously you’re not associated with Blissful. But I worry about the gossip and rumors, you know? I don’t think Allie would do that, but I’m just not sure. I really haven’t known her all that long.”

“I would say keep an eye on the situation. If Kevin does something like that again, tell Allie. She could probably at least point you in the right direction,” Hannah spoke up. “Or maybe you could just go to Kevin and tell him straight out that he is making Mandy uncomfortable. Maybe he just doesn’t get it.”

“Yeah, maybe he’s used to women falling all over him. He doesn’t understand being refused,” Emma said. “Didn’t you say that Allie told you about strippers in Vegas and a bunch of affairs? I bet Kevin just doesn’t realize that he can’t get away with it all the time.”

“But still, Mandy is an employee. Not a stripper or some floozy who’s looking for a good time and wants to be paid for it. She’s a good worker who was just out on a regular weekend night with friends. And said no to Kevin, repeatedly. What doesn’t he get about that?” Lila argued, giving my hair a final blast of hairspray.

“I’m just saying. Some guys, especially ones with money and a big ego, can’t handle the fact that not every woman wants them. It could be true in this case,” Emma argued back.

“I think you both are right,” I interjected. “Actually, I think you all made excellent points. I will keep an eye on the situation for now and if I see or hear anything else that isn’t kosher, I’ll go to Allie for help. Maybe we can confront Kevin together. Power in numbers and all that. But thanks for listening to me. I knew I couldn’t keep this inside.”

“You’re most welcome. Now, do you want to see the outfit I picked for you?” Carmen disappeared in the closet and came back out with clothes slung over her arm. “Ta-da!”

A few minutes later I was attired in black leggings, a long blue dress with a cowl neck, black heels and had my bouncy curls held back from my face with a sparkling headband. Due to the headband and bling effect it offered, we kept my jewelry simple–– a plain silver bracelet of mine that was a Christmas gift from Lila last year. Emma helped give my eyes more of a pop by mixing together silver and blues and applying them to my lids, giving me the classic smoky eye that I was unable to do for myself. All in all, I thought I looked pretty good for my first date with Henry Landon.

At 7:20 my cell phone started to buzz. Carmen flipped it open for me and read the text message from Henry aloud. “Just leaving my place. See you soon!” We all started screaming again and rushed out of Lila’s bedroom and into the living room. I sat on the couch and struggled into the heels, Emma started pacing around, Hannah sat next to me and patted my hand, Lila brought me a bottle of her best perfume to spritz, and Carmen headed into the kitchen, presumably for another drink.

“How far was his house?” Emma asked. “I can’t remember.”

I looked at Lila. “You were direction-bitch. You should remember.”

“I don’t think it was that far. Maybe like ten or fifteen minutes,” she replied.

The silence stretched on. “He’ll probably just text when he gets here so I can head downstairs. I should get my jacket on,” I said, standing to retrieve my light jacket in the coat closet. I had just started to shrug it on when the buzzer rang, indicating someone was at the front door and wanted to be let into the building.

I ran back into the living room, where all four girls looked at me expectedly. “Do you think that’s him?” I shrieked, no longer able to play it any sort of cool.

“Buzz him in, buzz him in!” Emma shouted.

I pressed the ‘talk’ buzzer on the intercom. “Hello?” I asked.

“Hi, Alex? It’s Henry,” came the reply.

I hoped he didn’t hear the shouts of excitement in the background. “Hi, Henry. I’ll be right down.”

“That’s okay. I can come come up.”

I looked at my friends, confused. Why did he want to come up? “Uh, yeah, sure. Okay. Come on up. Number twelve.” I looked back at the girls, who were staring at me. “Um, are you guys supposed to hide? Act casual? What? Why does he want to come up here?” I was on the verge of freaking out.

“It’s cool. We’ll just wait here and see you off. We’ll tell him we’re getting ready for a party ourselves. It’s fine, Al. Keep it cool,” Lila advised, and I followed her deep breathing. It was just a first date. No biggie. Right.

A knock on the door had me jumping out of my skin. Hannah let out an excited yelp, then looked at me sheepishly. “My bad.”

I scolded her with a frown, then yanked open the front door. Time stood still as I locked eyes with my date. With Henry Landon. Scrumptious piece of man meat. Who happened to be holding a bouquet of red roses. I felt faint.

“Hi,” Henry said. Was that shyness I detected in his voice?

“Hi,” I responded, grinning at him and the flowers like a dope.

“These are for you.” He thrust the bouquet my way and I gathered the sweet-smelling roses in my arms.

“Henry! You didn’t have to do that. How sweet of you.” I remembered then that we had an audience. “Um, you remember my friends from the Halloween party? Hannah, Carmen, Emma, and my roommate, Lila.”

“Of course. Hello again, ladies,” Henry said, stepping fully into the living room.

“Hi, Henry,” they chorused back.

“Let me just put these in a vase for you. You kids get out there and have fun. We have lots to do here tonight,” Lila said, standing and hurrying over to me. She collected the roses from my arms, burying her face in the petals. “Mmm. Henry, you have scored some major points already. Kudos to you, man.”

The living room tittered, and Henry smiled easily. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. The points might come in handy when I break the bad news.”

He was calling off our date already? His parents were going to supervise us? What was the bad news?

“What bad news?” Hannah piped up, then slunk down in her chair when Carmen glared at her. Hannah’s unusual behavior wasn’t upsetting me, more making me laugh then anything. She almost seemed more nervous than me for the date.

“I was really hoping to get reservations at Bellini’s Magnifico, but they were already booked up when I called. I’ve been calling back the last two days to see if they had any cancellations, but still couldn’t get in. I’m sorry, Alex.” Henry looked so contrite that I just wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay. Would I have loved to visit the number one Italian restaurant in not only Des Moines but in Iowa? Yeah, sure. Would I survive? As long as I could still go out with Henry, that answer was a yes.

“That’s okay! I’m sure we can find another place to eat. It’s no big deal, really,” I tried to assure him.

“Maybe next time we can go there. I’ll do better on the planning,” Henry responded, flashing me a leg-wobbling grin. I heard Hannah suck in her breath. Was he really already asking me out on a second date? Our first date hadn’t even officially started!

“Well, you kids should be off. Henry, I think Bellini’s sounds like the perfect spot for your second date.” Lila winked at me, still holding my flowers. I could tell she was just as excited as I was.

Henry and I slipped out the door to a wave of good-byes from my friends and walked down the flights of stairs to reach the main entrance of Wacker. Henry held open the door for me and led me to a black SUV parked near the edge of the lot. I knew nothing about cars or trucks or SUVs, but this looked like a nice one. I was taken aback when Henry opened the car door for me too, and held his hand out for me to help me climb up and in.

The interior had smooth black leather seats and smelled strongly of cologne. “Sorry if the smell is too much for you. I wasn’t kidding when I said I stashed cologne in here to try to help mask the booze smell. I swear the scent traveled from the house onto my clothes and into my car. I figured an abundance of spray would smell better than the disgusting alcohol.”

I laughed, settling into my seat while Henry started the engine. “No problem. I completely understand. I would much prefer this over booze.”

Henry turned and smiled at me, and I realized I would be just as happy sitting in his car in the parking lot all night if we had to. Who cared about fancy Italian restaurants? I just wanted to talk to him, be around him.

“So I guess we should figure out where we are going, huh?” he asked, pausing with his hand over the gear stick.

“I guess so,” I replied, racking my brain. Did I suggest something fancy, along Bellini lines? Something more laid back and low key? My stomach rumbled then thinking about food, and I wanted to die of embarrassment. I cringed, hoping Henry hadn’t heard it.

“Well, whatever we decide, it should be soon,” Henry said with a laugh. Of course he would hear my angry tummy.

“Sorry. Work today was extremely crazy, and I didn’t get to eat much for lunch.” I remembered munching on some carrot sticks and celery in the break room while talking to Allie about ordering more lotions. Not the most substantial meal.

“Well, let’s think of what’s close by,” Henry said, turning the heat up a bit and making sure all the vents were open. The temperatures dropped low at night, and the digital car thermometer in his rearview mirror announced it was a whopping forty-six degrees.

“Um, let me think. There’s Chinese right down the street that’s pretty good. Or a diner, Nancy’s, just a few block away. A dive bar that I could get into and drink at without a problem. Or, oh! An Applebee’s is just a few streets over. That actually sounds really good.”

“Applebee’s?”

“Is that lame? That’s a lame date spot, right?” I said, immediately scolding myself for suggesting it. What a dope.

“Not at all. I love Applebee’s. As long as you’re down for it, I’m in.”

“Really?”

He nodded, shifting gears to reverse. “Absolutely. What’s your favorite menu item there?”

“Oh, man, that’s hard. I always seem to order something different. Salad, steak, their chicken strips. They have an excellent pasta bowl with all sorts of vegetables and different noodles that would probably be my favorite. What about you?”

We continued to discuss the menu and our favorite foods in general on the short drive. I found out that Henry Landon hated chocolate (seriously!), gets craving for spinach (I liked spinach, but to crave it?) and could easily live off frozen pizza.

“I’m not kidding. I’ve been through three different Pizzazz machines since I’ve been in college. Between me and my roommates, we go through about ten or fifteen pizzas a week. No joke.”

“Holy shit. That is a lot of pizza. I can’t even remember the last time I had pizza.” I paused a moment to think. “Nope, can’t remember. Lila and I make a lot together, like easy pasta dishes. Carmen can make some mean enchiladas. Emma is best away from the kitchen. Hannah can do anything she puts her mind to.”

“Your friends seem really great,” Henry observed, taking a left onto Grandview Road.

“They are. I’m a lucky one,” I smiled at him, hoping he understood that I wasn’t saying I was only lucky because of my friends. I felt lucky to be on the date with him as well. “But what about you? You seem to have plenty of great friends and roommates as well.”

“I do. Peter and Max are both from Truvista. We’ve been friends for years. Have you ever been to Truvista?” I shook my head. “It’s a pretty small town. It’s impossible not to know everyone and their business. I’m glad I got out of there. I needed a bigger city. Peter and Max are good guys, though. It’s not like they’re just from my hometown so I know them that way. I’m glad they came to Kaufman. We met Kyle during the first week of orientation.”

We pulled into the Applebee’s parking lot, which didn’t look overly crowded for a Saturday night. Hopefully we had missed the dinner rush hour. “I met all the girls on campus here. I came to Kaufman alone, but I lived in Des Moines for a few years before going to school here. My sister worked at the capitol.”

Our conversation stalled as we got out of the vehicle and walked through the door. We were promptly seated at a cozy booth in the corner, which actually seemed somewhat romantic–– as romantic as an Applebee’s could get. When the waiter came by we both ordered sodas, then browsed the menu.

“Are you going to get your pasta dish?” Henry asked me, his eyes meeting mine over the menu.

“I think so. Since I mentioned it in the car I haven’t been able to get my mind off of it. What are you thinking?”

“I might go for a steak. With some onions and cheese on top.”

“Yum. Smothered steak. Sounds delicious.” We smiled at each other once again, and I thought about how goofy we might have looked to other patrons, grinning wildly at each other over menus.

Our conversation resumed after we placed our orders, and went right to the area that I was hoping would get bypassed. “So your sister worked at the capitol? How about the rest of your family–– are they from around here?”

I paused, taking a sip of my drink for an added pause. Then stayed silent a beat longer.

“Alex?” Henry prompted.

“Well, my family .... My mom passed away when I was five and my dad took off shortly after. It’s just been me and my sister for a while. And she lives in Seattle now with her husband and kids.”

“Oh.” I knew I took Henry by surprise with the abundance of information. Everyone always got surprised and flustered when I told them about my family. It was like no one had ever heard of death before or something.

“Yeah. Shucks. But we don’t have to talk about that. How is your family?” I desperately wanted to change the subject, try to make Henry feel less awkward.

“My family is fine. Parents together. I have an older brother and sister. But I’m boring. I’m sorry to hear about your mom. Was it….?” he trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blank.

It took me a moment to respond. Usually when I tried the change-the-subject tactic, people pounced on it. But not Henry. “It was cancer. Breast cancer,” I answered softly. “By the time they found it, it was so far advanced there wasn’t much left to do except prepare. I was only five, like I said, but Alicia–– my sister–– was fifteen and more aware that she was about to lose her mom.”

“I can’t imagine what that would have felt like. It was probably so tough on Alicia. Alicia, right?” I nodded. “Alicia. Such a young age. She was probably just starting high school then. Oh, man.” Henry looked absolutely devastated, and I was in shock. Typically people respond with “oh, I understand.” No, they didn’t. Not unless they went through it themselves. It was refreshing to hear Henry say he didn’t know what it felt like. That was the truth. And to immediately pick up on Alicia’s feelings? If I was telling the story, everyone focused on me. Poor little girl who lost her mommy. I really didn’t get what was going on after she passed. I just knew Mom wasn’t there to tuck me in at night or take me for wagon rides or sing with me in the shower. I didn’t understand she was gone forever. That pain came later in life.

“Thanks, Henry. Most people try to avoid the subject because clearly it’s an uncomfortable one. Sometimes it can just be a relief to talk about it. Not try to dance around it.”

“Of course. I mean, it’s a part of you, your life, your history. You can’t change your past. I know it’s not something you would have chosen for yourself, but you still have to embrace it. It is what it is.”

“It is what it is,” I repeated, feeling suddenly euphoric. This man got me. He understood me. He didn’t judge me.

“And you said your dad left? How come?”

“He left about two years after Mom died. He wrote us a note saying he couldn’t handle seeing us.” Henry’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “He really loved our mom. I mean, he really did. I guess he couldn’t handle the pain or the reminders of her. Both Alicia and I look so much like Mom it’s almost spooky. Red hair, green eyes. Alicia and I are even the exact height now that she was when she died. I’ve wondered sometimes if Dad got freaked when he would see Alicia in the hallway at night, wondering if he thought he saw Mom’s ghost. So he ran. He lives in Georgia now and started over with a new family. Alicia and I don’t keep in touch with him.”

Our food arrived at that minute, and the waiter carefully placed our steaming plates in front of us. “Both are really hot, so be careful,” he said. “Can I get you anything else?”

Henry and I shook our heads, rolling the silverware away from the napkin and preparing to dig in. “Wow. Another thing I can’t imagine. How does a father just walk away from his family? Didn’t he understand his kids were hurting too? They–– you–– lost your mother. I mean, come on.”

I dug into my pasta bowl, carefully blowing on the shells and cheese to cool it down. “I know, right? I’m really not sure I could ever find it in my heart to really forgive him. I mean, really forgive him. Sometimes I’ll think ‘oh, sure, he missed his wife.’ But Alicia and I lost our mother and father within two years of one another. I hope I am never that selfish.”

“Selfish is the perfect word. I can’t imagine my dad ever leaving our family––for anything. No matter how terrible. I guess I just realized how truly lucky I am.” Henry cut into his steak, then paused and set his fork and knife down. “In fact, remind me to call my parents after we eat. Just to say hi.”

I smiled at him, feeling my heart do a weird flutter thing. Stop thinking love! You cannot love this guy after a first date! “I will. It’s always nice to remind those we love how much we care about them. Alicia calls me every Sunday, no fail, just to say hi and lets me talk to the kids. I am an aunt times five, if I haven’t mentioned that.”

“Five! Wow, that is a lot of kids. I’m not an uncle yet; probably won’t be for a while as neither my brother nor sister are with anyone. They are both too career-focused than family-oriented.”

“What do they do?”

“My brother Jacob is an architect. He lives here in Des Moines and works for a large architect firm. And my sister lives in Milwaukee. She owns a few fashion boutiques.”

“Wow, that’s really neat. Lila would probably be fascinated by your sister. She loves fashion and celebrities and all that stuff.”

“Kate has told me she’s had some celebrities visit her shops. And baseball wives come in from time to time. We go up to visit her quite a bit–– Jacob and I–– and she seems to be pretty happy. And we love to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play.”

“Maybe I should plan a trip up there with the girls. I’ve never been to Milwaukee. Sounds like it could be fun.”

“Maybe we could all road-trip together. Your girlfriends, my roommates. I don’t think Peter and Hannah would have a problem with that.”

A shiver ran up my spine. A second date and now a road-trip–– to another state? Was Henry Landon really that into me, or simply yanking my chain? I found my voice. “Yeah, that would be awesome. But I thought baseball season just got over?”

“It did. Did you watch any of the World Series?”

“I watched a few games. Believe it or not, Emma actually loves sports and she watched all the games. I know she would go to Milwaukee in a heartbeat.”

“We could go maybe sometime in April. Or May. There should be nicer weather during that month. Give us all some time to save money.”

Before I could open my mouth to respond, a strange hush seemed to fall upon the restaurant. Voices dimmed, the lights dimmed, and all the hair on my arms stood at attention. Henry was still happily cutting into his steak, people were walking around like normal, but something was happening to me. It was almost like I could feel my life changing, that I knew on a deeper level I was in the right place and the right time with the right person. Before I could react to what I was feeling, the moment was over. Everything was bright and loud and my arm hairs settled down. I gave my head a shake, trying to clear the fog. That was seriously bizarre.

“I think May sounds perfect. A little vacation before we have to settle down and cram. I’ll talk to the girls about it tonight.” And tell Lila that I thought I was getting some of her psychic abilities. We’d been roommates for three years; it was about time I started picking those up!

“Awesome. It will be a great trip. I know it.” Henry grinned at me. “I’m glad you girls came to the party.”

“I’m glad we did too, Henry. I’m glad we did too.”