Page 69 of Better Than the Movies
“Do you really want to have to nurse him back to health after his triple bypass?”
“Good point. He’s a total baby when he doesn’t feel good.” She grabbed her keys and tucked her phone into her pocket. “I’ll just text him a pic to give him a tiny scare.”
I followed Helena out to the garage and got into her car. She had a matte black Challenger, which was a brute of a car that rumbled so loud, you couldn’t hear the radio unless it was cranked. A guy at the auto-parts store asked her about it once, about why she wanted to drive a car that was clearly meant for a man and probably too much horsepower for her to handle, and I’ll never forget her answer.
“It was true love, Ted. I looked over, saw this guy, and I totally lost my mind. I know he’s loud and in-your-face, but whenever I look at him, I feel a little weak-kneed. And when I drive him—forget about it. He’s fast and wild and a little unruly, and I can feel his throaty rumbles all through my body when I bury that gas pedal. That beast has forever ruined me for all other vehicles.”
Ted at NAPA lost the ability to speak, while Helena beamed at him like she had no idea what she’d done. She’d wielded her power like a goddess, and regardless of my complicated feelings about her and her place in my life, I had mad respect for that.
“Pumpkin spice latte.”
“Seriously? That’s your guess?” I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my Frappucino. “It’s like you aren’t even trying.Think,Helena—it’s April. Starbucks doesn’t even offer that drink in April.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Her lips barely moved as she watched the girl step up to the register. The orderer in question was young—probably a freshman—and she was dressed like a Gap model. “She’s a baby, so she doesn’t know the rules. She only knows that her older sister let her try one once, and it was ah-may-zing.”
I giggled.
The girl opened her mouth and said, “Could I please get a gingerbread latte?”
To which the barista responded with, “I’m sorry, but that’s a seasonal drink.”
I looked at Helena with a wide-openOmouth. “You were so close!”
“Not my first rodeo, kid.” She shrugged and took a sip of her espresso. “You’ve got Messenger Bag over there—don’t disappoint me.”
I looked at the guy with the messenger bag who was staring down at his phone. His bag was total butter, rich leather worn to perfection in the way that only expensive bags could be worn. His tortoiseshell glasses made him look smart but also stylish, and his watchband was perfectly coordinated with his belt and shoes.
“Venti iced Americano with soy milk.” I leaned back on my stool and crossed my arms. “He’s embracing spring by selecting a cold beverage, but he can’t let go of the strong seriousness of the Americano’s bite.”
“That is excellent, my pupil.”
Messenger Bag looked at the barista and said, “Yeah, I just need an iced dark roast.”
“Ooh, so close,” I muttered, pulling my phone out of my dress pocket and checking for messages. There was no reason to think Wes would text me, but after hanging out last night and having such a good time, it felt like a possibility.
“And can I get a splash of soy, please?”
“Boom.” Helena slapped the table. “That’s pretty freaking close, Liz.”
“We’re on fire today.”
She nodded and said, “Speaking of fire, what’s up with Wes?”
“What does he have to do with fire?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. I’m too impatient to wait for a good segue.”
“Oh.” I cleared my throat and watched as Messenger Bag took his coffee and joined a table of three other Messenger Bags. “Um. Nothing is really ‘up’ with Wes.”
“Are you sure? Because you spent at least an hour outside with him last night.”
My eyes shot to hers, but instead of looking pissed, she gave me aGotchasmile. “Don’t worry—it was purely by accident that I know. I happened to be looking out the window at the exact moment that you shot across the backyard like your butt was on fire and climbed his fence.”
“Does my dad know?”
“Why would I wake him up when you were just going outside to look at the stars?”
I shrugged and bit down on my smile. As much as I didn’t want to fall under the she’s-so-cool spell that everyone who met Helena seemed to fall under, sometimes she reallycouldbe unbelievably cool. “I don’t know. Thanks for not telling him. It was nothing, but I feel like it’d be a big deal to him.”
