Page 7 of Rosie and the Dreamboat
“What does?”
“Some woman gave me a single rose and her number, down on the street this morning. The boys ragged me so much.”
I’m surprised by a hot, dark streak of emotion. I’m frowning. “How positively delightful for you.”
“Oh, wait! It was a clue! Rosie, the rose! The perfect girl to be my midday rescue.”
Distracted by the image, I mutter, “I’m nobody’s perfect girl, believe me. Just leave me in here. It’s for the best.”
“Room for me in there?” There’s a scuffing slide. He’s leaning up against my tank to get comfortable. “The horrors of dating, huh? Even for a dreamboat firefighter, it’s just unworkable. Hinge? More like ‘Unhinged.’ Why does my account keep getting reported?”
“If you’re as dreamy as Frank says you are, they probably think you’re a bot.”
He laughs until it’s a wheeze. “I thought using apps would get my personality across first. But instead, I find out that I’m just a bot.”
“You’re my isolation-tank hallucination.”
“It all makes sense now. That’s why I can’t take the lead on any rescues. I’m not real. Or maybe I just need a vacation.”
“Our trip to the Maldives is coming up.”
“I cannot wait. So tell me about yourself.” There’s a soft groan. He sounds like he’s stretching. “Maybe we’re inventing a new type of speed dating, right now.”
“So does the woman have to be immobilized and in sensory deprivation for it to work?”
“Sounds like heaven. I’ll take a turn in there. It does limit first impressions somewhat, I guess.”
I consider that. “Not really. You have a nice voice, and you’re hilarious.”
“I was thinking the same thing about you.” Frank must have reentered the room because Leo adds, “What’s the latest? We cracking it open yet? I’ve gotta take this girl to the Maldives.”
“Rein it in, Romeo. How you doing in there, Rosie?”
“I’m okay. I’m getting thirsty, though. And I dread the moment I need to pee. But Leo says I’m being very brave.” Why would I say that, like a little kid? Because I know how Leo will respond, exactly as he does now, warm and fond and sweet.
“She’s my bravest little clamshell trooper this side of the city.”
His generous kindness makes my eyes fill with unexpected tears, and they run down into this cursed brine I’ve been pickling in. How many countless people has he made feel just like this? Like they’re not just an object to be extracted?
“You’re the best, Leo,” I tell him.
He’s surely beaming and triumphant now. “Hear that, Frank?”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get his ego going any more than it already is. I’ve had enough of this; they can just sue us. I’m calling the chief, getting the all clear.”
“If he says yes, I’ll have the first try,” Leo offers.
“Nah, kid. Just keep sitting there, keep her calm ...” Frank’s voice fades out of the room.
“They don’t let you do your job,” I accuse in the blackness.
“It’s my own fault. I’m hard to take seriously.”
Am I flirting with a work-experience kid? “How old are you?”
“Oh, good, on to the speed-dating round. Twenty-seven. You?”
I blow out a relieved breath. “Twenty-five. What’s your favorite indoor plant?”
