Page 16 of Kiss Me if You Can
“You have no idea.” She smells incredible, which is impressive given what she’s been through today. I have to resist the urge to inhale deeply. “What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t protect you?”
“You know I don’t need your protection, right?”
I chuckle. “Does that mean you don’t want it?”
“Of course not.”
The clerk gives us our total, and before Isla can tap her phone to the reader, I slide a hundred-dollar bill across the counter.
Isla groans. “What? No! This is my business lunch, so I’m paying for it.”
“Too late,” I argue, since the clerk is already putting it into his till. Plus, the more we can avoid anyone tracking us with credit cards, the safer we’ll be. I’m still not sure if anyone has connected me to Isla, but I won’t take any chances.
Isla takes my change and stuffs it into my hand where it rests around her middle. “You are incredibly frustrating, husband.”
“No doubt one of my many flaws.”
I don’t fully hear what she mumbles back, but it sounds a lot like, “Or the only one.”
I’ve never really been one to need an ego boost, but I’m not mad about getting this one. I’m pretty sure I have a dorky grin on my face as we head out into the heat and make our way to the pawn shop.
As I pull the door open for Isla, she nudges me lightly. “Don’t get a big head, cyber man. I could never marry an egomaniac.”
I put a hand over my heart. “I am a picture of humility.” Usually, that’s true. I know I’ve done bad stuff in the past, and while I’m smart, there’s a lot about life I don’t understand. Especially socially, Isla is far better off than I am despite being a few years younger than me. I don’t know exactly how old she is, though I’ve been tempted to borrow her phone again and find out more about her. There are probably better ways.
“What’s your favorite color?” I ask her as we step inside the shop.
We’re hit with a wave of air conditioning and an assortment of bad smells, from cigarette smoke to must to a general human body smell that makes my stomach churn. I’d hoped this would be less like the stereotypical pawn shop and more like a classy little store with the perfect set of rings waiting for us on a velvet pillow.
What can I say? I am an optimist. Ha! I wasn’t before Isla.
Isla raises an eyebrow as she moves to one of the glass cases along the wall. “It depends on the day.”
“What’s your favorite color today?”
“Green.” She glances at me and turns pink.
Hmm. My eyes are green. “I like blue,” I tell her, which deepens her blush. “Favorite food?”
She crouches down, using her crutches for balance as she examines the jewelry lower in the case. I should probably help her look, but I’m too busy watching her. “Suddenly curious about your wife?”
I can’t stop the smile that pulls at my lips at the sound of her calling herself my wife. I’m regretting this plan less and less. “Of course. The more I know about you, the more I can keep the Buff Boy away from you.”
“How is my favorite food going to keep him away from me? It’s French fries, by the way, but I rarely get to eat them.”
“Why?”
“Because I have to avoid salty foods so my prosthesis will fit right, and unsalted fries are the worst.”
I wouldn’t have even thought about how much diet could affect the way her prosthesis fits. I’m suddenly aware of my body and how functional all of my limbs are.
Isla laughs when she looks at me. “It’s fine, Jake. I’ve lived this way for a decade and a half. If I really want to eat fries, I just have to prepare to go legless the next day. But most of the time my diet is pretty healthy. What’s your favorite food?”
Anything I can make in ten minutes or less. I eat out more than I should, and half the time I don’t care what I’m eating. It’s just a way to keep me going. “Depends on the day,” I say, using her own answer. “Did you always want to design clothes?”
She smirks. “I wanted to be a ballerina.”
I really hope she’s joking. But even if she’s not, she doesn’t seem too beat up by the idea that ballet would be a lot more difficult with one biological leg instead of two. She would have made a great ballerina, whether on two legs or one.
