Page 60 of Every Good Thing
“I’d be more worried about Lauren,” Cherry says. “Dot said she was the hottest woman she’s ever seen.”
“Not the hottest,” Dot corrects, extending her hand submissively. “Top five, maybe.”
“Oh, where does Jaye fall on that list?” I laugh.
She bites her bottom lip in deliberation. “Jaye, Jaye, Jaye… she’s the hottest. She’s fucking brilliant, too. The other night, we spent an hour on the phone just talking about alien excretions.”
Cherry and I share a grimace. “Well, it must be love when you can talk alien excretions,” I say. “Have you asked her out yet?”
Her shoulders bounce. “Eh, I’ve got time. The movie deal may not be a big romantic gesture for Ben, but it is for me—I’m going to romance the hell of out her.”
My head tilts in skepticism. “What will that look like, Dot?”
“Yeah, stalking her and tugging on her ponytail?” Cherry giggles.
“I have serious game,” she says. “You’ll see.”
“Oh, please tell me you’re making her a mix tape,” Cherry goads.
Dot blushes. “It’s a playlist, grandma… but yeah. I’m creating soundtracks for her graphic novels. She’ll love it. Assholes.”
I laugh. “Well, you’re welcome to steal Ben’s fireworks idea. That was definitely the most romantic thing anyone’s done for me. What about you, Cherry? Do you have a most romantic gesture ever story?”
Her red fingernail taps against her chin. “Brian Kennedy, fifth grade. He always had KitKats in his lunchbox—my favorite candy bar. One day, he brought an extra one for me.”
“He gave you a break, huh?” Dot laughs. “That’s sweet.”
“He kept bringing them, too. We’d sit together, giggling over our chocolate fingers. He was shy. Sharing his chocolate bars broke the ice, I think.” She shrugs, her grin wide with the memory. Bringing her phone to her face, she says, “Wonder if he’s on Facebook.”
“There you go, Lena babe. Just bring Ben his favorite candy bar.”
“Well, you’ve already given him a Baby Ruth,” Cherry laughs, “so I bet his next favorite is Mounds for those muscles. Or a bag of Kisses. He’ll like that.”
“Oh, a bag of Kisses,” Dot says. “I’m stealing that for my romance list for Jaye.”
“You have a list?” I ask, brow perched.
Her cheeks redden as she types into her phone. “So? It wouldn’t hurt for you to have a list for Ben. Your romance game needs help, right?”
“Ugh, I guess so, if Ben was open to it. Candy and playlists aren’t going to cut it.”
Still tapping her phone, Cherry says, “Sending you both links from some influencers with ideas for romancing your significant other. Talk about game, though… that nurse I met at the hospital? Amazing.” Her eyes go wide with the word. “He really knows his way around—”
“Hey, Ruthie!” I chime in as she approaches. Cherry clamps her lips shut. “Done collecting flowers?”
She nods, barely holding the wicker basket with her bounty.
Mrs. Moore smiles. “Ruthie’s decided that hydrangeas are her favorite.”
“They don’t have petals, Mom. They have sepals—Aunt Barb told me. They’re leaves that turn pretty.”
“They start green but discover their true colors as they grow,” she explains.
“Kinda like us,” I grin, and Mrs. Moore gives me an affirming wink, flashing me back to her high school chemistry class.
“They’re big and poofy,” Ruthie says, “like lollipops.”
“Oh, never eat them, though,” Mrs. Moore says, holding up her finger. “Poisonous.”
