Page 3 of The Fire Walker
She grinned, shaking her head. “If you say so, DeeDee.”
“Shutup.”
She dumped her empty takeout cup on the table. “You know what you’re doing, but be carefulthere.”
“Why?” I asked with a grimace, poking at my untouched coffee. What had sheheard?
“You’re with the band. She’s with thelabel.”
I never thought about it that way. I’d just locked eyes with the woman, and already I had to knowher.
“Zoe?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I understand what Will was sayingnow.”
“About what?” she asked, but I knew she was playing withme.
“Zoe.”
“Really?” she asked, frowning. “You haven’t even spoken toher.”
“Will didn’t speak to you untillater.”
She shrugged. “It worked out for us in the end, but you saw the shit we went through to getthere.”
“Yeah.” I knew it just as well as she did. I’d been there the entire time. I’d given Will a black eye he would never forget when he stuffedup.
Glancing up, I realized Zoe was peering at me with a strange expression on her face. Like she was worried about me. Like she knew I was going to fail before I even began, and I didn’t likeit.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked with ascowl.
“You know you can be a little arrogant,right?”
“No way…really?” I slumped back into thecouch.
“In the beginning, I wish Will had just straight up talked to me. You know, about it. You were there. Cut out the dick, and go straight to the niceguy.”
“I’m not adick.”
“Of course, you’re not. You’re my best friend. But Americans see our sense of humor differently. Instead of the loveable fool you are, you might come across like an arrogantwanker.”
“Fuck, Zoe.” I sighed, running a hand over my face. “Way to bring a guydown.”
“You wanted myadvice.”
“I never asked forit.”
“You didn’t need to.” She sat back next to me, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I can see it every time you see me withWill.”
“What do youmean?”
“You’ve always been on your own,” she saidcarefully.
“That’s by choice.”No, itwasn’t.
“Dee,” she scolded. “It’s me you’re talkingto.”
