Page 82 of Fraud
I described how we’d ended up talking and how I’d told him things I hadn’t told anyone but her.
“And then I fell asleep.”
“You fell asleep?” she exclaimed.
I laughed.
“Yes, I think he let me. Maybe he felt sorry for me. Hell, maybe that’s why he wanted to be friends.”
“He spent a good portion of the night worshipping your breasts, and now, he wants to be friends?”
“I told him I didn’t think I was cut out for a one-night stand. He said that was all he could offer.”
“Oh, Kate,” she said in a sad tone.
“It’s okay. I’ll figure it out. I’m going out with Brian now.”
“What?”
I went on to explain my run-in with my old writing teacher and his divorce.
“I told you he wasn’t that friendly with all of his students.”
“Oh, hush. Anyway, we had a nice time today, but…I don’t know. It wasn’t the same.”
“No spark?” she guessed.
“Maybe a tiny one,” I said. I imagined the good old camping days with my family when my dad would see the faintest flicker of fire and gently blow on it, trying to make something out of nothing. “If I blow on it?”
She laughed once again. “Okay, you work on that. But, in the meantime, maybe spend a little time thinking about that night with Killian. Focus on the way it made you feel. And then, once you’re in the zone—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Write the words.”
“Good girl.”
We said our good-byes just when the doorbell rang. I got up, stretching for a moment, before I ran to let Amy in.
“Are you ready for some fun?” I asked Amy.
She greeted me with an armful of take-out food.
“You know, we could have ordered in. You didn’t need to pay for this.”
Setting everything down on the coffee table, she shook her head. “Oh, I didn’t. I mean, I did, but I’m totally adding it to your tab for the night.”
I laughed. “Perfect. Now, where do you want to get started?”
She pointed to the large containers of Chinese. “Food. Obviously.”
“Right. It’s probably better not to mix books and food.”
I’d asked Amy over to assist with the books. Having never actually signed a single book in my life, I didn’t know how to do any of this. Neither did Amy, but I figured two brains were better than one. Plus, I liked having her here.
I went into the kitchen and grabbed plates and utensils for us. Sitting in our usual formation on the couch, we silently dished up a little of everything while I turned on the stereo.
“How did you know Josh was the one? Or at least, someone special?” I asked her after several minutes.
“Hmm,” she said, obviously thinking it over. “I think it was the way he looked at me to start off with.”
