Page 69 of Betting on the Best Friend
“But also, I want to win,” Madison says.
Sami gives a satisfied, “Ha.”
“We’ll keep going with the dates,” Ava says.
I raise my hand. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I want?”
“We did, and now we’re giving you distractions,” she retorts. “More dates plus a hobby. Want to learn to cross-stitch? I was thinking about making Niles a Celtic curse for his wedding.”
I laugh at that. “He doesn’t need cursing. And I do want to learn cross-stitch but not right now.”
“Mrs. Lipsky could teach you diamond painting,” Madison says.
“Or I could teach you guitar,” Sami offers.
“Can I interest you in accounting-based valuation?” Madison asks. “You could be my study buddy.”
I smile. “That’s the most interesting option, to be honest. But I think it’s time for me to enter my sourdough era.”
They all cheer, and I smile even bigger. They’re crazy, and I’m crazy lucky to have them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ruby
The new era begins.
Except “era” sounds long. I’d rather this be a phase. Or a stage?
The new stage begins. There is sourdough. Days that are too long now at the library. A couple of dumb dates. One with a guy named Kirby who sells Kirby vacuums. Another with an electrician who kept making jokes about sparks. Too bad we had none.
Sami’s Grandma Letty comes to town and we all go thrifting, looking for outfits for Eeyore’s Birthday Party. Grandma Letty has decided this is the year she’s going. We amass a pile of tie-dye, sequins, feathery things, and faux fur.
“If we can’t turn these into outfits, I’ll use them for my shows,” Sami jokes when we haul it all out to the car.
That helps the first week pass. Nothing makes work better. It’s not that my job is bad. It’s that I’ve never done it without Charlie, and it’s not as good without him.
The second week, I get a text before the library opens Monday morning.
Hey, Ruby Tuesday.
Greetings, Charlie Bucket.
I clutch my phone to my heart, so happy for this grain of normalcy. That’s it for the day, but it’s an eight percent improvement over a no-Charlie day.
Tuesday, he texts a picture ofDuneshelved in the geography section captioned,Some things are the same everywhere.Wednesday it’s a picture of some flashy sneakers he sells for almost $700 along with a picture of a page from a picture book ofThe Emperor’s New Clothes. He’s photoshopped the sneakers onto the emperor’s feet as he parades naked into the throne room.
I only respond, , and I match his tone, which stays light.
On Thursday, he texts a list titled “Top three scenes about lunch, ranked,” listingWhen Harry Met Sally, Mean Girls, andThe Big Sick.
I rewatchThe Big Sickto remind myself of the scene, frustrated that I can’t rewatch it with Charlie, and also makes me argue with him about his rankings.
The lunch scene inThe Big Sickis excellent but not iconic
Top three scenes about lunch
When Harry Met Sally,The Breakfast Club,Mean Girlsin that order
