Page 56 of The Book Club Boyfriend
I shrug. “I know a spot. It’s divey. Greasy. Has margaritas the size of your head. It’s impossible to feel bad about yourself when you’re elbows-deep in barbacoa and tequila.”
She blinks at me, like she can’t quite compute this version of me. The one offering comfort instead of banter.
“You’re inviting me to eat tacos?”
“I’m inviting you to not go home and replay tonight in your head until you hate yourself.”
She hesitates. “Do they have chips?”
“Endless,” I say solemnly.
A beat of silence.
“Fine. But only because I’m starving.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re tucked into a booth atmy favorite taqueria just outside downtown. The kind of place where the furniture doesn’t match, the salsa is molten lava, and the margaritas taste like they’ve been spiked with pure happiness.
In a word, it’s heaven.
Scarlett’s curled into the booth across from me, hair falling over her shoulder, salt glistening on the rim of her glass as she takes a sip and lets out a soft, “Oh, damn. That’s good.”
I grin. “Told you. Tacos fix everything.”
“I didn’t say they fixed everything,” she says, eyeing me over the glass. “I said the margarita was good.”
She’s relaxing. Not by a lot. But her shoulders are a little looser. Her voice isn’t quite so sharp. She hasn’t once looked at her phone.
I reach for a chip. “You know, I expected you to bail after tonight.”
She snorts. “I almost did. But then you had to go and be all… gracious. And charming. And—ugh.”
“Terrible, isn’t it?”
“The worst.”
I laugh. “You handled it, though.”
“Oh, yeah. Nothing screams ‘handling it’ like insulting half the audience before the event even starts.”
“They loved it.”
“They did not.”
“That one lady basically gave you a standing ovation.”
“She publicly endorsed farting husbands.”
I wave her off. “She just said she lovedherhusband.”
Scarlett doesn’t say anything for a second, then downs half her drink like it personally offended her.
I need to change the subject.
“So how’s Rip?” she asks, flicking a chip at me. “I assume he’s getting the royal treatment now that you’re back in town.”
“He misses the beach.”
“Don’t we all.”
