Page 51 of Meant to Be

“Well,” he said. “About things that matter.”

I bit my lip, feeling myself start to blush and wishing my fair skin didn’t so easily give me away.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since Paris,” Joe said.

My stomach fluttered, but I played it cool. “Yes,” I said. “Paris was nice.”

“You’renice,” he said, putting his hand over mine, which was resting on the counter, next to my glass.

“Actually, I’m not all that nice,” I said, trying not to smile.

He stared at me a beat, then said, “You know who you remind me of?”

“Uh-oh. Do I want to know?”

“Okay. This is kind of random…but that woman Billy Joel sings about—”

“The waitress who practices politics while the businessman slowly gets stoned?” I laughed.

He smiled and said, “No. ‘She’s Always a Woman.’ ”

I tried to remember the lyrics to that song, and as some of the more colorful lines came to me, I said, “Wait. The one about the cruel, lying woman who will cut you and laugh while you’re bleeding?”

He smiled and said, “Not that part. I was thinking more of how you are in such control.” He stared at me stone-faced for several seconds before softly singing:Ohhh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants.

I played along. “You got me. Both of those things are true,” I said.

“You really are a mystery,” he said.

I rolled my eyes and said, “No, I’m really not.”

“Okay, then tell me some things,” he said. “Aboutyou.”

I felt myself tensing up a little, as I said, “What do you want to know?”

He took a deep breath, then exhaled even harder, appearing deep in thought. “Okay,” he said. “Who do you love most in the world?”

I laughed and said, “That’s a strange question.”

“Is it?”

“Yes,” I said. “What kind of love are we talking here?”

“Love. In its purest form.”

“I have no idea how to answer that—”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t…. Who doyoulove the most?”

“Okay. Well, my grandmother is first. Hands down. Second is my mother,” he said, ticking them off on his fingers. “Third is my friend Berry. Fourth is my cousin Peter. Fifth is my uncle Mark—Peter’s dad.” He gave me a smug smile and said, “Easy.”

“Oh my God,” I said, laughing. “That’s so weird.”

“What’s weird about it?”

“That you canrankeveryone in your life—with no hesitation whatsoever…. Who does that?”

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