“Best kept secret in downtown Chicago.”
We pile our plates high at the buffet and sit at a tiny table for two in a corner of the cramped dining area. Our knees touch under the table, and neither of us moves away from the other.
“Have you been wearing your tiara?” I ask him.
“Of course. And I make Ash tell me how lovely I look in it.”
I giggle. “I can’t imagine him doing such a thing.”
“Oh, he’s a totally different guy when it’s just the two of us.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
He smiles. “Would you believe me if I said you look amazing today?”
I feel my face heat. “I guess so.”
“You guess so? You need toknowso.”
I take a deep breath as warmth floods my chest. “Okay. I believe you.”
“You also need to believe that if you don’t start eating that food,” he points to my plate with his chopsticks, “I’m going to eat it.”
“Um, there’s no need to eat my food when you can simply go back over to the buffet and get more of your own food.”
“But where’s the fun in that, when I can irritate you by eating yours?” he teases.
“You need to understand,” I now point my chopsticks at him, “that if you ever take my food without my permission, youwillregret it.”
“And you need to understand that I will definitely test you on that one of these days.”
“You won’t mind losing a finger?”
“No offense, Munchkin, but I don’t think you’re capable of removing one of my fingers with a pair of chopsticks.”
I shrug. “I could if I turned them into shivs.”
“Shivs?Did you have a stint in prison I don’t know about?”
“Yes.” I struggle not to smile.
“Oh, this is gonna be good,” he says as he tilts his chair onto its back legs. “What did you do?”
“I got caught skinny dipping in Lake Michigan and was arrested for public indecency. I spent a week in jail.”
The look on his face is priceless as his front chair legs reconnect with the floor. I manage to hold a straight face for several more seconds before I crack and start giggling.
He says, “I still can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”
“I’m not serious about being arrested,” I admit.
He gives me a searching look. “But you were serious about the skinny dipping? And getting caught?”
“Maybe.” I give him a smirk.
“You can’t leave me hanging.” He leans toward me. “Tell me if this happened.”
“It’s true.”
