Ha. “Probably. Well. Thanks. I half expected you to snap my head off.”
“Nah. I was mostly mad on your behalf. How dare that guy.”
Paige smiled back at Lauren. See,thiswas why she had to respect her friendship. Lauren always had her back. Would she still if she found out Paige was seeing her brother? One could hope. “Thanks,” said Paige.
“Anytime.”
* * *
It occurred to Josh as the subway train pulled above ground to go over the Manhattan Bridge that he was about to be home at dinner time, which meant he could see Paige. So he called her once he got a signal.
“What train are you on?” she asked.
“The Q.”
“Get off at Atlantic. I’ll text you my address. I’m cooking.”
“Oh, yeah. What’s for dinner?”
“It’s Taco Tuesday, my friend.”
He had to put Paige’s address into the GPS app on his phone, but he found it without too much trouble. The doorman sent him up to the third floor of the super modern five-story building a couple of blocks from the Barclays Center. The building itself looked like a big concrete block with windows, but the lobby was sleek and well-designed, as were the elevator and the hallway to Paige’s apartment.
Paige welcomed him in with a broad smile and a hug. “Welcome to Casa de Paige.”
“Thanks,” he said, walking into the apartment. It was small but very nice. Also quite feminine; it seemed very pink at first glance.
Off to the left of the front door was the kitchen, where Paige led Josh now. There was a small kitchen island with two stools next to it. Paige pointed at one of the stools, so Josh sat there.
“How are things?” he asked.
“It’s been an interesting couple of days. This hipster guy I went ononedate with, like, a month ago showed up at the Cat Café yesterday and begged me to take him back, so that was awkward.”
That got Josh’s back up. “Wait, he just waltzed right in and made a scene?”
“It was…not my finest moment. He was super annoying and I kind of snapped and told him off. Lauren saw the whole thing and I was worried she’d yell at me, but she was actually mad at the guy for causing a ruckus.”
“I bet.”
“I have to stop dating these guys I have zero in common with.”
“Well, yeah. I could have told you that.”
“You’re biased because you want me to date you.”
“True.” Josh smiled at her. “We’re going to have to tell Lauren that this is a thing at some point.”
“Let’s not do that just yet.”
“I do usually wait until the fifth date to tell Lauren I’m seeing someone.”
Paige laughed, although she looked a little uneasy. “Let’s keep it in this little bubble for now.”
“Fine by me. What’s this I hear about tacos?”
Paige set a series of plates on the counter: a plate with crunchy taco shells, a plate of soft tortillas, a bowl with grilled peppers and onions, a bowl of lettuce, a bowl of shredded cheese, and then two skillets, one with chicken and one with ground beef.
“Wow, this is quite a feast.”
