‘Maybe the breakup broke him,’ said Kirsty. ‘Hewastalking to your sister. On purpose.’
Kirsty had a point. Perhaps he was avoiding putting his heart out there, and what better way to sidestep that risk than by engaging Effie, of all people, in conversation. After all, there was nothing like participating in an episode of Effie’s long-running show,Who Wants to Feel Bad About Their Life Choices?, to put you off diving back into the dating waters.
Alana downed her wheatgrass shot. The bell sleeves on her kaftan almost knocked over Bonnie’s very much needed coffee as she gestured for Terrance to rustle up another. ‘You know what always works? Jealousy. Competition.Emotional unavailability.’
‘I’m listening,’ said Bonnie. This sounded like a scheme, which was one of Bonnie’s favourite ways to spend her time. Especially if Bonnie got to be at the heart of said scheme.
Alana pulled out her pill case and started popping multivitamins like Bonnie might M&Ms. ‘We need to make it look like you’re off the market – or close to it. He’ll think if he doesn’t act soon, he’s going to miss out altogether.’
‘The scarcity principle, huh.’ Bonnie had learned about this during her short course on business marketing the college had opened up to the public earlier in the year.
‘You could use Bobby,’ suggested Hannah, ostensibly touching up her lip gloss. Like any good friend, she was actually using her compact mirror to see who might be listening. ‘He follows you around like a puppy anyway. You might as well put him to good use.’
‘The bar certainly isn’t his calling,’ agreed Kirsty. Her long nails flashed as she swirled her espresso in her cup. ‘You know he used house vodka in my drink? House.Vodka. He should know that I’m top shelf or nothing!’
Hearing the word ‘vodka’ made Bonnie’s head hurt. She rubbed her temple.
‘Bobby means well,’ she said. ‘And the amount of free labour I get out of him is criminal. Besides...’
Hannah regarded her curiously over the remains of her muffin. ‘Besides?’
Bonniehadbeen going to say that she’d always thought Bobby was kind of cute, and moreover, actually one of the kindest people she knew, but she wasn’t about to give her friends that kind of ammunition. The one thing about being queen bee was that you never, ever showed weakness, especially when that weakness manifested as questionable taste in men. Ugh, this hangover was doing a number on her.
‘It’s a great idea,’ she said, toasting with her mug. ‘Two boys, one stone-cold fox.’
Chuckling, her friends toasted back.
‘To killing the boys with babehood,’ said Hannah.
Kirsty leaned back in her chair, squinting at the outside through the plant-smothered window. ‘Wait, is that Theo? Where’s he off to this early?’
Trying to get a better look, Bonnie dragged her Ray-Bans down over her nose. Instant regret. She promptly popped the sunglasses back up, blinking as her poor, dehydrated brain tried to find equilibrium.
‘Not yoga,’ decided Alana, taking in Theo’s running clothes: understated but designer, and marred with sweat, even given the chilly morning. ‘Although he could do both. Runners do have weak glutes – yoga can help with that.’
Kirsty chugged her espresso and stood. ‘I can give him my loyalty card. I’m only two stars off a free session.’
‘Good idea, Kirst.’ Trying to keep her tone light, Bonnie snatched the punch card out of Kirsty’s hand and hurried to the door. ‘Can you clear the mugs for me, babe?’
‘Sure thing, babe!’ said Kirsty, her smile tighter than Bonnie’s favourite pair of jeans.
Bonnie blew her a kiss. ‘I have the best friends a girl couldask for,’ she said cheerily as her eyes narrowed.Watch yourself, Kirsty.
‘Are you going for a run, or are you being chased?’
Bonnie stepped out from behind the fountain at Linda Park, one of the four small parks that formed an emerald of green around the downtown square, and which Theo had chosen as his jogging track. Startled by her sudden appearance, a trio of green-throated ducks waddled off towards the turtle pond, forcing an approaching skateboarder to leap to one side to avoid a situation that would have sent feathers flying. Shelby, the long-necked centenarian turtle who hung out in the fountain, blinked disparagingly. No doubt Shelby had seen plenty of engineered meet-cutes over the years.
All right, perhaps this wasn’t one of the better ones. Butyoutry catching a runner. And besides, Bonnie wasn’t usually the one doing the chasing. She was a novice when it came to this particular type of courtship.
Acknowledging her with the wave of a sweaty hand, Theo stopped in his tracks, then dropped his head, placing his hands to his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat streamed down his neck and chest, forming a damp trail around a knotted leather necklace. Leather – an interesting choice. Bonnie wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Was he a surfer? A time traveller?
No, she was not about to get the ick. Not over something as tiny as a necklace. Not when she had an entire scheme going. Especially not when Kirsty was eyeing an elevated spot in the pecking order. She had a reputation to uphold, not to mention physical needs. Once this hangover passed, anyway.
Catching his eye, Bonnie repeated her ‘being chased’ line, but Theo looked at her as though she was an alien who had asked him his thoughts on interstellar travel.
‘Sorry, podcast,’ he said, tapping a white earphone. He stretched out an Achilles. ‘What was that?’
You could manage an impeccable delivery once. A decentdelivery a second time. But the third time? Why bother. Bonnie wasn’t going to lower herself by repeating it.
