I shake my head. “We wore these blue work shirt things that kind of looked like lab coats.”
“So candy striping has nothing to do with aprons or candy?”
I don’t know why this is so entertaining, but it is. Maybe it’s because it’s such a surprise to see a lawyer admit straight-up that he doesn’t know an answer and go looking for it. Although . . .
“I teased you about being a lawyer the other night, but you never confirmed it.”
“I didn’t.”
When he doesn’t say anything else, I smile. “So you are.”
“I didn’t confirm it.”
“Right. But you would have denied it if you weren’t.”
“Would I though?” He leans forward and rests his chin on his hand. “You can’t think of any other jobs I might not cop to?”
“CIA.” My eyes widen. “Oh, I get it. You’re working undercover.”
“What if that were true and you figured it out on your second guess?”
“You’d be pretty bad at your job.”
“Probably.”
I pluck a shrimp from my bowl with my chopsticks and chew it, thinking. “Got it,” I say. “Stripper.”
He spits a tiny bit of broth out and grabs a napkin to dab at his mouth. “Had to give it up. No sense of rhythm. I only got pity dollars.”
I somehow doubted that would be true if he’d actually stripped. I’d paid attention in the weight room. You could bounce a quarter off that—never mind.
I tsk. “No sense of rhythm?”
“What is your face saying right now?” he asks. “It’s saying ‘dealbreaker,’ isn’t it?”
“I like to dance. Lack of rhythm is a tough one.”
“But the stripping is fine?”
“I don’t judge,” I say. It’s a lie. I’m very judgy.
“So this is a safe place for confessions?”
My jokes are flowing as easily as they do with my roommates. There’s a distinct difference though; there’s an undercurrent of energy buzzing between Josh and me. It’s a constant hum, an attunement to everything about him. He must be wearing a cologne made of pure pheromones.
“Judgment-free zone,” I say.
“Good. Then I’m a lawyer.”
I frown.
“Aha,” he says, with a slight smile. “Some judgment after all.”
I shift my face back to neutral. “Do most people judge you for being a lawyer?”
“Probably better to say they make assumptions.”
I sit back and spin some noodles between my chopsticks. “An undercover stripper lawyer. You win for most unique job.”
