His promise follows me and my regal quilt into my bedroom as I shut the door again.
I better not be, orhe’sthe one who will live to regret it.
Chapter Twelve
Josh
ItextSamiaroundlunch time the next day.
JOSH:Still on for tonight?
SAMI:I’m going ON stage right now
JOSH:Your work on the weekend = way more fun than my work on the weekend
SAMI:Duh
She sends me a picture of their setup, taken from the side. The drums are up, the amps are stacked, and wires crisscross everywhere. She follows that with a crowd shot, which seems to be a sea of trucks and SUVs, steam and smoke rising from their various grilling setups, and people milling around.
SAMI:Steak tonight better be better than that dude’s in the green Chevy or the rate doubles.
JOSH:No chef in Austin can beat a tailgate set up!
SAMI:I take Venmo
JOSH:Not to brag, but this is what I had . . .
I send her a picture of an empty Quarter Pounder box on my desk then get back to work. Tonight will be the most expensive—and fakest—date I’ve ever taken someone on, but I’m still looking forward to it.
IknockonSami’sdoor at 6:30 and smile at Ruby when she opens it.
“Hey,” she says, looking surprised to see me. I guess Sami didn’t tell her roommates what we’re up to tonight. “Do you need something?”
“Sami,” I say. “We’re going to dinner.”
She runs an eye over my sport coat and slacks, a smile twitching her lips. “Is that a fact? Sami,” she calls up the stairs. “Yourdateis here.”
I hear rustling upstairs, then Sami appears in her interpretation of country club chic. Brown leather boots that look better suited for ladies who pretend to ride horses than stomping around onstage. Good. A skirt that falls almost to her knee, plaid, straight. Okay. Turtleneck, cream, that covers everything yet somehow reminds me she gives her sports bra a workout with every workout.
Her blond hair falls in soft waves and her makeup is understated. It’s hard to believe this is the same scowling goth fairy I saw last weekend. She looks perfectly appropriate for a dinner at the country club.
“Hey,” she says.
“Hey,” I answer.
“You didn’t say you had a date,” Ruby says.
“Because you’re not my mom.” Sami’s tone is mild.
“Or is it because I’m on the verge of better parking?”
“Nope.” Sami reaches for a jacket, and I look back and forth between them, clearly missing something.
“Don’t worry about it,” Sami says to my unspoken question. “Let’s go. Don’t want to keep your parents waiting.”
Ruby’s eyes practically bug out. “Hisparents? Wait a min—”
“Byeeeee.” Sami pushes me out the door and closes it on Ruby.
