Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 128417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
“Bumble and Bumble Crème de Coco Shampoo and Conditioner,” she says. “Seventeen ninety-nine per bottle.”
I laugh.
I pull back from our embrace and zip up. “Okay ‘slut who ditches her boring date at a bar to fuck the hot bartender in the bathroom.’ What happens next? I do believe you’re supposed to slip out of the bathroom, rejoin your boring date, and never look back, right?”
Kat shrugs. “Yeah, that’s what the script says.” She tilts her head. “But there’s no fucking way I’m letting you go back in there and serve that bitch another drink.”
I laugh. “So I take it we’re changing the script?” I say.
“Damn straight we are,” she says.
I smirk. “How ’bout this? What if the bartender goes out there and quits his job because he can’t stand the thought of you leaving here to fuck that other guy? And what if he does it right in front of the woman who was hitting on him all night?”
Her face lights up. “Oh, I like that ending to the porno a whole lot better.”
“Yeah, except now it’s not a porno—it’s a fucking rom-com.”
She smiles. “When Josh Met Kat.”
I return her smile. “So, hey, I should tell you. Jonas and I are waking up at chicken-thirty tomorrow morning to go climbing for the day. I’ll take you home, see your place—but then I’m gonna stay at Jonas’ tonight since we’re heading out before sunrise, okay?”
“That’s cool with me. I’ve got to work tomorrow, anyway.”
“When are you gonna quit your job already, you puss? I told you I’ll help you.”
She makes a face.
“What are you waiting for, PG?”
She considers for a beat and then nods decisively. “You know what? You’re right. Fuck it. I’ll quit tomorrow.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. YOLO, right?”
“Damn straight.”
“Starting my own business can’t be that hard, right? I’m smart. I can do it. If I fail, I’ll just pick myself back up.”
“Atta girl.”
There’s a beat.
Damn, she’s gorgeous.
“Hey, Jonas’ house is really close, right?” she asks.
“Just a few blocks.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. In that case, it doesn’t make sense for you to take me all the way to my apartment when you’re staying at Jonas’ tonight. I’m sure Sarah will give me a ride home later. Let’s walk to Jonas’ house from here and—” She gasps. “Oh my God. I just had an idea. You, me, and Jonas should leave the bar together. That’d be so frickin’ funny.”
I chuckle. “And just like that, our movie’s back to being a porno again.”
Kat laughs.
“Do you really gotta do that to the poor woman? She already hates you enough to hire a hit on you.”
“Hell yeah, I gotta. It’s just too freaking hilarious. How much you wanna bet that tiger-woman is out there hitting on Jonas right now?”
“I’m not stupid enough to take that bet. I’ve been in far too many bars with Jonas over the years.”
Kat laughs and throws her arms around my neck. “God, I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, babe.” I wrap my arms around her and kiss her.
“I’m so glad you came to Seattle early,” she says into my chest, squeezing me tight. “This long-distance thing is killing me, Josh. It’s brutal.”
My chest constricts. If ever there was a cue for me to tell Kat about my upcoming move to Seattle that was just it. But I’m not ready to tell her. I can’t. It’s definitely happening—I’ve just made an offer on the perfect place a few miles from Jonas’. But now’s not the time. We’re in a fucking bathroom, for Chrissakes, and there’s probably a line of people waiting outside the door. And, anyway, my move is happening a whole two months from now, maybe even three. I should probably wait another month or so before I tell her and we start making plans.
“Come on, PG,” I say. “Let’s go see if Lucy’s torn Jonas limb from limb yet, or if she’s at least left the poor guy with a stump to stand on.”
Kat pulls herself together and smooths down her blouse. “Oh my God, I can’t wait to see that woman’s face when I suggest we three leave together.” She does a little shimmy. “This is gonna be the best porno ever.”
35
KAT
“Thanks again for the ride, Sarah,” I say, flopping onto my couch. “Sorry if I pulled you away from valuable study time.”
“No, I needed a break,” Sarah says, plopping herself down next to me. “There’s only so much a girl can read about mens rea and caveat emptor before she starts to go a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.”
“Well, thanks. It’s awesome to see you. You’ve been studying like a banshee lately.”
“I love how adding ‘like a banshee’ to anything makes it totally next level,” Sarah says, laughing. “I don’t even know what a banshee is or what the hell one does in real life.”
“Hell if I know. I think they scream?”