Page 81 of Like You Want It

She shakes her head. “Girl, we gotta get that sorted out. Especially if,” she lowers her voice and points inconspicuously to the back, “the old badger is gonna hand this place over to an unknown monster.”

I roll my eyes. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

It’s been about a few weeks since that first conversation with Lonnie about selling The Steam Room. I haven’t seen any signs of a possible new owner, which has been a blessing. But that doesn’t mean it won’t just pop up out of nowhere any day now.

“It sounds like you need a fatty fucking drink. I have a late meeting tonight, but any chance you’re feeling up to going out tomorrow?”

I rest my face in my hands and mash around my cheeks. “I can’t tomorrow. I’m having dinner with my brother. But how about Wednesday? I might be able to get someone to cover my yoga classes. I think I just need a night off with my favorite Dina.”

“Yes!” she says. “Yes, yes, yes. Perfect.” She pulls out her little organizer and presumably adds an appointment with me into it.

“Oh, so I’m getting penciled in, now?”

Dina peers over the top and narrows her eyes. She slaps the thing shut and sticks out a hip, though I can tell she’s playing around.

“I’ll see you Wednesday? We’ll go to Vern’s early, that way I can drink too much and also pretend that it doesn’t matter that I have to work at five the next morning.”

“That’s the spirit!” she says, lifting a fist in the air and holding it there.

“Put your hand down. You look like you’re doing the Black Pride fist.”

“No, I’m doing the fist from the end ofThe Breakfast Club.”

I laugh. “No you’re not. And don’t ever say that to me again until after you’ve actually watched the movie.

“Excuse me, I’ve definitely watched it.”

I purse my lips and give her abullshitlook. “Having sex with Dean while it plays in the background does not constitute having watched the movie.”

She smirks at me. “Well, I definitely remember the fist from the end. Dean threw one up into the air when he came and then told me it was from the movie. I was so confused.”

I break into giggles, remembering the stupid things her high school boyfriend used to do.

“Alright. Wednesday we lush.”

I nod. “I’ll meet you there at five. That’ll give me enough time to get home and shower after work, then slink over in my pajamas and a beanie.”

She scoffs. “You better not show up like that. I don’t want to be seen with you when you’re like that.”

I wave her away. “See you soon!”

As she’s walking out the door, Susie and Fin walk in, little Nell in tow.

Dina stops and gives Susie a hug, then continues on her way. But Fin stops nearly dead in his tracks when he sees me.

I haven’t seen them since we got back on Saturday night from San Diego. We didn’t make it home until close to midnight, and I’d dragged my tired ass out of the passenger seat of Fin’s big, fancy beast of a car, feeling ready to melt right into the warm concrete of the driveway.

I hadn’t considered the fact that Susie would want to sit with Nell in the backseat, or that the two of them would crash out on the drive back to Rosemead.

The nearlyfour-hourdrive, when all was said and done, thanks to two car accidents, a police officer doing that slow weave from right to left across all of the lanes for god knows what reason, and the perpetual construction along the 10.

A four-hour, stop-and-go drive with just me and Fin sitting in the front seat. In the dark. Quiet as can be.

After we’d had some crazy fucking hot sex in the shower.

There were a few instances where he would clear his throat and glance over, and I’d thought for sure he was gonna say something. Try to ease the stagnant silence.

But then he’d just clear it again and take a sip from his water bottle, and I had to just accept that the man was probably trying to get rid of a throat cold.