Page 38 of Reptile Dysfunction
“It’s perfect,” I tell her, but I realize she’s right. In my eagerness to spend some time with her outside the pressures of work, I neglected to tell her where we were going.
“We’re actually off to a ceremony honoring Curiosity’s veterans,” I tell her, fighting the urge to offer her my arm. I have to keep reminding myself this isn’t actually a date. Yet.
Charlotte’s face drops at my words. “Oh,” she says, and I can tell she doesn’t quite know how to respond.
“Oh, don’t worry,” I reassure her as we amble up the street toward the venue. “The Curiosity veterans only served in the Pillow War of 1972.”
“Wait, the what?” Charlotte asks, turning swiftly to look up at me.
I have to chuckle a little. “The Pillow War. It was the biggest pillow fight America has ever seen, and we honor our veterans every year. Some were struck in the head, others between the legs. It’s the latter that will receive the highest honor in tonight’s ceremony.”
I can tell Charlotte is at a loss. “Don’t worry,” I tell her. “You can laugh. Just not during the ceremony.”
She lets out a beautiful, lilting laugh, and I smile at the chance to hear it. I like it even more when we have to act seriously once we arrive at the Events Hall, shooting each other stifled smiles as we step inside.
The moment we walk in, we’re greeted by a slew of townspeople, but I make sure not to neglect Charlotte in the midst of it all.
“You remember Charlotte,” I say with a smile to those I know have already met her. When I glance over to check how this is received, I see that she’s smiling, too.
When a familiar vampire saunters up, I shoot him a grin.
“How’s Curiosity’s favorite bartender?” I ask Chris as he looks between Charlotte and me with a sly grin.
“I wish I could say I was here for pleasure, but I’m running the drinks table,” he replies with a shrug. “You two on the other hand…”
He looks between us with a knowing smile.
“Chris,” I say, choosing to ignore his innuendo. “This is Charlotte Lieberman, journalist at the Herald. Charlotte, this is Chris Cooper, the best barkeep in Curiosity.”
Charlotte and Chris exchange an awkward glance and she mutters something about having already met. Still, they shake hands and introduce themselves politely before we’re called on by the next person, and the next. Thankfully, most of the people here are friends, and there’s less pressure to act in the role of mayor. Rather, this feels like an opportunity to invite Charlotte into my world beyond the office.
Soon though, we’re ushered to our seats, and I sit close to Charlotte as we enjoy the ceremony together. We cheer for each veteran, even the grumpy ones like Mr. Murphy, as they accept their Purple Stones in honor of the sacrifices they made during the Pillow War. Charlotte even manages to keep a straight face the whole time.
When the ceremony proper is over, the event shifts into a cocktail party, and I’m happy to have the chance to try out what dating might be like if that’s where this relationship is going.
“Can I get you a drink?” I ask her. “Chris makes a mean espresso martini, but I’m happy to get you whatever you’d like.”
Charlotte grins. “I wouldn’t usually let a man order my drink for me, but since I trust your taste in coffee, I think that extends to coffee-based cocktails,” she tells me.
This is already going better than I expected, and unless I’m completely misreading the situation, I’m pretty sure Charlotte is flirting with me. I grin to myself as I fetch us each a drink, and the layers of tension that have been weighing on me since we slept together begin to unravel.
“To inviting you out tonight,” I say after I’ve handed her the martini.
“To coming along in a personal capacity,” she replies with a mischievous smile.
We exchange a meaningful look before sipping our drinks, and I’m happy to know that things are moving in the direction I’d hoped. My spirits are only lifted further as the night continues, and Charlotte and I alternate between engaging each other in conversation and mingling with my friends.
Soon we see Fred through the crowd, and he lopes over to greet us.
“Hello, Charlotte. Hello, Mayor Wendall,” he says, trying to somehow shake both our hands at once. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Yes, and you,” I say, using all my political prowess to make sure this is a normal conversation. “Are you covering the event for the Herald, or just coming to honor the vets?”
Fred shakes his head emphatically. “Oh, no, I don’t work at the Herald anymore,” he tells us with a look of distaste.
“Since when?” Charlotte replies, clearly shocked. “I saw you in the office yesterday.”
“I handed in my notice yesterday afternoon,” Fred replies with a self-satisfied grin. “Well, actually, it was just a Post-it note stuck to Eddie’s desk, but that counts.”