Page 45 of Keep It Together
Yep. Definitely a terrorist.
The monster who had taken over my body wanted me to agree with her, but I resisted. “If it’s as good as ice cream, why does it need so many toppings?”
Dessie eyed me, not sure if I was joking or not. “You’re so funny,” she finally said, nudging my shoulder. “The toppings are the best part, silly.”
“No argument there.”
Again, Dessie looked confused for a moment, but then she smiled and headed inside, making the bell over the door ring merrily. Thankfully, we were the only customers on this cold evening. All the smart people were two doors down getting warm drinks. Dessie walked straight to the counter and clapped her hands together in excitement. “I’d like to try all the flavors. I’ll need twelve sample cups, please.”
The bored-looking teen manning the counter glanced over at the machines. “One of them is a non-flavored treat for dogs, ma’am.”
“Twelve cups,” she repeated, holding out her hand palm up.
He handed over the sample cups before staring me down. I sighed and pulled out my wallet, shaking it back and forth. Yes, we’d be paying customers. I knew how this worked. Frozen yogurt shops were a total racket. You paid by the ounce, and oh, did you pay.
“Aren’t you going to get anything?” Dessie asked me. She was on her second sample. Peach Razmataz, no sugar added and fat free.
“Let me know what’s good.” At least there were no spectators in here. I pulled out my phone and stared at it, wondering if I should bail. People did it all the time in movies. They asked a friend to call them with a fake emergency. It would be so easy, and then there would be no hard feelings, and I’d never have to see or talk to Dessie again.
I avoided conflict so regularly, it was hard to tell anymore if it was for the greater good, or just for my good. But if I left now, she’d still be in here wreaking havoc. I put my phone away and waited until Dessie had tried every flavor before deciding on a small cup of vanilla.
She covered her treat in various toppings, sneakily munching on handfuls of those before taking her creation to the scale by the counter.
The kid sighed, already giving up the fight. “Eight dollars and fifty-three cents.”
Dessie scoffed. “Eight dollars! For this little cup? That’s ridiculous. Yours is going to cost a million dollars, Isaac. Better make sure you try all the flavors first. Can we get some more of those little cups? Now, please.” She snapped her fingers.
I moved to stand next to her and pulled out my credit card. “I’m good, but I think we need to pay extra for all the M&Ms and marshmallows you snuck. How much do you think?” I asked the cashier. “Six extra ounces? Does that sound fair?”
His eyes went wide. “No, you’re good, man.”
“Add it. I insist.”
He shrugged and rang up the extra. Dessie turned to me, looking murderous. “You know what I think? I think this date is over. And I think I’m not hungry anymore. She picked up her frozen yogurt cup from the scale and dumped it into my shirt, where it stuck before falling to the floor, raining M&Ms everywhere. And then she stalked out.
I’d known before I intervened there was no way of doing the right thingandhaving the date end well, but still. That was, hands-down, the worst date I’d ever had. And the shortest.
“Dude, she’s fire and all, but wow.” The kid behind the counter flipped back his hair and motioned to my ruined shirt. “Harsh.”
“Yeah.” After picking up the cup from the floor and tossing it out, I took the handful of napkins he handed me and leaned over the trash, scraping frozen yogurt off of me. “If you ever find yourself interested in someone like her, run the other direction and don’t look back. She might be fire, but attraction is more than what you see with your eyes. It’s those little quirks that make her fun to be around. The way she smells, or sighs, or the feel of her next to you. It’s the things she worries about that you wish you could fix. It’s all of her. And the more you get to know her, the more you’re dying for her time, her attention, hoping to make her laugh. She makes everything better. Not worse.”
I looked up to realize I was monologuing to nobody. The kid walked back in a minute later pushing a mop bucket, intent on cleaning up the mess on the floor. I apologized again, and with more relief than I’d ever felt in my life, drove home smelling like chocolate sauce and maraschino cherries.
Chapter 23 - Carmen
Isaac: How’s your date going?
His text was like a cup of water at the end of a marathon, and I mentally took a long drink before pouring the rest over the top of my head. Yes! Isaac remembered to check in for our after-date recap.Be cool, Carmen.
Carmen: Um, how is yours?
I would not show my cards first. Maybe his date was going great. Maybe she was taking a short jaunt to the ladies’ room before they headed out for drinks and dancing. Maybe they’d be eloping in Vegas tomorrow. Thankfully, Isaac ended my mind spiral with a text back.
Isaac: Let’s just say it was short. You doing okay?
I glanced around before spotting Titan laughing it up with the same two ladies he’d been talking to most of the night.
Carmen: My date pretty much ended when Titan ditched me to talk to some leggy “intellectuals,” but there are a lot of interesting people here, so I’m working. Yep, this is a work date. Did you know there’s a place called Wrangler’s Roost that was originally a stage-coach stop not far from here? Now it’s a little resort with a ten-person hot tub. I was thinking GoWithFriends could start doing little day trips. WDYT?