Nate,” I said,
gesturing behind me. “He lives in Birmingham and I met him in the casino last night.
Nate, these are my friends.”
“Hello,” he said cheerfully.
To my dismay, Ginny jumped up from
her lounge chair.
“I’m gonna go sit with Kiki,” she
said. “Give you guys a chance to chat.”
Nate, who seemed amused by the
entire situation, came and sat down on the lounger next to me.
“So,” he said. “You’re pretty
annoyed by me, huh?”
“I am not!” I said, surprised.
“I’ll leave you alone, if you
want,” he said, holding up his hands. “But I thought it would be cool to get to
know you a little. No biggie, alright?”
“Okay,” I said, feeling kind of
childish for my behavior. “Look, I’m sorry if I’m coming across as rude. My
friends are being a little annoying. They think I need to be set up.”
“And you disagree?” Nate asked.
“Of course I disagree,” I snapped.
“I have absolutely no problem getting a guy myself.”
He appraised me for a minute. In
spite of myself, I felt a blush rise to my cheeks.
“You know what, Annie? I have no
problem believing that at all.”
I blushed harder and looked down.
What the hell was my problem? I was so not the type of girl that got all
red-faced over a guy. It was ridiculous.
“So is it okay with you if I hang
out over here for a little while?” he asked. “My friends are right over there,
and I’ll go back and join them whenever you want, I promise. No pressure.”
“Of course you can stay,” I
muttered. “I’m pretty boring, though. I have no plans to do anything but lay
here in the sun for the foreseeable future.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said,
settling back in the chair. “God, just think: in a few short months it’s going
to be snowing in Detroit.”
I groaned. “Oh, hell, don’t even
say that.”
“So, you live in Ferndale?” he
asked, squinting over at me.
“Yup,” I said. “I rent a house
there with my friend Jen.” I pointed her out. “And Ginny lives a few streets
away. Kiki and Eric over there are married and they live in Birmingham too.”
“Have you always lived around
there?” he asked.
“Yeah. We grew up there,” I
explained. “What about you? You said you’re from Birmingham, right?”
“Yeah, and don’t think I didn’t see
you roll your eyes last night,” he said, laughing. “What, you assume I’m a snob
or something because I live in a nice town?”
I shifted, uncomfortable. To tell
the truth, that was pretty much exactly what I thought. “Sorry,” I told him. “I
just went to college with a couple of people who live out that way. They were
kind of stuck-up. I guess I’m a little prejudiced.”
“No problem,” he said. “I’m
actually pretty new to Birmingham. I moved there from Maryland, for work.”
“What do you do?” I asked.
“I’m an engineer,” he said. “For
Ford.”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s pretty
impressive.”
“It’s pretty nerdy,” he laughed. I
was surprised to find that I liked the sound. Usually the guys I went for
weren’t so quick to laugh. “I’ve always been into computers and math. It’s fun
for me to see the stuff I do on the computer actually get created, you know?”
“I can see that,” I said. Hmm, he
had surprised me again.
“So what do you do?” he asked.
“I’m an actress,” I told him.
“I knew it!” he said, sitting up
straight and pointing at me.
“The hell?” I asked, confused
“I knew I had seen you somewhere.
You were in Proof last year, weren’t
you? At the Y?”
“Uh, yeah, I was,” I said.
“I saw you!” he exclaimed, still
pointing at me. “I saw that show! You were really, really good!”
I stared at him in shock. Proof was an awesome show, and it was
the biggest role I’d had since college, but it had been a tiny little
production at the YMCA. If I recalled correctly, I had been paid in vouchers
from the restaurant down the street. “You saw that?” I asked Nate. And
gesturing behind me. “He lives in Birmingham and I met him in the casino last night.
Nate, these are my friends.”
“Hello,” he said cheerfully.
To my dismay, Ginny jumped up from
her lounge chair.
“I’m gonna go sit with Kiki,” she
said. “Give you guys a chance to chat.”
Nate, who seemed amused by the
entire situation, came and sat down on the lounger next to me.
“So,” he said. “You’re pretty
annoyed by me, huh?”
“I am not!” I said, surprised.
“I’ll leave you alone, if you
want,” he said, holding up his hands. “But I thought it would be cool to get to
know you a little. No biggie, alright?”
“Okay,” I said, feeling kind of
childish for my behavior. “Look, I’m sorry if I’m coming across as rude. My
friends are being a little annoying. They think I need to be set up.”
“And you disagree?” Nate asked.
“Of course I disagree,” I snapped.
“I have absolutely no problem getting a guy myself.”
He appraised me for a minute. In
spite of myself, I felt a blush rise to my cheeks.
“You know what, Annie? I have no
problem believing that at all.”
I blushed harder and looked down.
What the hell was my problem? I was so not the type of girl that got all
red-faced over a guy. It was ridiculous.
“So is it okay with you if I hang
out over here for a little while?” he asked. “My friends are right over there,
and I’ll go back and join them whenever you want, I promise. No pressure.”
“Of course you can stay,” I
muttered. “I’m pretty boring, though. I have no plans to do anything but lay
here in the sun for the foreseeable future.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said,
settling back in the chair. “God, just think: in a few short months it’s going
to be snowing in Detroit.”
I groaned. “Oh, hell, don’t even
say that.”
“So, you live in Ferndale?” he
asked, squinting over at me.
“Yup,” I said. “I rent a house
there with my friend Jen.” I pointed her out. “And Ginny lives a few streets
away. Kiki and Eric over there are married and they live in Birmingham too.”
“Have you always lived around
there?” he asked.
“Yeah. We grew up there,” I
explained. “What about you? You said you’re from Birmingham, right?”
“Yeah, and don’t think I didn’t see
you roll your eyes last night,” he said, laughing. “What, you assume I’m a snob
or something because I live in a nice town?”
I shifted, uncomfortable. To tell
the truth, that was pretty much exactly what I thought. “Sorry,” I told him. “I
just went to college with a couple of people who live out that way. They were
kind of stuck-up. I guess I’m a little prejudiced.”
“No problem,” he said. “I’m
actually pretty new to Birmingham. I moved there from Maryland, for work.”
“What do you do?” I asked.
“I’m an engineer,” he said. “For
Ford.”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s pretty
impressive.”
“It’s pretty nerdy,” he laughed. I
was surprised to find that I liked the sound. Usually the guys I went for
weren’t so quick to laugh. “I’ve always been into computers and math. It’s fun
for me to see the stuff I do on the computer actually get created, you know?”
“I can see that,” I said. Hmm, he
had surprised me again.
“So what do you do?” he asked.
“I’m an actress,” I told him.
“I knew it!” he said, sitting up
straight and pointing at me.
“The hell?” I asked, confused
“I knew I had seen you somewhere.
You were in Proof last year, weren’t
you? At the Y?”
“Uh, yeah, I was,” I said.
“I saw you!” he exclaimed, still
pointing at me. “I saw that show! You were really, really good!”
I stared at him in shock. Proof was an awesome show, and it was
the biggest role I’d had since college, but it had been a tiny little
production at the YMCA. If I recalled correctly, I had been paid in vouchers
from the restaurant down the street. “You saw that?” I asked Nate. And
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