“I have no intention of ruining anybody’s life,” David said slowly, his eyes flicking back to the window. Dani waved to him enthusiastically and made a show of posing next to Shoshana, who lifted one of the mice and posed with her, her face all mock severity. He snapped a picture with his phone almost as an afterthought. He turned his attention back to Baxter, “I’m guessing she would be upset if she knew you were telling me this?”
“T’yeah,” Baxter said, rolling his eyes. “I mean tell her if you want though, I’m used to her being pissy with me.”
David slid his phone into his pocket and considered the dapper man in front of him. Shoshana told him a lot of things the night before. So he was well aware of who Baxter was and how he fit into her life. He shrugged, deciding to accept the intention rather than prickle at the insinuation.
“I appreciate your concern, she’s lucky to have a friend that cares that much.”
“Well, she’s a beast in the store when her love life is shit,” Baxter grumbled, shrugging off the observation like an irritated cockatoo. “You should ask her out. Like, officially or whatever. Put her out of her misery.”
He didn’t allow David the chance to respond. Just turned on his well-polished boot heel and stalked back into the shop. For the sake of the record, though, David was tempted to follow him. To point out that, technically speaking, he was fairly certain he’d already asked her out.
At least twice, now.
Three times?
Twice, definitely.
Ten
Tell me something, the text alert read, and she glanced at it before returning her attention to the pot of water she was scrutinizing.
Shoshana was aware that watched pots didn’t boil, but that didn’t stop her from glaring at it until it decided to bend to the laws of physics. She picked her phone up from the counter and unlocked the screen.
Yesss?She typed, knowing she should give it some time. It wouldn’t do for Hot Rabbi to think she was babysitting her tech waiting for him to message her, would it?
Well fuck that, it was a digital age, nobody was without their devices. She watched the little ellipsis bubble, her attention away from the pot on the stove.
The water started to boil.
When should I ask you on a date? You know, again.
Shoshana stared at the phone, shocked.
She put the phone back on the counter like it was a snake. She wiped her hands on her shorts. She swept her hair away from her face and turned away from the stove to stare out of the bay window.
Except it was dark outside, so the window was a mirror and all she saw was a pink-haired woman in a ripped band tee shirt and boxer shorts with a face that gave the impression someone slapped her with a dead fish.
She realized the pot was in danger of boiling over and dove for the stove, turning the dial with one hand and dumping the egg noodles into it with the other. She glanced back down at the phone. He hadn’t said anything else. He was clearly waiting for her to respond and she had no idea what she was supposed to say.
Obviously, the answer to the question was “immediately”.
Obviously, the answer to the question was “never, absolutely not, what is wrong with you?”
Obviously, Shoshana was out of her mind.
She sighed, reaching for a wooden spoon to stir the noodles. After a moment she picked up her phone, deciding not to think too much about it before typing back a quickWhat do you mean,again?
She hit send before she could second guess herself.
He hadn’t stayed at the shop after she’d sprung his daughter from the showroom window.
True to his word, he’d purchased two of the little mice for Dani and she had been enchanted that she got to take the things home with her. Even more so, when they were packed into their individual boxes, made to look like vintage hat boxes. Shoshana was secretly fascinated that the little girl was so taken with the mice considering they were taxidermized and most people thought the figures were weird at best.
Okay most people thought they were bizarre and should come with a warning label.
But that was beside the point. David indulged his daughter andsheliked them.
And it was good he made himself scarce because Shoshana had a video to record, and there was someone waiting on her who’s time was money. Derek may have been laid back, but she was going to pay him for his time regardless of whether he was filming or not. It wasn’t his fault she was needed in the shop.