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Austin’s new girl, Mandy, takes the other side of Sunny. It’s funny to see our resident heartbreaker so twitterpated with someone. I swear she could snap her fingers and he’d bark like a dog if that’s what she wanted.
“You all work and live with Austin?” Mandy points to all of us but lingers the longest on Sunny. Maybe any other woman would feel the threat but Sunny isn’t like the rest.
“Yes, in a totally plutonic and sick of him leaving his socks out and the seat up kind of way.” She grins and waves. “I’m Sunny. I’d be glad to tell you all his flaws.”
Mandy smiles and nods, looking over her shoulder to Austin. “I like her. We’re gonna have a little chat.”
“Nope.” Austin slips his arms around Mandy’s curvy waist. “Sunny, keep your mouth shut. We’ve all got secrets, don’t we?”
I can’t help but jump in on the game. “Some more than others,” I say under my breath.
That earns me a playful glare from the girl next to me. I’m not one to socialize with the rest of the guys, but I have to admit, it’s nice being out with them, relaxing and taking a minute to unwind. Having an excuse to stay close to Sunny, that’s not bad either.
“Do you ride, Mandy?”
Austin answers for her. “Naw, she’s a pretty girl, not a tomgirl like you, Sunny.”
Mandy scoffs at him, tossing her perfectly curled hair over her shoulder. “I’ll have you know, I was teen rodeo queen, not that you’ve ever asked.”
“We’ve had better things to do, Baby.” Austin buries his face in Mandy’s neck releasing a string of squeals and giggles from her, and a whole lot of uncomfortable tension from me. I’m not one for public displays. Somethings aren’t meant to be seen.
Unfazed, Sunny keeps at her line of questions. “Do you have friends who ride?”
Mandy brushes Austin away, scolding him. “Yeah, quite a few, why do you ask?”
She shrugs like it’s not important. “A side project I’m working on. I’ll let you know if anything comes of it.”
Before Mandy has a chance to comment further, Austin steals her attention back with a sloppy kiss. Sunny frowns and rolls her eyes. I take it she’s not one big public displays either. I have to admit it makes me like her more.
“So,” I clear my throat, taking advantage of the break in conversation, “I liked Weston’s idea about the songs giving us clues into who you are.”
Sunny’s long fingers curl around her glass of iced tea, but her eyes never leave mine. “I bet you would, but that’s not happening.” Her coy smile speaks languages I wish I knew.
“I don’t really care about your identity, not really.” My heart hammers away in my chest. “But I want to know more about you, even if I never know your name.”
A spark flits between us, not anything overpowering, but enough to know there’s something here. Sunny’s lips twist back and forth. The waitress sets down a few plates of something I’ve never eaten. Silas thumps the microphone, getting ready to do his best rendition, but everything waits on her answer to the question I didn’t actually ask.
“Fine,” she says after a minute, “but you have to answer my questions too.”
“Deal.”
“And I’ll only answer the ones I want to.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
Her eyes narrow, but the sparkle tells me she’s teasing me. “And you have to try anything I put in front of you.”
“Wait. What?” I seek a little clarification, but it’s too late. Sunny takes a plate and sets some green bean things and some circles that look fried. “I don’t know about this.”
“Just one bite of each. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. But you’ll love it.” Sunny pushes the plate into my hands, fingers grazing mine. “Trust me.”
Strange thing to hear from the woman who mysteriously appeared with the high tide and refuses to give any personal details. She feels like the last person on earth I should trust, and yet, her easy nature makes me want to despite it all. Taking a quick breath, I pick up one of the green bean things first. I don’t dare smell it. Green beans make me sick. I’ve never liked them. I’ve gone over a decade without eating them, but to impress her, I guess I’ll make an exception.
“Okay, that’s endama—”
“Don’t tell me,” I cut Sunny short. In one smooth motion, I pop the whole thing in my mouth and chew. Sunny’s eyes bulge in surprise. Her palms cup over her mouth and nose. My stomach flips at not only the taste, but the texture of the bean. The whole wad of it starts bunching up in my teeth. I can’t help the sour face I’m making. Focusing on the faint garlic flavor helps to keep me going, but Sunny laughing behind her hands isn’t helping me much.
Weston leans over Sunny’s shoulder and snags a bean. “Sweet. I love edamame.” He puts most of it in his mouth, bites down and pulls until the outer casing comes out. Turning focus to the stage where Silas has just finished, he yells, “I call next!”
