Page 69 of Tony

“Bring it, Fate. I’m ready.”

“You say that now, but my gas gauge doesn’t even work.”

“Soshee, if we run out of gas and get stranded on the side of the road, my life will be complete.”

“OK,” she says, sliding into the driver’s seat. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you when the engine overheats and some random farmer has to give us a lift to a gas station in Berthoud on the back of his tractor so we can get a tow truck.”

I get in the passenger side. “God, I really hope that happens.”

She laughs and inserts her key. It takes three good tries before the car actually starts. And when she backs out of the parking space, it backfires.

She shoots me a dubious look.

I smile back at her and slide my sunglasses down my face. “Let’s do it.”

When I told her I wanted to get our fortunes told for our third date, she guffawed. Loudly.

“Why?” she exclaimed.

“That’s my proof.”

“Your proof of what, exactly?”

“That this is real.”

“Hold on,” she said. “You’re gonna rely on my sketchy fortune-telling mother to confirm that we’re over the exes and ready for something new?”

“You got it in one.”

“This is such a bad idea.”

But she’s wrong. I can feel it. I don’t even care if her mother’s a fake. This is going to be the most mysterious, intriguing, and slightly dangerous date ever.

Mostly because her mother really could ruin everything. But also because I promised to tell her my truth.

And I fully intend on keeping that promise.

We’re quiet as we make our way west towards the highway that leads down to Boulder from Fort Collins. But once we leave the city limits there’s a lot of empty space and the silence that was comfortable turns into an air of expectation.

“OK, I’m ready,” she says once she gets her old car into the last gear and there are no more traffic lights in our way. “I want to hear all about what you saw on your way home this morning.” She points a red-tipped fingernail at me. “And don’t leave out the dirty secrets. I’m dying to see more of your dirty side.”

I grin at her. And maybe… possibly… fall a little in love with her. I just dig this girl. There is absolutely nothing about her to hate. She’s the exact opposite of Rosalinda in every way possible.

She makes me feel like everything is going to be OK.

When I look at Rosalinda, I feel like the whole world has gone wrong. I get a heavy pain in my chest. The blue sky is suddenly filled with gray clouds. And there’s dread. So much dread when I think about Belinda. Rosalie. Whoever the fuck she is.

But with Soshee I feel like the world has gone right. Like the sun is so bright, it forces the clouds to part. Like there’s hope.

“Come on, come on. Don’t keep me waiting.”

“OK. But I have to start with the dirty parts. That’s the only way this story makes sense.”

“Oh, my,” she says. “You really know how to get a girl excited. Spill.”

I take a deep breath, consider how bad of an idea it is to say anything about my dirty secrets to a girl I just met yesterday, then let that feeling of hope take over and throw away the dread for good. I’m done with it. “OK. Let me talk and get out the first part. Then you can ask questions.”

“You’re pretty confident I’ll have questions.”