Page 140 of ClickBack

“I’m not taking bank-robbing advice from them,” I say. “I just wanted them to win. We do that for every other heist movie.”

Malcolm points at me. “Thank you.”

Brenda puts down her drink. “He wasn’t agreeing with you.”

“I can agree with him.”

“Now you can.”

Giselle laughs, but she’s still thinking about the question. I can tell by the way she looks back across the street at the movie poster.

“What?” I ask her.

“I wish somebody had helped before it got that far.” She turns back to the table. “Frankie does what they trained her to do. Tisean goes to work because she has a child to feed. Stony thinks she’s getting her brother to college.”

“And somebody’s got something to say about all of them,” Brenda says.

“Before they ever steal anything,” Giselle says.

I look at her. She tears the corner off the paper around her straw, then sets it beside her plate.

“I used to think if you did things properly, people would at least leave you alone.”

Marla reaches across and takes the wrapper from her. “You going to shred that whole thing?”

Giselle looks down, then laughs. “Probably.”

“Give it here. You can have it back when I need help with my receipts.”

She puts it beside her own plate and asks Yvonne whether she ever found the sitter she was looking for. Yvonne says her niece found somebody, finally. The conversation keeps going. Giselle takes my hand beneath the table, and I turn hers over in mine.

The server arrives with our plates, and Malcolm moves the conversation out of her way. Giselle gets drawn into a disagreement about the soundtrack. She knows the order of the songs. Marla thinks she doesn’t. They are still trying to settle it when my food is half gone.

“I have the soundtrack on my iPod,” Giselle tells Marla. “I can show you when I get home.”

Malcolm looks up. “You still have one?”

“I do.”

“So do I. Brenda keeps trying to get rid of it.”

“Because you have three,” Brenda says. “And one cord.”

“Which works in all three.”

I lean back and let Giselle join his defense. There are things I’m never going to win in this group. I’m starting to look forward to finding out which ones.

Outside, Marla hugs her again. Brenda makes us promise to check the next listing, and Yvonne says she is choosing the restaurant next time because the vent found her anyway.

Giselle and I walk toward the car after they separate. She swings our joined hands between us.

“You survived,” she says.

“Was I in danger?”

“Malcolm can keep that argument going until breakfast.”

“I would’ve ordered.”