59
Dessert arrives as Izzy's phone rings.
"That was my dad," she explains as she ends the call. "Jimmy has a fever, we're going to have to leave. Sorry." She opens her purse to reach for her wallet.
"Can't I stay?" Marie asks. "Edward could run me home?"
Both girls look at me.
"Uh, yeah, no worries." I say, rather than the I'm really not sure that's a good idea, that I'm yelling in my head.
"Are you sure?" Izzy asks, looking from one to the other of us.
"Of course, it's fine. And I've got this." I place my hand over Izzy's and push her wallet back down into her purse.
"Thanks." She pauses, then leans across and kisses my cheek. "I'll see you later."
She leaves and I lean back in my chair, taking a sip from my coffee as Marie digs her spoon into the chocolate cake Izzy insisted she ordered.
"Oh my God, she was right, this is amazing!" she gasps, her hand covering her mouth. I grin at the ecstatic look on her face. "Seriously, have you tried this?"
"No," I admit.
She loads her spoon up and offers it diagonally across the table to me. I hold my hand up. "I'm fine, really."
"Try it," she demands, her face serious as she jabs the spoon back toward me. I tilt my head in resignation and take it from her. She nods encouragingly as I pause with the spoon in front of my mouth, before I eat it.
She's so right.
"Fuck, that's good," I say, groaning quietly. Marie holds her hand out for her spoon and I hold it close to my body as I scoot across into Izzy's chair and pull the cake into the middle.
"Hey!" She's smiling, despite her protests.
"Get your own spoon," I tell her, digging in. She kicks me under the table. "This gets better with every bite," I say, teasing her.
She leans forward in her chair.
"Give. Me. The. Spoon."
I take another mouthful, unable to suppress the laugh that bursts out.
"No."
"Motherfucker."
It's the last thing I was expecting to come from those pretty lips and the shock makes me laugh louder. She takes the opportunity to reach over and grab the spoon from my hand.
"Ha!" She's triumphant and glowing until I snatch the plate and pull it so it sits right in front of me, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"Come and get it if you dare," I say.
"Oh, I dare."
Marie slowly leans right over, her eyes never leaving mine as she approaches. She's still some distance away when I realize how this must look, and suddenly feeling as awkward as hell, I look away and lean back. I only notice the plate's gone when she sits back down with it in front of her.
"You're just too easy," she throws at me.
"Apparently so," I mutter.
~S~