The Art of Life (58 page)

               
Turning to look at her, I say,
“I don’t know.
 
What do you have?”

               
She holds up her hand, “I have
fake ones.
 
They last a while, but you
have to get them filled regularly.”

               
“I don’t know,” I say
hesitantly.
 
“I don’t want it to
interfere with my art work.”

               
“Then pass for now,” Cassandra
retorts.
 
“A manicure will still make
your fingers look awesome.”

               
I grin.
 
“Okay.”

               
So, we finished our pedicure and
then went over for our manicures.
 
Right
before she puts the polish on.
 
My phone
rings.
 
Jasmine smiles.
 
“Do you want to get that?”

               
“Yeah, hold on, sorry,” I say,
grabbing my phone.
 

               
It’s Jeremy.
 
The text says:
 
Lunch break, what are you up to?

               
I reply: Doing girl stuff,
busy.
 
Can I stop and get a key?
 
We left and had to lock the door.

               
A few seconds later, the text
reads:
 
Girl stuff?
 
Okay.
 
Yeah, just stop by and I will give you the key.
 
We will need to make you one.
 
So, come by and get a key and a kiss.

               
“Oh jeepers,” I say out loud.

               
“What?” Cassandra asks.

               
“Nothing, Jeremy is just
ridiculous sometimes.”

               
I send him a text back,
saying:
 
Whatever, you are so weird.
 
I will stop by and get a KEY.

               
Ha
ha
ha
, okay, is the only reply I get.

               
“What did he say?” Cassandra
asks.

               
“That we can stop by and get a
key,” I reply.
 
“He said I should come by
and get a key……and a kiss.”

               
She smirks and says, “Yeah,
NOTHIING is going on.”

               
“He was joking!” I exclaim, with
a smile.
 
“I am going to keep my mouth
shut next time.”
 
Cassandra just laughs
at me.

               
The girls put our hands under
these little lights.
 
Supposedly, this
dries them.
 
When we are done, I look at
them.
 
Cool.
 
“Are you hungry?” Cassandra asks.

               
“Yeah,” I answer.
 
“I can make something at the apartment, if
you want.”

               
“Silliness, we are going out to lunch.
 
We will go bother Kent at work,” she states
with a grin.
 
“If we bat our eyelashes
and flirt with him, he will buy us lunch.”

               
That makes me giggle.
 
“Awesome.”

               
Cassandra pays for our nails and
we leave.
 
I thank her and tell her she
didn’t have to, but she just shushes me.
 
We get into the car and she drives us over to the restaurant.

               
When we get inside, the hostess
obviously knows Cassandra.
 
She smiles,
“Kent is in back.”

               
“I figured,” Cassandra
says.
 
“Can we have a table for two,
please?”

               
“No problem,” the hostess
replies.
 
She takes us and seats us in a
booth.
 
“Courtney will be right over.”

               
When the hostess walks away,
Cassandra makes a gagging face.
 
“Courtney drives me nuts.
 
She
wants Kent so bad, but he doesn’t see it.
 
When I bring it up, he is oblivious to it.”

               
“Aren’t you worried?” I
ask.
 
“They work together.”

               
Bursting out laughing, Cassandra
answers, “No, I trust Kent completely.
 
His last girlfriend cheated on him and it broke his heart.
 
He would never do something like that.
 
Anyway, he has me, why would he need anything
else?”

               
“True,” I retort.
 
“So, what’s good here?”

               
“Anything,” we hear from our
side.
 
I look up to see Kent.
 
He smiles.
 
“What are you girls up to?”

               
“We are here to view some
serious eye candy,” Cassandra states with a huge grin.

               
Kent smiles, “
Aww
,
thanks.”

               
With a sly look, Cassandra
counters, “Who said it was you.”

               
“Ouch!” Kent exclaims, grabbing
his chest.
 
“Well, if that’s the case,
then you can buy your own lunch.”

               
“Cassandra said if we flirt with
you and bat our eyelashes, we would win you over,” I say, smiling.

               
Kent slides into the booth next
to me.
“Yeah, maybe if YOU flirt with me.”
 
He leans back and puts his arm around
me.
 
“See, I don’t need you Cassandra.
 
I have Isabelle now.”

               
“Hey, whoa, whoa,
whoa!”
I laugh.
 
“Sorry Kent, I
already have to deal with Jeremy.
 
I
don’t need to deal with you, too.”

               
Cassandra interjects, “
Yeah, that
is what you have to do, deal with Kent.”

               
“Oh, you love me.
 
Don’t deny it,” Kent chimes.

               
“Yes, I do.
 
Why? I have no idea,” Cassandra returns.

               
Pulling me towards him, Kent
says, “What are you crazy girls up to anyway?”

               
I put my hands out.
 
“Cassandra got my nails done.”
         

               
“Well, they look very nice.
 
I like the color,” Kent replies.
 
“So, what are you hungry for?”

               
“I don’t know,” I say.
 
“What’s good here?”

               
Laughing, Kent retorts, “Well, I
am the manager, so I have to say everything, but our burgers are killer.”

               
“So is their Caesar salad,
sooo
good!”
Cassandra states.

               
“Honey, are you ever going to
get anything else?
 
Every time you come
in here, you get the same thing,” Kent inquires.

               
She just sticks her tongue out
at him.
 
“Whatever Kent, I eat what I
like.”

               
He rolls his eyes and looks at
me.
 
“Get a burger, they are great.”

               
“As good as
your pancakes?”
I ask.

               
“Better,” he chuckles.
 

               
Suddenly, a girl comes walking
over.
 
She is a blonde with way too much
make-up on.
 
“Hey
Cassandra,” she kind of snaps lightly.

               
“Hello,” Cassandra replies.
 
“We would like to order some lunch.”

               
“Sure,” she says back.
 
“What would you like to drink?”

               
Cassandra answers, “Iced tea for
me.
 
What about you Isabelle?”

               
I awkwardly reply, “The same for
me.”

               
“I will get those right away,”
Courtney curtly snips.

               
When she walks away, Kent just
looks at Cassandra.
 
“I really wish you
two would knock it off.
 
It makes it
awkward.”

               
Not happy, Cassandra says, “She
has a thing for you Kent.
 
Why can’t you
notice it?”

               
“Even if she did, I don’t
care.
 
First off, I love you and no one
is going to change
tha
t,
and two, she is my employee.
 
Plus, I
don’t find her attractive.
 
I would
rather date Josh.”

               
“Well, Josh is cute,” I quip.

               
Both Kent and Cassandra
laugh.
 
“Don’t let Josh hear you say
that,” Kent retorts.
 
“He has as big of
an ego as Jeremy.”

               
“Yeah, but you guys are so
attractive.
 
I am surprised your ego
isn’t as big theirs.”

               
With a snort, Cassandra replies,
“His is
,
he just hides it better.”

               
That makes me laugh.
 
“So, how did you ask Cassandra out the first
time?”

               
Kent just bursts into
hysterics.
 
“Okay, Jeremy, Joshua and I
do this thing….”

               
“Don’t ruin it for her.
 
Anyway, he came up to me and said, ‘I was
wondering if you had an extra heart because mine seems to have been stolen.’”

               
My gaze turns to Kent.
 
“Really?”

               
He just laughs.
 
“Yup, but hey, it worked!”

               
“It was so lame, it made me
laugh.
 
I already had a thing for him, so
he probably could have said anything and I would have been like…OKAY,”
Cassandra declares.

               
“Well, I would have come up with
something even cheesier if that was true,” Kent retorts.

               
Cassandra rolls her eyes.
 
“Oh geez.”

               
While getting up to go sit by
Cassandra, Kent says, “Are you cold, because you can use me for a blanket.”

               
“Oh
my gosh
Kent!” Cassandra exclaims, shoving him away.

               
The three of us burst out
laughing.
 
We quiet down when Courtney comes
back.
 
She sets our drinks down on the
table.
 
“What can I get you to eat?”

               
“I am going to have the Caesar
salad,” Cassandra replies pleasantly.

               
Courtney nods and then looks at
me.
 
“I will just have a cheeseburger,” I
say, handing her the menu.

               
“No, no, no,” Kent says.
 
“You can’t just have a cheeseburger; you need
to get something special.”

               
“Then you order for me.”

               
Kent smiles and asks, “Do you
like onions?”
 
I nod.
 
He turns to Courtney.
 
“She will have the patty melt.”

               
“Okay,” Courtney says.
 
“I will put the order in.”
 
She turns and leaves.

               
“Well,” Kent sighs.
 
“I need to go do actual work.
 
You ladies have a good lunch.
 
I will sneak back over here in a bit if I
can.”

               
“Love you,” Cassandra says, with
a big grin.