blew. Her hair was still wound in a knot on the top of her head, but her stride was long and loose as she came toward him, and the sun picked up glints of gold in her hair, and she smiled at him as she drew closer, and it suddenly seemed better not to have been stood up. And when he offered her his hand to help her up on the table, she hesitated and then took it, and her fingers were pleasantly, solidly warm as she boosted herself up beside him on the table.
"Hi," she said and he grinned at her.
"Hi," he said. "T hank you for coming."
"T hank you for inviting me." Min dropped her bag on the bench below them. "Give me ten bucks."
Cal blinked. "What?"
Min smiled at him, cheerful as the sun. "I was going to make your lunch a living hell, but it's such a beautiful day, I've decided to enjoy it. You bet Tony ten bucks you could get me to lunch."
"No, I didn't," Cal said.
Min's smile disappeared.
"Tony bet me ten bucks I could get you to lunch."
Min rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Give me ten bucks or I'm leaving you cold and you'll have to give Tony his ten bucks back plus ten more because you've lost."
"I think I won when you said, 'Yes,'" Cal said, suddenly a lot more interested in Min.
"Try explaining that to Tony," Min said.
"Okay," Cal said. "How about we split it?"
Min held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. "Ten bucks, Charm Boy."
Cal sighed and dug out his wallet, trying not to grin at her. She took the ten, picked up her bag, stuffed the bill in it and then pulled out a twenty and handed it to him.
"What's this?" Cal said.
"That's the twenty you gave me for cab fare on Wednesday," Min said. "I forgot to give it back to you."
"So now I'm up ten bucks," Cal said.
"No, now you've broken even. It was your twenty to begin with. I had no right to it since you didn't get fresh."
Cal looked up at the sun. "The day's young."
"I don't see you making your move on a picnic table," Min said. "In fact, I don't see you moving on me at all, so tuck that away and tell me everything you know about Roger."
"I'm glad to see you, too," he said, and her smile widened.
"Sorry. I forgot your lust for small talk. And how have you been in the fourteen hours since we last spoke, eight of which you were sleeping?"
"Fine. And you?"
"Wonderful. How much of this before we get to Roger and Bonnie?"
"You're a very practical woman," Cal said, and then Min pulled her legs up to tuck them under her and he caught sight of her shoes, ridiculous sandals made mostly of ribbons with a single bright red flower over the instep. "Except for your shoes."
"Don't make fun of my shoes." Min wiggled red-tipped toes under the flowers. "I love these shoes. Liza gave them to me for Christmas." She untied the ribbons and pulled them off and put them on the table behind her, patting the flowers before she turned back to him.
"I can see why you love them," Cal said, distracted by her toes, and then she pulled her skirt over them and he added, "They're very Elvis."
She raised her eyebrows. '
'''You
are an Elvis fan?"
"Best there is," Cal said. "You, too?"
"Oh, absolutely." Min looked perplexed and then said, "Well, I guess it does makes sense. You are the devil in disguise."
"What?" Cal said, and then it hit him. "Elvis
Presley}"
"Well, of course, Elvis Presley," Min said. "What other . . .
oh
. The angels want to wear my red shoes. Elvis Costello." She shrugged. "He's good, too."
Cal shook his head in disbelief. "Yes, he is."
"Good thing this isn't a date," Min said cheerfully. "Or there'd be a really awkward silence while we tried to come back from that one."
Cal grinned at her. "Have you ever had an awkward silence in your life, Dobbs?"
"Not many," Min said. "You?"
"Nope." Cal dumped the bag of wrapped hot dogs out on the blanket. "Okay. Roger and Bonnie. Have a hot dog while we talk."
"A hot dog?" Min said, in the same tone of voice she'd have used to say "Cocaine?"
"Those aren't good for you."
"They're protein," Cal said, exasperated.
"Hi," she said and he grinned at her.
"Hi," he said. "T hank you for coming."
"T hank you for inviting me." Min dropped her bag on the bench below them. "Give me ten bucks."
Cal blinked. "What?"
Min smiled at him, cheerful as the sun. "I was going to make your lunch a living hell, but it's such a beautiful day, I've decided to enjoy it. You bet Tony ten bucks you could get me to lunch."
"No, I didn't," Cal said.
Min's smile disappeared.
"Tony bet me ten bucks I could get you to lunch."
Min rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Give me ten bucks or I'm leaving you cold and you'll have to give Tony his ten bucks back plus ten more because you've lost."
"I think I won when you said, 'Yes,'" Cal said, suddenly a lot more interested in Min.
"Try explaining that to Tony," Min said.
"Okay," Cal said. "How about we split it?"
Min held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. "Ten bucks, Charm Boy."
Cal sighed and dug out his wallet, trying not to grin at her. She took the ten, picked up her bag, stuffed the bill in it and then pulled out a twenty and handed it to him.
"What's this?" Cal said.
"That's the twenty you gave me for cab fare on Wednesday," Min said. "I forgot to give it back to you."
"So now I'm up ten bucks," Cal said.
"No, now you've broken even. It was your twenty to begin with. I had no right to it since you didn't get fresh."
Cal looked up at the sun. "The day's young."
"I don't see you making your move on a picnic table," Min said. "In fact, I don't see you moving on me at all, so tuck that away and tell me everything you know about Roger."
"I'm glad to see you, too," he said, and her smile widened.
"Sorry. I forgot your lust for small talk. And how have you been in the fourteen hours since we last spoke, eight of which you were sleeping?"
"Fine. And you?"
"Wonderful. How much of this before we get to Roger and Bonnie?"
"You're a very practical woman," Cal said, and then Min pulled her legs up to tuck them under her and he caught sight of her shoes, ridiculous sandals made mostly of ribbons with a single bright red flower over the instep. "Except for your shoes."
"Don't make fun of my shoes." Min wiggled red-tipped toes under the flowers. "I love these shoes. Liza gave them to me for Christmas." She untied the ribbons and pulled them off and put them on the table behind her, patting the flowers before she turned back to him.
"I can see why you love them," Cal said, distracted by her toes, and then she pulled her skirt over them and he added, "They're very Elvis."
She raised her eyebrows. '
'''You
are an Elvis fan?"
"Best there is," Cal said. "You, too?"
"Oh, absolutely." Min looked perplexed and then said, "Well, I guess it does makes sense. You are the devil in disguise."
"What?" Cal said, and then it hit him. "Elvis
Presley}"
"Well, of course, Elvis Presley," Min said. "What other . . .
oh
. The angels want to wear my red shoes. Elvis Costello." She shrugged. "He's good, too."
Cal shook his head in disbelief. "Yes, he is."
"Good thing this isn't a date," Min said cheerfully. "Or there'd be a really awkward silence while we tried to come back from that one."
Cal grinned at her. "Have you ever had an awkward silence in your life, Dobbs?"
"Not many," Min said. "You?"
"Nope." Cal dumped the bag of wrapped hot dogs out on the blanket. "Okay. Roger and Bonnie. Have a hot dog while we talk."
"A hot dog?" Min said, in the same tone of voice she'd have used to say "Cocaine?"
"Those aren't good for you."
"They're protein," Cal said, exasperated.
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