The Boyfriend List by R.S. Novelle, Renee Novelle Page B

focusing intently on the ketchup packets in his hand. Reagan,
however, wasn’t fooled.
    “No
really.” She pressed. “What are you laughing at?”
    This
time he did look up, but merely to shake his head and lift his hands in
surrender. Fully equipped with all the right phrases to guarantee an apology,
Reagan began walking toward him. She was tired of being someone else’s
entertainment at her own expense, and this time she wasn’t going to allow it.
This time, she’d let it be known that Reagan Carter was not to be messed with.
“You think it’s okay to laugh at someone who’s having a bad day?”
    But
instead of getting the apology she desired, the guy simply picked up his bag,
threw the remainder of his hot dog into his mouth and ran. Standing wide eyed,
she watched him fly over the grass toward the large red brick building that
housed the law school. She’d scared him off, she mused to herself. That had to
be a first for her, and she kind of liked the feeling.
    “Do you think it’s okay to run off someone’s
business?” The man operating the simple cart was looming down at her, but there
was a glint in his eyes that gave him away. He’d been entertained by her
performance, Reagan was fairly confident in that.
    “He’d
already paid hadn’t he?”
    After
receiving his simple shrug in reply, she allowed her eyes to fully roam all the
offerings that the little cart supplied. A sudden whiff of warm bread and tangy
mustard reminded her of just how hungry she was getting. A snack probably wouldn’t
be a bad idea, her plans for the day were thoroughly thrown off anyway.
Flashing a beaming pageant smile up at the man, she ordered a salted pretzel
and soda, then equipped herself with a few extra packets of mustard.
    “That’ll
be ten dollars.”
    Reagan
gaped at him in disbelief. “What?”
    “Ten
dollars.”
    “You’re
kidding.”
    The
man’s face grew solemn. “For the pretzel and soda.”
    “It’s
just a piece of dough.”
    “Yeah,
ten dollars worth of dough.”
    “What
is it about today?” Reagan exclaimed to herself as she dug into her purse and
pulled out the cash. If she continued at this rate, she might have to start
looking for a job after all.
    After
gingerly brushing away a bit of the heavy salt with the corner of her napkin, Reagan
took the first bite and felt immediate relief. Not even a little dry, though
the benefit of mustard wouldn’t hurt, it was perfectly chewy and absolute
heaven. But she needed to feel productive again, so she’d have to take her
snack on the road and start making her way back to the apartment. The homework
she’d been putting off this week in order to accommodate her little mission was
quickly piling up, and Reagan could feel it weighing on her shoulders.
Situating herself so that the soda was in her left hand, and what was left of
the pretzel was in the right, she stepped away from the cart.
    Away
from the cart, and right into the path of a man walking his rather large canine
friend. By the time Reagan had realized what she’d done, the leash had been
loosely wrapped around her feet.
    “Oops.”
She looked down at her predicament, then up into the eyes of the stranger. An
embarrassed smile quickly shot out from her lips. “Sorry about that.”
    Though
she tried to step out, the circle only grew tighter around her ankles as the
friendly animal came closer to sniff out his new companion. It was a cute dog,
but the cuteness was lost on Reagan as it zeroed in on the smell of the pretzel
instead. Instinctively, she pulled the food closer to her body, and the dog
inched up even more.
      “It’s his favorite treat.” Somehow, the
fact that Reagan was tangled in the leash and his dog was preparing to hijack
her food was a nonissue for the guy. He was smiling down at the creature as he
explained the animal’s odd behavior, but had yet to offer Reagan even the
simplest form of assistance. Heck, she was even getting the vibe that she was
going to have to pay for