Page 27 of Best Served Hot

I sighed theatrically. “I suppose I deserve that,” I said, looking away. Right into Ryan the Rhino’s face.

He was laughing at me. As I watched, he shaped his pointer and thumb into a big fat zero. “That’s for costing us our shaobing. How does it feel to be a loser?”

I scowled at him instinctually. What a dick. I was a lot of things, but not a loser. My mouth opened wide to tell him just that, only before I could, Bennett said, “Shut up, Ryan. No need to be a dickhole.” He looked faintly scandalized for saying that, and I was so tickled by that look I completely forgot to look at Ryan to see his reaction.

“Julie!” Alice called from behind me. “Come on! The next round is starting!”

Bennett and Ryan were now in some kind of discussion. Maybe about Bennett’s hideous shirt. I had no place in it, but I lingered anyway. Should I, like, say goodbye? Or anything?

“Julie!”

“Coming,” I called back to Alice.

With one last glance at Bennett, I beat it back to my table in time for the announcer to say, “The next round will be technology.”

I was more than happy to sit this one out. I half tuned out the round, keeping my eyes on Bennett’s table, where, I was pleased to see, they were absolutely tanking. I waved over the waitress. “I’d like to send that guy a glass of red wine,” I said, pointing at Bennett. Aside from our discussion earlier, it was the least I could do after spilling his drink. “Yeah, the one in the Dead Squirrel shirt. Um, I don’t know. Do you have any that are good but that aren’t too expensive?”

We reached a fine equilibrium, but I still winced handing over my credit card. I tuned back in time for an argument at my table. “I’m telling you, it’s Ethereum,” Kelsey was spitting, wisps of blond hair going wild around her face. “I am absolutely one hundred percent certain. I was just reading about it literally this morning.”

“Ehhh, I still think it’s Bitcoin,” said Rob One. “I’m invested in a lot of cryptocurrency, so I know. Do you even know what cryptocurrency is?”

If Kelsey were a snake or a vampire, all the Robs would have twin puncture wounds in their throats right about now. “Of course I know what cryptocurrency is,” she bit out.

One of the other guys snorted. “Just because you bought a Bitcoin when they became famous doesn’t mean you know a lot about it. Go with Bitcoin, guys.”

I pounded my palms against the table. All our drinks jumped, and all eyes turned to me.

I didn’t even care. “Hey, it’s pretty obvious she knows what she’s talking about,” I said. “Stop being—don’t be a dickhole.”

“Yeah,” said Alice.

The guys were silent for a moment. They didn’t know what to say. Kelsey took advantage of their stun to grab the whiteboard, write Ethereum, and hold it up.

“I’m looking for Ethereum,” the announcer said. Kelsey laid the whiteboard down on the table with a snap that felt somehow triumphant. Alice cheered and slapped Kelsey a high five over the table.

I grabbed for my drink before anyone could knock it over and took a sip. The fruit juice had been watered down since I first got it, and now it tasted mostly like ice.

I felt Bennett’s eyes on me before I saw them. He was raising a wineglass to me. I’d almost forgotten I’d sent him wine. I raised my half-full, watered-down drink to him, then drank.

Somehow, this time, it tasted sweet.

• • •

The sweet taste lingered until the next morning, when I woke up on Alice’s couch. Figuratively, obviously, since I’d brushed my teeth with my finger when we got home, and now my mouth literally tasted like morning breath. I covered my eyes, squinting at the glare coming in through the window. Well, filtering palely through the window, which faced the brick wall of an air shaft. How much had I drunk last night? I really should have stopped at that one drink, but after our team won the Technology round, the Robs had insisted on buying us all more, and it went on from there . . .

I widened my fingers, peering with one eye toward Alice’s empty bed. Her studio was pretty small, not much larger than her queen bed, the couch I slept on, and a desk, but living alone in Manhattan was an achievement. I could hardly blame her for it, even if it had stung when she first told me she wanted to do it rather than hunt for an apartment with me. As much as I would have liked living with her, it would be nice to be able to walk around naked or sing loudly and badly during an early morning shower.

The bathroom door opened with a creak and a gust of humid, flowery air. “It’s about time,” Alice said, already dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a cartoon character on it. It hardly seemed fair that she got to dress like that when I got paid so much less and had to dress in business casual. “You’d better run. I saw the six is delayed.”

The six train was always delayed. I suppressed a sigh. A mad rush of brushing my teeth with my finger and trying to steam the wrinkles out of yesterday’s skirt and blouse ensued. One was a success; the other was not. So I was cursing under my minty-fresh breath as I arrived at the office to find Emerson Leigh sprawled out on the office couch. Which was, incidentally, much more comfortable than Alice’s couch; my neck still felt cricked, my shoulder aching from keeping myself from falling off all night.

Emerson Leigh sat up as I applied my big fake smile. She stretched her arms overhead with a yawn. “Good morning, Julie.” Her eyes widened a bit as she took in my pink plaid. I could practically see the thoughts scrolling over her forehead: Did she find that outfit crumpled up under a bench in the park? “You look nice,” she said brightly.

“Good morning, Emerson Leigh.” I took shelter behind my desk, feeling more confident with less of me on display. “You’re up early.”

She beamed at me. “I am! It’s been ages since I’ve gotten up before nine. The world feels so fresh and clean and bright this early.”

It was bright. Too bright. “Is there something I can help you with? I don’t think your dad’s coming in today; he’s doing something with Maisie up in Connecticut.”