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“CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays Two for twenty,” a voice suddenly called out, and Zoey could only laugh at how spectacularly its owner had ruined the moment
The trip back felt shorter than the one she hadZoey was back in Brooklyn, at the door to her apart, a five-story, brick affair Zoey took the elevator straight up to the fourth floor and made a beeline for her apartment
Inside, she went to her bedroo off her clothes Her room featured a wall unit on the wall opposite the door It had a small wardrobe on each side, and a chest of drawers in the middle A thirty-two-inch television sat on top of the drawers, and a ht of the door, as Zoey cahtstand, and a queen-sized bed stood directly beside that
Wearing nothing but her underwear, Zoey went to the bathroo hot water When she liked the te her eyes and allowing herself to relax
For the first tiorated her body, and the water drew the tension out of it Her disgust with heronly blissful silence The water enveloped her like a blanket, and the longer she lay in it, the longer she wanted to stay But Blake wasTony’s in a little under two hours’ time, and she could barely remember the last time she had been on a date That fact barely bothered her now, but Zoey knew that would change when she was out of the water
At last, she grabbed a nearby loofah and began washing in earnest Soon, she added the spray of the shower so that she could give her hair a thorough washing Inrefreshed, but whatever spell the bath had put her under was broken, and her sto itself into knots
Zoey was convinced she would say or do so aard, or worse, draw a blank in the middle of a conversation For some time now, her job at Melinda Forde had been almost her only extended daily contact with people There, she oing to have to wing it soon and she didn’t know if she was ready
“At least I clean up okay,” Zoey said, staring in her ure and oing to be bloay by her, and felt a spreading sense of hope as she called herself a cab
FOUR
Fortunately for Zoey, Big Tony’s was situated in a part of Manhattan that was ency Traffic was light by New York standards, and it wasn’t difficult for her to get there at all Her only problely addicted to the sound of his own voice
The diner was a slass doors that bore steel handles Inside, there were around two dozen elegantly-decorated round tables that appealed to Zoey ih the inti on the walls It was one of those places that sold the atmosphere it provided nearly as much as the items on its menu
Zoey allowed herself to be led to the table Blake had reserved, and ordered a Long Island Iced Tea while she waited for hireatly improved
Tenon a roll,to do She texted Blake, only to get an autohtest, but she told herself to stay positive After all, it had only been ten minutes; people were late all the time, and busy people set their smartphones to autoo But two et e
“Miss, are you ready to order now, or are you still waiting for the rest of your party?”
Her waitress had asked the question with all the politeness in the world, but it was clear froht had happened