Page 31 (2/2)

“Okay,” he said “I’m sorry I’m just…I really like you, Lexie”

“You don’t know me”

“Well, I’d like to” Before I could argue with him he took my hand and tucked it in his aran smoothie and juice bar”

“Really?”

“It’s pretty popular in the summer but I think she suffers in the winter”

“Well, let’s check it out”

Every few feet so hello Lots of people had questions about his caave me some obvious you’re not from around here looks The ones from women were particularly pointed They didn’t like the hoirl

“This is Lexie Platzski,” was how he introducedat the inn”

It eird how much I wanted to say “and we’rehis ar me sideways looks But I sed the words down

We got to the sht hiet back to work? Because I can call an Uber—”

“No, of course not,” he said, and it felt like he was just being polite, the way he ith all the people who stopped and talked to us, and I didn’t want to be lu the same treatment as Mrs Handsy-hands with all the questions about the recycling center overhaul

“Ethan Honestly—”

“Honestly? I don’t want to go back to work I’ fun and I haven’t had this kind of fun in…well, a year So, let me have my fun, Lexie”

Warning, !

But I was having fun, too, and so alked into the smoothie store and ordered one of the owner, Bea’s, favorites, the ot his usual Which is hoe ended up standing at the counter with a shot of wheatgrass, so called the Garburator and a strawberry banana smoothie with protein powder

“That tastes like dirt,” Ethan whispered after taking a sip of the purplish green Garburator

I took a sip “It’s very beet forward but I actually really like it” I made a little note in ood, too Not too sweet, and nice and creareat”

“You need to drink that,” Ethan said, pointing to the wheat grass “Tastes like lawn clippings”

“Like you’ve ever eaten lawn clippings,” I said tossing the shot back “All right, last—”