The Empire State of Mind: Complete Series by Diane Michaels

Author:Diane Michaels [Michaels, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: needs an amazon review
Publisher: ArrowHeart Press
Published: 2022-11-02T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

OCTOPUS THEORY

“I think you’re magic!” My arm around Imani’s waist, I lean my head against her shoulder while the bartender fills our glasses.

“Because I picked a bar that sells a beer and a shot for eight bucks during happy hour?”

“You know me so well!”

The bar brings to life the fantasy I held of what Brooklyn would be like. We slither through a well-packed, hazily lit bar full of reclaimed wood onto an equally crowded patio surrounded by gray brick buildings. It’s not even five, yet half the hipsters in Brooklyn have claimed all but two chairs. Imani sprints ahead of me to secure the empty seats. I juggle two pints of a locally brewed IPA. My first shot of tequila, which I drank at the bar, is a buzzy, relaxing memory.

“Your beer, madame.” I slide a pint glass across the round, tiled tabletop.

Imani holds the glass aloft to clink against mine. “Cheers!”

I swivel my head, absorbing the Insta-ready people and atmosphere. Imani and I are still in show black, which makes us decidedly unhip. Women in vintage floral dresses paired with Doc Martens and men wearing tight gingham button-down shirts over army-green shorts abound. As do beards. Strings of Edison bulbs stretch across the patio. A man with a ukulele sings Neil Diamond songs ironically. Or maybe unironically.

I swallow the remains of my pint. “Our original plans for this evening were to celebrate me surviving the first three weeks. Now? I’m not sure.”

“The problem with the deep fryer will be so simple to recover from, you’ll wonder why you let it bother you. You have to test everything: recipes, equipment. Now you know. Wanda won’t fire you, I promise. Look at it as a lesson and move on.” She peruses the menu card housed in a Lucite holder. “It’s crazy early to eat dinner, but I need food before I drink a second beer. Want to split a hummus platter?”

“I’m in.” I flag a server to place our order.

Imani takes a last gulp of her beer and hands the server her empty glass. “So, ground rules for the evening: no more talk about Table for Two. Well, really, I have only one rule, but it’s important. We work together, which means we’re well versed in each other’s office stories. Let’s remember we’re on vacation, okay?”

“I’ll be on my best behavior. But cooking is a fair topic, right? It’s about all I know. I don’t have a boyfriend, which means I don’t have boyfriend troubles. Have I explained my octopus theory to you?”

“How did we jump from a lack of boyfriends to sea creatures?”

“Easy. Octopi mate once. But before they have sexy times, they lead amazing lives. They’re wicked clever. Be it hunting or escaping a predator, they succeed ‘cause of their smarts. And they play with fish. But they don’t hang out with other octopi. They’re content little loners. What happens is, after a female octopus lays her eggs, she devotes herself entirely to her offspring. No time for little luxuries like eating.

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