Page 145 of Faking Cinderella
“Will they be the only other people there? Sabrina and Grey?” Margie asks.
“And Zen. They’re cool. You’ll like them. Plus Theo and Laney will be there with their kids,” Jack says.
Lucky nods. “And Emma and Jonas too.”
Margie flinches.
“Don’t let the movie star thing intimidate you,” Jack says, completely reading the flinch wrong. “He’s a nice guy. Mostly normal. Especially when Theo and Grey trick him into drinking the alcoholic kombucha. Then he’s just funny. Dude’s alightweight and always gets three in before he realizes he didn’t look at the can.”
“We told him he has to be nice to you and not talk to you unless you approach him,” Lucky adds.
“And no pictures so no one can say you’re getting special treatment at work,” Jack adds.
Margie looks at me.
I shake my head no as subtly as I can.
The slight lift of her brows clearly repliesno shit.
“C’mon, Margie, it’ll be fun,” Decker says.
Decker.
Mr. Grumpy wants his sister to come havefunnow.
The fucker.
“Plus, if you come, we win a bet with Theo,” Jack adds.
“A normal kind of bet?” Margie asks.
The three of them grin at each other, then at her.
“Only way to see is if you come,” Lucky says.
Jack gets in on it too. “Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here. Sabrina and Grey almost never host anything since they’re always running everything at Bee & Nugget.”
“And that means it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to peek inside Grey’s kombucha cellar,” Decker adds.
“Dude. You’ve been in the kombucha cellar way more than once in your lifetime,” Jack says to him.
“You can never spend too much time in the kombucha cellar,” Decker retorts.
“It’s a special kombucha cellar,” Lucky side-whispers—loudly—to Margie.
“Clearly,” she murmurs.
“Glad you’re in,” Lucky says. “Because they’re actually having a party just for you, which we weren’t going to tell you so you wouldn’t feel obligated to come.”
“Absolutely,” Jack agrees. “We don’t manipulate people.”
Decker shakes his head. “Nice going, dumbasses. Way to be subtle.”
“Subtle’s your thing,” Jack replies.
Lucky nods. “So much so that sometimes people don’t understand your books at all.”
“Plus, if we wanted to manipulate anyone, we’d mention the Hatch green chile bison burgers,” Jack adds.
