Page 170 of Fly's Path

Vandal

“Are you sure this outfit will work for our first date?” Lola pulls at the hem of her skirt.

I try not to stare at her stunning legs and focus on the road. Traffic isn’t exactly light. “You look amazing! Something cute and comfortable works.”

“You have me so curious as to where you could possibly be taking…Why are you stopping in front of the library? It closed at five.”

“It closes to the public at five. But for us tonight, it’s open.”

“You’re taking me to the library for our date? The actual library. This is so cool!!!!”

I walk around to her side and open the door.

Lola hops out and straight into my arms. “This is the best first date ever. Thank you so much. I can’t even imagine how much you had to donate to get us in here.”

My mom donated tens of millions of dollars every year while she was alive. The library was one of her pet projects, as my father used to call them. He didn’t mind the money for them, because they made the family look good. Mom did it because it was the right thing to do. I should probably start making donations in her memory. “It was nothing.” Literally.

“I don’t know what to do first. I’ve always wanted to run down the aisles taking funny pictures.”

Could anyone get cuter than that? “Let’s start with that.”

“Okay.” She grins. “Race you to the other end.” Lola takes off with a flirty wink.

Racing it is.

***

“This is absolutely the best first date imaginable.” Lola keeps spinning around in her chair rather than eating anything off the charcuterie board in front of her. “I’m never going to forget this.”

Neither am I, but for a very different reason. Libraries aren’t my thing, but your smile is. “Do you want a large library in your house?” Why did I ask that on the first date?

“I don’t know. I’ve never had a house. A library feels like a special place, so I think if the house had a library, it would have to be extra special.”

“What would make it extra special for you?”

“Hmm. I don’t know. Maybe that rolling ladder like they have in the movies. And old leather-bound books.”

We could do that.

Lola finally settles down and reaches for a piece of cheese. “Van, I’m trying not to worry, but I know the dealer didn’t goaway. Feeling like I’m in the dark about all of this scares me…No, it terrifies me that something might happen to you and I’d never know.”

“You’d know. My brothers would reach out to you.”

“They’d reach out. Like an I’m-sorry call. What’s with that? I thought you said we were in this together. An I’m-sorry call isn’t in it together. That’s an insult. That’s a crushing blow out of nowhere. Why don’t you just ask them to walk up and sucker punch me as well?”

“Lola.”

“All or nothing. We said we were all or nothing, and now you’re telling me it’s going to be almost nothing.”

“I’m not trying to keep you in the dark. It’s just that nothing’s happening at the moment. I’m waiting for the dealer. Next Friday, I’m going to throw another party, and he’s going to bring the party favors.”

She looks around like we aren’t all alone in the middle of a closed library. “So they’re going to bring drugs to your party next week?”

“That’s the plan.” I don’t really need to mention the children.

“So what, you’ll be doing drugs next week? At least you won’t be dancing with other women.”

“Um, about that.”