Do I Know You?(41)

“Well,” he goes on with mounting enthusiasm. “They have comb jellies and bubblegum coral and vampire squids. How great are those names?” Leaning back in his chair, he shakes his head in rapture. “I have to do a marine-life unit with the kids. Maybe we can take a trip to an aquarium.”

“Are you sure those animals are real?” I ask, unable to restrain myself. “You’re not mixing up picture books with two a.m. Wikipedia research?”

David holds up his phone, displaying photos of what is, indeed, captioned a vampire squid. While I inspect the small, orange, umbrella-shaped creature with growing curiosity, David squares his shoulders proudly. “I’m sure Lindsey knows all of this already, of course, but I’m ready to impress,” he says.

Eliza speaks up, spooning, I note with satisfaction, the strawberry off the top of her parfait. “I met Lindsey,” she says, completely casual. “She seems cool.”

“Yes, she’s my soul mate,” David replies. Eliza swallows her strawberry. “I told her I was into nature conservation and learning about the local ecosystems,” he continues cheerfully.

“You’re sure this isn’t going to backfire on you?” I prod gently. “I mean, how much could you learn in one night?”

David frowns, looking deeply disappointed in me. But he’s cut off from defending his honor by none other than Lindsey herself, heading from the patio inside toward the exit. I elbow David’s forearm resting on the edge of the table. “Dude,” I say, nodding my gaze in the brunette’s direction. “Now’s your shot. Show her the vampire squid.”

“You jest, my friend, but I absolutely will,” David replies. He’s entranced. “Eliza,” he says urgently, eyes never leaving Lindsey. “Can you wave her over?”

Eliza smiles. “Why don’t you just talk to her? You’re clearly great at making vacation friends,” she points out.

“Eliza,” David repeats, shifting in his seat. Lindsey’s nearly reached the exit. David manages to yank his eyes from her diminishing shape. “Please,” he implores. “True love is in your hands!”

Eliza laughs—but when Lindsey is reaching for the door, with David sweating rivers next to me, my wife stands up. “Hey, Lindsey!” she calls out, nonchalant and spontaneous, like the greeting wasn’t just demanded by our friend who decided he couldn’t handle saying hello to his crush this morning.

When Lindsey finds the source of the hello, her eyes light with recognition. She heads in our direction, sidling past tables with brisk efficiency. “I’m going to do it,” David murmurs to himself. “I’m going to ask her out. Now is the moment legends are made.”

I clap my hand on his shoulder, earnestly encouraging. “You got this, man.”

Lindsey reaches us. “Hey, how’s it going?” Her voice is sharply upbeat, like someone flipping the lights on while you’re sleeping.

“Pretty good,” Eliza says. “How about you?”

“We should go on a double date,” David says suddenly.

Understandably, this silences everyone. Lindsey looks to Eliza, then to David, then to me, like she’s struggling to figure out the pairings. David’s gone linen-white, clenching his phone, unmoving, like he’s handcuffed to the table.

I decide to step in. David’s been the perfect wingman to me this whole trip. “That sounds like fun,” I say. Then I meet the eyes of my wife, who still looks startled from David’s outburst. “If Eliza will go out with me, that is.”

What crosses Eliza’s expression is like sunlight warming ocean water. “I suppose so,” she says, her gorgeous gray eyes smiling.

Past the utter happiness this instills in me, I notice it’s worked the desired effect. With the organization of this double-date clear, Lindsey has started unsubtly checking David out. Like he’s realized the same, David straightens his posture. When he sets his phone on the table, Lindsey’s gaze catches the screen. “Cool squid photo,” she says.

“V—vampire squid,” David elaborates.

I fight not to laugh. It’s nice to know every guy is capable of being reduced to a bumbling mess in front of his crush.

“Sure,” Lindsey replies, taking the vampire squid comment in stride. “A double date could be fun. Could be terrible, but hey, we’re on vacation and we’ll never see each other again, so why the hell not?” I can’t help catching Eliza’s eye when this remark lands. Lindsey glances to my wife. “Eliza, you’ll text me?”

“For sure,” Eliza promises.

When Lindsey leaves, quiet falls over us. I watch David, the recognition of triumph dawning over him, until his eyes rove slowly to Eliza.

“You’ve had her number,” he says, “this whole time?”

My wife just shrugs. “Better brush up on your squid facts,” she replies. “It’s game time.”





23


    Eliza


I really WISH we’d figured out some system for trading the honeymoon suite, because right now, my sore body desperately needs Graham’s private Jacuzzi.

No interpretation of our characters’ places in each other’s lives convinces me Vacation Planner Eliza could invite herself over to the hot tub she doesn’t even know her sparring partner has, however. Not without becoming incredibly forward, which wouldn’t be consistent with the will-we-or-won’t-we flirtation I’ve been very much enjoying. Sigh. For the rest of the day before our double date, which I coordinate with Lindsey for this evening, I settle for the next best thing, which is relaxing in the hotel Jacuzzi.