“Maggie. Just let me call Bobby.”

She sighed. “Fine. What are you guys doing tonight?”

“Playing video games. You?” I took a bite.

“Well, I don’t have work tomorrow, so I’m not sure.”

I wiped my lips with my napkin and laid it back in my lap. “What’s left on your sightseeing list?”

“Chelsea Piers, Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island, off the top of my head.”

I smiled and shifted the sandwich. “Let’s go to Coney Island tomorrow.” I took another bite.

She raised an eyebrow. “Who invited you?”

I shrugged and swallowed. “You shouldn’t go by yourself. Plus, when it gets dark, that place looks like where survivors of the zombie apocalypse go for group meetings.”

She laughed.

“Seriously. I once saw a guy beating a bench with a cane, laughing like a maniac.”

Her smile fell. “Maybe I don’t want to go after all.”

“It’s fine during the day, and with muscle.”

Maggie eyed me. “You’re telling me that you and I going to Coney Island wouldn’t be a date? How do you figure?”

“I won’t buy you a single thing, not even a hot dog or a soda. I won’t even try to win you a giant pink gorilla. I could, just to be clear. But I won’t. I’ll be good. But the second we’re back here tomorrow night, I make no promises.”

She laughed. “Sounds fun, but it’s a bad idea.” She seemed stalwart, but I pressed her anyway. I wanted to spend the day with her. I wanted to know if it would be everything I thought it would be.

“Give me one good reason why we can’t go to Coney Island.”

“Because …” Her face scrunched up. “Well, I don’t know. It just feels like a date.”

“I already covered that one. What else?” I took another bite, playing it off, watching her.

She was still trying to think of something, and I knew I had her. I went in for the kill.

I swallowed and set down my sandwich. “You want to go to Coney Island. We’re both free tomorrow. There will be no making of moves, buying of cotton candy, or any otherwise sinister, predatory shenanigans. Come on, Mags.”

Boom. 

She rolled her eyes with a sigh. “All right. It’s not a date, though.”

A smile stretched across my lips. “Of course it’s not.”

SORE LOSER

Maggie

HALF AN HOUR LATER, I skipped out of Cooper’s apartment feeling high. Constant surprises, that’s what being with him boiled down to. Just when I thought I had him pegged, he’d hit me with something that would send the dial spinning again. But as Bobby drove me home, I came down, and the second guessing began. I’d agreed to another not-date, this time at an amusement park.

I had almost zero willpower when it came to Cooper.

Coney Island on a spring afternoon with Cooper Moore. I sighed, feeling like an indecisive fool, needing to talk to somebody, but Lily was at the theater. I couldn’t call Brooke — it was too late on a Thursday when I know she had to wake up early. That only left Rose. I’d just have to play it off, be as vague as possible. No details, no names. Relief settled in at the thought of talking through it. She’d help me decide.

Bobby dropped me off around the corner from Habits, and I thanked him before climbing out, feeling like I should have tipped him or something, even though I knew he’d never take it. A driver. So freaking weird.

The night was cool and a little breezy as I walked the stretch to Habits and pulled open the door. Rose’s face swung toward the door, and she smiled when she saw me. Her black hair was in a high ponytail, her long neck exposed, cleavage bangin’ without looking overdone or showy.

I waved and headed down to the end.

She tossed a coaster on the bar, looking glad to see me. The feeling was mutual. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight, Mags. What are you up to?”

I took a seat and pulled my bag off, hanging it on a hook under the bar. “Not much. I was out, but … I don’t know. I wasn’t quite ready to go home to an empty apartment.”

She smiled. “I know the feeling. Maker’s and ginger?”

“That sounds like heaven. Thanks, Rose.”

“No prob.” She grabbed a glass and tossed in a scoop of ice. “How was your day?”

“Weird. Today at work, I met Cooper’s mom.”

Rose looked like something had exploded in her brain. “Oh, my God. That’s the charity she works for? You even told me the name and everything. I can’t believe I didn’t put that together.”

“It’s fine. I mean, how often do you talk about Cooper’s mom?”

She chuckled and poured whiskey into the glass. “True.”

“So that was weird. And then I went over to Mr. M’s. We got into a little … kerfuffle.”

Rose smirked and grabbed the soda gun to top my drink off. “Is that a euphemism?”

I laughed. “No, although I got some of that too.”

“At least one of us got laid.” She handed the glass over.

“How long’s it been?”

Rose sighed. “Too long.”

“Have you thought about dating?”

She leaned on the bar. “Of course. Just haven’t met anyone worth the risk.”

I nodded and took a sip, knowing exactly what she meant. “What about a dating site?”

“I’m not that desperate yet.” She leaned on the bar. “So what was the kerfuffle about?”

“Oh, it was silly — a misunderstanding. I’m just paranoid, I think. I’m afraid to trust him, you know? I don’t want to trust anyone.”

“I get that. I’m glad you guys worked it out, though. How long before his time is up?”

“A week and a couple of days. He wants to go with me to Coney Island tomorrow.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a date.”

“That’s what I said. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea. But he swore it was friends only, nothing datey like holding hands or kissing.”

“Are you going to go?”

“I told him I would, but now I’m not so sure.” I looked into her eyes and begged her to just decide for me.

She nodded thoughtfully. “Coney Island is on your list, right?”

“Yeah. I just … I don’t know. I’m only supposed to be banging him, you know?”

“Right. What about upgrading from fuck buddy to friends with benefits?”

I considered it. “I mean, we are friends at this point.”

“And theoretically, you’re going to cut this all off in a week or so anyway, right?”

“Right.”

She shrugged. “I don’t see a problem here. Go on the not-date and have a good time. Then let him rock your junk out and feed you again. That sounds like a cycle I can get behind.”

I laughed, feeling better. “Can I just have you make all of my decisions for me?”

A laugh burst out of her. “I don’t know how well that would work out for you, but as long as you don’t get pissed at me when your life blows up like mine, then sure.”

“Thanks, Rose. I’m having a hell of a time with this, which sucks considering it was supposed to be easy.”

“You’ve been through a lot over the last few months, including a move to Manhattan. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”

I took a drink and did just that — cut myself some slack. She was right. I wanted to go to Coney Island, and I’d have fun with Cooper like I always did. I could handle it. Friends with benefits. Easy.

Cooper

A couple of hours later, I was sitting in my media room with the lights out, flanked by Patrick and West as Scorpion and SubZero beat the shit out of each other in Mortal Kombat style digital surround sound. We each had our own leather recliner with built in speakers, and the ninety-inch TV was close enough to us that it took up our entire field of vision.