“Whiskey?” Kay asks after she has parked the car.
“How about a swim instead?” I look at her face under the dim pale-yellow light of the West Waters parking lot.
“Clothing optional?” she counters.
“Somehow, for me, wearing a bathing suit after dark is no longer an option.” A timid smile breaks on my face, cutting through the sadness that has been with me all night. “You’ve ruined me forever.”
“Ruined? Freed, you mean.” A low giggle bubbles up from Kay’s throat. “You city girls. Tsk.” She shakes her head in mock disdain. “I can teach you a thing or two.”
“No doubt there.” It’s cozy in the darkness of the car. Intimate. Just the two of us in a closed space, the AC gently humming, Kay’s hands still on the steering wheel.
“Come on, Little Ella.” She c***s her head a little, drawing her li
