Since Beth had a craving for Japanese food, they decided on the Yamoto at Broadway at the Beach. Ella loved the mix of restaurants and stores arranged around a lake. Sometimes during her lunch break, she would come here alone and spend her hour walking the boardwalk and feeding the fish. Luckily, it was a favorite of everyone in the group so they came here often.
When they were settled at a table, Suzy leveled a direct stare at her and asked, “So, with tongue or without?”
As she choked on a sip of iced tea, Beth thoughtfully wacked her on the back.
“Wha . . . what?”
Flicking her wrist impatiently, Suzy asked, “Did he put his tongue in your mouth or did you just rub lips?”
“I . . . well.”
Giving her a sympathetic look, Claire said, “Honey, just go ahead and answer the question. It will be less painful.”
Ella took a deep breath and admitted, “Yes, there was tongue.”
“Good, good,” Suzy smiled. “Are we talking a lot of it or just a swipe?”
Ella could feel her face flaming as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m not sure how much a lot is, but it lasted a while and . . . I liked it.”
“You slut!”
“Suzy!” Beth and Claire both gasped out in horror.
“What? I’m just kidding. I’m happy that she admitted to liking it. My little girl is growing up.” They all laughed as Suzy looked at Ella like a proud parent. “So the dating thing is getting to him.”
“I don’t know,” Ella said. “Maybe.”
“Oh, yeah, it is. I busted him at the office watching you leave with your date. He didn’t know I was there so I had a few minutes to study him. When you strolled off with your not so attractive date, he looked like someone had kicked him in the balls.”
Ella was stunned. She had no idea that Declan had seen her leave with Hugh. “I never saw him.”
“I know,” Suzy smiled, “and that made it even better. I, of course, took a moment after you left to turn the screw. I’m not sure, but I think he might hate me now.” Normally, that thought might upset someone, but apparently not Suzy. “Alright, so this seems to be working. Do we have any more candidates? I gotta say though, you can do better than the last one. That man looked like he fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.”
At Suzy’s statement, laughter erupted all around the table. Claire, ever the diplomatic one, tried to smother her smile behind her napkin as she said, “Er, I’m sure he was fine, Ella. Suz just compares every man to Gray and, let’s face it, most men would come up lacking in that comparison. Plus, looks aren’t everything.”
Suzy snorted. “Yeah, it’s easy to say that when you’re married to Jason Danvers, right? Power to the little people and all.” In a perfect imitation of Claire’s soft voice, Suzy said, “Looks don’t matter as long as he has a good personality.” When Beth opened her mouth to speak, Suzy pinned her with a hard stare and said, “And Nick’s no ugly duckling either. Come on girls, he doesn’t have to be a model, but let’s at least get her up to average. That guy had ears so big, he could pass for Dumbo’s father.”
“Okay,” Beth laughed. “We get your point.” Turning to Ella she asked, “How about the guy that you told me about, wasn’t he a lawyer?”
Nodding, Ella said, “Yes, Travis. He said he was mid-thirties and practiced real estate law. He was pretty cute, I think.”
Claire gave a thumbs-up. “That sounds like a good one. Are you going to line him up for the next date?”
Ella looked at Suzy, waiting for her approval. It was kind of funny. Ella had started thinking of Suzy as the godfather of the dating world. You didn’t want to make a move without her approval. “That could work. Please tell me he isn’t a total bow wow.”
“No, he is much better than Hu—I mean, he is nice looking. I’ll e-mail him tonight.” Then with a sigh, Ella said, “I just wish that Declan would ask me out already. I don’t really want to date anyone else. I want to be with him. I don’t even know if this is going to work.”
Beth put her arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “Sometimes men aren’t that smart, sweetie, and they have to be shown the way. I don’t think this will go on for long though. If Declan had that strong of a reaction to your first date, I can’t see him just letting it continue. And who knows, you might meet someone else and decide that you don’t want him.” All three people at the table looked at Beth as if she were crazy. “What? It could happen.”