Chapter 45
JEREMIAH
“This is the best pizza place in the city,” Stephanie proclaimed as she pushed open the door of a small trattoria and stepped into its comfortable warmth.
I shook my head emphatically. “It can’t be, because I know where the best pizza place in the city is, and it’s not this one.”
“Good pizza doesn’t have to cost as much as a year at college,” she said, smiling at me over her shoulder.
“Neither does the place I’m thinking of,” I said, then gaped when she pointed at the blackboard with the specials written down on it.
Her eyes followed mine and danced when she saw my reaction. “Maybe not, but can you get an entire pizza for less than fifteen dollars where you’re thinking of?”
Hell no. “Maybe the crust.”
“Here, you get the crust, the tomato sauce and the toppings for that price. Like, the whole pizza.” I was getting used to her teasing me and her sense of humor. I liked it.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just grab a table.” I lead her to one in a dimly lit corner. Not that I thought anyone would take pictures of us here, but with Jannie still out there and my father on my ass, I would rather be safe than sorry.
Stephanie didn’t comment on my choice of table. In fact, she positioned herself with her back facing the window. The way we were seated, no one would be able to get a good shot of either of us.
It was dark outside now, and the dinner crowd was slowly trickling in. The restaurant had white round plastic tables with green checkered tablecloths and only basic condiments on the table. It was the kind of place I would go with the guys.
The women in my past tended to expect and insist on fancy, upmarket places we could go to be seen. Like with so many other things about her, that Stephanie brought me here was a breath of fresh air. “Since you’re the expert on their menu, what do you recommend I order?”
“Anything but the one with corn on it.” She wrinkled her nose. “Corn doesn’t belong on a pizza.”
“Corn?” I glanced at the menu board, and sure enough, their house specialty boasted corn as a topping. “I’m starting to doubt they could make the best pizzas in the city if their specialty has corn on it.”
“You’d think so, but wait till you try it. Oozy cheese, generous toppings. It’s really great.”
“You neglected to mention the most important thing, the—”
“Crust is just a little burnt around the sides,” she finished for me.
I sat back and looked at her from across the table, so relaxed and joyful. “How did you know that was what I was going to say?”
She looked confused for a second, then said, “Because that’s the most important thing, isn’t it?”
Another point for Stephanie. “Some say it’s the cheese.”
“Those people are wrong,” she declared confidently and ordered a water and a beer when the server came to our table. A girl after my own heart. I echoed her order and waited for the guy to jot it down on a spiral notepad before he left.
“I totally agree,” I said. “But now you know, if the crust doesn’t live up to the hype, you lose, and this isn’t the best pizza in the city.”
“You’re on.” She smiled. “Just so I know, what are the stakes?”
I lifted a finger to my mouth and tapped against my lips, pretending to think. “You’ll have to come try it at my place. At a time of my choosing.”
“I can live with that,” Stephanie said. The server came back with our drinks and took our order for food. When he was gone, she tilted her head and focused on me. “What did you think of today?”
“Which part?” I asked dryly. “Early morning sucked, but the rest of it was great.”
“I was talking about the rest of it,” she said. “Unless you were in the mood to rehash the pictures and the fallout they caused.”
“I’d rather eat corn on pizza than talk about that.” It was hard to believe the day started out where it had and ended with us here, together. Having literally spent the entire day with each other.
I never would’ve imagined anything could’ve salvaged my day today, but spending time with Stephanie had. I enjoyed seeing snippets of her life, seeing the city I’d lived in for most of mine through her eyes. It was incredible how different it was to mine.