a nap. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends with our app work and Wake Up America! I’m going to need to clone myself if this keeps up.”
“Go catch some zzz’s,” she tells me. “I’ll work for a bit longer and then let myself out. Send me a text tonight and let me know how it’s going.”
I shoot her a thumbs up and drag myself off to bed. I’m pretty sure I’m unconscious before my head even hits the pillow. I sleep for three solid hours and only wake up because my phone starts pinging like a video game. I look at the screen to find a slew of incoming texts from Ben.
DrBananaPants: Our flight leaves at noon on Sunday. The show booked us at the Radisson at Cape Canaveral.
* * *
DrBananaPants: Make sure you bring comfortable shoes.
* * *
DrBananaPants: And make sure you bring sunscreen.
* * *
DrBananaPants: You might also want to bring a sun hat.
Apparently, my nap is over. I pick up my phone and text back:
LibraGrl: I’m from Florida. I know how to dress for the weather.
* * *
DrBananaPants: Oh, okay.
* * *
LibraGrl: What time is your first meeting on Monday?
* * *
DrBananaPants: Not until noon so I should be able to show you around for a bit first.
* * *
LibraGrl: I know my way around.
* * *
DrBananaPants: What? How?
* * *
LibraGrl: My family and I must have visited NASA at least a half dozen times over the years.
* * *
DrBananaPants: Really? You never mentioned that. Did you go to space camp?
* * *
LibraGrl: There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Ben. And no to space camp.
* * *
DrBananaPants: Waltraut said the car would pick you up at eight and then you’d pick me up. That ought to give us plenty of time.
* * *
LibraGrl: Sounds good. Are you bringing your Star Trek figurines? If so, I’ll bring my Harry Potter Lego collection and we can have a battle on the plane.
* * *
DrBananaPants: Ha ha.
* * *
LibraGrl: Come on. That was funny. Anyway, I gotta book, I have a date tonight.
* * *
DrBananaPants: Really, with who?
* * *
LibraGrl: I’m pretty sure you don’t know him.
* * *
DrBananaPants: How do you know if you don’t tell me who he is?
* * *
LibraGrl: His name is Chaz and he’s a chef. Do you know him?
* * *
DrBananaPants: No.
* * *
LibraGrl: There you go. I’ll see you Sunday morning, Ben.
* * *
DrBananaPants: May the force be with you tonight.
* * *
LibraGrl: Nice Star Wars reference. See, you’re not as much of a stick in the mud as you pretend to be.
* * *
DrBananaPants: I’m not a stick in the mud.
* * *
LibraGrl: Are too Dee too. But seriously, we’ll have plenty of time to fight on the plane. See you Sunday.
Lying in bed texting Ben fills me with a delicious warmth. I bolt upright as soon as I think that. I chastise myself, “Serafina Lopez, you cannot develop feelings for the enemy. Can. Not. No.”
I hurry to get up and get ready for my date with Chaz. After showering and blowing my hair out, I take extra pains with my makeup. I even use the mascara that makes my eyes look huge. My orange dress pairs nicely with my tanned skin, and when I look in the mirror, I give myself a nod of approval. Eat your heart out, Eva Mendes.
I take a cab to Noodle, even though it’s a distance I would normally walk. After all that work, I don’t want to show up sweaty from my exertions. As good as I look, only Eva can pull off the sweaty and sexy look. The restaurant is packed, and I practically have to fight my way to the hostess stand. “Hi there. I’m meeting Chaz Parker,” I tell the hostess.
“You must be Sarah.” She’s a busty blonde in a killer halter dress that bears a remarkable resemblance to the one Marilyn Monroe was famous for wearing in that picture where her skirt is blowing up. “Please follow me. I’ll take you to Chaz’s table.”
We wind through a maze of tables and chairs and bodies before she stops in front of a half-moon-shaped booth. A truly gorgeous blond man stands up and asks, “Sarah?”
“Hi,” I practically yell to be heard over all the conversations going on around us.
Chef Hotty says, “Please, have a seat. Angelina here will grab us a bottle of Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The twenty-sixteen,” he tells her.
Once I’m seated across from him, he slides over