“Hi,” I say. “Why are you here?” she asks blankly, scanning the lighter. I pause with a frown, then opt to tell the truth. “I wanted to see you.” The words hit her, and she looks down for a moment as if baffled. “What, you want to talk? Is that it?” “I guess.” She scowls. “Why?” I lean in, staring her straight in the eyes. “We share a secret, and this is much more interesting than anything else I have going on.” She scans the rest of my items, a carefully passive look on her face. Finally, as she’s handing me the receipt, she says, “I get off in ten minutes.”
