Free Seers by Kristine Bowe Page A

thick eyebrows and a perfect hairline—the kind of hairline you know could never lead to baldness—his clear, clean skin, and nice lips—not too thick and not too thin.
    “Leesie, you okay?”
    I watch his lips form those words before I realize he is talking to me. And that he has obviously noticed me staring at him.
    “Uh, yeah! Sure,” I answer too quickly. What does it matter how well I cover it up? It’s obvious to him that I was checking him out. What’s funny is that for the first time since early this morning he seems amused and friendly instead of looming and accusatory. He is smirking at me. His coal-black eyes dance over my face. He likes it. Unnerving me. That much I know.
    “Do I have something on my face?” he asks playfully, and his eyes lock mine. He peers into me and hangs onto each word. No attitude. No anger. Maybe just a little flirty… .
    “No. Your face is fine.” I meet his eyes. I hang on to my words. No attitude. No anger. Definitely flirty.
I’ll play your game. I’ll meet your bet and raise you.
    I don’t know when the rest of the group stopped watching the Piazza and started watching us, but now I can feel Eri and Frances and Daisy and Patrick’s eyes. They are looking from us back to one another and back to us. It’s Eri who interrupts our staring match.
    “Well, guys, I need a stretcher to wheel me outta here. These pancakes were crazy good but are sitting in my stomach like lead bricks. Shall we go?”
    Daisy chirps, “Go? Sure, I’m ready. I think that hot jogger is waiting for me over there!”
    She giggles and points toward the center of the Piazza. Tuie’s outdoor seating, sectioned off with low wrought-iron fencing, offers a perfect view of the Piazza’s best selling point, an open-area plaza with a projection screen that often shows old movies or Phillies games. The plaza is complete with an Astroturfed sunning area and more benches than I’ve ever seen filled.
    “I love that setup. You ever hang out there, Leesie?” Frances asks as she takes in the scene.
    “Yeah, Frans. She goes there all the time. In her string bikini. You don’t have any tan lines, do you, Leesie?”
    “You have problems, Pat,” Eri chides, but she chuckles as she leans across the table to punch him in the arm.
    “Can we check it out?” Daisy asks.
    “He’s gone, babe. The shape he was in? He’s a 5K away by now,” Patrick says, continuing to tease.
    “Can we walk it? Just for a little while?”
    This time it’s Eri who asks. She looks from one member of the group to the other, but her eyes rest on Luke to answer.
    “If it won’t keep Frances from the time machine she’s building in her basement, I guess we can stay a little longer,” Luke jokes. A full stomach has relaxed him.
    “I’m up for it. We’re not keeping you, are we, Leesie?” Frances says.
    Her words settle into me the way a mother bird settles into her nest. I am a fragile egg. I hope one day to know what the security of true friendship feels like. But under the downy warmth of her words, which tell me that she wants to be here, that her only worry is that
I
am not tiring of
them
, I am one step closer to being tough enough to crack my own shell.
    I collect myself and look from one eager face to the next. All I can say is “Not at all. Let’s go!”
    In the plaza Patrick continues his teasing, Daisy and Frances continue their guy scouting, and Eri walks close to me with Luke on her other side. The conversation is easy, and we laugh often. As Patrick was the star of the afternoon, they allow me to shine in the evening as they ask questions about the shops and restaurants we pass.
    Finally the conversation slows, and I catch Frances checking her phone for the time. Patrick is the one who initiates their exit.
    “Thank you, guys, for being here for me today. Thanks, Leesie, for a great time. But school calls. Even the best of nights must end, I guess.”
    I walk them back to the free lot and give them directions