Isabel and the Wolf: (Part 2) by Ariana Hawkes Read Free Book Online

her bag and looked at the time. It was only three hours since she’d had scrambled eggs, but her stomach was growling. She was starving! She opened the fridge and looked at the few things in there without enthusiasm. The new-found dullness of her flat also made her eager to be around people. She wished Kara was around. In fact, she wished she could be magically transported to their favorite lunch place in Chicago, and that they were munching on the best salt-beef bagels in the city while dissecting the previous night’s events. A certain small, dark-haired girl with a snarky sense of humor wasn’t a bad substitute though – that was if she hadn’t taken her morning break already. Isabel picked up her phone, located Josie’s number and hit dial.
    “Yes, great plan! I’m starving too!” Josie exclaimed. “I’ll see you in Norma’s in half an hour.”
    Isabel went to her bedroom and reluctantly got dressed. Her favorite worn denim cut-offs were scratchy and her tank top was suffocating, clinging far too tightly to her body. Perhaps naturists actually know something the rest of us don’t, and they’re not just a bunch of weirdoes, she mused, but the thought quickly turned into an attack of the giggles as she imagined herself playing tennis in nothing but a pair of sneakers with pot-bellied old men at a naturist holiday camp.
    *
    Isabel let out a whoop of delight when she pulled into the driveway of the retro-themed diner. It was perfectly done, in stainless steel and pink neon, shaped like a cross between a converted bus and a spaceship. Inside was black and white check tiles and turquoise vinyl upholstery. She skipped through the bar area and found Josie in a corner booth. She was also wearing cut-off shorts, teamed with a grey marl tee, with the sleeves rolled up. Josie didn’t seem to be wearing a bra under her t-shirt, and her hair was tousled, both contributing to the impression of someone who’d got dressed in a hurry. Josie flashed Isabel a huge grin and thrust the menu in her direction.
    “Ok, food first, then you’re going to tell me all about this hypothetical head!” she said. Isabel laughed, blushing at the same time.
    “Nothing like skipping the preliminaries!”
    “Hey, I’m a direct kind of girl!” Josie threw her a carelessly flirtatious smile. Isabel smiled back. She liked Josie more and more every time they met. There was so much on the menu she wanted to choose. Eventually she went for a Philly cheesesteak, surprised at her craving for meat. Josie ordered a cheeseburger, and they both chose strawberry shakes.
    “So….?” Josie said, as soon as the menus disappeared. Isabel placed a finger over her lips and looked up at the ceiling.
    “Let’s just say, I got more than head this time around.” She laughed self-consciously. Josie fixed her dark eyes on Isabel’s face.
    “Details, please! So, you had a date with someone last night, right?”
    “Yes, second date.”
    “And how did you meet?”
    “Well, this is pretty embarrassing, but we met through a dating site.”
    “Noo… that’s not embarrassing at all.” Josie waved her hand dismissively. “In this day and age, are you serious? Everyone I know’s doing it, in Cleveland, over here, everywhere! You get to meet so many people you’d never come across otherwise, because they’re not in your social circles, or at your local gas station.”
    “Ha, I guess,” Isabel said.
    “And especially down here. Marianna’s got a couple of guys she’s planning to introduce you to, but single guys – I mean hot single guys – aren’t that easy to come by. Not that I’m looking, of course!” Josie let out a cackle. “Artists aren’t often the best dating material either – that’s why I got myself a regular guy.”
    “Yeah, I think that was my reasoning,” Isabel said, stirring her milkshake with her straw. It was so thick, the straw was barely moving. “That and I felt like it would give me a chance to dip my toe in,