She's Got Game Read Online Free Page B

giggling. “Jinx!” Alicia said.
    â€œYou owe me a Coke,” Carmen said.
    Five seconds later, as if by magic, the waiter appeared with his silver tray. “Excuse me, ladies, did somebody ask for a Coke?”
    They burst out laughing, happily accepting the cold drinks.
    â€œOkay,” Alicia said. “Change of topic: how much was Binky’s brother crushing on you, Jamie?”
    Jamie tried to deny it. “It’s not even like that.…” she began. But her face was getting hot, because she knew that the flirting had gone more than one way. In spite of herself, she found she liked him. Or at least, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since he’d walked away. But she’d gone down that route before—falling for a spoiled rich boy in New York—and it hadn’t ended well.
    Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me, she thought now.
    It was best she played it cool.
    â€œHe was totally and completely into you; it was, like, love at first sight,” Carmen said.
    â€œThere’s no such thing as love at first sight,” Jamie said, determined to sound as uninterested and cynical as possible. She knew her friends wouldn’t let up if they knew she had even a particle of interest. And until she figured out how much interest there was on Dash’s end, she wanted to avoid scrutiny.
    â€œCome on, you like him, too, don’t try to hide it,” Alicia said, not giving up.
    â€œHe’s not my type,” Jamie said.
    â€œAnd what is your type?” Alicia persisted.
    â€œLet it go, and stop worrying about me,” Jamie said. “My Latino prince will come.”
    Alicia and Carmen were intrigued. Did that mean Jamie would only date a Latino? She’d never implied that before.
    â€œDash’s mother is Venezuelan. So he’s half Latin,” Alicia pointed out.
    â€œWhatever.” Jamie waved her hand as if she were flicking away a fly. “He doesn’t even play a real sport. Golf? What’s wrong with football or basketball? Even tennis has more flava than golf.”
    Alicia groaned. “Here we go. It’s the flava police again.”
    â€œGive it up,” Carmen said. “You’re an army of one with this whole flava thing. He’s a cute guy.”
    â€œAnd clearly not a player like his friend, Troy,” Alicia pointed out.
    Carmen put on a deep voice, mimicking Troy: “One of you girls is going to leave your man for me.”
    Alicia followed suit: “Which one? Doesn’t matter. My conquests are all interchangeable. Just like my corny lines.”
    â€œHey, speaking of conquests, Domingo is working at Bongos tonight,” Carmen said. “Do you guys want to come? Free virgin daiquiris all night long.”
    â€œWe’ll be there,” Alicia said, as the boat pulled up to the dock. “Gaz and I love a freebie.”
    â€œNot tonight for me,” Jamie said. “I’ve got a new collection of kicks that I’m working on. But I’ll see you guys for lunch tomorrow.”
    Jamie started to walk away and then turned back around. “Oh, and, like, how do you say good-bye in Latina?”
    â€œShut up,” Alicia said, laughing in spite of herself.
    â€œGive the pobrecita a break,” Carmen insisted.
    â€œI think the one thing we can agree on is that Binky Mortimer is no poor little thing,” Jamie said.
    â€œ Pobrecita doesn’t mean ‘poor little thing’ in terms of the money you have in the bank,” Carmen said. “It has to do with the sadness in your life, and while her mansion may be bangin’, Binky lost her mother, and that sadness is real. So is her loneliness.”
    â€œTrue, dat,” Alicia agreed.
    â€œI guess so,” Jamie said. But as she walked away, she still was not entirely sure she believed it.
    After dinner that night, Jamie went out to her studio to work. The space was actually in