A Little Trouble with the Facts by Nina Siegal

There wasn’t much I could do about it now, though. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. Everyone in town wants in on this action.” “It’s not every night that young Shannon Hammer goes out on a blind date.

“Are you telling me there’s a betting pool going on? Over me?”

I frowned for a second, but then it clicked and made perfect sense. “I’ve got five dollars on you, kiddo,” he said, his voice raspy from years of drinking, smoking, and brawling. I’d known him practically since I was born because he was not only my neighbor, but also Jane’s great-uncle. Jesse Hennessey was a good old guy, a former Navy man now in his seventies. As I passed my next-door neighbor Jesse’s house, he came scooting out the door and down his front walkway to greet me. The easiest way to get to the pier three blocks away from my house was to walk. If Jerry was shorter than five foot ten, he would thank me for eschewing the high heels. My short black leather jacket completed the outfit, along with earrings and a pair of black ankle boots. I slipped on my best black pants and a pretty teal blouse that brought out the green in my eyes. I could just see myself getting a heel stuck and wobbling like a goose in front of the whole town. I thought of the wide, worn wooden slats of the pier and shoved my high heels back into the closet. A chilly breeze could kick up in a matter of seconds. Nice pants and a jacket? A dress and high heels? Jeans and a sweater? The weather was mild for October on the Northern California coast, but the wind was always unpredictable, especially by the water. Getting dressed took a few extra minutes because I was undecided about what to wear. I managed to shower and dry my impossibly thick, curly hair in record time. I named her Tiger because of her dark orange stripes and because she was oh, so fierce. My father had given me Tiger as a kitten a few years ago, picking her out of a litter because the color of her fur was so similar to my hair color. When I arrived home, I greeted and fed my dog Robbie-named for Rob Roy, because Robbie is an adorable, smart West Highland terrier-and my cat Tiger.

A Little Trouble with the Facts by Nina Siegal