chapter 8

“To our night out,” I said.

She smiled, met my toast, and sipped her drink. “This place isn’t so bad.”

“You got a lot of spots like this back home?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t come to fancy places like this. I’m more of a dive bar girl myself.”

“Funny, I’m the same way. South Philly is filled with little holes in the wall, bars that have been there for generations. Some real cheap, trashy places, but you can get good and drunk and see the boys from the neighborhood there, so it’s not so bad.”

“Philly’s a weird place. It seems so small, you know?”

“It’s old. Not built in an ideal spot. Didn’t sprawl out like the newer cities. Chicago’s kind of that way too.”

“I guess that’s true. I like it though. It’s got character.”

“That’s what I think. Philly’s got everything you could want, and it’s cheaper than most other cities, plus it’s a lot smaller, so you can get around way easier.”

“If you’re trying to get me to move here permanently, I think I’m sold.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure you’d wa