Patrick:You know, getting back to neutral
Shannon:Yeah, neutral was busy assassinating warlords
Patrick:I don’t follow that reference
“They want us to go this weekend,” Andy said.
“Wait. Does that mean you’re actually going along with this? You’re stuffing a medieval castle into a Dutch Colonial?” Sam asked, dropping his uncharacteristically chipper vibe for the first time since sitting down. “Does no one care about concept anymore?”
Shannon:You need to jump in there and calm his tits before we have another concept tantrum
Patrick:We need to talk about the girl he had with him on Saturday night
Shannon:Do I even want to know?
Patrick:YES
Patrick texted me Sunday morning, mentioning something about Sam bringing a date to the ASNE event, and I assumed he was talking about Magnolia. All Sam ever talked about was Magnolia—who Riley had nicknamed Gigi—and how insightful, helpful, and wonderful she was with the Turlan project. Of course he brought her to the event. It wasn’t as if he did the relationship thing.
“It’s like aturducken,” Riley said.
“We wouldn’t do that,” Patrick said while Matt laughed. “We can work with floorboards and stones, but we won’t be digging any moats.”
“So you’re going to Scotland,” Sam said. “This weekend.”
Patrick shrugged. “Possibly.”
Riley leaned to Sam, asking in a whisper that wasn’t especially quiet, “What are the odds they come back married?”
Patrick blushed—hard—as he glanced to Andy and then immediately back to his laptop screen.
Shannon:Something you need to share?
Patrick:No
Shannon:You’re not allowed to get engaged unless I’m notified well in advance
Shannon:Or married
Patrick:Are you under the impression I’d be able to manage either of those things without you?
Shannon:Just checking
Sam passed a twenty-dollar bill to Riley. “I’ll take that bet, and my money is on no,” Sam said, his gaze on Andy. “Princess Jasmine looks like she’s about to castrate you and Optimus might hold you down while she does it.”
“Yeah, Riley,” I said. “Not everyone needs to get married fourteen minutes after they meet.”
Growly. I was very, very growly. I ducked back to my screen, and my search for a direct flight to Albuquerque.
Matt leaned forward, his arms folded on the table, and he glanced at Riley and Sam. “Did she just insult me?”
“Sam, why don’t you tell us about Tiel?” Andy said. She waved at the table, and a smile that I could only describe as devious pulled at her lips. “I know everyone would love to hear about her.”
“Or maybe we should talk about Thanksgiving, Shannon. What’s the plan?” Sam asked.
He wasn’t going to like the plan. None of them were, and I was stuck dealing with that. Add it to misery’s tab.
Shannon:Don’t hate me for this
