It was my turn to give him a strange look. “Not if you expect me to do my scheming quietly and sitting at a desk.”
He sighed again. “That’s what I was afraid of. Do you need anything else before we leave?”
“My cell phone and my purse.”
“I’ll get the phone, but it stays with me when you’re not using it. And you don’t need your purse.”
“You asked what I needed before we left. I told you. If I don’t get it, I don’t leave.”
I wasn’t sure, but I thought I heard him growl.
“Fine. But I’m searching it for knives and hand grenades,” he mumbled.
“Like I’d keep a hand grenade in my purse. That’s dangerous.”
He eyed me. “But you keep a knife?”
“Duh. You never know when you’ll need to cut something.”
He opened his mouth as though he were going to ask me something else then shut it. Then, he opened it again. “You know what? I’m not even going to ask. If I get your purse and your phone, will you go to my office with me so I can actually get some fucking work done?”
“Yes, but I’d like to remind you that it’s not my faultyou kidnapped me, you jackass!”
I ended up yelling the last bit at his back because he started out of the kitchen as soon as I said yes.
He returned within moments with my bag and my phone in his hand, another strange expression on his face. “Your friend’s name is Sela?” he asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“She texted you eight times last night and five times this morning. Is she…more than a friend?”
I snatched the phone out of his hand. “No. She’s my best friend. More like a sister. We text constantly and call each other every single day, sometimes more than once a day.”
I could have sworn he looked relieved.
I quickly read through Sela’s messages. She knew I planned to go to Aunt Bethany’s store last night and she knew that I was upset about it. When I hadn’t responded, she’d kept texting me to see if I was okay.
Biting my lower lip, I opened the texts and replied,Sorry I didn’t respond last night. I just needed some time to myself. It was hard.
Immediately, three dots popped up below my words. Within seconds, Sela responded.
R U better 2day?
I had to smile. No recriminations. No drama. Just concern. She was one of the few friends I had. She was nuttier than me, but her heart was generous and huge.
Much better. Service is shot here, so don’t freak if I don’t reply right away.
I saw my typo as soon as I hit send.
Shit, I mean. Not shot.
Her only response was a laughing emoji.
A few seconds later, she sent a final reply.Call me if you need me. I’m there ASAP.
I will. Love you, whack job.
I smiled to myself as the dots came back.
