"Oh, that," she said with a little laugh. "I guess, because…well, I thought you were lying…you know, about the Miami thing."
I froze. "Lying?"
"Yeah. The last time we talked, you were acting all fishy, just like your sister. And I figured, well…why not drive to Chicago and see for myself." She brightened. "Plus, they were having a sale at Bloomie's."
I closed my eyes. "Oh."
"Anyway," she said. "Don't worry about the rent."
My eyes flew open as hope kindled in my heart. "You mean—"
"Imean, you're a smart girl. You'll figure things out. Oh darn it! Sorry, my show's on. Gotta go." And with that, she ended the call, presumably to watch a show that suddenly came on an hour before midnight.
As for myself, I turned back to the fridge, yanked open the door, and grabbed that Moscato like a lifeline.
Like a raccoon at a trash can, I guzzled it straight from the bottle.
Was it my proudest moment?
No.
Was it effective?
Also no.
But still, it was either the Moscato or a minor breakdown.
And me? I chose both.
18
What, No Snacks?
Ryder
Striding toward me, Evan Carver grinned like we were best buddies at a college reunion. Halfway to my chair, he called out, "Ryder Vaughn. Damn. I didn't expect to findyouhere."
Yeah. Me neither.
But here I was.And therehewas, auditioning for jackass of the year.
What was that old saying?
Oh, right.Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Because yeah – I was already handing him the trophy.
When he reached my side, I didn't bother getting up. "Evan."
He gestured to the empty seat across from me. "You mind?"
I smiled. "That depends. You bring any snacks?"
His eyebrows furrowed like he couldn't decide if I was joking or not. His gaze drifted to the bar as if searching for a bowl of nuts or the odd ham sandwich. Finally, he turned back with a smirk. "Funny."
"Yeah, so are you," I said with a pointed look at his shoes. "So, I'm guessing no snacks?"
Apparently not, because he plopped his ass down, anyway, as if I'd rolled out the welcome mat along with that ham sandwich he'd been missing. With a salesy smile, he said, "So, how's it hanging?"
