Owen:Holly said she was working on a winning idea.
Beck:I’m not sure…
Walker:Can you ask her?
Beck:I accidentally fired Tess.
Walker:Dude…
Walker:We need to put a moratorium on your firing people.
Beck:I’m going to unfire her.
Owen:You better! We need that client.
Owen:I want to start winning those big Department of Defense contracts.
Walker:Grovel. Make a grand gesture. Pull aSay Anythingwith John Cusack.
Beck:How do you know about that movie?
Walker:I have a girl in my immediate vicinity who is obsessed with romantic comedies.
Walker:I’ve been bribing Luna with movie nights.
Beck:Considering that she blew a hole in the wall of her school, I’d think she would just watch the movie anyway.
Walker:Oh, she’s seen them all, but now she wants me to watch them, which I only do if she’s not acting like a feral possum.
Walker:It’s like a secret weapon.
Beck:I need a secret weapon for Annie and Enola.
Walker:They aren’t that bad once you get to know them.
Beck:Of course not. I love them. They’re extraordinary. I just don’t understand them.
Owen:You need to try harder, man. They need you.
I went down the hall to Tess’s room. It was still a riot of colors and also covered in take-out containers. Her work laptop was open to an Amazon wish list, titled Fun Gifts for Beck.
I need to make some changes.
The girls came backafter I finished cleaning Tess’s room.
“We brought you dinner,” Annie said.
Ethel adjusted her handbag. “And I expect to see you all tomorrow for Friday night’s dinner.”
The girls sat with me at the table while I ate the food they’d brought.
“We brought you lots of options.” Annie pushed all the little dishes of food to me.
“Do you want more?” I asked them, grabbing spoons. “Ethel didn’t give you enough?”
Enola wrinkled her nose. “She kept saying we were eating too fast, that ladies don’t eat that fast.”
“But if you don’t, someone might steal your food,” I said.
