“She was there?” Sam asked, a little loud, but no one heard given they were all dancing on a pirate ship.
“Uh-huh. Hans saw her out. She wanted to get close to Tanner, but she lost all claims on him on a football field.”
This woman was there tonight?
“I would like her email address,” Sam announced. “Does Hans have it?”
Mach scrunched his eyebrows together. “Huh?”
“So I can sign her up for loads of spam for things she doesn’t need. Erectile dysfunction pills, and AARP, and theMen’s Prostate Health Journal. They send more promotional emails than you’d expect.” There were certain things she’d learned from her employment working with the elderly. “I mean, who does that to a person?” She tossed her hand toward Tanner. “Someone like Tanner doesn’t deserve that. And whoever does that to him? Deserves to have their email spammed.”
“Are you being real with me?” He didn’t seem to believe it.
Clearly he didn’t know her well enough because she was dead serious. Sam wasn’t one to resort to violence, but what could this person possibly want other than to screw Tanner over again? This was the kind of person who made Sami Jo the laughingstock.
“I’ve never been more real,” she assured.
Mach barked a laugh, full-on hysterics coming from him. “I think I like you, Sammich.”
“Ha.” Funny, though, she didn’t mind that he called her the nickname. “Tanx.”
“It’s fucking perfection, I tell ya.” He lifted his beer bottle to clink against her water bottle.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced at the screen. “Oh, damn.”
“What?” he asked.
“I have to go to work. Babushka fell again.” She breathed out a long, tired breath.
“She hurt?” Mach asked, clearly concerned. “You need backup?”
“No, but I’m going to send her a crap load of Candy Crush requests on Facebook later.” Sam stood, not ready to go say goodbye to Tanner just yet, but understanding she had to go see what Babushka was manipulating this time.
“Sam?” Mach asked
“Yep?” She turned back.
“I like you, Sam,” he said.
Tanner came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “What’d I miss?”
“Babushka did it again,” Sam said, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I have to go back.”
“Already?”
Unfortunately, yes. She and Babushka needed to have a talk about timing and she needed some time to unpack all the tea Mach had spilled to her.
Chapter Twelve
SAMANTHA
Babushka hadn’t hurt herself.That hadn’t been an enormous concern, but Sam continued to worry that if she kept faking, then someday it’d be real, and no one would believe her. She didn’t want that person to be her.
The short version of the night before?
After she and Mach talked, something went down with two residents that no one wanted to discuss. But the crew had no issue vague-posting on social media about it. All that together created a perfect storm where the night manager quit without notice.
Babushka somehow felt like the solution was to toss herself on the floor. Again.
