“As she should,” Winnie said as I held the door open for her. “As she should.”
The next four days felt like lightning. The cast and crew were totally in sync—especially me and Winnie. I even got a call from Steph, telling me how happy Gretchen and Pearl were with how things were going.
“That’s great to hear,” I told her as I sat at the diner nursing a pot of coffee. “Hopefully Teddy feels the same way when he gets here later this week.” Winnie was shooting some scenes on her own, so I had the day off.
“Teddy’s visiting set, you say?” she asked over the sound of her virtual Peloton instructor aggressively shouting mantras and words of encouragement. “I’ve got to get the fuck out of LA, and I really should check on Winnie...”
“You should come! The air here is unreal and—” The phone beeped.
“Kallum, I gotta take this call. It’s my gyno. He and my dermatologist just broke up and I keep trying to tell him that I can’t choose him over her. Anyone can stick a speculum up your vagina and poke around like an orchestra conductor, but dermatology? Now, that is an art form.”
The line cut out, and I shrugged. There was something I liked about Steph, something that reminded me of my sister.
My screen lit up with a text from my nephew.
Topher:how’s the sexy santa gig going?
I smirked to myself as I typed back.
Me:So sexy they had to halt production yesterday because crew members kept fainting.
Topher:??
Me:Seriously, though. Sorry I haven’t checked in for a few days. We’ve had some long days. I’m free today if you need anything.
Topher:The pizza biz is good. I hired a new delivery driver for the Lawrence location.
Me:Is it that guy I saw you making eyes at who asked for an application the week before I left?
Topher:He was highly qualified.
Topher:And highly hot.
Topher:But I’m keeping it profesh. I swear.
Me:Who am I to stand in the way of young coworkers in love?
Topher:Uh, my boss?
Me:Right.
Topher:By the way, some Australian dude called. Said he was some sort of representative for an investor who’s interested in expanding Slice, Slice, Baby.
Me:Just put his info to the side. I get all kinds of calls about franchising, but it’s too much to think about.
Topher:The Australian dude said to tell you his client is famous and you’ve definitely heard of him. He owns a sports team and is on a TV show that rhymes with Tark Shank.
Me:Oh, damn. I love that show. Get me his contact info.
Me:Just for shits and giggles.
Topher:On it, boss.
Me:How’s Bread holding up without me?
He sent back a photo of Bread yowling at his phone. She was a gray tabby and hated everyone who wasn’t me because they weren’t me. She did, however, tolerate Topher.
I polished off the rest of my coffee, then opened up my phone again to text my mom. She wasn’t mad at me when I spoke to her about Payton’s engagement party. Or at least she wouldn’t fess up to it. I could hear the disappointment, though. It was drilled into my brain.
