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“And do we think he has a point there?”

Milo shrugged. Again. “We might.” But something tickled in the back of his mind. “But in my defense, I didn’t think they would be naked in a meeting. Just at the pool. Or the sauna.”

“Ah…” Ray said. “Yes. Logic.”

“So should I clarify or…?”

“No. You absolutely should not. Just apologize and tell him you haven’t slept and your brain-to-text filter is even worse than usual.”

“Right,” Milo said. “I can do that.”

“Is the spiral over now? I do need to work.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Anytime, honey,” Ray said warmly before kissing into the speaker and hanging up. Leaving Milo alone. To type out something that didn’t sound like he was mentally unstable.

Milo: I forgot my coffee cup.

Was what he settled on before throwing the phone into the passenger seat like it was on fire and driving off. He didn’t have time to be a natural disaster today. He needed to get a grip. Where did people find grips? Were you born with them or was it a learned skill?

He fucked up two more orders.

And then ran out of gas in the middle of a delivery. His eighteen-year-old coworker had to come bail him out and he had a feeling he wouldn’t be living it down anytime soon.

He made it through his shift, but barely, and trudged home as if he had been hit over the head the entire day. He was bone tired and his head felt fuzzy. Like that weird sort of haze you get when you’re about to get sick.

He walked into his building and up the stairs toward his apartment. Each step felt like a mountain he had to climb.

He found his front door wide open and could hear all of his oldies shuffling around his living room.

He walked in, pausing as he saw them all gathered there in their best clothes.

Ethel wore a stunning dark blue lace dress with a blazer over it, Shelly was in her best…frock? He had no idea what to call the floral, floor-length, moo-moo slash cape type thing she was wearing. It was very…eye-catching.

And the three men were all wearing different versions of suits, vests, ties, and bow ties, their shoes shined to perfection and their hair slicked back.

“Milo!” Ethel said. “Just in time. I have your outfit ready. Hurry!”

“Um…” He frowned at her. “What did I miss?”

“Symphony! We won tickets at bingo. I told you about it. Put it in the calendar.”

“That’s tonight?”

“Yes!” She walked over and grabbed his arm, then pulled him toward his bathroom. “You smell like wings. Go shower. Your suit is hanging in your room. You have fifteen minutes before the car gets here.”

“The car?” Milo asked.

“We splurged for a ride,” she said.

“Ethel—”

“Not a cab,” she said. “The senior center has a service you can book. It’s cheap. And it’s a one-time thing.”

“Right…”

“Now go!”