Page 13 of Polly

“Where are you?”

“I’m okay,” she repeated. “I’ll check into a hotel tonight.”

“You need moral support. I don’t want you to be alone. Can you go visit a friend?”

Polly refused to impose on anyone by dropping in like that. She wasn’t close enough to anyone here to do that, anyway.

“Flynn, I’m not doing that. I’m okay.”

“Hmmm.” He paused. “Do you promise me you’re okay?”

“Yes.”

She heard him shift on the other side of the phone. “I still don’t think you should be alone.”

“Flynn, I’m okay. I promise.”

He sighed and remained silent for a moment then seemed to reach a decision. “Fine. I’ll accept your promise and won’t track your phone’s location. For now. What’s your answer to my question?”

“What question?”

“I texted you earlier. Go to the Synergic Awards ceremony in California with me in two days? As friends? I need a date.”

“Two days? The dresses for those ceremonies can take two years.” She didn’t have any dresses worthy of a fancy awards ceremony.

“Two days. Wear jeans, I don’t care. Say yes.”

“Jeans. You’re going to regret saying that,” she said with a laugh.

“No, I’m not. Go with me.” She could hear his smile.

“Okay. When you’re in a tux and I’m in jeans, it’ll serve you right.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

“Yes!” he shouted in the background. She could picture the fist-pump he did, too. “I’ll email you the details.”

“Okay. Is there a dress code?”

“I don’t think so.”

He cleared his throat and his voice grew serious. “Wanna do a movie night tonight?” he asked.

“But you’re across the country.”

“I know. You put me on speaker, we turn on the same movie, and we watch it together. Through the phone. Even though we’re on opposite coasts.”

“That... Would probably work. You want to do that?”

“I do.”

Polly knew what he was doing — she wouldn’t let him physically come to her, so he was trying everything in his power to make sure she wasn’t alone. The bad boy rocker, “with no heart” as his fans said, was trying to be a good friend.

“It’s like 3 pm there,” she said.

“All the better to watch a movie,” he said. “It’s early enough and I’m sober enough, I’ll remember the details.”

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