Page 20 of Tickled Pink

This not at all qualifies as unhealthy. I’m merely using my time productively.

Junk. Junk.

I am fine.

Junk.

Totally fine.

Delete.

Wait, no. I need that one.

Undelete.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Phoebe?”

I glare at Jackie’s voice echoing out of my desk phone. “I am fine,” I say.

“Yeah, once more with feeling, honey,” she says.

I exhale hard. “I just can’t believe they’d do this.”

“Uh-huh. Let it out. Take your time.”

“Don’t you have a silver fox there to keep you company?” I ask, suspiciously.

“No,” she answers. “Okay, yeah, I do, but as I said before, I am here for you. I will not let you sulk by yourself on Christmas.”

“I’m not sulking.”

“You’re a little sulky.”

“Well, wouldn’t you be?”

“Not really,” she says. “My parents have been whining about me since I was thirteen. Never understood why I would leave a small town paradise in Kansas for a den of sin like Los Angeles.” She chuckles. “You should have seen the look on their faces when I said I was transferring to New York with you. It was classic.”

I slam my left mouse button to delete another email. “All this time, my parents have never said a word. Now, it’s your lifestyle this and we can’t support that and—”

Delete.

“Pheebs.”

Delete. Delete.

“And I feel like dirt for disappointing them,” I say. “I’ve never disappointed my parents before. We never even had so much as a fight until now. What’s a girl supposed to do without her parents?”

Jackie sighs loudly. “Phoebe. Come on. We’ve been over this.”

I raise a brow. “We have?”

“Give me your coffee.”

“I’m not holding coffee,” I say slowly. “And you’re in a phone.”

“Just pretend to hand me your coffee so I can slap you in the face.”

I snort. “Okay.”

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