Page 48 of Unexpected Hero

Grabbing my cell with shaky hands, I tap the screen and bring it to my ear. As if a sudden case of the shakes possesses my hand, the phone immediately slips from my grasp and clatters to the dirty carpet of my hotel room.

“Son of a monkey’s uncle. Hold on!” I yell, hoping he doesn’t hang up.

“Lettie?” His voice is crisp and clear when I finally get a hold of the phone again.

“Hi, James. I’m here.”

“Are you okay?”

Oh. He sounds worried. That’s sweet.

“Yep. I’m fine. I dropped the phone.” I clear my throat. “Uh. How-hi-um. How are you?”

I’m just as smooth as I am graceful.

“Good.”

A moment of silence extends a bit longer than I’d expect, especially since he called me. You’d think he had something he planned to say or wanted to talk about. Isn’t that why people call other people? I’m no expert by any means, but that seems like how it works.

Eventually, I speak before it gets awkward. “So what’s going on? I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

“Why not?”

Uh.

“Normally, guys don’t call two days after a date.” I cringe, my eyes squinting hard at the words I just said. “Not that it was a date. I mean, it was just coffee. Can we forget I said that, please?”

He utters a subdued chuckle. I can practically see him in my mind, trying to suppress his laugh like he did a few times at the coffee shop.

“I don’t know if I can forget, but if you want, I can pretend it didn’t happen.”

“Thanks. You’re a peach.” My twang sneaks out.

The line crackles with his heavy exhale. My heart stutters as I wonder if he’s about to drop a bomb on me.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.”

My ass meets the edge of the bed. I should sit for this. He sounds serious.

I inject some positivity into my response. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I have a proposition for you.”

A nervous bubble of laughter erupts from my chest. It’s not just the words but his delivery. So somber, like he’s about to ask me to help him steal the Declaration of Independence.

“Something funny?” he asks, his monotone voice in full effect.

Not sure why, but that straightlaced tone is really doing it for me. But I need to focus.

“The way you said that makes me think it’s going to be something over the top. Plus, I think it’s a direct quote from Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Why did I say that?

“Huh. I guess you’re right.”

“Did you see the movie or read the book?”

“The movie.”

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