Page 16 of Betting on the Brainiac

We both fall quiet, her still with that puzzled look. Not knowing what else to do, and sure that only more stupid things will come out of my mouth, I jerk my thumb over my shoulder to indicate I’m heading to work, then I hurry out to the club floor and beeline to the stairs.

My head better get in gear by the time I boot up my laptop. I can’t afford all the brain cells I lose every time I talk to her.

Chapter Eight

Madison

Who does that?

Who thinks “I would like to help this girl I barely know with her hot-car problem?”

Oliver Locke, that’s who.

Probably Ruby too, I think as she walks into the kitchen from work. I can always tell when she’s been at the library because she carries a bright canvas tote bag over her shoulder instead of her purse.

When Ruby set up Sami with our neighbor, Josh, this past spring, she won Sami’s reserved parking space. This is a big dealanywherein Austin, but especially in a condo development like ours, where we’re all friendly until we’re battling for one of the unassigned parking spaces at the end of the night.

But it didn’t matter anyway, because Josh gave Sami his other designated spot. That’s fine by Ruby. I’m the only one who still has to hike in from the boonies when the good spots fill up.

“Get me anything good?” I ask as she steps through our sliding door that leads in from our small back patio area. It’s surrounded by a low fence and looks out on the parking lot. Directly at Ruby’s silver Civic, taunting me from its designated space.

“Not today,” Ruby says. “I’m waiting on the new Mimi Matthews book for you. But I got the new Susan Orlean for me, plus one about cadavers for Ava that a patron said was good.”

“I can wait for a Mimi book,” I say. “So Oliver.”

She rests her tote bag on the table where I’m eating half a cantaloupe with a spoon. “What about him? Everything working out okay?”

“Yeah. I barely notice he’s there. Works out fine. But is he . . .” I pause, trying to find the right word. “Does he do nice things for you for no reason?”

Her eyebrows go up. “Like what? Buy me flowers nice? Or bring over an extra Coke if he knows I’m at Charlie’s?”

“I mentioned my car seats were too hot yesterday, and today he brought me a sunshade for my windshield. Is that normal?”

“Why would you think that’s weird?”

“Because I’m still suspicious you’re up to something?”

She pulls out a chair and plucks an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table. “Bestie, all I know about this is that I didn’t know you needed a sunshade. If I did, it’s the kind of thing I would have done for you, and I don’t even want to date you.”

“So he’s just being a nice guy.”

She nods as she takes a bite of her apple. “Very Oliver,” she says when she’s done chewing. “I told you, you guys don’t fit. I’ll find you someone that will make your head spin. Now excuse me while I go change for dinner with Niles.”

“Wait. I want to get something nice for Oliver. What should I give him?”

“As a thank you?”

“Yes.” But also so we’ll feel even. I hate the feeling of anyone holding something over me, whether it’s money or a favor I owe. “What kind of stuff does he like?”

She shrugs. “Just pay attention to him like he did to you, and you’ll be able to figure something out.”

My phone buzzes, and I glance down. Text from my dad.

“But Oliver and I only see each other in the parking lot.”

“It was enough for him to see right away what you needed. Can’t be that hard,” she says.

My dad texts again, and once again, I ignore it. “But you know him. You’ve hung out, right?”

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