Page 17 of The Future Play

“Jamie, it’s fine. The owners of the placelive next door, and they said I could take all the time I needed, and just to text them when it needed to be locked up.”

“You’ve been on your feet for hours, and now you’re going to take down every single thing in this place by yourself?”

“Well, not the paintings. They came with the venue.”

“That’s it. I’m staying and helping.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“You’re right. But I’m going to. You worked hard tonight while all I did was stand around. Helping you is the least I can do.”

“This is just so you can hold it over my head until I come to one of your baseball games, isn’t it?” She bites her lip as she smiles up at me.

“Obviously. You have to see me in my element to understand how amazing I truly am.”

“And so humble.”

“So…”

“Fine. Stay and help. But just know I’ll work you to the bone.”

I couldn’t stop the dumbass smile on my face if I wanted to. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“There they are,” Mom says, walking over with my dad.

“Amanda, this really was a wonderful event. Thank you so much for all you’ve done.”

“It was my pleasure, sir.”

“Please, call me Bill. I never want to be in any kind of formal situation with people calling me sir.”

I stifle a laugh at that, but my parents ignore me.

“I’ll be passing your information along every chance I get. Do you have any business cards?”

“Not yet. But I do have a social media account and I’m working on a website. I’ll send you an email when it’s all finished,” Amanda says without missing a beat.

“Perfect.” Then Mom turns to me. “Jamie, ready to head home?”

“Actually, I’m going to stay and help Amanda clean up. I’ll let you two deal with the rugrats—I mean my loving younger siblings.”

Dad looks at Amanda. “Don’t let him fool you. He’s only offering to help so his siblings don’t attack him the second he walks in the door.”

Amanda tries and fails at hiding a laugh.

“Okay then, I guess we’ll see you at home,” Mom says. “Drive safe.”

“I will. Night.”

They walk out and I breathe out a sigh of relief. I love my parents, but they have the occasional tendency to be embarrassing—or totally roast me. It’s all in good fun and mostly because I’m the oldest and the easy child compared to my three younger siblings.

As soon as the door is closed behind them, Amanda sighs too. Her posture changes, her whole body softening and slumping a little. Then she pulls out her phone.

“I need sushi.”

I reach for my phone. “I can pay for it?—”

“No. You’re staying to help me. The least I can do is pay you in sushi. Anything you don’t like?”

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