Page 40 of Elevator Pitch

“You could never.” She grabs my broom and sings into it.

“You got that right. I’ve teased you enough. We’ve gone on two dates. Nothing more.”

“Last month? You haven’t even mentioned his name to me. Why is that?”

“Probably because the girls are really invested in him and you’ll be too. I don’t want to be in a relationship again. You’re bound to trip and fall into a relationship with a guy like him. He’s great.”

I brief her on my interactions with Greyson over the months since we met. From him reading romance novels just to talk to me to our perfect date where I smiled so much my cheeks hurt. Her face when I told her about the books and the vinyl was hilarious. When I tell her that he kissed the life out of me at the end of the night and went home, her salt and pepper eyebrows are in her hairline.

“Mama, say something. Did I break you?”

She exhales deeply and palms her face.

“Listen, baby. We both need to get second jobs.”

“Why?”

“So that we can afford to hire Audrey whenever you marry this guy.”

“Mama, please.”

I roll my eyes in response, and she gives me a knowing look. Once we’ve squeezed the last container in the fridge and close it without any trouble, we change into our pajamas and retire tothe couch for a movie. Before we press play, she sits up like she’s got an idea. She turns towards me and her face lights up.

“How about this? Whenever you find out just howgoodof a neighbor he is, give me a call and say ‘pinochle.’Repeat it three times if he’s good and once if he’s not. Then hang up and I’ll call you back for the dirty details.”

I snort out loud. I’ve never seen her act like this.

“Mama, you can’t be serious.”

She pins me with a stare, so I know she is.

“We got a deal?”

“Deal.”

We shake on this ridiculous agreement, only because I’d like this conversation to be over as soon as possible.

Pinochle once equals bad.

Pinochle three times equals good.

That’s easy to remember.

Not that I’ll be finding out just how good of a neighbor Greyson is anyway.

I’ve dreamt about it a time or two though.

19

elena’s on soulblend

Greyson

Manhattan, NY | December 12, 2023

I hadcoffee and donuts with Selah this morning, so I’m in a great mood. The week before the holiday break is usually quiet, which is great because it gives me more time to wrap up a few projects before I’m off for the next two weeks. Though, it’s very likely that I will still find some work that needs to be done. Selah mentioned her job also gives her team the rest of December off, so no coffee for us, at least until January.

It’s a chill day at work when my phone dings. I flip it over and see two attachments from Elena in theFools in NYgroup chat we share with Alex. I open the chat to view them and it’s two pictures of her posing in a white dress. I remember this look. It’s from her recent spread inA Bite of Brooklyn Magazine. They covered her and Marco for their food truck issue, and if these are outtakes, they’re damn good.

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