Page 2 of Play Me
“What are you doing for dinner?” Gianna asks, pulling my attention back to our conversation.
I drop my phone in the cup holder. “No clue. I just finished breakfast.”
“Just now? I’ve been up working since six thirty.”
“I didn’t say I just woke up.” I’ve already done a load of laundry, loaded the dishwasher, and cleaned out two closets today. “Not only have I finished my chores a d completed nearly all my tasks for Renn and Blakely for the day but I’ve also spent a couple of hours looking for a new side hustle.”
“Your last side hustle just ended. Can’t you take a few weeks off and relax for once?”
I wish.“No. If I have time on my hands, I need to pay down this debt faster. The interest is killing me.”
Gianna sighs. “That means you don’t read enough. If you read more books, you wouldn’t have time to worry about your debt.”
“That’s a responsible take on things.” I laugh. “Besides, I can’t sit still long enough to read a book for fun.”
“Audiobooks were made for a reason, Astrid.”
“So were books about personal safety, but you ignore those.”
She laughs. “Sometimes you have to risk things for art.”
Her joy over this urinal and the sense of adventure she feels about the process brings a smile to my face.
If there were one thing, one habit, that I would adopt from someone else, it’s Gianna’spassion. She throws herself into random art pieces, recipes, and side quests she unearths as a wildly successful advice columnist. It’s something I could never do. The lack of structure makes me itchy, and I feel the overwhelming need to put it all on a calendar … and take the fun out of it.
“Want to meet at Stupey’s for overpriced sandwiches?” Gianna asks. “My treat since you bought last time. I think Audrey’s going to be around this weekend. The three of us haven’t been all together for two whole weeks.”
“Sure.” I glance back at the truck again. It’s still behind me despite nearly every other pump available.Weird. I consider pointing out how aware I am of my surroundings and suggesting that Gianna do the same. But she’s too fixated on the urinal to listen now. “I’ll drop it in the chat, and we’ll work it out.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
My boss’s name flashes across my infotainment center. At the same time, the black truck revs its engine.Is he revving that thing atme?
“Hey, Renn’s calling me,” I say, glaring at the truck. “Text me when you secure the toilet and you’re on your way home.”
“Urinal, Astrid. Ur-in-al.”
I laugh. “Bye.”
“Bye, friend.”
I tap the button to accept Renn’s call, push in the brake, and then move my hand to the gear shifter. But as soon as I touch the knob, the truck revs again—and that stops me in my tracks.He’s definitely revving his engine at me.
“Hey, Renn,” I say, watching the behemoth behind me. Irritation snakes its way down my spine. “What’s up?”
“It’s been a hell of a morning. I didn’t catch you in the middle of anything, did I?”
“Nothing much. Just waiting out some guy who’s overcompensating for something by having an extra-large truck.”
Renn pauses. “Waiting him out? For what?”
“He pulled in right behind me even though every other pump but one is open. I’m at the gas station, by the way. And because I haven’t rushed to get out of his way, he’s revving his engine at me.”
“Oh.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Don’t get arrested? That would be great.”
