Page 82 of Play Me
Audrey: Are you home yet? Need us to come over?
I frown in anticipation of their reaction.
Me: I’m still in Sugar Creek.
Audrey: Still?
Gianna:
Audrey:
I snort.
Me: We’re at his brother’s house and are heading home now. Settle down.
Gianna: This is what I’ve been working on today …
A picture of a urinal fashioned into what I think is a bird bath fills the screen. I narrow my eyes, taking it in from every angle. I’m not sure how to respond to this, so I wait for Audrey to take the lead.
Audrey: So creative!
Me: Just what I was thinking.
Gianna: It’s a fountain, but I don’t have the water flowing correctly yet. Anyway, see my vision now?
Me: Totally.
Audrey: Absolutely.
My fingers hover over the keyboard when the sound of a male’s voice that I don’t know cracks through the house.Who is that?
Me: Gotta go. Xo
I shove my phone in my pocket and tiptoe into the living room.
Oh. A man who’s a little taller than Gray, with light hair and a shit-eating smile stands next to Hartley. His face is washed in mischief. He screams trouble in a way that would make Gianna very, very happy.
I lift my chin, clear my throat, and then enter the room with a confidence I don’t quite feel.
Gray’s brows pull together. “Still not dry?”
I hold my shirt in front of me. “Nope. You really need to get your dryer repaired, Hartley.”
“Cathy’s been saying that,” he says, sighing. “I?—”
“Well, excuse the hell outta me,” the other man says, his sights set on me. “But I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Brooks Dempsey, and who might you be?”
Gray elbows him in the ribs. “Brooks, this is my assistant, Astrid. Astrid, meet my friend Brooks.”
“Astrid, it’s nice to meet you,” Brooks says.
I steal a look at Gray, who’s watching me closely. I’m not sure what to make of it, but if he’s wondering where my loyalties lie, I’ll make it clear. “Well, Brooks, I don’t know if it’s nice to meet you yet or not. But hello, regardless.”
“Ah, hell,” he says, making everyone laugh.
“We were just heading out,” Gray says. “We?—”
“The hell you are.” Brooks looks offended. “It’s Sugar Days, brother. You gotta stay.”
