Page 69 of Play Me
I toss a lock of hair over my shoulder and try to appear as cool as I can … when I’m really toeing the edge of a cliff.
“So Dixon’s office called me earlier this week and canceled,” I say, my voice nice and controlled.Good, good. Keep it up.“They couldn’t reschedule me until June.”
Audrey’s face falls. “I’m sorry. That stinks so bad. I can look around for someone else. Don’t panic.”
“She’s not panicking,” Gianna says slowly, leaning forward with a smug grin on her face. “Why aren’t you panicking, Astrid?”
“She’s not panicking because she knows we’ll help her, right, Astrid?” Audrey asks.
I bite my lip and dodge Gianna’s gaze.
“No, Auddie,” Gianna says. “Think about it. Astrid has her life planned to the hour. You’re telling me that this fell through and she’s all breezy about it. You know her better than that.”
Damn you, Gianna.
Audrey cocks her head to the side. “You might be right.”
I sigh and shift in my seat. Might as well go in headfirst … ish. “I don’t need you to find me another name, Audrey, because I actually found someone who will give me a free consultation tomorrow afternoon.”
“Great,” Audrey says, grinning. “That’s such great news.”
“His name is Joe.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I have an appointment with him tomorrow afternoon.”
“Stop touching your hair,” Gianna says, eyeing me so closely that nothing is going to get by her. “And stop repeating yourself.Get to the point that you clearly don’t want to make but feel like you have to share.”
I groan, putting my hands on my lap. The longer I wait to lay it out there, the more suspicious they’re going to be. It’s time to rip the Band-Aid off. “Here’s the thing.” I pause. “Gray set it up for me.”
Gianna laughs, falling back in her chair. She has a victorious smile on her face that leaves me perplexed.Why does she look like she just won?
“Darn it,” Audrey says, stomping her foot. “I don’t have twenty bucks in cash on me. Can I pay you the next time I see you?”
“That’s fine.” Gianna snickers, looking at me. “We bet twenty bucks on whether you’d cave to that good-looking motherfucker by the end of the month or not. I won.”
“What?” I ask, my mouth hanging open.
Audrey sighs, frowning. “I thought you’d hold out at least a month. You’re usually so much harder than this.”
“I think the problem is thathe’shard, if you know what I’m saying,” Gianna says out of the side of her mouth.
“I didn’t cave to anyone,” I protest, looking between them. “You don’t understand.”
“What, exactly, do we not understand?” Gianna asks. “Your so-called mortal enemy set you up with an attorney to help you out of a bind. It seems pretty straightforward to me.”
No, no, no.“It’s not like that.”
“That’s not mortal-enemy shit,” Gianna says.
I want to disagree with her, but I’m not sure how to approach it. It doesn’t appear to beenemy shit, but we’re not necessarily mortal enemies anymore. He’s not my favorite person, and I’m sure I’m not his either. But we’ve managed to find a middle ground that I don’t hate. I wish I did hate it because gosh, it was easier, but I don’t.
“It’s not a big deal,” I insist despite the chaos inside me saying differently. “He was standing by me in the parking lot when the call from Dixon’s office came in, and Gray overheard it. That’s it.”
“And then he gave you directions to the attorney’s office?” Gianna asks. Her red lips are pressed together in a self-satisfied grin. “Need me to ride with you tomorrow?”
I glare at her and get to my feet, unable to sit still any longer.
“I could go,” Audrey says. “I can cancel my meetings tomorrow. We can take a girls’ trip. It’ll be fun.”
Gianna sighs. “She doesn’t need us to go, Auddie.” Gianna slowly brings her face to mine. “She’s going with Gray.”
