Page 16 of All That Glitters
“I thought it was to avoid me breaking your stuff.”
He laughed. “Maybe a little of that too. Speaking of which, how many cars did you hit on the way here?”
“None!” she said, playfully swatting his arm. “And no picking on me today. I’m going through a traumatic life change.”
He laughed, squeezing her with an affectionate side hug. “Deal. No teasing Debbie until she’s acclimated to being out of her parents’ home. So, where’s your stuff?”
“You’re looking at it,” Debbie said, nodding to her car, where every worldly possession she owned was crammed into the backseat and trunk. Two suitcases of clothes, her laptop bag, a box of books, and a sad little houseplant named Gerald that was already looking wilted from the drive. That was it. The total of twenty-two years of existence.
“No bed?”
“Nope. Veronica said she had a spare one and dresser I can use. Pretty pathetic, isn’t it?” She gestured at her meager belongings. “I’m like a vagrant with a college degree. Most people my age at least own furniture. Or dishes. Or... anything substantial.”
“You’re not looking at the bright side.”
“There’s a bright side to having zero worldly possessions?”
He gave a big nod. “Yup. This is going to be the easiest move ever. And as your friend, who’s probably going to be stuck helping every time you move, I need you to promise me you’ll never buy anything bigger than a desk lamp. Or maybe a pencil sharpener.”
She shot him a curious look, trying to figure out where this sudden burst of energy came from. “I promise?”
“Good. And I’m holding you to that. Let’s get you unpacked, and then I have someplace I want to take you.”
“Where?”
“Remember La Jolla?”
She thought about it for a second. “Yeah. That’s the place your parents used to take us on vacation. Wasn’t it back in like third grade?”
“I think it was second and third,” he said. “It was before your parents started dragging you to Oklahoma for vacations.”
“Over their daughter’s objections, as usual.”
“We’ll get you unpacked and head over there.”
“Are the sea lions still there?”
Tony shot her a grin. “You afraid they’re gonna chase you again?”
She gave a big nod. “Those things are fast. And mean.”
“The sign did say, ‘Do Not Bother the Sea Lions’.”
“I was seven. How was I supposed to know what it said?”
He laughed. “Let’s hurry with your stuff, so we can catch the sunset over the water.” He opened her trunk and pulled out two suitcases while she grabbed Gerald and a box from her backseat.
“So, ask me about my screenplay,” he said.
She shot him an odd look. “Your what?”
“The screenplay I’m writing,” he said as he picked up the suitcases and they headed toward her apartment. “I told you about it when I called.”
“Yeah. But that was two days ago. I thought you’d be on to something new by now.”
He shook his head. “Not this time. This one’s got traction. I even came up with a title for it. You wanna hear it?”
“I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
