Page 54 of Dead Serious with Benefits
“I assumed as much from all the complaining,” I said with a smile.
“You can eat me too,” Will called. “I was going to apologize for saying I would take you with us off a cliff, but you know what? You can come with us.”
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Ward said. “I can’t believe the brakes went. I know Will is better about having this thing serviced than I ever would be.
I stared at him. “I warned you. You’re the one who refuses to believe or listen.”
“A minor car accident and terrible electricians are not compelling proof of your theory,” he said with a snort.
“I do have several years’ worth of proof.”
“You have anecdotes. And anyone with a passing knowledge of psychology knows that people will instinctively look for evidence proving their beliefs. If we took those anecdotes and had someone else go through them, without your belief in a curse, I doubt they would come to the same conclusion.”
“One day, I will need to tell you those anecdotes, and we’ll see how strongly you stick to your skepticism.”
“Maybe that’s a conversation for another time.”
“Would you prefer I tell you what I wish we could be doing tonight instead of waiting for the EMTs?”
Will groaned. “Don’t start dirty talking while I can hear you.”
“Since when do you complain aboutthat?” Ward asked with a laugh.
“A car accident, and I don’t care how small it was, isnotthe most sexy thing,” Will grumbled.
“Any time can be sexy,” Ward admonished.
“The fuck it can,” Will complained.
I chuckled. “So, when the EMTs show up and discover none of us need the hospital, and we’re cleared to leave...your place, or mine?”
“I want to say yours, but how the hell would we get there?”
I smiled. “If you’re prepared to get a taste of living on the other side, there are scores of ride-share drivers out there more than willing to come and get us.”
“Okay...ifyou’re given the clear. Not because you refused medical attention.”
That was fine by me. I knew I wouldn’t need medical attention; that was how things went in my life.
WARD
“Is it standard to have charging docks and a game system in the back of their cars?” I wondered after we exited the car.
Arlo stared at his phone, and I saw him tipping the driver. Truth be told, I didn’t know what a good tip was for a ride share, but it seemed exceedingly generous. “No, that’s unusual. Occasionally, you’ll find drivers with a little extra. In a city like this, they have to fight for every positive rating and tip they can get.”
“Ahh, that makes sense,” I said. “It’s important to make a good impression.”
“And those all-in-one game systems are relatively cheap. It’s probably more about the time to get everything set up. And then there’s the issue of if it gets broken,” Arlo said, tucking his phone away.
“For which they’re probably not compensated by the ride share company, I imagine.”
“No, not unless they can prove it was the company’s fault, and I’m sure even then they struggle. They’re essentially independent contractors, so there’s no real coverage or the rights of an hourly or salaried worker.”
“Ah, that’s quite a racket they have going then, don’t they?”
“That is the nature of the beast.”
“The beast being the economy.”
