Page 7 of She Likes It, Hey Micah
“I’ve known him for years,” I say casually. “I’ll text him right now.”
Pulling out my phone and sending a quick text to Houston, I try to keep listening as Lila jumps into her plans for the lodge.
Me: How much do you love me?
“I think a modern approach will convince people that the lodge is timeless,” Lila says and then pulls up several photos of gaudy galas full of weird decorations and way too much chrome.
I resist a shudder as my phone buzzes. That sounds awful, and hopefully Grant doesn’t go for it. I wish she had let me put this presentation together, but she insisted on doing this one herself.
I look down at my phone.
Texas: Enough to know you want something from me.
Me: Maybe I’m just feeling insecure.
Texas: *gif of Michael Scott laughing*
Texas: Good one. What do you want, Mic?
Lila clicks to a slide that’s full of the lamest looking appetizers I’ve ever seen. Apparently they’re all the rage right now even though the portion sizes are barely big enough to feed a toddler. Half of them don’t even look like real food.
Me: How would you feel about making a celebrity appearance at the grand reopening of the Greenwood Lodge?
Texas: Isn’t that where Mom married your dad?
“Houston Briggs is your brother?”
I gasp, pulling everyone’s attention my way even though Fischer spoke quietly. “That looks amazing, Lila,” I say, feeling my face heat.
As Lila sends me a warning glare, Fischer almost smiles beside me. “Sorry,” he says softly. “Didn’t realize you scared so easily.”
“I didn’t realize someone was reading my texts,” I reply as Houston texts again.
Texas: When is the event?
Me: It’s on the 26th.
Texas: What time? I have a thing in the afternoon.
I can’t actually answer this one, so I lean my phone closer to Fischer so he can see it better. Instead of telling me, he takes my phone out of my hand and types out a response without sending it.
Me: Event starts at 6:00pm. You only need to make an appearance sometime between 8:00pm and 10:00pm.
I snicker. He sounds so formal. Switching the end of the text so it says, ‘between 8-10,’ I hit send and hope Houston agrees.
“Why didn’t you lead with Houston being your brother?” Fischer has leaned closer, talking even more quietly than before so I also have to lean in to hear him.
At this point, I’m definitely not paying attention to Lila anymore, which is fine. I’m going to be trying to persuade her to change all her ideas anyway. “Because I don’t want people to only see my brother when they see me. I’m good enough on my own.”
My phone buzzes, and we both look down.
Texas: I should be able to show up, but I’ll need to check with my agent first. I’ll let you know tomorrow.
That’s about as good as we ever get from Houston, who is usually so busy that he rarely knows his own schedule. But if the Series is ending, that means he should be a lot more flexible for the next couple of months. When is it over, anyway?
I’m halfway through Googling that question when Fischer says, “Last game would be the sixteenth if they play all seven games.”
I glance at him. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a baseball fan.”
