Page 30 of As a Last Resort
First thing in the morning, I was on the dock with my phone held over my head as far as I could.With my one cellular bar, my phone displayed Robby’s swollen face, complimented by a backdrop of white hospital sheets and beeping machines.
“Well, don’t you look chipper for a coworker gunning to steal my spot as director,” he said in greeting.
“Please tell me you’re joking.You can’t seriously think I somehow gave you appendicitis.”
“No, Leigh, I don’t think you somehow blew up one of my organs.I should be thanking you if you did though.I’ve already got a full roster of dates once I bust out of this joint.The nurses are lining up like I’m a spigot in the middle of a desert.”
“I’m sure you’re their definition of a dreamboat.When are you clear to leave?”
“They said another two weeks in the hospital.”
“Two weeks?”I repeated slowly.
His face froze for a moment.“Something leaked that wasn’t supposed to.Again.”
“Were you listening to them when they said to lie still and rest?”I gritted my teeth.
“You know how I feel about rules, Leigh.Personally, I think theyjust like looking at me, so they’re holding me hostage with hospital jargon.”
“So, you’re definitely not going to make it to Florida.”
“Let’s wait and see, sugar.I wouldn’t want to leave you there all alo—”
Robby’s face froze.The signal was gone.And Wi-Fi was out at the hotel.
“Can you hear me?”I repeated over and over, trying to snag a single bar of service to unfreeze Robby’s mid-word face on my screen.
“How about now?”His face stared back at me while I heard bits and pieces of static coming through.“Robby?”
I got to the end of the dock and just as I hit the railing at the farthest point, my heel slid through the dock at the exact same time a bar popped up.
“Wait, don’t move!I mean, I won’t move!Can you hear me?”I was half bent over with my phone over my head as high as I could reach, trying to balance as the wooden planks ate half my heel.
“I said… I really thought I’d at least get to see… bikini… down there…”
“Yeah, so I can’t hear you, but everything’s going great!I’ll email you preliminary financials later!”
“… one more shot…”
“Right, okay, byeeee!”
“You better…”
I pushed END and looked up at the sky.Why me?I collapsed down on the dock and tried to tug my shoe free from the world of splintered wood.“Freaking Pugsnout and his stupid appendix and his stupid—”
“Interesting nickname for your boyfriend.”
I craned my neck around and almost dropped my phone.Austin was behind me on his boat mopping up the deck.Shirtless.
“Oh my gosh, no.He isnotmy boyfriend.”
He raised his eyebrows.But I had a hard time paying attention to his eyebrows when his body looked like it was cut from actual rock.
“No, really.It’s nothing.It’s less than nothing actually, if that’s possible.He’s my coworker.My cocky, overly confident, good ol’ boy coworker who unfortunately is very good at his job but also likes to make inappropriate sexual comments to me and everyone else on the planet.”
“Pugsnout?”
“He snorts like a pug when he laughs,” I answered.“Hence, the pug reference.My assistant, Ivy, is way more creative when it comes to nicknames for him.Pugsnout is about as creative as I get.”
