Page 75 of Take My Heart
‘Thanks, Nick.’
When he’s gone, I go in my room, get my laptop, and bring it out to the kitchen table. ‘I don’t know where to start.’ I sit down and wait for the screen to appear. ‘How am I going to fit everyone in?’
‘Want some help?’ Kate pulls up a chair and sits beside me. ‘I’m really good at organizing.’
‘This is more about scheduling. I need to figure out how to get the most done that I can.’
‘Scheduling is a type of organizing.’ She looks at the spreadsheet showing my list of customers. ‘Do you have them plotted out on a map?’
‘No. I don’t need a map. I grew up here. I know every street.’
‘Yes, but plotting everyone on a map would help you better plan your route. Are all the driveways the same size?’
‘No, some are out in the country so they’re longer. They’remore like private roads going up to the house.’
‘So maybe those are last since they’ll take longer and they’re outside of town.’
‘Yeah, that’s a good idea. But I still don’t know where to start. I guess I’ll go to whoever’s closest to here and then work my way across town.’
‘Can I make a suggestion?’ she asks.
‘What is it?’
‘How about you go get ready and I’ll work on figuring out the best route? Is there a map of town online?’
‘Yeah, on the town’s website.’
‘Okay, so I’ll use that and the addresses in the spreadsheet and see how far I can get while you’re getting ready.’
‘Kate, I already know where everyone lives.’
‘Just let me do this, and if you don’t like my plan, you don’t have to use it.’
‘If you really want to, go ahead.’ I get up from the table, then sit back down. ‘Hey, we should probably talk about last night.’
‘What about it?’
‘I didn’t plan on that happening.’
‘Brody, don’t worry about it. We were both drunk.’
‘Not the second time.’
She looks back at the laptop, looking like she wants to say something.
‘Kate, c’mon. I can tell something’s bothering you, so what is it?’
She hesitates, then says, ‘We didn’t use anything.’
I pause, thinking back to last night. ‘Shit. You’re right. I wasn’t even thinking about that.’
‘Neither was I.’ She pauses. ‘Do you, um, have anything?’
‘Not that I know of.’
She huffs. ‘Not that you know of? So you’re saying you might?’
‘I haven’t been to a doctor recently, if that’s what you’re asking.’
