Page 38 of Rich Girl
Now they’re both staring at my feet. I flex my toes to showcase them better.
“I like them, too. They’re my favorite casual shoes.”
That seems to break the ice. Before I know it, they both have a seat on each side of me, taking turns talking about anything and everything at once. It’s like I am in an alternate universe. As I am talking to them, I can’t help but compare them to my friends back home. They somehow seem more sincere in their relationship. I don’t know that I am this close to any of my girls.
“So where do you live?” Evie finally asks. “I am dying to know. I hope it’s something good. Cal always brings me good gossip from work. I have nothing.”
“I just bet Cal has good work gossip,” Carrie interferes. “That one girl there, she has a crush on him, and she is not afraid to show it. Is he telling you about that?”
The way she poses the question sounds more like a challenge.
“I know everything.” Evie rolls her eyes toward the sky. It seems this is an old topic of conversation for them.
I’m not sure I have anything to contribute to the conversation with, so I remain quiet while they discuss the situation with this Cal character and some girl at his office.
A discreet glance at my watch shows that I’ve been sitting here like this for over two hours. I am shocked. They’re still talking and the baby’s still sleeping in his stroller. This is the most bizarre encounter.
Just as I wonder what I should do next, someone honks their horn loud right in front of the coffee shop, making me jump about a foot off the bench.
“Oh, that’s Ray!”
The girls both get excited at the sighting of the large tow truck that has three cars loaded in the back. Ray rolls the passenger window down and leans sideways in his seat to talks to us.
“I’ll park this and be right back!”
I know he is addressing me, but they get excited about it as well.
“He’s so adorable,” Evie sighs. “I think Cal is a little jealous of him.”
Carrie waves her worries off. “Cal is jealous of anyone who dares to look at you, Evie. It’s a little ridiculous if you ask me.”
“Ha!” Evie points at her. “Like James just lets you roam the world freely. I wouldn’t be surprised if he put a tracker on you.”
The entire conversation takes place over me since I’m the one sitting in the middle. I lean back to get out of the way, and justthen, I notice Ray coming down the sidewalk. He is half walking, half running in his rush to get to me.
My heart beats a little faster at the sight of him. The way his eyes sparkle and the wind blows through his hair, along with the dirty clothes he’s got on, he could be in commercial for something completely inappropriate.
“Thanks for waiting for me to get back,” he says as soon as he’s in front of the bench.
Both Evie and Carrie stop talking and turn their heads to stare at me in a synchronized move.
“Ladies,” Ray addresses them now. “Thanks for keeping my girl company.”
They both turn their heads to stare at him.
“Your girl?” Evie sounds incredulous.
“Yes,” he winks at her, making me want to grab him by the arm and march him out of here. “May I introduce you to HaydenBenedict.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “Like the pope.”
TWELVE
The job takesa lot less time than I’d expected. By the time I made it there, my guys had their trucks loaded and ready to go. There were three other cars waiting on the side of the road. Two of them looked liked they’d be totaled, with a third that could possibly stand a chance.
To speed things up, the guys helped me load them onto my truck, then we got to work on clearing the road.
“What the fuck happened?”
I couldn’t believe the mess. There is debris scattered all over, going back a few hundred feet. Motor oil and fuel is also staining the asphalt, with the firefighters working alongside us, spreading sand over the wet spots to soak it all in.
