Page 40 of Play Along With Me
"Jobs, plural?" he asks, seeming genuinely interested.
"Bartending at the Liberty, where, you know, we met for a second time with Mr. Wooledge. And a few morning shifts at Grind & Brew, a café near my apartment. Plus the eternal struggle to finish a novel that may or may not ever see the light of day."
"The one about seeing people's regrets?" he asks, and I'm surprised he remembers.
"That's the one. Currently stalled at chapter three for approximately the fourteenth time."
Jake's about to respond when Collin appears, patting his shoulders.
"Marshall! Holding court with the ladies already? I need to borrow you—got some people you should meet." He noticesme and grins. "Audrey! Man, it is a surprise to see you here, neighbor. Glad you made it. Getting to know our guest of honor?"
"Yeah," I say dryly. Why does Collin give me the ick?
"Right, the whole 'diabetic cat' situation," Collin laughs. "Classic."
I shoot Jake a look that I hope communicates "traitor" in no uncertain terms. He at least has the decency to look slightly abashed.
"It was relevant to the conversation," he defends himself. "Collin was talking about creative excuses."
"And yours was the gold standard," Collin assures me. "Anyway, Jake, Ryan's looking for you. Some exec from the Saints marketing department wants to meet you."
Jake looks torn, glancing between Collin and me.
"I need to find Leila and make sure she's not telling embarrassing stories about me."
"Save me a knock-knock joke for later?" he asks with a hint of a smile.
"Only if you've been practicing your door-knocking technique," I reply.
He laughs again, and I feel an unexpected flutter of satisfaction at having caused that sound. Then Collin whisks him away into the crowd, and I'm left alone with my wine and a strange sense of disappointment.
I spot Leila across the room, deep in conversation with one of Collin's friends—Travis or Derek, I can't remember which. She catches my eye and gives me a thumb-up, clearly enjoying herself and in no need of rescue.
I wander through Collin's apartment, which is predictably masculine and expensive-looking—leather furniture, minimalist art, a massive TV. The crowd is predominantly male, mostly in their twenties and thirties, with a sprinkling of women who look like they stepped out of Instagram influencer accounts.
I refill my wine and find a relatively quiet corner near a bookshelf, which I examine out of curiosity. It's populated with business books, sports biographies, and what appears to be an untouched collection of classics that were clearly purchased for aesthetic value rather than reading.
"He hired a decorator," a voice says behind me. "Those books came with the shelves."
I turn to find Ryan, one of Jake's agents from the dinner, watching me with amusement.
"I had a feeling 'The Complete Works of Dostoevsky' wasn't Collin's bedtime reading," I reply.
Ryan laughs. "More like 'Sports Illustrated' and 'How to Win Friends and Influence People.'"
"An aspirational reader, my neighbor Collin."
"Audrey," he extends his hand. "You kept me quite occupied in that box during the game."
"I remember," I say, shaking his hand. "You, too, were very interested in my opinion of Jake's temperament, which I found odd given that I'd met him exactly once and a half times."
"Kevin Wooledge is the man, and he doesn't bring just anyone around, which speaks volumes of you," Ryan shrugs. "And he's rarely wrong about people."
"Well, I hope my insights about Jake's non-douchebag qualities were helpful in your professional assessment."
"More than you know," Ryan says, something knowing in his expression. "He got the call-up to Boston. It's a big deal in our world."
"So I'm gathering from the party and the reverent way people keep saying 'call-up' around here."
