Me:Hell no.I’m definitely not interested in him, just what he’ll pay for more information.Can we split the cash this time?
Miranda:You need cash?How much?
Me:As much as the info’s worth.What do you think he’d pay for knowing my bra size?
Miranda:I already gave that to him.
Me:How do you know?
Miranda:You’re a drunk who likes to strip before passing out.How do you think I know?
Me:Any ideas what he’d want?
Miranda:The underwear you’re wearing.
Me:Ew.He’s officially gross, and I’ll find another money tree.
Miranda:I was kidding!What about your favorite foods and what you wished for most as a child?
I made a face at the phone.
Me:Are you serious?
Miranda:Yes.
Me:A really good burger and fries when I’m drunk.A bubble tea when I’m hungover.A buffet or ice cream when I have my period.And my mom’s lasagna when it’s cold outside.The thing I wished for most as a kid was that my mom would cry less and smile more.
Miranda:Are you going to tell me what’s going on?
Me:I want to, but I don’t want to make my mom any sadder.Let me know if the info isn’t worth much so I can come up with something that is.
Miranda:On it.
Pocketing my phone, I went back out and continued to smile and serve drinks on autopilot while brainstorming ideas.
If selling information didn’t work, what else could I do?The bar for what I’d do for cash was pretty low, since I was selling information about myself.Sleeping with a gross old guy with superiority issues was definitely below that bar, but only just.If he’d been younger than my dad and not interested in more than sex, though?
I cringed at the direction of my thoughts.
That’s prostitution, Soph.
But used underwear wasn’t.
I sighed and set the drink I’d made in front of the person who’d ordered it.
“You're distracted,” Uncle Jay said.
“Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry.You haven’t made any mistakes.I’m just worried.First, you ask for an advance, and now you’re walking around like the world is weighing on you.What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing but also a little bit of everything,” I said.“I promise to come to you if I’m in trouble.”
“I prefer you come to me before that, but I know you value your independence.Just don’t forget the man in your life who loves you the most, okay?”
I grinned at him.“How could I ever forget the best uncle a girl could want?”
He playfully gripped my arms and spun me around to face the end of the bar.
