AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Avery: I'm out with Alana having drinks, remember?
Sam: I forgot. Enjoy your girls evening, then. I won't be in your way. I’ll put my master plan in motion another time. Say hi to Alana for me. Is she still a fan of me?
I laughed.
Avery: Yes she is.
Sam: Good. Then she's going to do some of that groundwork for me already. This is working out perfectly.
Avery: You're awfully confident, Sam.
Sam: Always. Enjoy your evening. We can talk more when you’re home.
I had a light buzz going even though I was having a nonalcoholic cocktail. Was I drunk on Sam already? The man wasn't even here.
"You know what? Thisisjust like high school," Alana said. "You're blushing when Sam's texting you. And he still knows how to push your buttons."
"Oh yeah, he's a master at it."
"So what’s holding you back?" She ran her hand through her gorgeous mane of hair, untangling some of the strands. She'd always had this messy hairstyle on purpose, even when we were younger. She didn't brush it often because it became too frizzy. It looked effortlessly beautiful on her.
"My life is in shambles, Alana. I'm up to my eyeballs in debt. It’s hard to find a job because I was a jack-of-all-trades and ran my own business for the past five years. I’m doing logo design gigs on Fiverr to keep afloat. I had to move in with a roommate to afford an apartment in Chicago. I feel like the last thing I need right now is to have a man in my life in any way, shape, or form."
"Well, news flash: you already have one living with you."
"I know, but it's not the same."
"And you kissed him."
"Thank you for reminding me."
She snorted. "My point is, I think everything is already complicated. You might as well just roll with it."
I shook my head, taking another sip of the margarita. I should've bought one with alcohol after all.
"You know what they say about best-laid plans."
I frowned. "No. What?"
"If the best-laid plans don't work, then at least get laid.”
I burst out laughing, accidentally snorting margarita through my nose, making us both laugh harder.
"I've never heard that saying before."
She nodded. "I just came up with it, but it's one for the books, isn't it?"
***
Alana and I stayedout on the town for another few hours before I headed home. It was a chilly evening, but it was nice for a walk, so I didn't head straight to the loft, just wandered through our neighborhood, soaking it all up.
My phone beeped as I stopped in front of a particularly gorgeous mural depicting a woman holding her baby in one arm. I took it out and looked at the screen. I didn't know the number, but that was very exciting. It could be one of the seemingly hundreds of factories I'd contacted this week.
Without hesitation, I answered. "Hi, this is Avery."
"Hi, Avery. I'm Jack Dempsey from Dempsey Productions." His voice was brusque.
"Hi, Mr. Dempsey," I said. I couldn't remember exactly which factory that was, but it didn't matter.
