The whispered response is so faint, I say, “Mandy, let me call you back. I’m going to lose this signal.”
“Don’t call,” she whispers loudly. “I’ll call you back in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” I say, taking the ticket. The call ends so abruptly, I don’t know if I lost it or if she hung up right away.
I find a sweet spot next to a wall and large enough that anyone who parks next to me can open their door wide and not ding Drew’s car… Andy’s.
In my tiny apartment, I plunk my purse down on the small bistro table in my makeshift eat-in kitchen slash dining room.
My phone rings before I can take another step. I answer and immediately I’m assaulted with Mandy’s demand for information.
“Tell me what happened last night.”
She’s still whispering, so I assume she’s hung over.
I head back to my room with the phone tucked between my shoulder and ear as I begin to take off my day-old clothes.
“Nothing, happened, we drank a lot and sang karaoke. Why?”
“Why?” She squeaks.
I toss my skirt in a pile in the closet and put the phone on speaker as I remove my shirt.
“Yes, why?” Because I’m at a total loss. She sounds like the zombie apocalypse occurred.
“How did you get home?”
I drop my shirt in the same pile.
“I got a ride with a friend. You and Daniel got in a cab and left. That’s the last I saw of you. Is everything okay?”
I’m starting to feel awful even though I have no idea what’s wrong.
“No, he’s here!”
The bed sinks a little, which shows the quality of the mattress I purchased through a website when I moved here in such a rush. Future note—never buy a bed online.
“Who’s there?” I ask as I head for the bathroom and check the state of my hair.
I’m brushing it when she says, “Daniel. Daniel’s still here.”
Pausing, I’m not sure what she plans to say next, but I hold my breath after I ask, “Is that a problem?”
She’s quick with her words but it sounds like she’s hiding in her bathroom from the faint echo I hear despite all her quietly yelled words.
“He’s sleeping in my bed.”
I haven’t been to her apartment so I can’t visualize. “Okay.”
“Okay?” The one word comes out sounding more like are you crazy. “He’s not dressed and there is an empty condom wrapper on my night table.”
My jaw drops before a smile covers my face and I do a fist pump. One problem solved.
“I guess you liked him more than you let on.”
“I do not,” she says a little too quickly to be the truth. “He’s a friend. He needs someone, which is why I tried to set the two of you up. So why is he in my bed and not yours?”
Unable to stop myself, I let out a laugh and can’t help but tease her. “I think he’s where he’s supposed to be. You guys make an adorable couple.”
Her next words are still soft but she manages to growl them. “I would hate you if I didn’t already hate myself.”
“Mandy,” a male voice calls out. It sounds downright sexy over the phone. Go Daniel.
“I have to go.”
“Call me later,” I say before remembering my plans for tonight.
She hangs up quickly and I hope she didn’t hear that last part. Now, I’m starting to look forward to Monday, especially when the awkwardness will have nothing to do with me.
I turn on the shower. What Jenna said takes over my thoughts and has me worried. Although I don’t have plans to sleep with Andy, I got his name right this time, I do want to make sure I’m groomed, just in case.
The agonizing part will be what to wear. So I decide to do that now rather than wait for later. He says he’s going to make dinner. I end up deciding on a flirty top that hints at cleavage and my most comfortable pair of jeans. I toss a pair of clean underwear in my purse, then I sit on the couch to try and take my mind off everything by watching some TV.
I close my eyes to rest them, only to wake to the alarm I set just in case I nodded off. I rush to get ready and pay to get his car out of the parking garage. Leaving DC is just as slow as it was coming in. Luckily, I gave myself enough time. I have to circle the block of Andy’s hospital a couple of times before he flags me down.
“Hey gorgeous, how was your day?” he asks as he gets into the car.
Oh, I don’t know. I considered using BOB while thinking about you but decided to wait it out. “Nothing much, watched a little TV. How about you?”
“Another good day.”
“How is that?”
His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “No one died on my watch.”
Talk about sobering. “How do you continue to do it?”
He pauses for a long second and I know he’s considering the question. “It’s that child you cure and see for a routine visit years later and he’s still cancer free. It’s the Mom with a family of five whose kids still need her. It’s hope that I can make a difference and even if it’s just one more day that they live, that’s what drives me.”