Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“My great-grandson Joshie gets all the credit,” she said. “I don’t remember if I told you, but he’s studying filmmaking at San Francisco State. He’s such a smart cookie! He joined a club on campus that apparently involves filming with those flying whatchamacallits. When he mentioned my problems with my neighbor, the club banded together and volunteered to help me send a message.” She turned back toward the street and yelled, “The message is, you’re a dick, Humpington!”
“Well played,” I said.
River and Darwin joined Nana in her sunny, white and yellow kitchen. While they worked on serving lunch, Cole and I grabbed a bunch of dishes and a silverware caddy and went to set the table in the backyard. The day was particularly warm and sunny for early June, and I was glad we were eating outside.
He asked, “What’s going on, Ash? You mentioned you had some news when you called me earlier.”
As we circled around the long, slate-topped table and I added a plate and bowl to each place setting, I told him about Wesley, the wedding in Bora Bora, and how Jasper had set up the job and the hefty payday.
“Damn,” he muttered, “that’s a lot of money.”
“It’s a life-changing amount! I’ve spent my entire life barely scraping by, so I can’t even comprehend having that much at once. I keep thinking of all the things I’ll be able to do with it, like fixing my car, which broke down over a year ago. I’ll also have the safety net of some savings, for the first time ever. That said though, this isn’t really about the paycheck. I like Wes, and I want to turn this awful wedding into a positive experience for him.”
“It seems like something about this is bothering you,” he said. “You told me there’s no sex involved, so it should be pretty easy, right? Go on a trip, help this guy out, and make a boatload of cash. That’s all a win.”
“There are a couple of things bothering me, actually. One is taking Wesley’s money, although Jasper made a compelling argument for why I should let him pay me. Here’s the other thing—I realized I’ll be mortified if his family finds out I’m getting paid and thinks I’m a prostitute. Not that they’ll have a clue, because it’s not like either of us would say anything. But that must mean I’m ashamed of it somehow, which makes me feel like a terrible friend to Jasper. On some level, isn’t being embarrassed by this the same as saying it’s fine for him, but not for me?”
We took a seat at the table, and he said, “No, not at all. Let’s face it, there’s definitely a stigma attached to that line of work, and people do get judged harshly for it. I can see why you’d be concerned, because no one wants to be looked down on. But I bet you’d still be worried even if money wasn’t changing hands. From what you just told me about Wesley’s family, they sound pretty intimidating.
“Plus, rich people can be such snobs. River and I cater a lot of high-end events, and we encounter that shit all the time. Sometimes, I think it’s because I’m Black and he’s Latino. Other times, it’s definitely a haves and have-nots type of situation. If you’re not rich like them, then they’ll automatically treat you like you’re less than. But fuck them. Seriously. Who cares what they think?”
“I usually don’t care what people think about me, but for some reason his family’s opinion matters. I really want them to accept me, and I don’t know why.”
“Maybe it’s actually Wesley’s opinion you care about, and you think if they accept you, then he will, too.” Cole studied me closely. “I know you just met him, but you like this guy, don’t you?”
“Would it matter if I did? Nothing will ever come of it.”
“That’s not a no.”
I glanced at my friend and admitted, “Okay, so there’s the start of a crush. But I need to get over it, because this is a business transaction and nothing more.”
“What if it evolved into something real?”
“It won’t. Even if he was ready to date again—and I doubt he is—we couldn’t be more different, and he’d never see me as a potential boyfriend. That’d be true even if he didn’t think I was a sex worker, by the way.”
Cole frowned and told me, “This is a variation of that thing you always do.”
“What thing?”
“Whenever you like a guy, you come up with all kinds of excuses for why it’d never work out. This time it’s because you’re too different, and it’s just business. But you know what? Neither of those things would matter if you two fell for each other.”
Now it was my turn to frown. “I don’t always do that.”