Elevator Pitch (Hapless In Love #1)

29. Incoming Call Sunflower

29

incoming call: sunflower

Greyson

Manhattan, NY | January 8, 2024

Incoming: Video Call from Sunflower

“Shit. She’s calling.”

She stares at me deadpan and says, “pick it up and talk to her. You’ve got this, Grey.”

I take a deep breath and exhale, saying thanks as I swipe to answer the call. Selah appears on the screen.

There she is.

Beautiful as ever.

Annoyance is her expression, but there’s a hint of playfulness as she takes me in.

She can be so shy sometimes, and it is so interesting to me.

“Did you just call to stare at me or do you have something you wanted to say?”

“You think you’re cute, don’t you?”

“I’m not bad. Audrey called me ‘Big Sexy.’ I could get used to that,” I quip.

Audrey yells out, “I didn’t lie! Talk your shit, Grey!”

Selah chuckles, “Seriously, what are you doing there?”

“I came to have breakfast with you, but someone neglected to tell me she was skipping town. I thought we had a good time, did we not?”

She offers a nervous smile and takes a deep breath, calming herself.

“Yes, we had a good time.”

“Good?”

“I’m just repeating what you said.”

“Oh, so now you want to be a good girl?”

She chuckles to herself, visibly embarrassed. It’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in my life.

Changing the subject, she asks, “Where’s Audrey?”

“Right here, honey!”

I turn around, aiming the phone towards her, and she waves at Selah with her e-reader in hand.

“That better not be Lilith Keene’s new book! I saw she was choosing people to send early copies to. Of course you got one!”

“Since you asked me to lie to you, it’s not her new billionaire romance novel and I didn’t get an advanced copy.”

“Dammit, Audrey!”

“I love you! I suddenly can’t hear you, so I’ll just keep reading over here.”

Selah erupts in laughter, and I revel in the sight. Audrey giggles to herself, getting back to her book.

“When will you be home?” I ask, shifting her focus back to me.

“You ask like there’s someone waiting for me there.”

“I mean, I literally am waiting for you to come home right now.”

I motion to the space around me, reminding her.

A faint smile adorns her face as she looks at me through the screen.

“I’ll be back Tuesday.”

“I’ll pick you up from the airport. Carpooling is good for the economy. ”

She laughs and argues, “You will not be picking me up. Audrey is.”

“That can be rearranged. I’m pretty sure she’s my best friend now. Isn’t that right?”

She guffaws, “He’s a charmer, babe! You might want to give him some ass again. It’s just a suggestion.”

“Audrey!”

I stifle a laugh. “She gives excellent advice. I think you should listen to her.”

“Anyways, please get out of my house. Stop cozying up to my friend and I’ll see you when I see you. Bye.”

“I’ll consider it. See you around, Sunflower,” I respond, biting my lip.

Her lips part in awe and I disconnect the call, leaving her to marinate on her new nickname. I take a moment to recount this interaction, hoping I’m in a better place now than I once was with her.

“Sunflower. It’s good. I like it. You stole it from me, but I’ll allow it,” Audrey blurts out, slicing through the silence.

“You inspired it.”

“I suppose. Grab a seat.”

She motions for me to join her on the couch. I sit on the opposite side of the terracotta sectional. It’s very soft but firm. I sink into it and I’m sure I’d fall asleep if I sat here long enough. I fully understand why the cat has claimed this couch. Audrey leans back, stretching her legs in front of her, careful not to disturb Peach, who’s sleeping soundly on a throw pillow behind her.

“I’ve decided that I would like to help you with Selah. Also, I’m not very good at minding my own business and she doesn’t always know what’s good for her. I’ve had a feeling about you from the beginning and if you prove me wrong, I’ll just make you disappear, so I’m not too worried about that either.”

“Disappear?”

I caught that word.

She waves her hand and continues, “Moving on. Come back tomorrow and I will find something for you to do around here. Selah’s love language is acts of service. So, you’re going to need to prove that you’re capable of doing something other than running that pretty mouth. You hear me?”

“Yes, Audrey.”

“Good boy. Now get out of her house. You heard the woman.”

She aims her head towards the door.

I freeze, not sure how to feel about being called a good boy.

She stares expectantly, and I give a nod before heading towards the door to retrieve my shoes.

As I put them on and open the door, she says, “Oh, and Big Sexy?”

“Yes?”

“Bring food tomorrow. Preferably sweets.”

“You got it, Ms. Wood.”