Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Well…he’s tall, has bone structure a sculptor would envy, and reeks of confidence.”
“How does he smell?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t get close enough to sniff him.” I plucked the lime from the rim of my glass and squeezed the juice into my drink. “Well, that’s not true. I did. But when he was that close, we were in a supply closet, and all I could smell was cleaning supplies and musty water.” I sipped.
Madison’s eyes lit up. “You didn’t! The two of you…in the supply closet on your first day at the new office?”
“I did. But it’s not what you think.”
“Start from the beginning.”
I smirked. “Alright.”
She definitely thought this story was going to have a different ending.
“I had a trunk full of last-minute boxes with files and junk from my old office that had to be moved into the new space. I tried to find a parking spot, but there was nothing for blocks…so I parked illegally and made a few trips up to the office with my stuff. On my next-to-last trip down, there was a ticket on my windshield.”
“That sucks.”
“Tell me about it. Almost two-hundred bucks for those these days.”
“Crappy start to the day,” she said. “But it could have been worse, I suppose, with you and cars.”
I had to laugh. “Oh, it got worse. That was the best part of my day.”
“What else happened?”
“The meter maid was a few cars away from mine, still giving out tickets. I figured I’d already gotten the ticket, so I might as well finish my unloading. I carried the last of my boxes up to my new office, and when I came back downstairs, every car had a ticket to match mine. Except one. The car parked right in front of me.”
“So the car arrived after the cop left, evading the ticket?”
“Nope. I’m positive it was there before me. She just skipped that one. The reason I’m certain is that it was the same make and model Audi I have, only a newer year. The first time I passed it, I peeked inside to see if they had changed anything in the interior on the newer edition. I noticed there was a pair of driving gloves with the Porsche logo on the front seat. So I know it was the same car that had been parked there for more than an hour because the gloves were still there.”
Madison sipped her wine and scrunched up her face.
“The wine’s not good?”
“No, it’s fine. But driving gloves? Only race car drivers and pompous jerks wear driving gloves.”
I tipped my drink to her before bringing it to my lips. “Exactly! That’s exactly what I thought when I saw them. So I re-gifted my parking ticket to the pompous jerk. My car was the same make, model, and color. Why should I have been out two-hundred bucks when Mr. Porsche gloves hadn’t gotten a fine? The ticket didn’t have a name, only the make, model, and VIN number of the car, and the license plate on my carbon copy was barely legible. I figured he wouldn’t know his VIN and would probably pay it—he was parked illegally, after all.”
My best friend smiled from ear to ear. “You’re my hero.”
“You might want to let me finish the story before you declare that.”
Her smile wilted. “You got caught?”
“I didn’t think so. But I had a little mishap. When I leaned over and lifted the wiper to tuck the ticket underneath, somehow a piece of my hair got caught and tangled.”
Madison’s brow furrowed. “In the wiper blade?”
“I know. Strange. But it was so windy today, and when I went to unwind it, I made it worse. You know my crazy thick hair. I could lose a hairbrush in it for a few days and no one would notice. These waves have a mind of their own.”
“How did you get it out?”
“I yanked until it came free. Only when it finally detached from the car, the windshield wiper was attached to my hair instead of the brand-new Audi it belonged to.”
Madison’s hand flew to her mouth as she cracked up. “Oh my God.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you leave the owner a note?”
I took a healthy gulp of my drink, which tasted a little better the more I drank. “Does the ticket count as a note?”
“Well…at least there’s an upside?”
“There is? Tell me, because right about now, after the day I had, I’m not seeing any upside at all.”
“There’s a Greek god in the office. That’s good. How long has it been since you’ve been on a date—eight years?”
“Trust me. The Greek god won’t be asking me out on a date.”
“Married?”
“Worse.”
“Gay?”
I laughed. “Nope. He’s the owner of the Audi I vandalized and then re-gifted my parking ticket to, and apparently he saw me do it.”
“Crap.”
“Yeah. Crap. Oh, and I have to work with him on a daily basis.”