Ilook out the window of the taxi at the driving rain pelting the car window. My phone buzzes with an incoming text and I look at the screen.
“Hey, PG,” Josh’s text says. “I’m about to board a flight from JFK to LAX. Just wanted to say hi real quick.”
I smile at my phone. I can’t believe how attentive Josh has been these past few days during his trip to New York. What a stark difference from his prior trip to New York right before Las Vegas, when he sent me crap messages all week long like, “Hey, Party Girl!” and “What’s up?” Looks like Josh is ready to move past The Game Where We Pretend We Don’t Give a Shit. And that’s a damned good thing, because I stopped playing that game a long time ago.
“Hey there, Playboy,” I type. “I was just thinking about you. I just landed at SEA from... Dang it. What’s the airport code for Las Vegas? LVS?”
“LAS,” Josh writes.
“Well, aren’t you the airport-code guru.”
“Yeah, I know them all,” he writes. “My life is one giant airport code.”
“LOL. (That’s not an airport code, btw—that’s just me laughing.)”
“Thanks for the clarification,” he writes. “For a second, I thought you were flying in from Derby Field in Lovelock, Nevada.”
“Wow, you really DO know your airport codes. Why have you been to Lovelock, Nevada?”
“I haven’t. I only know LOL because I once read an article about funny airport codes. Other sidesplitting entries include SUX in Sioux City and OMG in Namibia.”
“LOL.”
“Derby Field!” he writes.
“Hey, it’s an airport-code version of ‘Who’s on First?’” I write.
“Totally. OMG.”
“Namibia!” I write.
“LOL.”
“Derby Field!” I write.
“Gah!” he writes. “Make it stop.”
I laugh out loud and the taxi driver’s eyes in the rear view mirror glance back at me.
“Can you talk?” Josh writes. “I’ve got a few minutes before boarding.”
“Yes, sir. Call me now.”
When his call comes in, I pick up immediately, smiling broadly.
“Hi, Playboy,” I coo.
“Hi, Party Girl with a Hyphen,” he says. “How are you, beautiful?”
Wow, he sounds incredibly chipper. “I’m great. I’m sitting in a taxi on my way home. How are you?”
“Well, I’m bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and feeling fine as wine, thank you for asking. The world is my oyster.”
“Wow. You sound extremely perky today.”
“I am. Jonas and I told my uncle we’re leaving Faraday & Sons the other night, and yesterday we mapped out the transition with the board of directors. I’m so excited, I’m bouncing off the walls.”
“Congratulations. Does this mean you can finally tell me about what you and Jonas are planning?”
