The second thing I noticed was that my phone was on ten percent. I’d packed my charger in my checked bag, which was in the trunk, and didn’t have the spare one I usually kept in my car. The GPS was draining it faster by the second, and I was still a couple of miles away from the store.
Oh well, it’s right down the road from my house anyway. This will be quick.
I turned off the GPS before answering Soleil’s call. I knew if I didn’t, she would start blowing me up over and over again until I did.
“Can’t talk right now. Driving through a monsoon,” I said when I connected the call.
The sky was black, and my windshield wipers were going the maximum speed, barely swishing water out of my sight line, so I didn’t feel like I was technically lying. The sound of her smacking her teeth echoed through my car speakers. “Why the hell are you driving in a monsoon, Sawyer? You should be in the house! Haven’t you seen the news?”
“I heard all about this damn hurricane, trust me,” I replied with a serious eye roll.
“Let me guess . . . They canceled your flight?”
“Sure did,” I replied with a heavy sigh. “Of all weekends to have a freaking hurricane hit Florida, it had to come on Fourth of July weekend?”
“Mother Nature doesn’t answer to any of us.”
“Yeah, I’m aware of that,” I replied dryly.
“Sorry about your girls’ trip, Sawyer.”
I huffed. “Me too. I really needed to unwind,” I vented. “Who knows when I’ll be able to schedule something like this again. You know my job is crazy.”
“Yeah, I do. Where are you anyway?”
“I’m about to be at the store.”
“The store? For what?”
“Treats for Butta,” I answered.
“Oh my God! You and that damn dog. I don’t know why you don’t find yourself a nigga and have a baby since you wanna take care of shit so bad.”
“Ay, now. Not too much on your nephew, aight?”
“All I’m saying is?—”
I cut her off. “La, la, la. I don’t care what you say.” I blabbered over her, tuning her completely out.
“Whatever. I hope your big toe starts itching, and you can’t even scratch it.”
I smacked my full lips together. “You’re literally the corniest person I know.”
“Wow, what an honor. Thank you.”
“But for real, Sol. I can’t believe you said that. Now what if my toe starts itching and I wreck because I don’t like being an itchy ass bitch and gotta scratch it. Your life would be worthless without me.”
She blew a raspberry through the phone, mocking me. “See, you almost had me feeling bad for a second there, but now I don’t. Bring on the itching, bitch.”
“Whatever.”
“No, but seriously, be safe out there on those roads, Sawyer. I’m not playing with you.”
“I’m twenty-seven years old, and you’re still treating me like I’m sixteen or something. I’ve lived here for years now. I know how to drive in the rain.”
“From what I hear tap dancing on your roof, that ain’t no normal rain shower.”
“Girl, please. We both know I’m God’s favorite. I’m going to be fine. It’s just a little, well, it’s a lot of rain, but still. I’ll be straight. I’ll be at the store up the road from my place in like three minutes. And my phone is on like six percent right now.”
