Well, it looks like today is going to be busy. And… different.
My day started a couple hours ago when Merriit called. “Hey, how about we meet for breakfast?”
He acted like nothing had happened on Saturday. As I thought about it, I suppose nothing had.
At breakfast, I told him how I was feeling about his sudden interest in doing volunteer work. And that I had thought maybe it was interest in Shay.
He didn’t seem to make the connection, so I explained. He assured me my concerns were unfounded.
After breakfast, we went back to his apartment where Devon and Emma were cleaning up from their own meal. Merritt and I settled down on the sofa.
“Let’s just chill, today?” Devon said. “A lot of nothing separated by lunch and dinner?”
“We could go for pizza tonight?” Emma added.
I was about to say that sounded good when Devon’s phone buzzed. “It’s Jacob…”
He was asking to call, and Devon agreed. Jacob was asking what everyone was doing, and Devon explained.
“Tell him to come over,” Merritt said.
Devon did, and Jacob agreed.
Just then, I got a text from… of all people… Shay Ryder asking me to call when I got the chance.
“Hello?”
Shay’s voice was a little unsure. “Um… Hi. I… Well, I know everyone is off today and it’s short notice. I’m not good at… at… Well, anyway… How about you and your friends come to my place and I’ll get dinner for us? Hang out… I don’t know… do stuff people do when they are hanging out. Sorry… That sounds dumb, but I promise, it will be a nice dinner. And…”
Her words just trailed off into silence. Something in the tone of her voice softened me. She seemed really desperate, and I agreed, telling her that we had other friends.
“The more the better! Bring whoever you want. It will be great! Really… bring anyone you want.”
“So much for hanging out and doing nothing,” Devon said when I told everyone what I’d agreed to.
My phone buzzed again.
I looked down—it was Kent Marlon texting: “Hi. Mind if I call?”
“Wonder what he wants?” Merrit asked.
I shrugged. “I have no clue.”
He called, and said, “Um… out of the blue… I was wondering if you had plans today. There's an ongoing outdoor arts and crafts event called the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit in Greenwich Village. The weather is perfect… I thought maybe you’d like to see it. You said you live in Manhattan, so it wouldn’t be far… Just thinking… you know… maybe you’d like to get out.”
I explained about Shay’s invitation and that she said bring whoever. “You’re a whoever, right?”
He agreed to meet us there, and I gave him the address. And just then, Merritt’s phone rang.
It was Addison. “Merritt, I can’t get Emma to answer. Is she okay?”
Emma looked for her phone and found it in the seat cushion of her chair. “I thought I heard somethin’”
Suffice to say, by the time Emma and Addison were done, Addison was going with us to Shay’s house. I texted Shay and told her who was coming.
Shay texted back: “Dinner for 10! :-) I’m excited!”
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