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“You aren’t already, with the way you e me almost constantly?”

“That’s for work” She waved it away as if work communication existed in a parallel universe where your phone didn’t buzz at two in the et sos implode because I messed up”

“So up”

“That’s why I have my roll-with-the-punches back-up-back-up plan included in every standard plan Did you not get your copy?”

I scanned ether?

“That was a joke I know I don’t make them often, so maybe I’m rusty”

We walked along the peri attention to the art, lost in conversation Our recon work fell by the wayside as the night stretched on Oren & Co were old school boring; we didn’t have a thing to worry about

Zara told me more about her little brother, Tyler and his love of superheroes andan inside peek into the world of professional sports wasn’t soht she’d be interested in, but her questions kept piling up and I was happy to supply her with all the stories I had

“They made you do what?”

I took her e the waiter

“Left ure bill”

“Those assholes How could they do that to you? You’re brand new, finally living your dream and they steal all that money from you”

“It wasn’t stealing”

“It’s dining and dashing and leaving you with the check That’s so…fucked up” She shook her head, her fingers tightening around the stelass Her outburst warenuine, and she barely liked me

“It’s tradition It was done to theroup” It had sucked at the time—hard The check split between me and two other rookies had been a fifth of nedto be a statistic cited in Sports Illustrated about washed up athletes beco destitute