Speed Rail by Lainey Davis

Author:Lainey Davis [Davis, Lainey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lainey Davis

24

Cash

Someone is knocking on my back door. Who knocks on the back door?

I’m about an hour in to fighting with Ruby about her homework, and her crabby mood has me feeling glad I said no when she asked me to stay at Emerald’s house for another night. Piper got the exhaustion aspect right, that’s for sure.

Piper…I feel a lump in my throat just thinking of what happened between us yesterday. I wanted so much more, and yet I was terrified of what did happen. What must she think of me?

There’s another knock at the door, followed by a shout from a voice I don’t recognize. “Hang tight, Rubes.” My intention is to check the door while my daughter stays in the dining room in case it’s about to be an unpleasant interaction, but she follows right behind me.

“It’s Piper!” Ruby dashes ahead and flings open the door to reveal Piper Conklin standing on my porch. Holding a pie. Surrounded by elegant women.

“Hey, Ruby!” Piper smiles and wiggles some fingers, balancing the pie, which smells like it’s a freshly baked apple variety.

“What do you want?” My question comes out harsher than intended, but I just spent an hour arguing about subtraction facts and, after all, these women approached my house from the back. It’s all very strange.

Piper thrusts the pie toward me. “We have a proposition for you and we’re hoping we could come in to discuss it.”

I stare at the pie, still confused about this disruption in my day, when one of the women with dark hair shoves her way to the front of the group. “We need a voice actor, and we can pay.” She grabs the pie from Piper and hands it to Ruby, who licks her lips and weaves her way around my legs to put the steaming pastry on the counter.

“Voice actor?” The hairs on my arms stand up at the idea that Piper has somehow come across my side hustle. She must really know every one of my secrets now.

“We’re coming in,” says the blonde one, giving Piper a shove that sends her stumbling into my chest. I put my hands on her elbows to catch her, feeling a swoop in my gut at the sensation of being close to her again. I release her and take a step back as the women file inside.

“You must be Ruby,” the blonde one says, offering a hand to my kid, who shakes it. “I’m Samantha Vine. Will you show me your living room?”

Ruby skips off as Piper and the other two women make themselves comfortable in my dining room. “Okay,” Piper says, “This is my friend Chloe Preston, but her professional name is Chloe Petals and she’s kind of a big deal.”

“Hi!” Chloe waves. Piper charges on, explaining that Ruby showed her all my recording equipment when I was fixing the electrical in Pipe Fitters and they’re here because they need me to do some “voice stuff.”

My jaw drops. I can’t help but show my surprise. “Ruby told you?”

Chloe winces.

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