Page 27 of How Dare You
“Don’t worry about it,” Allie tries to cover Sadie’s obvious lie. “Sadie, wasn’t there something else you wanted to say?” So, it is all rehearsed. Lovely.
“You don’t sleep enough,” Sadie says, still turned to face me from the passenger seat up front. “You always go back to your room and start working again after dinner.” She pauses, taking a deep breath. “We live together now, and I still barely see you.”
“Why don’t we start doing movie nights again, like we used to in college?” I suggest. They’re hell bent on getting me to slow down, and while I find the idea of a vacation completely unreasonable, a few concessions here and there in the direction of resting more would probably be beneficial. I can afford to add movie night to my list of regular self-care tasks. “Working late every night is slightly ridiculous, even for me. A movie night would be a nice way to break up the week.”
“That would make me so happy,” Sadie says through a bright smile.
The four of us decide on Thursday for movie night, largely because Sadie likes to celebrate Friday Junior. She’s going to bake cookies every week, and Bea already has a list of movies that ‘should suit our combined tastes.’ There is a little back and forth over whether it should be just us four, or if we want to open the invite to others, and it’s decided to keep it just to us. I would have thought my distraction from the original topic of Devon needs a vacation was working if we hadn’t been on the highway headed away from Palm Springs for the last twenty minutes.
“Does anyone want to tell me where we’re really going?” I finally ask, when Bea turns onto a dirt road.
Allie folds her leg up onto the seat between us, facing me fully. “Okay, so listen to the whole thing before you say no.”
This cannot be good. “I’m listening,” I sigh.
“You need a vacation.” Allie’s ponytail swings forward as she leans in to make her point. “Even if you won’t admit it out loud, I know you’re thinking it.”
That’s not what I’m thinking. I let the look on my face convey my opinion on that.
“Well, if you’re not, you should be,” Allie juts out her chin with a little attitude. “Remember all the good points we made about why you need to take a break? Will you please keep them in the forefront of your mind when I tell you this next part?”
“You haven’t told me any part yet,” I say, drily.
“Forefront, Devon.” She nods toward my forehead and begins ticking reasons off on her fingers. “You work too hard, you repeat your work, you don’t have good boundaries with your clients, you aren’t getting enough sleep, you’re working late every night,” she switches to the fingers on her other hand, “We miss you. And, and,” she tugs down on her index finger, emphasizing her seventh point, “you made me take a break earlier this year. So, now it’s your turn.”
I do as she asks and try to keep an open mind. My friends care about me, and they want me to take a break. They see me in ways I may not see myself.
“We found a way for you to have some time off of your regular work,” she continues. I trust my friends. “So, it’s like a vacation-ish, out of the house, sleeping in a different bed.” Today is Tuesday, so they’re probably expecting me to be off through Sunday. Almost an entire week. I could handle it if I had to, might be nice to work from a hotel room or something. Allie takes a deep breath, “And letting Bea handle all of your current projects by herself.”
My eyes meet Bea’s in her rearview mirror, and she nods, corroborating Allie’s words. She’s more than capable of handling most things that come up at Friday West. But everything, all at once? I wasn’t even capable of handling that by myself. It’s why I hired her in the first place.
“Stick with me, Dev,” Allie says, squeezing my hand across the seat. They want to help me. I try to focus on her earlier words, but more pressing thoughts keep winning out. I don’t need help. Allie leans forward, raising her brows. They’re trying to help because they care about me. But I didn’t ask for help. I give her the best smile I can manage. It’s not much. “You’re going to enjoy a beautiful desert landscape, look up at the stars, take naps, go on long walks.” I don’t like napping.
Bea’s tires hit a rock on the dirt road, sending us all bouncing up in the air, the lap restraint of my seatbelt pulling tight across my hips. What kind of rest is there off a bumpy dirt road? There aren’t any hotels or resorts out this far. Maybe a short-term rental? But there isn’t even a coffee shop for miles. My phone shows I’m down to two bars of reception. Is this place even going to have wi-fi?
“Can you stay off your phone please?” Allie scoffs.
“It’s time to get to the point.” My patience is slipping.
“So, you get to do all those things, rest and rejuvenate yourself, for two whole weeks.” Two weeks. That can’t be a coincidence— “But you also get to work. Just on something different,” Allie says. Thrill and dread battle in my stomach. Two weeks, and I’m working on something different? Naturally, it’s Rhett’s project. Why didn’t I figure this out sooner? “You can get your two weeks with Rhett out of the way. Work on his project—”
I’m done humoring them. “You three are driving me to the middle of nowhere,” I raise my hands up by my shoulders, looking out every window in turn at the admittedly stunning landscape. The orange light of the sun setting behind us shines on the low hills dotted with rocks, sagebrush, and Joshua trees. There is no sign of civilization, unless you count the road we’re on. Which I don’t. “I do not recognize this dirt road.” Allie tries to interject, but I’m not done. “You’re dropping me for two weeks to stay with a carpenter we barely know, in a house that may or may not exist? There’s nothing out here. Do you see a house? Any structures? I’m not even packed.” I slow my speaking, emphasizing each word of my final sentence. “This is not happening.”
“Remember all those things you’re supposed to have front of mind,” Allie says, placatingly.
“No.” I narrow my eyes at her in a glare.
She clenches her jaw, lowering her voice. “You pride yourself on being thorough and prepared, and most of the time you are both of those things. You excel at everything, fucking everything, and I adore you for it. But the cost of that excellence has gotten too high. Your whole business, the entire plan and structure for Friday West is built in a way that doesn’t allow you to take a break—ever.” To anyone else, the next thing she says wouldn’t be an impactful hit, maybe not a hit at all. But Allie understands me, and she phrases it in a way she knows I can’t ignore. “It’s a major flaw, Dev. Your plan doesn’t work.”
Her words hang heavily in the air around us. Sadie shifts awkwardly in her seat. Bea keeps her eyes trained on the road. Allie’s not an intimidating person, but there is a fire she brings out on very rare occasions, and when those times come around— even I don’t like to cross her. Usually. Tonight will be the exception.
“Pulling me out of work with no preparation is a plan that doesn’t work. This is a massive overstep, Al. You know better.” I turn to Bea. “Take me home.”
Bea continues driving. “It is prepared, though. I already have passwords for everything, including your email.” It’s easier for her to have access, but this is the first time I’m regretting that. “We’re two minutes away. Why not see his place, say hi to him, and then decide if you want to go home?”
My anger builds. “I’ve already decided.”
“One of the days is Labor Day, so you would’ve had that day off regardless,” Sadie says, sweetly.