Charlie looked down at the receipt in his hand and then gave it back to Abby. “So what’s happening right now?” he asked her.
“I don’t know. Nothing, I guess.”
“Wanna go for a ride with me?” he asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“You could say enrolling took longer than it did.”
“I don’t know.”
“So what exactly are you looking for?” asked Charlie. He ran his rough finger along her jawline.
“Nothing. A friend,” Abby said. She didn’t pull away from him though.
“A short little ride. Come on. We’ll get some coffee.”
“I don’t think I should do that.”
“Just say yes.”
“I don’t know.”
“Stop worrying so much.”
“We’d be gone for just a few minutes?” she asked him.
“Sure,” he said.
“Okay. I’ll do it. But then we’d better leave my phone in my car.”
“Why?”
“Randall tracks it, so I need to keep it here by the college.”
“What?”
“He’s a little crazy.”
“I’m seeing that.”
“I’m used to it. That sounds bad, doesn’t it?”
“What if he calls you? Isn’t it worse not to have it with you?”
“If I’m lucky, he won’t call. If he does I’ll say I had it on silent since I was meeting with people about my classes.”
They stopped at Abby’s BMW and she tossed her phone beneath the seat.
“You must live a very complicated life,” Charlie said.
“It’s the opposite, I’m afraid.”
“Won’t your husband notice that you’re not moving?”
“What do you mean?”
“Won’t his little tracking screen show a red dot that is sitting in one place?”