Lauren Takes Leave by Gerstenblatt, Julie (ebooks children's books free txt) 📕

The rest of the group has joined us. We line up and makeour introductions, sounding like some warped von Trapp family siblings.

“Hi. I’m Lauren, and I’m pretending to be sequestered onjury duty.”

“I’m Kat, and I just told my employers to go fuckthemselves.”

“I’m MC Lenny, and I got on a plane for her—” he points tome—“only now I’m going to have to heal my broken heart in a rap song andbroadcast it for the enjoyment of the masses.”

“And I’m Jodi,” she purrs. “My grandmother is not reallydying.”

“Super,” Tommy says, clapping his hands together like he’sheard it all before. “Now, who wants some ink?”

It’s just a pretty little one. It didn’t even hurt thatmuch. Jodi, Kat and I all got them. But I’m not showing you where, so just dropit.

“I hate to say this, but I think we have to go top shelfor go home,” Tim says as we exit out the back of Tommy’s shop. We’re standingin a deserted alley, waiting for a ride from Tommy’s friend. It’s close to twoa.m. and although I should feel tired, I don’t.

“What do you mean?” Lenny asks.

“Well, I know a few exclusive clubs that will let us in noproblem. They offer all types of security for…people like me. No cameras, noreporters, no worries. Either that, or back to the hotel directly, so we won’tbe spotted or followed.”

“I’m not going back to the hotel!” Jodi protests, speakingfor all of us.

“I’d like to watch the sun rise,” Kat adds.

Lenny nods. “I’m down with that.”

“So, okay, then. We’ll have Tommy’s friend take us to aplace I know.”

“What’s it called?” I ask.

“I just told you. A Place I Know.”

“Celebrities are so cool!” Jodi says, as a soccer mom–styleminivan flashes its lights at us and comes up the alley.

“This is our ride?’ Lenny wonders aloud.

The driver’s side window rolls down, revealing agorgeously sultry woman with pouty red lips and cascading black hair. She looksfamiliar. She winks a blue eye at Tim.

“Oh, c’mon!” Tim scoffs. “Tommy!” he calls. “Where thefuck are you? You did this on purpose, right?”

“Hi, babe.” The woman smiles, her voice thick and low.“You coming or what?”

A second-floor window opens and Tommy’s head appears,toothpick stuck between his lips.

“Funny, no?” he calls down to Tim. “I had to do it. Greatgag. When I saw her act about a month ago, I thought, if I ever run into Cubixagain, I’ll have to make introductions. Just didn’t know I’d get luckyso soon!”

“You are an asshole, you know that?” Tim yells back. But Ican see his smile as he shakes his head back and forth.

“See ya round, Rubix Cube!” Tommy calls before slammingthe window shut.

Now I get it! The driver looks just like Ruby Richmond.

“Climb aboard,” she instructs in that very low voice.“Nice to meet you all. I’m Dixie. Dixie Normous.”

A Place I Know is hidden between a bodega and a shoestore a few blocks from the beach.

“It’s like Hernado’s Hideaway!” I decide.

“Olé!” Kat adds.

“Wait one minute, there, darlings,” Dixie scoffs, when wethank her and make our good-byes. “I’m not leaving you; I’m just parking thevan. I have to spend some more time with my delectable husband!” She throws herhead back, revealing humongous tonsils. She leaves us on the curb, her laughtercarrying down the street like pebbles tossed into in the gutter, reverberatinghard and deep.

“That was fucking scary.” Tim shudders.

“Yeah. Freaky-deaky.” Jodi makes a face.

“It’s not the fact that she’s packing balls,” Timclarifies. “It’s just…she looks so much like Ruby.”

The inside is a bit of a shit hole, which I finddisappointing. But then Tim leads us out back, to a lush, overgrown garden litby lanterns. Ambient music fills the air. I can hear muffled chatter fromdifferent corners that I can’t quite see.

“See? Discreet,” Tim explains. “There are these pockets ofseating areas that kind of wind their way through here and down to the beach.”

“Now that’s more like it!” Jodi smiles, taking a seat on aswinging bench tucked to our right. “I think I could fall asleep right here,”she adds.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done that,” Timnotes. “There are blankets and lounge chairs for serious crashing. Great bighammocks and tiki torches perched on the beach.”

“Beach looks awesome,” I say, yawning and settling downnext to Jodi.

“I think I’ll head down there,” Lenny says, like it’s somesort of invitation. I start to formulate all those same excuses in my mind,upset that I’ll have to explain it all again to him. Why I can’t go to thebeach with him, how I’m trying to make things right again with Doug. But then Isee him looking toward Tim and feel really dumb.

“Len and I still have to work out a few deets on that dealI mentioned to him earlier, back at the Clevelander. It’s still kind ofhush-hush. You guys don’t mind if we leave the party?”

Kat waves them away with a tired hand and curls up on thebench next to Jodi’s and mine.

The guys head down the path lit with flickering candles,Tim giving a little wave to us in the darkness.

Then I pass out.

Chapter 22

Friday

“What? Hello? Are you there? Is anybody there?” Jodiemerges from the trees and heads toward me, cell phone in hand. “Can you hearme now, fucker?” she yells into the phone before disconnecting.

“Could that phone be any more annoying?” I ask, strugglingto sit up against a beanbag. “Ugh, my mouth tastes like vomit.”

“Yeah?” Jodi asks, staring at me, unamused. “Do you knowwhy that is, Lauren? That’s because you threw up for, like, twenty minutes lastnight.”

“Oh. Sorry,” I say.

“Don’t apologize to me. Dixie was the one who coached youthrough, holding back your hair and singing to you and shit before she had togo to her performance at the Roxy.”

I stretch and look around the deserted courtyard that wehave camped out in, noticing the gray early morning light as it softens theedges of everything. The reasons for having slept outside on this lounge chairare not immediately clear to me, but the stiffness in my shoulder bladesannounces quite distinctly that