Page 33 of September

“I know.” Gwen sighed. “She’s really pretty. Why is she so pretty? Why is she gay?”

“Isn’t that agoodthing if you like her?”

“Not if she doesn’t like me. At least, if she were straight, I could blame it on that.”

“You took her home. How’d that go?”

“I didn’t, actually. We took a streetcar to my place, and I was going to drive her from there, but she got a car instead because she didn’t want to make me go out of my way.”

“Have you talked to her since?”

“Yes. I’m dog-sitting for her, remember? I talked to her a bunch yesterday.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Is there anything there?”

“I came here to get to knowyoumore.” Gwen laughed a little.

“We can get to know eachother,” Myra suggested.

“Okay. Well, in the spirit of doing that, I don’t know if there’s anything there. I’ve talked to her a little, yes, but mostly about her dog. So, while I think she’s pretty, and we’ve been flirting a little, I have no idea if there’s a possibility there.”

“And the woman she was with at the bar?”

“Work friend,” Gwen explained with a shrug. “I guess she got sick. When I talked to Juliet last night, she said that Molly was fine, though. She checked on her.”

“Last night?”

“Yeah. I set up some pet cams for Jules since she hasn’t ever left Carly alone for the night. Carly is a rescue, and Jules doesn’t know how she was treated before she adopted her, so she was worried about Carly being by herself for the first time. I wanted her to be able to check in on her, and I had some cameras lying around. I FaceTimed with her so that she could check in on Carly before they were all set up, and we talked for a bit. Then, I took Carly back to my place so that she wouldn’t be alone. I dropped her off at Juliet’s this morning, though, and let Jules know that she was home. She’s already texted me. She’s glued to the camera, watching her dog every free minute she has. It’s really cute.”

“Wow,” Myra replied. “You set up cameras for her dog?”

“For Juliet, not the dog. And I had them lying around. I get sent things every so often because I’m a top earner for the app in my area. They ask me to mention products sometimes, post on social media, that kind of thing. I get treats sent to me, too. Where do you think all those treats I give Buster come from?”

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it. I figured you just bought them, or that Elisa did.”

“She buys some, yeah, but I gave her a bunch to get her started. If only my mom could see me now, huh? Peddling dog treats and pet cameras and getting nothing out of either.”

“You don’t get commission or anything?”

“Sort of. The app gets most of the money, but whenever I mention a product and the customer gets it through my link, I get something. It’s pennies, really, so I don’t add it up.”

“I guess the way to look at it is that you’re so good at your job, the company you work for gives you free stuff because they know you’ll be able to sell it. People trust you that much.”

“I’m technically freelance,” she said. “I don’t work for the app exclusively, which is why I don’t make direct, bigger commissions. I’m listed on a few apps, and I kind of prefer it that way. Besides, if I decide to go out on my own one day, it’s easier to be freelance now.”

“Would you do that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” She shrugged a shoulder. “It’s riskier. Right now, I have a near-endless supply of clients. If I go out on my own, I lose the apps and have to go by my website or word of mouth. While I have my regulars, people do move, and animals, unfortunately, pass away, so I can’t count on a consistent paycheck. I’m taking it day by day.”

“You could fall back on the money your parents gave you, right? Sorry; Elisa mentioned it,” Myra said and took a bite.

“I could, but I don’t want to. I’m saving that money.”

“Not for the business?”