Page 96 of Bulletproof

It was seamless when I talked to my best friends. Dylan had followed my jump easily. I was thinking about our business, which Aubrey Jenner had been a part of, but me saying that I loved her had meant that I really didn’t want to go back into business with her. The “love” conveyed the unspoken but. The but said that this time, it had to be different. And because Dylan was Dylan, when the train veered off track, she didn’t miss a beat.

“So, she’s not gonna be pissed if we don’t ask her back?”

“Maybe,” she sighed. “But I think that was some of the problem last time. There were too many of us trying to make choices, decisions, about everything, and it didn’t work.”

“Nope.”

“You and me⁠—”

“Yep, you and me,” I agreed. “And Fallon, right?”

“Yeah, Fallon too.”

“Because he was my safety net.”

“Yes, he was.”

“And that was pretty great.”

“Yes, it was.”

“So, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“What do I tell those nice people who just hired me?”

“But they didn’t actually hire you yet,” she reminded me. “I mean, they promised to, but you haven’t signed anything.”

True.

“Tell them you can work for them on a consulting basis and that they only have to pay you when you deliver an account, but don’t have to give you a salary.”

“Oh.” I thought for a minute. “They might actually like that.”

“You and Fallon would be independent contractors, dear, and a lot of people like it.”

“So, they wouldn’t even have to pay us medical benefits or anything.”

“Nope.”

“Why would anyone not be down for that?”

“I have no idea.”

“What if Fallon isn’t down for it?”

“You won’t know unless you ask.”

“I want him to be in.”

“So, ask him.”

“Shit. Fallon’s gonna tell me to screw myself.”

“Or,” she said thoughtfully, “maybe Fallon would like the option of working with you when he wants, but not when he doesn’t, and if he wants to come work with us … I’ve always had a lot of respect for Fallon since we all started out at Barrington together.”

“You have?”