Zack glanced at Kira. Her dark eyes were wide. She clearly understood what Zack was about to do. He raised an eyebrow. She tilted her head, then nodded.

Zack turned to Lee. “I should have told you forever ago, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”

Lee glanced between them. “Did someone die? Are you dying, Zack? Is it cancer?”

“Why the hell would you think I—” Zack remembered that he smoked and cut himself off. “No one is dead or dying. I’m just ready to tell you about my mysterious job.”

“Oh,” Lee said. “Well, that’s a bit anticlimactic.”

“I’m a phone sex operator,” Zack blurted.

“You’re a what? A phone sex who?”

“I’m a sex worker.” Zack took a sip of his beer and gave Lee a moment to digest. “I dunno if that’s easier for you to understand.”

“A sex worker,” Lee repeated. He looked stunned. “Like a prostitute?”

Zack sighed. Definitely not easier, then. He knew it was unfair to expect more from his friends, but it was still frustrating.

“No. Let’s stick with phone sex operator.”

Lee opened and closed his mouth several times before grabbing his beer and taking a long drink. When he finished, Zack took the liberty of ordering another round. It seemed they were going to need it.

“What exactly do you do?” Lee asked.

“I have phone sex with strangers for money,” Zack answered directly. “When I took a semester off, I had a few grand in student loan debts that needed repaying, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I worked odd jobs and taught guitar and did basically whatever I could to scrape by, but it wasn’t enough. Then one night I was up late—as you often are when you’re unemployed—and this commercial came on for a hotline.”

“And you called them?” Lee asked, making a face.

“Not recreationally, I promise. I saw the price tag attached to a one-minute phone call, and a lightbulb went off above my head. The next day, I went down to their office and applied for a job.” He smiled. “The interviewing process was bizarre. I had to leave a voice mail on my boss’s phone so she knew what I would sound like to clients. And then she made me read this monologue from one of their scripts, using my lower register. It was super awkward at first, trying to be sexy while Colette was watching me like a hawk, but I must’ve succeeded because I got the job. I’ve been working there ever since.”

Lee exhaled slowly and stared at the ceiling.

Zack waited for him to respond. After a solid minute of silence had passed, he asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m beseeching the Lord for strength.”

“You’re Buddhist.”