“Who is it?” Scarlett said anxiously, her voice betraying her.

“It says ‘AAA,’” Dakota replied. “AAA? American Automobile Association?”

Sadly, many people made this mistake. They had been getting a lot of calls from stranded drivers recently.

“Give it,” Scarlett said, holding her hand out.

The phone rang again.

“Who is AAA?” Dakota asked, holding the phone back a bit.

“Just give it to me for a second…”

The phone rang again.

“That is not an answer.”

“It’s my boss,” Scarlett said with a sigh.

“Oh no. No, no, no.” Dakota stuck the phone under her leg. “Not her, either.”

“You don’t understand,” Scarlett said. “You don’t know what she’s like. Just let me call her and she’ll calm down. It’s only been three days since she moved out of the hotel. She has separation anxiety.”

“That doesn’t mean she can call you every ten minutes to do something stupid while she’s out getting her butt waxed.”

“Thanks for that mental image,” Scarlett said. “That’s something she might do, if her butt was hairy. Which it probably isn’t…Great. Now I’m imagining it. Remind me to repay you.”

“De rien. God, go away for one summer and I’m replaced with an entire cast of freaks. I am never leaving again.”

The phone started ringing again. Each ring pierced Scarlett. Mrs. Amberson didn’t have a special ringtone, but Scarlett could just tell when she was calling. The calls had a keening, urgent quality.

“Please,” Scarlett said. “She won’t stop until I talk to her.”

Ring.

“You can have your phone back if you tell her that you are staying here today with us. And we will all take turns patting your head and helping you heal your broken heart. That is what is going to happen.”

Ring.

“Fine!” Scarlett said, her anxiety peaking.

The phone stopped ringing as soon as it was back in Scarlett’s hand. She stared at it for a moment, wondering if she could just let it go, ignore the call.

“Don’t,” Dakota said. “Don’t call her back.”

“You don’t understand,” Scarlett said again. “She won’t stop.”

The phone started ringing again, proving her point. Scarlett answered it instantly, preparing herself to tell her boss that she was not available, but she had no chance.

“Where are you?” Mrs. Amberson snapped. “I am getting in a cab right now and coming to get you.”

“What?”

“I’m aware that it’s your day off, but it’s an emergency. Address, O’Hara!”

“I’m in the park,” Scarlett said, moving away and lowering her voice. Dakota was squinting suspiciously.

“What’s the closest street?”

“I don’t know,” Scarlett said. “Sixty-seventh or something? On the west side?”

“I will be there in five minutes.”

Scarlett snapped the phone closed and faced her friends. Dakota was staring intently and seemed to have taken a very dim view of the situation.