Chapter 31

From somewhere far away O.B. heard the strains of Take Me Out to the Ball Game. He wondered for a moment where the sound was coming from. Then he realized it was his phone. The song was his ringtone. He bolted upright, grabbed the device, and yelled, “Hello.”

“Hello, this is Evan Taylor calling on behalf of the Republican National Committee—”

What the fuck! O.B. thought as the robocall droned on. He hung up.

Almost immediately his phone rang again.

“What!” he shouted into the receiver.

“O.B.? Are you okay?” This time it was Avery.

O.B. took a deep breath then smiled. “Hi, yeah, I’m fine—now that it’s you.”

“Good. Your messages sounded like something was wrong. Things are going all right?” Avery sounded relieved.

“Couldn’t be better,” O.B. replied, relishing the sound of the man’s voice.

“You said you had something to talk with me about?”