Going Broke by Trista Russell Read Free Book Online

should’ve been at the airport already.”
    â€œWhat time is the concert?”
    â€œI think it starts at eight.” I grabbed my suitcase, purse, and keys and headed out the door. “My plane makes it to Orlando at six. All I’ll have time to do is pick up the rental car and head to the site. I won’t even be able to check into my hotel until after the concert and interview.”
    â€œWhen do you come back?”
    I boarded the elevator. “Tomorrow night.”
    I really didn’t want to go, but in order for me to move into a better spot at the station, I had to bite the bullet and do what other people didn’t want to do. A new country artist was debuting in Orlando, but Garth Brooks was performing in Miami the same night. Instead of being invited to the American Airlines Arena for the GB concert, I was taking an American Airlines flight to Orlando to interview a no-name crooner.
    â€œMy flight gets in around six or something.”
    â€œWhy didn’t they just rent you a car to drive from here to there? It’s only a little over a three-hour drive.”
    â€œWho?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not driving to Orlando, unless I’m going to Disney World. If I’m going to a country-ass concert, I don’t want a three-hour drive ahead of me. I’m liable to turn my black ass around or miss the exit and take the highway all the way to ATL,” I joked.
    â€œWell, have a safe trip. The weather is looking a li’l crazy, though.”
    â€œI didn’t even look at the Weather Channel.” I sighed. “What’s going on?”
    â€œWell, it’s not raining here, but there is a little system moving north.”
    â€œDamn.” I hated flying. “That’s all I need.”
    â€œWell, I’m not going to cash this check just yet,” India said. “You might need it back.”
    I couldn’t believe her. “Fuck you, India,” I said jokingly, though I really meant it.
    â€œNo. I’m fucking with you.” She giggled again. “Call me when you get in. Let’s have drinks.”
    â€œI will.” I hung up and raced through the parking garage to find my car.
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    By the time I made it to the American Airlines gate, the passengers were boarding. I was last in line, but I had a first-class seat. I would never pay for a flight from Miami to Orlando on my own. It seemed as if as soon as we hit cruising altitude, the pilot announced that we were preparing for landing. The flight couldn’t have been longer than an hour. The only problem was the tremulous turbulence due to the storm hovering over the area.
    When the plane landed, I was one of the first people off. Being a Budget FastBreak customer got me in and out of the car rental office in five minutes.
    The sky was the darkest shade of gray I’d ever seen, without becoming black. Not only was it raining, there was hail and talk of tornadoes in surrounding towns.
    When I learned that the concert was supposed to be an outside event, I pretty much knew that it was off. I made a few phone calls and learned that I was right. The show was off and not being rescheduled. The artist was already heading to Georgia for his performance the next day, so I couldn’t even do the interview.
    Without an umbrella, I sat in the parking lot of the Marriott hotel for twenty minutes. The rain wasn’t letting up. I jumped each time a lightning bolt flashed across the sky, and trembled when the thunder rumbled. At only eight o’clock, I didn’t want to be stuck in my hotel room for the night, but with weather like this, I wouldn’t dare go anywhere besides the hotel restaurant.
    My cellular phone rang in the midst of the crackling of a thunderclap and frightened me so bad that my foot slammed on the gas pedal. Thankfully the car was still in park. “Hello!” I didn’t look at the caller ID.
    â€œHi, sweetness.”
    â€œHi,