“Admit that you’re jealous. Anyway, if you must know, I have real work to do. I’m doing a story for The Top Rack today”

Scrolling through chefs’ feeds wasn’t wasting time. Deena had to do it. It was an important task, the only way to keep up with industry trends.

So what if the hamper was overflowing and she had no clue what was for dinner? So what if she hadn’t paid a single bill yet that month?

Deena nibbled on dry Cheerios, just because the box was on the table and she was hungry and she had no patience to prepare a real meal.

She was still sitting with her phone 15 minutes later when Leah called.

“What are you doing right now?”

Deena ignored the question. “I love how these influencers post pictures of their meals. Check out this amazing acai bowl I’m having for lunch!” She snorted. “Yeah, right. Maybe she’ll eat it, or maybe she’ll force her kid to eat it, but the reason she made that bowl is because it fits beautifully on her carefully curated feed. Look at me. I’m eating Cheerios for lunch. That’s the truth. Why don’t people tell the truth?”

“At least you answered my question. Now I know what you’re doing.”

“It’s work.”

“Yes, work, of course. Stalking bloggers, a very lucrative career.”

“Admit that you’re jealous. Anyway, if you must know, I have real work to do. I’m doing a story for The Top Rack today.”

“No way! Beyond cool! What are you featuring?”

“First I’ll tell you what I’m not featuring. I’m not featuring a carrot sharpener, which is what they wanted me to do originally. I was like, a carrot sharpener? Seriously, what are you even trying to achieve with that? Sharpened carrots or carrot shavings? Do you even know?”

Leah giggled.

“Hang on,” Deena said. “Someone’s beeping.”

She glanced at her screen. “Ha, it’s Baila Zeitlin from The Top Rack. Is she psychic or what?”

“Okay, go to her. I just wanted to tell you — Ruthie Nass texted me for your number. Giving you a heads up.”

“Um, okay. Talk to you.”