- Alex -
’m going to be a little late,” I said, pulling up along the curb where I’d dropped Gemma off the night before.
“How late?” Jimmy asked. “I’m meeting Cliff at 10:30.”
“What do you mean you’re meeting Cliff?”
“He wants to change the terms of the negotiation.”
“There is no negotiation,” I shouted into the phone. “He made an offer, and I’m thinking about it. Why the hell did he even get in touch with you?”
“Do you want me to tell you my best guess or what he said?”
“Both.”
“They’re sort of the same.”
“Talk fast,” I said as Gemma walked out of the building with a pretty Asian girl.
“He said you’ve been belligerent every time he’s tried to talk to you.”
“I have not been bellige—”
The women smiled in my direction.
“We’ll discuss this over breakfast,” I said, pushing the red circle on the screen too hard, which offered little comfort and left me missing the days when phone calls could be more dramatically ended. Then I chucked the phone in the center cup holder and got out.
“Morning,” I said over the car.
“You must be Alex,” Gemma’s friend said, stepping off the curb. “Jeanie.” She held her hand out. “Nice to finely meet you.”
“I understand you’re a bit of a hero,” I said, shaking her delicate hand. “Giving my fair lady here a safe place to stay.”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked, glancing at Gemma where she was blushing beside the passenger door. “Usually people can’t tell when my cape’s at the cleaners.”
I smiled.
“Perhaps it takes one to know one.” Her dark eyes scoured every inch of my face like she was on her way to inform a police sketch.
“So glad you guys are hitting it off,” Gemma said. “But I have to get to work.” She opened the door, slid into the car, and shut herself in. “Ready when you are!”
Jeanie stepped into my personal space with the curious intensity of a detective. “You seem like a good guy, Alex,” she said, lowering her voice. “But if I find out you’re not, I will find you, and I will—”
“What?” I asked. “Let me get away with everything but murder like you’ve done with Gemma’s ex?”
Her small mouth fell open.
“You can trust me,” I said. “So do us both a favor and save your empty threats for someone who deserves them.”
She swallowed.
“Sorry, I—”
“It’s okay. I get it,” I said, reaching for my door handle. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who has her back.”
“I didn’t mean to—”
“Chill, Jeanie. We’re on the same team here.”
“Right.”
I forced a smile and got in the car.
She lifted one hand in a shy wave and then continued across the parking lot.
“What was that about?” Gemma asked.
“What was what about?” I turned on the ignition and peeled out a bit more aggressively than my mom’s car could handle.
“It looked like you guys were exchanging words.”
Perhaps I should’ve let Jeanie carry on with her poorly planned intimidation, but I wasn’t in the mood after hanging up on Jimmy. How dare that sneaky bastard Cliff undermine me by reaching out to him? “Just pleasantries,” I said.
“You weren’t making a pleasant face.”
“Look,” I said, glancing at her before I pulled out into traffic. “Jeanie seems sweet and all, but I only have a few minutes to spend with you before work, so I didn’t want to get carried away with my life story.”
Her skepticism was tangible.
“So, what’s new?”
“My latest video hit five thousand views last night.”
“The planking one?”
“No.”
“The obliques one?”
“No,” she said. “How many have you watched?”
“I thought I’d watched them all.”
“What?”
I stopped at a red light. “So which one was it?”
“The bingo wings one.”
“Oh yeah. I heard that one really burns,” I said. “My mom probably accounts for at least six of those views.”
“Your mom?!”
“I hope it’s okay that I showed her your channel.”
Gemma went quiet.
“Would you rather I hadn’t?”
She angled towards me. “When you say you’ve watched them all…?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Yes you did. You said ‘I thought I’d watched them all.’”
I shrugged. “Give or take.”
“Alex.”
“It’s not like I follow along with them,” I said. “I just let them play in the background sometimes.”
“When?”
“I don’t know. When I’m making dinner or—”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Of course not,” I said. “They’re good videos, and you can never be reminded about proper form too many times.”
She narrowed her eyes at me.
I looked back at the road. “Plus, I like the sound of your voice.” When she didn’t say anything for a while, I glanced back at her.
Her eyes were smiling. “I like the sound of your voice, too.”
I felt something soften inside me. It was a warm feeling, but it made me feel weak. Vulnerable. I focused on the road again, worried that the feelings I had for her could make me lose my edge. It was something I’d always feared. Or more precisely, a fear I’d used as an excuse to not get close to anyone before.
But it was impossible to stay away from her. Not only was she irresistible, but she was the only woman I’d ever met that made me feel at home no matter where I was. Fuck.
“What exactly did you tell your mom?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, turning onto the road that led to the gym.
“I mean, did you just say, ‘hey, check out these videos.’ or did you say, ‘here’s the girl I’m trying to sweep off her feet’?”
“Are you not already swept?” I asked.
“Very funny.”
I smiled.
“Seriously.”
“Seriously, I said this is the goddess I told you about. And not only is she smart and funny and beautiful, but apparently she can help you with your bingo wings.”
She failed to hide a shy smile. “And what did she say?”
I flicked my turn signal on and drifted into the right lane. “She informed me that only she’s allowed to refer to her arm flab as bingo wings, but that she’d take a look.”
“And?”
“She thinks you have a nice smile.”
Her face fell.
“And a gorgeous figure.”
Her rosy cheeks lifted again.
“Then she asked me if I’d seen it yet.”
She opened her mouth as if to object.
“But don’t worry. I told her that was none of her business.”
Her stunned expression only intensified after I turned into the parking lot.
“What?”
“My car.” She pointed straight ahead.
I drove over and pulled up beside it. All the trash was gone, and it was sparkling like new.
“Did you do this?” she asked, raising a hand over her mouth.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said. “I knew a guy who was down to earn a few bucks.”
“Alex.” Her eyes grew glassy. “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“I hope that’s not true.”
She pulled her purse into her lap and opened it. “I insist you let me pay you back right now.”
I laid a hand over her purse. “Put your purse away, Gemma. It was my pleasure.”
“But—”
“Please,” I said. “Let’s pretend it never happened.”
Gratitude filled her eyes as she held my gaze. “Thank you,” she whispered, leaning forward to kiss me. Then she sat back and her smiling eyes warmed me once more. “I am swept,” she said, popping her door open. “Totally, hopelessly swept.”