oops, sorry.
“Okay.”
She goes into what happened to her. About her Decker-approved meeting with Wells Covington.
I don’t think much of it at first. I figured Wells Covington would know what was going on. He’s not an idiot. The dude has a one-seventy IQ or some shit, and a megaton of resources at his fingertips.
Then, Mary tells me he’s threatening Decker with information he has on me. That’s when my face turns into a glowing red ember.
Hold. It. Together.
Mary keeps going, and the more she does, the more I want to punch something, but the last thing I want to do is take this out on her. I can’t. I just won her back to my side.
What the fuck does Wells Covington know about me? How does he know anything about me? My tracks are all meticulously covered.
Maybe it’s nothing. Could be some shady work you’ve done for the brothers.
“Rick, you there?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“You okay? You want to talk? I can call my mom real quick, tell her I’m fine and I’ll call her tomorrow.”
I grind my teeth but manage to sound convincing. “No, no, call her back. But before you go, there’s just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Can I push our date to Friday night? Sorry, I just remembered, I have something on Thursday.” My whole body trembles with rage as I say the words, and I grip the phone in my hand so tight I think it might break.
“Sure, Friday works.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Me either.” She says the words, but her tone changes too. She knows something is wrong, but she’s afraid to ask.
“Okay, go call your mom.”
“Okay, goodnight.”
“Night, Mary.” I take a deep breath as she hangs up the phone.
The second I hear a dial tone and close out the screen, I scream, “Fuck!” Then I sling the lamp across my table, shattering it against the wall.
I have no idea what I’m going to do. At least I bought myself an extra day.
Mary Patrick
It’s Friday evening, time for date number two. I haven’t seen or heard from Rick except for a text earlier that said, “Be ready at six.” Rick shows up at my door at five ‘til. It’s been weird, not talking much since the phone call, the one where I made an idiot of myself, but he looks incredible and he has a fresh vase with more orchids in it.
Just like last time, I smell them, set them on my little table, and head out the door with him. The feelings running through me are all familiar, same as last time, but there’s something off about him. I get the same vibes from him, that he’s into me, but his mind is somewhere else at the same time.
I can’t help but think it has something to do with what I told him about Wells Covington. What was that all about anyway? Should I have told him? I want to push him about it, but I don’t really know how.
Don’t ruin the date.
Rick is an interesting man, and I want to know everything about him, even if he has dark secrets. He’s a good man at heart. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But it’s only our second date, and I shouldn’t ask for all the information up front. Plus, I really want him to actually kiss me this time, not run him off.
It’s none of my business anyway. We’re not married.
We make it to the restaurant. Last time it was Smoque, this time we pull up to Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf. It’s super romantic and gorgeous. He couldn’t have picked a better place. It’s so nice and formal, I think we might be a little underdressed, but Rick doesn’t seem to notice. He has such a confidence about him that it takes me by surprise every time he says I make him nervous.
Do I really have that big of an effect on him? I believe him when he says it, it just feels weird. Nobody has ever said the things he says to me.
If there is one true thing about Rick Lawrence, though, it’s that he’s interesting. He could be a character in a novel, and I’d read about him nonstop. Especially some of the dirty novels I’ve read that came recommended from ladies I went to church with. I just finished the Pucked series by Helena Hunting, and fanned myself the entire time. I don’t even like hockey, but they were definitely five stars and hilarious.
The conversation with Rick starts up light and easy, and it flows so naturally