by Nelson, Cara
“Of course,” he said. “I think it has real merit as a good business move for me,” he added.
“Oh, yeah, of course,” I said. Admittedly, I felt a tinge of disappointment that he only mentioned business, not humanitarian. It was ridiculous, I realized. I had to count my blessings about the opportunity I was being given, not dwell on his perspective being different. Duh!
“Well, we should go. With no reservations, it may be a bit before we can get a seat.”
“Great, it’ll give us time to talk about all the details before we eat,” Simon said.
His words hit me like a ton of bricks. If we hashed out all the details before dinner, then what was dinner for? My body involuntarily responded in a very positive way and a jolt of horny hormonal bliss surged through me. I hope he couldn’t see it.
“The restaurant’s only about a block away so we can walk. If you’re ready, I am too,” I said. “Or will you get hounded by photographers, people like that?”
“Did you tell them I was coming?” he asked.
My eyes widened. “I told two girls in one of my classes, no one else.”
“Well, we should be good if they don’t have big mouths.”
I laughed at his statement and saw that he was actually serious. “They’re not talkers, they promised.”
“When I am dressed like this I’m pretty incognito, barely ever recognized as anyone more than someone who kind of looks like that drummer from ProVokaTiv, and that’s fine by me.”
I’d recognize him anywhere. I was sure of it.
“Ready,” Simon said. I watched him walk over and put on a pea-coat over his shirt and then he grabbed a small attaché, which made me smile. He was such a business man at that moment and I struggled to see the rock star drummer in him, anywhere. How did that guy come to be? And did that guy ever come out when he wasn’t on stage?
Chapter Six:
Straight Shooter
It was unexpected to find myself sitting across from a woman who was not only beautiful, but smart. Jessie had blown me out of the water with our face to face conversation about botany and Ebola just like she had on the Skype. Seeing her in her element was appealing and she was naturally persuasive. The only concern I had at that moment was that she’d lose sight of what was important to me. If she wanted me to lie and say I was all about the ‘do-good’ aspect of it, she’d be sorely disappointed.
“Great choice for a restaurant,” I said. I loved the dim lights and darkness of it. Every table had a dark purple table cloth, matching the plush seats and walls. We were fortunate to get a small table for two in the back corner, making it private.
“I’m glad we got a table back here. I cannot believe how much we’ve been interrupted. I think your idea of not being recognized and mine are very different,” Jessie said, laughing.
“It’s a fluke, really.”
“Well, at least you got to hear me share my vision and ask some questions,” she said to me.
“And now, it’s time to eat,” I said.
“If you don’t mind me asking, when will you know if you want to be involved in this, Simon? I have a tight schedule to keep and a graduate degree to earn. So, while the potential is awesome, I don’t have a lot of time and I need to know if I should be coming up with other routes to get me to the end result.”
“Fair enough. How about I commit to letting you know before I leave town, okay?”
“Great,” she said.
Just as she said that, our main course came. My steak looked amazing and I was eager to dive in. I hadn’t realized just how starving I was.
“This looks so good,” Jessie said, taking a bite of the lobster dish she’d ordered. “Yum.”
“Glad it’s good; I really like this place. Is it a franchise?”
“I think so, not really sure, though. Never thought about it,” she said.
“I’ll have to find out.”
“So you own a record label now and you may want to be a restaurateur. What else are you interested in?” Jessie asked me.
“Anything that’s logical, interesting to me, and profitable,” I said earnestly.
“And what about causes, humanitarian efforts, that sort of thing? You know that I’m into helping with Ebola right now. What’s your thing?”
I paused, not even sure how to answer that. “I guess I don’t have one thing that consumes my focus like you do, maybe something with endangered species,” I offered.
“Which species, in particular?” she replied quizzically.
I had to think quick. I’d thrown it out there, not expecting to have to answer anything about it.
“The bald eagle, American’s symbol of freedom,” I said.
Jessie started laughing at me. “That’s been off the list for a long time, probably twenty years.”
“Well, I guess I’m in a conundrum, then.”
“Tough question for you, I guess. Some people just don’t know what’s in their heart, I guess.” Then she added, “I wouldn’t have judged.”
“I didn’t think you would, Jessie. What I am drawn to most is a bit different, I guess. For me, anything where people can do what they love and gain the means to achieve a specific pre-set goal is something I admire.”
“So, you’re probably into the more traditional, tested ideas. Have you read stuff by Dale Carnegie? Or Napoleon Hill?”
“I have! I really enjoyed them both! Great lessons and concepts. I love how Carnegie took all the best qualities of the people he met to build a strong network of brains.”
I watched as Jessie put her finger up to her lip, like she was trying to figure me out. Then she tilted her head sideways and said, “I know what we should do. I think it would help you a lot.”
“What?” I couldn’t even imagine. What did I need help with?
“Let’s go to a psychic! She can tell you what your passions are,” Jessie said.
My face must have looked like I just swallowed sour milk. There was no way she was serious. “Really?” I cautiously asked.
“No, just kidding,” she beamed at me. “See, I can joke around, too. Although, I admit that it would be hysterical to watch you with a psychic. If your face was anything like it just was, it’d be classic. I could probably get a million views on YouTube in a day.”
“Oh, I see where this is going. Watch out, I just may surprise you. Business men are craftier than most, you know.”
We were still laughing when the waitress startled us. “Can I offer you an after dinner drink or a dessert?” she asked.
“Do you want dessert?” I asked Jessie.
“Oh no, I’m full, thanks though,” she said.
I looked at the waitress. “We’re good.”
“Okay, I’ll bring your bill so you two can get on with your date,” she said.
“Oh, we’re not on a date. This is business,” I said.
When I turned back to Jessie I caught her giving me the strangest look, a bit startled and a bit hurt, maybe. She realized I saw it, though, and quickly recovered.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yes, fine. I just got distracted thinking about some adjustments I have to make on a paper for a class.”
“Oh, did you need to get going?” I asked. I was disappointed by it, but I understood.
“That’s probably a good idea. Plus, I need to give you time to think about the plan, right, assess your risk and all that.” Her voice trailed off.
“Okay then,” I said.
We strolled back to the hotel and I walked Jessie to her car, which was parked on the street about a block past the hotel. Everything was quieter and reserved, the relaxed mood gone and slight tension in the air.
This had been a great night, I’d thought. Now I was wondering if Jessie had taken it the wrong way. It was just business, after all. It just happened to be fun business—the best time I’d had out to dinner with a woman in years.
“Well, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” I said.
“Sure, great,” she
said. “Thanks so much for helping me with this. Even if you don’t end up agreeing to do it—I really appreciate all the time you’ve taken.” She leaned in and gave me a hug then, as our fingers brushed I felt a burst of energy flow between us and I didn’t want to let her go. Her body relaxed in my arms and I reluctantly pulled away. Our eyes met and I saw intensity in hers that seemed to match what I was feeling on the inside.
I took a step back and she stepped off the curb to get into her small silver Volkswagen Jetta. She didn’t even look at me once as she started it up and pulled out slowly into the thick traffic of the tight, busy road. I just stood there, watching until her taillights blended in with the other traffic in the night. Who was Jessie Martineau?
Chapter Seven:
Grasping for Reality
Why is it that every traffic light has to take forever when you just want to get home? I was distracted, trying to drive without plowing over any pedestrians—the ones that always thought they owned the crosswalk regardless of what the signal said—and processing my dinner with Simon.
The conversation and the meal had been great, helping me feel good about this big concept joint venture really coming together. Still, it really bugged me that Simon saw it as all business. Didn’t his heart even break a bit when he thought of all the people suffering from Ebola? And even if it didn’t, his common sense should tell him that it would really suck if it made its way to the US in full force. I shook my head, some people just didn’t get it until they were directly impacted by something. Apparently, Simon was one of those people.
Honk. Honk. Honk. I glanced in my rearview mirror and there was just enough light for me to see the animated hand gestures of someone behind me trying to encourage me to get moving. I took off, shifting gears in my car, and made my way home, eager to get out of my car.
*****
“Please be there, please be there,” I said, taking a sip of my freshly poured glass of white wine, a bottle that cost less than my salad at dinner. I texted jointly to Brynn and Trinity.
Me: Hey, you guys there?
I waited, taking another sip of wine and reprimanding myself for acting the way I was. Why did I even care when Simon said we weren’t on a date and our dinner was just business? He was correct, technically, but I had been having such a great time that I’d forgotten. I palmed my forehead a bit too hard, making me wrinkle my nose. My eyes even started to water just a bit.
Buzz.
Brynn: Hello, how’s Minneapolis tonight?
Me: Breezy and cold
Brynn: Have you seen Simon yet?
Me: Yes, can I call you?
Brynn: Sure, give me five so I can go into the living room. Gauge is asleep.
Me: Sorry!
Brynn: No worries
Trinity: Hey girls
Me: Can you three way?
Trinity: You getting kinky on me?
Me: Haha
Trinity: Oh, lighten up. Yes, I can.
Five long minutes passed and I called, connecting me to my besties. I knew that Brynn was in LA, but honestly, I had no idea where Trinity was. She was always on the go now. Things had launched for her quickly and she was living large. Modeling, acting, and even getting awards for that video. Some off-beat awards show with a name I couldn’t recall had even nominated her for Hot Diva of a Video.
“Hey guys,” I said. “Thanks for being there.”
“What are we here for?” Brynn asked.
“I just need to sound a few things off of you two. I’m kind of freaking out and don’t understand it. It’s an SOS.”
“So you’re the crazy in Minneapolis?” Brynn asked. Our SOS stood for Save Our Sanity.
“Yep,” I said.
“Let’s see, you’ve been around Simon, you feel like you’re losing your sanity, I detect ooh-la-la,” Trinity said.
“No ooh-la-la,” I said quickly.
“Then what?” Brynn asked. “Is he unsure about helping out with your project?”
“Oh, he’s evaluating it thoroughly,” I said.
“And your heart doesn’t know how to take that, I’m guessing,” Brynn said.
“Bingo,” I replied.
Suddenly I heard some giggling come across the digital airwaves. I instinctually crossed my eyes and stuck out my tongue. “Not alone, Trin?”
She laughed her answer. “Nope.”
“Need to go?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said.
“Have fun and be safe,” I replied, now laughing myself.
“I’m handcuffed so I’m safe,” she said.
“How are you holding the phone?” I asked. “Wait, on second thoughts, don’t tell me. We’re in the TMI zone.”
Trinity cut out mid-laugh and was gone. It was just Brynn and me. I stayed seated on the couch and took another sip of wine. Stress reliever, or so I tried to convince myself.
“So everything went good, Jessie?”
“Yeah, it was a great night. Good food and conversation.”
“But…” she said.
“But…I got too comfortable, I think. It was so nice and we were having such a good time. Then the waitress said something about a date, Simon said business, and I was completely thrown off. It’s so ridiculous. I don’t even know why it’s bugging me, but it is,” I confessed.
“It seems obvious to me.”
“Please, enlighten me because I feel like punching a pillow.” I stared at the innocent pillow next to me and shoved it away—for its own protection.
“Punch it if you want. Who cares? You know, you’re stressing out over nothing, Jessie. Relax. He’s a good looking guy, you two had a great night, and even if you had a common purpose for the meeting, it doesn’t mean that it couldn’t turn into more. Don’t put so much thought into it.”
“I just can’t afford to let my guard down like I did. This is too important to me and I’m so vested in it. He’s all business and that’s cool, but if I forget that, I might just goof this up, and that’s not acceptable.”
“Because you want to upend your professor?” Brynn said.
“Well, yeah, but it’s not just that. I want to make my mark on the world with this thing, somehow and some way. I need help to do that, I know, but I don’t have the luxury of acting dumb.”
“Miss 4.0 GPA? You’re hardly dumb, Jess.”
“I’m not talking book smarts, I’m talking street smarts. My heart is a 2.0 GPA at max.”
“Don’t be so tough on yourself. You have a heart of gold and that’s why everybody loves you.”
“And why I always end up getting crapped on…I naturally assume that others feel the same way,” I said. I began to pace around and then walked into my bedroom and plopped on the bed, my legs flying up in the air as my head hit the pillow.
“I don’t mean to hurt your feelings and I’m going to say this again…you have got to get over the entire Seth thing. The guy was a jerk. Hell, lots of guys are jerks, but you can’t let them dictate every emotion you have. At some point, you, the woman with a heart of gold, is going to have to trust somebody and let them in.”
“Books, papers, and research, they all make sense,” I said. “People are so wild.”
“If you can handle Trinity and me, you can handle anything. Don’t you think?”
“You two are different, you’re easy to trust and understand.”
“You’re so caring and compassionate about anyone who can’t really impact you personally, Jessie. You have to start letting yourself get impacted.”
I started to giggle, my mind going down a gutter. “I probably do need to get impacted, but who has the time? I don’t have rock star boyfriends waiting to catapult me to the moon with their intense desires for me.”
“OMG, you’ve lost it. Just say sex, Jessie, I dare you.”
“Sex,” I said and then I stuck my lip out.
“Get some, okay?”
“No way, no time.”
“Well then, just be okay with Simon being all-business and don’t over
analyze it. The two of you are exactly the same that way, you know.”
“And that’s about the only way, I think.”
“That blows the whole opposites attract thing, I guess,” Brynn said.
“Opposites attract, hmph. I’ll admit that I may have a bit of attraction, but clearly Simon does not. I’m just his next business proposal.”
“Stop complaining, you’re getting what you want, right? A partner for your cause?”
“Okay, guilt tripping me, Brynn? Really?”
“You did that all yourself, Jessie. But look, I’ve got to get going. Do you feel a bit better, at least?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, love ya and call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Okay. Nite Brynn.”
“Nite, Jess.”
It was so hard for me to understand how I could hold onto the past and discredit myself for having learned from it, but I did. It was my Achilles’ heel, apparently. Seth was eons ago and I didn’t even know where he was living in this world, but he’d somehow managed to stay alive inside of me, festering.
Maybe I should switch my cause to a more progressive Seth Eradication one. And then there were the similarities of thought process between Seth and Simon. They looked at things with calculating eyes, not an emotional heart. For a woman like me, a little could go a long way with that approach to life. But Simon, oh Lord, he was so appealing to me that it frustrated me.
Bam!
The pillow got the punch I’d built up inside of me.
Chapter Eight:
Friendly Competition
Kudos to the comfortable king-size beds at Loews Hotel. Boo to Jessie Martineau, who’d managed to ensure I had a somewhat restless night’s sleep regardless of the comfort I was lying upon. I just didn’t get what had changed so quickly last night? We were clicking, talking about some amazing plans and having so much fun and then she changed just like that, faster than the wind changes course on an ocean. Why?