A smile spread across her face, and I watched as the tension seemed to evaporate from her shoulders. “You have a deal. Thanks, Graham.”
“Graham, she needs to have representation.”
She looked over at me, “Are you a lawyer?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can represent me.”
“Technically, he can’t represent you because he’s representing the firm. Anderson, go over the contract with her, and if you still feel she needs someone to represent her, I’ll call Genevieve. She has an attorney that would love to negotiate a contract against Morgan Financial. Are you good with that?”
“That’ll work.” I nodded at my boss. “Do you agree to his terms?”
She sat up, “I believe I agreed to his terms to begin with, but, yes, I will go over the contract with you.”
Graham nodded and patted Jurnee on the shoulder before leaving the two of us to begin.
“Oh. I have to leave by 4:30pm today. Is that going to be a problem?”
“Not at all. Big plans?”
Jurnee looked down as her face flushed. “Just a date.”
“Really, same guy that stood you up last time or someone new?”
“What do you mean by stood me up?”
“I assumed he stood you up because you were in the booth talking to me.”
9
Jurnee
Sitting at the bar of the Russian Tea Room, two things were very clear. First, the restaurant looked way different in person than it had in movies. It was much smaller, and it looked worn like a tattered favorite sweater. The gold ceiling and figurines were beautiful, but the place had definitely seen its heyday. Either way, I got to cross one landmark off my list.
Jasmine, the bartender, was kind. She explained a bit of the history of the place and the movies it was featured in.
The second truth that could not be ignored was this was the best cocktail I’d ever tasted.
I took a deep breath and smoothed my dress over my knee. Last year’s clearance sleeveless polka-dotted dress was one of my favorites this summer, but I suddenly felt out of place wearing my Michigan clothes. According to my phone, it was seven-thirty. We had agreed to meet at seven, but I was still holding out hope. Life happens. Give him five more minutes.
As I angled my phone to capture as much of the bar in my selfie, I caught Anderson walking in. All the hope I was clinging to drained away into thin air. Jesus. Could he be any hotter?
He was wearing the same blue suit he had on at the office. As he approached the bar, his eyes found me. “Hey, Jurnee. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Nice to see you too.” I sipped my cocktail. “What are you doing here?”
“They have an amazing beef stroganoff. What about you? What are you doing here?” Anderson lifted his hand to the hostess and asked if she could get him a table. “Give me just a minute.”
“I have a date. Remember?” Shifting in my chair to see a couple walk through the entrance.
He looked at his large shiny watch. “Oh, that’s right.”
“Yeah.”
“Would you like to join me until your date arrives?”
“Um. Well, sure.” I gathered my hair and allowed it to fall down my back.
“Great.” Anderson turned to the hostess and informed her it would be two for dinner. She smiled at him as she grabbed the menus. “Right this way, Mr. Douglas.”
They pulled the table out as Anderson and I sat in the booth. Slowly, the waiter appeared and pushed the table in. “Good evening, and welcome to the Russian Tea Room. Mr. Douglas, it’s great to have you back.”
“Thank you.” Anderson watched me while the waiter stood waiting patiently.
“What can I get you to start? Ms., would you like another Cosmonaut?”
I had been nursing this one since I’d arrived forty-three minutes ago. The cocktails were twenty-seven dollars each, and I couldn’t afford to drink more than one.
“Please add her first cocktail to my bill and bring her another. I’ll take an Ivan The Terrible since we’re doing cocktails. Also, can we get a Khinkali to start?”
“Certainly, Sir. Right away.”
“Thank you for the drink. Are you a regular here?”
“If I’m in the mood for Stroganoff or Vodka, this is the only place to get it.”
“They all know you.”
“My family has been coming here forever. They know all of us,” He scanned the menu. “How much time do you have before your date?”
Gulping the last of my Cosmonaut, I ripped the Band-Aid of shame off. “It was supposed to be at seven.”
He dramatically straightened out his arm to make the shirt come up enough to check his watch. I interrupted before he could say it.
“Yeah. I’ve been stood up again.”
“Maybe something came up. Life happens.”
“I’m pretty sure he just plain stood me up. There seems to be a trend.”
“His loss. Have dinner with me. The food here is incredible.”
I stared at him, waiting for the snarky comment that always hit after he said or did something nice. He was quiet. He was watching me. If I knew him better, I would have said he wanted to say something but was unsure.
“Thank you.” I sighed. “Honestly, I picked this place to meet. I didn’t realize it was so expensive. I hope that’s not why he didn’t show.”
“Look, let’s stop talking about the jerk that stood you up. Dinner is on me, now tell me about home. Where are you from, and why come to New York to open a string of coffee shops?”
“Ha. I came to New York to get one coffee shop opened. The chain of coffee shops is still hard to wrap my head around.”
“Fair.” The waiter placed the cocktails on the table, and Anderson acknowledged him with a head nod. “Please continue.”
What should I tell him? Just talk to him.
“I was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. It’s the capital of Michigan.”
“I knew that. I’m pretty good with the capitals.”
Duh. Of course you’re good with capitals. What exactly are you not good at?
“I graduated from Michigan State University. Let’s see, I am a major MSU sports fan and have season tickets. I have no idea what to tell you. My life is pretty boring.”
“I highly doubt anything is boring about you. Tell me this. Why are you on a dating site for a city you are in for…”
“Four weeks.”
“Yeah.”
I thought for a moment. Is this the time to be honest? What the hell. “I need the practice.”
He was taken aback. “Practice? What does that mean?”
Rubbing my thumb over my first nail, I formulated a response that didn’t make me sound as pathetic as I actually am.
“I haven’t had very good luck in the dating area. The couple of guys I was dating basically ghosted me or decided that I wasn’t worth their time.”
“What do you mean by ‘decided you weren’t worth it’?”
“Well, with my ex, when it came time to introduce me to his friends or family, he would make excuses. When I confronted him about not sharing his life with me, he told me I wasn’t really ‘girlfriend’ material.” Anderson arched an eyebrow and said nothing. Was he going to make me say it? “He said that I was fun to chill with, but I wasn’t someone that a man would ever want to settle down with.”
“Shit. That’s awful.” He stared at me as he took a sip of his cocktail.
Why would you tell him that? I turned the glass that held the last of my cocktail.
“What made him think that? Are you a little crazy when you get into relationships?”
“I don’t think so.” Am I? “Maybe I am.”
“So, dating apps?”
“Derrick, my best friend from Michigan, thought it would be the safest way to have my NYC moment.”
“Derrick, who is he? And what is an NYC moment?”
“My best friend back home. He’s my neig
hbor.” The waiter set the appetizer on the table and placed small plates in front of both of us. “Thank you.”
“You want to drink the juice out before you eat the meat and dough.” Anderson took a small bite out of the Khinkali and sucked the juice out. “Your best friend is a guy?”
“Yep. Derrick is Avery’s brother. You know Avery, right? Genevieve’s best friend.” I repeated Anderson’s steps and slurped the beefy broth out of the dumping.
He intertwined his fingers, making a steeple. “I know Avery.”
Nervous laughter bubbled out of my mouth as I spoke. “Is there a history between you and Avery?”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear about the history between the two of them, but there was no going back.
“We have history, but it’s not a sexual history if that’s what you are asking.”
“I didn’t mean to invade your privacy. Sorry.”
“You didn’t invade my privacy. It’s a natural question. What about you?”
I stopped in the middle of a bite. “What about me?”
“You’re an attractive, well-spoken woman. Why are you in need of practice, and, more importantly, why haven’t you had sex in three years?”
“Two-and-a-half.” I corrected before finishing my bite.
“After two months, does it really matter?”
“Two months?”
“Yes. The appropriate time to wait after breaking up or ending a relationship that lasted longer than six months.” Anderson rattled off.
I could only stare at him.
“What?”
Thank goodness for the waiter appearing at the table again. “How are the Khinkali?”
“It’s delicious,” I replied.
Anderson watched me, and for the second time in the day, I could have sworn he wanted to say something.
“Are you ready to order?”
I smiled up at the waiter. “I’m sorry. I haven’t even looked at the menu yet.”
“Do you like beef?” Anderson spoke up.
“I’m from the Midwest. Of course, I like beef.”
He nodded with a smile. “May I order for you?”
“Please.”
“We’ll both have Boeuf à la Stroganoff. And another round, please.”
“Of course.”
Anderson turned his attention back to me. “Where were we?”
“I was telling you about my love of MSU football.”
As the words came out, a wave of sadness came over me. This would be the first MSU homecoming I’d be missing since I had emergency surgery six years ago. There was nothing about game day that I didn’t love, and for the first time, the reality of my new partnership hit me.
“What are you thinking about?”
His question surprised me. “I’ve only missed one MSU homecoming game in the last fifteen years. I’m going to miss it this year.”
“When’s the game?”
“Saturday.”
“Did you think about missing the games before you used your connections to pitch a solid idea?–” he tilted his head, “–several hundred miles away.”
“I think I may have mentioned that I had no confidence that the Graham Morgan would be interested in helping open a coffee shop in the Big Apple.” Before he could correct me again, I added, “the meeting was for a single coffee shop. I understand that the deal is for a chain of coffee shops.”
“I was going to say do not refer the New York City as the Big Apple. You may not be an official resident at this moment, but you will be soon, and we don’t do that here.”
“I love that this is the Big Apple. You know, take a bite out of the Big Apple.”
He glared, “saying it over and over doesn’t make it better. Just so you are aware.”
“Touché.”
“So, you didn’t think you were going to get the deal, but you are still here during this special homecoming event.”
“Event? Wait. Are you not a football fan?” I was more nervous about this answer than of the question about Avery.
“I’ve never been to a college football game.”
I just laughed. “You’ve never been to a Big Ten game. That’s better than just your basic college football team. Where did you go to school?”
The look of shock on Anderson’s face was undeniable. “What?”
“I just assumed you Googled me.”
“Why would I Google you? Are you famous?”
We both stared at one another until the waiter interrupted with our meals. I didn’t want to look away, but I did. First.
10
Anderson
My mornings in the pool were normally relaxing, but Jurnee Messer ruined any chance of a relaxing swim. No matter what I tried, different conversations crisscrossed my thoughts like trains trying to let an unscheduled train disembark. A hot mess.
Flopping onto the lounge chair, I closed my eyes under the towel draped over my head. I took deep breaths. It was the first time in a very long time, I couldn’t turn off my thoughts. The biggest and fastest train going through my mind was the one with a sign on the front. You’re an asshole!
Picking up my phone, I checked for messages. Nothing. Why would you think there would be something? I hovered over Otis’ name in my favorites.
Linda stuck her head inside the pool area. “Coffee or green smoothie this morning?”
“Coffee,” I pressed the FaceTime button and dried my face with the towel.
“You’d fucking better be dying.” He barked as his face appeared on my screen after picking up on the third ring.
“I did a shitty thing yesterday.” It was killing me, and Otis was the safest person to reveal my secret too.
The bed creaked, and I waited as he climbed out of bed. “Talk.”
“Remember the woman that crashed my booth last week and showed up at Morgan for a meeting the next day?”
“Vaguely.”
“We were having a meeting yesterday, and she left the room to go to the bathroom or somewhere.” I laid my head back against the chair and took a deep breath.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now, Anderson? Out with it.” Otis’ face was illuminated by the light from his refrigerator.
“Hold on. I’m getting there.” There was nothing left for me to do. I exhaled and spit it out. “A text came into her phone while she wasn’t in the room. It was a guy confirming their blind date for later that night.” I paused. “Otis?”
“I’m listening.” He had something in his mouth.
“I replied to the text and canceled the date. Then I deleted it.”
Silence. There was a thud, and his picture went dark.
“Otis?”
“What? Fuck!” The screen returned to Otis’ face. “I’m trying to figure out what to ask or say.”
The sound of a chair scraping over the floor made me move the phone further away.
“I know.” I tossed the used towels in the basket and headed for the elevator.
“Anderson, what’s going on with this female?” I said nothing. “Are you interested in her?”
“Fuck, man. I have no idea.” The elevator doors closed, and I banged my head against the cold metal. “Maybe it’s seeing how happy Bryan is with Faith. This woman does something to me. You know I don’t date, let alone go ‘out’ out.”
“True.” He cleared his throat, “So, if you are attracted to her, then I can understand why you’d cockblock this guy, but if you aren’t interested, what the fuck?”
“We went to dinner.” I had to get it all out onto the table.
“Who?”
“Jurnee and me.”
“How did you go from canceling her date to having dinner with her?”
Silence.
“Hold on.”
The screen flashed paused as Otis placed me on hold. As I stepped off on the second floor, I heard Rover’s toenails tapping on the wood floor as he came to greet me. As I pet him, the smell of coffee hit all of my senses and drew me the rest of the
way to the kitchen. As I poured a cup of coffee, my screen divided into four smaller images.
“What did he do that for?” A groggy voice asked as I saw Bryan’s face still laying on a pillow.
I rolled my eyes, “Hi, Bryan.”
“Pussy!” Eric huffed as he continued to run on his treadmill.
Otis announced, “Okay. We can continue.”
“Thanks, Otis. I’m so glad this has turned into a group call.” I sat down at the far side of the island and reached down to scratch Rover.
“We’re here for you, Dude.” He chuckled.
Eric chimed in out of breath, “What the fuck is going on with this girl?”
“Man, I wish I knew.” Closing my eyes, Jurnee’s sad face popped into my head. “She thinks she’s been stood up by two different guys in the city.”
“So?” Eric’s treadmill beeped, and he transitioned from jogging to a fast walk.
“She looked so sad.”
“Okay. I’m going to need you to start from the beginning. We’re missing something.” Bryan whispered as his ceiling filled his portion of my screen, “Shhhh. It’s Anderson, he’s fine. A pussy, but fine. Go back to sleep, Baby.”
“Thanks for that, B.”
“Eric?” Bryan didn’t have to work too hard to solicit help.
“A complete pussy. Start from the beginning. Who the fuck is this?” Eric asked as he wiped the sweat off and took a drink of his green smoothie.
“Jurnee is the woman that sat down when I had that meeting scheduled at Pastis the other day. We had a meeting at Morgan the following day, and Graham partnered up with her.”
“Wait, did she know you worked at Morgan?” Bryan asked, now standing in front of his refrigerator.
“No. Get this: she has no idea who I am. She asked me where I went to college.” Rover snorted in frustration from my lack of attention.
“Why hasn’t she Googled you? Where the fuck is she from?” Otis questioned.
“She’s from Michigan. Went to Michigan State. This is not the point–”
“Journey what?” Eric cuts me off as he leans over the island in his kitchen and tapped his laptop awake.
Mister Manhattan: A Hero Club Novel Page 5