Love Bites

by Rachel K. Burke

  The barista called my name, and I stood up and grabbed my coffee, preparing to face the wind chill as I walked to my car. The only problem was that once I was outside, I couldn’t remember which direction the parking garage was in. The Z-Candy office was located in a highly commercial area, with parking structures on every corner that looked virtually identical to each other. I started to head north of the building, then turned to face the opposite direction.

  Was the structure on the right side of the building? Or the left? I reached into my purse and removed the directions that Rebecca had emailed to me earlier that morning.

  Ah, of course. It was behind the building.

  I crossed the street and began walking towards the rear entrance of the Z-Candy office. But as I looked around, that didn’t seem right either. Although, there was something vaguely familiar about the neighborhood. The buildings… the restaurants… it was almost as if I had been here before…

  “Justine?”

  You had to be kidding.

  I blinked several times, focusing on the figure walking toward me.

  “Walter?” My jaw dropped. “What are you doing…?”

  Wait a second… That was it! This was where Walter’s office was!

  Now it made sense.

  “Hey, I work here,” he said in a jokingly defensive tone. “I think I should be asking you that question.”

  “Well, as a matter of fact, I had a job interview.” I smiled smugly.

  “Look at you, moving up in the world.” He grabbed my hand and spun me around in a circle. “Think it went well?”

  “I do.” My eyes narrowed. “Wait… what are you doing in town? I thought you went back to New York.”

  “I did, for a few weeks,” he explained. “But actually, I just moved here.”

  “Wow, that’s great,” I said. “What made your girlfriend change her mind?”

  Walter forced an uncomfortable laugh, his eyes faltering to the ground. “Well, she didn’t actually,” he admitted. “We broke up.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, thinking about how Renee was going to have a field day when I broke the news that Walter was single. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, you know, it was for the best. She’s a great person, but my goals are important to me. And if I want to branch out in real estate, part of that requires traveling and sometimes relocating, which wasn’t something she was very supportive of.” He sighed. “I tried to make it work, but ultimately, when you feel as though someone’s holding you back from something, you begin to resent them.”

  “Yeah, I understand,” I said. “Well, if I get the job, maybe we can grab lunch sometime.”

  Shit. That sounded way too much like I was asking him on a date.

  “You know, since our offices are right near each other,” I added quickly.

  “Yeah, of course,” he said. “And I assume if they hire you, we’ll have some apartment- hunting to do.”

  I grinned. “You know it.”

  He smiled back, brushing my arm with his as he turned to walk away. “Well, in that case, I hope you get the job.”

  “What do you mean he didn’t ask you out?”

  I sighed on the other end of the phone. “Renee, the guy just got out of a relationship.”

  “Whatever.” I could hear her chewing on something crunchy. It sounded like chips. “I should threaten to switch real-estate agents unless he takes you out.”

  “Don’t you dare.”

  “I won’t. But I want to.” A pause. More chewing. “God, I cannot believe he didn’t ask you out!”

  “I can. You should’ve seen me. I looked like amplified death.”

  “I seriously doubt that.” Another pause. “So how was the interview anyway?”

  I pouted, looking at the clock. “I thought it went really well. But it’s been almost two days and… nothing.”

  “That’s not that long.”

  “Feels like it.”

  “Well, you know the golden rule – a watched phone never rings.”

  “I guess that explains why David never called me while I was sleeping with my cell surgically implanted into my hand.”

  “Exactly. Men can smell desperation a mile away. Or 3,000.”

  I sat down at my kitchen table, assessing my options. “So, what should I do?”

  “Well for one, get out of your fucking house. Go do something. Take your mind off it.”

  “Like what? Go shopping with all the money I don’t have?”

  “I don’t know. Go for a walk. Something.”

  “In 15-degree weather?”

  “You can come over here. Sierra’s sleeping and Dylan’s about to head to Great Scott for a sound-check.”

  “You know, that’s not a bad idea.” I looked at the clock again. It was a little after four. “I’ll be there by six.”

  As soon as I hung up the phone and set it down, it started ringing. I grabbed it, thinking it was going to be Renee again, but jumped when I saw it was an unfamiliar number.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Justine?” It was a woman’s voice. My heart leaped.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s Rebecca Falkner from Z-Candy.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Please, please, please. Let this be it.

  “Hi Rebecca,” I said carefully. I didn’t want to get excited just yet, but I could feel a tingling sensation spreading throughout my entire body before I even knew what she was going to say.

  “I have great news,” she continued. “The team here loved you and thought your experience was exactly what we’re looking for.” I could hear her smiling through the phone. “So… we’d like to officially offer you our online marketing-assistant position.”

  I was ecstatic. It was as if I could finally move forward with my life, like someone had pressed the un-pause button and I could live again. I could move to the city, meet new people, experience new things. I could become a whole new person.

  But it didn’t stop there.

  The job was only the first step. I still had a lot of things to work on before my life was where I wanted it to be – my confidence, being a better friend, letting the right people into my heart. It was a lot, but my new position was a stepping stone. The first stone that would lead to many great things.

  Because I was trying to incorporate healthy habits into my daily routine, I spent the entire morning meditating. Surprisingly, the more I practiced, the better I got. I really was beginning to notice a difference in my life. My head felt clearer, like I finally had clarity on what I wanted in life, and how to get there.

  Feeling satisfied, I stood up and grabbed my laptop, then sat down at the kitchen table, preparing to send Rebecca my references. The only problem was that I was planning on using Jasmine as one of my references, and I still hadn’t told her that I was staying in Boston. I knew she’d understand, but part of me felt bad after all the trouble she went through to get me the job at Sphinx.

  Just as I was mustering up the courage to make the call, I heard the sound of my ringtone, but it sounded a million miles away. I wandered from room to room, following the noise, until I reached the bedroom and found it lying on top of my comforter. I quickly grabbed it.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Well, you sound a lot better than the last time I called,” said a familiar voice.

  I looked down at the unknown number on the screen. “Huh?”

  “Or, at least,” he continued, “you don’t sound like you’re waiting for that guy to call anymore.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed, swinging my legs in the air. “Walter?”

  “Let me guess,” he said. “I’m going to assume by your tone of voice that we’re going to be apartment-hunting very soon.”

  I grinned. “We are,” I said. “They offered me the job yesterday.”

  “Congratulations,” he said. “That great because… I have something to tell you.”

  I sat up straight, intrigued. “What’s that?”


  “Well, the reason I’m calling is because I think I’ve found the perfect place for you.”

  “Really? How do you know?”

  “Based on the other apartment you liked, I think I know your taste.” I could picture him shrugging nonchalantly on the other end. “It’s my job to know these things.”

  “Good point.”

  “When do you start your new job?”

  “I don’t know yet. They have to check my references, so I won’t know until next week.”

  “Okay. Are you free next Friday? Maybe we could meet at my office and go look at this place?”

  “Friday works for me.”

  “Great. If you want to meet at my office around four, I can drive.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “I was also wondering if… maybe you’d want to grab dinner after?” he asked.” If you’re not busy. I thought maybe we could celebrate your new job.”

  “Sure. That sounds like fun.”

  “Okay,” he said, sounding relieved. “I’ll see you then.”

  With my new job and future apartment lined up, there was one last task I needed to complete. To call Jasmine and break the news that I was staying in Boston.

  Normally, my stomach would’ve been in knots as I waited for her to answer, since I hated disappointing people. Not today, though. Today, I was excited to have someone to share my news with.

  “Hey, girl,” she answered. From the noise in the background, I could tell she was driving. “How’s things?”

  “Things are great.”

  “Good. When are you getting your ass out here?”

  “Well, about that…” I fidgeted with my hair nervously. “I have something I need to tell you.”

  She exhaled loudly. “I knew it. You’re not coming are you?”

  I launched into the entire story – from my initial doubts to meeting Sierra to getting the offer at Z-Candy. When I finished, I sat in silence and waited, hoping she wasn’t too upset.

  “Well,” she finally said. “As much as I’m going to miss having you here, I’m really happy for you. I know how much you wanted that job.”

  I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank you. I was hoping you’d say that. To be honest, I’m surprised you hadn’t heard by now. I already told Michelle.”

  “I’ve been at a conference all week. Haven’t really been in the office. You know how it goes.”

  “Yeah.” I paused. “And… there’s something else too.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Are you still driving?” I asked her.

  “I just got home. Why?”

  “Go to your computer and look up Walter Keller real estate.”

  I waited as she typed and clicked.

  “Ohh,” she mumbled. “Ohhh. Damn. Who the hell is that?”

  “That’s the agent who’s getting me an apartment.”

  “With looks like his, that better not be all you’re getting.” She continued to make perverted noises as she clicked away.

  “Well, he did ask me to grab dinner with him Friday night after we look at the apartment, but I don’t think a date. He…”

  “It’s a date.”

  “But he just got out of a relationship, so…”

  “It’s a date.”

  “What if it’s just a business thing? We had lunch the last time we looked at apartments.”

  “Justine, lunch and dinner are two different things. A man does not ask a woman to dinner unless he’s at least mildly interested.”

  I paused, considering. “Really? You think?”

  I could hear her chuckling on the other end. “For your sake… I sure as hell hope so.”

  Chapter 26

  For my night out with Walter, I wanted to wear something semi-casual (as apartment-hunting seemed like a jeans-and-sweater type of activity), but still dressy enough to wear to dinner. I decided on black skinny jeans with gray knee boots, a dark-purple sweater, and a multi-colored scarf around my neck. I added a few subtle curls in my long, brown hair, applied a layer of red lipstick, and accessorized with lots of jewelry.

  Beauty Tip #1: When in doubt, jewelry and makeup can dress up any outfit.

  The drive to Walter’s office went by amazingly fast, probably because I checked my reflection in the visor mirror about 65 times while overanalyzing Jasmine’s words and hoping Walter didn’t think this was an actual date. The last thing I needed was a gorgeous guy on the rebound toying with my already broken heart.

  After parking my car in the back lot per his instructions, I stole one last glance at myself as I walked towards his office, smoothing my hair in the glass-door reflection. My curls were still intact, my lipstick fresh, my scarf adding a touch of class. Although I did wish my skin had a bit more color. I had applied a layer of blush to my cheeks, but the pale skin still peeked out from underneath.

  I strolled through the door and spotted Walter emerging from his office in a white button-up and dark-gray dress pants.

  “Hey,” I greeted, waving to him.

  “Hey. Good to see you.” He leaned in and gave me hug, then pulled back and studied me for a brief moment. “You ready to go?”

  I nodded and followed him as he grabbed a long, black coat from the wall rack and led me to his car.

  We made small talk as he drove south on route 93. I told him the details about my new position at Z-Candy, Renee’s new baby, my declined opportunity in LA. He filled me in on his move from New York, how he was starting to get familiar with the Boston area, that he sometimes missed home.

  He exited the freeway in south Boston, and after a few turns I began to get a feeling of déjà vu. I looked at him curiously.

  “Is this the way we came when we looked at Renee’s house?” I asked.

  He shook his head but said nothing. He looked like he was holding back a smirk, like he knew something I didn’t.

  After a few minutes, he pulled the car into a parking lot, and I recognized the building immediately.

  “Wait a second…” I said, glancing up. “This is the building… of the apartment I loved!”

  Walter grinned, throwing the car into park. “Very good.”

  I thought for a minute. “So they have another vacant apartment?”

  He nodded.

  “Is it similar to the one we looked at before?”

  “You’ll see,” he said, climbing out of the car. I got out and followed him into the building.

  We rode the elevator up to the third floor and got off, stopping at the second door on the right. Walter snuck a peek at me over his shoulder as he unlocked the door, his eyes turned up at the corners.

  As soon as I stepped through the door and looked around, I burst out laughing. Now I understood. It didn’t just look like the same apartment, it was the same apartment. Only this time, the walls had been painted a light beige, and the kitchen had been upgraded with cherry wood cabinets.

  “Very funny,” I said. “So what happened? The renters backed out?”

  “They did. Turns out the couple that was going to move in broke up.”

  “Lucky for me.”

  “And me. They would’ve been nightmare clients.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Turns out, the guy was cheating on his girlfriend.” He held his hands up in defense. “I didn’t ask or anything, but his girlfriend felt the need to tell me the entire story. I think she just wanted someone to vent to.” He shrugged. “So if that was going on, I imagine they probably would’ve wanted out of their lease sooner or later.”

  I nodded in agreement. “You must see a lot of crazy things working in real estate.”

  Walter’s eyes twinkled, like he was having a private joke with himself. “You have no idea.” He started to open his mouth, then stopped. “Why don’t we get out of here, and I’ll tell you some stories over dinner. Unless… you want to look around a bit more?”

  “No, that’s okay,” I said. “I’ve seen enough.”

  “And?”

  “And… I l
ove it. Even more than before.”

  “Okay,” he said, linking his arm in mine. “Then I guess we have two things to celebrate tonight.”

  For dinner, Walter suggested that we leave his car at his place and walk to a nearby restaurant, since he lived in Central Square in Cambridge and there were plenty of local options. I clutched my jacket tight as we set foot into the cold winter night, strolling through the square.

  “Do you like tapas?” he asked, gesturing to a yellow-painted restaurant on the next block.

  “I do,” I said. Renee and I had a favorite tapas restaurant in LA that we’d frequented, and I loved the variety of sampling different plates.

  “Great,” he said, fidgeting with his coat. “I know I haven’t lived here long, but so far this is my favorite place yet.”

  I followed him into the restaurant, a quaint little gem with an adorable abundance of quirky knick-knacks. Every lamp, chandelier, painting, and sculpture were mismatched, an artistic assortment that made me wish I’d brought my camera to capture the intricate little details. I’d always loved restaurant ambiance more than the food itself. To me, it was about the experience – cozy atmosphere, fine wine, good conversation.

  We sat down at a table in the corner, and for the next hour I forced myself to relax and just have fun. Even if this technically wasn’t a date, it was the closest thing to a date I’d experienced since David. I told myself to treat it as a practice run, the first step in getting back out there.

  And just as I was starting to get comfortable, I leaned in a little too far, causing my glass of red wine to tip over and explode all over Walter’s white button-up shirt.

  My jaw dropped in horror as I watched it unfold. It was like a bad movie. Walter jumping up from the table, waitresses rushing over with napkins, my cheeks flushing the same shade as the wine.

  Fortunately, after our table was cleaned up and I apologized a million times, things started to go uphill. Walter and I snacked on hummus and pita bread, grilled zucchini with feta, kale salad with pear and pecans. I wasn’t much of a meat-eater but I splurged and tried the crispy prosciutto with burrata cheese and Brussels sprouts with bacon. My mouth was in heaven. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, another plate would come and spark my tastebuds all over again.