by Laina Turner
“No problem,” said the man. “I just came into this store to make a purchase and this, this woman, won’t show me any merchandise. What kind of store is she running that she doesn’t want to sell anything? It’s discrimination.”
“Is that true, ma’am?” Willie said to me.
I could see he wanted to downplay the fact we knew each other, and I could play that game. “Well, we are currently closed for cleaning, and I told this man to please come back tomorrow, and we would be more than happy to help him then with his selection.”
“Sir, is there a reason you can’t come back tomorrow? She isn’t refusing to help you. Just today, they’re closed for cleaning.”
“Fine, if this is how they treat customers I will take my business elsewhere.” With that, he turned and stormed out of the boutique like a petulant two year old.
“Wow, you have great timing,” I said to Willie relieved. “That guy didn’t seem like he wanted to leave. Wait a minute, why are you here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by.”
I looked at him and raised my eyebrows. “Really, in the neighborhood?”
“Okay, so I wasn’t exactly
”Yeah, I had help, and believe me it wasn’t easy.” Since I was by no means ready for our dinner, I told him he could either come home with me and watch TV or something, while waiting for me to get ready, or he could go away and come pick me up at seven, as we originally planned. He said he had a few more things to follow up on for the case and would pick me up in a bit. I was relieved, since my house was messy and in no shape for visitors. I needed to have at least a few minutes to shove things in drawers and the closet to make it look like it was reasonably clean and tidy. Especially for a first-time visitor I was semi interested in. Wouldn’t do to have him think I was a slob.
I ran home and jumped in the shower doing the whole routine of washing and conditioning the hair, shaving, exfoliating, the works. I took time to blow out my hair and just hoped the humidly lessened during the evening so it wouldn’t frizz. But what to wear? I didn’t want to overdo it. I was going for effortless chic. I didn’t want to look like I’d spent hours getting ready, though he had seen me after cleaning, so he would know this wasn’t how I always looked. I finally decided on my one pair of 7 for all Mankind jeans, and a simple scoop neck black burnout tee with a fuchsia tank underneath. I then added my favorite silver hoop earrings with matching bracelet and necklace. A pair of black peep-toe wedges completed my outfit.
I looked at my watch and saw I even had five minutes to spare, enough time for a glass of wine. I deserved it after all the physical labor I had done. I got the muscato from the fridge and poured myself a small glass. I had just finished, rinsed out my glass, and put it in the sink when the buzzer rang. He was right on time, and I liked that in a guy. I opened the door and saw he had changed, too. No longer wearing the blazer, he had changed into a soft-looking black silk T-shirt.
“I see you got my memo about wearing a black T-shirt,” I said.
He smiled. “You look nice, Presley. Here, these are for you.” He gave me a small bouquet of wildflowers in bold hues.
“These are so pretty. This is so thoughtful, but you didn’t need to get me flowers.”
“I know, but I saw them on the way, and I love the colors.”
“Really, you are full of all sorts of surprises.” I hadn’t met too many men who could appreciate flowers. Maybe he had sisters. That would explain a lot. Willie was just as courteous as Cooper. It was very unusual to find two guys with such great traits.
Cooper—why did I have to think of him right then? I sighed and shook my head, as if that would shake the thoughts of him right out. I didn’t want these now when I was trying to get to know Willie. That didn’t seem fair.
“My mom is big into her flowers, and growing up, that’s how I made all my money. Weeding, watering, pruning, all under her watchful eye of course. I bought my first ten-speed that way.”
“My mother, too. Her favorite time of year is the Junior League flower show. Those ladies are cutthroat. Even if I was a flower person, I’m not sure I could handle the pressure, especially over something like that.”
“My mom’s favorite time of year is the Oak Park flower show, and same here, it gets tense at my house. My dad and I learned to just agree with anything she says the couple weeks leading up to the show, and if she doesn’t do well, watch out. You don’t want to be around her for a few more weeks.”
“Wow, sounds like they have a lot in common.”
“Shall we go? I have reservations at eight.”
“Yep. Just let me put these in water real quick.” I grabbed a vase, poured some water, and tossed in the flowers, figuring I would cut the stems and add the food when I got home. I grabbed my purse, and we were on our way. The weather had cooled, which was nice.
“You up for a walk? It’s only a few blocks from here, and it’s nice out.”
“I think that would be lovely. Then I don’t have to feel as guilty about what I eat.” We walked along just chatting about nothing important, both of us staying away from the murder of my boss. That was something I did not want to talk about that night and was glad he seemed to be good at separating work and his personal life. It was a relief to relax and forget the drama for a few hours.
“Here we are. I hope the food is as good as I’ve heard. I’m starving.”
“Me, too”
“Reservation for Landon,” Willie said to the hostess.
“Follow me, sir, your table is right this way.” Willie motioned for me to go first in a very gentlemanly manner. I followed the hostess and surreptitiously stared at what the other diners seemed to be eating. When dining at a new place, I was always curious what people were eating and what looked good so I could order that. My foodie version of keeping up with the Joneses. When we got to our table and sat down, I was encouraged by the fact that everything I saw on the way to the table looked more than edible.
Our waiter seemingly appeared out of thin air. “Can I get you something to drink?” So far the service was off to a good start.
“Presley, what would you like?”
“Can I get a glass of Riesling, and water with lemon please?”
“I’ll have the same.”
“Good choice, it will compliment the sushi well. Here are the menus and a of couple pencils. As you can see, the menu is divided into two columns, single serving and double serving. I would recommend trying a sampling of some single serving rolls, a single serving is two so you can each have a taste, and the double serving of the ones you know you like. All meals come with soup and salad, so I will bring that right out. Oh, and I recommend the eel, we have delicious eel. Any questions before I go grab your soup and salad?”
“I’m good, you, Presley?”
“I just need help deciding because it all looks yummy, but I already know the eel is delicious.”
I say we order a bunch of different single servings to try out a large variety.”
“Good idea.” I set my menu down and took a drink of the Riesling the hostess had brought while we were talking. I was glad to be able to relax finally.
The waiter came back and Willie ordered. I was having some of that first-few-dates nervousness where you wondered what you should talk about, but then the soups and salads came, and I realized how ravenous I was and dug in. Willie was a little more restrained, and for about five seconds I felt embarrassed and then I just didn’t care. If he didn’t like the fact I loved to eat, too bad. We ate, we chatted, our sushi came, and it was all delicious.
“You pick out great sushi,” I told him.
“I am a man of many talents.”
“Oh? What are some of your talents besides picking out sushi?”
“Let’s see. I can ju
ggle, I can walk a tightrope, I can…”
“Were you in the circus or something?” I interrupted.
“Circus camp all through junior high. My mom got tired of me tying a rope between my bedroom window and this great big oak tree outside and swinging from it. She thought the camp would get out my energy. Which it did, and I learned a lot of neat things.”
“You got me beat. My biggest talents are ordering coffee and shoe shopping.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. Those are important skills to have, and not everyone has them. I mean, look over there,” he dropped his voice to a whisper and nodded his head in the direction of one of the other tables where a couple sat. “Look at her shoes.”
I looked and almost gasped.
“Shhhh…keep your voice down,” he said with mock seriousness. He had pointed out a penny loafer. I hadn’t seen a pair of those since elementary school.
“How did you notice those?”
“I’m a detective, I’m paid to notice.”
“Okay, you’re right, I am pretty talented.” We laughed, we talked, and laughed a lot more.
“I think it must be getting late,” he finally said.
“Why, your awesome detective skills telling you that?”
“Um, no. The fact that we’re the only ones here, and they’re turning on the lights, all while standing and staring at us, tells me they want to close.”
“What time is it? Oh wow. How did it become almost eleven?”
“I don’t know, but I best get you home before you turn into a pumpkin.”
“Now that you mention it, I am a little tired. All that cleaning, you know.”
“I can imagine. Would you like to walk back or would you rather take a cab?”
“I am too tired and full to walk. A cab would be great, and you don’t have to come with me if you’re going in a different direction.”
“I’ll come with you. I actually live just a few blocks south of you so it’s on the way. You are one block over from my gym, and I run there and back often and go right by your place.”
“Okay, wait a minute. You run to the gym?”
“Yes. Why?”
“That’s not normal. You go to the gym to exercise, not run to the gym.”
Willie laughed at me. “I hate running on a treadmill so I run to the gym, lift weights, and run home. I have to stay in shape to catch the bad guys.”
“I guess, but I still say you’re a little crazy.”
Willie hailed a cab, and we continued our playful banter all the way to my door.
“I had a great time tonight, Presley,” he said.
“Me, too, Willie. Thanks for ordering great sushi.” I got out of the cab then leaned in the door for one final comment. “I had a great time. Call me tomorrow?”
“Definitely! Bye, Presley.”
“Bye,” I said, shutting the door and walking up to my building. “Hi, Charles,” I said to the doorman.
“Hi, Red, have a fun evening?”
“I sure did. Good dinner, good company. It was very nice.” More than nice, I thought. I was hoping to see more of Willie.
My phone had been ringing non-stop for the last twenty-four hours so when I felt it vibrate in my purse, I almost didn’t even look at it. It had been a long day and I was ready for bed. I was tired of all the questions, but I didn’t want to ignore it just in case it was Willie. Although, I had just left him so that didn’t seem likely. I pulled it out and saw it was a 212 area code, New York City. The only person I knew from the Big Apple was Cooper. We hadn’t talked in a couple weeks, since we realized the long distance relationship thing wasn’t working very well. I had picked up the phone several times to call him, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was one of those things where I loved him and he loved me, but we just weren’t both in the same place in life. Coupled with his crazy travel schedule, it just made things impossible. I hesitated for a split second but knew if I didn’t answer it, I would regret it. I went to hit the talk button, and it stopped ringing. I stared at the phone for a few minutes hoping he would call back and was disappointed when he didn’t. Finally he did.
“Hey, King.”
I heard his voice and just about melted. That was the problem, even though we had mutually decided this wasn’t the right time, I wanted to throw all caution out the window anytime I even thought about him.
“Hey, Coop. How’ve you been?”
“Good, and you?”
“I’m fine,” I replied and then listened to a painfully long ten seconds of silence. “Are we really going to be all formal?” I teased him, trying to break the ice.
I heard him breathe a sigh of relief. “God, I hope not. I guess I wasn’t sure you would want to talk to me.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to talk to you? We will always be friends. We talked about that.”
“I know. I guess it just seems weird. I’m sure it will pass. So how have you been?
“Good. Just the same ole stuff.” I hesitated telling him about the murder. Not because of Willie, but because Cooper would jump to the conclusion I was going to be nosy and investigate on my own. Obviously he knew me and wasn’t completely wrong, but I didn’t really want to hear it.
“Are you sure? Nothing exciting you want to tell me about?”
What was he getting at? He was in New York or traveling all over the U.S. I had a feeling he knew exactly what I was doing, but how? “No, nothing exciting, just work.”
“King.” I could hear him sigh. The sound of the familiar nickname that was only used by my dad and him, and it tugged at my heart. I did miss him.
“What?”
“You don’t think it’s worth mentioning the murder investigation you’re mixed up in?”
“How did you know? And I wouldn’t necessarily say I am mixed up in it.”
“A detective called me. Willie Landon. He was asking me about your involvement in the senator’s murder.”
I wanted to be angry, but Willie had already told me he had checked me out. He would have had no idea that Cooper and I were an item, until after that point when we had discussed our respective ex’s. But still, he could have let on he actually talked to Cooper, not just the police station in Alkon.
“And you are mixed up in it. You found the body. How much more mixed up could you be?”
“Well, I didn’t ask to be involved.”
“You might not have asked, but you are. Why must you always get yourself in these situations so I’m stuck worrying about you?”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl, and it’s not like we’re together.”
“We are still friends, and I still care. I am always going to worry. You rush into things without thinking sometimes.”
“Cooper, I’m sorry if you worry, but stop. I can handle myself.” This was not the conversation I wanted. It was turning into the same argument we always had, the main one that made us realize we always were in conflict, and even though it was well intentioned, it was still a conflict neither of us wanted.
“Presley…”
“Cooper, I don’t want to fight about this.”
“Neither do I. That’s not why I called, to argue.”
“Then please just drop it.”
“I can’t help but worry. I want you to be safe.”
“I know.” We talked a little bit longer, skirting around the elephant in the room, and said our good-byes with him asking me to let Willie do his job, and me promising not to get involved. I tried to tell Cooper that this was a different situation than when the senator was murdered and I had no interest in trying to figure out who killed Solange. Even if she was my boss. I knew when I was over my head. I sat back on the couch and sighed. Why did being an adult have to be so complicated? I missed him, but it wouldn’t work. I thought I liked Willie, but after talking to Cooper I almost felt as if I didn’t want to pursue someone else, something else. It made it that much harder to get over Cooper. Maybe I shouldn’t talk to him, or at least not
for a while. Give myself time to get him out of my system. It just brought back memories of how much it hurt when emotions were involved. Not that I wanted to be single the rest of my life, and my mother would never let me live it down if I didn’t give her grandkids, though at this rate it looked like my brother Jesse had a better chance of it than I did. Who would have thought?
Chapter 7
I walked up to the boutique trying to balance my purse, my tote, and my venti latte, all without spilling any of it. Quite a feat, if I must say so myself. Especially because I was distracted thinking about how much fun I had at my dinner with Willie. The evening had been good—no, actually it had been great. Just like when he drove me back to my car from the precinct the other night. We just had a good rapport. Never a silent moment, and it was easy, effortless banter. I was looking forward to seeing him again.
I put my key in the lock, and as I swung Silk’s door open, I cringed, closing my eyes tight for a second. I opened them and still couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The boutique had been torn apart. It was an absolute shambles. And I’d thought it was a mess the day before when I came in after the police crime tech people had left. It had taken me and Steph hours to get it back to normal. But this time was a whole different level of mess. Every single rack and four-way was knocked down. The accessories that weren’t locked up were strewn all over the store, and it looked like the high-end necklaces, the pearl and crystal ones were ripped apart. There were pearls and crystal beads all over the floor. Why would someone do this?
Call Willie,.
“Hey, aren’t we were meeting up later?” he said. “Are you having second thoughts already?”
“Not at all. I am calling for something else entirely,” I said, walking over to the counter to set my stuff down, my ear to my shoulder to hold the phone. I realized this was a crime scene, but either I set my stuff down or I risked spilling latte all over the floor, and I didn’t think they would want that either.
