Kraig’s mouth peels into a smile.
“Er, ding-dongs. New recipe.”
“I’m sure they’re delicious. Your cookies are always good. You’ll make a good wife.”
“Ha! We’ll see how that goes.”
His face grows serious. “So you’re not actually gonna marry Graham?”
“It’s not like he’s proposed or that we’ve talked about it.”
“So he doesn’t have you under his spell?”
“His spell?”
Kraig frowns. “Graham isn’t a good person. He’s just like his father. Me and my dad, we talked about it. He always told me to keep an eye on Graham. Doesn’t trust him. You know his dad was a kidnapper, right? Stuart Richmond? Locked a bunch of girls up in his old farmhouse.”
“Yeah, I heard. So sad. I feel sorry for his mom.”
“Stepmom. It’s whatever. It was her own fault.”
What the hell?!?
“Shouldn’t have been out at night.” Kraig scowls. “But Stuart, that guy who kidnapped her? Graham is just like him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a girl locked up in his house.”
He leans toward me. “You see anything? Did he tell you about any secret property or anything he had?”
I shake my head, wanting out of this conversation.
“He’s dangerous,” Kraig spits. “You need to be careful. You don’t want to end up as a victim, now, do you, Dani?”
“No,” I squeak out.
Kraig nods. “You need to find a good man, a normal man, and leave Graham. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“Thanks for the tip. Lots to think about.” I stand up suddenly, not wanting to be in the empty office alone with him.
Piper is right. I am chickenshit.
“Enjoy the cookies.”
He takes a bite. “Oh, I will.”
I searchthe dark streets as I wait for my Uber, looking for a familiar black car.
He isn’t coming. He isn’t waiting. He doesn’t care.
It feels like getting stood up for prom again. I half expect Colette and the mean-Girl Squad to pop out and yell, “Surprise!”
Kraig is wrong. Graham’s not dangerous. He’s just an asshole.
Of course he’s not attracted to me,I remind myself, telling myself that my watery eyes are from the cold air, not because I’m sad that yet again I’m pining after an unattainable man.
And it’s too early for the pizza place to be discounted.
I have another box of cookies in my bag with a big green bow on it, so I can eat those on the subway.
“It’s time to grow up,” I whisper to myself. “You have a viable option. It’s Kraig. Lose your virginity. Ask for a promotion. Move out. Decenter men.”
