Page 13 of Greed

“No, please, I love your honesty. It’s genuinely refreshing. But, to answer your question, it can be difficult, especially when the people you’re negotiating with are stubborn and difficult. I have had to deal with the same people multiple times. And let me tell you, they are a piece of work.”

“I know those types, frustrating indeed. So how long are you in New York for,” she asked, surprising herself with her own boldness.

“I’m not sure yet. It’s going to depend on a great many things.” He glanced over and gave her a smile. “Do you have any plans for the evening?”

“Yes, I’m going out with my girlfriend for dinner. She thinks I don’t get out enough and that my social life is deader than an orgy night at a convent.” This time, she did smack herself in the forehead because she couldn’t come off any worse than she already was. Maybe Penny was right, after all. Maybe she really did have something clinical and unexplainable wrong with her.

Michael laughed hard, the sound so sweet it was like a choir of singing cherubs in his car. She shivered again as the sound made her heart skip a beat in her chest. She couldn’t help laughing along with him as tears trickled down his cheeks. She stared at the tears that seemed to sparkle before he wiped them away.

“You are very amusing, Minny. I think this is you,” Michael said, and she looked around, not even realizing that they had come to a stop. How had she missed the rest of the drive? Had her brain been in a fog for twenty minutes?

“Thanks again.” Minetta pushed open the door and took the coat off, quickly folding it to lay on the seat. She leaned in the car and forced herself to at least ask, “Did you want to have coffee sometime? Hopefully, when it’s not raining, or I don’t need saving?”

“You don’t need saving Minetta. You never have.” He reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek. “I’d be delighted to spend more time with you. Here, put your number in my phone.” She blinked and sucked in a breath like she was a dolphin coming up for air. His comment should’ve come off strange like he’d known her longer than a few minutes, yet for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why she should be concerned. It was there on the edge of her thoughts but then would slip away again.

She looked at Micheal and then blushed as he unlocked his phone and handed it to her. She tapped her number in and saved it before handing it back.

“Minny?”

“Like I said, it’s what my friends call me.”

“Is that what we are,” he asked, his voice caught between teasing and panty-dropping sexy as hell.

“I’m not sure yet, but I’d like to find out,” she said and then closed the door. She had absolutely no idea where her small burst of confidence was coming from, but she was going to ride it. She walked to the door and then waved.

Maybe her luck was turning around.

Minetta had never been to this part of the city. It had an old gritty edge with rugged architecture, narrow alleys, and poorly lit streets. She’d got off the bus one stop too early, so she found herself jogging down the sidewalk for the second time today. A few people were standing around outside the different establishments, but for the most part, the street was quiet. The gold and green sign announced she’d reached her destination, and just as she placed her hand on the handle, a tingling stirred in her gut.

It was an odd sensation. She stared around the mostly quiet road for the sensation that was steadily increasing. The hair on the nape of her neck stood as if she’d come into contact with something charged with electricity. She took a moment to look up at the night sky, worried she was about to get hit by lightning. That would be her luck. Meet the hot guy and die before she got to see him again.

But all that was above her was perfectly clear, and millions of little stars shone in the distance. A revving reached her ears, and she looked down the street as an expensive car crested the hill. The bright glaring bulbs of the headlights blinded her, and she had to put her arm over her face to ward off the insufferable brightness.

The strange tingling turned into a thrumming, a heat that pulsed in her veins. She let go of the pub’s door handle and stared at her hand, but the sensation remained. She looked at the car again that looked like something from a sci-fi movie, as it pulled over to the curb a block or so away.

It seemed strange that such an expensive vehicle would come to this part of the city, but it really wasn’t any of her business. She shook off the strange feeling and yanked open the door before she made herself any later. She instantly fell in love with the unusual décor and the mismatched tables and booths. It was like the place had started fifty different renovations but stopped before any were completed. She stared at the green glass chandeliers as she trotted over to Penny’s booth.

“I’m sorry, I know I’m running late,” Minny said as she scooted into the green leather booth across from Penny.

“No worries,” Penny said, her mouth stuffed full of nachos. Penny laughed as she stared at the full cheeks protruding like a chipmunk.

“This is a super cute Irish Pub,” Minny said, looking around. You could tell that this place had been here a very long time. There was a feeling in the air like the walls had ghosts and could talk if asked. Black and white images hung framed behind the bar, each one a famous gangster from history only added to the mystique. You could still smell stale smoke even though small no-smoking signs were hung all over the walls.

“How did you find this place?”

Penny took a swig of her pint before answering. “It came up on one of my phone apps as a must-try for a taste of old New York and thought, why not?”

“How’s the food,” Minny asked, reaching over and taking a nacho to try. They were perfectly salted and surprisingly well seasoned, and they hadn’t been stingy with the salsa, cheese, or ground beef.

“Great so far,” Penny answered and then cocked her head and stared at me. For a brief moment, Minetta would have said Penny looked like a bird and not a person.

“There is something different about you.” Penny waved a finger in front of her face. “You seem brighter, happier, more like the old you before you let that piece of mooching, cheating, dog shit back into your orbit.”

At the mention of James, her mood fell. “I know he is all those things. I just don’t know how to end it, and I know this is going to sound silly, but my dad loved him. He had this dream that I’d end up marrying a football star. It’s like by kicking James out, I’m kicking the last bit of what my dad loved and knew out of my house.”

“Minny, I know you miss your dad, but tell me honestly, do you really think he would want you to live your life with a man that treated you so terribly? Besides, James didn’t make it as a football star. He can barely hold down a job, any job. And don’t forget you still have Toby.”

She swiped another nacho and popped it into her mouth. “I know you’re right.”