Page 5 of Play Dirty

“I hear you’re interested in purchasing the Turning Point building.”

“Yes. Sell it to me. You’re not doing anything with it. It’s been sitting empty for over a year now. Let me have it. I’ll pay you. Cash. Fair market value.”

“I don’t need money. Alexander is wealthy, we have more money than we need.”

Right then I knew. Because people who don’t need money want things you don’t typically want to give up.

“Then what’s the price?” I asked.

“You.”

Because of course it is.

“The life I’ve built—we’ve built—” which is a dig at me, because that we means him, “=--is dying, Jordan,” she said. “It’s dead, actually.”

“So?”

“I’d like to revive it. We had something good once. Better than good, ya know?”

“I mean, what do you want me to say? It’s not me. I’m not the problem here. You two are the problem. Just sell me the building and you can have what you want.”

“But… it’s not what I want. Well, I do want this. OK? I do. But not like this. Not like this. I need you, Jordan.”

“I think that defeats the purpose of being married, Augustine.”

“No, you misunderstand,” she said. “It’s just so complicated now. It didn’t used to be like that, remember? I don’t just need him. Or you. I need you both.”

And there it was. The price I’d have to pay.

CHAPTER TWO

Two weeks ago that same day, I first called Alexander and have my first sit down with them.

“So what do you think about all this?”

This is my first question to Alexander.

And it’s funny, ya know. When I first found out they owned the building I was ready to play dirty with these two to get what I want, but this… it isn’t the kind of dirty I’ve been imagining.

Alexander is sitting across from me. Actually, both of them are sitting across from me. It’s a small, round table on the Tea Room patio. They are facing the street and I am facing my building. Because Turning Point is right next door.

My friend Chella owns the Tea Room. She’s not here. Still on maternity leave after having her first child with Smith Baldwin, who, along with Elias Bricman and Quin Foster, was one of the former Turning Point owners.

I should’ve bought it back then. Why the fuck didn’t I buy it back then?

Alexander looks at his wife. Smiles. It’s a small smile. And says, “I’ll do anything for her.”

I want to roll my eyes. The thing no one ever understood about what happened between us almost eight years ago now was that Augustine was just as guilty as anyone. Yeah, I was the asshole. I’ll take that responsibility. But she wanted all of it. She wanted everything I was doing. And this meeting right now just proves it.

“So…” I start. But what do you say when a married couple comes to you with something like this?

“So I want us to try, Jordan,” Augustine says. “Just… give it a try. Like the old days.”

“It didn’t work.” I laugh. “We did try. And it didn’t work.”

“We’re different now,” Augustine says. “More mature. We’ve tried things, learned things about ourselves, and…” She falters for words. Almost sighs with resignation. “And we love each other.”

I raise one eyebrow at Alexander. “He doesn’t love me.”