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Iwas holding a sign that readBrian Reedin the middle of the airport. Technically, this wasn’t a part of my job, but I was also sure that was another reason he chose me. I knew his dirty secret. Of course, it was not a dirty secret. Just a stupid one. I looked up the business, and it was extremely successful. Cal didn’t need to be here. He was doing this to gain approval from his family, and he didn’t even realize it.
After a few minutes of shifting on my feet awkwardly, a man around my height walked up to me. Brian had short, black hair that was mussed from travel. He had bright brown eyes and a well-sculpted face that was covered by a brown beard. As his suitcase rolled behind him, he looked me up and down with appreciation. He wore black slacks and a t-shirt.
He pointed to the sign. “That’s me,” he said.
I looked at the sign and closed one of my eyes. “Are you sure that is you? I don’t want to take a stranger home,” I said.
He chuckled. “Come on. I want to get out of here.”
I turned toward the parking garage as he walked behind me. The jingle of the keys filled the silence between us as we walked. “How long have you known Cal?” I asked.
“Five years. We’ve had this business for half of that time,” he said. “I’m shocked he sent someone else to do this. The other day, he seemed reticent to tell anyone about our business. He needs to get his head in the game. Actually commit to our business. I’ve done a lot of the work over the years, but with the recent buzz. I can’t do it anymore. A temp can’t do it.”
I hit the button on the car’s locking mechanism and hit the trunk button. He lifted the trunk and tossed his suitcase inside. As I opened the door, I lifted my hip. “I must be special. I mean, he let me drivehisfancy car.”
As he slipped into the passenger seat, I sat down and hit the starter button. “Have you met his girlfriend? Is she hot?”
My face warmed. He mentioned me to him? Must not have kept him abreast of the recent updates. “They had to end things.” I slid a glance at Brian as I directed the GPS to the apartment building.
His face looked confused. “Really? Doesn’t sound like Cal to me. Then again, I’ve never known him to date.”
I shrugged as I pulled the car out of the parking garage. “Well, what about you?”
“Do I have a girlfriend? No,” I said.
He chuckled. “Boyfriend?”
“Nope.”
”Partner?”
”Nope.”
Brian made a low humming noise. I stopped at the stoplight and turned to him. “I’m not interested in you, though,” I said.
He laughed again with his hands up. “What? Why would you think I was implying something?”
“I’ve been a woman for, like, all my life. I know some things,” I said.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the apartment. It was one of the newer buildings in town, an expensive place. Not the most expensive or exclusive but this apartment building was out of my budget. I parked the car in front of the apartment tower and we walked up the steps to the second floor. I wasn’t sure if this was the reason why he hadn’t invited me over yet. I knew he was still getting things furnished when we were still seeing each other. Was this another way he avoided telling me the truth?
“One thing I always liked about Cal is that he lives modestly. Did he ever get furniture?” Brian asked.
I shrugged as I put the key in the door. “I know he mentioned IKEA once. He asked me to go, but I thought he was being flippant.” The door opened, and we walked into a sparsely furnished apartment. Following Cal’s directions, I walked him down the hallway. I pointed to the door on the left. “I think that is your room. He just moved here and it looks like . . . he hasn’t done anything yet with the apartment. Obviously, he has been distracted. Maybe I should help him with that.” Why was I babbling? This wasn’t my apartment and I felt embarrassed for him.
Brian looked at the door and then at the bare living room “Are you sure there is a bed there? I guess I don’t need one as long as I can charge my laptop.” He tapped his bag. His phone rang, and he pulled back.
“Hello?”
Brian turned and looked at me. “Oh, I’m sorry.” The color in his face started to drain away as he kept nodding his head. “Okay, yeah, here she is . . .” He handed me the phone. “It’s Cal. He wants to talk to you.”
I put the phone to my ear. “Hey. What are you doing, calling us to check on us?”
“There are cameras in the apartment. Turn to your left and wave hello,” he said. He sounded frustrated. I turned and saw the camera on the ceiling. “I wanted to make sure he wasn’t hitting on you.”
“Did you think that was possible? He’s your friend.”
“Of course. But I know him. He goes through stress fucking and ifyoutold him you were single?—”
