Aldridge: On what?
Danessa: Everything.
Aldridge: Can I get a vowel because I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Danessa: I know you’re on the road and there are plenty of women and opportunities and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t entertain anyone until we’ve had a chance to speak.
Aldridge: Oh shit are you putting my dick in your cart?
Danessa: No this isn’t about your dick this about you.
Aldridge: Danessa, I’m a singularly focused man so you don’t have to worry about me or my dick doing anything you wouldn’t approve of.
Danessa: I just think we should talk … about stuff and things.
Aldridge: Things and stuff.
And where he could stuff his thing.
Danessa: So we both agree to put a pin in any extracurricular activities?
Aldridge: Yep, I’m going to ask the woman I met at the club to go home now.
I knew he was joking. Right, that was a joke? There wasn’t a woman in his room. Right?
Danessa: Tell her Danessa Irwin has already licked it and so you’re mine.
Aldridge: I’m gonna go find a Sharpie and write your name on it.
Danessa: You better not I want that dick returned to me in pristine condition.
Aldridge: Gotdamn, yes ma’am.
Aldridgeand the Ramblers returned to Vegas at one in the morning and since we had a house showing the next day, we decided to wait until then to talk. I was currently pacing the hardwood floors of the home I planned to show Aldridge. My confidence had waned considerably since our text message exchange. What if Aldridge was looking to get his lick back? Perhaps he was lulling me into a false sense of security and then once he’d gotten the cookie he’d dip, ghost me, or worse break up with me in an attempt to hurt me like I’d hurt him. I’d never known him to be malicious, but time and heartbreak can change people.
Despite my best efforts, all I could think about were all the ways this could go horribly wrong. All the ways I could end up in misery. My life wasn’t in the best place right now but at least I wasn’t nursing a shattered heart. The past could only hurt me if I let it.
Today’s house wasn’t on the market yet, but I knew the realtor and she gave me a heads up that an estate sale was taking place in the home over the weekend. So, I thought it would be smart to use that intel to get a jump on the competition. Desirable homes in Vegas were scooped up quickly so sometimes you had to go above and beyond to get a leg up.
When Aldridge walked in he appeared frazzled. I waved and he made a beeline in my direction. “I had to park a block away. Why are there so many people here?” His hand found my waist and he pulled me into a hug.
I quickly pushed him away and scanned the room. “It’s an estate sale.”
“Why are we at an estate sale?”
“We are touring this house which is also the backdrop for this estate sale. Try to ignore the kitchen wear, jewelry, and clothes and focus on the bones of this house.”
“Got it.” Aldridge’s hand found mine.
“What are you doing?” I politely removed my hand from his.
“I … I just … I thought?—”
“I’m at work. I’m working. We should tour the house.” Shit was already feeling weird. Or maybe it was just me acting weird. Me suggesting we circle back to the good old days was stupid. “First, we have the living room …” Aldridge pinned his arms across his chest. He didn’t verbally object, but his body language was speaking volumes. I believed in the separation of business and personal. I’d worked hard to garner a reputation as a realtor who was both professional and knowledgeable. The last thing Iwanted was to be seen holding hands and making lovey dovey eyes at a client.
Aldridge and I had a lot to talk through and truthfully, my persistent second thoughts made me want to say sike real quick. We were not the same people we were in college, and it was silly to think we could just pick up where we left off. Maybe what I was feeling for Aldridge was just a spark that would fizzle out given time.
Upstairs I showed him the first of four bedrooms. “This would be a great room for a office or kids’ room.”
