She shakes her head with a small smile. “I’m good.”
Then she motions for me to follow her.
I do, feeling strangely nervous as I trail behind her down a narrow hallway.
She opens a door labeledOfficeand steps inside. The music from the club fades instantly, replaced by quiet.
Hayao takes a seat behind her desk and gestures for me to sit across from her.
“So,” she says, crossing her hands over her stomach, “give me your pitch.”
I lean back in the chair. “Well, it’s less of a pitch and more a demonstration of competence.”
Her eyebrow lifts.
“If we were in charge of your security,” I continue, “this hallway sure as hell wouldn’t have been unguarded. And you-” I nod toward her “-would not be alone back here with me without some kind of verification.”
She smiles. “I can take care of myself.”
“I believe that,” I say. “But if two or three guys rushed in here with bad intentions…”
She smirks. “And what are your intentions, then?”
Before I can respond, she sits up straighter. “Sorry, that was super flirty. I don’t usually flirt with married men.”
Maybe it’s because she genuinely looks mortified or something else but I hear myself say, “I’m not really married.”
She blinks. “Oh?”
“I mean, I am,” I correct quickly. “But we’re separated.”
“Ah.” She studies me for a second. “Can I ask why?”
I look at her, surprised by the bluntness.
“Sorry,” she says, holding up a hand. “That was nosy. You don’t have to tell me.”
Deciding to take the out, I hand her my business card and make a hasty exit.
What the hell am I doing telling a random woman Jess and I are separated.
We’re way past the sixty-day limit now, and one thing has become clear, I don’t wanna loose her.
Dr. Brett, while an amazing listener, sometimes feels like he has an ulterior motive. He keeps nudging me toward couples counseling, and I can’t help wondering if that’s just to garner more revenue for their center.
Maybe that makes me cynical.
But I make a living off reading people, off knowing how fear and uncertainty work. I’ve counted on those things to run my business.
Hell, there were times in the past when I exaggerated risks to get a client to sign on for more hours than they really needed.
I don’t do that anymore.
But like I said, 2024.
That year changed a lot of things.
So yeah, maybe I’m suspicious by nature.
