Page 83 of Dark Love

Vex: Morning Dahl

She probably won’t respond right away because of work.

Dahlia: Morning

Dahlia: How are you?

A smile spreads acrossmy face.

Vex: Better now that I’m talking to you.

But I’d be even better if you were beside me.

Vex: You at work?

The first thing I’m doing when she’s mine—not just in fact but also in her heart—is to get rid of that job.

Dahlia: Yeah. On break for a few minutes.

I want to hear her voice.

Vex: Are you alone?

Dahlia: Yes

Good. I dial her phone. “Morning.”

“Good morning. How are you?”

Waking up to that voice would have been better, but I settle back and picture her next to me. “Dahl, I should have called you yesterday, but something came up.”

“That’s okay. I had a long day at work and then my neighbor’s daughter showed up.”

Who wants to talk about other people’s children? “When can I see you?”

“I work all week.”

Grrr. That job needs to go. “Quit.”

“You work weekends and I work weekdays.”

Dahl doesn’t think I’m serious. She will soon. “But I’m the boss. I can take you to dinner Friday.”

“You shouldn’t miss work…”

Why is she coming up with excuses? I want to see her now, or tonight, but I wouldn’t want to let her go. And that would make work even harder on her. Hmmm. “Are you trying to let me down easy, Dahlia?”

“No. No. Nothing like that. I just…”

“Then what is it?”

Her long pause isdisconcerting.

“Last weekend wasn’t real. And I’m afraid… I don’t know. I’ve never met a man like you. And what if Friday you’re different? Or I’m different? And you realize we can’t be friends.”

She’s worried about me not liking her? I don’t bring women back to my place. And I never spend a weekend simply holding a woman in my arms and watching the television. “Dahl, last weekend was very real.” Too real maybe. It should have made me never want to see her again.

There’s silence on the other end. I can’t let her pull away because of fear. “You don’t need to worry. It’s just a meal.” But it’s not just a meal. I don’t date. It’s a waste of time. Yet here I am trying to talk a woman into dating me.

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