Page 30 of Hesi-Dating
SETH
Mayor
Tonight. 8 p.m. Meet in the lobby of Hotel Blue in Del Mar. I'll get the room.
It had been three hours since she left my office.
I wasn't ready for this. Nor did I have any interest in her.
Got a case I'm working on. Can't make tonight.
Don't force me to make you the bad guy on the traffic at the school.
Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.
It wasn't just a church. It wastheschool associated with the church where the shooting had been months ago. At least the shooting had been at a church event and not during school hours, not that it made it any less of a horrible incident. She could make a few statements publicly or on social media and paint us as the bad guys.
I didn't want anything to do with a smarmy motel or her. The other part of my brain said maybe this could help me get beyond Joley. Maybe I would realize there were other fish out there.
But I didn't want this fish. Hell, I didn't want any fish other than Joley.
Mayor
I'll see you at 8.
It was already 7 p.m. and might take an hour to get there.
Henry rolled over and farted from his corner in my office.
"Guess you get to come along, bud." The dog raised his head. "Can you try to be a guard dog for once? Maybe show her a little teeth. That's not your style, is it? How about drool on her to gross her out?"
He nuzzled my hand.
"You're not going to be any help, are you?"
* * *
I was late, but I figured showing up hangry with a dog in tow wouldn't end well. I'd downed a granola bar and cup of coffee from a gas station.
My stomach grumbled in complaint as I pawed through the glovebox to find the Tums bottle. I chewed two of the chalky oversized tablets, took the final swallow of coffee, and downed a breath mint.
Henry gave me hisI'm-starvingsad eyes.
"I forgot you didn't have dinner yet. I'm sorry." I had no treats or dog food in the car and left his bowls in my office. "How about a donut?" I removed the last powdered donut from a package I'd gotten a few days ago.
He sucked it down within seconds.
"I promise I'll get us both something to eat in a bit. Remember, your job is to scare her off. Neither of us wants to do this."
I pushed up my hat as I walked through the hotel's main door with the oversized hound dragging behind. At least it wasn't a seedy place where we parked in back. The rooms here must cost more than I made in a few weeks to stay one night.
Sara walked my way with a hand on the earbud in her left ear. Still in her buttoned-up, navy work suit, she continued a phone conversation when she reached me. She held up her hand to demand my silence.
I ground my molars at the disrespect.
I had to act like I was into Sara and then somehow duck out in a way that made her feel like it was her choice and not mine. If I botched this, she'd skewer me politically with something far worse than school traffic direction.
"Why isthathere?" Sara pointed at Henry.
