“Oh, based on what our boy Jamie here is telling me, I should be asking for a bottle of Jack Daniels,” Jess told her.
Molly looked at me inquiringly, and I gave her my most innocent smile. And then she said to Jess, “Well whatever it is, I’m all for it, if it means he’s finally gonna quit moping and be happy again.” She smiled at me fondly and went off to help another customer.
I had been moping after Charlie dumped me, she was right about that. And then I grinned. “You know, that’s the first time Charlie even crossed my mind today.”
“Which is great,” Jess said. “You need to move past him. Just not like this.”
“Dmitri is so good to me, Jess. Like, so good. He’s sweet and kind and funny, and generous to a fault, and beautiful and mind-blowingly sexy. I can barely keep my hands off him. And I feel like I’ve known him forever. I’m so totally comfortable with him.”
“And for fun, he sends people to sleep with the fishes.”
I sighed and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. “No he doesn’t. But granted, his career is a little…problematic.”
“Problematic! Ya think? He’s a fucking criminal, and you’re a cop! In what universe could this possibly end well for you?”
“I know, Jess.”
“Quit the assignment, Jamie. To hell with undercover work. Just tell Halpern you can’t do it. And then for God’s sake, stay the hell away from Teplov!”
“I am quitting the assignment, first thing Monday morning. But I can’t stay away from Dmitri.”
“Why not?”
“Let me rephrase that: I won’t stay away from him. I want him like I’ve never wanted anything in my life, Jess. And I have so little time with him anyway. This thing with him, it’s just temporary. He’s marrying a girl in a few months, so I don’t get to spend forever with him. But in the mean time I just…I need to be with him.”
Jess plunked her elbows onto the table and dropped her face in her hands as she muttered, “Oh Christ, Jamie. It’s not enough that he’s in the mafia? He also has to leave you for a girl, just like Charlie did?”
Molly reappeared then and deposited not one, but two screwdrivers in front of Jess. “Here, girl. You look like you’re going to want seconds. And I’ll go see what’s holding up your breakfast.” Molly shot me an appraising look and was gone in a flash, and Jess downed the first cocktail without coming up for air.
“It’s not the same thing, Jess,” I told her. “The thing with Dmitri, at least he’s honest about it. He told me right away that he’s engaged.”
“Awesome. Oh, and speaking of honesty: does he know what you do for a living?” Jess hit me with a sharp stare.
“Actually…no.”
“And why haven’t you told him?”
“I just…I don’t think it’ll go over big.”
“Meaning you know you’ll end up at the bottom of the bay once you tell him?”
“Meaning I think he’ll break up with me, not murder me.” I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, because it’s totally unheard of for a gangster to off an undercover cop.”
“He wouldn’t hurt me, Jess. There’s no way.”
She leaned forward and grabbed my hand. “Jamie, what if you’re wrong? This is your life we’re talking about here. It would be bad enough that you’re totally setting yourself up for a broken heart by getting involved with a guy that’s engaged. But given who and what this man is, it could end so much worse than that.”
“It won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I trust him. I know I haven’t known him very long, but I trust him. Literally with my life.”
She dragged her hands over her face with obvious exasperation. And then she said, “Ok, so according to you, everything is hunky dory. No reason in sight not to date a suspected felon. Then why did you tell me you’re in trouble?”
“Because I’m falling in love with him, Jess.”
She grabbed the other cocktail and slammed it back, then banged the empty glass on the table and yelled, “For fuck’s sake, Jamie!”
That got quite a few heads swiveling in our direction. Molly swept past the table and deposited a bottle of Jack Daniels in front of Jess, not even breaking her stride on her way across the patio.
Jess splashed an inch of whiskey into her empty glass and tossed it back, then leaned forward and grabbed my hand. “Jamie, you’re on the rebound. You’re really vulnerable right now. And he’s a gorgeous guy, I get that. But oh my God, don’t let yourself get reeled in by a goddamn criminal!”
“I kind of already have.”
“Christ, Jamie! You’re barreling straight into such totally obvious disaster. And you know this. But you’re doing it anyway.”
“If you met him, you’d understand.”
“Why? Because he’s handsome? And charismatic? And tells you everything you want to hear? That’s just what I’d expect from a mobster.”