Bad Seed

“I do.” She smiled and slid her debit card over to Sarah.

It was nice in a way. Most women were all too happy to use my wealth to their advantage. I already knew Julie was nothing like those women, but it was still a nice little reminder.

We got our coffees, and Julie let me drive her home. Her hand found mine again, and all my concerns melted away. The only thing I felt was dread because I had to say goodbye to her again.

“I’ll call you later,” I said as she slid out of the car.

She smiled back at me. “Bye.”

I watched her until she disappeared into her house, her hips swaying seductively from side to side.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” I asked myself, speaking to my now-empty car.

I shook my head and threw my car in drive. As I drove toward the office, I tried to pull myself together. I’d never felt this way about a woman before. Sure, I’d been in relationships—more than my fair share—but no one had been able to drive me insane like Julie. No one could occupy my mind as frequently as she did.

My head was still spinning as I stepped into my office. Marcy had my meetings all set up, and I was grateful for the distraction.

“Mr. Smart?” Marcy asked, poking her head into my office a little after noon. “Your brother’s on line one.”

“Thanks, Marcy.” I grabbed the phone and pressed the button for line one. “Josh. What’s up, man?”

“Just got back from that conference,” he said.

“How was it?” I asked.

“Fucking waste of time,” Josh said. “Nothing I didn’t already know.”

I laughed. “Why’d you go then?”

“It was mandatory for all residents,” he said with a sigh. “Anyway, are we meeting up this week?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I can do tonight.”

“Works for me,” Josh said. “When and where?”

“Why don’t you come to Ennis?” I asked. “You haven’t been down here in ages.”

“That’s because there are no good bars in Ennis,” Josh said. “There’s no good anything in Ennis.”

“Come on.” I laughed. “It’s not that bad.”

“It’s a tiny-ass town,” Josh argued.

“We have a great bar right in the square,” I said.

“Whatever,” Josh said. “What time?”

“Seven,” I said.

“I’ll meet you there.”

We said goodbye after I gave him the name of the bar, and I placed the phone back down. With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair and stared up at the ceiling.

I spent the entire morning fighting the urge to text Julie. My meetings were a helpful distraction, but after a while, even they failed me. I found myself playing with my phone, typing out a message and then deleting it seconds later. I’d never felt more pathetic in my life.

Drinks with Josh was exactly what I needed to screw my head back on straight. If nothing else, it would keep me from calling Julie in a desperate haze that night. As much as I wanted to see her again, I knew I should distance myself before I got in too deep.

***