Preston let out a heavy sigh next to me. “She’s so difficult when she wants to be.”
“Which is a lot,” I mused.
“So it seems.” He laughed. “Which is one thing I appreciate about you. You’re not difficult! You’re passionate!”
“Some might say there’s no difference.”
“There’s a big one,” he said. “At least the reason you’re difficult is because you feel too much. She’s difficult because she won’t let herself feel anything. I admire your ability to be honest. More people should be that way. Me included.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Getting deep on me, huh? What sparked all of this?”
“We’re going to be human soon. Just realized some stuff.” There was a slight glint in his eyes. I loved how much he held onto his hope. “How about we give her a nudge forward? She should definitely text him and give him a shot. What’s the harm, right? Worst case scenario, their coffee date ends up being lame. He seems like he’d make a good friend. She needs those too.”
And we both knew that friends made the best future lovers. “Yeah, let’s give her a boost in confidence.”
“On three!”
“One...”
“Two...”
Neither one of us actually said “three.” Instead, we jolted her with a tiny touch of magic. “Text him. He wants to hear from you.”
Desi pulled out her phone and scrolled through the contacts. She found Toby’s info and scowled some more. “I guess it’s worth doing. Where else am I going to find another book nerd?” They’re so rare. People don’t read anymore!
She typed in a quick text. “Your pick is a winner. I owe you a prize.”
Quickly, she shoved the phone back into her purse. Best to not tempt myself to become one of those girls. Her gaze landed on the book one more time, and she shoved that back into her purse just as fast as she had the phone. There, no more reminders. Toby who? Toby nobody!
“That’s right, nobody,” she whispered.
“Who’s nobody?” Rodney’s voice popped in from behind her.
Startled, she slammed her knee into her desk while simultaneously knocking her purse over, and its contents spread out onto the floor. She glared up at Rodney. “You’re a nobody!”
“Ouch!” The hurt on his face seemed genuine. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop, you just always seem to have something interesting to share.”
“Do. Not.” She glowered as she started stuffing everything back into her purse, including her phone...which just happened to light up with a message from Toby. A small smile crept onto her face. Stop. Don’t be happy. This is bad! He was supposed to blow me off!
Rodney raised an eyebrow. “I think you’re interesting. Like the way you’re looking right now. Very interesting. That’s a look I haven’t seen on you in a long time.”
“What?” She blinked up at him.
“Your smile.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you one of those ‘women are prettier when they smile’ guys? If so, you get a five second head start before I kick your butt.”
“A whole five seconds! You’re too kind!”
“I’m feeling generous, and I enjoy the hunt.”
He winced. “Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I’m not one of those guys.” He paused. “But you are pretty when you smile. Then again—”
“Go away.” She held up a hand, disappointment bubbling up inside of her. I couldn’t blame her, I was disappointed too.
Rodney frowned. “Listen...”
“No, I don’t have to.” And to prove her point, she turned her entire body toward her computer.
Rodney grumbled a “whatever” before walking away.
Once he was gone, Desi closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Of course he’s that kind of guy. He’s just like Dave. She pulled out her phone to see the message from Toby.
“I like coffee. Let’s do that.”
Desi dared to smile again, though her heart still felt heavy. I could feel just how torn she was over these two guys. Both intrigued her, both sparked something buried deep down, and both opened her up to a world of potential hurt.
“Take the risk,” Preston urged. “Why wait? It’s just coffee.”
“It’s just coffee,” she whispered. She bit her lip as she typed in her reply. “I’ve got some free time after work if you’re interested.”
“Shop across from the library?” His reply was so fast. Was it possible he was eagerly waiting for her just like she was for him?
Desi’s expression mirrored one of pain as she wrote one word, “Yes.”
“Everything okay?” Rodney asked from outside again. When she shot him a fiery glare, he held his hands up. “Look, I’m asking because you look constipated.”
“Constipated!” She growled. “Mind your own business!”
“All I meant was...”
“Go. Away!” She buried her face in her hands. Why can’t I have an office with a door? Why do I have to be stuck in this stupid cube? Why does he have to be so invested in everything happening in this stupid place to begin with? She glanced at the clock. Please time, move quickly. I can’t bear to be here any longer.
Desi focused so deeply on her work that time did go by quickly. For her. I don’t much like when she’s so engrossed in a project. There’s less for me to do. No souls to judge, no conversations to eavesdrop on. It’s all so very dull. There wasn’t even a TV nearby or a radio playing! A small chunk was spent trying to understand the emotions flowing through Desi. Poor girl had so many swirling around, I don’t think even she knew what was going on. So much of her uncertainty centered on one thing: she had two guys she could see future potential with. Each had a rather tempting path for her to take.
While Preston had it in his head that Toby was the one and only guy worth pursuing, and Jerry had a similar thought when it came to Rodney, I desperately wanted to know what Desi wanted. She sucked at dating, that was a given, but she did know what kind of a guy deserved her long-term investment regardless of if she planned to go for it. More importantly, were either of those guys like Rodney or Toby, or was there a third option we weren’t even considering?
I might have been reading too much into everything. She had to like Toby. Had to. There was too much bounce in her step as she left work to go meet him at the coffee shop. And she was smiling more. Seeing him made her happy in a new way. That couldn’t go ignored!
Of course, as soon as she stepped foot into the coffee shop and saw him waiting at a table off to the side, the smile faded and the stone cold facade came back. She walked with confidence toward him and sat down, not waiting for his invitation.
“You came!” The surprise in his voice wasn’t masked at all.
Desi raised an eyebrow. “Did you think I’d take the time to make plans with you only to blow them off?”
“People have a tendency to cancel last minute,” he explained. “The coffee shop doesn’t seem to be the scene for socializing much anymore.”
“I try to cancel no later than an hour before my set meeting time. I like to be as much of a woman of my word as possible.” She crossed her legs. “So this book...”