“You’re loving it, aren’t you?” He grinned. “Do you want something to drink? I know you said you’d treat me, but I feel like paying...this time.”
Now, she raised both of her eyebrows. “I also never say no to free coffee.”
“Can I guess your drink?” he asked.
“Hit me with your best shot.”
He peered at her for a long time, and in doing so, I got a good reading of his soul.
“LOOK, I’M NOT THE GUY you want me to be,” Toby said. His voice broke a little as he spoke. “You’ve made that clear, Vanessa. You’re looking for an Edward, and I’m your Jacob.”
“More book references,” the young woman he spoke to said. Her voice was laced with disdain. “Those used to be cute, but I can’t keep up with them. All I want is a man who is going to stand up for what he wants. I needed you to do that tonight!”
He sighed heavily. “Fighting isn’t my thing.”
“I noticed.” And with those two words, she walked out of the room.
TOBY RAKED A LOWER lip between his teeth. “Yeah, I’ve got an idea.”
“And? What do you think?”
“That you’re going to have to find out in a few minutes when I come back.” He winked.
Desi let out a soft groan. “Sure. You better hope it’s right. This could be a deal breaker.”
While she waited for her drink, I tried to process what I’d just seen. Clearly, Toby was a good guy. Gentle, too. The exact opposite of her, and perhaps there was something to that notion of how that might be her best match. Perhaps. It all depended on how good of a read he had on her, I supposed.
He returned with something iced and green. Not at all what I would have imagined a guy going for. What happened to classic vanilla lattes? Those were always safe! Oh Toby! He was blowing it!
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you after you taste it.” He sat down across from her with a large, iced coffee that had no cream in it.
I cringed. “Oh, he’s one of those black coffee drinkers. He’s a serial killer!”
Preston laughed. “Doubt it. But if he is, we’ll be ready for him!”
Meanwhile, Desi took a cautious drink. She processeed for a moment the flavors she ingested. Something sweet coursed through her, mixed with something earthy. A tea, along with some kind of milk.
After a few seconds passed, she said, “Okay, I’ll accept this gift.”
“Matcha latte,” Toby explained.
“Cool.” She took another sip. “So this book...”
And that’s what they discussed for a while. The way he lit up when he spoke to her was absolutely precious. Books were obviously his jam, and he talked...a lot.
“Sorry,” he said at last. “I...don’t get to do this often.”
“Talk to people?” Desi asked.
“No, I talk to people plenty, but not about something I’m actually interested in.” He gazed down at his nearly empty cup. “Most of the world likes normal stuff. I spend a lot of my time faking it.”
Desi laughed. “Books aren’t normal?”
“Not the way I book!”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. As long as you can talk about other things too.”
“My conversation skills get better after I’ve had a book fix,” he promised. “I have other interests too!”
“Such as?”
“Art, long drives with the windows down, football, concerts. They’re all over the place.” He shrugged.
“And diverse,” she observed.
Toby downed the last of his drink. “Thanks?”
“You’re welcome!” She gave him a smile then, and everything inside of her seemed to relax in a way I hadn’t seen in a long time. Not since Dave. “I like art too, and long drives...to concerts. I can do without football, but I suppose no one is perfect.”
“I promise I’m not one of those guys who decks himself out in body paint. Football is fun, but it’s not my life.”
Desi nodded. “Then I can look past it.”
“Enough to hang out again sometime?” The question was so quiet I almost didn’t hear it.
She peered at him. “Hang out, or go out?”
“Go out?” A blush actually spread across his cheeks, and it was so stinking cute! He cleared his throat. “Look, I know we’ve literally just met. I’m having fun, though. Might be worth seeing if we can have fun in other ways too.” He then realized how that must have sounded and gasped, his face going red again. “Like, going to the art park and seeing a show! Not...I...”
“Stop.” Desi held up a hand. “Just stop. That’s a good spot to do it.”
Toby let out a soft groan.
She then sat and stared at him for a few, long seconds. Just enough to make him squirm.
“I’m willing to have more fun with you. Interpret that however you want to.”
He swallowed. “Cool, I’ll send you a text then. We can set something up.”
“Can’t wait.” She winked. Her intentions were definitely not as pure as his. Still, I felt like a lot of good progress had been made.
Chapter Seven
Jerry
Toby was sweet and kind. The way he brought out good in Desi couldn’t be ignored either. My objections to him being her “one” had nothing to do with his being a bad guy. He was great, almost perfect, and the ways he was imperfect were the kind that could match her imperfections perfectly...or they could have been the very thing that ended up driving her crazy to the point where she swore off relationships forever. If she couldn’t make it work with the “nice guy,” then she would indeed quit.
Preston and Brie had so much hope, so I don’t fault them for steering her down a new path. My approach involved a more realistic attitude. I had come to terms with the fact that I might never be human a long time ago, and that meant I had to step into my future role of being judge, jury, and executioner—to be the Gorgon of the ancient days. Do not misunderstand; I did want to be human just as badly as the others. I simply came to terms with the possibility a long time ago that it might never happen. The signs were ever present as our magic changed and shifted along with Desi’s heart.
My hope didn’t lie in Toby. No, mine was in Rodney. On the surface he came across as an arrogant playboy, but there had to be more underneath we were missing. I couldn’t ignore my gut. We had to get close enough to him to see deep inside. Work wasn’t going to be the place to do it, and if she continued to ignore him, how would they see each other elsewhere?
For the time being, I played along with Plan Toby. If Preston proved me wrong, I could swallow my pride enough to congratulate him. So while they set up coffee dates and walks outside through parks, I used my magic to keep the interest in Rodney alive. The fact Desi refused to commit fully to the idea of Toby made it clear she needed more from her future love.
Somehow that planted a new idea into her head. I need to get out and do something wild, she decided one day at her desk. Too much quiet lately. I don’t like it!
Preston sighed. “Jerry...how is she supposed to settle down if she keeps partying?”