“Hold on,” I said with a laugh. “A test drive? Ernie, come on now.”
“What?” Ernie asked innocently.
“You want me to send a fifty-thousand-dollar piece of equipment to you?” I asked. “Without any promise of payment? I know we’re friends, Ern, but you and I both know that’s not going to happen.”
“Hardball?” Ernie asked with a laugh. “Fine. You want to play it that way, let’s play.”
Ernie and I excused ourselves from the conference call to sort things out privately. We both knew how the conversation would end. Ernie would agree to pay half the price up front, promising to pay the rest after the test drive. I would hem and haw for a few minutes before I agreed. It was all good-natured business, and after working together for over five years, Ernie and I knew how to play each other’s game.
“I’ll have my guys process the order today,” I said.
“Sounds great,” Ernie said. “Thanks, Mike.”
We hung up, and I leaned back in my chair. Now that the conference call was over, the rest of my day was wide open. I had emails to return and orders to oversee, but before any of that could happen, I needed coffee.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I told Marcy on my way out. “You want anything from the café?”
“Small latte?” she asked.
“You got it.”
I hurried out of the office. The weather was finally starting to cool off, but it wasn’t yet cold enough for a coat. With the holidays right around the corner, I hoped the temperature would drop any day now. It just didn’t feel like Christmas when it was seventy-five degrees out.
As I stepped into the café, my eyes immediately roamed around the tiny space. It wasn’t hard to take in the entire room, and it was impossible to miss the familiar face sitting by the window. I grinned and made my way over to her, reaching down to play with her hair.
She jumped when I touched her.
I laughed. “It’s just me. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Shit.” She laughed and put her hand on her chest. “Warn a girl next time, would you?”
“Sorry,” I said again.
She smiled at me, a faint pink hue on her cheeks. We hadn’t spoken since last night and, for a second, I wondered if she regretted what happened between us. Then, her foot found mine beneath the table, and all my worries disappeared.
“How’d the conference call go?” she asked.
“It was boring but necessary,” I said, flattered that she remembered to ask about my call. “How’s the job search?”
Julie’s computer was sitting on the table between us. It was open to yet another online journal. It seemed she, like me, had devoted the early morning to work.
“I have a Skype interview on Monday,” she said. “It’s with this online journal that specializes in small-town news. I figured it would be perfect. I can keep up with my writing and get to know this town better in the process. That is, if they hire me.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Shit happens.”
“You’ll get it,” I said confidently. “I’m sure.”
“It all depends on whether they like my stuff,” she said. “If my writing isn’t what they’re looking for, they’ll pass. And I’ll be back to square one.”
“Didn’t you work as a journalist up in Dallas?” I asked.
She nodded. “For three years,” she said. “But still, you never really know.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said. “So, when do I get to read your stuff?”
She froze. I thought the question was innocent enough. I smiled playfully and poked her foot with mine beneath the table. And yet, her entire body tensed when the words left my lips. I frowned and sat back.