Chapter Four
Jonah
The next time I checked my watch, I was floored to see that Kat and I had been sitting and talking for 55 minutes.
It felt as if we had just arrived at the restaurant. We’d started with the run-of-the-mill stuff, talking about our favorite movies, but soon we were in a playful argument about which ‘90s sitcoms deserved a reboot and which ones should be left entirely alone. We were laughing, and going head-to-head, in a way that made me feel as if we’d been best friends for the last ten years instead of virtual strangers to one another.
“Oh man,” I said. “I’m going to be late for my meeting. We have to go.”
She started to get out of her chair. “Okay, but don’t think this is over. I amgoingto convince you that rebootingFrasieris a major mistake.”
“I will never turn my back on Frasier Crane. No matter what you say.”
She laughed and I followed her out of the restaurant, as she started up the argument again. She was halfway through telling me how she was not even sure it was a good idea to give the Frasier character his own spin off in the first place as we stepped outside, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her in preparation for the cold.
“Oh here,” I said. I had my coat draped over my arm, and I wasn’t even going to wear it myself. It took harsher winds and lower temperatures than this to make me cold. “You want my coat?”
“Thanks,” she said. I held it out and helped her slip it on. It was much too big on her, but somehow, she made it work anyway.
“No problem.”
It took her all of a couple seconds, however, to drop the polite demeanor and pick up the tug-of-war rope again. We went back and forth about Frasier, of all things, for the entire walk back to the building, and the elevator ride up to the 6th floor. The mood changed, however, when the doors opened on the SHDC offices. She quickly took the coat off and handed it back to me.
“It’s a lovely material,” she said. “And I had a great time at lunch.”
“I did too.” We stepped out and now we were in the hallway, where anyone could hear us or see us, and I suddenly felt very vulnerable. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. “So, uh, I’ll probably see you tonight, right?”
She frowned. “You will?”
“Did Calvin tell you he’s performing at a bar downtown...”
Oh shoot. Was I supposed to keep that a secret from Kat?
She looked confused, but only for a second, then she smiled. “Oh yes! Right. Of course. He told me, absolutely. But I’m not sure if I’m going yet.”
“I hope you do,” I said. She met my gaze and I realized that I had to be more careful. Kat was beautiful, yes, and she was funny and smart, but she was also a lot younger than me, not to mention Dean’s daughter. I had to keep things professional with her.
Which meant I had to stop smiling at her. I made a conscious effort to straighten my mouth into a line and nodded in a way I hoped came off as boss-like. “I have to go now. My meeting.”
“Sure, yeah. I’ll see you around.”
I waved and walked off, going right into my office and not turning around once to look at her. As I closed the door and settled into my seat, however, I found myself smiling again and thinking up new arguments in Frasier’s favor for whenever I saw her next.
* * *
Vic sometimes had half-days on Friday, and today was one of those days. Thankfully, my mother wasn’t busy on Friday afternoons, so she picked my daughter up from school and brought her back to her house until I got off work and could swing by and get her.
When I walked into my mom’s brownstone, I saw my 14-year-old, sitting on the couch, staring down at her phone. “Finally,” she said when I came through the door, not looking up. “I thought you were done at five.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I had a lot of work today. I’m behind.”
She sighed. “It’s fine. I wouldn’t care how late you were, if I could just hang out at home like a normal teenager.”
“I’m not going to have this argument with you again,” I said. “Not if you’re going to stare at your screen the whole time as if I’m not even in the room with you.”
She put her phone down and looked up at me. “Alright then. Can we have the argument now that my phone is away?”
I smiled. “Nope. Not tonight. Sorry kiddo, but you’ll have to save the argument for tomorrow. I’ve got plans tonight.”