Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should give him a chance. His words strike a chord in me, and I almost feel like breaking down in the middle of the ring. I hear Seamus whimper and a small tear rolls down my cheek.
“Are you ready to go buddy?” A small bark tickles my ears. I pack up my stuff and we head home, almost feeling like I need to go back to sleep and shut out the world.
What is it about Wednesdays that seem to drag on forever? The hotline seems to be in a crazy busy spell, enough for Sam to ask me for help. I try to help out as much as possible, but I can’t help floating back to the memory of Jackson. It’s been hard to forget about our interaction, every heated sensation, every what if. What if I had given in earlier?
I’m shaken out of my daydream by the ringing of the phone.Definitely not the time, horny Bjorn.
“Thank you for calling the housing hotline, how can I help you today?” My customer service voice comes out like a southern Disney princess. The caller is irritated by our lack of resources, needing housing, saying someone was offering the homeless population work. If only we had more funding, the ability to reach further.
I log the call and continue to help the numbers go down to a manageable level but something about the last call haunts my thoughts.
It rattles me, and my mind is circling back to Jeremiah and Ms. Aggie. I call Sam into my office; maybe she can put me out of my misery.
“Sam!” I yell across the hall. She scurries in with a pissed off look.
“A normal person would send a message or email, not yell across the office,” she grunts.
“Yeah, but I am not a normal person,” I grin “Have you been getting calls from anyone saying that there’s someone offering people work?”
Sam’s eyebrows furrow. “Hm, I haven’t. You want me to ask the team?”
I nod. “Probably something worth mentioning. I don’t know, maybe it’s just a vibe. At the end of the day it may not be anything.”
Same gives the look of confusion wondering where my mind is heading towards.
I have to laugh at the quirk in her eyebrow; she knows me too well. Maybe it’s just my paranoia again. Sam sits in one of my chairs to continue our conversation; at least she’ll tell me if I’m spiraling or obsessing. My phone starts to ring, and, still leaning on my desk, I press the speaker button.
“This is Tessa Bjorn; how can I help you?”
“Saturday, 7 am, I’ll meet you at Devil’s Whiskey. Make sure you wear a jacket.” I know that voice. Alexander Jackson booms through the speakers. I turn to Sam and the look on her face is full of curiosity and delight.
I grimace. “Ah, yes. Our date. You know, it was unfair.”
He chuckles softly. “Darlin’, you initiated the challenge. Here I’ll remind you: you tapped out when I pinned you underneath me, although I had liked the view of you on top.” Heat rushes to my cheeks. Sam’s mouth drops open in shock and holding back her laughter, and I know I’ll have to explain this later. Fuck.
“I can admit defeat. You won your prize.” I cross my arms against my chest.
He audibly tsks. “No, Teresa, our date isn’t my prize.”
“Then what is?” I say, leaning towards the phone.
“Your heart.” He says it with confidence, like it’s a given. Sam goes into an “awe” explosion, squealing in my ear.
Two can play this game of his. “My, my, does Mr. Jackson have a soft spot? Color me surprised.” Sam giggles in the background.
“Darlin’, there is nothing soft about me.” He lets out a deep laugh. I am not usually bashful but at this moment, I am.
“You do realize he is talking about his dick, right?” Sam intervenes.
My eyes go wide with her words. “Samantha! I’m hanging up now before I regret anything else.” I punch the button with more force than I intended.
Sam sits with her hands intertwined, her index fingers touching her lips. I groan, leaning my head back on my chair. “Shut up, your mind is too loud.”
“Wait until I tell Brittany and Reva. This is him, the one you were talking about last week? I need more details. Are we talking ‘touch her and you’ll die’? Climb him like a tree? What?” Sam continues to ramble, but I don’t listen. I shake the intrusive thoughts that stir in my head.
Suddenly, Sam’s waving her hand in front of my face. “You ain’t even listening to me!”
I scoff. “Yeah, yeah climb that tree like I’m searching for nuts, I heard you.”