“You ready for tonight?” Jason asked Willa, flashing the first smile I’d seen on his face since last night.
“Yeah!” exclaimed Willa. “Can we do pizza?”
“Sure. And I’m thinking a movie might be in order.”
Willa let out a happy squeal. Jason stepped into the kitchen and made himself an espresso, not saying a word to me as he did.
Finally, once it was ready he broke the silence.
“Shauna should be coming by in a little bit to do some work—just so you’re not surprised when she shows up.”
“Sure,” I said.
He sipped his drink as he and Willa went over options for the movie. After a time, he checked his watch.
“All right, let’s get moving, Sprout.” He glanced at me. “Have whatever you’d like for dinner, of course. There’s a credit card in the drawer next to the sink if you want to go out and grab something.”
“Oh, great.”
With that, he and Willa left. I was alone again, still trying to figure out what the hell to make of the situation. Then again, it seemed pretty clear that that there was nothing to talk about, and that he figured the best thing to do would be to act like nothing had happened.
Was that even possible?
A little while after Jason and Willa left, the front doors opened again, and Shauna entered. She came right into the kitchen, helping herself to the coffee.
“Have fun last night?” she asked.
“Something like that.” My tone was dry, and I realized I wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding the fact that there was something on my mind.
She gave me a strange look, as if she was able to see right through me.
“What’ve you got going on tonight?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Like stuff around the house. You have anything you need to do?”
“Um, not really.” I wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
Her eyes lit up. “Then I’ve got a great idea—what do you think about us going out for drinks?”
This was a surprise. Shauna had been mostly friendly to me, but also a little chilly. I wasn’t expecting this kind of overture.
“Like, me and you?”
“Like me and you. Jason wants me to take care of some housekeeping stuff for the office, but other than that, I’ve got the evening open. What do you say? First round’s on me!”
Part of me wanted to say “no.” After all, I was going to be betraying Shauna right along with Jason. But the idea of being cooped up in the house all night with only my own thoughts to keep me company didn’t exactly sound appealing, either.
“Sure,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
“Yes! I know the perfect place. Go throw on something, and I’ll finish up my work.”
I hurried up to my room and put on something a little more fun. Shauna closed up her laptop as soon as I entered, and she let me know the Uber was on its way. After a quick ride, the two of us were seated at this place called Clandestino, a hip-looking bar on the Lower East Side. Shauna ordered us a bottle of red, and as soon as the drinks were poured, she turned her knowing eyes onto me.
“So,” she said. “How are you liking working for Jason?”
Of course she’d go right into that.