I’m pretty sure you have to cross the water before you’re in Queens, but I will not argue with someone that has to deal with territories.
“Sure. Let me text my friend and let her know.”
He waits patiently while I text Gemma, who lets me know how handsome she thinks Al is. Her parting words areget it, girl!
“Okay. Let’s go.”
He opens the door to the car that he was leaning against so I can get in. The interior smells a bit like weed. Okay, a lot like weed. I don’t have a problem with people who smoke, I just don’t enjoy smelling like it. He runs around the car and slides into the driver’s seat.
“Sorry for the smell. I’ve had a rough day and needed to take the edge off.”
Great. Now I feel like a bitch for even having an internal complaint about the scent.
“Oh, it doesn’t bother me.”
“Good to know.”
“Can you talk about your day, or is that off limits?”
He makes a sound. “Can’t really tell you what I’ve been up to, but I will say that my boss was a lot of the problem today.”
“Jafar?”
“Yeah. He’s been in a fucking mood since we got back from Water Mills. I think he’s having problems with Jasmine, which is nuts because she is like the nicest person alive.” He glances over. “Has she said anything to you?”
“I haven’t heard from her since we got back,” I admit. “I’ve been so busy with the gala and now the fundraiser.”
“I heard Jasmine talking about the fundraiser. She’s so excited to be leading the event.”
I bite back a snort. Leading it? She hasn’t been around in weeks. Leave it to Jasmine to take credit when she’s not even around.
I ask, “Are you going?”
“I think I’m on security detail for Jafar that night, so yes. What about you?”
“Well, I’m on the team, so I kind of have to be there.”
He laughs. “True. Are you going with anyone?”
“No.”
“Would you like to?”
My chest tightens, and I can’t tell if it’s a good nervous or bad. Why do I always feel this torn about Al? He seems nice enough, but there’s something about him that makes me uneasy, and I don’t know why.
I ask, “With you?”
“Well, yeah.”
“I’d like that, Al.”
While I’m not overly attracted to him, it will be nice to have someone to talk to. Gemma and the other team members will be too busy to hang out with me, and I definitely don’t want to spend the night hanging around Jafar and Jasmine.
“Excellent.”
We arrive at a bar that looks a bit more run down but is just as busy as the one I usually go to. Al parks in front in a reserved space and we enter the lively pub. It’s obvious that he comes here a lot. People call out his name as we make our way to the bar. I feel out of place in my purple flared skirt, black blouse, and short, black heels that remind me of something out of the 40s. Everyone here is dressed more casually, and most are in all black.
“Hennessy, right?”