Lucky 33 (Love in the District #2)

10. Bad Seed

CHAPTER 10

BAD SEED

A my labored over what to wear after getting home from work and showering. It was a hot and sticky day in early June, and the evening was not slated to offer any relief from it.

She wanted to go for an effortless, cute look, so she picked out a loose flower print sundress. Amy wrestled with her thick hair for too long before giving up on wearing it down without ending up sweaty and frizzy. She found some teenager’s complicated braided updo tutorial on YouTube.

By the time she finished, she was hot and annoyed. Her hair looked nothing like the YouTuber’s had, but it wasn’t bad. She was finishing her makeup in front of a box fan on full blast, groaning as the time caught her eye. With a resigned sigh, she rushed downstairs to meet Drew.

He got more handsome every time she saw him. He stood in her lobby, fanning himself with a brochure.

“Amy,” he exclaimed with a wide smile. “You look gorgeous. Gotta love this summer heat, huh?”

“You’d think we’d be used to it, but nope. I still love this swamp town. ”

“Lucky for you, I parked in the garage and my car should still be cool. I’m jealous of your garage parking. My poor car lives out in the elements in my parking lot.”

Le Chat Noir was an unassuming little bistro plucked straight from the streets of Paris. They were seated at a romantic corner table where they could have a little privacy.

“I assumed you were a grad student during our first meeting. What were you doing at UVA? You said something about it being a work trip,” Amy asked, digging into her steak frites and waiting to solve at least part of the mystery.

“I miss my grad student days, so I wish that were true. I’m an assistant professor at American University. I was down in Charlottesville for a conference my former Ph.D. advisor was giving. It was great to be back and live that life again, even just for a few days. Those four years in my doctoral program were stressful but exciting. Didn’t you say one of your college friends was getting married? Are you a UVA alumna?”

“Sure am. That place is so special to me. I totally agree about it being fun to live that life down there again for a few days,” Amy said, smiling.

“What did you study?”

“I was in the Commerce School. I did a concentration in marketing. It came in pretty handy because I have my own business now. It’s a cleaning service called Sparkle and Shine. I only have one other employee, though.”

“You’re an entrepreneur. Very impressive.”

“Look who’s talking, Dr. Porter.”

“Eh, that’s no big deal. I’m only an assistant professor. You can be impressed if I get tenure.”

“Speaking of what do you teach?”

“I’m in the Department of Public Affairs. I know that’s so predictable of me in this city, but I really love it. I dreamed of being on the faculty at AU since it’s a legendary school in that area. My doctorate is in Political Science, so I mostly teach courses on political theory and comparative politics. ”

“That’s the kind of job that gets called in as an expert. Most people aren’t looking for a maid’s opinion on the state of the world.”

“I happen to want to know your opinion on everything. I have this need to know every thought that goes through your head.”

Amy blushed. He’s a sweet talker, but it feels genuine.

“Tell me about yourself," he continued. “We didn’t get a chance to talk in those loud bars before.”

“Like I said, I’m from here. My sister and parents still live nearby; sometimes a little too close, if I can be candid. That’s not to say my sister Laura isn’t my best friend, but it can feel like a small town here. Um, let me think, what else? I grew up going to the different pro teams’ games, so I’m a local sports fan. A UVA fan, too, of course. I have a weakness for true crime, celebrity gossip, and overpriced food delivery. I also prefer to eat my candy bars frozen because it reminds me of getting them from the pool snack bar as a kid. That’s it.”

“That was a potpourri of information. I doubt that’s it, but I’ll get more out of you over time,” Drew said.

“Your turn. Tell me your story.”

“Okay. I’m an only child from a tiny little town in North Carolina that you’ve never heard of. I’m a die-hard Duke fan since I went there for undergrad.”

Amy gasped and mimicked clutching her pearls.

“I know that was the wrong thing to tell a UVA fan, but we’ll have to get past it. At least it’s not Virginia Tech.”

They both made a face of disgust and laughed.

“We established that I like Shaq and basketball back when you attacked me at Target, but I also like to play pickup games with my buddies. I played in high school but wasn’t Duke material. What else do you want to know?”

“What’s one thing I wouldn’t guess about you,” Amy asked.

“I’ll give you two things: I’ve been on TV twice and haven’t thrown up since second grade. ”

“You’re a TV star? Were you an expert on CNN or something?”

“No. My first appearance was on the local news. An escaped pet box turtle bit me. He had been camping out in the twisty slide at the park, and I unwittingly scared him. He scared me too, so we were even.” Amy let out a loud, honking laugh.

“Was that a guffaw? Nice. Well, my second TV appearance was also on the local news. I was in the background of a noon report from the mall at the next town over. It was only a flash of me, but it was enough for my mom to see me and know I had skipped school. No regrets, though. I was there to meet a girl I had been talking to online.”

“You’re a bad seed.”

“I thought girls liked bad boys?” he asked innocently.

They talked for hours until the restaurant closed. Amy found it easy to be with him and was so attracted to him. Handsome men like Drew tended to lose their appeal once you started talking to them, but he became more desirable to her. The more they talked, the more they found things in common, and what wasn’t in common was an excellent complement to the other person. She tried to slow herself down, but part of her felt like she’d met her other half.

Back at her building, Amy was reluctant to end the night. The way Drew was lollygagging after turning off his car gave her the impression that he wasn’t anxious to leave either.

“I really want to see you again,” Drew said, expressing exactly what Amy was thinking.

“I was going to say the same thing.”

“Almost-jinx. You owe me a date,” he said brightly. “Come on, I’ll walk you up. And, no, I’m not going inside with you, you hussy.”

“Will I ever live down my drunken proposition in Charlottesville?” Amy groaned.

“Probably not. I’m a man of quality, Amy. You need to woo me,” he said prissily .

She had been envious of this comfort and ease each time she saw how Jake and Laura, Brit and Harrison, and Belinda and Greg interacted. She now had a taste of it, and she wasn’t sure she could get enough. She’d “woo” Drew all right. She’d do anything to keep him in her life.

Magic or not, something had clicked for her after she saw the psychic. She was open to possibilities more than ever, allowing her to find the potential in everything around her.

Drew is a dream come true. Well, so far. No, Stop being negative! If this is what happens if I believe in possibility, then I’m okay with it. Maybe even enough to write a nice review for Mystic Natasha.

They had been wrapped up in each other hallway like teenagers, and she wasn’t one bit embarrassed. Amy wished she were the kind of woman who wrote in a journal because this was a night she wanted to remember forever.

Amy hesitated to call Drew perfect since it could make her blind to his faults at best and ruin things at worst. But he certainly bordered on it. That second date couldn’t come soon enough.

Drew: I still want to see you in that bridesmaid dress. Want to show it off at the Kennedy Center tomorrow?

Amy: You know it.

Drew: I like that you didn’t even ask what we’d be going to.

Amy: Oh, good point. What are we going to do?

Drew: I have no idea.

Amy had to smirk at that. Ballsy.

Amy: You seriously think you can just get tickets the night before?

Drew: What, like it’s hard? Trust me. You focus on being ready.

Amy’s stomach was filled with butterflies. This was becoming a permanent state for her, and she liked the foreign feeling. She was so excited about seeing Drew again the next day that she knew she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything but counting down until she could touch him again.