“Some people call them cakes, but they’re harder like cookies. I don’t really care what they are, but they’re delicious.”
He nibbled on one, then lifted his brow. “Huh.” Dunking it into his milk, he plopped the rest of it in his mouth and chewed.
“Right, so…” I looked at the box of cookies and considered stuffing one in my mouth to waste time while I chewed it. “Alright, listen. I know what I’m about to say won’t make any sense, but I swear it’s true. I saw Beatrice and Solomon in the bookstore. I overheard them talking.”
Jeremy nearly choked on a mouthful of milk. He coughed and spluttered and I gasped and yelled at him to raise his hands in the air.
When he seemed alright again, he said, “That’s strange. Are you sure about… I mean… I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but I can’t imagine why either of them would be there.”
“I don’t really know why they were there, either,” I said.
“Fair enough. So, let’s say they were there. What did you hear?”
I explained it to him. I didn’t know the exact specifics, but it sounded like something involving an affair, an attempt to ruin Landseer Enterprises, and then Beatrice’s inevitable divorce from Asher. I knew it sounded insane, but I really needed to tell someone.
Jeremy stared at me long and hard. “Maybe we need to take you to a doctor besides the in vitro specialist,” he said.
“This isn’t a time for jokes!” I grabbed a cookie from the box and chomped on it hard, crushing it into pieces. “I wouldn’t just say this, alright?” Powdered sugar sputtered from my mouth to the table. I glowered and finished eating my cookie, then added, “I don’t know why they were there, either, but I know it happened. You don’t have to believe me. I swear I’m not trying to pull anything. I just… I don’t know what to do, you know? Do I do anything? Do I just ignore it? If I tell Asher, he’d just look at me funny and get mad, don’t you think? I wouldn’t blame him if he did.”
Jeremy took a drink of his milk, wiped his lips with the cuff of his sleeve, and sighed. “Look, first off, Asher wouldn’t look at you funny or get mad. He probably wouldn’t believe you, but he’s a nice guy, so he’d at least listen. The problem is that right after he’d talk to Beatrice about it. And, if what you said happened, then she’d obviously lie to him. So we can’t do that.”
“Does this mean you believe me?” I asked.
“I don’t not believe you,” he said. “Let’s leave it at that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Beatrice was planning something like this, but I don’t know you that well, either. I like you, don’t get me wrong, and you seem nice, but…”
“No, no, I understand. Thanks for listening and not yelling at me. I really appreciate it.”
“What we have to do,” he said, “is figure out what exactly is going on. With evidence, preferably. If that’s even possible, I have no idea. You have to understand and agree that maybe you misheard, too. Also, maybe it was someone else entirely in that room. People that sounded similar, or with the same names, right? It happens.”
“No.” I shook my head. “When, um, when I kissed you in the alley, you remember? It was because I saw Beatrice and Solomon walking past. I didn’t want them to realize it was us.”
“I just figured I was irresistibly attractive,” he said, smirking. “I guess your reason makes more sense, though. You and I totally wouldn’t work out together. Sorry. I wish I’d seen them, though. It’d make this easier.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Eh, it’s fine. I got a kiss from a beautiful woman out of it, so who am I to complain?”#p#分页标题#e#
I hit him in the shoulder and pursed my lips. “Shut up.”
“I was giving you a compliment!”
“Right. Sure. Whatever.” I stood up, grabbing a cookie for good measure. “I have to call my mother to tell her what’s going on, but after can you help me pack some things and maybe we can think of something? Maybe it’s nothing, but it’s good to have a plan, right?”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said. He smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. “Don’t worry. Asher’s a tough guy. Everything will work out in the end. He didn’t get rich from dumb luck or anything. He knows what’s up.”
I smiled. Yes, he must. Asher was kind and nice and interesting and fun, maybe a little domineering, but he was other things, too. He had business savvy, of course, and knew how to navigate the corporate world with ease. One thing really bothered me, though.