“The letters,” the young man responded. “I read the letters and, well, I just assumed you must be her.” He watched with eager eyes as Jeri tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. A brief cloud of emotion seemed to cross her face as her smile suddenly twisted and faded.
“And why would you assume that?” Jeri asked.
The young man detected a new tone in her voice, as subtle and dangerous as a thin layer of ice forming on the surface of a dark road. “You just seem like the only one working here worth writing to,” he replied confidently. He then grinned and narrowed his eyes, casting Jeri his most disarming expression. His fraternity friends didn’t call him the snake charmer for nothing.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I am the only one working here. Period.”
“Right,” he responded apologetically. “Well, anyway, I can see why he would write to you.” He shifted his face into one his most attractive expressions, but Jeri’s stare remained strangely unreadable. For the first time in recent history, the young man quietly wondered whether his charm was working. “So, what time do you–”
Jeri quickly held up a finger. “Hold that thought.”
The young man watched Jeri’s thin, beautifully proportioned frame as she walked to the far end of the counter and poured a beer. His pulse quickened as she flashed him a look and handed the beer to an older, gray-haired man sitting in the corner. The two exchanged a quick word before the old man turned and smiled at him. That’s it… she’s mine he thought confidently as Jeri slowly strolled back towards him. He looked away nonchalantly, feigning interest in a stack of large books tucked behind the bar next to a stool. The books all had long titles like Global Trade in the Digital Communication Era, The Conundrum of China, and Supply Chain Best Practices – whatever the hell that meant. He was wondering who could possibly be interested in such nonsense when Jeri suddenly stepped in front of him.
“So tell me why,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile as she rested her elbows on the counter and leaned seductively forward. He was momentarily caught off guard; awed by the silky, alabaster beauty of her face and yet confused by the cold, unblinking stare of her eyes that refused to match her otherwise inviting expression.
“Why… why what?” he stammered.
“You said you knew why he would write me,” Jeri replied. Her amber eyes locked on his as she rested her head in her hand. “So explain it to me.”
He smiled shyly and quickly ran his hand through his dark curls of hair. Checkmate he thought to himself. The boyish approach was working. It always worked. Now he just had to tell her what she wanted to hear, and this one would be in the bag.
“It’s pretty obvious,” he answered, staring at his drink. “I mean, you’re totally gorgeous, so I’m sure he was immediately attracted to you.” He looked at her with a sheepish grin.
Jeri glared at him for a moment before speaking. “And?”
“And, well, I mean…” He paused for a quick sip of his drink, trying to rapidly collect his thoughts. The second compliment was always harder. You had to get under the surface, take some risks. He was still searching for the right words when he once again noticed the books on the bar. Bingo.
“You seem really intelligent. Maybe that’s not something everyone else sees right away, but I’m sure he noticed, just like I did.”
“Wow. That’s really… amazing,” Jeri whispered, her lips stretching into another smile.
The young man again noticed the odd coldness of her eyes that seemed distantly focused. It was as if she was in fact looking through him he thought uncomfortably. But he must have been imagining things. Clearly this was going well. “I guess you could say I’m perceptive,” he replied.
“Oh, I agree. I would definitely call you perceptive.”
He took a long sip of his drink, smiling at her with his deep brown eyes. “And I would definitely call you… well, actually, I would literally call you. That is, if I had your phone number.”
“Say again?” Jeri asked.
“You know, just a little play on words,” he said wryly. “But hey, since we’re on the subject, I really would like to get your number.”
Jeri stepped back from the bar and let her smile drop suddenly, like a shattered mask revealing its true wearer. She knew before she uttered a word exactly what she was about to say, her throat tightening in preparation as if her voice were now on auto-pilot. And just as surely as she knew the words that were coming, she knew she’d hate herself for saying them later.