Page 13 of The Renter

10

We walk quietly up the hill toward the coffee shop. It’s across the street from the convenience store, and I missed it when I was here this morning. It’s a little late for coffee, but I could use some.

“Black coffee for me. What about you?”

“Same—black, black,” she says with a smile.

We take our cups and sit at one of the outdoor picnic tables. I reach for her hand, playing with her fingers. “That was really great,” I say, reminiscing.

She smiles, takes a sip, then points to a spot above her right temple. “Between the run and the second workout, I’m so dehydrated. I’ve got this headache.” She winces. “I’m like an hour away from doing a line, I swear.”

A cocaine joke.I hope she’s not serious, and the difference in our life stages is deafening.

Dani picks up on my flat response. “I don’t do coke … anymore,” she says, grabbing my wrist. “It was never a big problem, but it also wasn’t not a problem. Anyway … oversharing.” She pauses, looking past me for a moment, then back at me. “I’m having a lot of fun with you. Look at all we’ve done in less than twenty-four hours.”

If we keep hanging out, I’ll have to unpack that loaded statement she made. I take a deep breath. This has killed the vibe for me. I remind myself that she’s not the future mother of my children or my next great love.She’s Dani Fuckbuddy.I should enjoy this. But my insecurity about my midlife crisis prevails.

“What about other guys around here?”

“That’s hilarious,” she says, giving me a look like I’m an idiot. “I went to high school a town over before going to Loyola. I never planned on living here again, but I put too many chips in one place and had to come back to rebuild.” I can feel her discomfort with the topic.

“As a ground rule …” I pause. “Well, rules. If we’re calling this, as you said, fuckbuddies, I want to be the only guy you’re sleeping with.” I squeeze her hand. “You’re young and hot, and whenever you find someone else more fitting, let me know. I don’t want to have to worry about anything, you know?”

She nods.

“And I’m not into drugs. I might take an edible here or there, but I’m not into drugs.” I stare into her eyes.

Dani nods again. “Those are fair rules,” she says, still playing with my fingers. “I need to focus on building my client work anyway, so an arrangement with you checks all the boxes.”

She’s so beautiful.I’m trying to focus on her words, but part of me still can’t fully believe this is real. That this person showed up at my literal doorstep yesterday, and now we’re negotiating a fuckbuddy relationship.

“I’m hoping to move back to Chicago in August, so this can be a fun summer thing.” She smiles and bites her lower lip. “Now that we have that established, do you want to … ?”

She wants me to take her back.She’s insatiable.I’m not sure I have the stamina for more today, plus I need to read through some presentations before Monday.

“I’ve got a few things I need to get done today, but let’s plan on seeing each other this week.”

“Your loss,” she teases with a smile.

11

Sunday, May 8th

“Igoogled him,” I say in a huff to Kelsey at Starbucks on Sunday afternoon.

“Yes!” She leans in eagerly. “What did you find?”

“The universe is playing a big fucking joke on me.”

Thinking of the quickest way to explain what two hours of online digging uncovered, I continue, “He didn’t tell me his last name, but I saw his credit card on the table. It was a familiar name so it made me think to look him up.”

“Details, now!”

“Bad news first.” I take a long swig of coffee, scrunching my shoulders. “He invested in Shirts.” I pause, knowing this will get a reaction.

“What? How do you not know him? I thought you helped Shirts pitch to investors.”

I shift uncomfortably. “Yeah, I know the monster fucking venture capital firm that invested in Shirts. But Adam wasn’t one of the people we pitched to. Like, Harris Ventures is Adam’s company. HeisAdam Harris.”