Inside Her Mind
Emily spotted her ‘friend date’ at once when the limo pulled into the parking lot. Byron stood out from the crowd of weekend joggers and families with his tall, imposing figure. The giant dog he was holding on a leash also added a majestic touch to his appearance.
Just as she climbed out of the limo, a drizzle began to spray, darkening the concrete and covering the grass with gleaming drops.
“Why is it always raining when we meet?” she said to Byron.
He hardly seemed to notice the weather as he stood there consuming her with his eyes. It was like he had never seen her before. Finally, he realized he was staring, and he reduced the intense wattage of his gaze.
“It always rains in this city,” he said, “but if you’re tired of the rain, we could sail down to San Diego.”
“Ha ha, that’s okay,” she replied. He was certainly good at tempting her with fine offers. “I’m fine with a walk in the park. And who is this fine gentleman?”
Emily offered her hand for the dog to sniff.
“This is my best friend Rupert.”
“Would Rupert like a treat?” Emily asked, producing a small plastic bag with sliced turkey sausage.
“You’re going to spoil him,” Byron said, “but I’m sure he’d like some.”
She fed a few pieces to the dog, giggling as it licked her hand.
“Now he’s going to love you forever,” Byron said.
They walked at a leisurely pace down the paths, admiring the gold and red autumn leaves while the pine trees and cedars provided a constant background of green.
“What kind of work is it you do exactly?” Byron asked as they walked down a sheltered path to the beach.
“I was doing some design work for a marketing company. Creating color schemes, stuff like that.”
“One of my internet startups here in town has a marketing branch,” Byron said, “You could work there.”
“Are you offering me a job?”
“Yeah.”
He seemed serious, and Emily was tempted, but she knew it was another offer she couldn’t accept.
“It’s very kind of you to offer, but it’s better if I don’t.”
It was ironic that this new man in her life earned billions of dollars while she was on the verge of being broke. But she knew she could find a way out of this without having to rely on him for money. Their budding relationship, whether it was going to remain a friendship or turn into something else, was much too delicate to add work into the mix.
“You’re very stubborn,” Byron remarked, “you know that?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said.
They emerged onto the beach and had fun for a while throwing a ball for Rupert to fetch. Then Rupert started playing with a big husky, and Emily couldn’t stop laughing at their antics.
She caught Byron staring at her again, but this time a slight smile graced his face like a ray of sunshine lighting up an overcast sky.
She thought Sylvia would be a challenge, but Byron had the secret weapon of being too attractive for words.
“You have a nice laugh,” he said as they stood looking out at the blue-grey ocean while the dogs ran in circles around them. “And you really like dogs, don’t you? If I was to look inside your mind, would I find a lot of dogs running around on a colorful background and psychedelic music playing?”
“Yeah,” Emily said, laughing again with happiness and amusement, “that’s pretty much what the inside of my mind looks like.” But now she wondered if Byron Pomeroy with his green eyes and mysterious moods occupied a part of her mindscape too. “What would I find inside your mind, I wonder?”
“Nothing so fun. Just a lot of financial figures and plans for company mergers,” he said, “Maybe a few songs by Quinn Faines.”
“No way!” Emily cried, “I love Quinn Faines. Nobody I know likes him at all.”
It was hard to find other people who thought it was cool to listen to country songs about broken hearts and tractors.
“You see,” Byron said, “it’s a sign.”
“A sign?” she asked.
He smiled wickedly. “A sign that you should come over to my place for drinks.”
“Nice try!” Emily said, “but I know what that means.”
“Okay,” he admitted, moving a step closer to her, “maybe I want to be more than friends. I want to take you home and feel your touch...” he whispered softly in her ear, making her pulse race, “Tell me you don’t feel the same.”
Emily had to turn away to recover, or else she might have fallen under his spell. He was too good.
“It’s complicated,” she said, looking out at a distant ship and not facing him. Even now, though she barely knew him, her body craved his touch. She felt the yearning even stronger when she knew he felt it too. How could she keep going like this?