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I spent all day Thursday in Harry's lab. I thought immersing myself in the cryptid world before the convention might give me a hope of not coming off like a total idiot. I kept hoping if I went through enough of Harry's files, I'd figure out why he kept things the way he did. It made sense to keep all of Harry's cryptid stuff in once place, so I asked Rita and Sally to let me know if Jim showed up at the cafe. My phone rang while I was going through a file about a Waheela sighting in Canada. "Hi, Everly. Jim's here for lunch."
"Thanks, Rita. I'll be right over."
"Hi, Jim," I said, walking up to his table.
"Hi, Em." He stood up and hugged me. "I haven't heard from you much this week. Is everything OK?"
"All is well. How's your week been?"
We chatted while Jim ate his lunch. I told him I was thinking about making some changes to the cafe and about what I was finding in Harry's shed. "I don't want another client to take over my role as most demanding, so if you have a few minutes after lunch, I'd like to move the rest of Harry's cryptid books and papers down to the room in the back of the shed. That way, I can finish getting the apartment fixed up the way I want but deal with the cryptid stuff when I have time."
"Sounds like a plan. I'm happy to help."
He asked about my weekend plans and didn't seem too pleased with my answer. I got the sense that he knew I was pulling back from our relationship, but neither of us was ready to talk about it yet.
Jim and I made a few trips up and down the stairs moving all the boxes. "Have you found anything exciting in here?" Jim asked when we were setting the last boxes in the lab. "Anything about the bigfoot group or the government facility."
"No and that seems weird to me. Of course, I haven't even glanced at most of what's in here. It could be that I just haven't gotten to it yet."
"Are all of these file cabinets full?"
"I think so. I haven't opened every drawer though. At some point, I'll need to come up with a more organized way to approach this. I've just been looking at whatever catches my eye. "Feel free to look around if you want."
He looked at the stuff out on some of the tables and opened some of the file drawers. "I have no idea how you'll ever get through all of this. You may need Chance's help to figure out if any of this is worth keeping."
"I know. Since I found out about this place, I've been wondering why Harry didn't just leave the journal here and have you give me the key."
"Harry always had a reason for doing things the way he did. That doesn't mean the reason always made sense to the rest of us."
The cheek kiss I got before Jim left, told me it might be easier to break up with him than I thought. He seemed to already have accepted it even though I still felt like I needed to actually explain it to him.
Before I locked up the lab, I walked around opening every drawer and taking a closer look at the walls. I was hoping I'd find something that screamed "Look here. I'm important." Everywhere I looked there were papers, photos, and file folders, but I didn't see any way to discern their level of importance. More as a joke, than with any real expectation, I walked around the room feeling under each table. I drew my hand back in surprise when it touched something taped to the bottom of one of the tables in the back of the room. I sat down on the cement floor and scooted underneath the table. This was one of the few times I appreciated being short. Sure enough, there was a large manilla envelope taped to the bottom of the table.
I'd need to check the other tables more thoroughly now that I know there could really be something there. As carefully as I could, I peeled off the tape holding the envelope. Before I could scoot out from under the table, my phone alarm beeped causing me to startle and hit my head on the underside of the table.
"Fudge." I squinted my eyes shut from the pain. Once I was well clear of the table overhead, I touched the top of my head. I'd probably have a bump later. I picked up my phone from the table and turned off the alarm. I'd set it to remind me to call it a day in time to pack for my trip and get ready for my date with Tom.
Hugging the envelope to my chest, I turned off the lights and locked the lab door. As I was closing the shed door, I realized I had no idea if Chance was driving tomorrow or if he'd want me to. I knew he could drive with the cast but wasn't sure what he'd prefer.
When I got upstairs, I dropped the envelope on my dresser, sent Chance a text, and started throwing things on the bed that I needed to pack for the weekend. I was getting a headache, so I took some aspirin. I touched my head and could feel a knot forming, so I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and held it against my head when I didn't need both hands.
I packed my suitcase and set it next to the box of marketing postcards for Hairy's in the living room by the door. I would have liked to make dinner for Tom, but since I was going away for the weekend I didn't want to have a bunch of leftovers, so I opted for food from Hairy's. I set the table then made myself a cup of tea. I sat down on the sofa to relax before Tom showed up.
When my phone rang, I thought it might be Tom cancelling, but it was Chance. "Hi, City Girl. Ready for your date?"
I was caught off guard that Chance knew about my date with Tom.
"I heard the last one got cut short. Hope you have better luck tonight. If you're OK with driving your SUV tomorrow that would be great. I can drive some if you get tired, but it's tough to get comfortable for driving with the cast."
"Sure. No problem. Do you want to have breakfast before we go?"
"Let's stop on the way. It's a good excuse for you to check out your competition."
We agreed on a time before Chance said good night. I'd been holding the ice pack to my head while I talked to Chance, and I laid it on the table when Tom knocked.
"Hi, Everly. Thanks for the redo on our date. Sorry it got cut short."
"Hi, Tom. Was the fire you got called to a bad one? Sorry, I doubt any fire is good. Was everyone OK?"
"Yeah. It was small barn with old wiring. It was being used to store junk, so there was no great loss, and no one got hurt."
"That's good," I said, moving into the kitchen to get drinks.
"Are you OK? I saw the ice pack on the table."
"Yeah, I just bumped my head sorting through some stuff in the shed earlier."
"Let me take a look," he said, coming up behind me. I winced when his fingers found the bump. "There's no blood. Just a bump. Do you have a headache?"
"I did, but I took some aspirin. It's better now."
He turned me to face him, keeping his arms around me. "You need to be more careful," he said. When his lips touched mine, I vowed to learn everything I needed to know from the kiss while I had the chance. He deepened the kiss for a moment, then pulled back looking in my eyes as though checking to see if I was upset about the kiss. I put my hands on his face and pulled his lips back to mine. I lost myself in the kiss. It was good. Very good. When we both came up for air, I said. "Dinner might be ruined."
"It's already the best dinner I've ever had," he said. I pulled him back in for another kiss. I truly don't remember taking a step, but I ended up in Tom's lap on the sofa. "We need to stop," he said.
"Getting hungry?" I asked.
"Definitely, but not for dinner. Are you still dating Chance or Jim?"
"I'm not sure." It was technically true. I'm not sure I was dating any of them and none of them had asked for an exclusive arrangement.
Tom eased me off his lap as he laughed. "How can you not be sure if you're dating someone?"
"It depends on the intent of your question, I guess. If you mean have I been on dates with others recently, then yes. If you mean am I in a relationship with any of them, no."
"Everly, I'm a nice guy, but my interest in sharing has its limits."
"I know. Mine too. I know I need to decide if I want to pursue a relationship with any of you. If I do, I need to choose that one. I'm just trying to do all the necessary research to make sure I make the best possible choice for me."
"This was research?"
I nodded my head in the affirmative.
"You must have been very popular in college."
"Tom, I'm being honest with you. I share your opinion that a relationship can only progress so far without being exclusive. I think we're good together. I'm just trying to be careful."
"You still want dinner?"
"What are my choices?
"I could leave now and let you consider your options."
"A girl has to eat," I said, heading for the kitchen.
Tom helped me clean up the dishes, then said, “I should go so you can get some sleep. I know you guys are leaving early tomorrow.” I got the impression he wasn’t happy about my ill-defined relationships with Chance and Jim. I did intend to clarify the situation. I just hadn’t gotten to it yet.
After Tom left, it was still early so I called, Jim. “Hi. I know it’s late, but can I come over. I need to talk to you for a few minutes.”
“Sure. I’ll leave the porchlight on.”
I drove the few blocks to Jim’s house. He opened the front door before I had a chance to knock or ring the bell. “Is everything OK?”
“Sort of,” I said.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“No thanks. Look Jim, I just wanted to say that you’re a great guy, and I appreciate all that you’ve done for me since I got to Wilkins’ Gap. I think we’ll be great friends, but I don’t think we have a romantic connection.” That wasn’t really true. I could easily let myself get romantically involved with Jim. Before I met Chance and Tom, I would have said Jim was just my type, but that was the problem. Dating my type hadn’t worked out well for me in the past.
“It’s OK, Em,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “I had a feeling you were more interested in Tom or Chance. It’s OK. I’ll always be here for you.”
I knew he meant it.