Page 32 of One Good Reason

“If you don’t mind me asking…” She hesitated before further prying, “Why did the two of you call it quits?”

“Well.” Clearing my throat, I scratched at the back of my neck. “While there were a multitude of reasons, the main one was us going in two separate directions.” I kept my answer vague. I was trying to move past my relationship with Dahlia. The two of us were no more and I saw no reason to keep rehashing what was or what could have been.

“I can understand that too,” Talitha confirmed.

“Says the woman who admitted more than once that she doesn’t have time for anything but her beloved Gema,” I tossed out just to fuck with her.

Pointing her fork at me, Talitha laughed. “I’ve dated before, you know. ”

Leaning back in the chair, I folded my arms across my chest. “Youfound time to date? Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“Why would it be hard to believe? I’m not a nun, Law.”

“Could’ve fool me,” I chuckled.

“Go to hell, Lawton Harvey.” She pouted.

“As long as you’re along for the ride,” I followed up with a wink. “I’m basing all of this off the conversation we had yesterday.”

“A very brief conversation,” she surmised. “In fact, so brief that it wasn’t enough for you to draw any type of conclusions. So, I would deduce that you were merely guessing. Grasping at straws to be exact.”

“We can dive deeper if you feel that way.

Talitha huffed and rolled her eyes. “Anyways, back to New York.”

“What about it?”

“Shopping on tomorrow. The gala on Saturday. What’s the plan for Sunday?”

“Well, since I’m dragging you to this event with me, I figured we could spend Sunday doing whatever it is that you want to do. You mentioned this being your first time visiting so I guess I could take you around the city… do touristy shit.”

“Really?” She smirked.

I shrugged. “It’s the least I could do.”

“That’s so notable of you.”

“Trying to exercise that gentlemen spirit that I’ve been known to have.” I chuckled.

“Shit!” she groused. “All of this talk about nonbusiness had me forgetting. I spoke with someone about the vacant school. My sources say the city may be willing to sell it being that it’s sat vacant for so long.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I figured we could go check it out when we get back from New York.”

“Give me a time and we can make something happen.”

Her eyes slanted as she stared at me with her head cocked to the side. “Just like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I say something, and you just make it happen.”

“Time wasted is time we can’t get back. If you feel like we could lock down this location, then the sooner we get on it, the faster we can submit the application. Time is of the essence, and we are racing against the clock.”

“I know,” she sighed. “The more we talk about it, the more my excitement bubbles. I pray that we can see it through.”

“We can and we will,” I affirmed.

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