Page 22 of My Rock Star Neighbor
“By the way, you asked me to let you know if I overheard the Infrastructure Department deputy commissioners say anything interesting,” Frank says.“Deputy Commissioner Galliano of the Infrastructure Department often gets his coffee here, and he was on the phone the other day, and he said, ‘It has to look legit, though.’”
“Really?”I ask.“Do you know the context?”
“No, he paid for his coffee then and walked away,” Frank says.“But he’s a nice man.Good tipper.”
That was interesting, if completely inconclusive.
“Well, let me know if you overhear anything else,” I say.
My phone rings.My contact now wants to meet closer to her office.
Jing volunteers to accompany me the two blocks to the new location.We walk down the center pathway of the park towards the fountain.Most of the trees are bare, but there’s still a fair amount of green because of the fir trees and the bushes.To the right, outside the park, is the distinctive Gothic façade of the Woolworth Building.
Jing pulls up theVarietyphoto.“The way Nick’s looking at you… I still think he might actually like you.Maybe he’s not dating anyone else because he does like you.”
“Photos can be easily manipulated,” I say.
“Sarah is jealous.Don’t listen to her.”
“Don’t worry,” I say to Jing.I give her a hug goodbye as she returns to the office, and then I loiter outside the CVS, waiting for my contact to show up, touched that Jing was concerned about me.But Nemesis was right that Nick and I are just friends.Pretending we are dating will only lead to heartache for me.But he had a valid point that he must really trust whoever plays the part of his girlfriend.And it’s not like I don’t want to help him.
10.Nick will do whatever Maddie wants for three months, as long as it is not a career conflict.
He must be desperate.I’m torn.And do I want to watch him dating someone else?Even if it’s fake?
I meet my friends for a late dinner at Craic and Laughs.Luckily, the source I’d met earlier today had given me the list.I also need to determine any correlation between complaints and the buildings assigned to each deputy commissioner.I’m late because I was following Deputy Commissioner Galliano around.Eleanor Roosevelt Houses is in his district, so based on the “He runs the district” comment, it seems like he’s the most likely suspect.Following him feels like a dead end.He’s responsible for community affairs, and unsurprisingly, he went to a community meeting.His nickname in the press room is Gallant Galliano and based on how responsive he was to constituent concerns, I can see why.
Iris pulls out the chair next to her, and I sit between her and Bella.Bella is a romance author, and she and I can talk about writing for ages.
“Are those glasses new?”I ask Bella.
“Yes, but still red.Red for romance,” Bella says, fluffing out her wavy brown hair.
“They look great,” I say.
Pushing her glasses up on her nose, Bella asks us for ideas for plotting her next book because she’s stuck, and we pitch suggestions.
I say, “How about a cybersecurity analyst who is investigating a security breach to save her company during the holidays but has to resist the allure of her lawyer colleague assigned to help?”
Iris pushes me, and I almost fall off my chair.We all giggle because that’s Iris’s love story.
Our ideas get more and more zany.
I say, “How about he’s a circus performer, and he comes to New York City to perform—”
“He’s an acrobat,” Iris interrupts.
“Exactly, and someone tries to mug him, and she scares the guy off,” I say.
“But he must go with the show,” Iris says.“He can’t stay in the city.”
“He’s the last of a long family line of acrobat legends,” Bella says, joining in the fun.
I love these nights—great company, music, and food, which is what “craic” means in Irish.Iris’s dad emigrated here from Ireland.The front window is still decorated with snowflakes from when my friends and I decorated it after Thanksgiving.We’re sitting at one of the worn, dark-wooden tables on the side.Colorful framed band posters adorn the wall behind us.A long bar with barstools is across from us.I can’t help breaking some melted wax off the beer bottle with a candle that has yet to be lit.The front of Craic and Laughs is a typical bar, but the back has been set up as a band venue re-engineered for great acoustics.A band is setting up on the stage.
The usual old-timers have claimed their stools at the bar.A bunch of new people have shown up to hear this latest band play.I admit that I checked to see if Nick’s band was playing tonight before I suggested we meet here, because I’m afraid I will not be able to resist a hard sell after seeing him perform.
I tell my friends about my story lead and my plan to interview more people from the repair request database tomorrow.
