Page 92 of My Infatuation with Isabella

He turns it back to him. “How’s your day going?”

“Good. Tommy and I are trying to put together a fundraiser to help the homeless shelter that burnt down. I don’t know if you heard about it when Syd reported it earlier.”

“Oh, can I help with that?” Dana asks, and a few seconds later, her face comes into view. “I would love to get involved with something like that. I’ll speak to my mom about it and maybe we can set up boxes so customers can bring clothes and toys and non-perishable foods and just drop them in the box. Then big brother over here...” She ruffles his hair. “...can take me to drop them off at the shelter or the studio...wherever you like.”

“Wow, that would be great. Thank you.”

“No problem. I don’t have a job, so I can’t donate money, but I’m happy to help out however I can.” She smiles and ruffles his hair again. “Now onto the real reason why we called. Firstly, this riddle you gave him is pure genius, and I like you even more now after seeing what it’s done to him. Dylan has spent almost every waking minute trying to solve it and now he’s roped me into it, so it’s bugging the hell out of me too. Okay, so let’s take it from the top. What was that first line again?”

“So, you want to stalk the Queen of Spades?” Dylan replies. “I told Dana that I think that’s the starting point. The few places where I can say I’ve...stalkedyou are the bowling alley and your office because I showed up there unannounced, but you said I was stalking you when I saw you at the coffee shop and the Royale. Now, my gut is thinking the Royale because you refer to the Queen of Spades...which is royalty.”

“And if that’s the starting point,” Dana continues, “and the next line isI’m not surprised. You’ve been stalking I for a decade,I told Dylan that you didn’t say stalkingme, you saidI, which doesn’t make much English sense, so you must have done that intentionally. Then a decade is ten, so I’m thinking we need to take the I10 from the Royale. Mom said it should be the I10 west because?”

“You got your whole family involved in this?” I ask with an amused giggle.

He chuckles. “It’s all hands on deck, Bella. I’m not giving up until I find you.”

“And he’s not letting us rest until then either, so we’re kinda forced to help,” Dana adds. “Anyway, the next line is:The sun has set on our time together and you absolutely hate it.The sun sets in the west, so mom is adamant that we need to take the I10 west.”

Dylan jumps in again there. “Then, this one:But maybe you think the best way to predict the future is to create it.My dad was the only one smart enough to remember that you used an Abraham Lincoln quote at the end there, so I went onto Google maps and saw that Lincoln Park is along the I10 west...but that’s where I got stuck.”

“Stuck?” Dana starts laughing. “Let me tell you what my brother did. He left the restaurant early yesterday and drove to Lincoln Park, then went up and down each street and knocked on every door. This one granny?”

“Ester. She’s a sweetheart.”

“Yeah, Ester felt so bad for him that she invited him in to have dinner with her.”

“Well, at least I had a date with a beautiful woman last night, so it wasn’t a total waste because that was my intention from the start.” He smiles, and I just melt. It’s adorable watching them together. “But yes, I didn’t find you, so now I’m stuck. Am I at least on the right track?”

He sounds deflated, and I decide to not be mean. “You’re definitely on the right track, but in the wrong place. Use the rest of the riddle to find me.”

“Gah! Fine. That doesn’t help but fine.” He nods. “So, have you given any thought to what you want to do for date two.”

“They put up this massive new fountain around the corner from the office. I want to go there, kick my shoes off, and dip my feet in there. Oh, I want some hot dogs too.”

“That’s a plan.” There’s a stilted silence. “I don’t really want to end the call. We don’t have therapy today, so I won’t even see you later.”

Instead of having our sessions on Wednesday and Friday, Dr. Burkman rescheduled them to Tuesday and Thursday this week, so we’ve already had our face-to-face time. Part of me wants to go cave and give him my address, so I can see him again, but I stay strong.

“Well...you can call.” It doesn’t make either of us feel better, but he fakes a smile.

“Okay, let me get back to cooking.”

Dana waves. “Bye!”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little bitchy?” Tommy asks as soon as I hang up. Dropping our lunch on the desk, he sits down on the opposite side. “The guy just wants to take you out and you’re making it impossible for him.”

I take out my roasted chili Rellenos with black beans (and without cheese). I grab two forks from my drawer and hand one to Tommy. The in-studio guest we had about two months ago was an environmental specialist and broke down the stats of how much meat consumption directly impacts the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere and what a devastating effect it has on global warming. Tommy and I were so taken aback by the data that we made a promise on air that we wouldn’t eat any meat at least three times a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It was a hard adjustment, but we’re learning to love our semi-vegan diet.

“I don’t think I’m being bitchy at all,” I reply, digging into my food. “Besides, Dylan loves this type of stuff.”

He keeps wary eyes on me. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you...want to give this another shot?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, Tom. I do and I don’t. You know how I feel about Dylan, but...he was with Francesca for a long time, and I’ve never trusted how he feels about me...or her. There’s a lot of doubt and mistrust hanging in the air. He’s said a lot of things in therapy that I want to believe, but I’m so skeptical about everything.” I eat a few more bites before I continue. “I’m scared to trust him and get hurt again...but I agreed to the terms of this engagement, so I have until date five to think about it and spend some time with him before I make a decision. If you were in my shoes, would you trust him?”

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