Page 21 of Power of the Mind
“I’m serious. End of the month.”
“It’s the twenty-sixth.”
“Fuck.” I considered and cringed. “It’s cutting it close, but I can do it.”
Memphis laughed out loud. “With Diem Krause?”
“Yes.”
“The Neanderthal who can’t even have a conversation with you and stalks your every move is going to ask you out on a date?”
“Yes.”
“In under five days.”
I waffled again but squeaked out, “Yes.”
“And you want this?”
“I… It’s an experiment.” I wasn’t sure what I wanted from the brooding giant, but whatever it was, maybe I wasn’t ready to share my feelings with Memphis.
“Experiment. Yeah right. Won’t happen.”
“It will.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Bet me.”
“No.”
“Bet me,” I whined.
“Okay. Fine. If it does, I will eat my new three-hundred-dollar leather shoes because, Tallus, sweetheart, love, it ain’t gonna happen. Were you sniffing glue at the office today?”
“I was not. And if you win, I will buy you that shirt you want that apparently has gold in it and brings out the color of your eyes.”
“That shirt is over a hundred bucks.”
“Won’t matter. I’m going to win. Listen, I have to go.” Breathing regulated, I yanked open the door to the third-floor hallway. The air was stale and hot. The shit-brown carpet wafted mildew.
“It won’t happen.”
“Oh, it will, babe. Best buy some HP sauce for all that leather you’ll be chomping.”
“Girl, I worry about you.”
“Everything is under control. Talk to you later.”
I disconnected the call, adjusted Diem’s crooked and broken sign—it was back on the wall—fixed my glasses, scanned my clothes, straightened my tie, feathered fingers through my hair, and exhaled a challenging breath as I knocked. I had a bet to win. A new plan of attack. A side quest in addition to my main quest. I liked a challenge, and Diem Krause was the definition of challenging.
Proving it, he yanked the door open, eyebrows pushed together in the middle, and wearing a scowl to end all scowls as he barked, “There is nothing to investigate. This is a waste of time.”
“Ugh, are we doing this again?” I pushed past the looming giant and invited myself in.
He forcefully slammed the door, and a second later, a crash sounded from the hallway.
“Your sign fell. Again.”