It took me a minute to make sure Nick was on the line before I dialed Jace's number. I was just glad he was on his break at work because he would've flipped if he wasn't in on it.
"If this is a telemarketer, I'm going to hang up," Jace warned.
"It's Lori."
"Oh, hi Lori. I was wondering when you'd call. What's up?"
I decided to cut to the chase. It was oddly reassuring that the kid was so straightforward. "My friend has Saturday morning off. Can you meet us then?"
"Sure. What time will it be done? I have a thing Saturday night."
I laughed a little. So did I. How weird was that, actually having plans on a Saturday night that didn't include binge watching something with Faye? "Don't worry, it won't take all day. How about we meet at ten in the park off Main Street? We'll be sitting on the bench next to the lion statue."
"Okay, I can do that. Anything else?"
"Nope. See you then. And have a good rest of your week."
He seemed surprised at the civility. "Uh yeah, you too. See you."
Nick waited about thirty seconds to be sure I was the only one there before peppering me with questions. "Why the park? What if he reports us? Are you sure this is a good idea? Are you sure we can trust this kid? Why so early? I have the whole day off and I work late on Friday."
"Whoa there cowboy," I stifled a laugh. "I figure the park is a relatively normal place for a kid to run into a couple of adults. If he was going to report us, I think he would have already. He just wants to make sure we're both legit before committing. Saturday morning works better for everyone but you. The kid's not the only one with plans Saturday night."
"You're going out with that man again, aren't you?" Nick said, his voice dripping with disapproval. "Don't you think this has gone too far?"
Yes.
"That's the thing, it's gone too far for me to turn back now. I think he wants to introduce me to people as his girlfriend."
"Loriiiiiiiiiiiiii," he moaned. "Why did you get yourself into this situation?"
I tried to defend myself but didn't do a very good job. "I thought I was killing two birds with one stone but it looks like all I've done is create a bird infestation."
"That's the most ridiculous metaphor I've ever heard." I could almost hear him rolling his eyes at me.
"Shut up."
His tone turned serious. "But really, shouldn't you back out before you dig yourself into a deeper hole? This guy hasn't done anything wrong except be interested in you."
"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically.
"You know what I meant."
"Yeah, yeah. I have the situation under control. I'll end things how and when I see fit." I was a little stung Nick thought so lowly of me before I remembered he had actually been in love. He respected it, unlike me. He would never take advantage of someone else's feelings for his own gain.
"I just don't want this to backfire on you. And it could, in a big way. What if things go too far? Would you really marry a guy just to cover your tracks?"
"No way!" I exclaimed. I wasn't that heartless. Or willing to shackle myself to someone I only passingly cared about. "I won't let it get that far."
"You better not," he said teasingly. The serious turn the conversation had taken seemed to be over. "I won't cavort with a married woman."
"Ugh, don't even talk like that," I groaned. I was never going to get married. The only things that mattered to me were cats and kids. I helped kids at work. I helped cats at home. That was enough for me.
"Don't you want to find someone eventually?" Nick seemed surprised. "You love kids. You seem like the family type."
A strangled laugh escaped my lips. I was about as far as you could get from the family type. "I haven't been interested in that sort of thing since I was about fourteen."
"So young," he said sadly. "What happened to you?"
I had never talked about that to anyone but Cindy. She understood. She lived it. "Your life has been very different from mine. You'd never understand. And I'm done talking about it." My words carried an air of finality.
He seemed slightly abashed. "I'm sorry, Lori. I didn't mean to bring up anything painful."
"Well, you did," I said sulkily before softening. It wasn't his fault and he was one of the only friends I had. I couldn't afford to antagonize him. "You couldn't have known though. It's okay."
"Alright," he said, unsure. "I guess I'll see you Saturday morning. Take care of yourself."
"You too," I said softly before the line disconnected.
I really did need to be nicer to Nick. He was possibly the only person in the world who even fractionally understood me anymore. He was just trying to help. He didn't know how far beyond help I was. I was too broken, too hateful to ever be more than a vigilante with a cover story. That was all there was to me. All justice and no depth.