Pure Connections

Chapter 3

      

      Lisa sat in her Jeep, parked opposite Gia, observing the myriad of suits and hipsters sweeping in and out of the restaurant. Her body hummed with an unshakable energy she'd come to identify as willful bewitchery. There was a greater metaphor to be found there—something beyond spending half the morning spellbound as she snapped images throughout Clarion Alley, getting lost in the telling of one mural after another, stories of racial, economic, even environmental justice. She'd never dared to label herself an aficionado of any sort, but there was something about art that never failed to have her bursting with excitement. The Mission happened to be crawling with it.

      There was so much she wanted to do. Visit Mission Dolores—the church, though the park was on her list, too. Check out that vintage boutique she'd read about online. Grab burritos at a well-known taqueria. All the things that made her well and truly a geeky tourist. Things Blake and Maya had both passed on in favor of a full weekend of day drinking and trash talk, the effects of which her sister was no doubt trying to suppress as she sat through her third or fourth client meeting of the day.

      Even with all Lisa's enthusiasm over her growing makeshift itinerary, the rush in her veins had everything to do with her lunch date with Jennie. Lunch with Jennie. A meal and conversation with no promise of more. Although dates weren't necessarily romantic by nature. She put a stop to that train of thought before she wound up in a full-on debate with herself.

      The song on the radio changed. Her fingers danced along the steering wheel of her car as she bobbed her head to the music, the time on the dash crawling forward by another minute.

      1:43 p.m.

      If she'd had any chill, she would have shown up a well-mannered five minutes late instead of an awkward twenty minutes early, which was a sure indicator that she needed to get a handle on her... interest in Jennie. Fast.

      She dug into the pocket of her jeans for her phone and swiped her way to Blake's contact. Her tapping against the steering wheel grew more urgent as the phone rang once, twice, a third time—

      "Please tell me this is an impromptu invite for tacos and drinks."

      Lisa's face scrunched up. "Don't you have a piece to finish?"

      "Is that a no?" Blake deadpanned.

      "Yes, it's a no, B. I thought you said that piece was due tonight."

      "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm feeling a little uninspired."

      "Okay, but wait." Lisa shook her head, gaze darting back to the clock—they did not have time to get off track. "My problem first."

      "Lali, it hasn't even been twenty-four hours since Maya and I left you alone. How do you already have woman problems?"

      "First, that is mildly offensive, and second, I didn't say it was about a woman."

      "No, the despair in your voice said it for you."

      "Fine. Whatever." Lisa huffed, tightening her grip on the steering wheel before resting her forehead against the back of her hand. "I may not have told you the entire reason that I'm here early."

      "You mean it's not because of your flexible schedule and desperation to see your favorite human before he's married off?"

      "Of course, it's all of that, B." Lisa would be the first to admit that there had been some desperation involved. Not that she was proud of it. And she was here to see Blake—the wedding was in a month. She was his best person, after all. She also wasn't here to see him. The sooner she admitted that, the sooner she could put this terrible idea behind her. "I met someone."