TELL ME THE TRUTH

Chapter Five

Chapter Five 

Jeanne Saunier - 2013

I was pulled from my reading by a ringing phone. I checked the caller ID and frowned when I saw Ryan's name.

"How the hell do you know my number?" I snapped in exasperation.

"I never deleted it."

"What the freak do you want, Ryan?"

"To apologize. Again. I'm sorry and I just want to make it up to you somehow. Could we please meet somewhere and talk?"

I rolled my eyes and thought of all the reasons to say no. But something was pulling me to him. That same unexplainable tug from earlier was still there, begging me to trust him. It told me that I could trust him, that I should trust him. It was like a combination of the cutest little kid in the world giving me the puppy-dog pout, that face Francesca made when she wanted me to go to a party, that gorgeous crooked grin of Ryan's, and dreams of Mama. It combined all the things that I could never resist, and before I even realized what I was doing, I'd said, "Fine. Meet me at Lafayette Square in thirty."

"I'll be there." The call ended. I could imagine him smiling that crooked grin and winking at me.

Then it sunk in.

What the flip did I just do?

Why in the world would I do that?

With a sigh, I tapped on Francesca's contact and dialed. I put it on speakerphone and grabbed a pair of jeans. "What's up?" Francesca's voice came through the phone as I was rummaging in my dresser for a clean singlet.

"I'm meeting Ryan in Lafayette Square," I blurted, pulling a red singlet from my drawer.

She swore, yet again showing her vast knowledge of creative curse words. "Why would you do that?"

"I don't know! That's the thing, I don't freaking know."

I quickly changed before scraping my curly hair into a ponytail. I took the phone off speaker and held it to my ear.

"Are you sure you haven't fell for him?" She insisted, and I could imagine her looking at me with bored two-tone green eyes.

"Yes!"

"That sounded defensive," she sing-songed.

Another sigh escaped me. I shut my bedroom door behind me and headed for the stairs. "It wasn't defensive, 'Cesca, you've just got some nutso ideas."

She barked a laugh just as I reached the bottom of the spiral stairs. I called out a goodbye to Papa and hurried through the shop. "Then why are you meeting him?"

"I already told you, I don't know. It's like this...pull...to trust him. It's so confusing."

"Sounds like it."

"What do I do, 'Cesca?"

She was silent for a long moment. I crossed a busy street, flipping the bird to a driver that nearly ran the red light because she wasn't paying attention. I was rewarded with a sound honk from the horn. A few people along the sidewalks were laughing, hopefully not at what had just happened.

"I dunno, Jeanne," Francesca finally said, a tired tone to her voice. "Maybe there's a reason for it. You're always talking about fate and other spiritual things."

I swore. "This is so frickin' confusing," I muttered, growing ever closer to Lafayette Square.

"You're tellin' me."