Greg showed up later that morning looking sheepish and bringing me coffee as well as the credit card that I loaned him the night before.
"What's this—a peace offering?" I teased.
He coloured and looked repentant.
"Yeah, I was feeling bad about pressuring you to see Kitty. I just wanted you to patch things up so I could date her friend, Scarlett—that was pretty selfish."
"I don't blame you for trying, but no way I'm seeing Kitty again. That ship has sailed."
He nodded, "Yeah, I guess The S.S. Scarlett has sunk too but that's okay—I'm not busting up our friendship over a chick I met at a bar."
I clapped him on his back to encourage him.
"I should have been more explicit with you. I can't go wenching like we used to do in college. I don't mind going for a beer and a meal but let's leave the chicks out of it."
"Done!" he smiled, bumping fists with me.
"I do have one question though," he asked jokingly, "How the hell did you charm Kitty into throwing herself at you?"
"That had nothing to do with me," I laughed, "I simply represented a challenge to her and the more disinterested I was, the more interested she got."
"Hmm, do you think that will work for me?"
"Naw, I'd stick with telling girls you're a computer geek whose liable to end up as the next Bill Gates—which you probably will. Chicks will sense you're going to be wealthy."
"So, play to my strong suit?"
"Exactly!" I grinned.
But as soon as Greg left, I wasn't quite so upbeat—in fact, I felt depressed.
On the one hand, I was happy Greg and I were good again and this episode with Kitty was now behind us.
But on the other hand, I felt totally at loose ends--nothing was working in my world and trading Cassie for Kitty would be akin to trading a battleship for a rowboat.
I thought I might be over her by now but obviously I was not and saw myself as a Titanic ruin with me standing on the deck and going down with the ship.
Just then my laptop chimed to notify me I had mail. It was from the school notifying me I could drop by anytime to use the facilities and prepare for my fall classes or order materials for my courses.
I figured it might be a good way to organize for the upcoming year and get to meet some of the staff before classes formally began.
I could spend my mornings working on fixing up the townhouse and use the afternoons to visit the school and get the lay of the land.
And who knows? It might also distract me from dwelling on Cassie and get my mind off my troubles...
Well, it was a plan at least, dubious as it seemed.
