No more attacks had occurred. The worst, it appeared, was over. Was I any less riveted by the news? Of course not. There was still the aftermath to de...l with. And my mind, for the first time that day, seriously turned to the date I would be having that evening. I did not, did not, want to cancel this date (or whatever it was, at the time, the definition was still a bit fuzzy) but world events had done their absolute best, short of killing me outright, to put a halt to my plans. But we weren’t. The time they spent preparing meals together, or playing in the pool. Or snuggled on the sofa, enjoying that cliched new couple activity of picking apart whatever low-quality daytime TV show was available to be the butt of their jokes.********************And here I was now, Saturday early evening, back from L.A. in a taxi leaving Miami International Airport. But having endured (and enjoyed) four days of separation from my beloved Jill, where was I heading on my return? Back home to catch Jill. It was mostly shop stuff and establishing each other’s backgrounds. But he’d also drop things into the conversation, like how he’d been watching me, then pause as if he enjoyed leaving the statement hanging, before adding, ‘Because I’m interested in what you do.’ It was faux polite, with an agenda hidden under the asinine shit you offer up when smoking shit with someone you don’t know. He seemed like the sort of guy that needed intellectual swordplay to entice his interest, and I delighted in. .." Travis, don't you see what a mess this is? You don't see it, because you don't know enough. You don't know enough about me. And the things I've done. Okay, you knew about Toby and about Clarence Wolcott. Probably from Franklin. But it's not just that I slept with both of them in the past. It's worse, Travis!"I was still trying to comfort her, but I also had one ear cocked, listening for the arrival of hoped-for reinforcements from her mother and Franklin. I needed them in here. I needed.