Now I was letting his reputation fuel my own terror. Fear was something to be harnessed, but terror was fear that was simply allowed to flourish. I could accept fear of something, after all fear would keep me alive by ensuring that I kept my wits about me. But all terror would do was run me into an early grave. Bella had done just enough to help me transform the rolling terror into manageable fear.
Averting my eyes from Dempsey I apologetically looked at Bella as I answered. “I’m sorry Bella that was rude of me.” I took in a deep breath and realized just how much I had honestly enjoyed our brief time together. This was one friendship that I would want to continue past the current moment. So I did the only thing I could think of and that was groveling, though somehow I managed to keep my dignity. “I do hope you will forgive the infraction. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
“You’re acting like you’ve never seen him before.” She asked.
With a shrug I answered with as much of the truth as I dared. “I don’t keep up with current events outside of my influence. It’s easier on my body.”
With a laugh she shook her head, “Every time I think I have a handle on you, you do something or say something that just throws what I have come up with out the window.”
“Yes, I’m good at that.” I offered quickly. But after a moment of silence curiosity won out over reason. And I returned her question. “How many times have you meet Dempsey?”
“More times than you have.” She replied with forced casualness.
Something about that forced cheer got under my skin so, ignoring my little mental warning bell, I decided to do a bit more digging. I knew I was going to have to be more than a little obtuse, hopefully she would be forgiving of that as well. “So this isn’t your first time then?”
As I watched her I had trouble gauging the reaction. From our conversation I knew she thought me intelligent or at least she respected my intelligence. Now that I had asked such an obviously dumb question, I could see doubt trickling through her mind. But at the same time she had seen me entrap Patrick with a few simple words. I could see the two warring thoughts battling in her eyes.
Eventually she warily answered my question, “This is only the second time.”
“How did you do?”
“Well enough that I came back again this year.” She replied cautiously.
“You’re not going to be any more specific are you?”
“A girl needs to guard her secrets, Marcus.” And that was all she was going to say on the matter. It was the nicest denial I think I had ever received.
I lifted my glass to my mouth to take another sip of my drink while I tried to think of a suitably clever response. Unfortunately I was unable to think of anything, so instead I ended up blurting out, “No, you don’t.” I flashed the biggest and friendliest smile I could, as I repeated my question. “How well did you do last year?”
She sighed but she also leaned over the table and gestured for me to do the same. So I sat up straight as I leaned across the table so she could whisper in my ear. With a soft and sensual tone she cupped her right hand over her mouth as if she were trying to keep anyone from reading her lips. Once the scene was set she began to whisper her secret. “Maybe another time, Marcus. Just maybe, if you’re lucky.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I leaned back into my chair saying, “A woman of mystery indeed.”
“And don’t you dare try and pretend that you’re not excited and thrilled by that fact.” She said with a rather enchanting wink.
I took a small breath to steady myself before responding. “I wouldn’t dare argue with you, Bella.” I was trying to avoid thinking about Dempsey or even searching for him and of course that was when he flashed in front of my eyes. I could swear that Dempsey had just made eye contact with Patrick. Had he spoken with him already? I don’t think he had, but I could be wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time. Also it was not as if I was paying a lot of attention to either of them at the moment.
From that look I knew that these two knew each other. It was a look of two friends with inherent understanding of each other might give. They would be able to have entire conversations without having to rely upon words. So what had those two friends talked about with that look? Of course I had no way to know. After all, those two were the friends, there was no way I was going to be able to decipher it.
With thoughts of Dempsey on my mind I looked back to Bella as I asked a follow-up question. “I’m sorry to bring Dempsey back into our conversation, but since you’ve had the privilege of being here before, does he talk to everyone or just a select few?”
As I waited for a reply I looked over her shoulder in time to see Dempsey walking away from Patrick’s general vicinity and towards yet another group of people. “Why are you so interested in Dempsey?”
Even though I knew what she would say I voiced the question anyway. “I’m being rude again aren’t I?”
Using her thumb and index finger she indicated just how rude she thought I was being as she answered, “Just a little.”
I was mentally exhausted and I just needed answers. But my best source for the information I needed was growing more than a little irritated by my game of twenty questions, as long as the main topic was Dempsey. If there was anything I had learned during my life, it was when all else fails you have to go with the truth, or at least a piece of it.
“I’m not trying to be rude, Bella. It’s just… it’s just a bad habit I’ve managed to pick up when I was younger. When I’m ignorant on a subject I physically cannot stop asking questions.” Which was very true, it just wasn’t the whole truth. The whole truth was much simpler, I was just a curious man by nature. And it had nothing to do with how familiar I was with the subject. “And yes I do know that drives most people crazy.”
While she was still hesitant to answer I desperately flashed her my most ingratiating smile. I guessed it helped, slightly at any rate, because while she folded her arms across her chest she did answer my question. “Last year he met with everyone before we started.”