chapter 31
Dana arrived at work Monday at two o’clock. She wanted, no needed, to talk to Jonny.
She was still in shock over the weekend’s events. Sam’s turnabout was unexpected. After their talk at Ivy’s, Sam went back to his friend’s house to grab his stuff. She took the time in between to drive by Java Café. She hadn’t forgotten about Cody. She wasn’t sure what she’d say if she saw him, or even if she’d stop at all, but she felt she needed to go to find out.
She parked the car across the street and waited. One o’clock came and went. No sign of him. She got out of the car and went inside, curiosity getting the best of her. He wasn’t there either. She stopped the hostess.
“Hey, I’m meeting a friend here. He’s about six one, brown hair.”
The hostess motioned around the restaurant. “That’s about half our clientele.”
“This guy’s gorgeous.”
The hostess smiled, “Like I said, look around, gorgeous is a dime a dozen around here.”
Dana scanned the restaurant. He definitely wasn’t here. She consulted her watch. It was one-thirty. He was a no show. She was right. Flaky rock star. She made the right decision getting back with Sam. Sam was real. Cody was a fantasy.
But if she was so sure, why was she so disappointed he never showed?
She went back home to find Sam already there, unpacking. This was right, she told herself. Things were getting back on track in her life. But something still felt a little off with him there. It felt wrong when he was gone, but somehow his return didn’t right that feeling.
Sam seemed so happy when she walked through the front door. He held her close and told her again how much she meant to him. She had replayed that scene a million times over in her mind since he left, but it didn’t have the same feeling as it did in her dreams. She felt empty and sad. Time will heal she told herself. But she was unsure of her decision. She knew talking to Jonny would help her sort out her feelings. He was like family. He would be straight with her.
She walked down the hall and looked for Jonny in the studio, but he wasn’t there. She walked around the console and saw he had voice-tracked his entire shift.
“Jonny, Jonny, what are you doing?” she wondered out loud.
Jonny was her friend, always had been, but he had a wandering eye. It was the one trait of his that she could not reconcile in her head. On the one hand he was like her big brother, watching out for her at work and in her personal life. Whenever she’d start dating someone, she’d always hear from him, “You tell ‘em if they hurt you they’ll have me to deal with.” When she started dating Sam, Jonny told him that to his face. Not that anyone took him seriously, but the fact that he was a guy who cared a great deal for her came through, the fact that Dana was someone very worth caring about and to be cared for.
Then there was the side of Jonny that was like every guy he’d ever warned her about. She couldn’t understand why he was so afraid of her getting mixed up with a guy who’d hurt her when in reality he was that guy. How could he warn her and then do the same thing he warned her about to his wife, Jill? It was a question Dana couldn’t answer. It was the question that gave her pause every time she saw Jonny. Jill was a nice person who obviously loved her husband very much. The mere fact that she stuck with him through the lean times and followed him from small market to small market for his career said volumes about her love and dedication to him. Dana was still searching for that kind of love and Jonny had it...why was he trying so hard to throw it away?
She walked back to her office and went inside. Slipped under the door was her mail and among it a bright red envelope.
She picked up the card and saw her name written in childlike print. The return address read Larry Carter. Larry, the creepy listener. She opened the envelope nervously. It gave her a bad feeling. She pulled the card out. A picture of a rose specked with dew was on the front. She opened it hesitantly. Paper clipped to the inside was a picture of Larry and her from the remote at Scully’s.
Dearest Dana,
Roses are red
Violets are blue
You were meant for me
And I was meant for you
Love,
Larry
Oh jeez, this guy was off kilter. It made her a bit nervous. Below Larry’s printed name was his phone number. Did he expect she would call him? Dana wanted to dismiss the card like she had so many other wacko listeners who thought she was their best friend or next girlfriend. Dismiss it like she had the other listeners who came to every remote, sent flowers or gift baskets. But something about this card was different, something in the childlike writing and simplistic poem sent up a red flag.
Something in the picture.
Larry was serious, more serious than the others she sensed. She set the card on her desk with the envelope and made a mental note to herself to tell Jonny about it.
Jonny.
Where the hell was he?