Rates of Exchange, Chapter 7

I decided to go outside and stretch my legs, get some fresh air. I took the stairs outside my room and crossed the courtyard. On a whim I walked through the lobby area, entering via a glass door that has stickers for various agencies giving approvals of Frank's efforts as a gracious host. It's amazing what credentials you can buy. If you have money.

I didn't see Frankie but the desk girl looked at me oddly and then looked away as if she hadn't seen me. The main doors were open and wedged and the cool morning air was freshening the lobby. I walked up to the desk and asked the girl if Frank was in. She stammered for a second and at first I thought of a speech impediment, but then I realized that she didn't know what to say. She eventually got out that Frank wasn't around today and wasn't taking calls anyway. I just looked at her for a second hoping that she would think about that last piece of information. She blushed and rearranged some papers on her desk. I thanked her and walked to the main doors and stood in the opening, in the shade of the breezeway but feeling the growing warmth of the air that would heave the day into the blaze of the sun by noon. I thought about going back for a jacket but changed my mind when a little Honda pulled in to a stall to my left. I turned to look at it and out of the corner of my eye I saw the desk girl looking at me out of the corner of her eye while she spoke quietly into the phone. She didn't have the cheery falseness that people who are speaking to customers have, just the forced deadpan of the amateur. She looked away from me and the terminator of the breezeway's shadow crept a little to the left. She sneaked a look back at me and shook her head as she spoke. I couldn't hear the words but I turned slightly so that I was looking more directly at her. She blushed and turned her back to me. I smiled, more inside than out, and turned back to the little Honda. Frank's daughter, Helen, fresh out of university, fresh out of her little car, looked at me and smiled. She was wearing jeans, a jean jacket over a dark blue blouse with what looked like a thousand tiny vines of grey flowers in the print. Her hair was dark, that kind of black that is almost blue.
She stopped in front of me.
I smiled back.

"Hi," she said.
"Hi," I said.
"It's a beautiful morning."
"Yeah. It is. No contest, though."
"Thank you. Um..."
"I was thinking about breakfast."
She paused. "What are we talking about here?"
"Protein, carbs, maybe some fat. Basic biology." I said.
"Oh," she said.
"There's a problem, though,"
"What's that?"
"I don't know what's good in town. Have you eaten yet?"
We still hadn't broken each other's gaze.
"My father says I should stay away from you."
When she said that, her head tilted slightly, to the side. Regarding.
"You always do what your daddy tells you?" I winked. "Come on, I'll buy you breakfast somewhere in public. It oughta reduce your risk."

She smiled. Toothy bright. I let my eyes fall to her mouth. Just for a second.

"I won," she said, smiling more now.
"What are we talking about here?"
"You'll see," she said as she took me by my arm and we started walking out of the parking lot.

The sun was in our eyes as we reached the road and turned left. Helen still had my arm and I liked that. I felt good muscle under her jean jacket as we walked.
I looked back at her car and happened to see Frank at the window of his office next to the lobby glass. Well, well. He was holding a phone to his ear and he put it down at the same time the desk girl put her phone down. Just before the angle blocked my view, the desk girl looked out the open doors and caught my eye. She turned around quickly and disappeared through the door to Frank's office. Frank shut his curtains. I continued down the street with his daughter on my arm.