The Ones That Got Away

by Lou Mindar

  “You were saying that you stayed in Las Vegas,” Scott said.

  “Right. I had $2000, but I knew that would go fast, so I got a job as a cocktail waitress at the Tropicana. The pay wasn’t great, but once I learned the game, I was making good tips. Then I met Margaret. She was a call girl who frequented the bar at the Tropicana. One thing led to another, and I followed in her footsteps.” Gabby gave Scott a wry smile. “That was two years ago, and then I met you.”

  Scott wanted more details but didn’t want to push her. If their arrangement worked, he’d learn more about her in time.

  “What about you? Tell me how you came to be rich and allergic to relationships.”

  Scott laughed. “Allergic to relationships. I’ve never thought of it that way.” He stood. “If you want to hear my story, you have to come with me to lunch.”

  She sprang up from the couch, and they were standing face to face. Under other circumstances, Scott would have kissed her. But that wasn’t their arrangement. After an awkward moment, he stepped back. “I’m in the mood for seafood. How about you?”

  “Lead the way,” she said.

  Chapter 56

  December 1987

  They got into a routine. They spent most days together, shopping, sightseeing, or just hanging around the house. At night, they went their separate ways, Scott to his bedroom, Gabby to hers. The arrangement they’d agreed upon was working just as Scott had envisioned. He had a girlfriend when he needed one, a companion to share time with. But he didn’t feel the obligation to Gabby he had felt in previous relationships. He didn’t have to consult her before making decisions. He didn’t have to clue her in on everything that was going on in his life. All he had to do was spend time with her when he wanted to. And if he didn’t want to, he didn’t have to. She wouldn’t be upset, and he didn’t have to feel guilty.

  For her part, Gabby seemed to be happy with their arrangement, too. It appeared to Scott that she enjoyed the time they spent together, and she never made any demands on him. He assumed she liked the money, although they never discussed it. Staying silent about the money had become part of the arrangement.

  Gabby was in the kitchen fixing them sandwiches for lunch. This had become a common occurrence. When one of them was making something to eat or getting a drink, they would do the same for the other.

  “We should go somewhere for the holidays,” Gabby said. She placed a plate with a sandwich in front of Scott.

  “Where?”

  “A while back you mentioned you’d like to go to Yosemite.”

  Scott took a bite and nodded his head. “I would, but not in the winter. It’s too cold, especially at the higher elevations.”

  “So, you want something warm?”

  “I think so.”

  Gabby chewed. “How about Hawaii?”

  Scott scrunched up his face. “Too crowded for the holidays.”

  Gabby laughed. “You’re kind of high maintenance, you know that?”

  Scott smiled and raised his eyebrows.

  “Okay, somewhere warm and not crowded.”

  They ate and sat in silence. Scott thought about where he’d like to go, and his thoughts made him feel guilty. He should go see his parents. He hadn’t seen them in over a year, yet he had little desire to visit them. They had been such a huge part of his first life, but the further he got away from that life, the more distant he felt from them.

  “How about Mexico?” Scott asked.

  “Cabo? I’ve always wanted to go.”

  “I know a travel agent in Vegas. She sets up expensive getaways for the rich and famous. Maybe she can find us a place to stay that’s on the beach, but not too crowded.”

  “Sure, see what she can do.”

  *

  The house sat by itself on a desolate stretch of beach. It was nearer to La Paz than Cabo, but it was the privacy that piqued Scott’s interest. The nearest house was a quarter of a mile down the beach. It was owned by a musician of some sort. The travel agent hinted at who it might be, but Scott didn’t have a clue.

  “Why don’t you just tell me who owns the house?” Scott asked.

  “We promise our clients confidentiality,” the travel agent said. “Saying too much is bad for business.”

  Suddenly travel agents were part of the country’s intelligence community. Despite the secrecy, the house was everything the travel agent said it would be. Roomy inside with a Mediterranean feel, saltwater pool out back with a wall for privacy, and an endless stretch of private beach right on the Gulf of California looking out across the water at Isla Espirito Santo.

  Scott carried two bottles of beer out to the pool where Gabby was lying in a chaise lounge. She wore sunglasses, but still had to shield her eyes from the sun as she watched Scott approach. He handed a bottle to her, then took a long pull from his beer before sitting in the chaise next to her.

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to bring glass out to the pool,” she said.

  “I’m a rule breaker, Gabby. A rebel. The rules don’t apply to me.” He took another drink of his beer.

  She pulled her sunglasses slightly down her nose and looked over them at him. “Uh-huh.” She pushed the glasses back up her nose and rested her head against the back of the chair.

  “What? You don’t think I’m a rogue? A maverick?”

  She didn’t look at him. “I usually don’t know what to make of you, but I don’t think of you as a rebel.”

  Scott opened his mouth and put his hand on his chest as if he had been shot. “How can you say such a thing?”

  Gabby laughed, which made Scott laugh.

  “If you want to be a rebel, I’ll treat you like a rebel.”

  “Never mind. You’ve ruined my fantasy.”

  They sat in silence for several minutes drinking their beers.

  “This is really nice,” she said. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “Are you disappointed it’s not closer to Cabo?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I like the privacy.”

  “I thought you’d want to hit all of the clubs in Cabo. You’re not missing that?”

  She turned toward him and took off her sunglasses. “You really don’t know me, do you?”

  He shrugged.

  “You met me in a bar in Las Vegas, so you assume I like bars and Las Vegas. I don’t. I don’t like the noise or the glitz and glitter. I like quiet. I like nature. And, although this house is wonderful and is a nice escape, I like simple.”

  “You’re just a small-town girl.” Scott smiled.

  “You’re joking, but in a lot of ways I am a small-town girl. I like the simple things in life.”

  “You’ve come a long way from the small town.”

  Gabby finished her beer. “It’s not about where you are. It’s who you are, inside. And inside, I’m still a small-town girl. I guess that’s what I’ll always be.”

  Scott looked at Gabby and saw more innocence than he expected. She had been a call girl after all. But he saw in her eyes that her life in Las Vegas hadn’t corrupted her. She was still that small-town girl from Pennsylvania. The realization surprised him. He hadn’t thought of Gabby that way. To be sure, he liked her and found her attractive, but he had never looked past the fact that she was an employee he was paying to be with him.

  Gabby stood from the chaise. “I’m going to get another beer. Do you want one?”

  “I can get that.” Scott stood and was suddenly face-to-face with her. For a moment, they were quiet, just staring into each other’s eyes. Scott had an overwhelming desire to kiss her, something he hadn’t done since they’d left Las Vegas.

  “I’ll be right back.” She walked quickly across the pool deck toward the house.

  She had saved him. He was going to kiss her. Wanted to kiss her, but didn’t want to get anything started. That wasn’t part of the agreement. Yet, here he stood, wanting to rush into the house and take her into the bedroom.

  He sat back in the lounge chair and sta
red at the water falling from the hot tub into the pool. What would he do when she came back out with his beer? Would he take her in his arms and kiss her? Was that a good idea?

  When he saw her coming out of the house, he stood and took off his sunglasses. He dropped them onto his chair and took a step toward her. She tilted her head, as if asking what he was doing. He took another step toward her and dove into the pool. Crisis averted.

  Chapter 57

  December 1987

  The water between the mainland near La Paz and Isla Espirito Santo was calm and a deep turquoise blue. Paddling a kayak across the clear water was like something out of a dream, Scott’s senses were heightened. The feel of the sun on his face, the smell of the salt air, the sound of their paddles cutting through the water, the sight of Gabby in a bikini navigating her kayak in front of him, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. He couldn’t remember a time in this life—or any other—when he felt so alive.

  It felt good to be back out on the water. He hadn’t been in a kayak since starting this life, and he missed it.

  Gabby had never been in a kayak before, but she learned the basics quickly. She was in good shape and had no trouble making the crossing.

  “Let’s pull up there on that beach,” he said.

  Gabby paddled a little harder and pulled her kayak right up onto the sand. Scott pulled his kayak in next to hers.

  “Ready to go snorkeling?” he asked.

  “I was born ready.” She laughed.

  Scott fished the masks, snorkels, and diving fins out of the gear bag in his kayak. They waded back out into the water until it was up to their waists, and then began swimming. Scott spotted a coral reef and touched Gabby on the leg. She saw what he saw, and they both swam toward the reef. The coral held dozens of small, colorful fish, and they floated above it, taking in the sight.

  After a few minutes, Scott saw a sudden movement to his left. He turned but didn’t see anything. A few moments later, it happened again. He stared into the distance, waiting for the movement again. As he watched, a sea lion swam quickly past him and Gabby. Gabby saw it too, and they swam toward the sea lion. The playful animal swam quickly around them but kept his distance. When they’d move toward him, he’d move away. After several minutes of swimming around them, the curious animal swam away. They snorkeled along the coast, checking out different reefs, but the sea lion never returned.

  Back on the beach, Gabby retrieved two sandwiches from the cooler in her kayak. She also grabbed two bottles of beer and an opener. She handed a sandwich to Scott, then opened a beer for him.

  “Thanks. This looks really good.”

  “The cook made crab salad. When I told her we’d be kayaking today, she made the sandwiches and filled a cooler for us.”

  Scott took a bite. “This is delicious. I think we really worked up an appetite out there today.”

  Gabby chewed and nodded.

  They ate in silence. Halfway through, Scott finished his beer and got another one for each of them. He finished his sandwich and wadded up the butcher paper. He finished his beer, then took the wadded-up paper and two empty beer bottles back to the cooler. There were two cold beers left. “Want another beer?”

  Gabby lifted her bottle and looked at the contents. She still had half a beer left, but she tilted it up and finished it. “Sure.”

  Scott opened the two bottles and handed one to Gabby. They toasted and each took a big swallow of their beers.

  “This is pretty spectacular, isn’t it?

  Gabby nodded. “I never imagined anything like this back in Pennsylvania.”

  “What did you imagine? How did you think your life would turn out?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not even sure I ever thought about the future. In high school, I was more concerned with what my mom was doing. She’d work two, sometimes three, jobs to keep us in our crappy little rental. I was always worried things were going to fall apart, that mom would get fired or she’d be too exhausted to keep it up.”

  Gabby took another drink of her beer and looked out at the water.

  “When I was sixteen, I got a job at the Dairy Queen. A year later, I went to work at The Gap because they paid fifty cents an hour more than I was making at Dairy Queen. I didn’t make much money, but I wanted to pitch in as much as I could. I worked when I was in college too. I didn’t want Mom to pay for anything. My whole outlook on life was just making money to ease my mom’s burden. When she died, I lost all direction, but I still had that instinct to make money.”

  Scott thought Gabby might cry, but she didn’t. He didn’t know what to say.

  “I never imagined I’d end up a call girl in Las Vegas, and I never imagined I’d be sitting here on this beach with you. I guess I never imagined much for my life.”

  She finished her beer and dropped the bottle into the cooler. Scott did the same.

  “Now that you have a little money in the bank, maybe you should start imagining. If you could do anything with your life, what would you do?”

  She looked up at the sky, then back at Scott. “I’ll have to give that some thought.” She laughed, then put her hands on Scott’s shoulders. “Thank you for being so nice to me.” She kissed him, and they kept their faces close together.

  Scott wasn’t sure what to make of Gabby’s kiss. He just knew he liked it and wanted more. He brought his hands up to either side of her face and kissed her more passionately. She wrapped her arms around his back and returned the kiss. He thought about making love to her right there on the beach. But that wasn’t part of their deal. He stepped back. “That was nice.”

  Gabby put her hand on his chest. “Yes, it was.”

  Scott turned and picked up his paddle. “We should probably head back.” He dragged his kayak across the sand into the water.

  “Are you sure?” Gabby asked.

  “We don’t want to be out on the water after dark.”

  Gabby pulled her kayak onto the water, and they paddled home.

  Chapter 58

  December 1987

  It was late when Scott and Gabby arrived back at the beach rental. The house was quiet, and they were both beat from their day on the water, out in the sun.

  “Are you hungry?” Gabby asked. “I could fix us something.”

  “No. I’m really tired. I think I’m just going to go to bed.” Scott yawned and headed toward his room. “Good night.”

  Once inside, Scott closed the door to his room. He liked having Gabby as a friend and a companion. He didn’t want anything to ruin that.

  After brushing his teeth, he stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed. He thought about the day. The kayaking, the snorkeling, the sealion. It was all fantastic. But best of all was the kiss.

  He was almost asleep when he heard his bedroom door open. Gabby walked in wearing nothing but a T-shirt. She walked toward the bed and neither one said anything. She pulled the T-shirt off over her head and dropped it on the floor.

  “I want to sleep in here tonight,” she said.

  Scott pulled back the covers and invited her in. He suddenly couldn’t remember why he had been avoiding her.

  Chapter 59

  January 1988

  Gabby spooned sugar into her coffee, then used the spoon to stir the sugar in. She and Scott were sitting on the patio at their house in Los Angeles. The sky was clear, and the sun burned bright, but the morning was cool. Scott wore sweats and Gabby was wrapped in a thick robe.

  “I’ve been thinking about what you asked me in Mexico,” she said.

  Scott raised his eyebrows. “What did I ask you?”

  “What I would do if I could do anything.”

  Scott nodded, remembering their conversation. “Have you made a decision?”

  Gabby sipped her coffee. “I have. You know Julie, from the gym?”

  Gabby had mentioned Julie to him, but he had never met her and didn’t know much about her. He nodded.

  “She’s a cinematographer—you know, a camerawoman—on small, i
ndependent films. The work is sporadic, and she doesn’t make a lot of money, but she says there’s a real need for a business that rents cameras and other equipment the film crews need. She’s been wanting to start the business but hasn’t had the money.”

  “And you have the money.”

  Gabby smiled. “I do, and I think I’d like to partner with her.”

  Scott thought about his old partner, Randy. He wondered what he was doing now. Had he sold the bar or kept it? “Partnerships can be hard, but if you find the right partner, it can be great.”

  Gabby tilted her head and squinted at Scott. “What do you know about it?”

  Scott had to laugh. “It’s just what I’ve heard.”

  “What do you think about me partnering with Julie?”

  Scott ran his fingers through his mussed head of hair. “That’s hard to say. I don’t really know Julie. But I trust your judgement. If you think it’s a good idea, you’re probably right.”

  “So, you think I should do it?”

  Scott laughed. “I’m not going to tell you what you should do. This is your decision.”

  “But if things don’t work out, I won’t be able to blame you.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You’re no fun. I need to talk to Julie and work out some of the finer details, but I think I’m going to do it.” She stood, then bent to give Scott a kiss. “I’m going to the gym, then Julie and I are meeting afterwards.” She kissed him again, then went in the house.

  Scott leaned back and put his feet up into Gabby’s chair. He raised his head to the clear blue sky. The sun felt good on his face.

  A kiss had led to them sleeping together, which had led to her moving her things into his room when they got back to LA. He agreed to them sharing a room when Gabby brought it up, but it worried him. Having regular sex was great, and he had to admit he enjoyed waking up with her lying next to him, but he was afraid they were getting too close. That made him nervous. Their faux relationship had been working fine, and he didn’t want to screw it up. Part of him wanted to run away, to avoid what he feared was happening. But he liked Gabby and enjoyed spending time with her. She understood their arrangement, and he trusted her not to take it any further.