Wagering Home

by C. M. Boers

  I was pondering this when J.R.’s office door opened and Cindy strutted out. She carried a stack of files, like she often did.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” she breathed. “He’s in a mood today.”

  “Oh?” I debated if it was a bad idea to ask to get off early. I watched her sort through things. “Uh . . . I know you said today would be busy, but would it be all right if I left a little early? I have a friend coming in town, and her plane gets in at four thirty-five. It was sort of a surprise.”

  “Sure,” she said without looking up from what she was doing.

  Then she turned and disappeared back in the office. It was rare she worked anywhere else. I set an alarm on my phone so I wouldn’t lose track of time and settled back into my chair to start organizing the load of papers and files that had been stacked on my desk.

  When my alarm went off, Cindy wasn’t around as she usually was when I left. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should go back and say goodbye. Instead, I scribbled a note to her and left it on my cleared desk before grabbing my things and heading out the door.

  I practically skipped to my car, more than ready for the weekend.

  Grace was waiting at the curb after I circled the airport for the fourth time. I jumped out, threw her bag in the trunk, and topped it off with her wheelchair once she’d lifted herself into the passenger seat.

  “How was your flight?”

  “Eh, wasn’t bad, got on and off first because of that thing.” She pointed towards her wheelchair in the back of the car. “And a cute guy helped get my bag, not that I needed it.” She winked.

  I laughed. “Of course.”

  “What can I say? I like boys.”

  The ear-to-ear grin didn’t leave my face as I shook my head.

  “Now, what are we going to do tonight?” Mischief sparked in her eyes. “I searched your address online and found a club that’s right down the street from you.”

  “Yeah, that’s the one I mentioned. I never checked if they allow under twenty-one though.”

  “They do.” She smirked.

  We grabbed a pizza on the way back to my house.

  She looked around my half-finished house with a curled lip. “You know you have a trust fund, right?” Sarcasm hung on her words.

  “I like fixing it myself. It’s been . . . fun.”

  She shook her head. “It’s a good thing I’m here, then. You need to get out.”

  I thought about my daily routine. I even had one on weekends. None of which included seeing friends or going out. I hadn’t even tried to make friends yet, I’d been putting it off. Somehow, “Hey, my name is Melanie, I have no memories prior to a few months ago, what’s your name?” just didn’t seem like it would win me many takers.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Of course I am.” She shook her head, like there could be no other answer.

  I finished off the last of my first slice of pizza and grabbed another. “So, tell me about this stuff at the doctor’s.”

  “There’s not much to tell. They kept me in the hospital so long to reduce the stress on my spine in the hopes that no more damage would be done, and I guess it worked because once the swelling really started to go down, I started getting sensations down my legs. They think it’s my nerves reactivating.”

  “Wow. So they think you’ll walk again?”

  “Yep, that’s what they say. And look.” She pulled up on her pant leg, exposing her foot resting in a pair of black flip flops. Her big toe wiggled.

  My jaw dropped. “That’s amazing.”

  “I know. It’s still a long ways out, but it’s something.”

  “Heck yeah, it is!”

  She smiled, and this time there wasn’t any snarkiness behind it. It was filled with genuine happiness.

  “When should we go tonight?”

  “The club opens at eight. So, maybe nine?” she suggested. “We don’t want to get there too early.”

  I nodded.

  “Do you have clothes?” She looked over my outfit.

  “Yeah.”

  “I mean clothes that aren’t . . . fit for tea.”

  I rolled my eyes. “These are my work clothes.”

  “Okay, well, I need to see your outfit.” She pointed upstairs towards my bedroom. “Go put it on and show me.”

  “Fine. You’ll see. I have cute clothes,” I called over my shoulder.

  But as I mounted the half-sanded steps, I recalled my entire wardrobe in my head and began to doubt I had anything she’d like.

  I flipped through my entire closet before I came to the one thing that may work. A simple black dress that hung to my knees. It was loose-fitting, and with my longer hanging necklace, I thought it would be fine.

  Grace took one look at me and scoffed. “Really? That’s your best club outfit?”

  I shrugged. “Looks good to me.”

  “You look like you’re going to a funeral.”

  “I do not!”

  “It’s a good thing I brought you an outfit.”

  “You what?”

  She rolled herself over to her overnight bag and pulled out a dark denim jean jacket and white crop top. “You do have skinny jeans, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, then all we have to do is your hair and makeup.”

  “Wait a minute, what about you?”

  “Oh, trust me, I’ll look amazing when we leave here tonight.”

  And she did. Heads turned in our direction the entire time we made our way to the front door of the club. I squirmed under their scrutiny, but not Grace; she seemed to enjoy the attention.

  “Everyone’s staring,” I whispered.

  “That’s ‘cause you look hot.”

  My cheeks burned. “Wait, aren’t we supposed to wait in line?”

  She waved me off and wheeled herself forward. I jogged to keep up with her, my heels clicking on the pavement.

  The bouncer at the door took one look at her and waved us through. I looked at her in awe. “How did you do that?”

  “It’s a gift.”

  I shook my head.

  We weaved our way through the crowd. The deeper we went, the louder the music became until the room opened to a huge dance floor. The bar on the right was lit with LEDs that changed and flashed with the music.

  Grace made her way to a table right next to the dance floor and turned herself around to watch. I sat down beside her, and before long a waitress came over.

  “Hey ladies, can I get you two something to drink?”

  “Uh, just a soda water for me.”

  Grace gave me a look. “Soda water?”

  I shrugged.

  “Can I get an Italian soda? Raspberry?” Grace asked.

  “You got it.” She walked away, her hips swishing back and forth. I’d bet that very move earned her some hefty tips.

  “All right, so what’s your type?” Grace rubbed her hands together.

  “You’re not fixing me up.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “I’m serious. I don’t need that kind of complication in my life right now. That’s why I ended things with Jeremy, remember?”

  She turned to me. “Funny, I thought you ended things with him because you thought he was further along than you and that made you feel awkward. And then there’s the whole long-distance thing.”

  “Well, those reasons, too.”

  “Nobody is saying you have to get married, or even get into a relationship. But you can dance, and even date. Come on!”

  “Fine.”

  “So, you like ’em like Jeremy, clean-cut? Or would you like someone more grunge . . . or maybe you’re more in-between,” she mused, scratching her cheek.

  I considered her options. “In between, or like Jeremy, I guess.”

  “Got it. Give me five minutes.” And with that, she rolled away into the crowd.

  I opened my mouth to ask where she was going, but there was no way for her to hear me. T
he waitress returned as soon as Grace left my view. She set the drinks down on the table, and I handed her some cash, enough to cover the drinks and a tip.

  “I’ll be back to check on you guys in a bit.”

  I nodded, and she moved on to the table beside me.

  I absently bounced from side to side in my seat with the beat and watched everyone dance around me. I couldn’t help noticing a few guys out on the dance floor were really attractive. And I started to come around to this dating idea. I mean, people casually dated all the time. Nothing had to come of it, right?

  “Excuse me?” One of the cute guys I’d been admiring stood over me. Light brown hair, huge brown eyes, and perfectly tanned skin. Yep, he looked good.

  “Yeah?” I expected him to ask for the spare chair, or something else.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  I smiled up into his brown eyes and found myself saying, “Sure,” without even a second thought.

  “What’s your name?” he asked over the loud music as we danced.

  “Melanie. What’s yours?”

  “Ben.”

  I nodded, turning my back to him as I danced, to look around for Grace. Where was she?

  The song slowly changed into another as the DJ mixed in the booth.

  “Are you from around here?”

  “Ah, I live just up the street.” I stopped myself from pointing, since I didn’t want to find an unwelcome visitor I’d just met on my doorstep.

  “Cool.”

  I found myself suddenly unable to think of anything to say, not just because I was competing with the music, but because I’d suddenly found Grace. She was making her way back over to the table with the one person I’d never expected her to find. The one person I’d kept running into and found myself thinking about way more than I should. The one person I feared I couldn’t resist much longer.

  Jack.

  He wasn’t alone. At his shoulder, another guy tagged along. He was a little bit shorter than Jack, but he made up for it in bulkiness. His muscles bulged, like he was a full-time bodybuilder. Of course. It wasn’t hard to see she intended Jack for me.

  Maybe if I kept dancing, she’d send him on his way. I scooted closer to Ben. Maybe she’d approve. But when the song ended, she waved me over and I cringed.

  “Thanks for the dance,” I said and made my way back to her, ready to tell her I wasn’t interested, but she cut me off before I started to speak.

  “Melanie, this is Jack and Alex. Guys, this is Melanie.”

  I turned to Jack, who smirked. “We’ve met.”

  My eyes didn’t leave Jack. “It’s good to meet you, Alex.”

  Though when Alex didn’t respond, we both turned to Alex and Grace. They’d completely tuned us out. I doubted they’d heard anything we said.

  “Oh my gosh.” I shook my head.

  Jack chuckled. “Alex tends to have that effect on women.”

  His smile ignited something inside me, something I’d been trying so hard to smother. Even now, with as much as I tried to fight the draw to him, I couldn’t. I wanted to tell him to leave, that I didn’t have time for dating, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I found myself focusing on his arm brushing mine.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Jack asked.

  I picked mine up from the table. “Got one.”

  “Great, everyone has drinks. Mel, I’m going to show Alex how to really take a girl around the dance floor.”

  I stepped to the side as Grace wheeled herself through, with Alex in tow. She spun herself in a way I didn’t know wheelchairs could even move, bobbing her head and body from side to side.

  “Okay . . .” I wanted to kick her for leaving me alone with him.

  “It’s good to see you again. Without running into you, I mean.”

  I nodded, sipping my drink. I looked around, doing my best to keep my eyes busy, away from the gap in his shirt that made me want to keep looking down to see what was underneath. I shook myself. Stop it.

  “This isn’t really your thing, is it?”

  “The music’s good.”

  “In other words, you’re trying to like it, but the music and your friend over there are the only things keeping you here.”

  I pursed my lips. “Pretty much.”

  He leaned over. “Me, too. What do you say we go for a walk? I think they can keep each other company for a while.”

  I watched Grace. She was laughing hysterically, her head tilted back.

  I should have said no and not let myself go further than sitting here talking, as Grace expected me to. Something told me if I let myself be alone with him, I’d like it. A lot. How could she have picked the one guy I couldn’t stop thinking about?

  “Okay.” I sipped the last of my soda water and stood, giving Grace a wave.

  She fanned her hand, telling me to go, and mouthed, “Have fun.”

  I took the lead and headed outside. The loud music faded behind us, yet the bass still vibrated the ground, much like it did my walls at home.

  “Coffee?” He pointed towards the coffeehouse two doors down.

  “Isn’t it closed?”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.

  “What? How do you have a key? Do you work there or something?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Well, then sure.”

  He unlocked the door.

  “Ladies first,” he said, holding the door open for me.

  He locked the door behind us and flipped on the light. “What would you like?”

  “A decaf white mocha?”

  “Coming up. Go pick a table.” He went behind the counter, and I could hear the steam hissing.

  I made a lap around the dining area before I sat down at the table by the window, the one where I always sat. He came over and set two steaming mugs on the table, along with a plate of biscotti.

  “Ooh, the warm mug.” I spread my hands around it, letting the warmth defrost my cold fingers.

  “Best part, right?”

  I nodded. “Hands down.”

  “You really like this table, don’t you?”

  My lips curved up. “I guess so. It’s the best view of the street.” I grabbed a biscotti and dunked it into my coffee.

  “So, what made you decide to move here?”

  I shrugged. “Why does anyone move anywhere?”

  “You know what I mean. It’s a small town. Not exactly a big city.”

  “I needed a change. I was supposed to go to school about thirty minutes away.”

  “Supposed to?”

  “Uh, well some things happened, and I haven’t decided if I’m ready to start that just yet. Kind of late now. Maybe someday.”

  “I see.”

  I could see he wanted to ask more, like what would cause someone college bound to completely change course and not know when she would start again.

  “What’s the story with this place?” I asked. “Something tells me you don’t just work here. You the manager or something?”

  Leaning forward on his arms, he eyed me. “Something like that.”

  “You aren’t going to tell me?”

  “Nope.”

  I laughed. “Why?”

  “Because I like to be a little mysterious. Besides, I couldn’t lay all my cards out on the table without knowing much about you. How would that be fair?”

  “Fine. What do you want to know?”

  “What were you going to go to school for?”

  I made a face. Back to that. “Business.”

  “Really?” His eyes grew larger.

  “Yeah.”

  “I guess you are full of surprises. I never would have pegged you for business.”

  “Oh yeah? What would you have pegged me for?”

  He sat back in his seat, considering this. I waited, eyeing him.

  “Nurse, or maybe a doctor. We should probably add contractor, with your trips to the hardware store. Sounds like you’ve been there a lot.”

&nbs
p; “What? Who said that?”

  He grinned. “The cashier, after you stormed out.”

  I shook my head.

  “Small town, remember?”

  Neither of us spoke for a while, drinking our coffee and letting the distant bump of the bass at the club lull us.

  “How’s your leg? I didn’t see you limping tonight on the dance floor.”

  “Oh, it’s fine.”

  “How’d you break it?”

  “Ah.” I eyed him.

  “What? Is it a big secret?”

  “No, not exactly.”

  “Well . . .”

  “I broke it in a car accident.”

  “Oh, ouch. Must have been a bad one.”

  “It was.”

  “That have anything to do with why you moved out here?”

  I looked him in the eye. “Wow, we’re getting deep already.”

  “Am I? Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

  I downed the rest of my coffee and stood. “This was . . . nice, but I should probably get back to Grace.”

  “Wait, let me walk you.”

  Leaving everything where it was, he unlocked the door and shut off the lights before locking the doors behind us.

  “I hope I didn’t offend you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “No, you didn’t.” You are just getting too close. Way too fast.

  “Good.” We walked back into the club, once again without waiting. This time, the line had disappeared. Either people had decided to go elsewhere, or there weren’t that many people to begin with.

  When we stepped inside, I could tell right away it was way busier than it had been before. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder, dancing, not just on the dance floor, but all around the room. A few girls stood on the bar, dancing in skimpy clothes.

  “Wow, it filled in quickly.”

  “Always does,” he shouted back over the noise. “Want to dance?”

  “Sure.” Couldn’t hurt now that talking was next to impossible.

  We jumped in next to Grace and Alex. Jack was a good dancer. A really good dancer. But he took me along with him, and I found myself having more fun than I’d had in a long time. He didn’t coddle me like I was broken. He wasn’t even gentle as he swung me around the dance floor. A few times, I felt the distant ache in my ribs, but I ignored it.