Chasing Circumstance

by Redmon, Dina

  “Alright, Amia, there’s no reason to get upset. I’ll mail you the negatives and the one copy I made. You can fucking destroy them yourself.” He walked out of my office and slammed the door.

  I sat there for a moment gathering my thoughts. I hoped that Rick was going to do what he said he would. I mean, the photo wasn’t all that risqué, but I didn’t need my actions questioned. Though I would never forget the events of that night, I didn’t want any physical reminders of it.

  I sent out an office wide email to remind everyone about the surprise party after work. I had invited everyone in the office and a few of our close friends. I had even sent an invite to Sam. Shutting down my office computer, I packed up my laptop and headed out. I had told Jo that I had some errands to run and would meet her at the bar after work for a birthday drink. Locking my office door, I headed over to Brady’s.

  There was no one in the front of the bar when I walked in. I set my things on the counter and looked around the place. I hadn’t noticed before just how retro the place was. It really needed to be updated. I guessed that with all the people that were usually in there, it had made it difficult to see everything that had to be done.

  “Chace?” I called out to let him know I had arrived. I was sure that Isabella would have been there already, and when I saw she wasn’t, I reached for my cell phone to call her.

  “Hey, Gorgeous.” Chace walked up behind me and kissed the back of my neck.

  “Well, hello there.” I turned around and kissed him back. “Is Isabella here?”

  “Nope, I haven’t seen her yet. How was work?” He held me in his arms and pulled me close to him.

  “It was a little hectic, but nothing I couldn’t handle.” I stood on the tips of my toes and reached up to kiss him again. “I need to call…”

  “No you don’t, I’m here. Help! Take these.” Isabella walked through the door and handed me a giant bouquet of balloons. “I think I bought out their back stock of black balloons.”

  I took them from her and walked over to where Jo usually sat. Chace went outside to help Isabella bring everything else in while I began to tie the balloons in place.

  “Are you trying to make my bar float away?” Chace walked in carrying the multi-colored balloons in one hand and a bunch of bags in the other. “Where do you want these?”

  “Oh, um just a minute.” I finished tying the black balloons to the bar rail and Jo’s chair and then grabbed the rest of them from Chace. “I was thinking I would put these near the entrance. Just put the rest of that on the bar. I’ll get to it in a minute.”

  “Alright, I’ll be right back with more.” He kissed me again before walking outside.

  It didn’t take the three of us very long before we had everything decorated and in its place. We hung a giant “Happy Birthday” sign over the top of the front of the bar and had placed black candles in glass holders on every table. The cake was in the fridge in the kitchen and there were bowls of snacks sitting across a buffet table near the front windows.

  “It looks really good in here.” I walked up to Chace and slid my arm around his waist.

  “Yes it does. Nice job, Gorgeous.” He looked down and smiled at me. “Jo’s going to be so surprised.”

  “She had better be after all the running around I had to do today.” Isabella had gone out to park her car in an actual spot and not in front of the door.

  “You know she’ll love it. Now, how about a pre-party drink while we wait for everyone to show up?” Chace went behind the bar to mix us all drinks while Isabella and I sat down.

  “Sounds perfect. I’m going to send Jo a text and tell her that I have a run in my pantyhose and ask her to go to the store to get me a pair. I want to make sure there is time for everyone to arrive before she shows up.” I typed out the text on my phone and hit the send button.

  “Long time, no see, Stranger.” I heard a familiar voice as I turned around.

  “Sam! It’s so great to see you.” I stood up and walked over to him. “Is this going to be awkward?”

  “Not in the least. I know it wasn’t you that night at the hotel.” He stepped close to me and whispered into my ear.

  “What? How do you know?” I whispered back.

  “Because I told him. I called him and explained everything.” Isabella walked up behind us.

  “But how did you get his phone number?” I was completely shocked.

  “It’s listed, so it wasn’t all that hard to look up.” She winked at me. “Now come on, it’s all in the past and it’s time to move on and have a party.”

  “Remind me to never piss the two of you off again.” Sam laughed and walked over to the bar with us.

  “I haven’t seen you around here for quite some time. What’ll you have?” Chace addressed Sam as he sat down next to Isabella.

  “Hey there, Chace, I’ve been really busy with the new job and kind of getting my shit together.” He reached across the bar to shake Chace’s hand. “Just get me a lager, please.”

  “Busy is good. Glad you could make it tonight.” Chace passed him his drink and we all sat there chatting. We were on our second round of drinks when the first of the guests showed up and it wasn’t long before the bar was full of people.

  “Chace, get everyone’s attention, please.” I leaned over the bar.

  He jumped on top of it and put his hands around his mouth, “Hey, quiet down. We need everyone’s attention, please!” He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Reaching down, he took me by the hand and helped me to stand on top of the bar with him.

  I waited for the crowd to settle and look at us. “Hi everyone and thanks so much for coming out to celebrate this with us. I just got a text from Jo and she is on her way here. I need everyone to face the door and wait for her to arrive. The moment she walks in, I want you all to scream “Happy Birthday” at the top of your lungs. Got it?” People nodded in recognition and I hopped down from the bar. “Chace? Would you be so kind as to get a drink ready for her please?” I smiled at him as he jumped down from the bar as well.

  “Already did, Gorgeous.” He winked at me, turned around and sat the drink on a coaster in front of where Jo would be sitting.

  I went outside to greet Jo at the door before she walked in. Standing against the wall outside, I waited. The night seemed too quiet for a Friday night in that neighborhood. I remembered it being much louder when I lived there. I saw Jo’s car pull up and I walked out to meet her.

  “What are you doing out here?” Jo got out of her car and handed me the package of pantyhose.

  “I wanted to get these from you out here so I could take them in and change right away. Plus, I wanted to hear how the interview for the new editor went.” Thank goodness I could think on my feet. I wasn’t expecting the question.

  “I hired her. Her credentials are outstanding and I really think you’re going to like Nancy.” She put her purse over her shoulder.

  “That’s great! Now we really have something to celebrate!” I smiled at Jo.

  “Yep, come on, let’s go inside and get me drunk.” She looped her arm through mine and we walked through the front door. Everyone screamed “Happy Birthday” and I just about had to catch her as she staggered backwards in bewilderment. “How did you pull this off?” She started to wave to everyone and thank them as she walked over to her seat at the bar. “I can’t believe you did this.”

  “I had a lot of help.” I sat down next to her and looked around. People started coming up to wish her personal birthday greetings. As the crowd dispersed and went on with their conversations, Sam walked up to her.

  “Happy Birthday, Jo.” He reached to shake her hand.

  “A hand shake? Really?” She stood up and crushed him in a hug. “It’s so nice to see you, Sam. How have you been?” She motioned for him to pull up a barstool and sit with her.

  “I’ve been doing really well. My new job is incredible and I’m doing my thing.” He sat down next to her.

  “Your thing,
huh?” She laughed and winked at him.

  “No, it’s not like that. After that wake up call, I’ve been pretty tame.” He looked at the floor.

  “That’s good to hear. Well, this is a party, so let’s party!” Jo stood up with her drink in her hand. “Hey, everyone, QUIET!” She waited for the guests to look at her and settle down. “I just wanted to thank everyone for being here to celebrate my fiftieth birthday with me and to say that if any of you remind me how old I am, you’re fired!” She raised her glass in the air, “Cheers!”

  “CHEERS!” The entire crowd joined in her toast.

  “I still can’t believe you pulled this off.” She sat back down and looked at me.

  “Like I said, I had a lot of help.” I reached across the bar to hold Chace’s hand.

  “Yes, she did. Happy Birthday, Jo.” Isabella walked up behind us and hugged her. “I was running around all afternoon picking up everything for your party.” She kissed Jo’s cheek before sitting next to me.

  “Hi, Isabella. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.” She smiled at her and raised her glass again in a salute to thank her.

  “No problem, any friend of Amia’s and all that.” She raised her glass and touched it to Jo’s.

  “Anyone ready for another?” Chace spoke up from behind the bar.

  “You’re not working back there all night, are you? Get out here and join the party.” Jo tugged at his hand.

  “Nope, I just wanted to make sure my favorite ladies had what they needed before I turned the bar over to Max and Tony. Be right with you gals.” He turned to go to the other end of the bar and let his bartenders know that it was time for them to take over. He took off his apron and came around to where we were sitting.

  “Ah, why did you take that off? You look so cute in it!” I pulled him over to me and kissed him.

  “Really? The two of you? That’s awesome!” Sam looked at us and smiled a huge smile. “Congrats guys.” He reached to shake Chace’s hand.

  “Thanks, Sam, but I think we all knew it would happen eventually. I never hid how I felt about Amia.” He snuggled in close to me and hugged me. “Nor did we doubt how hard she would make me work for her attention.” Everyone laughed.

  “Keep it up and I’ll make you work even harder.” I poked him in his ribs and laughed.

  “Come on, Gorgeous, dance with me.” Chace took me by the hand and we walked over to the jukebox. I waited for him on the dance floor while he started the music. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a couple of quarters and dropped them into the coin slot. Scanning through the titles, he chose two songs, pushed the coordinating buttons for them and the music started playing.

  “You know me well, I love this song.” I raised my arms to put them over his shoulders as he approached me.

  “That’s because when I look into your eyes, I see my soul reflected back to me.” His arms fit perfectly around my waist, and I felt his heart beat against my chest as he held me tight.

  “You always know the perfect thing to say.” We swayed back and forth through both songs. Everyone in the bar disappeared, and it was just the two of us there, resting in one another’s arms, lost in the music.

  “Hey, you two going to join the rest of us, or are you too good for that?” Jo tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Oh, yeah, I um… we just…” I was so adrift in the moment that words failed me.

  “We’ll be right over.” Chace smiled at Jo as he stepped back from me. “I just wanted a little time with my lady.”

  “Your lady? Is it official then?” She smiled at the thought.

  I looked at Jo and then up at Chace. “Yeah, it’s official.” I reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

  “You heard the lady, it’s official.” He picked me up in his arms and spun me around.

  “Great! Now, let’s get back to the party! Where are my presents?” We all laughed and walked with Jo over to the table that held her gifts.

  “Hey, no presents until we have cake! I’ll be right back. Chace? Come help me?” I pulled him by his arm to the back of the bar. When we were behind the privacy of the doors, I grabbed him by his shirt collar and shoved him against the wall. As I pressed my body tight to his, I kissed him, possessing his tongue with my lips. He lifted my body to wrap around his own as his tongue ran up the front of my neck, over my chin and traced the outline of my lips. The warmth of his breath sent shivers up my spine. I moved my hands to his hair, forcing him to look into my eyes. “Kiss me again, Chace, I need your lips on mine.” I saw myself reflected in his eyes and wondered if he saw the same in mine.

  Chace turned around and pressing my back to the wall, he steadied me on his hips. He reached, grasped my hand in his, and delicately sucked at my finger tips. “Oh, Amia, the things you make me think, make me feel…” He pulled me from the wall and held me tight to his chest. “I want you more than I can say, but not here, not like this, not now…” With a heavy sigh, he set me down so I was standing in front of him. “When we do finally make love, it will be perfect. Don’t tempt me like this; I have so very little control of myself when I am around you.” Smoothing a piece of hair from my face, he smiled and kissed my forehead. “Now, let’s get the cake before Jo sends out a search party for us.” He touched my nose with his fingertip and laughed softly.

  “Alright, but you owe me.” I winked at him, followed him to the refrigerator and helped get the cake out.

  After lighting all fifty candles, I followed him out to the front of the bar. As we walked through the doors, Chace began singing Happy Birthday, and when the crowd heard him, they joined in.

  We set the cake on the bar in front of Jo and watched as she blew out the candles. She clapped her hands together and looked at us. “Thank you, really, thank you for making this so special. Now, give me my presents.” We all joined her laughter and I cut the cake while Isabella started handing it out.

  “Here you go, from Amia and me.” Chace handed Jo a beautifully wrapped gift.

  “What is it?” Jo looked surprised and shook the box.

  “It’s an elephant.” Chace laughed. “Open the damn thing.”

  Jo pulled the silver ribbon from the black box it was tied around and opened it. Pushing back the tissue paper that was hiding the gift, her breath caught in her throat. “The Bahamas? Really?” Tears formed in her eyes.

  “Yes, really. Amia told me about the trip the two of you took there a couple years back, and I thought it would be nice for the two of you to go again.” Chace’s smile covered his face as he explained the gift.

  “Oh, Chace, that is so sweet of you! Come here, give me a hug!” Jo stood up to hug him. “And you, Amia, you deserve a hug too.”

  I hugged Jo and then took Chace by the arm and led him away from the crowd of people that were now surrounding Jo and giving her their gifts.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered in his ear.

  “Because, I knew how busy you were with work and planning the party so I just took care of it, and anyway, I wanted to surprise you as well. Did it work?” He looked at me and waited for my answer.

  “Yes! Of course it worked! You are just the…” My words were lost against his chest as I hugged him. “Careful though, you might make me fall for you.”

  “As I told you before, I’ll be there to catch you.” He squeezed me tighter. “I’ll never let you down.” He kissed me softly and we returned to the party.

  The festivities continued until we legally had to close the place down. Taxis were called for those that needed them, and when the place finally cleared out, only five of us remained. Isabella was cleaning up near the buffet table. “Hey, Doll, why don’t you go ahead and go home. We’ll take care of this tomorrow before the bar opens.” I touched her shoulder.

  “Really? I am very tired. Would you please call a cab for me? I’ll meet you here tomorrow around noon to help clean up if you want me to.” She looked relieved.

  “Sure, that would be wonderful, thanks!” I h
ugged her before taking out my cell phone and calling a taxi.

  I walked Isabella outside and waited for the cab with her while Chace helped Sam and Jo collect her gifts and put them in the back of the bar until the following day. When the taxi pulled up, I hugged Isabella and thanked her for everything she did. She hugged me back, got in the cab and left.

  Walking back in, I saw Sam and Jo sitting at the end of the bar. “Well, come on Jo, I’ll give you a ride home.” I picked up my purse and jacket.

  “Well, actually, I was thinking that Sam could take me home.” She reached over and touched his chest.

  “Not tonight, Jo. I’m a changed man. I would, however, like to take you out for a late birthday dinner tomorrow night, if you would like.” Sam stood up and picked up his coat.

  “Um… sure, that would be lovely.” Jo looked shocked but accepted his invitation.

  “Great, I’ll pick you up around six.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Amia? Chace? Thanks for the wonderful party. Happy Birthday again, Jo. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” He waved at us all and left.

  “Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say. He really did seem to be a changed man.

  “Alright then, let’s go.” Jo stood up, gathered her things and headed toward the door. “Go ahead, play kissy face. I’ll meet you out at your car. Goodnight, Chace, and thanks for the incredible party!” She kept walking as she spoke.

  “Goodnight, Jo, and Happy Birthday!” He yelled after her before scooping me up in his arms and kissing me. “As for you, Miss Amia, I’ll see you tomorrow and will think of you all night.” He kissed me again.

  “Goodnight, Chace. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I giggled as he nestled his nose against my ear. “Stop that or we’ll both be in trouble.”

  “Until we meet in our dreams, I wish you a good night.” He kissed my forehead and walked me to the door. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

  “Yep, I haven’t had a drink in almost four hours. We’ll be fine, I promise.” I held his hand as we walked.

  “Text me when you get home so I know you’re safe, please?” He let go as I stepped outside.