Betting Jessica

by Deanne Wilsted

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Thank God she hadn’t run into Ian. Jessica looked down at what she was wearing. With her luggage finally arriving she had even put on a pair of her new shorts today. How could the gardeners have possibly mistaken her for a maid?

  Jessica realized she hadn’t said anything and forced a smile on her face.

  “Oh, uh thanks.”

  “Sorry,” the guy said. “It’s just, well, my friends and I figured you were on vacation not moving here.”

  “No, no. You’re right. I’m only here visiting. Well, sort of anyway.”

  She was seriously embarrassed. And glad that it hadn’t been Slam observing one more humiliation.

  “So, well, thanks again,” she said backing out. She turned and fled as fast as she could.

  By the time she reached the safety of the condo her mind was already back in project mode. She pulled out her plan and crossed off ‘put up dog walking signs’. She hoped someone would call but in the meantime she needed to focus on her other ideas.

  Her stomach rumbled and she looked at her watch. Maybe she would indulge herself with a picnic by the condo pool. She had noticed earlier that she was starting to get weird tan lines from riding the bike around. Her first week had sped by; it was hard to believe she only had another week left on her own. Hopefully, by the time the others arrived, she’d be able to flaunt a nicely tanned body rather than the white geometric patterns which currently covered her arms and legs.

  She threw together a sandwich, grabbed her book and a towel and was almost out the door before guilt got the better of her. Sighing, she grabbed her project file; she’d work on it a bit more she decided, but at least she would be in a bikini while doing it.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  It turned out that was the last sun worshipping Jessica got to do for the rest of the week. Surprisingly, phone calls asking for dog walking had started to come in almost immediately. She had turned down quite a few, but had taken at least four in Ian’s neighborhood.

  The amount of exercise she was getting on this vacation was unreal, she thought. The biking, dog walking and hiking the trails Ian might be on had left her sore and tired every day. She knew these efforts were probably futile. But the thing was, her research had found very few opportunities for meeting Ian outside of his house and she was at a loss for any better ideas.

  In fact, Jessica was starting to feel very unsettled, if not downright grouchy at the way her plans had failed her. In two days the others would be joining her and she felt like she was no further along at meeting Ian than when she had arrived.

  As she walked the dogs she peered through the pine trees still hoping to figure out which house was his. She wasn’t at all convinced she would be able to recognize it though even if she did see it.

  And, there was always the possibility that one of the gardeners might eventually help her; especially now that she was on a first name basis with most of them. They laughed every time she showed up in her cutest skirts being dragged behind a pack of dogs. She was trying to learn Spanish so she could actually tell them what she was looking for, but so far all she had managed to say that they appeared to understand was no deseo ser una criada; ‘No, I don’t want to be a maid.’

  Probably her best plan so far had been to hang out at the coffee house waiting for Ian’s name to come up in conversation and hoping he might actually show up. One day Slam had casually mentioned that Ian would sometimes come in for iced lattes. As far as Jessica could tell, it seemed to be one of the few social things he would do on vacation.

  She wasn’t really sure she trusted Slam though, especially since he always seemed to be teasing her. But, since she was tired of hiking random trails hoping to run into him, she had decided it might be better to stay in one place and let Ian come to her… sort of like they tell you to do when you’re lost, she thought.

  Lost! How true that was. It felt like she had lost all sensibility when she had agreed on this crazy bet. And perhaps she was fast losing herself in the process. She knew she was losing all sense of perspective. After all this was, at least in part, her vacation. And far from enjoying it she was practically driving herself to drink.

  If there was any good news it was that the bicycling and hiking had continued to slim her down; she had actually dropped another whole pants size. This would have been terrific, except it now felt like her new clothes were starting to look sort of baggy on her.

  As usual she made it home from dog walking just as the afternoon thunder and lightning started. Well, I’ve got that going for me. Jessica remembered her first day in Tahoe when she hadn’t been so lucky. Caught in the storm she’d practically peed her pants thinking she was going to get hit by lightning.

  Eager to get inside before the deluge, she quickly stored her bike under the deck.

  “Ow, ow, ow!” she yelled, rubbing her head where she’d bumped it on the low hanging beams when a particularly loud boom of thunder had struck.

  She fought back tears, pulled off her backpack and rushed to the front door. Shoving it open, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped soggily into the entryway. At least it’s not my home, she thought; not bothering to take off her wet shoes. She squished across the carpet into the kitchen, plopped her bag down and shivering, shook out her hair.

  Shower first, she thought and then she’d decide what to do with her night. The warm streams of water ran down her back and she slowly tried to let go of the tension and disappointment she’d been living with since she had arrived.

  It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

  She had planned things, organized things. She had wanted this to work out so badly. Didn’t that count for anything? Didn’t her drive and ambition make any difference? As real as a rubber ball the answer seemed to echo and bounce around in the shower… Not one damn bit.

  What was she going to do? How on earth was she going to meet Ian Drake before the others got here? Suddenly all her schemes seemed so ridiculous to her that she started to cry. The tears which she had held back when she had bumped her head outside came now, mixing with the water from the shower.

  What… on… earth… had she been thinking, she hiccupped; flying across the entire country in pursuit of a celebrity? It was so crazy a wild laugh broke through her crying jag. Jessica’s hysterics made her weak, and she slowly slid down the wet tiles. On the ground she hugged her legs to her chest and dropped her head on her knees. The water pounded the top of her head but she sat unmoving for a long time.

  Eventually the tears ran out. Exhausted by her tantrum Jessica finally stood up, turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her. She made her way to the bedroom and climbed under the comforter. She fell asleep listening to the rain hitting the rooftop.

  Hours later, dark outside, Jessica awoke in an amazingly good mood. She tried to think of why she should suddenly feel so content and then remembered her epiphany right before she closed her eyes. If she was going to do something this insane she might as well have fun doing it; from here on out she was going to enjoy being totally crazy. No more being humiliated and embarrassed. No more shying away from Slam. And, Jessica decided, it was time for her to enjoy some of her vacation.

  She got up and made her way to the living room where she tried to light one of the wet Duraflame logs she had lugged back from the store. It sat there and smoldered, like a wet stuffed animal. Leaving it to dry out she turned on the TV and went to get her project plan. She looked it over.

  Yep, nothing new there that she hadn’t already considered; water sports, hiking, lattes, catered meals. Since no new ideas were jumping out at her she decided tomorrow she would give herself a day off and simply enjoy being in such a lovely spot. Roman Holiday was on TV and she rushed to the kitchen to heat up some soup and popcorn so she could sit there and enjoy it all on her own, pretending for a little bit it was like any other perfect vacation.

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  “Small, non-fat latte please.” Jessica gave her order t
o the girl behind the register and waited for the barista to make it.

  It was a perfect, sunny day outside, as if the storm from the day before had never happened. After taking an early morning walk along the lake she had bought a fun travel magazine at the local convenience store and when her drink was ready she took them both out into the sun to sit and relax.

  Instead of her normal outdoor table, she flopped down into one of the Adirondack chairs that the coffee house had lined up on the deck overlooking the lake. She started to put on her sunglasses and then changed her mind. Instead, she shoved them up onto the top of her head, closed her eyes and tipped her face up to the warm sun. She sat there contentedly listening to the sound of the lapping waves. A bird squawked overhead. Without opening her eyes she identified it as a seagull and wondered why it would be here, so far away from the ocean.

  She felt someone brush by her and watched through half closed eyes as Slam cleared some empty mugs near her. He smiled.

  “Sorry to wake you sleeping beauty.”

  Jessica laughed. “That’s ok. I wasn’t asleep…. just relaxed.”

  “I almost didn’t recognize you that way,” he teased. “It’s nice to see the vacation mode finally caught up with you.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” she smiled back at him. “It’s hard to be too stressed when you have such a beautiful view in front of you.”

  “It’s awesome,” Slam said nodding. “I get to enjoy summers like this, and then all winter I’m out on the slopes boarding. Have you skied here?”

  “Nope,” Jessica said. “I’m from Boston and our idea of skiing is ice and slush. I’ve never gotten very good at it.”

  “Well, if you come back I’ll teach you.” He winked. “The snow’s as perfect as the scenery and celebrities around here.”

  He has a nice smile, Jessica thought, watching as he walked away. She suddenly realized she had started to become a little lonely. Although Slam had tried to talk with her every time she’d stopped in, after her first couple of interactions she had been too embarrassed to do anything but nod hello.

  She flipped open her magazine and casually turned pages. It was a funny habit she had, always reading magazines back to front. Somehow it seemed easier. She’d scan the pictures and some of the text, and then if an article really caught her attention she would turn to the front and read it all the way through. She was trying to figure out what the picture of the lobster had to do with a supposed article about fall makeup ideas when Slam returned, this time sipping his own cup of coffee.

  “Ok?” He nodded at the empty chair near her and sat down.

  “Well,” she said grinning, “that depends. Are you going to spend all your time teasing me?”

  Slam laughed and looked a little chagrined. “I know; it was fairly obvious when you stopped asking for my help that I must have totally pissed you off.”

  “More like embarrassed,” Jessica admitted. “Did they finally give you an actual break or is someone going to come by and yell at us soon?"

  “Believe it or not, everyone’s pretty relaxed here. We’re also usually pretty wired. I go about 20 minutes between caffeine fixes.”

  He laughed when Jessica gave him a horrified look.

  “It’s a perk,” he insisted.

  They both sat for a moment in silence appreciating the view of the lake.

  “So if you’re from Boston, why are you all the way out here for your vacation instead of someplace like Nantucket?”

  “That’s just about the worst New England accent I’ve ever heard,” Jessica said observing his attempt to sound upper crust.

  “I’m a boarder, not a yachter,” Slam parried. “So really,” he continued when she laughed, “what’s your story?”

  Jessica shrugged. “It’s sort of long.”

  “Yes, so you keep saying.” Slam grinned. “How about you meet me and my friends out tonight? You can finally end the suspense and tell us all about it.”

  Jessica was bemused and a little flattered. Slam looked like he couldn’t be more than 18 years old. Was he actually hitting on her? She pulled the sunglasses down to the bridge of her nose and looked at him.

  “Well, you look safe enough, but what are your friends like?”

  “Tell you what,” Slam said, obviously amused rather than offended. “Meet us at Lakehouse Pizza and if it’s too painful you can move to a different table.” He smiled at her. “The pizza is worth being brave for. You can’t leave Tahoe without trying it.”

  “Thanks,” Jessica said, deciding what the hell. “It sounds like fun. My friends aren’t coming in till tomorrow, so it would be great to scout out someplace for them before they get here.”

  Even if Slam was as young as he looked Jessica wanted to change any notion he might have that she was vacationing alone. It just seemed sort of nerdy.

  “What time should I meet you?” Jessica asked.

  “Hold on a sec,” Slam answered and walked back into the coffee house. He came out a second later laughing. “My friends think I’m harassing you and don’t think you really want to meet up with us. Would you wave or something so they know I’m not twisting your arm too much?”

  Jessica smiled and rolled her eyes. Through the windows she could see the guys inside joking around.

  “So, we’re planning to go around 8:00 p.m. You know where the Lakeview Shopping Center is?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “The pizza place is next door to it on the left.”

  Slam grabbed her now empty cup off of the table and turned around. “So we’ll see you there then?”

  “Okay,” Jessica said as she closed her magazine and stood. “But you know, you did sort of twist my arm.”

  “I know. I’m good at that.” Slam laughed over his retreating shoulder. “Why do you think they sent me out here?”

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Jessica headed to the beach, energized by a pretty good coffee buzz and the surprise attention. She stopped at a little deli nearby and stuffed the lunch bag into her backpack on top of her book, sunscreen and towels.

  The public beach was okay. It was right along the road, so it was a little bit loud. And having ridden by on a different day she knew it could get pretty crowded. It was still early though, so Jessica was able to find a great spot away from the parking area but with a nice view. It was also near enough to a tree so that if she got hot she’d have shade.

  Even with all the complaining she’d done recently she had to admit that the greens and blues of Lake Tahoe’s water made it as beautiful as the Caribbean, if not nearly as warm. She laid out her two beach towels and blew up her raft. Having once stuck her toe in the water she doubted she’d get hot enough to go in, but Jessica was determined to vacation right, and a raft was part of that plan.

  She pulled her water bottle and book out of her beach bag and threw them down on the towel. Finally, she slathered sunscreen on. Exhausted after getting everything ready, Jessica plopped down and immediately fell asleep in the warm, morning sun.

  She had no idea how long she had been asleep when she felt something tickle her stomach. She swatted her hand at it, but it kept coming back. Finally, all the way awake, she sat up to see what was tickling her and realized it was a trickle of sweat. She slowly stretched and drew her arms up, pressing a finger to the skin on her arm. She was glad to see it looked like she had avoided burning herself too badly. But she was hot she realized and grabbed her water bottle.

  The still cool water hit the back of her throat making her cough. She wiped her sweaty hair back out of her face and climbed onto her knees to casually look around at all of the people who had arrived while she’d been asleep.

  Not far from her was a mother with three kids. The littlest one was sitting in her lap and the mom was trying valiantly to get past the little girl’s defenses and put on sunscreen. The other two, a boy and a girl, were running back and forth to the water, trying to lug enough buckets of it to build a castle for their mom. Jessica felt light and happy as
she sat watching them enjoy their day on the sand.

  A yell farther down the beach grabbed her attention and she turned her head in time to see a lifeguard catching up with a jet skier who, ignoring the signs, had pulled his jet ski up onto the beach to pick up a super tan, teenage girl who looked like she had stepped straight out of Skateboarder Monthly magazine. The jet skier didn’t seem to worry too much about the lifeguard though, and Jessica wondered what it would feel like to not care that you had done something so obviously wrong.

  Most of her life she had worried excessively about ever breaking a rule. In fact, of all the things that had gone wrong so far in Tahoe, the one that bothered her the most was getting the warning from the police officer for not wearing the helmet.

  Apparently, though, the lifeguard and the jet skier worked things out since Jessica watched while the guy loaded up his passenger, walked the Jet Ski out as far as he could, and then pulled himself up and slowly headed away from the beach. Jessica eyed the lifeguard as he walked past her back to his post. She was surprised to see him grinning.

  “Believe me,” the lifeguard said seeing her confusion, “making that guy swim in Lake Tahoe was punishment enough.”

  Jessica laughed and returned his wry smile. Although she was starting to get pretty darn hot she knew there was still no way she would get into the icy water. The lake was a mile deep and filled by snow runoff. It would take a lot of courage, or perhaps youth, to dive in. The water hadn’t seemed to bother the jet skier at all. And, from a distance, watching the brother and sister splashing and dunking each other under, you would never know their toes were probably turning blue and their teeth were chattering.

  Jessica picked up her book, but couldn’t seem to pay any attention to it. Her stomach rumbled so she pulled out the deli sandwich and un-wrapped it. The spicy Italian lunch meats, pepper jack cheese, and green peppers made Jessica’s tongue tingle. She read her book and relaxed in the warm sun while she ate. She was perfectly content, a feeling which so rarely took hold of her that she reveled in it.