by CeeCee James
The two of them had decided that they needed a break. Jason was having some buddies over for poker, so she’d made plans for the night too. She was going with Claudia and another gal from work out to the local karaoke bar. At the last minute, Miranda had invited the neighbor’s wife, Susan, to join them since Doug, her husband, was coming to poker night.
Twenty minutes later Miranda heard the screen door bang open, and Jason throw his keys on the counter. She could hear him rattling the bag of chips and then the fridge door open. He’s searching for the ranch dip. She bit her lip and looked at the jar of dip sitting on the edge of the dresser, next to a few Frito crumbs.
Miranda glanced out her window just in time to see Claudia’s Toyota speed the length of the driveway.
Jason yelled up to Miranda, “Get down here! They’re here!”
“Well, let them in.”
“Geez, what am I, a butler?” he yelled back, then shoved a chip into his mouth. Crunching, he opened the front door.
The woman standing there wore a skin tight dress and six inch heels. She walked into the house slowly, giving Jason a long look. He stopped in mid-crunch at her obvious perusal. “You must be…”
“Hi, I’m Claudia.” She smiled. “And you must be Jason. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“But obviously not enough.” She walked in, her high heels hitting the floor with a confident clack. At the kitchen counter she turned around.
“Where is she?”
Jason shrugged, eyeing the other two women following her. “Still upstairs, I guess.”
“Miranda!” Claudia called. “You better hurry down here! Before I take your roommate instead.”
“I couldn’t go anyway.” Jason gestured to the food and card table. “Poker night.”
“Too bad for you.” Claudia winked. “It could have been a night you’d never forget.”
Jason blinked. “Miranda!” he hollered up the stairs.
Claudia whispered something to the other two women. Jason felt like his collar was getting too tight. Where the heck was she?
“I’m coming! Sheesh!” Miranda slammed her bedroom door. She came sideways down the stairs because her skirt was so short, her cowboy boot heels clunking cheerfully.
Jason’s eyebrows flew up his brow. Claudia nudged her friend and they watched him, laughing.
“Err,” he mumbled, unable to quit staring at her tan legs. “Where’s the rest?”
“The rest of…”
“Your skirt.”
Miranda rolled her eyes, before flipping her shiny, dark hair over her shoulder.
“I’m serious, you can barely move in that thing or you’ll show off your goods!”
“Oh, I know exactly how to move in this skirt.” She stroked his stubbly cheek gently. “Don’t you worry.” Her vanilla scent wafted over him.
Claudia was grinning ear to ear. She ushered Miranda towards the door. Jason looked panicked as they headed outside.
“Be careful, okay?” he called, hanging on to the door jamb.
“Well, aren’t you just precious,” Claudia said, patting his arm. “Don’t worry, we’re going to take good care of her. It’s my aim to find her a good man.” She gave him another wink, then strode off ahead of the women.
“Climb in, girls! We’re going to have some fun tonight!”
They got into the car and buckled up. Claudia sped out on to the road. Miranda was sucked back into her seat. “You don’t mess around, do you?” she asked.
“I’ve got places to go and people to see.” Claudia shifted and stomped on the gas with her pink stiletto.
Just then Miranda felt the buzz of her phone. She pulled it out from her bra to read the text.
- Hey don’t be drinking anything unless you buy it yourself
She shook her head and texted back, - I know
She went to slide the phone back into place, but he shot a text back immediately.
- Don’t leave your drink either.
“What’s that boy saying to you?” Claudia asked.
“He’s worried about my drinks.”
“You tell that boy if he bothers you tonight, I’m taking that phone away. This night’s about you, and you having a good time!”
Miranda quickly texted, - Thanks. GTG
She powered the phone off and showed it to Claudia, who nodded approvingly. This was going to be a fun night.
* * *
Jason stared at the text message, wondering how to respond to it. He sure hadn’t been expecting Miranda to come down in that skirt. His heart felt tight in his chest. What the hell is wrong with me? He gave a deep exhale before placing the phone on the counter. Keep the rules, idiot. Protect her. You know what happens to the people you love.
He jerked his head side to side, cracking his neck. The sight of her bare, toned legs flashed through his mind and jealously flamed in his chest. He grabbed the phone and checked it again. No new texts. With a crack, he slammed the phone down a little harder.
Okay, play it cool. Pull it together. He ripped open the pizza boxes and pulled out the frozen pizzas. Then, turning on the oven, he threw them on the racks.
There was pounding at the door, and then Doug let himself in. Trailing behind him was the rest of the gang, Jarrod and Luke.
“You ready to lose your money?” Doug smirked. “I’ve been playing this game since you were in diapers.”
“Bring it, Grandpa,” Jason smirked. Doug was thirty-two, and still very fit, but Jason couldn’t resist the dig.
Two hours later it was a different story.
"You know.” Doug grinned. “Your cards aren't going to get any better by worrying whether to fold or not."
"Well, some of us don't get pocket aces to start our hands and have to actually think when we play,” Jason said, staring hard at his cards.
"If by thinking you mean, 'Bet a lot of money on a bad hand,' then you have that strategy cornered.” Doug flipped his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other.
Jarrod and Luke both laughed. Jason shot them a dark look.
”Yeah, I'm folding.” Jason tossed his cards on the table.
“That's how you lose all your money. Why you so jittery? Dude, this is the worst I’ve ever seen you play!” Doug laughed at him and scooped up the pile of money.
Jason groaned. “Just trying to let you win some of your money back.”
“Win some of my money? I’m starting to feel guilty for wiping you clean.”
Jason pushed out his chair and walked to the kitchen for another beer.
Maybe he should check his phone one more time.
He had a text. Eagerly he opened it. It was a video from Claudia. “How’d she get my number?” he thought.
He clicked play. The grainy video was dark, but he still could make out Miranda on the stage, with Susan, Doug’s wife. They were belting out the words to, “Baby, I’ve Got All Night.” Jason’s grin grew wider.
Miranda was doing a pretty good job, despite nearly tipping over once when she reached for the mic stand. At the end she did a curtsey, and tottered off the stage. Freaking adorable.
“Hey, Doug.” He waggled an eyebrow. “Want to see your wife?”
“Wha—” Doug said. Shouts erupted from around the table. “Give me that.” Doug snatched the phone from Jason. His eyebrows nearly hit his hairline when Susan blew the crowd a kiss, and some young stud gave her his hand to help her off the stage.
“Hey, let me see that video.” Luke joked. Doug gave him a death glare.
“Lets play cards,” Doug growled. Three hands later, he was wiped out. “Don’t worry, Doug. Your wife still has her singing career,” Luke said.
Jason rubbed his mouth to hide his smile. Doug shoved back his chair and yanked his keys out of his pocket. “Laugh it up. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Luke’s smile faded a bit. Doug was his superior at Boeing.
The energy seemed to have left the room when Doug went home. The other two
guys gathered their stuff and said goodbye.
Jason picked up the empty beer bottles and chip bags. He was wiping the table when Claudia’s car rattled up the driveway to drop Miranda off.
“Oh, baby, you know how I love it,” Jason sang as she walked into the house.
“Shut up!” Miranda blushed and tossed her purse on the island.
Jason sashayed around the island, leaning against it like a cabaret singer on a piano. “Never think I’m above it.”
“She sent that to you, didn’t she?” Miranda frowned and unzipped her purse to pull out her phone. “I’m going to kill her.”
Jason stabbed at his phone for a second and Miranda heard the notes of the song. He turned the screen towards her. Yep, there she was, hanging on to the mic for dear life, laughing at Susan as they bawled the song into each other’s faces. Well, at least the audience had loved it.
Miranda groaned and reached for the phone. “Give it to me.”
He held it just out of reach, lip-syncing with her horrible out of tune video.
“Give it to me now!” She jumped for the phone.
He held it overhead. “You want to sing it for me? Live? That might be worth giving you the phone.”
“I’ll get you for this, Jason. Don’t you think I won’t.”
He pantomimed his hands shaking with fear, before tipping his head back, using the phone like a mic. “Baby, it’s just you for me!”
“I’m going to ignore him,” Miranda muttered out loud and spun her hair back into a messy bun. Her stomach growled, and suddenly she was starving. She pulled open the door to the fridge. No grocery shopping for a week, and it showed on her shelf.
There was a carton of Chinese food. She side-eyed where he was, out of sight, and reached for the carton.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He sprung up from the other side of the refrigerator door. Miranda screamed. Jason’s face cracked into a huge smile.
“Grrr.” Miranda reached in to the fridge and defiantly took out the carton.
Jason watched with arched eyebrows.
“You can eat that.” He nodded. “It seems you’ve already sung for your dinner.”
Miranda dumped the Chinese food on a plate. “Whatever, it was entertaining.”
“Sure entertained the guys at poker night, too.” Jason winked.
“Oh my gosh, you showed it to the guys? I’m never singing karaoke again.” Miranda rolled her blue eyes and slid the plate into the microwave.
Jason had moved over to her purse by the island. “What’s this?” He held out a piece of napkin. His chest burned again in a familiar way.
“I guess I was the one collecting numbers tonight.” Miranda shrugged. “He wanted to write it on my arm, and seemed rather put out when I wouldn’t let him.”
Jason scowled as he read the number. “What an ass. He drew a winky face.” Jason flung the paper back down on the counter.
“Yeah, he had the same words for you, too.”
Jason looked up sharply. “What? He knows me?”
“Yeah, and apparently you didn’t leave a good impression.”
The microwave beeped. Miranda slid open the silverware drawer and got a fork. She retrieved her plate from the microwave and turned to lean against the counter.
“Who was he?”
“Um,” She eyed the forkful of noodles she’d spun up. Just no dainty way to do it, except to shovel them in. She tried not to slurp.
“Miranda!”
“Let me think.” She speared a water chestnut. “His name was Dane or Dan. Something like that.”
Jason leaned back and drummed his fingers on the counter.
“Skinny guy?”
“Yeah, actually. Very.”
“Big nose?”
Miranda glanced at him. “I don’t like to say that, but maybe.”
“Stay away from him.” Jason thumped his hands on the counter.
“What the heck, Jason?”
“His name is Dane. He’s bad news. Got into a fight with me and my buddy last year.”
“Oh, no! What happened?”
“He was going after a girl with a tire iron,” Jason exploded. “Probably a drug deal gone bad.”
Miranda froze with the fork halfway to her mouth.
“She was a girl I knew from the auto shop, the other mechanics’ sister. She always hung out at the garage. That girl was always high and as delusional as hell. The guys used to give me crap because she had a huge crush on me. She— she…” He rubbed his hand over his face. “Oh hell, she thought she was in love with me. I tried to help her out, gave her the number of a drug program. She ended up dead anyway.” Lifting his head, Jason grabbed the dishrag off the counter and threw it into the sink. “It was ruled a suicide.” His nostrils flared.
“Oh my gosh.” Miranda reached out to touch his arm. “Jason, you know that wasn’t your fault.”
Two creases deepened on either side of his mouth. He swallowed hard and raised his hands in front of him to let her know he didn’t want to be touched. “I’m done. See you in the morning.” Slowly, he backed away, then turned and ran upstairs to his room.
21
Present Day
Cassie had been awake for a week, still without requesting her sister. Jason had stayed there all day Saturday with her. He was depressed when he came home, because Cassie still wouldn’t let him bring up Miranda.
Miranda had told him to focus on Cassie getting better, and not to worry about anything else.
Jason headed out for the hospital again that day. As soon as he left, Miranda grabbed her cell phone and walked out to the back deck. She whistled for Archer to follow her. “I have a feeling I’m going to need all the support I can get, ol' boy.”
She called the nurses station, and was relieved when Peggy, her favorite nurse, answered.
“Hi, Miranda. Will we be seeing you today?”
Miranda chewed on her fingernail. All her nails were ragged. “Peggy, do you think my sister could talk on the phone?”
Peggy paused for a second, thinking. “Yes, if someone in the room handed her the phone, I don’t see why not.”
“Do you think—”
There was a soft laugh, “I’ll transfer you now, and run on down there.”
“Thank you so much.”
There was a click on the line, then a buzzing sound that meant it was ringing in the room. Miranda started to sweat and plucked at her shirt near her armpits. I’m brave. I’m brave. I’m brave. She breathed out slowly, trying to remain calm.
Buzz, buzz. The phone picked up. Miranda could hear Peggy from a distance telling Cassie she had a phone call. Miranda sat on the swing and buried her hand in Archer’s fur. He watched her with a worried look, his muzzle resting on her knee.
“H-hello?”
Warmth rushed through her at the sound of her sister’s voice. “Cassie, it’s Miranda.”
“Miranda?”
“Hi, Chickee. I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to see me, but I had to tell you that I love you so much.”
There was a pause on the other end.
“Why haven’t you come to see me?”
Miranda’s mouth fell open. “I didn’t want to bother you or stress you out just when you needed your strength to get better.”
“That hurt, Miranda, that you didn’t come.”
“Didn’t come?”
“Jason’s been here, but not my own sister. He keeps bringing you up, but I’ve been too furious to talk to him. What did I do to you, to make you hate me so much?”
“What? Cassie! I was there every day after I found out you were in a coma. And then you woke up. You don’t remember? You told me to leave.”
“No, I would have never said that. I’ve wanted to see you every single day since you left.”
“You did, I swear you did.” Miranda sniffed and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“Are you sure you’re not using that as an excuse just not to see me again?”
> “I can explain why I left. You don’t have to accept it, I understand. But it had nothing to do with you. I’ve felt nothing but shame for leaving. “
More silence.
“Please, can I come down and see you?”
“I can’t tell you how I felt when you weren’t home after the funeral. Tell me why you left.”
“I… I think I had a nervous breakdown, to be honest. I’m sorry I left you. I thought you’d be okay.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t. And neither were you.”
“I thought you had your friends. I was a wreck. I didn’t want to drag you down.”
“I didn’t have you. I needed you, and you needed me. Because we were both hurting. You know what the hardest part was?” Cassie took a deep breath. Miranda could tell she was getting tired. “You didn’t answer my phone calls, any of them. Just texts every couple of weeks saying crap like, ‘Everything’s good here. Hope you’re okay.’” Her voice broke. “You shut me out.”
Miranda covered her face. “I did do all of that. You have every right to be mad. But I promise, I wasn’t rejecting you. I was afraid.”
“Even hearing you trying to explain is making me angrier.” Cassie choked.
“I’m sorry. I deserve it. If you need more time, I understand. Take all the time you need.” Miranda gripped the phone so tight her hand shook.
There was a longer pause this time. Then a drawn-out sigh. “You always said you were going to travel the world. I just figured thats why you left.”
“I’d never leave you for that reason. Ever.” Miranda shook her head in denial even though her sister couldn’t see.
“Come by tomorrow.”
Miranda felt a lump rise in her throat. “I love you, Cassie,” she whispered.
“I know.”
A second later, the phone clicked off.
Miranda dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Archer. “Thank you for being there, sweet dog. You’re such a good boy.” She wiped her tears on his fur. Her sister knew she loved her: that was all that mattered.
