Full Circle

by Dillon Watson

  “I’ve decided not to apply. I don’t meet the qualifications and the job does come with some challenges.”

  “That’s what makes it worth having.”

  “I hope you think so after. You really need to—”

  “What’s the game here, Debbie? Your good buddies send you over to get friendly, feel me out for info, what?”

  Debbie’s lips thinned and she pushed at her glasses. “No game. I hear things. Ugly things.”

  “Ugly things?” She rolled her eyes. “Why me? If they know I’ve applied, then they know who else has applied.”

  “Don’t be naïve. Everyone knows you’re the most qualified.” Debbie actually smiled. “They don’t like that at all.”

  Mikaela shook her head, watching Debbie leave as quietly as she’d arrived. The weird kept getting weirder and now she had “ugly things” to worry about as well.

  “Finally,” Talya said singsong, her arms loaded with folders. “Time to go. I’m dropping this stuff in my office. We’ll deal with it and anything else that comes up first thing Monday.”

  “There is a goddess.” Mikaela logged off her computer, cleared her desk and waited for Talya to join her. She didn’t have long to wait.

  “Take me to Margaritaville.”

  “And make your man jealous? I think not.” Mikaela led the way to the elevator.

  “Ha, ha. FYI, expect to get a letter and a certificate from HQ thanking you for helping coordinate the volunteer deal.” Talya pushed the down button a couple of times. “They were impressed with the number of volunteers we had and I made sure they know that was your doing. They’ve promised T-shirts for next year, maybe goody bags.”

  “I could make that work. Need to start earlier next year. Get even more people. Maybe add a little competition to the mix.”

  “Does that mean I can put your name down as lead coordinator again?”

  “Sure. You know it’ll only take a little nudge to get Pat to be the other coordinator if you’re ready to give up the title.”

  “Only if we have the after-party at my place again. That was fun.”

  “I’ll put you down.” Mikaela pushed the down button for good measure. “Sorry. I am so ready to get home, slip into something comfortable and let a book take me away.”

  “That’s your plan for the night? You’re single. Shouldn’t you be out acting wild, doing things you’ll regret in the morning?”

  Mikaela laughed. “That’s on my schedule for Saturday. I do get a night of rest.”

  “Honey, that’s what Sunday is for.”

  * * *

  “Come on. I’ve met her and she’s really nice.” Casey nudged Mikaela’s bare foot with her hand.

  Mikaela moved her feet. “Nice is known in blind-date speak as synonymous with ugly and/or socially awkward.”

  “Wrong. She’s not a blind date and she’s cute. I think you’ll like her.”

  Mikaela put her book aside and looked up at Casey. She’d been enjoying pretending to read while stoically wallowing in pity about the state of her love life. Not that she had one of those anyway, judging by the silence of her phone. “She’s a doctor. What could I possibly have in common with a doctor?”

  “Not a medical doctor. A PhD. If you come to dinner you can find out what you have in common. Come on, Mikaela. You’d be doing me a favor, and it’s not a date. Suzette thinks Beth’ll be more comfortable if someone else is there.”

  “You swear Beth doesn’t think I’m her date?”

  “I swear. Dinner’s on me, so no worries about money.”

  “Yeah?” Money, or lack thereof, was always a spreadsheet consideration when dining out. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, then gave Casey a steely-eyed look. “Okay, I’ll do it, but be aware you’re going to owe me big if she’s boring. And you don’t want to know what you’ll owe if she thinks I’m her date.”

  “Then I have nothing to worry about. We should leave in an hour. Keep in mind there’s a good chance we’ll hit a club after. Suzette’s firm scored some complimentary passes to the latest hot spot.”

  “Club?” Mikaela’s lethargy was suddenly gone. “You should have said that first.”

  Casey rolled her eyes. “Now you tell me. And an hour means an hour.”

  “I’ll be ready.” Walking to her closet, she threw the door open. Tonight would be a good night to wear the wide-legged designer jeans she’d gotten ridiculously cheap after digging forever through the sale tables at Macy’s. And if they did go dancing, she’d want to wear the little red shirt that was all about cleavage under the fitted, long-sleeved purple shirt, which was “this is not a date” casual. Satisfied with her ensemble, she took a shower, put on perfumed lotion and fixed her hair in a stylish French braid. She dithered back and forth, but finally decided on the deep red lipstick. She had to look cute.

  With five minutes to spare, she paraded into the living room. Casey of course was already there, wearing a white turtleneck sweater and jeans. With her hair down, she looked like an athletic goddess.

  “You look like you’ve lost weight,” Casey commented.

  Mikaela felt ridiculously pleased. Maybe slaving to the treadmill master was worth something. “Really?” She smoothed her hands down her jeans. “That new scale of yours says two pounds, but I just thought that might be because I threatened it with death Sunday.”

  Casey’s lips twitched, but she didn’t smile. “You do have to watch what you say to machines, sensitive feelings and all. I’m sure watching what you eat and exercising could be a factor as well.”

  “It better be or I’m dismantling that top of the line treadmill of yours. Do you know how hard it’s been to get up an hour earlier?” She frowned at Casey’s smile. “Well, it is.”

  “And that hour looks wonderful on you.”

  “Suck-up. Where are we going anyway?”

  “Blue Moon. A friend of Suzette’s is a partner. It’s gotten some good reviews.”

  “As long as they have food, I’ll like it.” Mikaela slung a tiny pocketbook over her shoulder. “Ready. And, I hope you notice, on time.”

  Casey fed Mikaela the information she knew about Beth as her luxury SUV ate up the miles to Suzette’s home on the north side of the region. “Letting you know now that I will say I told you so once you find out you like her.”

  “As long as it’s not a date, I’m prepared to like her. Say what you will.”

  Casey shot her a quick glance. “That’s a pretty good attitude for someone who was moping an hour ago.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you I do not mope? I was wallowing. There’s a difference.”

  “Right. What were you wallowing about? The Three still giving you grief?”

  She sighed. “It’s stupid.”

  “Sara?”

  “Yeah. I can’t seem to stop wishing things were different between us. She was bordering on flirty on the phone, then the next day she was…distant. One minute I don’t know what to think, then the next I’m getting mad at myself because I know better. I know I shouldn’t have expected anything from her. Except she’s the one who called me. That has to mean something. What do you think?”

  “Maybe she’s bipolar and doesn’t take her meds. In which case you’d want to stay away from her.”

  Mikaela would have hit her if she wasn’t driving. “You’re no help.”

  “Okay, so maybe she’s confused about her feelings for you. Maybe she’s not wanting to take a second look.”

  “And that helps me how?”

  “It tells you that you’re different from other women she’s hooked up with. That you’re better because she thinks about you.”

  “That sort of makes sense. Doesn’t make me feel better, but it fits.”

  Casey checked the rearview mirror, then eased into the crowded right lane. “I say keep being your charming self and you’ll have her worshipping at your feet in no time.” She exited the highway, made a quick right and followed the curvy road, which eventually led
to Suzette’s upscale subdivision.

  “Will you look at the size of these houses,” Mikaela said once they made it past the gated entrance. “Law school paid off big.”

  “She comes from money.”

  “Never would’ve known from the way she acts.”

  “That’s one of the many reasons I like her,” Casey said and swung into Suzette’s long driveway.

  “Wow!” Mikaela peered up at the brick monstrosity. “One of my aunts had stories about cleaning houses like this.”

  “I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you awestruck.” Casey nudged Mikaela with her elbow. “Cut it out before you embarrass her.”

  “Turning off awe. I promise not to gawk when we get inside. That is the proper way to say I won’t stand around looking dumb with my mouth hanging open, isn’t it?”

  “Jeez, Mikaela, maybe I should have left you at home wallowing.”

  “Don’t even think you’re getting rid of me now. You’re stuck with me and my hungry, dance-deprived, awestruck self.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Suzette was waiting at the door. Mikaela had only met her a couple of times before, but she had no trouble remembering her. Suzette was an attractive brunette with light blue eyes and a hard-to-resist smile. And judging by the look on Casey’s face after the welcome kiss, Suzette’s lips were good for more than smiling.

  Mikaela had a hard time not gawking at the inside of Suzette’s home. From the intricate woodwork on the arch in the foyer to the high ceilings with fancy-looking chandeliers and the huge grandfather clock anchoring a corner in the living room, it all said money, classy money. To her it was like something out of the magazines she leafed through in the doctor’s office—not quite real. As much as she disliked herself for it, she saw Suzette in a different light. A “seriously rich girl” light.

  Suzette’s friend Beth, with her sharply defined features, was more striking than beautiful. Her skin was creamy brown to go with red hair cut close to the scalp and an arch of freckles over the nose. To Mikaela’s relief the smile in Beth’s golden-brown eyes was the friendly kind with no trace of first-date jitters.

  By the time they made it to the restaurant, Mikaela was ready to admit Casey had been right on both counts. Not only was Beth likeable, but like Mikaela, she’d grown up in a poor neighborhood that was a suburb away from Mikaela’s, giving them a lot in common. Further discussion led to the discovery that Beth had gone out with one of Mikaela’s second cousins in high school. Best of all for Mikaela, Beth loved to read the same kind of books she did. Dinner was spent with the two of them dissecting recent reads.

  After dinner everyone agreed they should use Suzette’s VIP pass, go to Buckhead and dance off dinner. On the way, Suzette explained that while it wasn’t a gay club, it was gay friendly. Even though it was early by club standards, the line to get into the parking lot was backed up a block on either side. At Suzette’s urging, Casey pulled into a nearby parking lot and they walked from there to Revolution. The pass let them bypass the line at the door and gave them entrance to the sleek upstairs lounge overlooking a huge dance floor.

  With a glass of Moscato, the one drink she was allotting herself, Mikaela leaned against the railing and let the pounding beat of Rihanna’s latest soulful hit flow through her veins. The dance floor below was almost empty, but the three bars were doing brisk business.

  “Have you been here before?” Beth asked as she joined Mikaela at the railing.

  She shook her head. “Truthfully, it costs too much to get in. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice place. But a dance floor’s a dance floor.” Her gaze sharpened as the spotlight scanned the crowd and momentarily settled on a familiar figure. She bit back a curse and deliberately looked away from Sara, who had a shoulder cocked against a wall and seemed to be scanning the crowd. Probably looking for a bed partner, she thought with a bitterness she couldn’t suppress. Thank God she wasn’t at home waiting for a call. “Casey tells me you’re here for an interview with Spellman College, which I went to for two years. I couldn’t help wondering why you’d leave a blue state to come to a very red Georgia.”

  “Partly to be closer to my mom. She’s getting older and I’d like to be able to visit more frequently. But mainly for the job. It’s a tenure track position, and after meeting with some of the department faculty today, on the outside it seems like a good fit.” Beth shrugged. “The competition is fierce, so we’ll see. If I don’t get it, I’ll stay where I am and keep looking.”

  “What do you teach?”

  “Creative Writing.”

  “Cool.” Mikaela couldn’t keep her gaze from returning to the site where she’d last seen Sara. And she was in the same place, beer in hand. As Mikaela watched, a woman walked up to Sara and said something. She held her breath and only released it when Sara smiled and shook her head.

  “What are you looking at?”

  “Nothing but trouble,” she replied. “See that woman under the neon Budweiser sign?”

  “Very nice.”

  “We had this one-time deal and I foolishly got in over my head.”

  “I can see why. We should go down, dance in front of her. Give her something to regret.”

  “I like the way you think.”

  “Hey, why come to a club if you’re not going to dance, right?”

  After a quick word with Casey and Suzette, who seemed to be off in their own world, Beth and Mikaela took the winding staircase down to the dance floor. Beth reached for Mikaela’s hand and wound through the few swaying bodies until they were positioned in Sara’s sight.

  Mikaela took some satisfaction at Sara’s reaction to the sight of her and Beth dancing close on the floor. “She just spotted us and she doesn’t look very happy,” Mikaela said, leaning close to Beth’s ear to be heard over the loud, pounding beat.

  Beth maneuvered until she could see Sara. “You’re right. I think I have a hole in my head from the lasers shooting out of her eyes. That’s not the kind of look I’m used to getting from hot women.”

  Mikaela laughed. “I’m sure of that.” They danced until thirst called. Instead of returning upstairs, they moved to the closest bar, which happened to be the one they had to walk past Sara to get to.

  “Sara,” Mikaela said as if she’d just noticed her. “How’s it going?”

  Sara’s gaze slid momentarily to Beth, then their clasped hands. “Okay.”

  “You haven’t had any more trouble, have you?” When Sara shook her head, she said, “Good. Let me know.” She managed to walk off without looking back to judge Sara’s reaction.

  “Very cool and smooth.” Beth gave her the thumbs up sign. “What are you drinking? My treat.”

  “Just water. Watching calories,” she said with a grimace.

  “You don’t look like you need to.”

  Beth’s appreciative glance was more friendly than anything else, so she struck a pose. “Tell that to the scale. Not that you would know anything about that.”

  “Luck of the draw. I take after my mother’s side of the family—thin and bootyless.”

  After getting their drinks, they lingered at the bar and mocked some of the dancers.

  “Heads up,” Beth said and reached for Mikaela’s hand. “Someone our way comes.”

  Mikaela put on a bright smile and, since she’d been warned, didn’t jump when someone tapped her shoulder.

  “You wanna dance?”

  “Why not,” she replied offhand. Sara’s hand closed over hers and her heart started pumping. If she had any sense, she would have turned back around. She really did have to get over this infatuation. But that was better left for tomorrow.

  “Friend of yours?” Sara asked once they were on the dance floor.

  “Yeah.”

  “Just a friend?” Sara persisted.

  “What does it matter to you?”

  “Just asking. Maybe I want to ask her out. She’s very attractive.”

  “No, you did not
say that.” Mikaela stormed off the floor and headed for the bathroom.

  “Mikaela, wait!” Sara grabbed her arm. “I don’t know why I said that. Stupid. I’m stupid.” She exhaled. “Sorry. That was uncalled for and a lie.”

  “So you didn’t mean to throw it in my face that you’re looking for another bedmate?”

  “No! I was jealous. There, I admitted it.” Sara ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know how to do this.”

  Though her heart fluttered at the adorable look of frustration on Sara’s face, Mikaela knew she needed to proceed with caution. “What do you want me to do here, Sara? I’ve left you alone like you want. That is, until you don’t.”

  “You think I know? I don’t know anything. That’s why I’m saying stupid crap. Maybe we could go out and do friend stuff. See how that goes.”

  “You sure that won’t make you go all weird on me? Make you act like you don’t know me when you see me at work?”

  “I know I’ve been acting like an idiot. I swear, it was going to be different today, but I didn’t see you and I wanted to apologize in person. Then when I do finally see you, you’re with another woman and I…I blew it, okay? Give me a chance and if it doesn’t work, I’ll…I don’t know. Wave when I see you at work?”

  “Smile. You’ve got a great smile. I don’t necessarily mean right now,” Mikaela said. But it was too late. Sara’s smile had done its job. “One more chance. If I don’t hear from you in a week, don’t bother calling.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep.”

  “You can count on it,” Sara said solemnly.

  “Maybe I’d take it as good faith if you actually gave me your number.” She coded it into her phone as Sara rattled it off. “You want to dance some more?”

  Sara shook her head. “I’m heading home. I got more than what I came for. Have fun.”

  “I can live with that. And yes, Beth’s just a friend.” With mixed feelings, she watched Sara leave. Was she setting herself up for future heartache? On the other hand, Sara was leaving alone. That had to be good.

  * * *

  The ringing of her phone jarred Mikaela from a pleasant dream. She squinted at her alarm clock and groaned. It was only nine o’clock and she’d gotten in around four, so she was three hours short on sleep. After fumbling for her phone, she answered without bothering to check caller ID. That would have required her to open her eyes again. “’Lo.”