“What if I changed into my little black dress and stayed in to read?” I teased.
She huffed at me.
“Give you the keys to my car?” I raised two hopeful eyebrows.
“Wow, you must really be desperate to stay in.” Rachel stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. Then her eyes widened. “Oh, I get it—it’s Rick, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“He’s got you all down for the weekend because he shot you down.”
“That’s not even a thing, okay?” I insisted. Rachel had known about our combined class situation. But I hadn’t given her all the details. I mentioned that he’d started off rude as usual, but that all went fine. I didn’t tell her about the part where he’d actually taught me something about nature and weather forecasting. That we huddled our campers together under a small tarp, which nearly collapsed on us. Or the part where he’d grabbed my hand and run us from under it. I caught myself almost smiling at the memory.
“Okay, if you say so.” She turned back to the mirror.
I hated it when people said things like that. It was like no matter what you said, they were going to stick what they believed.
“Fine. You win. I’ll go get dressed,” I said, throwing my book down and sliding out of bed.
A few minutes later, I was in my navy-blue cotton dress that wasn’t exactly mini but hung just above the knee. It was a warm night, and I preferred to wear something light.
Thirty minutes later, Rachel and I showed up along with a herd of college-age kids from the area. I cringed. I don’t know why I bothered hoping for a smaller crowd. The old warehouse appeared to be a substitute for a frat house. A collection of flimsy plastic chairs lined up along the wall for those who dared to sit in one and give themselves away as dull partygoers. No one looked to be over the age of twenty-one. Normally, I would have felt out of place at a joint like this, but being away from home and my friends, it felt good to be out.
Peter spotted us almost immediately and waved us over—or rather, waved at Rachel. “Hey,” he called out, cheerfully. “You made it. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
“In that case, we’re right on time,” she murmured, leaning into me. She flashed a huge smile back at him. “Hey.”
Pete gave her a quick, one-arm hug while holding a beer with the other.
“Amy, glad you made it out. And really glad I didn’t take that bet.” He winked at Rachel. She shook her head and widened her eyes at him in warning.
I gave her a look, and she just shrugged.
“Amy, this is Misha and John.” She pointed to two of Peter’s friends. “And that’s Randy and Terrance. They’re in a band,” she said with another sharp rise of her eyebrow.
I awkwardly stood beside Rachel and waved to her friends. Misha was the only female of the bunch—a tall blonde, no less—and the only one who seemed to give me full head-to-toe scan. The others just smiled and gave me a quick nod. I resisted the urge to scan my outfit. I shrugged it off and decided that I’d be leaving as soon as humanly possible. Not that I could tell you exactly what my scene or type of crowd was, but it wasn’t this.
And to prove it, I spotted Rick with a bunch of familiar faces from the camp and some others I didn’t recognize. Made sense: Rick was from around here, so he would have more friends than just the folks at camp.
“What else do they have besides beer here?” As loud as the place had been, at least four of Peter’s friends heard and looked at me as if I’d asked where the nearest library was. It’s not that I never drank or that I had anything against it. I just hadn’t felt comfortable diving into a bar with a warehouse full of strangers. That and the fact that I was driving.
Rachel unglued her eyes from Peter for a second and turned to me. “Loosen up and have fun.” She nudged me on the arm.
“Not everyone needs one to have a good time.” A mature-sounding male voice said behind me. His long arm circled over my shoulder and he handed me a cup filled with what appeared to be sparkling water.
I turned around to look at the mystery man saving me and found myself facing only a muscular, tight chest. I looked up at the stranger reaching well over six feet. His hair was a dark golden color, his eyes brown, which was my best guess in the dim light. He flashed a warm, bright smile at me, which would have made me melt—had I been that type of girl.
“Thanks.” I sincerely hoped no one heard that squeak over the loud rock music. I quickly cleared my throat. “Thanks. Driving,” I yelled.
“Same here,” he said back, with no attempts to raise his voice, as it clearly held its own. He held up his identical plastic cup and nudged mine, as if to say cheers, and proceeded to take a large sip.
I looked down at the fizzing water and hesitated.
“Hold on.” I looked at him and held up my cup. “Take a sip of this.”
His eyes glimmered at me for a moment. Then he shrugged. “Sure.” He took the cup from me and took a big swig.
“Thanks.” I went to reach for it, but he pulled back.
“Maybe I should get you one bottled?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m good now.” I met his eyes and pulled my cup back.
“I’m Chris.” He held out his hand.
“Amy.”
“You’re not from here,” he said matter-of-factly.
I shook my head rather than overwork my vocal cords. But I wondered what gave it away.
“You working at the club?” he asked, bending down close to my ear.
“Until midsummer.” I nodded.
“Oh, so you’re with the camp?”
I jerked my head back, surprised on how perceptive he was.
“My cousin Becky worked there last summer. If you’re here for the season, you’re here till Labor Day; if you’re with the camp, then it’s midsummer.”
I nodded, understanding. I took another sip of my sparkling water and turned in the direction where I last saw Rachel, but she wasn’t there. I spotted her light-blue miniskirt a few feet away. She was now dancing with Peter in the center of the warehouse.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually like to get to know people while yelling into their ear,” Chris said, pulling back up and nodding toward the side of the warehouse.
I looked to see where he was pointing. It was hard to see past a certain point in the dark, overcrowded space, but all I could see was a red exit sign hanging a foot or so off the ceiling.
“Lead the way.” And I meant it. I wasn’t about to go headfirst to wherever that led.
He took my water and placed it next to his on the bar and gave a single nod to the bartender to indicate that we were finished with the drinks. He took my hand and led me through the crowd. He looked back at me every so often, and I kept glancing up at him. Every time he stopped due to traffic, I’d accidently bump into him.
We reached the far end of the warehouse. A gunmetal handrail with a short and narrow stairwell led to a green door. He went up the four steps and pulled me along. I followed as he held the door open for me. Despite the fact that we were standing on a useless, rusty fire escape on the side alley of a warehouse, it was refreshing to be outside and away from the crowd.
I couldn’t help but wonder why a simple door wasn’t sufficient to lead from one side to the other, since now I had to walk down the same number of steps I’d climbed on the other side of this wall. I eyed my surroundings. We stood on the right side of the building entrance. I could see my car parked in the small lot, along with those of other partygoers.
“Much better,” he said, finally stepping down to meet me. “Can you believe some people do this weekly?”
“I can. People in Denver would do this daily if it was open.”
“Denver?” He raised an intrigued eyebrow, and I felt the questions brooding behind it.
“Yeah.” I looked up at him with a tentative smile. “I just wanted to try something new this summer.” I shrugged, hoping it wouldn’t lead to questions.
“Do you usually travel great distances for summer work?”
“Well, sure. Don’t you?” I joked. I hadn’t been able to explain to myself why I’d driven cross-country for a job that paid just as much as one in my town.
Chris nodded understandingly at me. “Well, not now. But I imagine I will be doing a lot of traveling once I graduate from Piermont Law School.”
This guy had been in law school already? I must have underestimated his age. I could have sworn he wasn’t a day over twenty.
“Oh, wow—law school. When do you graduate?” Hoping it would give me more insight to his age without directly asking.
“I’m only going into my junior year at UConn. But with the extra credits I plan on taking through summer and winter breaks, I should graduate a year early.”
“And you already know you want to be a lawyer?”
“I know I want to go to law school,” he corrected. “There’s a lot I plan to do with it.” He went on describing the political dreams he had for himself—none of which had to do with promoting the general welfare of his citizens.
I wasn’t surprised at the level of maturity in Chris. His whole appearance spoke volumes on what type of person he was. And from what I understood, Chris believed in the faithful. “You get a good education to get a good job, to be anything you set your mind to.” I couldn’t help but smile in amazement as this guy talked about the success in life that came as long as you had a plan. It was impressive. And at the same time, as you could imagine, it scared the hell out of me.
We talked for a few more minutes until a couple came stumbling out the side exit. Chris and I turned simultaneously at the commotion.
It was the couple I’d met earlier. John and Misha came down the fire escape. Misha seemed woozy and wide-eyed.
“Hey guys,” she shouted in a Russian accent, which I hadn’t noticed earlier. “You having a good time?” She smiled widely.
John steadied his tipsy girlfriend and turned to Chris. “Listen, man, Misha’s not feeling too good. I think I need to get her home. Would you mind giving us a lift?”
Chris’s eyes filled with concern as he reached into his pocket for his keys. “Of course.” His head popped up, suddenly. “Are her parents home?”
“I just called her sister, and she said she’d leave the back door open.” John gave him a look as if to say he’d thought of that.
Chris started to leave, then glanced back at me and turned to his friends. “I’ll be right there.” He pointed in the direction of the parking lot.
John quickly glanced at me and gave a single nod, then turned and walked away with Misha.
Chris turned to me. “Listen, Amy, it was great meeting you.” He held my gaze for a moment. “I have to get my friends back.” He dangled his keys in the air as if to remind me he was the designated driver.
I smiled back at him. “Great meeting you too, Chris.”
And it really had been.
CHAPTER 9
I watched Chris help his friends into the backseat and then hop in the front. I turned to head back inside. That’s when I noticed Rick standing with about half the same crowd of people I’d seen him with earlier. They seemed to have been making plans to meet up at a different place. I couldn’t help but wonder if one of the two girls with him were a girlfriend. A slim woman with sleek black hair was all over him, but he seemed to be pushing her playfully to her redheaded friend.
“I think you’d better cut this one off when you get to Charlie Two’s,” I heard him say.
The girl didn’t look drunk at all. She was clearly coming on to Rick, sober as one can appear to be. I shook my head at his subtle way of rejecting the attention.
Another guy in the group reached for his keys then tossed them into the other hand to pat Rick once on the shoulder. “We’ll catch up with you later, man.” He looked about the same age as Rick, but slightly shorter. He had naturally curly dark hair and a friendly smile.
Rick gave a single nod to the guy as his friends took off, then leaned against the brick wall. Alone.
I started to head back in to look for Rachel, then hesitated, since I didn’t want to directly pass him. I wondered if he’d purposely placed himself in front of the stairwell leading back in. But then again, I might have been overthinking it.
Rick scanned the parking lot to where Chris’s car had just pulled out. Then he turned to face me, willing me to look at him.
I caved. “What?”
“I didn’t say anything,” he said defensively.
“Okay, then!” I stalked past him to get back inside.
“So what was it?” he called.
I pressed my lips together, knowing I’d probably regret this. I stopped midstride and turned.
Shaking my head lightly, I threw one hand in the air. “What was what?”
“So impressive about that guy? I have to say…that was a new look for you.”
“What look was that?” I jerked my head back.
“I don’t know, like you were impressed by every word he said.”
I suddenly felt myself flush in embarrassment. Had I really done that? I mentally clicked the rewind button in my head over my conversation with Chris. But if I was hanging on to every word, it wasn’t unwarranted. After all, the guy was impressive. I could have learned a lot from him—if he hadn’t taken off so quickly.
“And what would have been so terrible if I was impressed by him?” I finally answered.
“With Chris?” He shrugged “Nothing I guess, if you like that type.”
“What’s not to like? Did you know he got a full scholarship to UConn School of Business? He already knows where he’s applying to law school, and pretty much has the next ten years all planned out. I admire him.” I blinked at my words. How could I have said that about someone I’d just met?
“Ahh, because that’s what you want in a relationship—admiration.” He rose an index finger in the air mockingly.
“It’s not just his impressive life plans, but he also appears to be quite the gentleman,” I added.
“Nah, he had it all wrong.” Rick shook his head.
I crossed my arms, amused. “How would you know, you didn’t even hear—”
“I didn’t have to, Amy.”
A strange thought crept into my head at the moment when I heard Rick say my name. It was different somehow. It didn’t have the rude, mocking, or irritated tone behind it that I had become so used to over the past two weeks. It was almost… friendly.
“I could see it all perfectly from where I was standing,” he continued without any care as to how I’d feel that he’d been watching me—and critically, for that matter.
“First, I, being a stranger, wouldn’t have come at you with a drink over your shoulder from out of the blue. I would have asked you what you wanted and let you watch the bartender pour it.” He gave me a glance before he went on. “Smooth, having him try it first, though.” He winked. “Then, I’d make sure your friend knew I was taking you out back so she wasn’t going nuts looking for you.”
Oh, no! Rachel!
“She’s fine,” he said, reading my expression. “I let her know I saw you come out here with him.”
Great, now I was going to hear from Rachel and her reading into why Rick was watching me.
“And finally, I wouldn’t have left you out back here by yourself and taken off, especially knowing you’re new in town.”
“That’s true, I could have been bothered by someone like you,” I said with a smirk. Although I hated to admit it, he made some great points.
“Hey, I thought we were friends now.” He held up both hands in the air innocently.
“Sorry. Force of habit.”
“That’s okay, we’ll just add it to the list,” he said dryly.
Don’t ask what list. Don’t ask what list.
I rolled my eyes, hating myself for being so curious. “What list?” But as soon as I said it, my eyes settled back at Rick, only to see him mouthing a countdown to the
number one. Which was, unfortunately, exactly when I had asked my question.
He smiled at himself. “There’s a small list of habits you’ve generously expressed since you’ve been here,” he started. “Tardiness, clumsiness, and now, defensiveness.”
“That’s it?” I asked, unaffected by his criticism. Probably because I knew it was all true and there was no reason to hide it. Also, anything I would say in an effort to contradict him would only support his the last one on his list.
“I said it was a small list.”
He gave me a smirk and walked past me to the fire-escape steps. He pulled the door and held it open for me. I shrugged, letting him have his last words, and went back inside to get Rachel and call it a night.
CHAPTER 10
I woke Sunday morning tired and achy. I rolled over and squinted at the brightness coming from behind our open blackout drapes. I looked over at Rachel’s bed. She was still in a tight sleep on her stomach. I decided to get up. No sense in wasting the morning sleeping. I looked over at my alarm—8:03 a.m. Too late to watch the sun rise. Not late enough to call it sleeping in.
After getting dressed, I reached for the cupboards where I knew Rachel kept her stash of good coffee. She wouldn’t mind sharing after dragging me out of the house last night.
None left.
I peeked out the window to see that the rain that had started in the middle of the night had stopped, leaving a misty, foggy midmorning. I didn’t mind it so much. There usually weren’t any kids or club members around in this type of weather. It would be as quiet and peaceful as my sunrise walks. I stepped out and looked up. The sky didn’t seem to be clearing, and dark clouds threatened another downpour. I stepped back inside for a quick second, swooped my arm around the door, and grabbed my gray raincoat off the hook. I shut the door behind me and started jogging.
I suddenly remembered the last time I’d run down this deck. Right into Rick. And spilling his hot latte all over his shirt. As I caught myself lost in the image of briefly having my body pressed against his, I couldn’t help but expect to see him come around that same corner.
A Summer of Chances Page 6
