Then Kiss Me (16 page)

Fortunately, though, the effects of the alcohol had totally worn off by this point.

I made my way to the kitchen and found David.  The group of people he’d been with earlier had dwindled down now to just him and his friend.
  David looked up and smiled.  I said, “Could you get my jacket and purse, please?”

He furrowed his brow.  I could tell
then
that he’d been drinking quite a bit too.  “Not work out?” he asked, unable to hide the concern in his voice.  Oh, please.  Let’s not talk about my love life in front of
your
love interest. 
Please?

“Oh, no, everything’s great.”  I smiled, hoping that my newfound emotion wasn’t peeking out.  The smile, of course, wasn’t forced, but I didn’t need any love signs jumping out.  Fortunately, David had drunk so much (and was so intertwined in his own flirtations)
,
he couldn’t read me very well.

He stepped
out of
the kitchen and I sat at the table next to his friend.  A heavy breath flowed out of me as I realized I’d been able to pull it off.  That was good.  The second time would be easier, I knew.  I wanted to let my mind drift over the events of the evening, but I knew I should be friendly instead.  “Hi, I’m Casey,” I said to the man with the clean-shaved face.

“Geral
d,” he said and held out his hand to me.  I could smell his aftershave—clean-smelling and spicy.  “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I grinned.  “Well, then, you have me at a disadvantage.  I’ve hardly heard
a thing
about you.”

He fluttered his eyelashes.  “That’s because I’m secretive.  Give David a few more months to pry it all out of me.”  I thought at first he was being serious, but then he starting laughing, a hearty guffaw coming from deep down.

I joined him, giggling, and then David tapped me on my shoulder.  “Here’s your jacket
and purse
, Case.”

I stood.  “Thanks.  I
really
need to find my cigarettes.”  I hugged him.  “I had a great time.  Thanks for inviting me.”

David raised his eyebrows.  Then he said, “Leaving a little early, aren’t you?”

“
Gotta
be to work at eight, so I need to get some sleep.
  See
ya
there.”
  I looked at Gerald. 
“Nice to meet you.”

I flung my jacket over my shoulder, trying to appear nonchalant.  It was a one-night stand, nothing more.  We were good friends before; we would still be good friends after, right?  But I felt myself falling—falling hard.  I couldn’t let that happen.  But I was afraid it was already too late.

I walked into the living room, hoping my cigarettes were still there.  I desperately needed one.  Jim was sitting back on the couch, nursing the bottle of now almost-empty schnapps, watching television.  He spied me and said, “Long time, no see.”

“Yeah.”
  I spotted my cigarettes and light
er on
the coffee table and lit one.  “I’m
outta
here.”

“Hey, where’s Scott?”

“Upstairs, in his room, I think.”

Jim
smiled,
a knowing look on his face. 
Oh, fuck me.
  I stifled a sigh as he said, “So you…uh…”

“I didn’t say that.  I said
,
I believe he’s in his room
.  But I’ve got to go home.  I’ve got to work at eight tomorrow morning.  See
ya
later.”

“Yeah, see
ya
later.”

As I walked toward the front door, I saw him walking up the stairs.  I almost turned around to stop him, but then he’d know for sure.  If I didn’t say anything, there was a chance he’d never know.  But I figured I’d better get out of there…especially if Jim wound up getting Scott out of
bed.  It was all too fresh, the emotions all too strong, and for no good reason.  I couldn’t—
didn’t
—dare see him right now.  I couldn’t see him until I could batten down my girlish emotions.

I hustled to my car
and made time home.

That night, though, I hardly slept, even though I was worn out.
  I couldn’t stop thinking about Scott and what had seemed like magic between us.  My mind replayed our time together over and over.

So when the alarm went off at six-thirty, I was finally asleep but dog tired.  What do you know, though?  I felt like a new woman.  I’d been sexed into feeling refreshed.  I showered and dressed and made extra sure I looked great…just in case I saw Scott today. 
Christ
.  Why was I doing that to myself?

I got to work a few minutes early and got busy.  I was working hard and didn’t even notice the time.  Jim came in and said
hi
but got straight to work too.  He didn’t seem to be hung over. 
Lucky him.
  I thought he’d probably had way more to drink than I had, but then again, I’d established that I’d become a lightweight of late.

After a while, he came back to the prep area where I was working.  “So you
didn’t
, huh?”

Jim could be such a pig sometimes.  I tried not to glare at him when I said, “I never said that.  Besides, it’s none of your business anyway.”

“Touchy,” he said and started chopping onions for the chili.  I kept hoping to see Scott, but I’d already checked the schedule, and he wasn’t due to come in that day.  Sometimes he’d pop in anyway just to check th
e schedule or hang with friends
but not today.  I’d probably scared him off.  And, I reminded myself, maybe that was for the best.

So I put in my eight hours and went home.  I forced myself to try to paint, but I kept getting distracted by my thoughts.  All I could see in my head was Scott’s face, his body, his tattoos (except for that one I for
got to check out before I left)
but nothing I could paint and sell.  And certainly nothing I’d feel comfortable hanging on my living room wall.  If it hadn’t been so late and so hot outside, I would’ve done some of the outdoor painting.  But it would have to wait.

When I went to be
d
that night, I fell to sleep immediately because I was so tired.
  But when I woke up the next morning, my outlook was better.  A little bit of time always helped my perspective.  I drove in to work feeling a little apprehensive but okay.  Better, in fact, than I had the day before.  Now I knew for certain that it was just a one-time thing and I could let go of making it such a big deal.

I’d been working a couple of hours when I saw Scott walk through the kitchen out of the corner of my eye.  Jesus.  My heart rate went through the roof.  And I glanced
at
him as he walked past and caught his back.  Not even a
hello
.  Thank God I’d played it cool and hadn’t acted like an ass, all
googly
-eyed and in love.  I was so glad I’d been cool and calm.

And it was nice to know Scott’s true colors.  You know, I was a big girl.  I could handle rejection.  I could handle being just a one-night stand.  But he didn’t have to be so cold and callous about it.

Or…
oh, shit
…what if
he’d
been offended by
my
love-‘
em
-and-leave-‘
em
ploy?  But my note was sweet, wasn’t it?  Well, not exactly, I guess.  Still…he could have called or something.  Besides, I wasn’t getting
the
you
-hurt-my-feelings
vibe.  I was getting another vibe entirely.

I told Ed, “I’m taking my break,” and pretended not to notice Scott back.  I could play his stupid game too.  I walked out back for my break.  I sat on a chair and propped my feet up on another chair.  I was lucky enough to be alone with my thoughts.  I wouldn’t have been good company now.

I closed my eyes, still smoking my cigarette, resting my head back, enjoying the sun.  I heard the back door slam and peeked out the slit of an eye.  It was Scott.  What the fuck? 
So not only did he have to give me the cold shoulder, he had to make an even bigger show of it?  Yep…h
e walked right on past to the storeroom.  Well, today was going to be
lots
of fun.

After a few seconds, I heard Scott call my name.  I was shocked.  “What?” I yelled back, not budging, trying to stay cool.

“Where are the Styrofoam to-go boxes?”

Seriously?
 
So we were back to
business as
usual
. 
I
sighed and then shouted back. 
“Along the right wall, second shelf, near the back.”

“No, not the little ones.
 
The big ones.”

I took a deep breath and repeated myself, telling him the same spot.

A pause.
  “Are you sure?  I can’t find ‘
em
.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
  I got up, crushing out my cigarette, and moved toward the storeroom.  I was
not
ready to deal with him.  I was falling in love; he was not.  And I didn’t want to anyway.  Shit.  I could be so stupid sometimes.
  Well, at least he was helping me to avoid the
falling in love
part…right?

I stepped in the dim
storeroom (which was just a glorified shed)
and into the back where Scott stood.  I spied the boxes he was looking for immediately.  “They’re right there.  Are you blind?” I asked, pointing to them.  But he wasn’t looking there; he was looking
right
at me…and the expression on his face was not what I’d expected.  I felt a shiver crawl up my spine as he quickly grabbed me around the waist and pushed me up against the wall. 
My voice weak,
I said, “I thought you weren’t talking to me.”
  But I knew he could tell by my expression that I wasn’t objecting to his hands on me.

“
This answer
your question?”  And he kissed me, making all the memories of the other night come flooding back.  All the bad thing
s I’d been thinking melted away in those few seconds.

I caught my breath.  “Yeah, it does.”

“I’ve got to get back in there.  But I want to talk to you before you go.”

“Okay.”  I was curious—and nervous.  What did he want to talk to me about that he couldn’t say now? 
The note, the sex, the fact that I was falling in love?
  Or did it have something to do with our working together?  I had no idea.  I was almost…
scared
.  I shouldn’t have been, though, because my instincts were steering me in the wrong direction when it came to Scott.  Whatever the case, it
would
have to wait until after the lunch rush.

As he turned to walk out of the storeroom, I grabbed a bag of the boxes he’d come for.  “Don’t forget these.”

He took them from me and grinned. 
“Fine.
  I didn’t really need them anyway.”  He winked and headed back in.

That boy…  I smoked another cigarette, finishing my break.  I pondered it but couldn’t figure out what was on his mind.  After Scott had thrown me for a loop this morning, I really couldn’t guess what subject he wanted to broach with me.  I’d have to be patient.

So I went back inside and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.  I wasn’t doing a very good job of it, though.  I was fumbling and klutzy, dropping the occasional fry on the floor, making rookie mistakes.  Jim showed up right after I got off break, and his presence didn’t help at all.  During breaks in the rush, Scott would look at me and grin for no reason or wink, but Jim was on the other side of him and he’d make weird faces or mouth things, things I couldn’t understand.  I tried to avoid eye contact with him, hoping he’d give up.  Inside, though, he was annoying the shit out of me.  And I grew even more irritated when I realized that, klutziness
aside, Scott and I could have handled the lunch rush alone and then I wouldn’t have had to deal with Jim’s stupidity.

Was
that
maybe what Wendy had meant when she said Jim liked to share?  Maybe the two came as a package?  And how fucked up was
that
anyway?

Finally, it was two o’clock and time for me to get off work.  I clocked out and asked Scott if he still wanted to talk to me or if he wanted to call me later.  Instead, he said, “Yeah, I’m
gonna
take my break.”

Jim, always acting like he knew exactly what was going on, bounced his eyebrows up and down.  Scott didn’t see him and I tried to ignore him.  When Scott turned to Jim, Jim acted normally.  Scott said, “Cover for me.  I’ll be back in a few.”

So Scott walked with me out to my car.  My shy side had gripped my internal organs and was squeezing, but I fought past the discomfort.  “What did you want to talk to me about?”  God, I was tense.