A Dash of Romance

by Sydney Campbell

  “Do you think he was just being cruel?” I asked, terrified to hear the answer.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. That’s just beyond, don’t you think? You were there for the taking. He knew that.”

  “My thoughts exactly. Should I call him?”

  “NO!”

  Tammy’s shout echoed through the forest and we both stopped and laughed. It was a nice break in the tension, something I hadn’t realized I’d needed.

  “Hey,” she said. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we go away? There’s a great band playing in Rocky Heights tomorrow night that I’d love to go see. We’re both off Monday. We’ll stay the night and make a little vacation out of it.”

  “And how do you propose we get away with that?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry. My manager owes me a favour, and she’s friends with your supervisor. Let me ask if they can re-arrange the schedule tomorrow. I’ll tell them it’s an emergency.”

  “That sounds like a great idea.”

  *

  Tammy worked her magic and Sunday afternoon we were in her car, driving through the mountains towards Rocky Heights. She’d scored tickets to the show, some metal band performing outdoors. I’d balked, telling her I was not a metal fan, but she told to me hold off on any judgment until I saw this act perform. Whatever.

  I turned up the radio in the car and tried not to reflect on the fact that Liam had made zero attempts to contact me. It had been 36 hours since I’d last seen him, flushed from sex, collapsed in my bed. We had been at it for hours. I didn’t even know I was capable of so many orgasms. We moved through my house until we ended up in my bed, both of us spent, exhausted. And then I woke up alone.

  “Fuck men,” I said.

  “Yeah, fuck men,” Tammy agreed. “We can do that tonight if you like.”

  I threw her a look.

  “I think I’m done with that for a while,” I said.

  “Oh, come on, don’t let one bad apple spoil the cake.”

  “I don’t think that’s how that expression goes.”

  “I like cake.”

  I laughed as we pulled up to the hotel. Tammy found parking and we grabbed our overnight bags before heading in. The place was packed. I was shocked Tammy had managed to book us a room, but she’d explained that there was a network of hospitality workers in our area. I guess I just hadn’t been around long enough to find out about it.

  “This is weird. It’s my first time staying in a hotel since I’ve been working in one,” I said, dropping my bag on the bed. “I almost feel bad about sleeping in the sheets.”

  Tammy laughed.

  “I always try to be extra nice at check-in. Job hazard, I guess. Come on, let’s get changed and find some food before the show.”

  *

  Tammy was right. Hammer of Thor was amazing. It was a perfect night—clear sky and a slight breeze. The crowd was enormous and thrumming from the band’s energy. It was unlike any concert I’d ever been to before. The ability to scream and move with complete abandon did wonders for my psyche. It was like the entire event was set up as a cover for me to release my frustration over Liam.

  We stayed pretty far back from the stage to avoid the crazy mosh pit, but when the show ended Tammy flashed me a smile and grabbed my hand. She led me to the backstage area where she pulled out a pass that she’d obtained from God knows where and the security guard ushered us behind the rope.

  I glanced down at my outfit - a short skirt with a crop top and a pair of sandals. I was very casual in comparison to Tammy, who was decked out in a pink off-the-shoulder dress. It would’ve been nice to have some warning, but I took it in stride and made a note in my mental friendship book: Always ask Tammy what to wear.

  There was a lot of action behind the stage, but Tammy navigated it like a pro.

  “I’m a summer groupie,” she confided as we weaved through the crowd.

  “Every day it’s something new with you,” I laughed.

  I saw the band up ahead and elbowed Tammy. A grin spread across her face and she grabbed my hand and led me over.

  “Billy!” she shouted.

  One of the security guys turned and saw her, breaking out into a big smile as he walked towards us.

  “Tammy. Was wondering when you’d show up. Good to see you.”

  The two exchanged hugs and he led us towards the band.

  “Hey, guys, this is Tammy and her friend—”

  “Maggie,” I interjected.

  “Maggie. Fine ladies. They just wanted to say hi.” Billy bowed his head and moved back to his post.

  Tammy walked straight up to the guitarist and put out her hand.

  “Hey, Damien. I’m a huge fan.”

  Damien was tall, olive-skinned with long brown hair that hung to halfway down his back. He was fierce-looking, tattoo sleeves on both arms and a large silver ring on his finger. He took Tammy’s tiny hand in his own huge one and shook it warmly.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Tammy,” he said.

  Tammy almost swooned and I put my hand on her back for support. She shot me a glance and smiled.

  “Maggie and I were just wondering what you guys were up to. You heading to any of the bars?”

  Damien shook his head.

  “Straight to the casino. Got a spot waiting at the poker table.”

  I snapped to attention and looked at him again. Heavy metal, poker player…

  “Uh, do you by any chance know a Chef Liam Grayson?” I asked.

  Maggie glared at me.

  “Liam! Yeah, I know that dude,” he said, laughing. “He made us a kick-ass meal on tour a few years back. Great guy. You know him? Tell him I say hi.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. No matter what I did, I couldn’t escape. My desire to party was rapidly diminishing, but Tammy took note and pulled me aside.

  “Hey, we are going to the casino and we’re going to have a good time tonight. Fuck him, okay? Let’s go drink and dance and hang with some rock stars.”

  I pulled myself together and forced a smile.

  “Let’s have at it, then.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Liam

  “You did what now?” Toni asked, glaring at me with a very large knife in her hand.

  I back away a few steps and put my hands out.

  “Listen, I just completely freaked out. She called me upset, I went over there. I’m not used to playing the boyfriend. Things got a little out of hand, and, well, I bolted.”

  “This was when?”

  “Saturday morning,” I said quietly.

  “SHIT, Chef. It’s Tuesday. What the fuck is wrong with you? No wonder you’ve been in a shit mood all weekend.”

  I shrugged.

  “I told you I wasn’t good enough for her.”

  “You weren’t fucking kidding.”

  Toni put down the knife and started pacing, too angry to even look at me. Bree poked her head in to ask a question, saw the scene playing out, and stepped cautiously through the door.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Toni stopped and looked at her.

  “Oh, nothing. I just asked Chef about his day off and he casually mentioned fucking Maggie on Friday then taking off in the night,” she said.

  Bree whipped around to glare at me. Now I had two fierce women pissed at me. This was not going to be a good day.

  “Listen, in my defense, I did try to get in touch,” I said.

  “Please, for the love of all that’s holy, tell me you didn’t text her,” Bree said.

  “Of course not!” I said, indignant. “I went over there. She wasn’t home. I even went by the hotel, but they told me she’d taken a few days off.”

  “You try calling her?” Toni asked.

  I shook my head.

  “No. After that, I just lost my nerve. I fucked up. Better to just walk away from the whole thing. I don’t want to drag her into my fucked up life.”

  “Your life is not fucked up, Chef. You just don’t k
now how to do relationships. And neither does she. This is something you can do together if you give it half a chance,” Toni said.

  She’d calmed down enough to pick up her knife and resume chopping. I stood by the stove, watching my sauces simmer and reduce. I wasn’t so sure she was right.

  *

  When my shift was done, I got into my car and started driving. I wasn’t sure where I was going until I found myself heading towards Highway 4. A margarita seemed like a good idea.

  I pulled into the parking lot at Elena’s and made my way inside. The place was packed for a Tuesday night, and once again I thanked God for the tourist season. There was a crowd of people around my age at the bar so I made my way over. I instantly recognized a few faces, seasonal renters who were regulars at the restaurant, and the rounds starting coming.

  By eleven o’clock, I’d forgotten my troubles and was having a great time. Fuck it all. This was who I was meant to be. Where I was meant to be. Out drinking after a hard day’s work, not consoling some woman over a book deal gone wrong. I was not that guy.

  Even if maybe I wanted to be.

  “Hey, can I get you another drink?”

  I looked over and saw Greg, the bartender, awaiting my answer. I nodded and he grabbed my glass, instantly replacing it with a fresh scotch. The night was young, and I could always cab it back if necessary. There was a cute blond on my right, and I turned my attention to her.

  “Hey. Liam,” I said.

  She smiled and put down her drink to shake hands.

  “Rebecca. You don’t recognize me?”

  I paused and studied her for a moment, trying to remember if I’d slept with her, but no bells were ringing.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t. Is that horrible?” I asked.

  She laughed, a melodic little sound that made me smile, and put her hand on mine.

  “No, it’s not. I was in your restaurant a couple of nights ago.”

  “Ah.”

  The relief must have been plain on my face because she burst out laughing.

  “Did you think we’d slept together?” she asked.

  I grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

  “Listen, you’re really cute, and things have been known to happen,” I said.

  She swiveled around on her stool and crossed her legs, looking directly at me.

  “You’re a flirt,” she said.

  “That accusation has been leveled previously, yes.”

  “Buy me a drink.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” I turned to the bartender. “Greg! Can you get Becca here another of whatever she’s drinking?”

  Greg nodded and got to work mixing the drink. I turned back to see her grinning wickedly.

  “Becca?”

  I shrugged again.

  “Suits you.”

  “So tell me, Chef, what brings you out all alone on a Tuesday night?” she asked.

  “I was hoping to meet you.”

  “Oh, that’s bad. Wanna try again?”

  I thought about it for a moment as I took a swig of my drink.

  “I’m getting over a broken heart.”

  She cocked her head and studied me.

  “Well, that I believe.”

  “Do you? I’m not so sure.”

  “You’ve never had your heart broken before?” she asked.

  “Didn’t even know I had one,” I answered honestly.

  “This sounds serious. Tell me.”

  She signalled Greg for another round so I downed the rest of my drink.

  “Ever read romance novels?” I asked.

  She burst out in shocked laughter.

  “Actually, I do, why do you ask?”

  “I somehow found myself in the classic scenario of fake- relationship-turned-real.”

  Once articulated, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Crazy as it sounded, that was exactly what had happened. And once I realized it hadn’t been my fault, that I’d been thrust into the situation and things had just taken a turn, I understood why I’d been freaking out. I was a man in control of my destiny, but after meeting Maggie, I had lost that control.

  “You’re kidding, right? How does that even happen?” Rebecca asked.

  I snapped back to attention and looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. This had clearly gone from a pick-up situation to a therapy session, but I was oddly okay with that. Possibly even relieved.

  “Well, it was kind of like this...” I proceeded to tell her the entire story, from start to finish, as we went through several more rounds of drinks. By the time I was done, we were both drunk off our asses. She laughed at something I said and slipped off her stool. I reached out to grab her arm, and she held onto me as she righted herself.

  “Interesting.”

  I turned around to put a face to the familiar voice and there stood Tammy, shooting daggers at me with her eyes.

  “Tammy!” I said. “Hey. How are you?”

  “Clearly not as good as you are, Chef.”

  She turned on her heel and walked out of Elena’s. Shit.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Maggie

  I know what you’re thinking. You’re wrong. Please call me.

  I sat on the bed in 315, staring at my phone, trying to calm my nerves. It had been four days since Liam had taken off in the middle of the night. Four days of me wondering what I did wrong, or worse, what was wrong with me, that he split immediately after sleeping with me.

  I went away with Tammy. We partied with the rock stars. I threw myself into work. But nothing I did could stop the questions running through my brain 24/7. Like hamsters on the goddamn wheel, they just wouldn’t stop.

  And then that morning, Tammy told me she’d seen him drunk off his ass with some woman at Elena’s. And now this text. How could he possibly know what I was thinking? I didn’t even know what I was thinking. Four days and he made zero effort to contact me, and now this.

  There was a gentle knock on the door and I looked up to see Tammy standing there, a sympathetic look on her face.

  “How you doing?” she asked.

  I held out my phone for her and she walked over, took it from my hand, and looked down.

  “This is the first you’ve heard from him?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Mags. I know what I saw. They were together the entire night at that bar.”

  “I just don’t understand why, after taking off like that, he’d even feel the need to explain anything. Maybe I should hear him out.”

  “I don’t know. I agree you’ve got a point, but he didn’t even call you. Not once. You checked that damn phone every five minutes. Maybe he’s got a guilty conscience? Maybe he just wants to fuck with you some more? I don’t know. I’d let it sit. Honestly.”

  I stood up and tucked the phone into my pocket. I went out into the hall to get fresh towels and finished making up the room. Tammy just sat and watched me, that same concerned look on her face.

  “You can go back to work, Tammy. I’ll be fine. I promise I won’t do anything stupid.”

  She nodded and stood up.

  “Okay, but come get me at the end of your shift. We’ll walk home together.”

  I smiled and she walked out of the room. I had a dozen more rooms to get through before three o’clock rolled around, so I put in my headphones and got busy. By the time I was done and got downstairs, Tammy had already signed out for the day, was changed, and was waiting for me.

  Leslie, who worked the evening shift at reception, smiled when she saw me.

  “Maggie. Glad I caught you. I kept meaning to come find you. That hunky chef from Cagney’s? He was in here a couple of times over the weekend looking for you.”

  My heart dropped. I looked at Tammy and we just stared at each other, shocked. I swallowed and put my hand on the reception desk to steady myself.

  “He did what now?” I asked, just to be sure.

  “He came by. A few times. He se
emed really desperate to see you. I didn’t want to tell him you’d left town, but I also didn’t want him to keep coming by. He just looked so dejected. I hope you’re not mad.”

  I shook my head slowly.

  “No. Not mad,” I assured her.

  Tammy came over and took my hand, smiling over her shoulder at Leslie as she guided me out the door, onto the street. I took a deep breath of fresh, albeit humid, air.

  “You okay?” Tammy asked.

  “Unsure,” I said.

  “Understandable. I’m sorry if I gave you any shitty advice. This kind of changes everything, doesn’t it?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I guess it kind of does.”

  “I guess you’re formulating some sort of plan?”

  I nodded. She leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good luck. Call me if you need me.”

  *

  My first stop was the restaurant.

  “He’s not in,” Jen said. “He called in sick this morning. Sorry, Maggie.”

  I wrangled his address out of her and left, heading straight for the deli. I picked up a bacon-and-cream-cheese bagel and a pint of chocoholic ice cream. I didn’t know what his hangover cure was, but that combo had always worked for me.

  I made my way through the centre of town until I found his building. I stood there for a moment, wondering what to say when I buzzed up, but a woman came along and opened the door. She turned to me, questioning, and I smiled, grabbing the door from her before it shut.

  I climbed the stairs to Liam’s apartment raised my fist to knock. I took a deep breath, licked my lips, and gave myself a quick pep talk. What was really the worst that could happen? I knocked.

  I heard a bang inside, followed by swearing, as he made his way to the door. I held my ground.

  “Who’s there?” he called.

  I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I was suddenly incapable of speech.

  He threw open the door, an angry expression on his face which vanished the moment he laid eyes on me. If I hadn’t seen the transformation myself, I never would’ve believed it, but in that single moment, I had no doubt how he felt about me. Whatever his actions had been. I couldn’t help but smile.