by Kylie Rae
“How many times has your mom called today?” Robin said after they’d enjoyed a comfortable silence.
“Oh, just once. So far. I’m expecting another call tonight, even though I told her I’d call tomorrow.”
“Her baby finally spread her wings to fly. She’s worried about you.”
“Yeah, well, she doesn’t need to be.” Whitney’s shoulders tensed up, and she hunched over the table again.
“Oh, come on. You’re always going to be the one she worries about. Nervous Nelly since the beginning.”
“Oh, shut up and drink your coffee.” Whitney laughed, but the tension hadn’t quite left her.
Robin had called her Nervous Nelly since they’d met in middle school. She’d been anxious and twitchy as a child. But she’d grown out of it, mostly. Or Robin had gotten her out of it, anyway.
“So, that guy,” Whitney grasped at a subject change. “What do you know about him? Do you know his name?”
“Not his name, no. His friend that hits on me is Ben. But your guy usually just apologizes and drags him away with a smile.”
“So polite of him.”
“Ha, sure. Or he was embarrassed. The times I saw the pair of them in here were my 2am stops on the way home. Ben was always a little too drunk and his friend was trying to sober him up.”
“How often do you stop here at 2am?” Whitney’s stomach sank. She didn’t want her impression of this guy to turn sour.
“Well, last Thursday they rewarded me with a bonus at work for a particularly smart purchase and design decision. So naturally I used a few personal days to take the weekend off and celebrate. Three days in a row, to answer your question. Ben and his friend were here Friday and Saturday.”
“How did you have the energy to go out three nights in a row?”
“Oh, you old lady. It was mostly just casual drinking at some bar or another. Something we used to do back home. Don’t make it sound like I’m a party animal.” Robin laughed, then added, “I only danced around once.”
“Oh, what’s that?” Whitney’s interest picked up at once. Robin only danced around drunk when she was interested in someone. She literally had a mating dance.
Robin grinned and pressed her lips together like she wasn’t going to tell. Then she dove into the story.
Robin had gone out with a few people she’d met through an art connection, with no intention of talking to anyone else. But they’d invited another girl from work to come along. Her name was Marnie, and she worked in the casino’s PR department. She’d caught Robin’s eye the second she’d said hello.
“I told her the story about when I was a shift manager at What-a-burger. When that dick in the drive through made Brittany cry.” Robin got a far-away look in her eye. “Her giggles were adorable.”
“You’re amazing.”
“I know.” Robin returned to her coffee. “But that might be a thing. We haven’t talked much the last few days, but I’ve been busy with the most important woman in my life.”
Whitney raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“You, duh.”
“Oh, right.” They laughed and Whitney sighed. She was relaxed and happy again. “I’m really glad I’m here.”
“Me too.”
Chapter Two
Kevin penciled a number into a box and tapped the eraser end against the counter’s edge. He yawned and stretched and leaned back on the barstool to loosen the tension in his shoulders. He cast his gaze around the room, the bare and yellow-tinged walls, and told himself he needed to focus on his work. Then he caught sight of the TV. Ben’s character was about to be taken out.
“On your left,” Kevin said.
Ben’s dark, bloodshot eyes shifted, and he fired a few shots to kill the enemy sneaking up alongside the dumpster. “Thanks man.”
“Sure.”
Kevin glanced back at the budget reports he had spread across the kitchen counter. Ben played their favorite video game right in front of him to tempt him away from his work. The final spreadsheet had to be turned in first thing tomorrow though, so he was trying his best to stay focused. Even though the numbers blurred and all he really wanted was to drink a beer and kill a few zombies.
Kevin rolled his shoulders back and told himself to knock it out so he could relax. And it worked. For a bit. After fifteen solid minutes of work, Ben yelled at the TV and distracted him once again.
“Dude! Where were you? They came out of nowhere!” Ben turned his frustration on Kevin.
“Hey, man. Not my fault if you suck.” Kevin grinned and Ben threw a threadbare couch pillow at him.
“Get over here and show me how it’s done, Mr. Big Shot.”
And those were the magic words.
“Give me that controller.” Kevin pushed his chair away from the counter and hopped over the back of the dingy couch. He shoved Ben out of the middle seat and hunched over in concentration.
It wasn’t until an hour and a half had gone by—and several rounds of Kevin victorious—that Kevin remembered his original plans for the evening.
“Damn, man, I need to get back to work.” He dropped the controller and stretched. “I need some coffee.” Kevin’s eyes lit up at the memory. “Oh, hey, speaking of coffee, remember that blonde girl that turned you down at the coffee shop?”
“You mean the blonde that’s playing hard to get?” Ben grabbed up the controller and loaded another match.
“Ha, yeah, sure. Anyway, she has a friend. A very beautiful friend.”
“A friend for you or a friend for me?” His eyes never left the screen as he applied the weapons and mods that Kevin used most often.
“For me.”
“Not interested.”
Kevin rolled his eyes and walked to the kitchen to make coffee. “Didn’t think you would be, but I’m gonna tell you. She’s gorgeous, and we clicked, I know it. So, consider this your heads-up for when I win her over and you become the last single guy in the group.”
“Yeah, right. I’ll get her friend’s number before you can even string two words together. You have no clue how to talk to women. Your psycho ex ruined you for single life.”
Kevin stopped in the motion of scooping coffee grounds into the filter and tried to shrug off the memory of that ‘psycho ex.’ He shook his head and continued. “Okay, let’s make a bet, then.”
Ben paused the game and spun around on the couch. “I love bets. But you don’t. You must feel pretty confident there.”
Kevin smirked and remembered the way the girl had smiled and stuttered at him. “Yeah, yeah, I guess you could say that.”
“Cool. What’s the bet, then?”
“Whoever gets the date or phone number first wins...” Kevin cast his mind around to come up with something good. “Okay, better way, whoever loses has to pay for next year’s online subscription for Playstation for both of us.”
Ben laughed, sure of his own win, and put his hand out to shake. “Okay, deal.”
“You better save up, dude. I’m for real.” Kevin shook Ben’s hand and liked to believe that he saw Ben’s cockiness waver just a bit.
ROBIN HOVERED IN WHITNEY’S doorway, her phone half-hidden behind her back. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay over again tonight?”
Whitney smiled and tried to look composed and reassuring from the armchair. In truth, she felt a little nervous about her first night alone, but she was also eager to get it over with. Besides, Robin had been sneaking glances at her phone for the last hour. Whitney knew the girl Robin had gone glossy-eyed over had been texting her and wanted to give her personal space.
“I’m sure. I’m probably going to head to bed early, anyway. First day of work tomorrow and all.”
“Right, ‘cause you’re an old lady deep down.” She didn’t wait for Whitney to change her mind and took another step down the hall. “I’ll bring you some coffee when I come in at 10.”
She giggled. “Sounds good.”
Robin stood at the stairs now. “Goodnight!”
> Whitney laughed to herself and stood up to close her door. Robin would probably be bored with this girl within a few weeks, but she liked to have her fun. One day a girl would steal her heart and she wouldn’t know what hit her. But until then, Whitney wouldn’t hold her back.
With her back pressed to the door, she took in the apartment in a slow glance. She let out a peaceful sigh. This all belonged to her. But suddenly the muscle between her shoulders tightened. The room was too quiet, so Whitney turned on the TV. She grabbed a random movie to create background noise, and that made it more bearable. She needed to go to bed, but being all alone in the apartment made her tense. Even though she understood people were on the other side of the walls, it was a strange experience to be the only one occupying this space. Her space.
She went through the motions of getting ready for bed, rearranging a few decorations and knick-knacks as she moved through the rooms. All she wanted was for this to feel like home as quick as possible. The uncomfortable knot she’d had in her stomach since she’d woken up needed to ease. She told herself she was strong enough to make it through this transition. She could be an independent woman. As she looked in the mirror one last time after brushing her teeth, she believed it.
And yet, the nagging voice in the back of her brain wondered, was she really capable of taking care of herself? She’d always had someone to fall back on at home. Her family had always been so close and ready to come when she called. And now... As she pulled her blanket up to her chin, she asked herself if maybe she’d gotten herself in over her head.
VERNON PUSHED THE LOBBY door opened and tugged the leash to coax his dog back into the apartment building. With his eyes half-closed and focused on the little pinscher that wasn’t obeying its master, he bumped right into Jane Brookes. She’d side-stepped to dodge him, but had inadvertently ended up in his path once more.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a voice that clearly expressed how sorry she wasn’t, and tugged her cardigan shut in a fussy gesture.
“Yeah,” Vernon grunted and moved out of the way of the door.
Jane held her head high and left with Vernon’s dark glare on her back.
He grumbled up the stairs to his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him.
KEVIN STEPPED OUT OF his apartment building and checked the time on his phone. He had plenty to spare to stop for a cup of coffee. Turning left, he tried to tell himself he wasn’t doing this to run into that girl again. Although, he couldn’t deny she’d been on his mind that morning.
He walked down the street and basked in the morning sun. He enjoyed the peaceful times like this when he went to the office late and pedestrians and cars didn’t clog the street. He liked to hear the birds in the trees; it reminded him of the small town he’d grown up in where your neighbor lived a mile down the road instead of on the other side of the wall.
Kevin entered the coffee shop and scanned the room before going to the counter. Only a few older customers at this hour and they were consumed with their morning rituals. A few read the newspaper and a pair in the window played chess. He continued to deny to himself that he was hoping to see her. He ordered his coffee and found a table. He would just take a few moments to check his e-mail. Nothing wrong with that. Enjoy his coffee a little before going to work.
But every time the door opened, Kevin’s eyes betrayed him by glancing up. The fourth time, he nearly jumped when he saw the blonde girl. But she was alone. Her eyes were on her phone and she was texting. Kevin looked away, hoping she wouldn’t recognize him. He hadn’t thought of this. But he was just here for coffee. No crime in that.
Kevin finished checking his e-mails. He had one from Ben; a funny picture of three couples kissing and a lone man at the end of the line with a beer in his hand. He’d captioned it, ‘This will be you. Be ready to pay.’ Kevin snorted a laugh and didn’t reply. Then he stood to leave. He kept his eyes on his phone and tried to act casual.
But Robin had seen him. She had her back to the counter and watched him walk out the door with a smile on her face.
ROBIN LEFT THE COFFEE shop and hurried to her car to put the coffees down. Once she had her hands free, she texted Marnie to gossip.
Robin: You’re never going to guess who I saw at the coffee shop!!
Marnie: Who?
Robin rolled her eyes and tried not to feel impatient. Did this girl not listen to a single thing she said? Who else would she be talking about?
Robin: That guy that Whitney bumped into yesterday
Marnie: Oh, cool. Did you talk to him?
Robin: No, he acted like he didn’t see me. But I bet he was trying to stalk Whitney.
Robin waited for a minute, but no reply came. Maybe she was busy and couldn’t have a full-blown conversation right now. Or maybe she didn’t care as much as Robin did. She shrugged it off and tucked her phone away. Whitney would be stoked to hear about this, and that was all that mattered. She shifted into drive and sped down the street.
Chapter Three
Steve Lewis lead Whitney out of his office and handed her a green vest and a badge with her name printed on it. She looked at the dazzling lights and the boisterous crowd of people. A machine clanged and the man in front of it yelled in victory. All of it at once overwhelmed her senses; her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. But then Steve spoke, and his voice grounded her back into reality.
“Okay, Whitney, this is the team,” he said. “This is my assistant, Chris. When I’m not here, he’s in charge. And these are the other slot attendants, Josh and Julie.”
Chris reached out to shake Whitney’s hand, Josh nodded, his cell phone up to his face and Julie smiled, but her eyes were on Steve.
“Josh, put away your phone,” Steve said in a tone that gave the impression he’d said it many times before.
“Sorry, boss,” Josh put the phone back in his pocket, but he was grinning. It was clear he thought he’d get away with it forever.
“Julie, you’re going to show Whitney the ropes today. I’ll periodically check in and offer suggestions if needed,” Steve continued. He shot a 100-watt smile at Whitney, but she saw his eyes rise over her shoulder to where Julie stood. “Good luck.” He turned to go.
Chris pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. He must have preferred to be given the responsibility to train the newbie. But the show of attitude made Whitney relieved she wasn’t partnered with him for the day; she didn’t think she could have handled her own anxieties along with his sass.
Josh’s phone reappeared once Steve was a few paces away. He leaned against the nearest slot machine and went back to texting. Chris shook his head and left, muttering under his breath. Julie titled her head and bit her lip, her eyes locked on Steve’s rounded backside. She turned to Whitney once his office door shut behind him.
“So, welcome to the casino. I hope you’ll like it here,” Julie began and flipped her long red hair over one shoulder. “Like Steve said, I’m Julie. I’ve been with the casino for seven years now. I was in a few different departments before I ended up here. This job is fairly easy to understand; you’re a slot machine attendant. You tend to the slot machines.” Julie laughed at herself.
Whitney tried to smile. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and hoped it wasn’t obvious how nervous she was.
“Anyway, you’ll start off with the smaller areas.” Julie walked over to the bar and Whitney followed. “This room has ten slots, and then the one on the other side of the bar has fifteen. You’ll watch over them both. When the crowd picks up, someone will come help you keep up until you’ve got the swing of it. The most important thing you are in charge of is to make sure all the systems are running as they should. We do checks every morning and evening. With me so far?” Whitney nodded. “Good. I’ll run you through the task lists so you can get a better understanding before I throw you to the wolves.”
Even though she knew it was just an expression, Whitney’s pulse still picked up its pace, and a lump rose in her throat. She blinked
rapidly to bring her eyes back to focus and followed Julie behind the counter.
Over the next two hours, Julie talked her through the maintenance lists for the machines and how to turn in a work order. From there, they moved on to the housekeeping checklist for each day. Whitney felt a little frazzled, and Julie must have noticed because she asked if she needed to stop for a cigarette break.
“Uh, well, I don’t smoke, but I’d love to take a break.” She hoped that didn’t make her sound bad. She really wanted to make a good impression. Robin had recommended her for the job, and if she flunked out, it would look bad on Robin as well as her, and that was the last thing she wanted.
“That works. You can still step outside with me. Call it a sunshine break.” Julie laughed and Whitney forced a smile again.
Julie led her down a hallway. The second the door closed, the overbearing sound cut out and Whitney’s chest loosened and she could breathe again. She looked around and smiled at the walls lined with framed art. She could tell which paintings Robin had picked out; they were more colorful and vibrant than the others. A heavy door at the end let them outside and they walked towards the smoking area; a rectangle of space with two benches and four ashtrays.
Whitney saw Robin’s purple jeep swing into the parking lot, and she felt a little thrill. Robin meant coffee. As Robin walked towards the building, Whitney waved to her to catch her attention. A sly smile came across her face as she hurried over with the cups in hand.
“You’re never going to believe who I saw at the coffee shop,” Robin said as soon as she was close enough to be heard.
Whitney’s cheeks turned pink immediately as she thought of who she wanted it to be.
“That’s right,” Robin said, reading her friend’s mind.
“Ooh! Who? What are we talking about?” Julie loved to gossip. She leaned closer and held her cigarette away from them so the smoke would blow away from their faces.