by Kylie Rae
But before she got very far down the list, her phone vibrated in her pocket and she managed to smile when she saw Kevin’s name on the screen.
Kevin- Everything okay this morning?
Whitney- So far so good. At work now.
Kevin- Good.
I had a great time with you yesterday.
Whitney- Me too
Whitney’s face lit up with a genuine joy. He really was a good guy. And he’d fallen into her life at such a perfect time. She definitely needed the support right now.
K- Can I see you again soon?
W- Of course
Steve passed through her room and spotted her. “Whitney, phone!”
“Sorry.” She tucked it away at once and flushed. Was he ‘passing through’ to check on her? Or just a coincidence?
“Your patrons need you.” He pointed at the grumpy senior citizens crowded around the drink station.
“Oh. Right. Sorry.”
Whitney hurried over to help with the jammed machine. Steve went through the door into Julie’s lounge and she told herself to chill out. He wasn’t checking in on her, he was going to see Julie. She needed to quit being so paranoid.
The morning crept by. Steve never came back through her room and she relaxed a little more. She snuck looks at her phone to text Kevin, but only when no one would see her. She didn’t want to get herself into trouble on top of everything else.
Robin came for her at lunch and dragged her to one of the casino’s restaurants for privacy. The host led them to a corner booth, and they slid onto the red upholstery and leaned their elbows on the clean glass table. Potted plants hung above their head and turned the light green.
“Figured, you didn’t want to be questioned by your coworkers,” Robin said when Whitney tried to thank her.
“Yeah. They mean well, but it’s a bit much today.” She pushed her hair out of her face and looked at the menu. She’d got in the swing of things and deflect most of her emotions, but now she realized how hungry she felt.
Robin, always the observant best friend, knew that a happier topic was what they needed to help Whitney out even more. “How are things with Kevin?”
Whitney blushed at once and hid her face behind the menu. “Uh...”
“That good, huh? Seen him naked yet?”
“No!” She glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them. “Not yet, anyway. Yesterday we fooled around a little, but didn’t go all the way.” She sighed at the memory and smiled.
“You want to though, right?”
“Uh-”
“Of course you do. It’s been too long for you. Get you some lovin’.” Robin made humping motions under the table.
“Please stop!” Whitney’s face burned.
“Prude.” But they giggled together like they had back in high school, and Robin knew she’d accomplished her task. She turned her attention to the menu. “The meatball sub is to die for. But we could also split a pizza.”
“THANKS FOR LUNCH,” Whitney said after they’d finished eating and she headed back towards her lounge. Robin rocked her hips and winked in response and laughed as she walked down the carpeted hallway to her office.
Whitney found a calm smile on her face as she passed through the bar area. But suddenly a grimy hand latched onto her arm and tugged her off her path.
“Hey!” George, the homeless man, had a tight hold on her. “Hey!” He yelled again, pulling her closer. Whitney tried to yank her arm away, heart racing, but he had a shockingly powerful grip.
“Let go!” She smacked at his hand and her breath hitched in her chest.
George’s eyes were wide and spit hung from the corner of his mouth as he leaned nearer to her face and the foul smell of his breath filled her nostrils. Before he could say anything else, a guard grabbed his arms and pulled him away from Whitney. She fell backwards onto a stool and tried to remember what it was like to breathe.
“Are you okay, ma’am?” Another security guard lingered close by as his companion escorted George out of the building.
“Fine.” Whitney leapt to her feet and ran for the bathroom, tears streamed down her face.
She grasped the porcelain and leaned over the sink. Colors swam in and out of clarity. She gasped and choked on air as she tried to regain control. The tears kept coming and smudged through the layers of makeup on her face. Her heart felt like it was about to break through her ribs and rip out of her chest.
“Count to ten,” a woman said from behind her. She came out of one stall and took a slow, careful step forward. Whitney stumbled away, but the woman took her hands and held tight. “Count to ten,” she repeated. “Look at me, and count.”
Whitney’s arms shook, but then she squeezed the woman’s hands. Her eyes darted around the room as she began, “One...”
“Look at me.” Her voice was level and calm.
“Two...” Whitney saw the edge of the mirror, the metal drain in the sink. “Me.” So soothing. Whitney’s legs stopped shaking.
“Three...” Up to the tiled ceiling and the flickering fluorescent bulbs.
“Me.” Her arms stopped trembling.
“Four...” Down to the woman’s stiletto heeled shoes, her starched dress pants.
“Me.” The tears slowed and stopped.
“Five...” The woman’s hands, her face. Whitney took a deep breath and held her gaze steady. “Six... seven, eight, nine, ten.”
“Good.” She released Whitney’s hands. “Now, wash your face.”
Whitney did as she was told and the cold water soothed her skin. The sensation penetrated deeper and eased the pain in her chest. She took another slow breath.
“Better?” the woman asked and handed her a paper towel.
“Yes, thank you.” Whitney was shocked that the statement was true. She dried her face and hands. Her skin was red and splotchy from crying, and the bags under her eyes were more pronounced without the makeup, but she felt better. “Who are you?”
“I’m Courtney May. I’m a nurse. And you are?”
“I’m Whitney.”
Julie burst into the bathroom as they shook hands.
“Ohmygosh! There you are! Are you okay? George is going to be banned from the casino. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. Courtney helped me.”
“Oh, good.” She turned to Courtney and offered her a huge smile. “Thank you, Miss May.”
“Anytime.” She shrugged like it was nothing at all to come to the rescue of another woman breaking into pieces.
“Do you want to go home early? Do you need me to cover your shift tomorrow? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, really. Thank you, but I need to try to tough it out.”
“Okay... If you’re sure.” Julie put a hand on Whitney’s arm, squeezed, and then left the bathroom.
“Here’s my card.” Courtney passed it to her. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll be happy to help.”
“Thank you.” She pocketed the card, even though she knew she would never use it unless she was at her absolute wit’s end.
Courtney left her too. Whitney took another few deep breaths and made herself get back to work.
STEVE HAD JULIE PRESSED up against his door the moment after she’d entered the office. He kissed her neck and along her collarbone. She smiled at the attention, but she wasn’t in the moment. Her eyes went out of focus and directed somewhere over Steve’s shoulder. He moved to kiss her on the lips and noticed her distraction.
“Hey? What’s going on in there?” He found her gaze and forced eye contact.
“Oh, sorry.” Julie shook herself and pulled away to sit down. “I’m worried about Whitney. She got really spooked today.”
“She’ll be okay. We just have to give her a few days to shake it off.” Steve sat next to her and caressed her thighs; his hands found their way under the hem of her skirt.
Julie relaxed a little and tried to ignore her
worries. She leaned into his touch. “If you say so.”
WHITNEY WAS A BALL of chaotic energy. She’d rummaged around in her apartment for something to keep her mind busy. A book lay face down on the coffee table, only one chapter in. A puzzle sat on the kitchen table with the pieces scattered around in piles, and she resorted to absent minded yoga in her living room. She felt too restless to go to bed. She didn’t to sleep. She didn’t want to dream.
Her cell phone rang, and she fell out of her downward dog pose. Heart racing from the sudden interruption, she scrambled up from the floor to find her phone. Shyanne, her sister, was calling. Her heart leapt into her throat and she considered ignoring the call. She didn’t think she could handle a ‘just checking in!’ call right now. But knowing Shyanne, she’d just call again. And again. And again. So she hit the answer button and put the phone up to her ear.
“Hello?” Whitney hoped her voice didn’t betray her emotions.
“Guess what!” Shyanne squealed. “Guess what, guess what, guess what!” Whitney cringed and pulled the phone away from her ear. “I dunno, what?”
“I’m pregnant!”
Whitney heard other voices in the background cheering. Her whole family was probably there celebrating.
“Wow, that’s great!” Whitney tried to sound more enthusiastic, but her voice sounded flat to her own ears.
Shyanne didn’t notice, though; she was too high on her own happiness cloud. “I know! This is so exciting! Mom is thrilled!”
“I bet.” She flopped onto the couch and drew circles in the fabric with her finger. Even with the relief that this call wasn’t to ask her how she was doing, she was on edge. No one at home knew what had happened to her, and she needed to keep it that way.
“You’ll have to visit soon so we can celebrate properly. Promise?”
“Uh, yeah. I promise.” A visit home was the furthest thing from her mind. A part of her knew that she’d give in and end up staying there for good.
“Good! How is everything going by the way? Loving it up there?”
Whitney didn’t answer right away. Flashes of the gun in her face and George yelling at her flashed around in her brain. “It’s good, yeah,” she said when the silence had stretched on for too long. “I’m settling in.”
“Great! Glad to hear it.” A muffled voice called Shyanne’s name. “Oh, sorry. I have to go; I just had to tell you before Mom and Dad spilled the beans. I’m so excited! I’m having a baby!” Shyanne hung up before Whitney said bye, and she stared at her phone as the screen turned black. Too many things ran through her head now and she felt like she might implode from the pressure if she didn’t do something.
NOT GIVING HERSELF time to second guess her decision, she texted Kevin.
Whitney- Can I come over?
Kevin- Of course
His response came almost instantly, and Whitney grinned and felt a little giddy. Maybe he’d been about to text her.
She arrived at his door soon after and he opened it with a grin spread across his face.
“Hey! What a surpr-”
Whitney cut him off with a kiss. She pressed herself into him, and it only took him a second to get over his shock and respond. He ran his hands up and down her back and pulled her closer.
Whitney broke the kiss after a moment, but didn’t pull away.
“What was that about?” Kevin asked, his cheeks tinged pink. “Not that I’m complaining.”
Whitney drew in a deep breath and scanned his face. She’d prepared her speech on the way over, but wanted to be sure it would be well received before she let it fall from her lips. She read the lust in his eyes and took the plunge. “I need you to make me forget my name. I need you to make me forget everything. I need you.”
His breath caught for a split second, and then his smile turned into a mischievous smirk. “You got it.” Kevin kicked the door shut and scooped her up into his arms.
Chapter Eleven
Robin shoved the last of her wet laundry into the dryer and slammed the door as her phone rang. Her heart flittered, and she hoped it was the girl she’d met at an art gallery that weekend. She snatched it up at once. But it wasn’t the girl with the strawberry blonde curls and dark eyes, it was Whitney’s mom.
“Well hello, Rosey Posey,” Robin said. She wasn’t disappointed, just a different type of happy.
Rose giggled. “Hey sweetie. How have you been? Did you hear the splendid news?”
“I’ve been great, as always. And yeah, Shy’s having a baby! Congratulations, Gramma!” She slid onto the rough plastic table and stretched her legs out.
“Thanks, hun. We’re all so delighted.”
“I bet.” Robin waited. She knew there had to be another reason for this call. Whitney’s mom didn’t do small talk. Especially not over the phone. In the middle of the grocery store with another mom from the neighborhood, sure, she could do that for hours; Robin had seen it. But she didn’t call to chat with her daughter’s best friend.
“So, listen.” Rose paused. “Whitney hasn’t been answering my calls. Shyanne talked to her, I know, but I’ve tried calling a few times and she doesn’t pick up. And...” she paused again, “Well, when Shy talked to her the other day, she said Whitney sounded peculiar. Her words. She said she thought about it after the fact and it didn’t occur to her ask about it at the moment since she was all excited about her news. Anyway... Is everything okay up there? Is she settling in?”
Robin bit her lip. She wasn’t sure what to say. If Shyanne had thought Whitney sounded weird, it was probably because of the emotional trauma she’d dealt with recently. But if Rose had called to ask about it... “She’s... okay. Did she not tell you about... what happened?”
“What do you mean?” Her voice went up an octave. “What happened? Was there an accident or something? Robin, did she get hurt? Tell me!”
“Uh. Well.” Robin crossed and uncrossed her legs as she tried to figure out what to say next. “I really feel like she needs to be the one. I’ll go talk to her right now and make her call you. I promise.”
“Robin-”
“She’s fine. Don’t worry. She’ll call today. It’s her story to tell, not mine.”
Rose huffed. “Oh, fine. But if she doesn’t call soon, it’s gonna be you I come after.”
Robin forced a chuckle to ease Rose’s worries. “Yes, ma’am.”
After they finished up the call, Robin sent Whitney a text with a frown.
Robin- I’m coming over. Make coffee.
Whitney- Lol okay then
Robin looked over at the dryer; the timer read forty-six minutes. She didn’t trust abandoning her clothes in the laundry room, but this was urgent. She’d be back in plenty of time. After stashing her soaps in a corner, she dashed out of the laundry room.
A minute later, she let herself into Whitney’s apartment. In a glance, it was obvious that Whitney had been in a mood. Trash from her dinner or lunch covered the living room table, stray clothes were draped over the couch, and three half empty cups sat on her bookshelf.
“Honey, I’m home!” she took a deep breath and willed herself to believe that this was a fluke. She’d been busy. A new job and new boyfriend had kept her out of the house too much to get her normal level of compulsive cleaning done.
“In the kitchen,” Whitney called and her laugh tinkled through the doorway.
The sound warmed Robin’s heart. But she knew her friend well enough that all was not as it seemed.
Whitney set two cups of coffee on the table as Robin walked in.
“As you demanded, your highness.” Whitney curtsied with a huge grin on her face.
Robin wished she could smile, but she was here on serious business. She pursed her lips and pointed to the chair. “Sit, I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, okay, mom.”
Whitney sat down, still smiling. Robin hated having to break her good mood. It was so nice to see her happy, but... She clasped her hands in front of her and dove right in.
“Real talk–why didn’t you tell your mom about the mugging?” Whitney’s mouth fell open. She blinked rapidly and glanced anywhere but at Robin’s face as she tried to recover from the shock.
“Uh–um–how-”
“She just called me.” Robin picked up her coffee mug to be doing something with her hands. She didn’t want to show how badly they were shaking. “She said you were ignoring her.”
“Uh-” She blinked again, and Robin saw the gears turning as she tried to come up with an excuse.
“And I realize that’s not out of the norm since you’ve moved here, since she’s been doing her check in nonsense and you’re annoyed. But this is different.”
“I... I didn’t want... Um...”
“Tell me the truth.”
“Well, she’d...” Whitney took a deep breath and her shoulders slumped. “She’d freak out. You know she would. She’d tell me to come home. She’d be calling the moving company and sending them over.” Whitney let out a sigh. “I wanted to be stronger than that.”
“Okay...” Robin sipped her coffee. “I understand your point, but... she’s still your mom. She needs to know.”
“Okay.” Whitney wouldn’t look up from her coffee. “I’ll call her.”
“Today.” Robin took Whitney’s hand and forced her to make eye contact. Pain had taken over the momentary joy she’d found. Robin wouldn’t let guilt stop her, though. Rose deserved the truth from her daughter and if Whitney wanted to be strong, here was a good way to test it.
“Okay. Today.”
“Good.” Robin pulled Whitney out of her chair to give her a hug. “I have laundry waiting in the dryer, so I need to go. But text me if you need anything. Anything. See you in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Robin left and Whitney slumped back into her chair. She’d been on such a high from her night with Kevin... but now... She picked up her phone and stared at the screen, then set it back down.