Ready or Not

by Melissa Brayden

  Afterward, Hope held her for a long time, and Mallory reveled in it, enjoying the night, clinging to it, and afraid of what the harsh light of morning would bring.

  *

  “So it’s official, you guys are a thing?” Brooklyn asked from the treadmill next to Mallory’s. They ran together a couple of mornings a week in front of the giant picture window at the fitness club down the street from the loft. Running kept Mallory’s head focused and in the game. As she pushed her body, she stared out at the bustling city below as the stress eased off her with each stride. Their morning runs were also her chance to check in with Brooklyn, their one-on-one time, which she’d come to value quite a lot.

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far, Brooks. But I like her. A lot.”

  “But you’re officially dating?”

  Mallory considered the question. “It kind of feels that way, but we haven’t discussed it formally. It’s a little gray, if I’m being honest.”

  “Does that mean sex was had?”

  Mallory opened her mouth to answer and closed it, not sure how much she wanted to say. It didn’t matter though, as Brooklyn saw right through her.

  “Oh, my word, it has. That’s why you’re all loose and smiley. You got laid properly. It was properly, wasn’t it?”

  “God, yes,” Mallory said, then passed Brooklyn a follow-up look for emphasis.

  Brooklyn sent one hand into the air and let out a cheer, which garnered several curious stares from nearby runners. She turned to the onlookers and informed them politely, “Mallory Spencer has re-entered the dating world. Hence, the cheering.” She turned back to Mallory. “I should take out a press release, as this is kinda hot news.”

  “What you should do is lower your voice and stop bothering the other runners.” But it was kind of fun, the high she was on from her time with Hope. She reminded herself to remain cautious and in control, however. That was key.

  “Impossible,” Brooklyn said. “I’m excited. I have to be free to express my emotions, Mallory. In fact, I’m so keyed up now that I’m ready to make this run my bitch.” Brooklyn turned the dial on the treadmill, and Mallory heard it whir in response to the acceleration. Never one to be outdone, she followed suit, matching Brooklyn stride for stride. Though her calves screamed and her shoulders pulled, Mallory welcomed the workout and relied on it to clear her head, as there was a lot going on in there. In addition to wrapping her mind around the really awesome night with Hope, she’d yet to fully examine the events at her parents’ anniversary party, nor had she mentioned it to anyone but Hope. But the memory stung acutely even now.

  She’d have to talk to him eventually, her dad.

  The city was too small not to, and come on, this was her father she was talking about, which is what made the whole thing so surreal. The guy she turned to for everything. But the anger that flashed alongside the memory reminded her how upside-down the world felt of late, for both the good and the bad. It was a little jarring—and one of the reasons Mallory hated roller coasters.

  They brought chaos.

  “So did she stay over?” Mallory distantly heard Brooklyn ask. She forced herself to rejoin the conversation.

  “Stay over?”

  “At your place. I just assumed it was your place. Was it her place? I’ll need the sexy details, please.”

  “How about just some basics?”

  “Only if they’re sexy basics.”

  “Fine. My place. She stayed over but left early. She had some sort of delivery at Showplace.”

  “Was there a good-bye kiss?”

  Mallory smiled. “There was. A good one.”

  Brooklyn shook her head as she ran. “I cannot believe you landed Hot Bartender. Do you know how many of those girls at Showplace would kill to be you?”

  “Yeah, well, don’t get ahead of yourself. It was one night.” They ran on. “One really sexy night,” Mallory amended with a grin.

  *

  Tuesday at Showplace had Hope in her groove. She sashayed subtly with the music, moving her hips to the beat as she topped off a tray of Gingersnap Smashes with a couple of mint leaves and slid the tray to Sophie. “Here’s your order for table twelve.”

  The special they’d run for the Smash had exceeded all of Hope’s expectations. To say they were a hit was an understatement. She checked her reserve stock of Smash ingredients and figured she could make it through the night if the demand held steady and didn’t escalate. She mixed a rum and Coke and slid the drink across the bar to its owner, then turned her attention to the next customer. “What can I get you?” she asked, glancing up. She relaxed into a smile when her eyes landed on Mallory’s. “Hi, random customer,” she said and placed a square napkin in front of Mallory. “And what can I make you?”

  Mallory slid onto a bar stool and looked pensive. “Well, bartender, I think I’ll try one of those Gingersnap Smashes the world is raving about.”

  “I think I can make this happen for you,” she said, purposefully overdoing her tried-and-true cool-bartender voice.

  “Excellent.”

  “How was your day today, ma’am?” Hope asked.

  Mallory smiled at the formal role-play. “Oh, you know. Busy. I’m feeling a little tense.”

  Hope measured the whiskey into the shaker. “You probably need to have that tended to.”

  Mallory looked wistfully skyward. “If only I knew someone with good hands.”

  Hope let her jaw fall open and pointed to herself. “Oh, my God. I just thought of someone.”

  Mallory joined her in amazement, shaking her head. “My luck continues.”

  Hope poured the contents of the shaker into a cocktail glass, garnished with a squeeze of lemon and some mint leaves, and placed it, presentation style, in front of Mallory. “So, hi,” she said in all seriousness, meeting Mallory’s gaze.

  “Hi,” Mallory said back shyly, which was so unexpected her stomach did a series of hard-core flip-flops. Mallory was never shy. She didn’t even know that was a possibility. And while she wanted to stare into those fathomless blue eyes for a few dedicated moments, the girl two stools down from Mallory had her hand up. Horrible timing, as she didn’t want to move.

  “What can I get for you?” she asked the blond girl with the ponytail, and placed a napkin in front of her.

  “What do you recommend?” she asked and tossed in an extra bat of her eyes. Classic. Hope sent her an easy smile.

  “We’re running a special on the Gingersnap Smash. It’s a craft cocktail. I think you’ll like it.”

  “We’ll take two,” she said, inclining her head to her smiley friend.

  “Got it,” Hope said, and snagged two glasses. She went about making the drinks, but she felt Mallory’s eyes on her, which made her hyperaware of the way her body responded. Heat prickled the back of her neck, and all she wanted to do was take Mallory by the hand and find a quiet spot to hear about her day and maybe follow through with that promise of a massage, which could totally lead to more. She was never one for ruling out the more.

  “Your movements are so precise,” Mallory said, as she stirred her drink with her cocktail straw. “It’s like a perfectly choreographed dance. Do you ever spill anything?”

  Hope smiled as she shook the drinks in the shaker. “Spilling is for amateurs, Park Avenue.” She tossed the short glass into the air, where it spiraled before returning neatly to her hand, just in time for her to pour the contents of the shaker.

  “Okay, now you’re showing off,” Mallory said. She was right, but for Hope, showing off was part of the fun. She opened her mouth to answer Mallory but was stopped short by their youthful neighbors.

  “My friend here would love to know your name,” Blond Ponytail said, interrupting Hope’s flow. She looked to the smiling brunette, who tossed her hair on cue.

  “It’s Hope.”

  “Cool. I’m Lisa,” the brunette said over the music and then pointed to the blonde. “This is Cami.”

  “Nice to meet you guys.” She
placed a drink in front of each of them and held up the credit card Cami had supplied. “Shall I close it out?”

  “No,” Cami said, sipping her drink, her eyes still on Hope. “Let’s keep it open.” Hope passed Mallory a subtle look of apology. “So have you worked here long?” Sigh. She saw where this was going and turned back to Cami. Normally, she’d indulge a customer like this. Show them a little of the attention they seemed to want before moving on to her next order, but she’d been thinking about Mallory much of the day and here she was, just feet away. All she wanted was a little one-on-one time with her. Instead, she forced herself to answer the question as pleasantly as she could muster. “About a year and a half.”

  “Well, you’re really good at your job,” Lisa said. Cami sent Lisa a more-than-obvious look of encouragement, and Lisa nodded. “So what’s your story, Hope?”

  Hope inclined her head slightly. “My story?”

  “She wants to know if you’re single,” Cami clarified.

  “Because, have you seen yourself?” Lisa added, laughing.

  Mallory had never really thought of herself as the jealous type, but watching these young girls stare adoringly at Hope definitely had her focused attention.

  “Am I single?” Hope asked, drawing out the final word. “Hmm. That’s an excellent question, Lisa. The jury seems to still be out on that one.”

  “Is it that complicated?” Lisa asked.

  Hope met Mallory’s eyes and smiled. “We should ask my friend,” Hope said and turned to Mallory quite pointedly. “Mallory, would you say my love life is complicated?”

  Mallory blew out a breath and looked skyward, wondering how to navigate this very loaded question. She could say yes and keep the mystery alive, because wasn’t mystery part of the allure in life? Mallory certainly enjoyed it. But you know what, why not just go for it? Walk out on the limb and see where it got her. “I don’t think it has to be.”

  Hope nodded in an overly serious manner. “You’re very astute. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Exactly. And in that case,” she said, turning to Lisa, “I am involved with someone. It came on kind of suddenly. As in moments ago.”

  Mallory would be lying if she said the comment didn’t give her a little thrill. She enjoyed the wide-eyed nod the girls gave Hope before slowly turning to Mallory as understanding struck. For lack of anything better to do, she waved at them. And in a kind of perfect moment, they waved back.

  Hope leaned across the bar once the girls reluctantly took off. “That might have been one of my favorite exchanges in life.”

  “Yeah?” Mallory asked.

  “Well,” she said, her eyes darkening. “One of.”

  Mallory’s stomach tightened at the implied memory. “You cannot say really sexy things to me when I’m here to talk business with you.”

  “I didn’t say anything sexy.”

  “You suggested sexy things and you know it.”

  “Suggesting sexy things is totally not against any rules I’ve ever lived by.”

  Mallory didn’t know what to say to that. “I guess that’s true.”

  Hope straightened. “You sure like to be in charge and make all the rules.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s kind of my thing.”

  “Oh, I know. You want to go to my office, Miss Rulemaker, and have a work-related conversation?”

  “Yes, I wanted to touch base with you about some graphics for next week and a proposition from Big Top.”

  Hope raised a very sensual eyebrow. “I’m interested.”

  “Great. But this is business, nothing—”

  “Sexy,” Hope said. “Got it.”

  But just as Mallory rose from her stool, something caught Hope’s attention just behind her. Mallory turned and found herself in the most surreal position, staring at a girl who looked identical to Hope. She glanced back at the real Hope to be sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. But, nope, there she was. The twin sister, she reminded herself. Only they were in the same room this time, making the whole thing extra trippy. There were key differences, however. She could see that much now. The sister had shorter hair and a small mole to the left of her eye, which showed the remnants of a bruise. She also looked older somehow, if that was even possible. But beneath it all, the same vibrant blue eyes looked back at Mallory now. Genetics was an amazing thing.

  “Hey, you two. Wasn’t expecting to see you guys,” Hope said. That’s when Mallory registered the middle-aged man standing next to Hope’s sister, holding her hand rather sweetly.

  “I was wondering if you had a minute,” the sister said. Hope glanced at Mallory and back at her sister.

  Understanding the dilemma, Mallory jumped in. “No, Hope, it’s perfectly fine. You and I can finish up another time.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “You don’t have to go anywhere,” Kara said to Mallory. “This should only take a minute.”

  Then Hope seemed to remember herself. “Oh, sorry. Kara, this is Mallory. Mallory, Kara.”

  Kara passed a look between the two of them and raised a knowing eyebrow at Hope, who sighed. “Yes, we’ve been seeing each other.”

  “Thought so,” Kara said with a smile. “I can still read you like a book.” Then, turning to Mallory, “Twin thing.”

  Kara was certainly much nicer than the first time Mallory had encountered her. Looked a lot more pulled together too. Perhaps the guy she was with was part of that.

  Mallory smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Kara.”

  “You too.” Kara took a minute to introduce Elliot, and after some pleasantries Hope interrupted.

  “Kara, what’s going on? Everything okay?” She looked more nervous than Mallory had ever seen her and signaled Teddy to take over the bar.

  “Before you say anything, hear me out,” Kara said, palms facing out.

  “Okay,” Hope said. “But please get to it, as you’re freaking me the hell out.”

  Without a word, Kara produced her left hand, and the modest diamond ring told the story for her. Hope stepped forward and looked from the ring to her sister’s expectant face. “You’re engaged?”

  Kara was teary-eyed when she nodded, and Mallory somehow knew this was the real deal for her. She didn’t know this woman at all, but love was hard to fake.

  Elliot turned to Hope in earnest. “I know you must be thinking that this happened kind of fast, and it did. But I love your sister with all my heart, and I will do right by her.”

  “And this is what you want?” she asked Kara.

  “More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

  Mallory saw the edges of Hope’s mouth tug before she broke into a full-on smile.

  “Then I’m happy for you.”

  “Thank you.” Kara moved into Hope’s arms, and the sisters hugged in a sentimental display that brought a lump to Mallory’s throat. The tears brimming in Hope’s eyes were new to Mallory as the love she clearly had for her sister was evident. Who knew Hope was such a softie?

  “So will you guys get a place together?” Hope asked the happy couple.

  Elliot and Kara exchanged a look. “That’s the second part of the news,” Kara said. “Elliot has asked me to move back to Iowa with him. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

  Hope took a minute. “I’m sorry. Did you say tomorrow?”

  Kara glanced nervously at Elliot. “Things with Dominic are heating up, and it’s best if I get out of town.”

  Hope nodded resolutely. “I get it. I just wish you didn’t have to go.”

  Mallory frowned, wondering about Dominic and what kind of trouble this guy was bringing to Kara’s life. Did that faded bruise around her eye have anything to do with it?

  “It’s not just Dominic,” Kara said. “There’s a time to come to New York and a time to leave. I’ve been here my whole life and what has it got me?” She glanced up at Elliot and smiled. “I’m ready to start a new chapter. We’ve already found a rental house online, and it has the cutest little yellow door. I can waitress, and
Elliot’s thinking about opening a restaurant of his own down the line.” Kara blinked back fresh tears. “I’ll miss you, baby sister. Maybe you’ll come visit soon?”

  “I wouldn’t miss that chance,” Hope said, wiping the tears from Kara’s cheeks. She turned to Elliot then and was back to business.

  “Listen, I’m trusting you with my sister. And I don’t do that with just anybody.”

  He nodded. “I understand, and I take that notion very seriously.” He wasn’t necessarily the best-looking guy on the block and definitely not the coolest. But something about Elliot spoke of kindness, and Mallory believed what he said. After a final hug, Kara and Elliot left the bar hand in hand. Hope stood there silently, seeming to contemplate what had just transpired. She looked lost. Alone.

  “You okay over there?” Mallory asked after a few moments.

  “Just so sudden, ya know?” Hope forced a smile, but it was less than convincing. “Kara and I haven’t been close for years. But it’s still hard, you know, to see her go, even if it’s for the best.”

  “And why is it for the best?” Mallory asked, picking up on a piece of the puzzle that seemed to be missing.

  “It’s not important.”

  And with that, Hope rounded the bar and went back to work, taking drink orders almost as if none of it had happened. A coping mechanism, Mallory decided. Yet, it was the second time Hope had pushed her away, kept details of her life purposefully to herself. It stung a bit, but Mallory forced herself to move past it.

  She took a seat at the bar and stayed close, just in case Hope wanted to talk. If nothing else, she’d know Mallory was there.

  But it didn’t seem to matter. Hope was closed off to her now and kept her head down as she worked, limiting her interactions with the customers and with Mallory. Maybe Hope was the type who needed space when she was upset. Mallory had really no way of knowing. And while she still had a lot of questions about what had gone down here tonight, now wasn’t the time.