by Allie Gail
“No. Nothing’s wrong.” I glance over at Leah before reluctantly admitting, “It’s Embry.”
A shadow falls across her face, eclipsing the sunshine in her eyes. It’s a subtle change, but I know her well enough by now to know what she’s thinking. The worry and uncertainty isn’t hard to detect.
Damn it all to hell – leave it to Embry to fuck this up for me! Her timing sucks ass. I wanted today to be fun for Leah, a relaxing, enjoyable day without any stress or tension. Without any complications that could be perceived as bad luck. The fact that my psycho ex contacted me at all is unsettling enough, but did she really have to pick today of all days to turn up like a bad penny?
What the hell does she want, anyway? I know one thing – she’s either got short-term memory loss or balls the size of Texas to be calling this number.
I struggle with something encouraging to say. “Okay, I’ll admit her calling me out of the blue like this is a strange coincidence. But that’s all it is – a coincidence. It has nothing whatsoever to do with today being the seventh. And besides, it’s not like this has any effect on us one way or the other. I hope you realize that.”
Leah studies me quietly. She’s just about to open her mouth to say something when the persistent buzzing begins again, setting my teeth on edge.
Her eyes drop from my face to the phone in my hand. “Maybe you ought to see what she wants.”
“What she wants has exactly jack shit to do with me,” I mutter. But she’s right about one thing, the sooner I nip this in the bud the better. Besides, I can’t just ignore it. Leah might get the idea that there’s something going on here.
Frowning, I hit accept a little harder than necessary and press the phone against my ear. I’m about to put a stop to whatever nonsense this involves.
“Bellamy here,” I snap, stifling the urge to say something else. Something involving a slew of profanity.
“Myles?” The voice on the other end is cloyingly saccharine, and seeing how it’s the last one I ever wanted to hear again, it slithers down my spine like nails on a chalkboard. “Oh my goodness, it’s so good to finally talk to you! Seems like it’s been forever, doesn’t it? I bet you didn’t expect to hear from me. Surprise, ha ha! So how in the world are you? What have you been up to?”
Oh, for the love of… “What do you want, Embry?”
“Oh, nothing really. I was just sitting around here and got to thinking about you and figured I’d give you a call and see what you’ve been doing. So what are you doing? Have you missed me?”
“You’re joking, right?” Is she actually serious right now? Because…damn.
“Oh, come on. You’re not still mad at me, are you?” Her voice takes on a smugly superior tone, the one she frequently uses to try and sound like she knows what she’s talking about when in reality she hasn’t got a clue. “What’s got your drawers in such a twist? You can’t still be holding a grudge. I swear, I never did see what the big deal was in the first place. It’s not like you couldn’t spare a little extra cash. If you want my opinion, it was crazy of you to sell that place when it was doing so well. You must know by now, it wasn’t a very smart financial move. If you want, I could–”
“I’m not interested in your opinion, and my finances are none of your business,” I cut in, wanting only to get this fucked-up conversation over with. “Was there a reason you called? I’m extraordinarily busy at the moment.”
“Well, excuse me. What’s so important that you can’t spare five minutes for an old friend? Where are you, anyway? I heard you went back to Florida. Is that true?”
Brainstorming, I quickly fabricate a lie. “At the moment, I’m in Vegas.”
“Vegas? What on earth are you doing in Vegas?”
“Trying to enjoy my honeymoon.” I wink slyly at Leah, whose eyes widen as she covers her mouth to muffle an astonished giggle.
There is a hilariously long, drawn-out pause from the other end. Then a dubious, “You got…married?”
“Yep. Yesterday, as a matter of fact. It all happened pretty fast, but you know how it is – when it’s right, you just know. Love at first sight, Cupid’s arrow and all that. Now was there anything else? Because my new wife and I are on our way in to see Criss Angel and we don’t want to miss the opening act.”
“Um…”
“Oh look, sweetheart, there are two seats right up there in the front row!” Without giving Embry a chance to say anything else, I end the call and glance over at Leah with a wily grin.
She shakes her head, dissolving into helpless laughter. “I can’t believe you just did that!”
“See? I told you. Nothing we can’t handle.”
“You’re nuts, you know that?”
“One hundred percent, certifiably insane.”
“No kidding! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you told her you went to Vegas and eloped…that’s hilarious! You know, I’m starting to think you’re even loonier than I am. And that’s saying a lot.”
“Which explains why you fell for me.” The words slip out before my stupid, idiotic brain has a chance to catch and censor them.
To my immense relief, she doesn’t open the car door and dive into oncoming traffic. Instead, still smiling, she reaches over to pat my thigh. “One of the many reasons.”
I cover her hand with mine while forcing myself to concentrate on the road.
After a few minutes have passed, Leah hazards to ask, “Do you think you’ll hear from her again?”
“I doubt it. But just in case, I’ll block her number.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she protests. “Not on my account, anyway.”
“It’s done.” And if that doesn’t do the trick, then I’ll change my number. Hopefully the leech got the message, but then again, I thought I’d made my position perfectly clear when I not only dumped her, but fired her ass. How dense can a person be?
I’m relieved when Leah abandons the topic of Embry to move on to something less unpleasant. “What’s the name of the restaurant we’re going to?”
“Sunset Island Grill,” I tell her. “It’s fairly new, only been open for a few months. You haven’t been there already, have you?”
“No. Since I have the house in Fort Walton, I hardly ever go to Panama anymore.”
“Good.” Even if she had already been there, I highly doubt she’d guess the reason why I chose that particular place.
“Sounds nice.”
“Yeah. I’ve heard it’s really good.”
She sighs happily, the cloud of that unwanted phone call dissipated. “You’re spoiling me.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” I joke.
“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. It’s really nice of you to go out of your way to entertain me and try and keep me distracted.”
Hm. Clearly she’s on to me. “Hey, I wasn’t going to let you sit at home all alone, feeling sorry for yourself on your birthday.”
Turning her face to give me a playful glare, Leah purses her lips in a pout. “I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself! I was just trying to avoid a potential disaster. That’s all.”
“Well, you were kinda going about it the wrong way, weren’t you? Considering most accidents happen in the home.”
“Oh, whatever.” Rolling her eyes, she digs through her purse for a pair of pink heart-shaped sunglasses and slips them on. “Just wait. Before this day is over, you’re gonna see firsthand that I’m not making this up.”
“I never said you were making it up. I just think maybe you’ve got this idea so firmly implanted in your head, you can’t see beyond it to reason. Think about it, babe. Can you honestly tell me you believe, deep down, that there is really such a thing as a curse? That the universe has chosen one particular day to brand as jinxed?”
The blam comes out of nowhere, happening so fast my brain barely has time to register where the flapping noise is coming from before the car veers to the right and the steering wheel jerks in my hands. Cursing loudly, I ease
off the accelerator and turn on the hazard lights, then carefully pull over into the parking lot of a convenience store.
“Not a word,” I warn her, my hands still clutching the steering wheel tightly.
“I didn’t say anything.” Her voice is all innocence.
“It’s just a blowout. A flat tire. That shit happens all the time.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Nobody got hurt. There’s a spare and a jack in the trunk. No big deal.”
“If you say so.”
I look up at the heavens with a sigh before unbuckling my seat belt and glancing sidelong at Leah. She is perfectly calm, sitting there nonplussed with her hands folded in her lap. “Looks like I get to change a tire today,” I announce, stating the obvious.
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?”
I can’t see her eyes behind the pink sunglasses, but the told-you-so smile is impossible for her to disguise.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Oh man, that smells good.” Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply before releasing my breath in a groan. “Mmm…I really hope there’s not a long wait. ’Cause if there is, you might not be able to stop me from randomly grabbing stuff off other people’s tables when we walk past. Just sayin’.”
Thanks to the exploding tire incident, it’s nearly one o’clock already. And since I didn’t have any breakfast this morning, my own fingernails started looking appetizing over an hour ago. The succulent aroma of grilled steaks and seafood is wafting across the parking lot, causing my empty stomach to growl loudly in response.
“That probably won’t be necessary.” Smiling, Myles puts an arm around me and ushers me toward the entrance. One of the glass double doors is opened for us by a young man in a sage green shirt and black tie, who greets us with a pleasant hello.
Inside, the first thing that catches my eye is the beautiful skylight-domed atrium. It’s the focal point of the whole room. Filled with date palms, ferns and an array of pink and white plumerias, the garden adds a posh air of tropical ambience. Round tables covered in beige tablecloths are scattered about, surrounding the small oasis. Most are occupied, but fortunately there appear to be one or two available.
“Afternoon, guys!” The hostess, who is dressed in the same colors as the greeter at the door, welcomes us with a hundred watt smile. “Will there be just the two of you today?”
“Just two, yes,” Myles tells her.
“Right this way, please!”
We follow her to a vacant table, where we are seated with the promise of a waitress arriving shortly. The hostess isn’t kidding. Her green-and-black clone materializes in five seconds flat to announce, “Hello! My name is Skylar and I’ll be taking care of you today. Can I get you something to drink while you’re looking at the menu?”
We both request iced tea with lemon, and my hunger is temporarily forgotten as I scope out my surroundings. Myles was right – even with the delay of the flat tire, this place was worth the drive. It’s so charming, so…unique. I wonder who came up with the whole atrium idea? Even if the food turns out to be subpar, I’d probably still come back just for the atmosphere.
“Pan seared bacon-wrapped scallops,” Myles reads out loud as he pores over his options. “Sounds good. Anything wrapped in bacon can’t be bad, right?”
“That’s always been my motto.” Picking up a menu, I scan through the list of entrées. They all sound heavenly, especially the seafood selections. “They have stuffed grouper. I think I might try that. It says it’s fresh from the Gulf.”
“Do you want to get an appetizer?”
“No, not unless you do. This by itself will probably be more than I can eat.” At the moment I’m ravenous enough to order everything on the menu, but I know I’ll regret it later if I stuff myself. I decide on a garden salad and roasted sweet potatoes for my side items, then look up from the menu to peruse the restaurant once again.
That’s when I spot it.
Reason number three why I never should’ve left the house this morning.
“Son of a bitch…” I drawl. A dry laugh escapes me as I shake my head in disbelief. Really? I mean, really? The harbingers of misfortune aren’t exactly practicing subtlety today. “You know how they say the proof of the pudding is under the crust? Well, I think I just saw something crusty.”
Myles stares at me blankly. “Say what?”
Leaning forward, I whisper, “Looks like your little blast from the past isn’t the only one popping up to pay us a visit today.”
His eyes narrow suspiciously. “I hope you’re not about to tell me what I think you’re about to tell me.”
“Oh, yeah. Don’t look now, but my own personal blooper reel just happens to be sitting three tables behind you.”
He looks, of course. Can’t say I blame him – I’d do the same thing.
I sink down in my seat and hide behind the menu, pretending to be absorbed in the fabulous array of appetizers. “I told you not to look.”
He turns back around to ask, “That weasely looking dude in the striped shirt?”
“Uh-huh. That’s him.” Brad the cad, live and in person. The good news is, he and his guest have apparently finished eating since he’s holding the check in his hand. So maybe they won’t be hanging around much longer. That’s a switch – is he actually going to pay? He was always a total cheapskate with me. I think the classiest place we ever went was Del Taco.
Then again, I just realized that I recognize his date as well. Cassandra Sykes. We went to high school together, only she graduated class valedictorian and last I heard is now a clinical psychologist. So of course he isn’t embarrassed to be seen in public with her – she’s an intellectual. I, on the other hand, am just the dumb blonde he amused himself with when he had nothing better to do.
In case you’re wondering, that was the title of the video he and his friends posted. Dumb Blonde Gets Drunk, Loses Last Remaining Brain Cell. What a fun thing to wake up to after a night of utter humiliation.
“He looks like a dink.” Myles has returned his attention to the menu, but there is a tenseness in his jaw that wasn’t there before.
“That’s because he is a dink.”
“Forget about him. It’s just a fluke. This isn’t going to influence our day one way or the other.”
“True.” Now that I think about it, he’s right – what difference does it make that Brad is here? It isn’t as if he can do anything to hurt me. I got over him a long time ago. The fates should’ve thought of that while they were busy conspiring against me.
They’ve wasted their time with this one.
The waitress returns with our drinks, and I find myself relaxing as we give her our orders. It’s a liberating feeling, knowing that so far today I’ve been able to shrug off every obstacle thrown in my path. Yes, there have been a few minor complications, but nothing as terrible as I expected.
Of course, my less optimistic half rears her head to remind me that the day is still young.
I’m doing my best to ignore the bitch.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t turn your phone on?” Myles is asking. “Won’t your dad try to call you today?”
“He’ll call tomorrow.” I tell him. “It’s kinda become a tradition with us. He knows I’d rather be left alone on my birthday, but we generally do something together afterwards to celebrate the fact that I made it through another year.”
“Don’t tell me he buys into this curse stuff?”
“My dad? Let’s just say he's been through enough years with me to witness it firsthand. Needless to say, he's a believer. So is Louise, for that matter. It’s hard to deny something when it happens time and time again.”
“There have been a couple of strange coincidences today, I’ll give you that,” he admits slowly. “But keep this in mind. Every bad thing that happens has to have something good to tip the scales back in the right direction. Even on days when it seems like nothing is going right, it all balances out in the end. One way or another, there’
s always balance.”
“Yin and yang,” I recall, fingering my necklace.
“Exactly.”
“So which is which?” I wonder, glancing down at the two contrasting sides.
Resting his chin in his hands, Myles taps a finger against his lips and considers for a moment. “If I remember correctly, yin is the dark force and yang is the light. But don’t quote me on that. I could have it backwards.”
“Speaking of dark forces,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. Just my luck – Brad and Cassandra are heading in our direction this very moment. For fuck’s sake, couldn’t they have found an alternate route to take? They’re going to pass right by our table so there’s no point hoping he won’t see me. Besides, considering what day it is, I know that’s far too much to expect.
Please don’t look this way. Please don’t look this way. For the love of God, please don’t look this way!
Too late. His beady little eyes move straight to me as if drawn there by a magnet. I knew they would. What I didn’t expect, however, was that he would actually have the gall to acknowledge me. He must have grown a pair, or taken some out on loan.
Deliberately staring me down, he shoots me a nasty, contemptuous smirk as he strolls past.
“’Sup, boozehound,” he murmurs, in a derisive tone meant only for my ears.
Boozehound? Wow, how original. Guess he told me, didn’t he? Moron!
I don’t have a chance to respond. Not that I would’ve anyway – I figure giving him the cold shoulder is the best way to handle his assholery – but none of that matters now. Because Brad isn’t interested in anything I have to say. He has other things to worry about.
And I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now.
Especially considering they’re dangling six inches off the floor.
Pressing a hand against my mouth, I stare in fascination at the scene unfolding before me. Myles is on his feet so fast I never even saw him move. One second he’s sitting at the table across from me, the next he’s got Brad by the front of his collared shirt, lifting him so the two are face to face. Brad’s cheeks are turning red, his eyes round and bulging out of his head. He looks so ridiculous that even in my shock, I almost feel sorry for him.