Betting on Love

by Alyssa Linn Palmer

  “I’ll put you on the new schedule when I do it up on Saturday night, but come in tomorrow for five o’clock.”

  “Five until when?”

  “Midnight, or thereabouts,” Derek said. “We have a split shift tomorrow so I probably won’t need you for midnight until two.”

  “I’ll see you then.” Elly headed back downstairs. Instead of going straight home, she went into the bar. Alex was still busy, wiping tables and pouring drinks.

  “Hey. How’d it go?” she asked once she noticed Elly sitting at the bar.

  “Good. Decent tips.” She’d never had so much in tips in one night working at the diner. If she could keep this up, it’d help her pay all her bills.

  “The city’s way better for that,” Alex said, rinsing out her rag in the bar’s small sink. “People have more money to spend.”

  “I’ll still keep looking for other work, but this will definitely help in the meantime.”

  “What is it that you did, before? I can’t remember.”

  “I was in graphic design, with a firm downtown. But they closed up just over a year ago, and I couldn’t find any other work.”

  “That sucks. Hopefully you’ll find something now. But until then, we’re coworkers. Want a drink to celebrate?”

  “Just water. I’ll have to drive home, after all.”

  Alex set a pint glass of ice and water in front of her. “A bunch of us are going out after our shifts. Want to come? We usually go hit up one of the other restaurants nearby, have a bite to eat.”

  “Sure. What time is everyone off?”

  “I’m off as soon as Eric gets here to close, and Charity should be off soon too, since she’s the midnight shift. Amie and Jesse cover the closing.”

  *

  Alex hugged one of the regulars as they headed out the door. “See you next week, Peggy,” she said warmly. Elly tried not to look as though she’d noticed, and she tried to ignore the jealousy, but the feeling was insidious.

  Eric came in, shedding his leather jacket and hanging it on the hook behind the bar. “Elly! How are you? You going to become another of our regulars?”

  Before she could reply, Alex hooked an arm over her shoulders. “She’s one of us now, Eric,” she said. “Just hired on today.”

  “Well done.” Eric grinned. “Welcome to the team. Restaurant side?”

  “Yes. I’ll be in tomorrow too.”

  “Always nice to see another pretty face.”

  “You charmer,” Alex quipped, and Eric laughed.

  “Off to eat at Brewsters?” he asked.

  “Probably. Depends on what Charity wants to do too,” Alex replied.

  “Now it’s your descent into hedonism,” Eric said to Elly.

  “That bad?” Elly asked, trying to stifle her giggles.

  “Worse.” He chuckled again.

  Charity came through the door, still pulling off her apron. “Let’s get out of here. I’m starving.”

  Alex grabbed her jacket and she and Elly followed Charity from the lounge, out into the cool night air.

  “We driving?” Elly asked.

  “It’s just a couple of blocks away,” Charity said. “We can walk.”

  Elly followed a step behind all the way to the restaurant, listening as Alex and Charity talked shop. She had little to add, given that most of the people they spoke about she didn’t even know.

  “I heard Vanessa broke up with that girl,” Charity said. Elly’s ears perked up. She at least knew that name.

  “Already?” Alex replied. “They’d only just begun seeing each other. But mind you, Vanessa’s picky.”

  “I’m glad my boyfriend’s not like that,” Charity remarked.

  Elly found a moment to break in with a question. “Have you been dating him long?”

  “A few months. He works out of town, though, on the rigs up north, so I don’t see him as often as I’d like. It’s three weeks on, one week off. And he hates talking on the phone, so all I really get from him while he’s away are texts.”

  “Is he cute?”

  “Gorgeous,” Charity confirmed. “Tall, dark, and handsome. Even in ratty jeans.”

  They reached Brewsters and Alex pulled open the door. “After you, ladies.”

  The hostess was perky and young, much like Shay was at Parry’s. She seated them in a booth, and Alex slid in next to Elly, leaving a side all to Charity.

  “Hey there, my favorite customers.” A blond server approached the table, bending to exchange a kiss with Alex, and a hug with Charity. Her long hair hung in careful ringlets down her back, and she was beautifully made-up. Elly felt rough around the edges in comparison, sloppy in her work clothes. And the girl had kissed Alex. Elly resolved not to let it bother her, though it was hard to ignore the feeling of jealousy. Again. She knew she had no right to be jealous. Alex had been very clear about her lack of commitment. But still. “And who’s the new girl?”

  “Elly, this is Laura.” Alex introduced them easily. “She comes and spends money at Parry’s, and we come and spend money here.”

  “We really should just keep all our money,” Charity quipped, “but that would be no fun at all.”

  “And I’d be bored out of my mind here,” Laura added. “You’re saving me from insanity.”

  “Glad to do what we can.” Alex winked at her.

  “The usual?” Laura asked. “Keith’s, bourbon and cola, and…?” She looked at Elly.

  “Vodka cran, please, and some water,” Elly said.

  “Vodka cran, and a water. Done. You girls eating too?” Alex nodded. “Then I’ll grab you menus.”

  She brought them menus, then disappeared to ring in their drink order. Alex didn’t even bother to open hers, but Charity did, and so did Elly. She scanned the menu, but she didn’t know what to order. She wasn’t very hungry and hardly ever ate this late in the evening. She settled on a side salad, spinach with almonds and bacon bits.

  “What are you having?” Charity asked when they’d set their menus aside.

  “Salad,” Elly said.

  “Butter chicken,” Alex said, “as always. I love it here, even though it’s not real butter chicken.”

  “It’s real enough,” Charity said.

  “But this isn’t an Indian restaurant.”

  “Still.”

  Alex shrugged. “I suppose so. What kind of salad are you having, El? Sure you don’t want more than that?”

  “It’s late,” Elly said. “I don’t think I could eat much more than that now.”

  Under the table, Alex’s hand landed on her thigh. “You might be hungry later.”

  Elly felt her face flame. “Maybe,” she said in a quiet voice.

  “Alex, you’re embarrassing her,” Charity chided.

  “Elly’s used to me, aren’t you, El?”

  “I am,” she replied. “Mostly. Sort of.”

  Laura returned with their drinks, saving her from having to say anything more. “And for dinner? Alex, the butter chicken, I assume, and Charity…?”

  “I can’t decide. Who’s working in the kitchen tonight?”

  “Paul’s in charge.”

  Charity perked up. “Ooh. I’ll take the Thai pasta then. He’s good at that.”

  “And Elly?”

  “The side spinach salad, please.”

  “Anything on that?” Laura rattled off the list of add-ons.

  “No, just the salad’s fine.” Elly gave her an apologetic smile.

  “No problem.” Laura scribbled on her notepad. “I’ll be back with those in a bit.”

  Once she’d left, Alex squeezed Elly’s thigh, though she looked at Charity. “You still have a thing for Paul, do you?”

  Charity shrugged. “Not really. But he does make great pasta.” She looked at Elly. “Sorry we’re talking about people you don’t know. That must be boring.”

  “It isn’t too bad,” Elly said, though in truth she did find it a bit dull.

  “Well, me and Paul know each other from way
back,” Charity said. “When we were eighteen, I convinced him to get his first tattoo.”

  “And look where that led,” Alex interjected. “He has a dozen.”

  “Not my fault,” Charity replied. “And anyway, he looks good in them.”

  They continued in this vein and Elly felt like she was beginning to know their entire circle of friends, even though she’d never met them.

  Paul came out to say hello, bringing Charity’s pasta personally. “Hey, babe,” he said to Charity, sliding the bowl of pasta in front of her. “Long time no see.”

  “Only a couple of weeks.” Charity batted her eyelashes up at him. He was tall and burly, what Elly’s dad would have called built like a brick shithouse. Tattoos covered his arms to his wrists, and he had a dark beard, though it was trimmed short. Charity laid her hand on his. “It’s so sweet of you to bring it out yourself.”

  “We should go see a movie,” he said. “Catch up.”

  “Call me.”

  Paul grinned. “I will. Enjoy your food.” He headed back to the kitchen, and Laura placed the other dishes on the table.

  “The manager has me doing all sorts of cleaning.” She rolled her eyes. “Else I’d stay and chat. Enjoy.”

  Elly placed her napkin in her lap and dug in. Beside her, Alex mixed the butter chicken sauce with the basmati rice before breaking a chunk off the naan.

  “Here, El, try some.” She dipped the bread in the sauce and rice and held it out, but when Elly went to take it, she shook her head. “Open your mouth.”

  Elly let Alex feed her. It was good, and suddenly her salad didn’t look very appetizing.

  “Oh, how sweet,” Charity crooned.

  “Shut it, Char,” Alex said, chuckling. “You’re just jealous.”

  “Damn right,” Charity replied. “My guy doesn’t feed me anything.”

  “Nothing at all?” Alex raised a brow.

  “Almost nothing,” Charity amended, giving Alex a salacious grin. “You perv.”

  “Do you feed him?” Elly asked, swallowing the bite of butter chicken. It stuck in her throat and she coughed, then took a drink of her vodka cran, swallowing hard.

  “If he’d allow it more often, I sure would. Men.” Charity shook her head in disgust.

  “You don’t need a man, Char.”

  “You’re the one who always gets away, Alex, my dear,” Charity replied. She stuck out her tongue and Alex reached forward, trying to catch it between her fingers.

  “Don’t stick it out if you aren’t going to use it.”

  “Be careful around her, Elly,” Charity said. “She once licked Will’s face because he said the same thing to her.”

  “Ew.” Elly made a face, but she was laughing. It kept her from thinking too hard about what Charity had just said about Alex being the one who got away. Tongues had nothing to do with it.

  “He deserved it,” Alex replied. “And his face was clean.”

  “And he never did it again, did he?” Charity wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

  “Will’s a fast learner.”

  *

  They walked back to the parking lot at Parry’s, Charity giggling at a joke Alex had made, clinging to Alex’s free arm. She’d given Elly her other arm as they’d left the restaurant and now the three of them made an awkward six-legged creature staggering along, their steps out of sync.

  “Where you headed?” Charity asked.

  “Home,” Alex said, though she didn’t know for sure. “You?”

  “Home too, I suppose. See you tomorrow.” Charity blew kisses at them and headed to her car, a battered little gray hatchback.

  “So, home,” Elly echoed.

  “Mine or yours?” Alex asked. “It’s early yet.”

  “I don’t know. If this is just sex, I don’t know that I’m that interested.”

  Alex nearly dropped her helmet in surprise. “What’s wrong with sex?”

  “Nothing, but when it’s just sex, it’s not enough.”

  Though she’d been single for almost longer than she could remember, no one had ever turned her down because it was just sex. Her surprise must have shown, because Elly stepped back, crossing her arms.

  “Look, we do well together, and it’s fun, but it’s just not enough. We’re totally different people, which became really obvious when we were at the farm. And since we’ll have to work together now, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “If that’s the way you want it,” Alex replied, the words coming easily, almost automatically. Usually she was the one initiating the talk and turning someone down. Elly had one-upped her.

  “It is,” Elly said. “Friends, I guess, but that’s it.”

  “How about a movie, then?”

  “My place?” Elly suggested. “My TV’s not as big, but my place is closer. And I have popcorn.”

  “Done. Is it microwave?”

  “Ew. No.” Elly made a face, and Alex wanted to kiss her for looking so cute. “It’s real popcorn, air popped. Or I could make it over the stove, if you want.”

  “I’ve never had that.” It sounded delicious, and now that they’d established their boundaries, they could just relax around each other. Sort of. She still couldn’t get her head around how often her gaze had been drawn to Elly, in the bar, while working, and while sitting at Brewsters.

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll see you at mine. And do be careful.”

  “Always.” Alex headed to her bike, going through her usual preparations. She heard Elly’s car start up and turned to see it pull out of the parking lot. She swung a leg over the bike and started the engine, pulling out and following her.

  *

  They sat near each other on the sofa, watching Elly’s choice of movie this time, the old classic Casablanca. Now that she’d decided not to sleep with Alex, she felt far more relaxed, far more at ease with Alex being close. Friends was best.

  “Damn, Bogart was incredible.” Alex sighed, putting her empty bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. She tried to mimic Bogart’s voice but failed miserably.

  “What was that?” Elly laughed, then tried to stifle it behind a hand.

  “What, you don’t like my impressions?” Alex looked offended, then broke into a smile. “Look, if we’re going to be friends, this is what you have to put up with.”

  “Someone should have warned me,” Elly teased, rising to her feet. She picked up the popcorn bowls and stacked them, then took their empty glasses of pop and headed into the kitchen. Alex lingered in the doorway, leaning on the wall.

  “I should head out,” she said, and Elly noticed she did look sleepy. It was late, nearly two in the morning.

  “And I should go to bed.” She thought of how Alex had been in her bed once, at the farm, and overnight. What had changed between then and now? She still couldn’t figure it out. Alex moved into the kitchen.

  “See you tomorrow, gorgeous,” Alex said, cupping Elly’s cheek, leaning in for a kiss.

  “Good night.” Elly gave her a gentle peck on the lips, and there was that zing, the one she’d been determined to ignore once she’d made her decision earlier. Her statement had meant to end all that, but it hadn’t worked. Alex turned and went to the door and Elly wondered if she’d felt anything, or if it had been all just her own attraction. She watched Alex flip the deadbolt and open the door, stepping forward into the entryway before Alex could slip out completely.

  “’Bye.” Alex leaned in for another kiss, and Elly gave in, allowing the gentle press of lips.

  “See you.” Her voice felt lifeless, barely a whisper, but Alex didn’t seem to notice. She smiled and stepped into the hallway, then was gone. Elly shut the door and heard the heavy front door of the apartment building slam. She forced herself to stay where she was, instead of running to the window to see Alex walk down the sidewalk. The bike’s engine rumbled to life, and a few moments later, she heard the bike shift into gear before it drove away.

  Elly released the doorknob from her cold hand. Alex a
s a friend. She could do that.

  She walked back into the bedroom and changed out of her clothes and into her robe. She turned on her heel and went out to the living room, plopping down on the sofa and grabbing her laptop from where it lay on the coffee table. She’d search for jobs instead of thinking too much about Alex.

  Chapter Eleven

  Two mornings later, Elly yawned as she drove up the block toward home. She had meant to get home earlier, but she’d fallen asleep on Alex’s sofa after watching a movie, the second in almost as many days, because she didn’t have much else to do after work aside from go home and be alone in her tiny apartment. Alex hadn’t woken her. The sun was rising and she squinted into the dawn, her eyes sore from lack of rest. Once she’d found a place to park and walked in her front door, she tossed her coat over a chair and stumbled toward the bedroom, undressing as she went. She could sleep for several hours more.

  Alex had been dead to the world, spread out like a starfish on her sheets, her dark hair tangled, when Elly had looked in on her. There was no room for her there, unless she wanted to curl up on the edge of the bed. If Alex had wanted her in bed, then she would have woken her earlier, and invited her in. But she hadn’t, and it stung. Even though she knew Alex didn’t like company, and knew that she herself had put up the ultimatum, it still stung.

  She’d sleep better at home, as Alex seemed to profess. Except once she was in bed, she lay awake, watching the light brighten the blue curtains over her bedroom window, pushing away the darkness. She closed her eyes and forced her breathing to even out, counting breaths up to ten and back down, over and over.

  She might have dozed, but the jangle of her phone jolted her awake. It was loud enough it couldn’t be ignored, and Elly went into the kitchen and answered it without looking at the display.

  “Hello?” She rubbed her eyes, feeling shaky on her feet, and slightly befuddled.

  “Elly? I didn’t wake you, did I?” Jack’s low tenor came over the line and Elly wanted to hang up right then.

  “You did, but it’s all right.”

  “You always were an early bird,” Jack said, sounding cheerful. “And I have news for you. Important news. It can’t wait.”