Daniella was all too aware when her mother wanted something from her she could be relentless. Even worse, were situations like this where she wanted to ‘help’. So against her wishes, not to mention her better judgment, Daniella capitulated.
“Fine…” Daniella sighed. “Give him my number.”
“Oh, wonderful!” Her mother exclaimed. “I’ll let him know that you’re free Saturday night.”
“Mom…” Daniella moaned. “Saturday night? Really?”
“Do you have something else going on instead? Don’t lie to me, Daniella.”
“No. I don’t. Okay. Saturday night.” She said. “Do me a favor though, Mom…”
“What’s that honey?”
“Please don’t tell him I’m free on Saturday.” She begged. “If you are going to insist that I do this, please give me the choice to not seem desperate. Can you do that much for me?”
“Of course, sweetie. I won’t mention a word about it.”
As Daniella hung up the phone, she got up from the couch and dragged herself into the bedroom. She flopped down on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. After several seconds she returned the air pistol to her temple and fired.
***
When the alarm on her cell phone sounded the next morning, Daniella hit the snooze. The universe owed her five more minutes and she would have it. But just as she was about to doze back off, the memory of her rendezvous with Harold the Accountant returned to her awareness.
“Kill me now…” she moaned into her pillow.
With that image ingrained in her mind, any notion of sleep disappeared. She rolled over and tossed the covers aside. As she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, she knew that tomorrow at last, the end of the workweek would at last arrive. And not a moment too soon either. Thirty minutes later she walked into her kitchen to eat breakfast and get lunch ready for the day.
“Stupid dishes…” she grumbled as she walked over to the kitchen sink. Even though they were the last thing she wanted to do, she knew that if she didn’t, they’d stink up the whole apartment by the time she came home. With reluctance, she picked up the sponge and dish soap and got to work.
For several seconds, she scrubbed and stared out the window. Pine Hill was a pretty area and she did love the location of her new place. After all, one of the main reasons she picked it in the first place was for the view. Of course, since she’d moved in, the ever present patrol car parked across the street ruined the scenery.
Daniella placed a freshly cleaned plate down and then picked up a dirty glass when something caused her to do a double take. She leaned over the sink, squinted and looked up and down the entire length of the street across from her apartment. She toweled her hands dry and walked around to the living room to get a better look.
As she pulled open the curtains, she looked yet again. To her disbelief, there wasn’t a patrol car anywhere in sight. For the first time since she’d moved to Pine Hill, she wasn’t under surveillance. At once her mind jumped to conclusions as to the meaning. Unless the morning shift was late or at the donut shop, there could only be one reason…
Jett was in custody.
“Shit!” Daniella exclaimed as her awareness returned. She looked at her cell phone. “Late already…”
She gathered up her things and hurried out to her car.
On the way to work, she turned on the local news station. She was certain that if Jett was under arrest, it would be all over the place. But after a fifteen minute drive in, there was no mention of it all. The only thing left to conclude, if they did have him, was the police weren’t releasing any information about the case until it was time.
Even so, Daniella’s mind raced with endless scenarios not the least of which was Jett shot by them on a back country road. The very idea of it made her feel ill but now was not the time to worry about it. If they had him, everyone would find out before long. She hoped that when the facts did emerge, she’d be spared any mention of being involved. No one at her new job had a clue she was a part of it and she prayed it would stay that way.
***
Early in her life, Daniella knew she loved children. She always assumed she would have kids of her own someday, of course, but she also had a deep need to help those less fortunate. And that’s the main reason she wound up at the largest children’s charity within five hundred miles. The organization, known as Miracle Kids Foundation, provided medical care to children that otherwise didn’t have the means. More often than not, this meant orphans, the poor or those with life threatening illnesses which resulted in extreme financial hardship.
The work challenged her and that was a good thing. It provided a much needed distraction from her current situation but also, gave her a sense of control and direction she lacked elsewhere. Today was the end of her first month in her new position. She was up for review soon and more than anything, she wanted to make certain she didn’t blow it.
As she arrived at the office one her coworkers, Candi, greeted her. As luck would have it, the two of them and another woman were at the end of a three week long project. They were in charge of a new fund raising event for kids with juvenile diabetes. Even though the finish line for the project was in sight, there still seemed to be an endless list of items to check off their list.
“Hey…” Daniella said as she hurried to her desk. “Sorry I’m late.”
“That’s okay,” Candi replied as she smiled. “There’s a first time for everything.”
Candi Dillon was a short, cute brunette with curves in all the right places and men everywhere interested in grabbing them. But as cute as she was, she was also smart and no pushover when it came to dealing with affairs of the heart.
“Thanks,” Daniella groaned. “Crazy morning… Where are we with the caterers? Did we get the ice sculpture problem worked out?”
“That, I couldn’t say,” Candi replied. “I think Victoria was handling that.”
“Where is she?” Daniella asked. “Oh, that reminds me that we needed to check and see about doubling the space for the banquet hall.”
As if being the new girl wasn’t enough, her boss gave Daniella the job of lead coordinator on the project. Stressed wasn’t an adequate enough term to describe her mental state at the moment.
“Hang on, let me try her cell.” Candi said.
While Candi tried to track down Victoria, Daniella scanned her desk for the folder which contained her to-do list for all the details of the event. It wasn’t there. She had no clue what she did with it. It was in her bag when she left the house so it had to be around somewhere. But after a few minutes of searching, there was still no sign of it.
“She’s not answering…” Candi said as she hung up the phone.
Daniella turned to her. “Um, okay. Hey, I have to run back out to my car. The folder… I dropped it somewhere.”
Candi’s eyes widened. “Well, get going!” She exclaimed.
Less than a minute later, Daniella stood at the bank of elevators and tapped her foot.
“Come on, come on…” she groaned.
At last, the doors opened and in front of her stood Victoria Daly. She was a tall, thin, natural redhead unfairly endowed in all the right spots.
“Hi…” Daniella said as she rushed past her. “I’ll be right back. I have to run out to my car for a minute.”
Victoria’s hazel eyes flashed at Daniella as she walked out of the elevator. “Oh yeah?” She said as the doors started to close. From behind her back, she produced a large manila folder.
“Looking for this?” She asked as she swished it back and forth in front of her face.
“Hey!” Daniella shouted. She reached down and fumbled around for the button to open the doors. After a couple of seconds, they swung open, she emerged and went to grasp at the folder.
“Ah, ah!” Victoria scolded as she snatched it from her grasp. “Not unless you agree to come out with Candi and me for happy hour tonight.”
Since the first day she came to work the
re, Candi and Victoria bugged Daniella to go out with them. But because of all the craziness with Jett, she’d resisted. However, given the events of earlier in the day, an evening out with some new friends for a few hours could be just what she needed.
Daniella sighed. “Fine.”
“Great!” Victoria chirped. She handed the folder to Daniella. “Here you go.”
As the pair walked back towards Daniella’s office, Victoria asked, “Are you dating anyone right now?”
Daniella shook her head. “No, why?”
“Oh I’ve got this friend who would be great for you.” She replied. “His name is Marlon. I’ll give him a call this afternoon.”
“Oh I…” Daniella stammered. “I’m not sure if I’m feeling up for that. Maybe another time?”
“Nonsense.” Victoria replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You two will hit it off. You’ll thank me for it; you’ll see.”
Daniella wondered if she had a sign around her neck that others saw but remained invisible to her. Did she look desperate? What was with everyone? But just as she was about to drift away into an endless self-dialog, Victoria interrupted her train of thought.
“Hey, were you guys looking for me a minute ago?”
“Oh yes,” Daniella began. “Did we get the banquet space worked out?”
“Hmm,” Victoria said. “I’ll call over there and find out. I’ll send you an e-mail about it once I know for sure. Sound good?”
“Yes.” Daniella replied. “You’re the best, Victoria.”
***
Daniella, Candi and Victoria arrived at the Tattlin’ Turtle about halfway through happy hour. Daniella was never a fan of the bar scene. It was fine for others, of course, it wasn’t something she enjoyed herself.
“Packed already!” Candi exclaimed as they walked inside the bar.
The women scanned the room for a place to sit when Daniella noticed three seats at the bar.
“Hey,” she said as she tapped Victoria on the shoulder and pointed in the direction of the bar stools. “Over there…”
Victoria nodded and the women made their way to the vacant seats. As they arrived, Candi said, “I am going to the ladies’ room. Anyone want to come with me?”
“I’ll go,” Victoria replied but before she left she motioned to the bartender.
He nodded in their direction and raised his index finger. “One sec, Vic.” He replied.
She smiled at him and leaned in towards Daniella. “When he comes over, tell him that Candi and I want our usual.”
“Alright,” Daniella replied.
A few seconds after the women disappeared to the restroom, the bartender approached. As he walked over, Daniella realized she had to get out more often if the guys around Pine Hill looked like him. Tall and muscular, he sported deep dimples and ocean blue eyes to match.
“What’ll it be?” He said as he leaned in towards her.
“Oh, um,” Daniella began as she fidgeted with the cocktail menu. “Well, my friends said they want their usual and I’ll have a glass of Merlot.”
“You got it.” He said as he wiped the bar with a towel. “Anything to eat?”
“Um, not for me right now.” She said. “I don’t know if they are hungry or not.”
“No problem, I’ll bring menus over for you.” He said with a smile.
As he turned to walk away, she peered over the edge of the bar to get a peek at him from behind.
It was worth it.
A couple of minutes later, he returned with the cocktails and menus.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks,” Daniella replied. She turned in the direction of the bathroom and said, “I don’t know what they are doing in there. I’m sure they’ll be back any second.”
“No worries. Do you want to start a tab or…”
“Oh,” Daniella said. “Yes, that sounds good.”
She reached down into her purse and grabbed a credit card.
“Here,” she said, “put it on this.”
“Great,” he replied as he looked at the card. “Daniella Tanner, eh?”
She took an awkward sip of wine from the glass. “Yep.”
“Funny, I don’t remember seeing you in here before. You friends with those two troublemakers?”
“Yes, well, sort of. We work together.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, they’ve been asking me to come out and have drinks with them for a while now.” She began. “Victoria also told me that there’s someone she’d like for me to meet.” Daniella paused and scanned the room to see if anyone happened to be staring in her direction. The bartender opened his mouth to reply but before he uttered a single syllable, she picked up where she left a moment earlier.
“I mean, I don’t normally do like, blind dates or whatever, but she says there’s this guy Marlon that’s really great. But it seems like everyone is trying to set me up right now. I don’t know why. It’s not like I’m desperate or anything. It’s okay to be single. Right? I mean, what’s the big deal? Besides, with my luck, he’s probably a playboy bar fly that…”
As she babbled, she noticed his eyebrows narrow into confusion.
Oh God… Shut up, Daniella. Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!!
Daniella fell silent. “Sorry.” She said with a sheepish grin.
The bartender shrugged. “Hey that’s okay, that’s what I’m here for,” he replied. “What makes you say that about this Marlon guy? Being a playboy bar fly and such…”
“I don’t know. Nothing I guess. I was rambling really.” She said. “In truth, he’s probably a sweet guy with glasses and an under bite. With my luck, he’s a coffee filter salesman with five kids and two moms to support.”
“Wow, sounds like Victoria can pick ‘em, eh?” He said as he leaned away from her.
Daniella shrugged, “I…”
But before she could get another word out, Victoria’s voice called out from behind her. “Marlon, sweetie!”
Daniella’s head moved on a swivel. She looked left, then right but as Victoria approached, her friend leaned across the bar and hugged the very man Daniella confessed to moments earlier. She lowered her head into her hand and massaged her temple. Daniella wasn’t certain if it was possible to feel any dumber than she did at that moment.
“No glasses, no under bite, no kids…” he said with a wink.
“Oh, I… um,” Daniella stammered. “I am so embarrassed.”
Victoria turned to look at her. “What’s going on here? Hey, did you two meet already?”
“More or less,” he chuckled. He extended his hand in Daniella’s direction. “Marlon… pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi,” Daniella replied with an awkward smile. “I’m sure that’s not true but you’re sweet for saying it.”
“Bah, don’t worry about it.” He said. “Excuse me for a second.”
Mercifully he turned and walked away.
Candi walked up and joined the group. As she did, Victoria leaned in to Daniella and said, “What did you say?”
“Nothing… Ugh, everything.” Daniella replied as she threw back a healthy slug of wine. “I am so mortified. I’m gonna go.”
“What?” Victoria said. “Go? Why? We just got here!”
“I’m sorry.” Daniella said. “Maybe another time…”
“Honey, wait…” Candi replied. She turned to Victoria and said, “What happened? We were only in the bathroom for a few minutes.”
“I don’t know!” Victoria exclaimed.
After another minute of awkward discussion, Daniella made a hasty retreat. As she exited the bar, she felt terrible about it all but she just wasn’t ready. She moved quickly across the parking lot with her head down and purse slung across her shoulder.
“Hey!” A voice called out.
She didn’t bother to turn around.
“Daniella Tanner! Wait!” the voice called out once more.
She stopped and turned. As she looked, she saw Marlon approach with som
ething in his hand. He walked up and extended it towards her. In it, was her credit card.
“Drinks are on the house…” he said.
“Oh,” Daniella replied as she pulled a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”
“Are you sure you have to go?” He asked. “I just got off my shift. Buy you a drink?”
“No, I… I don’t think so.”
“Ah, come on now. Don’t worry about all that. Tell you what… I know you feel terrible about it.” He paused for a moment and cracked a sly smile. “It was a terrible thing, of course. Why don’t you make it up to me and buy me a drink instead?”
Daniella chuckled. He was cute. And charming. And not a coffee filter salesman with an under bite. And she really could use the company.
“Okay,” she replied. “One drink.”
The two of them went back inside and joined up with her friends. Within a few minutes, she was already happy she’d made the decision to stay. A couple of hours later, one drink turned into two which turned into three. With little food in her stomach, Daniella started to feel the effects as it came time for her to head home.
“Whoa…” she said as she stood from the table.
“Hey,” Marlon replied as he got up and grabbed her arm. “You, uh, okay?”
“I don’t know…” she replied. “A little tipsy, maybe.”
“I’d say a lot more than a little!” Candi snorted.
“Hey…” Daniella said as she grabbed at her right earlobe. “You guys, do you see my earring lying around anywhere?”
For a good minute, everyone scoured the area around the table but they soon abandoned the search when it didn’t materialize.
“I’m sure it’ll turn up,” Marlon said.
“Dang,” Daniella replied. “I love these earrings. I hope so. You’ll keep it for me if you find it, won’t you?”
“Yep.” He replied. He gestured towards the exit and said, “You need a lift home?”
“No, I…” Daniella began.
“Yes, she does. Thank you Marlon.” Victoria interrupted.
After a bit of protest, Daniella agreed and several minutes later she and Marlon prepared to leave. She hugged Candi and Victoria amid warnings to behave herself.
As they walked to the parking lot, Daniella asked, “Are we taking my car or yours?”
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