by Sky Winters
“Then, what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know. I just can’t move forward. I guess I’m afraid that if I give Weston a chance, it will just be more grief for me.”
“I know you have to do what you feel is best, but you’re going to have to just let things be what they are. You can’t try to anticipate what will or won’t happen with someone and hold back because you think you might get hurt.”
“I tried. I told myself that it was just casual dating, to just enjoy the day and not worry about it. I was having fun, but then he kissed me and I panicked.”
“He kissed you?” Kellye said, a big smile spreading across her face. “How was that?”
Mandy bit her lip, remembering. “I felt it all the way down to my toes.”
“I’ll bet. He’s such a cutie pie.”
“Yeah, he is that. I can’t believe he’s never asked you out.”
“I’m not his type.”
“You’re everyone’s type.”
“Not really. I intimidate some men and others just don’t take me seriously. It’s a weird thing. They take one look at me and either feel like I’m out of their league or I’m a bimbo based on nothing more than my looks. I know that sounds bad for me to say, but it’s true. The ones who do want to go out with me are more interested in my getting undressed than getting to know me. I probably date less than any woman on the planet.”
“I guess we all have our issues.”
“Yes and yours is being too fickle because you had the misfortune of dating one sociopath. If you aren’t all that into Weston, fine, but don’t kick him to the curb just because you had a bad experience with someone else.”
“I know I shouldn’t be faulting him for something he had no control over. I just can’t seem to help myself. I can’t seem to shake off my reluctance.”
“Well, I guess it’s better for you to shrug him off than to let him get close to you and then flake out on him. That will just hurt him and make you feel guilty. It’s not like I really know anything about romance. I’m nearly twenty-eight and have never been in a serious relationship.”
“I think our relationship is pretty serious. I mean, we see each other several times a week, at least. I can see forever with you,” Mandy teased.
“Ah, not quite the same as true love, but I’ll take it. You know you mean a lot to me.”
“I do know. That’s why I keep coming back for more.”
Their conversation drifted off to work as they finished up their meal and headed back to their offices. Kellye was completely right, but it was much easier to know something than it was to really embrace it and put it into action. She made the decision just to focus on herself for a while and not see Weston. Then, she immediately kicked that idea to the proverbial curb an hour later when he called her.
“Listen, I need a favor and you’re the only one that can help me,” he said from the other end of the line.
“Um, okay,” she said uncertainly. Favors usually ended up putting one or both people in an unfortunate position.
“It’s a bit personal. I don’t want to ask over the phone. Can you meet me for dinner tonight?” he asked.
“Well, I…” she began, thinking about this for a moment. Her other plans had consisted of eating the leftover pizza in her fridge and hadn’t she just decided not to see him? Instead of making up a viable excuse, she found herself agreeing to dinner. It didn’t mean she would do whatever it was he planned to ask, but dinner was a fairly innocuous deal otherwise. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“I thought that we might meet at Chuck O’Cheesey.”
“That’s funny. Where did you really want to meet?”
“I’m serious. I have a meeting there with the owner to discuss a case. It’s near your apartment, so I thought it would be a good place to meet up and just have a bite when I’m done.”
“Interesting. Okay then. What time?”
“Is six too early?”
“Nope. Six will be fine,” she replied.
“Great. I’ll see you there then.”
Mandy hung up the phone and laughed. What sort of guy takes you to dinner at a children’s pizza buffet? Chuck O’Cheesey was one of those places where kids could go and have a meal and then play in a ball pit or assorted video games with other children. She would definitely have to duck into her apartment and change from her business suit into some jeans and a t-shirt beforehand. It occurred to her that Weston might just be cheap. After all, his first date had been a picnic and this one was low budget pizza.
***
“Did you find the place okay?” he asked when she arrived, meeting her in front of the place.
“Yes. It’s hard to miss what with the giant mouse in yellow overalls eating a slice of pizza in day glow colors,” she laughed.
“You know how mice love cheese!”
“Apparently they’re the only ones. This parking lot is almost vacant. No wonder this guy needs a lawyer. Bankruptcy maybe?”
“Not quite yet. He’s just now taking over and needed some tax advice. Come on in.”
Mandy followed him through the door and into the large, empty space inside. There was nothing on the buffet and only a couple of staff members present. Surely they were open. It was too early to be closed for the day. Weston led her to a single table, the only one covered with a red tablecloth and two candles in the center.
“What’s going on here?”
“What do you mean? Just a simple dinner for two.”
“Where are the other customers and why is there no buffet set up?”
“Oh, that. The owner I was counseling is my brother. He just bought this place. Since he doesn’t feel like he should have to pay me for services rendered, I decided he was providing dinner, but they aren’t open yet. We have the place to ourselves other than the two employees who are testing some recipes tonight.”
“So, we’re guinea pigs?”
“Pretty much.”
“I assume we’re test tasting pizza.”
“You assume incorrectly, madam. Part of the space is being utilized by a startup catering business. The two employees that are here are the master chef and his assistant. I’m not entirely sure what they’re feeding us, but both are trained chefs, so it’s bound to be good.”
Mandy laughed. She had to give him points for originality. He certainly wasn’t boring. Their conversation continued as the chefs began delivering assorted plates of food, starting with a light soup and a delicious vegan salad. By the time she had nibbled from one plate, another was arriving for her to taste and, just as Weston had promised, it was all very good.
“Oh, God. This is the most delicious tiramisu I’ve ever tasted!” Mandy exclaimed, still savoring the velvety texture of it against her tongue.
“I am going to have to agree,” Weston said, finishing off the last bite of his own.
The meal was almost over and Mandy realized that Weston had not made mention of the favor that he had brought her here to discuss in the first place. She wanted to broach the subject but they started talking to the chef, praising the food.
“It was amazing,” Mandy gushed.
“Thank you. We’re excited to get started. Our first wedding gig is on Saturday and we have several others in our sights, but it takes time to build a clientele. Hopefully, you’ll tell anyone you know about us,” the man said, offering her a business card.
“Absolutely,” Mandy said enthusiastically. She glanced at the card, noting the name as “Side Bar.”
“So, you enjoyed everything then?” Weston asked, nodding for the couple standing by the table to leave them.
“Enjoyed isn’t even the word for it. It was all incredible.”
“Good. I’ll let them know that they have my investment,” he said.
“What?” she asked.
“That’s why they were feeding us. It’s sort of an audition for food,” he said.
“Oh, now I see. Your brother owns this place, but you’re planning on in
vesting in the catering company that will be sharing his kitchen.”
“Yes. They will be doing a good bit of their work from home, but they need the larger amenities that can be set up here for major events.”
“You should do well. They’re truly gifted.” Now that they were alone, she finally asked him about why she’d shown up here in the first place. “By the way, what was the favor you wanted to ask of me?”
“You’ve already answered it.”
“I have?”
“Yes. I just wanted you to help me sample the food.”
“You could have just said that,” she laughed.
“Where’s the fun in that? Speaking of fun, how about we go play in the ball pit?”
“You’re kidding right now, right?”
“Nope, I’m not kidding at all. Come on. How many chances will we ever get to have a ball pit all to ourselves without screaming kids that are undoubtedly shitting their diapers and wiping snot on the balls?”
“That just makes it sound less appealing. It’s full of germs already!”
“Nope. My brother emptied it, cleaned the barriers with disinfectant and put in all new balls. This may be your only chance to get in a completely clean one and relive your childhood. He opens tomorrow, so it’ll be tainted within moments of the door opening.”
Many looked at him for a moment. He looked almost boyish, grinning at her. She could tell that he really wanted to and that made her want to, as well. Rather than responding, she took off running and jumped into the large pit that sat to one side of the room, laughing as her body sank down into the colorful plastic orbs.
“That’s more like it!” he told her, following her into the pit and bouncing about a bit before making his way through them toward her. She dove down into the balls and hid from him, suppressing giggles while listening to his playful taunting that he was going to kiss her when he found her.
“I’m over here,” she said from one corner before slipping along the wall underneath to the deepest part of the pit. He found her anyway.
“Gotcha!” he said, his hands landing on one shoulder before drifting down toward her waist and pulling her upward to face him.
“So?” she replied, beaming back at him.
“You were warned!” he told her, pulling her close to him and kissing her softly on the lips.
Mandy was a little disappointed. She wanted more, a deeper kiss, a longer one, but she had to remember that she was the one who’d made it clear she wanted to keep things light. He seemed to be making sure that he kept to his word, pulling away from her and leading her out of the pit.
“Come on. I’ll win you a stuffed animal,” he told her, digging in his pocket for change.
Mandy followed him to one of those big standup machines that held all sorts of creatures and a crane. It had been years since she’d played games like this. On some level, it was very relaxing to just get out and do something completely silly like this.
“Which one do you want?” he asked.
“The unicorn,” she said, pointing toward a pink, sparkly one in a back corner.
“Oh, sure. You would make it difficult,” he laughed.
“You strike me as the sort that likes a challenge,” she told him.
“You know me well already. Alright. Stand back and just watch the master at work. I’ve got this.”
Mandy watched as he made a half dozen attempts at retrieving the unicorn and only managed to move it a few inches. Digging around in his pocket, he frowned down at the change in his hand.
“I’m out of quarters. Let me go see if they’re still cleaning up in the kitchen. I’m sure they can break a bill for me.”
“Don’t be silly,” she replied, laughing.
“No. That unicorn is yours! We’ll have it before we leave here!” he said, trotting off.
Mandy looked around the room at all the arcade games and spotted an air hockey table. She had loved playing that as a teen. When Weston returned, he was all smiles, holding an entire roll of quarters above his head.
“I see you hit the jackpot,” she told him.
“In so many ways,” he told her with a little glimmer in his eyes that just melted her.
“Let’s play air hockey,” she told him.
“Oh, you don’t want to play that with me. I’m very competitive and quite good at it.”
“Let’s see what you’ve got. I think I can take you.”
“Oh, yeah? You’re on. Care for a friendly little wager?” he said, seeming to forget all about the unicorn.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. Let’s keep it fairly open. How about the winner gets to ask the loser to do one thing and the loser will do it?”
“Within reason, right?”
“Of course, both legal and moral. How’s that?”
“Done. You’re going down, counselor.”
“We’ll see about that, Little Miss Newsprint.”
The game was intense. Mandy had forgotten how fast the puck moved. She could swear it moved faster now that she was a little older, but it was probably just her imagination. Weston was a formidable opponent. His reflexes were spot on, not letting her get anything past him at first. Then things took a turn and she was suddenly winning, slipping the puck past him very quickly three times in a row as he looked at her with a shocked expression.
With the score tied and whoever got the next puck tipping it for the win, Mandy decided her only option was to cheat. Holding up her hand for a moment before serving the puck back to him, she reached up and unbuttoned her blouse a bit, revealing just a hint of cleavage.
“It’s a bit hot in here, don’t you think?”
“Well, it certainly is now. You know, if you think that showing off a bit of skin is going to distract me from the game, you’re probably absolutely right,” he said, laughing.
“What? Surely you don’t think I’m the sort of girl that would do something like that just to win a silly game,” she said in a serious tone.
“No. Of course not. You are above such things. I’m sure it never crossed your mind,” he said, grinning.
“It didn’t,” she replied, licking her lips slightly as she leaned forward to give him an even better view down her blouse. It was a bit naughty, but not vulgar. Though she told herself it was just being playful to win the game, she hoped it had a much more powerful effect than that. She realized that her fear was fading away, replaced by a desire for him to want her the way she was finding herself wanting him. Sure, it was soon, but Kellye told her to have fun, so perhaps she should do just that.
Leaning even further down toward the table, she lined up the puck and bounced it off one side of the table, sending it skating down the ice at a rapid rate of speed and directly into the goal on the other end. The table flashed with the scores, indicating that she was the winner.
“Double or nothing!” Weston shouted with a pained look on his face.
“You’ll do no better the second time around!” she taunted.
“Sure I will. Give me my chance at redemption, woman!”
“Nope. You lost. That’s the end of it.”
“That is just not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair. Suck it up, buttercup.”
“How can you be so cruel?” he said, a mock horrified look on his face.
“I’m a woman. It comes with the territory doesn’t it?”
“Oh no. You’ll never get me to agree with you on that. I’m not a fool!”
“Wise man. Well, let’s see what I want as my prize for winning.”
Weston walked around the edge of the table and faced her, crossing his arms and smiling down at her. Without another thought, she raised up on her tiptoes and kissed him. It wasn’t a soft, light kiss either. Instead, she found herself leaning hungrily into him, kissing him passionately. Weston didn’t hold back, a low growl escaping the back of his throat as he pulled her tighter against him and kissed her feverishly. They jumped apart as someone nearby cleared the
ir throat.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’re closing up in a few moments,” the female half of the catering team told them with an embarrassed look.
“Ah, yes. Thanks, Beth,” Weston told her sheepishly.
“Thanks again for the gorgeous food,” Mandy added, trying to offset her embarrassment a bit with conversation.
“You’re more than welcome. I hope to see you again soon,” she replied, quickly making herself scarce. The couple burst into laughter as she disappeared back toward the kitchen.
“Come on. I’ve got to win you that unicorn before I go,” Weston told her.
“No way can you win that in a few minutes.”
“Want to bet?”
“Another bet? You’ve already lost the first wager.”
“Did I, Mandy? Did I really lose?” he asked with a smile, leaning over and kissing her on the lips. It was brief, but soft and sweet. She felt it just as much in her toes as she had the previous, more heated one. Mandy smiled up at him happily and shook her head as he pulled her back toward the game with the unicorn. He made a production of trying to win the unicorn a couple of tries before turning to her with a shrug.
“Oh well, you gave it your best shot,” she said.
“Ah, screw it,” he said, walking to the back of the machine and opening the plexiglass door. Reaching in, he pulled the unicorn out and handed it to her.
“That is cheating,” she replied.
“So? Takes one to know one,” he said. “Now, about the terms of our wager.”
“We never made any official terms.”
“Guess I can ask for whatever I want then,” he told her.
“I guess you can.”
The lights went off around them, leaving them standing in a nearly dark restaurant. Beth called out to them that they were about to leave and lock up.
“Sounds like our cue. We’re being evicted. How about we drop our cars off at your place and then walk to that little pub a few blocks down for drinks?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. It’s a work night, after all.”
“I wasn’t planning on getting completely shit faced and ending up in jail or anything,” he laughed.