Taking Chances

by Cosette Hale

  I met with a lawyer that evening after work, and after that meeting, my mind was spinning. The cost was astronomical, and I spoke with Greg first. With great sadness in his eyes (which pained me but didn’t move me), he agreed to an amicable divorce with one attorney handling everything, that we would sell the house and split everything, and that he’d pay the attorney’s fees. If for nothing else throughout our marriage, I thanked him for this, which would save me so much headache and give me a real start.

  Chapter Twelve

  A few tough weeks later Greg helped load my things onto a moving truck. He offered to help me unpack at my new apartment, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea. I wanted to leave him behind and this new place had to be empty of Greg. I enlisted Marco and Jeanette to help me, and together we brought the things from my old life into my new one-bedroom apartment in the downtown area. It was located near the event planning business that hired me as a receptionist. My goal was to learn as much as possible and be an event planner myself. I’d even registered for classes at the local college.

  Tammy threw me a goodbye dinner at her house which several coworkers attended. I already had plans for her to come over the next night to help me christen my new bachelorette pad with a wine and movie girls’ night.

  That night, sleeping in a new apartment by myself for the first time, I felt proud that I had come so far on my own. With the help of friends and family, of course, but I didn’t need a man to take care of me. Greg took care of me before because I let him, but not because I needed him to. As I got used to my new life, I came to like it. It took several months, but I started to get comfortable eating dinner alone and sleeping without someone next to me.

  I enjoyed my weekend nights out with Tammy and the girls from my old job. We spurned many men’s advances together. No one seemed worthy of even a first date. Until I met Jacob— a very good-looking guy with an even better looking car. He was tall and intelligent, which is what drew me to him when we met at a wedding I worked at. He was a guest and asked me out as I tried to coordinate the wedding party to enter the reception hall. We connected later, and he offered to take me to a ritzy restaurant. Utterly charmed, I accepted, and we drove in his convertible to the restaurant.

  “You look amazing in that dress,” he said, as he handed the valet the keys.

  “Thanks. You look nice as well,” I said, admiring the enormous chandelier at the entrance. Already my mind thought like an event planner’s, and I imagined the place would be fabulous to rent out for special occasions.

  “Reservations for two,” he told the hostess. He was blond haired, blue-eyed, and delicious. A rush of anxiety mixed in with excitement came over me as I took his arm and we walked through the upscale restaurant. It was my first date since Greg (if you didn’t count any of my time with Harvey in St. Thomas or that picnic as a date), and my nerves wouldn’t quit. I hardly knew Jacob, and we asked each other questions to learn more about one another.

  “So when I say I’m at work, I mean I’m off hounding others to do my work for me,” he said, laughing. He told me stories involving the development company he owned. While they weren’t terribly interesting, I loved that he was a self-sufficient man.

  I laughed to be polite until the waiter came to take our order. Having decided on a braised beef entrée, I was surprised when he ordered two of the lamb. I’d never had someone order for me and wasn’t sure I liked it.

  “I’d really prefer the braised beef over the lamb,” I whispered after the waiter had disappeared.

  “Did you? Well, try the lamb. It’s perfection, I promise you won’t be disappointed,” he said, taking my hand, and smiling. “You look lovely. I was so glad you agreed to come out with me. I was afraid you wouldn’t. You must have men pestering you every day.”

  “No, not every day,” I said, and I took my hand back as the waiter returned with a worried expression.

  “I’m sorry sir, but we are out of the wine for that year. May I suggest the 2010 red Cabernet here?” he said and pointed to the wine list.

  Jacob looked very displeased and showed it as he said, “Unacceptable. I specifically requested it over the phone, and the manager assured me it was available. Let me speak to him.”

  “I’ll be back with him in a moment, sir,” the waiter said apologetically.

  “I won’t be drinking any wine, if that makes a difference,” I said, not wanting to bother the manager.

  “Don’t be absurd,” he said. “Lamb without wine is sacrilegious.” He said this gravely, as if it really would be, and I tried not to burst out laughing. I considered getting up at that moment and telling him I didn’t think we meshed well when the waiter came back this way, trailed by the manager. I didn’t see the manager himself until he moved past the waiter to be directly in front of us at the table. My heart stopped— as did whatever he was going to say.

  Harvey. Apparently he’d become manager of this restaurant, and here I was on the worst first date with a man who insisted on complaining about a missing wine bottle. While I tried to compose myself and catch my breath, Harvey found his own tongue and spoke to my date.

  “I apologize for the misunderstanding. John here tells me you were under the impression you had reserved a bottle of the 2009 wine, but I clearly remember our conversation from earlier where you asked for the 2010 bottle, which I do have on reserve for your table,” he said, looking over at me. He was dashing, in his long sleeve button-down shirt, hair gelled back, and the five-o’clock shadow along his jawline. These past three months I hadn’t allowed myself to think about him, but at that moment my imagination swam with the possibilities. I almost forgot Jacob until he began a long list of complaints about the restaurant beginning with the lack of bread at the table, followed by the unbecoming conduct of the waiter (huh?), to the lack of responsibility with the missing wine bottle.

  “I can offer you the 2010 on the house, since I do have that one, for the inconvenience. For you and your beautiful lady,” he said. I tried to hold back a smile as I looked at Jacob, to see what he would say.

  “I suppose that will have to do for now,” Jacob said, obviously not pleased. Harvey walked away and brought the bottle back himself. He opened it and served Jacob a small amount for him to taste. Meanwhile, Harvey looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I tried to act like I was enjoying myself and even accepted the wine which Harvey, surprised, poured into my glass.

  “Enjoy,” he said and walked off. Now I had to sit through the entire dinner. And eat lamb— how I hated lamb!

  After they served our food, Harvey himself came over to check if everything was to our taste.

  “It is, thank you,” Jacob said, not looking up. I, however, did catch Harvey’s wink at me. Oooh... that got me riled up. Who did he think he was? Winking at another man’s date?

  “Excuse me while I use the restroom,” I said and went off in the direction I had seen him go.

  “Where is the manager, please?” I asked a waiter on his way to the kitchen.

  “I’ll get him for you,” he said. I followed the man to the back into a small office and moved in front of the waiter.

  “It’s fine, she’s a friend,” Harvey said to the waiter who shrugged and left. “So is that your boyfriend? You sure know how to pick ‘em.” He said sitting back down.

  “Oh, I do. Like when I picked you, and then you lied to me,” I said.

  “I never lied to you, what are you talking about? You know what, never mind. Go back to that snob. It’s what you like anyway, right? Anything with a wallet? Sorry, that was never me.”

  “Why would you care? I was just revenge sex as you proved when you threw it in Greg’s face!”

  “The only reason I threw it in Greg’s face was because I couldn’t stand it that he still had some kind of hold on you!” he said, slamming his fist on the desk.

  “What?” I asked softly.

  “I was in love with you, and you were still in love with your husband, so I was jealous. I was being childish
and wanted to beat his face in, so I provoked him. And he deserved it for everything he did,” he said with a controlled voice now.

  “You were in love with me?” I asked, more surprised than I had ever been in my life.

  A waitress bounced into the room on tip toes.

  “Harvey, love, there’s a problem in the kitchen,” she said. He stood up, and I walked out and back to my table. Looking back, I saw him and her standing close together in the hallway, and she straightened his collar before leaning up to kiss him. I turned away, my face flush with embarrassment when I saw him looking over at me.

  I sat back down and immediately said, “The food doesn’t agree with me. I’m going to leave, but you stay and finish your dinner. My friend is outside to pick me up, and thank you.” I picked up my purse, not leaving Jacob with a chance to say a word and bolted, walking until I got tired. Finally, I called an Uber and took it to Tammy’s, whom I had warned with a cryptic text that I was on my way over.

  “Oh it was awful!” I kicked off my heels. She brought out leftover pizza for me.

  “Mmmm this is so good. Much better than that overpriced lamb,” I said through a mouthful.

  “So tell me… What did Harvey say?” she asked, putting her hands together conspiratorially.

  “He said he had been in love with me. That’s why he said that to Greg, because he was jealous that I might still be in love with him,” I told her.

  “No!” she said, throwing herself back on the couch. “That is so romantic. So when are you going to tell him you’re in love with him too?”

  “I’m not in love with him, Tammy.”

  “The hell you’re not. You’ve done such a good job of avoiding him every time I bring up the subject. There’s no way you would do such a thing over someone you didn’t care about. See how worked up you are right now?”

  “Well, because it’s something he didn’t tell me back then, and it’s pointless now, anyway. I didn’t speak about him because he’s nothing to me.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, and I knew she didn’t believe me. “How did he look?”

  My insides twisted at the question. What could I say? Irresistible, mouth-watering...

  “The same. He’s with someone now, anyway. Some waitress,” I told her.

  “Oh, well. So I guess Jacob’s out?” she asked with a devilish smile.

  “Most definitely,” I said.

  “Perfect! We still have our girls’ nights!” she said. I laughed, and we continued to blab on about all subjects until I got tired enough to Uber home.

  As I walked down the poorly lit hallway to my door, I saw a shadow moving and almost screamed but quickly realized Harvey sitting on my stoop.

  “Why must you scare me half to death?” I scolded.

  “Sorry, I’ve been here for an hour since I left the restaurant,” he said. “Can I come in?”

  “Fine,” I said. I couldn’t fathom why he’d shown up, but the faster we got this over with, the faster I could go to bed.

  “Won’t your girlfriend be upset you’re at another woman’s place?” I asked throwing my heels in the corner.

  “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just- a mistake. Anyway, I came to talk to you about your boyfriend.”

  “He was only a first date- and I cut it short,” I said.

  “I figured, but when you didn’t come home…” he trailed off.

  “How do you know where I live?”

  “Marco,” he stated.

  “Ah. Well, what did you want to tell me about Jacob? He’s a doofus, that much I know.”

  “Well, since you’re not really with him, my job here is much easier. I came to persuade you to dump him and go out with me,” he said, taking a step towards me.

  I shook my head to make sure my hearing was right. “I’m sorry, repeat that.”

  “I want you to go on a date with me,” he said. “But not to that restaurant. It’s a surprise. Tomorrow, for lunch.” My jaw must have dropped to the floor. Never did I imagine Harvey would stop by my apartment to ask me out on a date.

  “Um, OK,” I said cautiously, unsure of how the night had taken such a strange turn.

  “I’m leaving before you change your mind. I’ll pick you up at noon. Be ready with sneakers and workout clothes,” he said and closed the door behind him.

  A date with sneakers and workout clothes? So much confusion. I threw myself on the bed. He’d been in love with me and now asked me out on a date? Excitement over the next day gave me butterflies, but I tried to tone it down. No point getting my hopes up for nothing.

  At twelve on the dot the next day I heard a knock at my door. Checking myself in the mirror one last time, I decided I looked decent enough with my hair in a ponytail and tinted chapstick on my lips.

  “Hi,” I said, feeling the same giddiness building I always did around Harvey. He wore a fitted t-shirt, basketball shorts, and sneakers.

  “Hi, darlin’. You ready?” he said, looking me up and down. My insides tingled, and I told them to stop. I sported tight lycra shorts and a workout tank top.

  “One question. Do I need sunscreen?” I asked. He laughed and told me I did not. We went downstairs, and he opened the car door for me. Driving away from the downtown area, I wondered where we were going. His silence on our destination was amusing, and I looked over at him to ask him again. Suddenly, I was in disbelief. Why was I sitting here with these feelings again? Last time they had caused me so much heartache I had to drown it out with partying and teaching myself to feel numb.

  “Well fine, if we can’t discuss where we’re going, then I guess you’ll have to tell me about your new job,” I said, trying to forget all of my concerns.

  “That was an upgrade I made when the owner of the other restaurant bought this one too. So now I’m between both places. Keeps me pretty busy.”

  “I’ll bet the waitresses keep you busy.”

  “Ha! Not so much. But one can get lonely when you’re waiting for the right person to come along,” he said.

  “I’m not working at the same place anymore,” I blurted, changing the subject as my pulse quickened.

  “Yeah, Marco told me you’re at an event planning company. That’s great. I’m glad you’re doing something you enjoy.”

  “You asked Marco about me?” I teased.

  “Don’t look so pleased with yourself. I simply asked how you’ve been, though obviously, you hadn’t done the same since you looked very surprised to see me last night,” he accused me.

  “No, I haven’t. Honestly, Harvey, I’ve avoided speaking about you altogether,” I said, the emotions returning so quickly that my throat dried up.

  “Darlin’, I’m real sorry about that last day at your house. I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of your family. I felt like such a jerk the entire flight over here. Then I had to get you off my mind, but I wanted to apologize, and I didn’t think you’d want to hear from me. I’m just— I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I was just upset because you said that to Greg after you had just told me we weren’t having revenge sex.”

  “Listen, I’m not gonna lie. It felt good throwing that in his face— better than punching him even. But I wasn’t lying about it not being revenge or rebound sex or whatever. I was in love with you, Audrey. Look, here we are,” he said. There he went, using that L-word again.

  “We’re going rock climbing?” I asked looking at the large building in front of us, giggling.

  “Indoor rock climbing,” he corrected me.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  “You’re not even gonna fight me on it, saying you’re too scared or some crap like that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I know you’ll protect me,” I said. It was true. If I’d learned anything from our times together in St. Thomas and then at my parents’, it was that he was a good man. He wouldn’t let me fall. Even then, though, my arms and legs shook in intervals as I repelled down the rock mountain. He was the one at the bottom with my life in hi
s hands. I never laughed so hard as when he went up in the air and kept asking if I was sure I could hold him up. I’d never seen him so nervous before, and it was cute. When we were both safely on the ground and done with our adventure, he asked if I was hungry.

  “Famished,” I said, and he took us to a nearby French bistro where we had croissant sandwiches and tea outside.

  “Thanks for a lovely date,” I said. It had been a fun day, but not exactly conducive to romance.

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for coming,” he said. When he dropped me off, he walked me to my door and said goodbye. He didn’t kiss me, and he said nothing about coming inside. I went in confused but happy we’d had a good time.

  An hour later I got a text from Harvey: So I’m trying to be patient and play it cool, but I have to tell you that the only thing I’ve been thinking about since I saw you last night in that lace dress is taking it off.

  I text him back right away: Why don’t you come on over and do that then?

  He replied instantly: On my way.

  I gave a little yelp and jumped in the shower, drying myself quickly, and applying lotion to my arms and legs. I put on one of my unused teddies and slipped a silk robe on top. Looking at myself in the mirror, I played with my hair, seeing which way was sexiest until I heard a knock at the door. I braced myself, opened it, and gave Harvey a shy smile. He must have showered because he wore a polo and khaki shorts now, but that didn’t matter because soon they would be coming right off. When he walked in, I closed the door behind him and turned around to offer him something to drink.

  Before the words left my mouth, he came up to me, placed his hand on the door above me, and pulled me to him with his other arm. I watched his hungry eyes as we finally came crashing into a kiss I wished would never end. He lit me like a match, and I thought I’d burn up right then and there. We were all over each other, up against my kitchen counter, falling on my couch. He admired my lingerie when my robe slipped from my shoulders, and then he picked me up and carried me to my bedroom.

  “God, you’re gorgeous,” he said, admiring my nearly naked body. I tried not to be so embarrassed, but I was. The blush in my cheeks spread over me, and I pulled him on top of me.