Second Rate Chances

by S. C. Stephens

  The belief matched Makayla’s own, and the customer interaction was one of the things she immensely enjoyed at her job. Even though there were customers that pushed the limits of interactivity. She’d had more than one concerned older woman ask if she was ever going to marry and have children. One had even told her that a woman was of child-bearing years for only so long. Since Makayla was only thirty-two, still quite young in her book, she’d taken some offense to that. Besides, she was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason, and her single status was no exception.

  And…she did have a date Saturday…

  Pushing that thought from her mind, Makayla merrily shoved her way through the doors. Neil was already there, prepping his till for the day. He glanced up at her entrance and gave her a dimpled smile. Makayla smiled back and he switched his face to a frown. Makayla wasn’t sure why.

  She quickly put her stuff away in the employees’ break room, then headed out to her station. Three or four coworkers stopped and chatted with her along the way. Makayla considered relaying her exciting story of tailing a criminal the night before, but ended up not mentioning it. Probably because the story hadn’t ended in the best way. Most people wanted to hear about the perp being hauled off…not making plans for a date.

  Sliding into her place next to Neil’s, Makayla eyed him as he counted out his cash. “Morning, Neil.”

  He glanced at her, smiled, then frowned. “Morning, Mack,” he muttered.

  Makayla bunched her brows. “What’s eating you?”

  Neil stopped counting and sighed. Looking over at her, he raised an eyebrow. “You have the look.”

  Confused, Makayla shook her head. “Look? What are you talking about?”

  Neil smirked and shook his head. “The a-cute-boy-called-me-and-I-have-a-date look.” He raised his eyebrows, his blue-grey eyes inquisitive. “That guy called you…didn’t he?”

  Makayla bit her lip and turned to start counting out her own till. “Well…”

  Neil sighed. Twisting to face her, he put his arms over the wall separating them. Leaning over it, he shook his head. “You said yes, didn’t you?”

  Makayla kept her head down. Sometimes it was irritating how Neil could read her like a book. She hadn’t been sure if she was going to mention this morning’s phone call to Neil or not. Just like usual though, Neil hadn’t needed her to tell him. He just…knew. “I didn’t mean to…” she whispered.

  She saw Neil lower his head to the wall partition, then lightly shake it. Glancing up at her, he raised a lip. “I should have known better.” Sighing, he lifted his head. “When’s the big date?”

  Makayla pursed her lips, not excited that her best friend had known that she’d cave into a husky voice and a warm pair of brown eyes. “Saturday…”

  Neil nodded, not looking too surprised. “And…what crime will the two of you be committing that evening? Should I stay in, just in case?” He held his lips together to not laugh and Makayla frowned.

  “No crimes will be committed in my presence.” She swallowed, hoping that would be true. “But I have no idea what we’re doing.”

  Neil smiled, then frowned. “I really don’t think this is a good idea, Mack. You shouldn’t see him.”

  Makayla stared back at her friend. “I know.” She shrugged. “I’m just…so curious.”

  Shaking his head, Neil twisted back to his counter. “Well, you know what they say about curiosity.”

  She did, and she wasn’t too thrilled that the old adage resulted in a feline’s death. But that was the saying—curiosity killed the cat. Hopefully, in this case, that wasn’t how things were going to turn out. She shrugged. “Well, it’s just one date…what’s the worst that could happen?”

  A laundry list of worst-case scenarios filtered through her mind but she tried to block them out.

  The next couple of days sped by for Makayla. Work kept her occupied during the day and hitting the gym kept her busy at night. She’d joined a gym to help maintain her weight, but had signed up for a personal trainer three times a week after just missing the academy’s physical exam. Some of her friends told Makayla that she was too old to try and change careers now—which made Makayla wonder just how good of friends they were—but Makayla didn’t buy that. A dream is a dream and it’s never too late to pursue it. So she’d hired the Woman-from-Hell to train her.

  Her name was Sofia, which Makayla always thought was a little ironic, since it sounded so much like sofa…and this woman clearly never had the time to sit on one. She was probably one of those annoying people who did squats while watching TV. Her arms, legs and abs were so cut, she seemed sculpted from marble instead of flesh and bone. She always kept her hair back in a tighter-than-tight pony tail—out of her way, so she could bench press unimpeded. And she wore a tiny pair of exercise shorts with only a sports bra for a top. Before joining the gym, Makayla had never imagined that girls went around wearing just a sports bra. She assumed people wore them under their clothes…they were called bras after all.

  Saturday afternoon, just a couple of hours before her date started, Makayla was finishing up this week’s session with the exercise-Nazi. The woman had a vice-like grip on her ankles while Makayla did her ten-millionth sit-up.

  “One more set! You can do it, don’t quit on me now!

  Makayla wanted to roll her eyes, but didn’t have the energy to make the movement happen. Wondering if exhausting herself before a date with a criminal was a good idea—what if they had to make a run for it?—Makayla forced her sore body to comply.

  Once Sofia seemed satisfied that Makayla’s muscles were rubber, she let go of her ankles. Makayla collapsed back to the mat and stretched out her aching body. Sofia hopped to her feet like the Energizer Bunny, all piss and vinegar, as the saying goes. “Great job! You’re getting there, Makayla.” She pointed at her prone body, her face stern and disapproving. “Now drink lots of water, and make every calorie you consume worth it. Remember…eat to live, don’t live to eat.”

  Makayla sighed at hearing that mantra yet again. She tried to eat reasonably, but what was life without a Krispy Kreme or two? She only nodded to Sofia, though. There was no way she could tell the woman that she had a date tonight and dates usually meant nice restaurants, and no sane woman went to a nice restaurant and ordered healthy food. What was the point of that? If Makayla wanted plain grilled chicken and vegetables, she’d stay home. Any meal that included gratuity should be covered in cream sauce…that was her opinion anyway. She’d just work extra hard next week…

  Wondering if working any harder was possible as she lifted her protesting muscles, Makayla stood up. Sofia giddily shook her hand, then twisted to find her next victim. Neil came up behind Makayla and started massaging her sore shoulders. Makayla dropped her head forward.

  “God, I knew you were my best friend for a reason.”

  Neil chuckled, then slung his arm over her shoulders. “Well, try not to make me a friend-widow tonight, okay?” The dimple in his cheek faded as his smile faltered. “I really don’t like the idea of you seeing this guy alone…maybe I should come with?”

  Makayla sighed as she looped her arm around Neil’s waist. Even slightly sweaty, he still smelled like berry body wash. God, why couldn’t straight men take the extra effort when it came to personal hygiene? Most men that walked past her in the gym smelled like crusty socks that had been in the bottom of the laundry basket for a couple of weeks.

  “It will be fine, Neil…I don’t need a chaperone.”

  Neil twisted his lip. “No, but he does.”

  Smiling, Makayla patted his stomach. “And he will…I plan to keep a close eye on him all evening.” She chuckled softly. “Hone my skills.”

  Neil rolled his eyes as he pulled away from her. “Well, just remember that you don’t need to sleep with him to keep an eye on him.”

  Makayla dropped her mouth open and reached out to smack Neil. He nimbly stepped away. “Brat!”

  Grinning, Neil shook his head. “Hey
, I’m just dolling out friendly advice. You don’t want to be easy, right?”

  Crossing her arms over her body, Makayla frowned. “I wasn’t going to be…easy. I’m not going all the way with him on the first date.” Neil raised an eyebrow and she quickly added, “Not that there’s going to be a second date or anything.”

  Sighing, Neil slung his arm back over her shoulders. “I’m just looking out for you, Mack. He’s attractive and probably manipulative…and you’ve been in a dry spell lately.”

  Makayla glared at him but didn’t have an argument. It had been a while…she couldn’t even recall the last time she’d been with a man. God, that was kind of sad. Frowning more, she shook her head. “I do have a little will power, Neil.”

  Neil pulled her in close and kissed her head. “I know.” Pulling back he added, “But don’t shave your legs tonight…just as a precaution…okay?”

  Makayla wanted to glare at him again but ended up laughing instead. It was a woman’s tried-and-true method to not having sex on a first date. What girl wanted a guy’s first experience with her to include stubble…yuck. It was enough to damper even the hottest moment. Not that Makayla planned on having any hot moments with her thief. Lord knows what he would steal.

  Slapping Neil on the chest, she dramatically sighed, “Fine, I’ll remain au natural tonight. Will that satisfy you?”

  Neil chuckled. “Yes, I’ve seen you au natural and no man will go near you like that.”

  Makayla tried to smack him again, but Neil expertly detached himself from her and fled into the men’s locker room. Yep. Neil could be as sweet as pie, or as bitchy as a diva. Grinning, Makayla shook her head and headed to go clean herself up.

  An hour or so later, Makayla was wrapped in a towel, staring at her closet. She didn’t even know where they were going, so how did she know how to dress? Glancing down at her legs, she cringed. A dress was definitely out, since her legs had been neglected so long that stubble was no longer an issue. She had a nice winter coat growing in. Ugh, seriously she needed to do something about that soon. But when you live alone and sleep alone, who cares how hairy you get?

  But she’d told Neil she’d leave it for now, and she planned to…it just limited her fashion choices. Unless she wanted to flashback to the eighties? Wear spandex tights under her dress? And sneakers…of course. Rolling her eyes, Makayla started shifting through her outfit choices. Deciding she didn’t owe her pickpocket anything fancy, she picked out a pair of black skinny jeans. Well, they were black, but had a slight sheen to them. With the right top, they could probably pass as a suitable outfit if they went somewhere nice. And if they did, Makayla was ordering lobster…thief-boy deserved that. Besides, his credit card was probably stolen.

  Sighing, and wondering for the millionth time why she’d agreed to this, Makayla slung on her nicest, laciest bra. It was sort of an odd choice, since she didn’t plan on showing it to him. Maybe it was because the lower half of her was so un-presentable that she wanted her upper half to be spectacular. Maybe she could wear a top that just hinted at the erotic fabric. Tease him…just a little.

  Smiling, she found a top that wrapped around her troublesome abs, effectively hiding them. It also plunged deeply in the front and if she bent over just right, the lacy cups of her bra would show. There…perfect. A little bit of sex appeal that hinted at something glorious…something he was never going to have. At least…not this night.

  Makayla shook her head. No, not any night. She was going on one date, to satisfy her curiosity, then she was out. She’d wash her hands of the man and his sordid lifestyle. She didn’t need his drama…whatever it was.

  Dressing in comfortable shoes, since she didn’t want her feet to be aching—like every other part of her body—Makayla headed to the bathroom for her agonizingly long routine of straightening her hair. It was a pain, but when her honey-brown locks fell in a perfect line from her head to her mid-back, she felt it was worth it.

  After perfecting dramatic, evening eyes, Makayla studied herself in the full length mirror attached to her bedroom door. She smiled at her appearance. The shimmer in her jeans matched the silver-gray of her top, which all complimented the smoky, come-hither eye shadow. Not to be conceited, but she thought she looked hot. Eat your heart out Chance…or whatever the hell your name is.

  Sitting on her couch at quarter to six, Makayla waited…and waited. At quarter after six, Makayla started to wonder if her thief was punctual for anything. Then she started to wonder if he’d blown her off. Oddly, she was offended by that, instead of relieved. Tapping her foot as the minutes ticked by, Makayla wondered if she should call him. Maybe he’d forgotten and planned a carjacking this evening. Maybe she should turn on the news…see if he was late because he was in the middle of a high speed chase. She could probably forgive that excuse.

  Just as she reached for the remote, her doorbell rang. It rang so infrequently, she jumped. Closing her eyes, she breathed out a quick exhale. Dang, being jumpy was no way to start a date with a crook. No, she needed to be extra alert tonight…let no move go unnoticed. If he did anything wrong—anything—she wanted to witness it…so she could testify in court.

  Makayla stood and smoothed her flirty top. She waited a few seconds before walking over to the door. Like Neil said, she didn’t want to appear too eager. Counting to ten with her hand on the knob, she finally opened it. Chance was waiting patiently, red roses in his hand. He extended them to her immediately.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late…something came up.”

  The flowers vibrated in his fingers as he shifted his weight between his feet. As Makayla watched, his throat swallowed a couple of times. She thought she spotted a few slight red lines along his jaw, like he’d cut himself while shaving. His smile was soft, repentant, as was his eyes, but beneath that, he seemed…nervous. Even his southern drawl had an edge of nerves to it.

  Makayla smiled demurely and took the peace offering. It gave her stomach a warm glow to think that he was nervous about spending time with her. Weirdly enough…she wasn’t nervous. Well, she was nervous that she might be put into a situation where she’d be smothering herself in mud to evade a pack of police K9s, but she wasn’t nervous about him anymore. Hmmm, interesting.

  “It’s okay, I’m just finishing getting ready.” Makayla swished her hand into her home. “Come inside?”

  He nodded and seemed to relax a little. Smiling at him as he walked past her, Makayla noticed that he was dressed similarly to her—nice, but comfortable, jeans, a dark, fitted button-up over the top of them. He looked like he could take her somewhere bordering on fancy…or the park. She also noticed that his shirt was flat and tight to his body…no belly bulge there. Hmmm…

  Biting her lip, she secretly checked out his backside—also very nice—and closed her door. “I’ll just finish getting ready and get my stuff. Make yourself at home.”

  He twisted back to look at her and gave her a grin—that grin—the one that had first intrigued her. Surprisingly, Makayla’s heart sped up and she wondered if maybe she should have ignored Neil’s suggestion and shaved her legs anyway. She supposed she could really quick…

  Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she motioned to her sofa. Chance looked back at it, then back to her. As he shifted to sit down, his eyes dragged down her body. Makayla suddenly felt like the sexiest creature on earth. The hairiest, yes, but the sexiest too. Sniffing her flowers, she quickly left the room…before she attacked him.

  Back in her bedroom, she leaned against her closed door. Wow, it had been too long since her last date. She needed to pace herself. Hearing some noises from her living room, Makayla straightened. Damn it. In her small moment of sheer lust, she’d forgotten just what Chance was—an untrustworthy crook. She’d just left a thief alone in her house. He was probably rifling through her valuables right now!

  Grabbing her jacket and purse off of the bed, Makayla darted back into the living room. Chance was ducked down in front of an antique armoire that Makayla had t
ucked in a corner. The doors were open and his hands were deep in the back of it. Pure fury poured through Makayla. How dare he! She had left him alone in her home for five minutes and he was already robbing her! And what did he think he was going to take—her fine china? What was his plan on smuggling that out undetected?

  He straightened as she approached, his back to her. Makayla reached out for his shoulder, preparing herself to hold him against the wall until police arrived. Grabbing the firm muscle, she jerked him around. He grunted at the unexpected move, nearly dropping what he was holding in his hands.