by Tonya Kappes
“Olivia, this is Bradley,” she blurts, interrupting him.
“Yeah,” I say. “We’ve already been intimate.” All the color flushes from my cheeks and I smile knowing my aura is reflecting my bashful feelings. “It was memorable.”
He laughs. “Yes it was.” He flashes a crooked grin. “That’s why I paid for two kisses.” He holds up two fingers.
“Great.” Erin steps between us. “I knew you two would hit it off.” She puts her finger on her cheek. “I have a great idea. You two should go to dinner!”
My eyebrows cross. “What?” Erin completely catches me off guard. I have never seen her like this. I’m not used to her pushing me away. “But I thought…”
I hope it’s not too late. Has she fallen hook, line and sinker for this guy?
“You two will have a great time.” She hooks her arm through Kent’s arm and hurries towards the parking lot.
“But…” I throw my hands up in the air. I definitely don’t want to be a third wheel, but I do want dinner. I watch Erin walk away and resist the urge to yell, “Be smart! Don’t do this again. Why are you treating me this way?” But I don’t. Maybe my instincts are off today from all the kissing. Or maybe my instincts are on high alert due to Dabi’s murder. Maybe Kent needs another chance. Maybe.
“Well,” Bradley gestures towards the parking lot and continues, “I’m game if you are?”
I’ve studied every man in my life trying to find the one with the true blue aura until I’ve become blue in the face. Men with blue auras live from their hearts. They are the ones to hold on to and not let go: the nurturers, the caretakers. No wonder he’s at the SPCA event—totally a blue thing to do.
I shake my head. “Oh no, don’t worry, I’m not going to hold you to it. Obviously Erin didn’t want me to go with them.”
He shrugs and then he crams his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He jerks his head flipping his floppy brown hair to the side and exposing his dark eyes. “I really would like to grab a bite to eat with you. Or are your lips too sore?” He laughs like it’s the funniest joke, but the thing is, my lips really are sore.
“Funny.” I laugh, wishing I had Erin’s sexy chuckle. “All that kissing did make me hungry. I wonder how many calories I burned today.”
“Too many, I bet. Let’s see if we can put some of those calories back.” He nods his head towards the parking lot again.
Maybe if you feed me chocolate cake. Without a word, I follow him to the lot. I love the way his pants drag the top of his feet, only his toenails exposed from his flip flops. His mop-top shaggy hair is begging me to run my hands through it, or maybe it’s the other way around.
“Want to ride with me?” Bradley asks. I follow his toned tan bicep down to his finger, which is pointing to a tan convertible Mini Cooper. No wonder he’s already golden. Why is he not taken? Hmm?
I hesitate, but only for a second. “Sure.”
He smiles, opening my door. “I guess we should introduce ourselves since we’ve already been to first base.”
Handsome, great kisser, awesome car. . .and witty.
“Are you a serial killer?” I question, half joking, half serious. The good old girl in me knows I should never get in a car with a stranger, but I don’t feel like he’s a stranger. Especially since we’ve locked lips.
“No. I just want to buy you dinner.” He shuts the door and walks around the car. “I usually don’t get to first base until a few dates in, but we can do this a little backwards.”
I can’t believe I’m in a car with a stranger. Well, practically a stranger. I put my head down and silently pray that I make it home alive. I admit, it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, but somehow it feels right. I sneak a peek at him. His aura doesn’t tell me otherwise. Still blue. Even the throbbing in my head has subsided.
“How about Pete’s?” Bradley is referring to the only pizza joint in town.
And on a Saturday night I know it will be packed. That’s okay. I’d love for everyone in town to see me with this tall glass of water.
“Pete’s is great.” I look out the window. He might stop the car, open the door, and kick me out if he sees the excitement in my face.
Pete’s Pizzaria is on the other side of town. Even though my stomach is grumbling, I have a secret wish that we get stopped by all red lights through town. Being in the car next to a blue aura is a dream come true and I’m not ready to wake up.
“How do you know Erin again?” Bradley zooms under the yellow light right before it turned to red.
I adjust myself so I’m not completely staring at him. “We’ve been friends for a long time.”
A few minutes later, and some fast driving, we pull into the parking lot of Pete’s Pizzaria and park in the front.
“I hope you like pizza.” He turns the engine off and we get out.
Of course I do, what red-blooded woman doesn’t? “Sure, it’s fine.” I play cool. I avoid looking at all the people and seeing all the auras. Panic creeps through me, but I bury it. “Why did you come to the kissing booth?” I ask while we stand in line for a table. It’s a valid question for a hot dude.
“I run the SPCA and one of the guys bet I wouldn’t go up to the booth.” He lets me walk first behind the hostess to our table. Though I wish he’d led the way. Her aura is black. And it makes me wonder if she’s divorced, abused or some sort of addict. “Naturally I couldn’t back down,” he adds.
I’m not sure if I want the answer, but I ask anyway, “How much was I worth?” My heart beats faster with each second that goes by.
His hand touches my back and he pulls out my chair. I turn and look at him not in the least bit scared. Maybe aura reading has its perks after all. I know I’m totally safe with Bradley.
“Not nearly enough,” he said. “It was one kiss for a fifty dollar donation to the SPCA. I would’ve done it if you were a mutt, but you aren’t so I took the bet for one kiss.”
“But you paid for two.” I’m trying to figure out his math.
“Because I wanted the second one for myself.” I swear I see some pink in his cheeks.
I nibble my bottom lip trying not to get too excited. I turn the menu over and focus on what to order. I’m already getting my hopes up about Bradley and totally don’t want to screw it up. I calculate how much time I have before I have to tell him the truth about my gift. Not nearly enough, I decide.
My mouth waters as Bradley orders a large BBQ chicken pizza and a couple of side salads. It’s fate, because it’s exactly what I would’ve ordered.
I give my menu back to the waitress, trying not to think about her black aura, poor girl. “So you’re the one who hires Erin’s business every year for the fund raiser?” Even if Erin was just trying to keep me away from Kent so I wouldn’t read his aura-too late for that, she did me a favor by hooking me up with Bradley. I’ll thank her one day.
“Yep. Plan It is a worthy program and Erin is easy to work with.” He takes a sip of soda. “But she never told me about you or we would’ve met a long time ago.”
I don’t look at him. If I do, I’m afraid I’ll get my hopes up even higher than they already are, and I don’t want to do that. I’ve been disappointed in love too many times to fall easily. But I think it’s too late. I feel like Renee Zellweger in Jerry Macguire. You had me when I saw your blue aura.
I don’t want to make it too obvious, but I need to find out more about Erin and Kent. “Erin and I’ve been friends for a really long time,” I say between bites. “She loves her job.”
“She should. She’s good at it.” Bradley points to my cheek.
“What?” I rub my fingers down my face.
Bradley reaches over with a napkin, and wipes my chin. “I got it. Your salad dressing dripped off your fork.” His smile looks brighter with his blue aura surrounding him.
I look down before he sees me blush. “I guess you’re the one Erin’s been working so closely with on the fundraiser?”
He nods.
> “I didn’t realize Erin and Kent were so hot and heavy. Did she say anything to you about their relationship?” I ask nonchalantly.
“Not much. She always refers to him as her boyfriend.” He shrugs. He waves his hands in the air, and makes a face like he doesn’t get it either. “My boyfriend this, my boyfriend that. She’s definitely into him.”
He doesn’t get the severity of his words. I roll my eyes. “I have no clue what she sees in him. I think it’s weird how he came to the kissing booth and insisted on a kiss.”
Bradley puts his drink down. His blue aura tones down a little as he’s deep in thought. “He wanted a kiss from you?” His eyes narrow.
“Yes.” My eyebrows rise. “Then he played if off when Erin showed up. Has she said anything about him?”
“Nope.” He holds his glass up for the waitress to refill. “Just that she’s into him.”
I decide to drop it. I can tell by his tone that he doesn’t care about Erin and her relationship.
“So what do you do?” Bradley asks as we make room on the table for the pizza the waitress is holding over our heads. I love how fresh baked pizza smells coming straight from the oven.
This is the question I have a hard time answering. “Dot com business,” I say. It’s my standard answer, even though it’s vague. If I say it fast enough, maybe it won’t stick in his brain.
“What?” He sucks up the cheese dangling from his mouth. “Dot com?”
“You know, internet stuff.” I take a big bite of pizza stalling for time.
He takes a drink. “I know—Internet, but what type?”
I keep chewing as I think. As I see it I have two options. One, tell him the truth and watch him run away as fast as he can or two, tell a little white lie and keep him around for as long as I can.
“Well?” His interest isn’t waning.
“Research. Boring old research.”
“Sounds interesting. Like what kind of research?” He grabs another slice of pizza.
It’s really a good sign that he’s so interested in knowing stuff about me, but geez, I wish he’d let me off the hook. “Heart research. Let’s not talk about my job. I get enough of that during the week.” I get another piece, telling myself it’s not really a lie. I do help people with their hearts. Heartache, specifically, but I leave that part unsaid.
We enjoy the rest of our dinner talking about the SPCA and his love of animals. Our glasses are drained, and the pizza joint is empty except for us and our morose waitress.
On the drive back to my car, I discovered there’s more to Bradley than his blue aura. He talks about his family, love of animals and his zest in life. All of this is why I’ve always searched for a blue aura mate. Unfortunately I think I’m hook, line and sinker.
Four
I couldn’t wait to get home to text Bradley after he dropped me off. “Thanks 4 dinner.” My fingers can’t type fast enough as I get settled at my desk before I check out my new dump clients. I don’t want to seem the eager beaver, but I do want him to call.
My phone vibrates. “My pleasure. How about dinner tomorrow night?” My heart jumps as I read his text.
I hit reply. “Sure, where?” I play it casual. I look at the list of dating stages on my desk.
“We’ll play it by ear. I’ll pick u up.” His texts are short and sweet.
With a few minor details on time and my address, we are set. As I push the off button, I see I missed a call. It’s a number I don’t recognize. I panic. Maybe it’s the police! Maybe they’ve already made a connection between Dabi’s murder and Splitsville.com.
I read the number over and over in my head. My light isn’t blinking so I know they didn’t leave a message. Do I call the number back? Do I risk it? What if it’s someone I’ve dumped using Splitsville.com or what if it was Bradley calling from a different number. Maybe the SPCA?
Without even thinking, I grab the phone and dial the number. It’s as if my arm
and my brain is not even connected.
“Hello.” A familiar voice answers.
I slam the phone. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
My phone rings. I look at the Caller ID on the third jingle. Damn caller ID. It’s handy when I need it, but it totally sucks when someone else is using it.
“Hello?” I say. I sound all sweet and innocent.
“Did you just hang up on Kent?” Erin’s voice on the other end of the line is loud and demanding. And all I can think is that she’s already a goner. I just hope for Erin’s sake this Kent guy isn’t another gold digger.
But she sure does sound awfully defensive about him. “I didn’t know who it was.” I assure her. “What’s going on?”
I can hear Kent in the background talking over her. “Did you forget that tomorrow night is the Spring Fling at Pleasant Ridge Park?” she asks me.
I slap my palm to my forehead. Yes, I’d completely forgotten about it. “A…no.” I say. Man I’m getting too good at this lying. Guilt coils through me. “Bradley and I are going and want you two to meet us?”
I’m one great best friend. I really wanted to have some alone time with Bradley, but I can’t skip out on the annual Spring Fling with Erin. It’s a tradition. We always go together, even if it means an evening with Kent.
“Oh!” she squeals. I wait out the long pause and she says, “Really? You want to go on a double date?”
“Yes.” I’m surprised to hear myself say. “If you like him, I’m sure I will.”
I can hear her in the background explaining to Kent what the annual Spring Fling is. “Yes, let’s do it,” she says after a minute and I can hear how excited she is. “We’ll meet you there.”
“Great,” I say, though inside I’m dismayed.
“Oh, and Olivia?” Erin says. “I knew you’d get along with Bradley. He’s great, yes?”
It’s the perfect opening. “Why did you say you told me about him? Because you didn’t.”
“I didn’t?” She plays coy, but her innocent act isn’t sitting so well in the pit of my stomach.
“No. You didn’t. It could have backfired.” I want to clear the air before I see her. “Why did you do that?”
“I didn’t do anything Olivia. Can’t you be happy that he’s into you and can’t you be happy that I’m happy?”
Yes, I can be happy Bradley’s into me, but I can’t be happy about Kent. I don’t like the sound of Erin’s voice or the way she acts when she’s around him. And I don’t like that she’s settling for someone who’s not good enough for her—again. But now is not the time to talk to her about it, so I bite my tongue. “I am happy for you. I’m happy if you’re happy. And yes, Bradley is a great guy.”
I hear a chipper sound in her voice. “It all worked out. We’ll meet you around seven?”
“See you then,” I confirm.
I can’t decide whether to call Bradley or text him. I dial. Okay, so maybe I want to hear his voice.
“Hi, Liv.” Bradley sounds like he’s smiling when he answers.
“Hi.” I laugh at the sound of barking dogs in the background. And at the fact that he’s already using my nickname.
“Are you canceling on me? Did I already scare you off?” he asks with a laugh.
I speak a little louder because I know he can’t hear me over all the dogs. “No way!” I can’t stop smiling. “You’re not getting off that easy. I wanted to ask if we can meet Erin and Kent at the annual Spring Fling at Pleasant Ridge Park tomorrow night?”
The sounds of chains and gates cause me to move the phone away from my ear. “Yeah, sounds great. What time?”
“Pick me up around 6:30,” I scream into the receiver.
“Okay.” He’s yelling, too. “Gotta go toss some Frisbee. See you tomorrow.”
My body tingles just like the first time he kissed me. “Bye.” I linger a moment to hear him hang up the phone.
Aunt Matilda creeps down the hall allowing her cream gypsy dress to float serenely along the hard wood floors. The slight jingles
of her bells use to drive me crazy when I was a kid. She’d walk down the hall and check on me every night. But now it’s a comfort.
“What’s all the screaming about?” she asks after I hang up the phone. Then she nods like she knows. “Oh, how was volunteering? Did you adopt a cute puppy? Or something better, perhaps?”
Aunt Matilda doesn’t like that I live alone and is always trying to get me to adopt a dog.
Maybe she’s the one who needs a dog to come home to at night.
I ignore her comment because I don’t have time for a dog and attempting to explain that is useless. I change the subject.
“You aren’t going to believe what I saw today.” My anxiety over Kent’s aura is outweighing my giddiness about Bradley’s. “A magenta aura.”
Her eyebrows cock up. She takes a sharp breath and draws her hand up to her mouth.
“Don’t worry.” I reassure her. “It changed to violet right away.” Which I still don’t understand and which I hope to hell to make sense of—for Erin’s sake.
Five
I had plans to clean my house before starting work, but since I neglected my dumps last night the piles of clothes will have to wait. I feel almost schizophrenic—or multiple personality. Half of me is on a high because of Bradley, the other half can’t shake the chills after seeing creepy Kent and his aura, not to mention Dabi’s death.
I grab a piece of day-old pizza out of the box and sit down at my computer to find all the lovely souls I’m going to come in contact with. Thank God Bradley is nothing like the people who use my service. Kent, on the other hand, is exactly like them.
The thought of going on a double date with them tonight puts me in a mean mood. A great mood to dump people.
I click on Splitsville.com emails to see what’s in store. Wait! The threatening email (or disgruntled) I deleted yesterday is sitting in my inbox. "Didn't I delete that?" I mutter.
I scan the date and time to confirm that it's the same email. Holy moly. It isn't.