Ben came in behind them. “What the hell’s all this shouting about?” he asked, looking from one to the other.
“Nothing,” Dawn said, still glaring at Randy.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “It was nothing.”
He walked out and Dawn stormed over to the cot and plopped herself down. Of all the nerve. He’s the one that sleeps around, not me. Damn him.
Ben sat down and looked at her. “What was all that about?”
Dawn whisked a hand. “Nothing.”
“Well, if it’s nothing, then why don’t you go after him and straighten it out.”
“I’m not going to apologize. I’ve done nothing wrong. The hell with him.”
Ben lowered his glasses and peered at her. “Sometimes it’s not important who’s right and who’s wrong.”
“Ben, he asked me if I slept around?”
“He did what?” Ben’s eyes widened.
“Well, not exactly. But that’s what he was getting at.”
“Piss on him then,” Ben said, turning and picking up the condition book. They were both quiet for a moment. Then he turned back around. “Are you sure that’s what he was asking?”
“No...I’m not sure.” Dawn sighed. “He asked me out yesterday and I turned him down.”
“Why? I thought you liked him.”
Dawn shrugged. “Brownie says he sleeps with every woman on the racetrack.”
Ben shook his head. “Gossip,” he said, and remembered what Tom had said about him. “I don’t take to gossip. Never have and never will.”
Dawn looked at him, as close to a father as she had now. “I told him I had a date and he was drilling me about it.”
Ben lowered his glasses again. “What do you mean, you told him you had a date? Didn’t you?”
Dawn shook her head.
“You lied?”
Dawn hesitated, and then nodded. “Yes.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it have made more sense just to say no? No, I don’t want to go out with you. Why lie?”
Dawn glanced away. “Well, that would’ve been a lie too.”
Ben sighed. He’d thought as much. He’d seen it in her eyes. He also thought he’d seen something in Randy’s eyes when the two of them were together. “Forget the gossip, and give him a chance.”
“But...”
“You owe him an apology,” Ben said, and held up his hand when she started to object. “For lying to him. Nothing else. Just for lying.”
When Dawn finally got around to leaving, she stopped at the guard shack to talk to Charlie. He asked her all about Cajun, his habits, his personality and characteristics. He laughed self-consciously when he said it would give him something to talk to Gloria about. Dawn chuckled, and while sitting there with him, she noticed Randy’s truck parked between the first two barns.
She told Charlie she’d see him tomorrow and started toward her car, but then changed her mind and walked to Randy’s truck instead. The passenger door was locked, so she went around to the driver’s side, opened the door, and leaning across the seat, wrote a note on his clipboard.
Randy,
I’m sorry. I didn’t have a date last night.
And I slept alone. Dawn
Randy came out from under the eaves of one of the barns, saw her, and hesitated for a second before walking to the truck. He had no idea what she was up to, and found himself approaching slowly so that whatever it was, she wouldn’t hear him coming and quit. When he reached the truck, he braced his hands above the door and leaned in as far as he could without touching her. Dawn started to back out then and bumped into him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, a little startled but with a laugh. “I didn’t know you were there.”
“Obviously.” Randy leaned across her, read the note, and looked at her. “Why in the hell would you tell me you had a date, if you didn’t?” he asked, his face just inches from hers.
“Because you sleep around,” Dawn said, as if that alone would explain everything.
“What?”
“Brownie says you sleep around. A lot.”
Randy leaned back a little, shaking his head. “So that’s what Ben was talking about.” Ben had tracked him down a few minutes earlier, saying simply, “Don’t assume you and Dawn are alike,” then just walked away.
“He told me I owe you an apology,” Dawn said, nudging him to let her out.
Randy pointed to the clipboard. “So, is this apology yours then or his?”
“Mine. I’m apologizing for lying to you, and for listening to gossip. Will you let me up? This is uncomfortable.”
Randy backed up just enough for her to turn and sit in the driver’s seat facing him, and propped his hands on top of the truck, gazing at her.
Dawn glanced away. “So, is it true? Do you sleep with every woman on the racetrack?”
“Every one of them? Sure,” Randy said, making it sound ridiculous.
“How about most of them?”
“I don’t think so,” Randy said, not sounding nearly so convincing this time.
Dawn swallowed. “A lot of them?”
“None that mattered,” Randy said, leaning closer.
Dawn started to pull back, but then stopped herself. “Did you have a date with a girl named Ginney last night?”
“Yes.” Randy looked into her eyes. “But I didn’t go.”
“Why not?” Dawn asked, her hand instinctively touching his arm, a gesture of closeness but also an assurance he keep his distance.
“I didn’t want to,” Randy said. “I thought I did when I asked, but that was only after you turned me down. I thought I’d go out with her in your place, but...”
Dawn smiled. “So you stayed home and slept?”
Randy shook his head. “No, I laid awake for hours. I kept thinking about your hair, and what it would look like loose.” He leaned closer to kiss her, but again she pulled back.
She glanced at her watch, trying to hide the rush of feelings inside, wanting him to kiss her but at the same time experiencing a sense of panic. He had her trapped.
“I’ve got to go. I have the afternoon off, and I’m looking forward to a sauna and a long swim.”
“Where do you go?” Randy asked, not quite willing to let her leave just yet, even as he caught sight of the trainer from the first barn looking in his direction, waiting for him.
“At the club. Do you want to join me?”
Randy smiled. “I don’t like saunas.”
“How about swimming? They have an Olympic-sized pool.”
“I can’t get out of here before two,” Randy said, as he backed up and motioned to the trainer that he’d be right there.
Dawn nodded, disappointed, then cringed, holding her stomach.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll be fine. Beau’s in tomorrow and my stomach’s starting already.”
Randy shook his head, smiling.
“Why don’t you meet me at the club. I’ll sauna first and get done before you get there.” She hesitated, searching his eyes, and when he nodded, wrote down the address on the clipboard. “I’ll meet you at the pool at two-thirty.”
She brushed up against his shoulder lightly when he finally let her out, and started to walk away.
“Wait a minute. What do I bring?”
“Just your suit,” Dawn said. “Everything else is provided. I’ll tell them at the desk that I’m expecting you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jeremy, the desk clerk at the Arcadia Country Club looked up and smiled as Dawn signed in. She was such a nice person, always so pleasant and cheerful.
“Hi, how are you today?”
“Fine, thank you. How about you?”
“I could be a little better,” Dawn said, grimacing as her stomach cramped again. “Who’s giving massages this afternoon?”
“Jonathan and Sherry. Would you like me to reserve a time for you?”
“Yes, please, with Jonathan. I’ll be having lunc
h with Linda, so let me know when.”
“Of course. Oh, and by the way, she arrived ahead of you. She’s waiting in the dining room.”
“What?” Jeremy laughed as Dawn went to see for herself. “Oh my God!” she said. “I don’t believe it!”
“All right, so I’m early. Big deal!”
“Big deal?” Linda was never ever on time, let alone early. “This is a first! Are you sick or something?”
“No, just hungry. What are you going to order?”
There was no need to look at a menu, they knew it by heart, and most always ordered the same. Soup of the day, salad, and hot bread. Done.
“Randy’s coming for a swim later,” Dawn said then, and Linda started choking on an ice cube.
Dawn jumped up and patted her on the back. “Are you all right?”
Linda motioned for her cup of hot tea, took two or three swallows, and it finally went down.
“Damn it!” Dawn said. “Don’t do that to me. You scared me to death.”
“Me?!” Linda shook her head. “Don’t do that to you! The last time we talked, you wiped Randy off the face of the earth. And now you sit there like it’s nothing and tell me he’s coming for a swim. How did this come about?”
“Easy.” Dawn sat back down and told her all about what happened that morning, starting with the conversation she overheard, to their argument, to their encounter at the truck, and then inviting him to the club.
Linda liked the part where Randy had a fit and pounded the desk. “Oh my God, he must have really been mad.”
Dawn nodded. “You should’ve seen him.”
“You know, I think he really cares for you, Dawn.”
Dawn shrugged. How? They hardly knew each other. “Anyway, I figured why not. Remind me to tell Jeremy he’s coming. I forgot earlier.”
You’re so tense,” Jonathan said, smacking Dawn’s shoulder before kneading and rubbing it. “Relax.”
“I am relaxed.” Dawn replied, as relaxed as a person could be in his hands. “Ouch, now that hurt.” She buried her face against her arm.
“Is something troubling you?”
Dawn chuckled. “You mean besides you?”
Jonathan laughed. “Seriously, what seems to be the problem?’
“My stomach hurts.”
“And why is that?”
“I guess because I’m nervous. My favorite horse is running tomorrow.”
“Hmph…” He kneaded somewhat more gently between her shoulder blades and then smacked her again. “There you are, all done.”
“Thanks,” Dawn said, raising her head to scowl at him. “I think.”
“You’re welcome,” Jonathan said, covering her with a sheet. “Let the horse run its own race. Meanwhile, you rest a few minutes and later on have some Chamomile. It’s good for the nerves.”
Dawn waved, heard him greet his next victim in the room adjacent, and closed her eyes, sympathizing with the poor person. Jonathan’s massages were the best. She’d be the first to attest to that, after they were long over. But ask her before or right about now, and it would be, “No way, never. Not in a million years.”
When Randy arrived, Jeremy regarded him most suspiciously. “I’m sorry, but Miss Fioritto didn’t leave word she was expecting a guest.”
“Check with her, please. I assure you, she is expecting me,” Randy said, glancing around the lobby.
Jeremy frowned. “I will check with her, but Miss Fioritto never has guests. You’re not a reporter, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Randy said, wondering what a reporter would want with her, or for that matter, why this man was giving him such a hard time.
“Hmmm.” Jeremy looked Randy up and down, then reached for the phone and dialed. “Jonathan, I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with Dawn Fioritto. There is a gentleman here that says he is a guest of hers.” He paused, listening. “Yes, I know she never has guests. That is why...” He paused again. “Oh, I see. Hmmmm.” He looked at Randy. “Miss Fioritto is resting. She’s uh, asleep.”
“Then wake her,” Randy said firmly.
Jeremy hesitated, then nodded and got back on the line. “I’m afraid you’ll have to wake her. Tell her that a Randy Iredell is here to see her. And call me back, please.”
He smiled pensively at Randy as he hung up. “Please, Mr. Iredell, have a seat. Jonathan will call us back as soon as he checks with her.”
“It’s Doctor Iredell,” Randy said, surprising himself with his attitude. And feeling foolish as soon as he said it, he walked across the room, picked up a magazine and sat down. It was then he noticed a large painting on the wall of a man and a woman. The woman looked like Dawn, only older. He dropped his eyes to the plaque below and read their names.
Charles Bask Fioritto
Maria Angelina Fioritto
Founding Father Chairman of the Board
“Holy shit...” he muttered. The resemblance left no doubt. He glanced around the room, shaking his head. With an entire year’s salary, maybe, just maybe, he could afford about a month’s membership in a place like this. And here was Dawn with a Founding Father. “Jesus.”
Jeremy waved to him from across the room and came out from behind the desk. “I’m sorry, Dr. Iredell. Miss Fioritto is awake now, and indeed, she is expecting you. I’ll show you to the men’s locker room and lounge. An attendant will take you from there.”
Randy sighed, stood up and followed him, and was shown into a large room with a bar on the right, showers and lockers to the left. “Kevin, this is Dr. Iredell. Be a dear and show him around the men’s area and to the indoor pool. He’s joining Miss Fioritto.”
The attendant escorted Randy to the other end of the locker room, then stood in waiting as Randy undressed, to fold and hang up his clothes for him. Four men sat opposite them, downing tall drinks as they played cards. Randy marveled, and almost laughed. Ask a middle-class man to play cards in front of a row of urinals and he’d tell you to kiss his ass. For the life of him, he thought he was meeting Dawn at some local health club. And here he was with an attendant folding his underwear. He tied the string on his trunks and motioned for Kevin to lead the way.
They walked down a hall, where Kevin stopped and pointed out a succession of open showers. “They’re designed to get you accustomed to the temperature of the pool.”
There were two sets of four, one on each side, with plungers, which when pressed, started the cool down. The first one was hot, almost too hot for Randy’s liking, the second a little more comfortable. The third was lukewarm, the fourth, a precise eighty-two degrees, the same as the pool. God forbid, Randy thought, that anyone just plunge right in.
“This way, Dr. Iredell,” Kevin said, handing Randy a towel and walking with him. “Are you meeting Linda or Dawn?”
It really didn’t surprise Randy to hear Linda was a member too, though he did shake his head in wonder. “I’m meeting Dawn.”
“Really? She never has any guests, you know.”
“So I’ve heard. But how do you know that?”
Kevin furrowed a wise brow. “I’ve been on the staff here now for twelve years,” he said, and just to prove how much he really did know, he added, “She’s a loner. Always has been.”
“What else do you know about her?”
Kevin frowned. “You’re the one meeting her. Don’t you uh...?”
Randy smiled somewhat sheepishly. “To be honest, we just met.”
Kevin nodded amiably. This friend of Miss Fioritto’s seemed like a nice guy. “Well,” he said, thinking out loud. “What do I know? You mean aside from the fact that she’s probably one of the richest women in the county, if not the state.”
Randy stared. By this time they were at the entrance to the indoor pool. Kevin opened the door. “Miss Fioritto swims from that end,” he said, motioning to the opposite side.
Randy shook his head, chuckling. The man was obviously having a little fun with him, but this was too much. “How in the hell do you kno
w which end of the pool she swims from?”
Kevin smiled. “Easy. All the women swim from there. I think it has something to do with the ladies’ locker room being on that side.”
Randy laughed, thanked the man for his assistance, and spotting Dawn, dove in and swam over to her. She was all smiles as she apologized. “I’m sorry I forgot to tell Jeremy you were coming. Please don’t be angry.”
Randy put his arms around her and pulled her close. They practically had the pool to themselves. “Did you forget I was coming?”
“No, it’s all Linda’s fault. She was supposed to remind me right after lunch, and then I fell asleep and...”
“Likely excuse,” Randy said.
Dawn laughed. They kissed. And Randy smiled.
“Now what?”
Dawn laughed again. “I don’t know. We can race to the end I guess,” she said. And with that, she slipped out of his arms, dove under, and got a head start.
It was to no avail. Randy got to the end three strokes ahead of her and swam back and cut her off. They splashed each other then, raced again, and did the back float holding hands, more laughing and sinking than actual floating, until finally exhausted, Dawn pulled herself up onto the side. “I’ve gotta rest.”
Randy stayed in the water, propped his arms on the side, and looked out over the pool. “Tell me about this club.”
“What do you want to know?”
Randy shrugged. “It’s pretty exclusive isn’t it?”
“No more than others. Why? Did you want to join?”
Randy laughed. “Do you ever give a straight answer?”
“Only when I have to.”
Randy turned to face her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “All right. How about now then?”
Dawn glanced away and focused on an empty chair. “What is it you want to know?”
“Well, for one, the attendant says you’re rich. Very rich.”
Dawn shook her head. “Could be he’s just repeating hearsay.”
“Could be. And could be he’s telling the truth. How can you afford this place? It must cost a fortune.”
Dawn took a deep breath, trying to think of a fast answer she could give him that would enable her to conceal the truth, and yet... “It’s in the trust my father set up for me. He founded the place, and so we, actually me, since they’re dead, have a lifetime membership.” She sighed inwardly, it was close enough.
Winning Odds Trilogy Page 16