by Kate Messick
“I’m a little lost. But why did it stop?”
“Because it wasn’t approved,” she replies. And then laughs a little hysterically. “It shouldn’t have started, with or without approval.”
“What is it?” I ask, confused.
“Work-related,” she says vaguely. I know she isn’t telling the truth, but I understand.
“Your boss was a little more familiar with you at the end there. More than I would be comfortable in either of your places,” I point out. If she doesn’t want to clarify the details, I won’t press. It’s not my business, but I feel protective of her.
“I don’t need help and I don’t want to talk about it,” she snaps.
“Well, for just asking for help, you could have fooled me,” I snap back.
“Sorry, I meant more help,” Sandy backtracks and then changes the subject. “Where are we headed?”
“That is for me to know and you to find out,” I reply flatly. It was originally a fun surprise; I was planning on saying something just like that as a joke. Funny how the same phrases can have different connotations completely when uttered in different ways. Uncomfortable silence fills my car.
I stay quiet and give her space to think as we drive through Boulder and up towards the mountains. The sign for Flagstaff, the tallest mountain in the base of the foothills, is clearly marked. Sandy is either lost in thought or letting me keep my surprise. My car easily climbs the tight switchbacks. The tension thins with our altitude gain. I park and a short silent walk down a pine-scented, single-file dirt path finds us on the other side of a small forest on the top of a rocky cliff face that looks out over the mountain range.
Sandy walks to the edge. I study her defensive body language for a moment before coming up behind her. I lightly wrap my arms around her slight build, offering comfort, maybe hoping for more. I love how she feels in my arms. I love it more that she isn’t pulling away. It’s going to be formal dance season for the military soon. Sandy would look amazing at my side.
“Thank you for picking me up,” she says quietly. “I’m a mess. I seem to be a mess a lot these days.”
I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything. The view is incredible. The mountains seem to stretch forever, and the green pines are textured with liquid gold, brilliant oranges, and vivid reds of fall. The epic fourteen-thousand-foot peaks, already covered in snow, stand tall in the background. Sandy turns in my arms and I look down at her, her face looking up at me. Her body moves up, standing on her tippy toes, and I bend down and cover her lips with my own.
Her mouth is so small, her lips move with a vengeance against mine. That perfectly pink tongue brushes against my lips and I eagerly deepen our kiss. Our tongues dance in the middle before I slide mine into her mouth, exploring. My hands move down until each one is perfectly positioned to feel that ass I have been eyeing for weeks now. I feel a small pain in my back from stooping, and I break the kiss, standing and straightening. Flexing my back muscles to loosen the spot.
Sandy has her bottom lip between her teeth. She looks around and steps up to a higher shelf of rock.
“Problem-solving,” I say softly. I close the distance between us. “I like it.”
Chapter Forty
Reality, Bela Casa Construction, Home Development
Human inventions are incredible. In cold areas, the ground freezes after a certain time of the year. But life must go on! We have invented small and giant devices that thaw the ground, so no matter the temperature, we can continue to morph our environment into what we need. Human magic. Pretty powerful, no?
Sandy Yuhi
Although I’m holding my e-book, my mind is everywhere else. The last two weeks have gone by in a blur of social activity. Dillon and I had caught a movie, something different than our usual dinners and fantasy worlds. I had done social things five nights! Though D&D was canceled again – boo. We played games at Tetreazy. Dillon introduced me to his friend Blake, who was excited to talk to me about his new girlfriend Betty. Though I haven’t met her yet.
Joe invited me to join a few of his friends for a hike, but I turned him down. I like easy walks when the weather is good, not getting up early during the October chill to climb mountains. I’m also avoiding being alone with Joe and answering his more personal messages. The moment on Flagstaff was just so romantic. Joe had made me feel, well, warm and fuzzy. Not just turned on, although that too, but loved. I just wanted that moment to stay that way, not change or get complicated.
He’d mentioned a real date multiple times now, but I keep putting him off. I’m not sure if that’s what I want right now. Dating. Sex. Amorino had given me a prime example of why I just needed to steer clear of all that. Maybe I needed to make a female friend … that would be safer, right?
“Everything is really behind because of that early freeze,” Devon says loudly, interrupting my thoughts.
I’m the only other person in the pod at the moment. Even my terrible intuition knows that he’s trying to start a conversation. I put down my phone. “That it is,” I respond. We’d known the cold was coming and had the Hydronic Ground Thaws delivered today. Overall, not that dire as far as these projects went but not good either.
“It’s going to be a cold Halloween,” I say. I’m thinking of my costume for tomorrow night.
Dillon is running a themed one-shot at his house. He said it would be in a haunted forest, so I decided I wanted a costume to match. Dillon helped me find it. He enjoys shopping! He liked my costume so much, he said he would modify one of his characters for me to play. But he’s keeping it a surprise.
“I hope my grandkids can still go out,” Devon declares. He has pictures of his grandkids on his phone and I do the friendly thing and check them out.
My phone beeps, saving me from the seemingly endless chain of photos.
Joe: What are you doing for Halloween?
I read the message twice. I assumed everyone in the campaign had gotten an invite. Dillon must not have invited Joe. That confuses me; the three of us had been hanging out a lot and the two of them seemed to be getting along really well.
Sandy: I’m playing in a one-shot.
Joe: Very nice. Is it an open game?
Sandy: Um, I have no idea. I actually assumed you were invited. Dillon’s running it.
Joe: Ha, I’m not surprised I didn’t get invited. Dillon doesn’t like me.
Sandy: That’s not true. He has a lot of respect for you. He just says you disagree on stuff.
Joe: You talk to Dillon about me?
Sandy: We talk about our DM. And yes, I like Dillon. I thought you two were friends.
Sandy: I will shoot him a text.
The door to the pod bounces open, letting in a whoosh of cold air. I give Amorino a dirty look and he smiles back at me.
“Playing with your phone at work?” Amorino asks. He stalks toward my desk.
“Devon is playing with his too,” I whine, throwing Devon under the bus with me.
Amorino plucks my phone out of my hands just as it dings again. “Don’t worry about it. I will call him this evening, Joe,” he reads aloud.
“Scandalous. Give me my phone back.” Amorino tosses it back to me.
“We have those ground heaters running. Sandy, I want you with the concrete until the final pour is finished,” Amorino barks more sternly than necessary. His chiseled face could use a shave and he has bags forming under his eyes. The delays with the blueprints and now the weather must be getting to him.
“You have run projects further behind than this,” I point out and stand to get my coat. I briefly squeeze his arm to emphasize my point as I pass.
“I usually have some tension release to go with them,” I hear him say softly.
I hate it that my body responds to his voice still. “That’s why you got married,” I reassure him overly cheerily. I ignore the heat between my legs and step into the cold, crisp sunlight.
Colorado really does have the best weather.
Chapte
r Forty-One
Reality, Dillon’s Apartment, Solar Row
Boulder Colorado is so liberal, It’s close-minded. If you don’t compost and belong to a gym, you might as well move. It currently hosts one of the major green-building projects in the area. Solar Row is an adorable stretch of oddly-shaped townhomes made of recycled materials, solar panels, and all things green. Each one is painted a different color. It makes for a unique picture against the dark red and browns of the flatirons.
Sandy Yuhi
Dillon’s neighborhood is adorable. Even Dillon’s home seems so sweet and innocent. “I would prefer quaint and honest,” I can hear Dillon say in my head. Quaint is a good word for it. I walk up the three steps to his little fake wood porch. It’s all decked out in Halloween decorations and I knock on the door. A woman opens it.
“Hi, I’m Betty. Hand me something,” she says.
I hand her a grocery bag with salad and candy. I keep my pumpkin-spiced Baileys. It’s an import. I will not admit to the amount I paid to have a case of it shipped from Ireland. I let myself drink one a year – literally the biggest commitment I have made in my entire life.
“I’m Sandy,” I introduce myself to the woman as we go through the door. “I’m assuming this is Dillon’s house?”
“Hi Sandy,” Blake cuts in. “You look adorable.”
I bring my hands, still holding the Baileys, in front of me and kick up a leg. I found a squirrel costume … well, we found a squirrel costume! I would not say that I’m overly fond of squirrels. But the red and grey onesie is very cozy. It came with a headband with matching round ears. I have my black hair up and hidden in braids over the top of my head to keep it flat. My nose is painted brownish-red and I used eye-liner to give myself whiskers. My favorite part is the fat bushy tail. It isn’t quite the right color, but close enough.
“I can’t wait to meet my character,” I respond. “You look pretty suave yourself.”
Blake is dressed in a bright yellow suit with a black-and-white striped tie. Betty returns from setting down my stuff somewhere. I notice that her dress matches Blake’s tie. Betty is a tall blonde with lots of curves. The dress she’s wearing pushes up her plump breasts nicely, and the black-and-white stripe pattern that runs vertically along her body gives her a lovely hourglass shape.
“Are you two dressed up from the same thing?” I ask.
Blake looks disappointed with me. “The Mask, 1994 classic, Jim Carrey? A superhero movie before they were big?”
“You look stunning.” I turn to Betty. I have obviously not seen the movie. Betty blushes. “I would kill to have one third of your cleavage,” I add.
“Thanks, I think,” she chuckles. “You’re the last one to arrive. Let’s get the game started.”
Betty shows me into the kitchen and points out the bathroom. She helps me pour myself a drink. Then, noticing what I’m pouring, she gets a glass of Baileys on ice as well. Betty is really friendly. Blake has good taste.
“And we’re playing in here,” Betty advises. She leads us back toward the front door and to a room I somehow hadn’t noticed when I first walked in.
Dillon is seated at the head of a folding table, his Victorian top billowing over his shoulders. A few gold chains cross his upper chest and his hair is covered by a curly white wig. Half his body is hidden behind his Dungeon Master screen. Joe is leaning against the wall, wearing a suit with a bright red tie and a fedora, a beer in his hand.
“I told you she looked adorable,” Dillon says.
I smile as Joe’s eyes meet mine. My heart flutters and I try to quiet it. I never should have kissed him.
I’m playing a sentient wizard squirrel! And she’s amazing. We’re exploring a creepy forest. It’s dark, dense, and full of sounds. Literally, Dillon has some app that lets you add sound effects and ambiance to your game. Currently, we’re debating if we should follow these floating lights that Dillon literally described as “either good or evil balls of light”. When he has a description written down, it’s flowing and lovely, but it’s easy to tell when he’s winging it.
Dillon’s doorbell rings and it’s my turn. The sun has gone down and the packs of kids are getting older. I let them each pick their own candy and eye their bright costumes. My phone sings back at the table.
“I’m Groot!” a tiny girl exclaims as she takes a candy. She’s rather young to be out past dark, but her mom watches from the bottom of the stairs. I feel my dislike of kids waiver. Maybe they are not all so bad.
“Groot needs to grow big and tall,” I say. “Take two.”
It takes the little girl a bit to pick out her candy and I hear my phone start to sing again.
“Sandy, it’s Amorino,” I hear Joe’s voice say. He’d better just be looking at the screen.
“Send it to voicemail,” I instruct. Presumably he does, and my phone immediately rings again. I wave goodbye to the little girl and close the door. I was that innocent at one point. We all were. Maybe that’s why Dillon loves this part of Halloween so much.
“It’s ringing again,” Joe say unnecessarily.
I snatch my phone from his hands and answer it tersely. “What?”
“Sandy?” Devon’s voice. “We need you on site. Kids broke in, Amorino was still here and got involved. He’s hurt and we need to clear the site.”
“Sorry, I snapped. Is he ok?” My heart flutters. I look around for my purse and start moving toward my shoes.
“He should be fine,” Devon responds. “He’s with the ambulance.”
“Ambulance,” I repeat, startled. “That doesn’t sound fine.”
“It’s just procedure. We both know him. He won’t leave until the site is secured and the police have a full report of damages. Just get here when you can.”
“I’m on my way.” I hang up the phone and say disappointedly to the room, “I’m so sorry.” One of my boots is already on. “I don’t know how long this will take – hopefully not too long.”
“I’ll drive you,” Joe offers.
I drove myself here but have had a few glasses of Baileys and appreciate the offer. “Dillon, want to join us? It will be chaotic, but you were just telling me the other day you wanted to see my job site. We could all go.” I hope my attempt to not be alone with Joe isn’t obvious.
“It’s cool,” Blake says. “Dillon, you should go. Take some pics if it’s gruesome. Betty and I will entertain ourselves and hold down the fort.”
“Thank you, Blake,” I say. I might be mad at Amorino at the moment, but he’s still important to me. The last thing in the world I want is him hurt.
Chapter Forty-Two
Reality, Bela Casa Construction, Home Development
Emotions run hot and cold, but it isn’t until the people that one cares about are gone that you realize how much they really mean.
Dillon Dempsy
“This is your boss that makes you uncomfortable, right?” I confirm from the passenger seat. I still don’t really want to meet the guy, but I couldn't say no when Sandy asked me to join her. She and Joe don’t need any more time alone together as far as I’m concerned.
“Yes,” she confirms. “We were friends before he gave me the job and it’s just awkward sometimes. But either way, now he’s a friend that’s hurt. A detail and work-obsessed bastard that could be bleeding to death and still will not leave the work site until he knows everything is under control.”
“There is something to be said for good work ethics,” I say, reflecting on my own time management issues.
Joe pulls into the parking lot. A single police car has its flashing lights on and is parked near an ambulance. Sandy jumps out of the car and heads for the ambulance, disappearing behind it. Joe and I follow close behind.
“Amorino, are you ok?” I hear her ask just as I come around the back.
A chiseled man, clearly of Italian descent, has a medic wrapping his arm. His dark hair is thick. Though he could use a shave, he’s quite handsome.
“I knew you still c
ared,” the man answers Sandy. “Why are you dressed like a squirrel? Not that it isn’t unbelievably cute on you.”
“It’s Halloween. Why were you still on site? We shut down hours ago,” she reprimands.
“I was pushing some paperwork through to get a head start tomorrow,” Amorino explains. “Good thing, too. Some little punks decided our site is haunted and snuck in to do mischief.”
“And you’re ok?” she asks again.
I’m surprised when Amorino brings his arm around her and pulls her to him.
“I’m now,” he breathes.
I tighten my lips as she quickly pulls back. “If you staged this,” she starts to say.
“My fucking arm is broken.” Amorino laughs. “I see you hired the same taxi driver. He’s even dressed like a professional tonight. Good thing too, because you smell like pumpkin- spice Baileys. Your self-control is amazing.”
“Sweetheart,” I hear a voice yell and see Sandy quickly take another step back.
“I’ll have the police show me what you need inventoried so you can leave with your wife and soon as possible.” She turns and I see a tall beautiful Italian woman rush into Amorino’s arms, crying.
I watch for a minute as Amorino’s eyes follow Sandy’s retreat before turning to comfort the woman crying on his chest. I dodge past Joe and come up next to Sandy.
“Are you ok?” I check with her. I see Joe come up on her other side and, to my surprise, she reaches out a hand. I take it but can’t help notice that she has reached for Joe’s as well.
She squeezes my hand reassuringly. “I have friends,” she smiles. “Let’s do this quickly. I want to throw more acorns at things.”