Play It Safe(93)

I stared at him. Then I burst out laughing.

His arms gave me another squeeze and when I sobered I saw him smiling down at me.

Then he said gently, “Come on, Janie’s waitin’.”

I nodded, he let me go with one arm then turned me to the bar.

We entered and I braced. The applause was awesome and I liked it, I liked why I got it but I didn’t want to go through it again.

I didn’t.

Barry and Gene had transferred their asses from the benches at the VFW to their seats at Janie’s. Peg was at the bar as usual. It was Friday so the crowd was not heavy but it wasn’t light. And Janie was behind the bar.

Yep, God liked her. Seven years and she still looked great.

I saw her mouth move saying my name but I didn’t hear it. Then she moved to the near end of the bar.

Gray walked us toward her as Peg called out, “Hey, Ivey,” like the last time I saw her was yesterday.

I smiled at Peg. “Hey, Peg.”

She grinned semi-drunkenly back. It was early. She wasn’t sloshed. Not yet.

Jeez. Peg.

Well, at least she hadn’t died of liver damage.

I turned again to see Janie had cleared the bar and she was coming at me, smiling tentatively.

“Hey, Janie,” I said and her smile got bigger before it wobbled.

God, I hoped she didn’t cry. I didn’t have much makeup left. If she cried, I would and another bout would take the rest.

Then she made it to me and folded her arms around me.

I returned the favor.

I’d never hugged her and now I had proof that her br**sts weren’t fake.

“Hey, Ivey,” she whispered.

My arms went tighter.

So did hers.

Neither of us moved.

Then her arms got tighter, her head turned and in my ear she started, “Years ago, I hung up on you when you were tryin’ to find Gray. And a month ago, I said some –”

“Don’t,” I cut her off and pulled my head back, keeping my arms around her and finding her eyes. Her head went back too. “It’s over. I get it. You do too. Don’t.” I grinned. “That’s done. Everyone’s moving on. I’m home.”

She studied me carefully, eyes moving over my face, they flicked up to Gray then back to me where she grinned and asked, “Wanna job?”

I started laughing.

She smiled bigger but she stated, “No joke, wanna job?”

I stopped laughing and stared at her.

She wasn’t joking.

Wow.

Could I go back to work at The Rambler after wearing thousands of dollars of dresses, jewelry and shoes every night at Lash’s club for years?

I didn’t know.

“Can I have a couple of weeks to settle in and think about it?”

“You can but job might not be there because, seriously, I need some help. But you think and even if that job goes, I’m sure you’ll find where you wanna be. It seems to happen that way, you hit Mustang.”

“Experienced that,” I muttered and she smiled again.

“Two beers, Janie,” Gray ordered, moving in to claim me. When he had me at his side with an arm around me, he went on, “Me and Ivey’re gonna play some pool.”

“You got it, Gray,” she murmured, grinned at me, I grinned back and Gray turned me to the pool tables.

He got the balls while I got the cues.

This felt weird, this felt good and this felt sad.

I decided to focus on the former two.

Gray racked the balls. I gave him a cue. Janie brought our beers.

“Flip to break?” I asked.

“What’s the point?” he asked back.

I grinned and walked to the head of the table, leaned over and set my cue to the ball.

“Go easy on me dollface,” Gray called and just my eyes tipped up to him.

“Not a chance.”

He smiled.

I looked at the table and let fly.

Balls scattered, two went down.

I hadn’t lost my touch.

Good to know.

* * * * *

Seven hours later…

I woke tucked in the curve of Gray’s body, his arm around me.

I didn’t know what time it was. I just knew, after Gray took me home, we had sex and, after, he cuddled into me in order to go to sleep at a time when it was way earlier than I was used to going to sleep. Lash and I didn’t hit his ivory sheets until two or three in the morning nearly every night.

It took me awhile to find sleep but now I was awake like I could face the day.

It would take awhile to get used to this.

But now, I had an idea and, lying there wide awake, I decided I was going to go with it.

I carefully slid out from under Gray’s arm only for it to tighten and bring me back.

“Where you goin’?” he rumbled in a sleepy growl.

Oh yes, I liked that. The growl and that he didn’t want to let go of me.

I liked them both.

A lot.

“Bathroom,” I lied. “Be back.” That wasn’t a lie.

He let me go.

I slid out of bed.

Then I moved through the house. Curtains open everywhere, moonlight shining in lighting my way. There was no one around to look through those windows, no need to shut the drapes.

For some bizarre reason, I liked that too.