Chance Read online

  He laughed, not at me but at the TV show. He then looked up. “Ran out of work at the construction site, so the boss sent us home.”

  He acted like it was a no big deal, but to me it was. There were too many nights when he would come home because there wasn’t enough work or he didn’t feel well or he was tired. I wanted to scream at all the times, but he continued to think that everything was alright. I took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten so I wouldn’t blow up.

  “Oh. Well, maybe it’s time you sought out another job. If there isn’t enough work…” My voice trailed off, just waiting for him to catch up to my words.

  He looked at me and it was clear we were not on the same page with this one. “Baby, it will pick up. It’s just the off season.”

  You’ve been saying that for months, I wanted to point out. Instead, I just nodded. He got off the couch and walked over to me. He planted a kiss on my nose, then my mouth. I went with it because it was expected, but the whole thing once again just felt off.

  “I guess you’re right,” I sadly stated.

  He perked up, though. “You bet I am. You’ll see.” He went back to the couch and plopped himself back down, then turned back to the screen and laughed again. I wondered when it was that Thomas resorted to being a kid. Was he always like that? I didn’t have time to wonder.

  I turned around and left the living room, unable to worry about it for much longer. I had plans to meet up with Michelle and Sophie. I went into the bedroom and pulled out my clothes from the closet, then grabbed some undergarments and took them in the bathroom, where I took a quick shower.

  I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself up in a towel, then started to brush out and blow dry my hair. I spotted Thomas in the mirror and he was watching me. The cartoon had to have been over. I smiled.

  “You are as beautiful as you were the day I met you.” He walked over to me and nuzzled his lips into my neck. This was how he got every time he worried I was upset with him. He got very serious, talking about how beautiful I was, then thinking he could seduce me into bed. It wouldn’t work this time because I had plans and only had a little time to finish getting ready.

  “Thanks, Sweetheart,” I said. It was more of a casual response than a commitment for anything happening. He started massaging my shoulders and looked at me through the mirror.

  “What do you say we take this towel off and make good use of the bed?” he snickered and I chuckled.

  I’d give him points for trying. “It’s a nice thought, but you know I have plans.”

  He seemed surprised by that revelation. “You do?” he asked.

  I tilted my head and turned to look at him. “I marked it on the calendar in the kitchen, put it on your phone, and told you at least three times yesterday that I was going out with the girls.” I laughed and nodded. “You knew I had plans.”

  He shrugged. “I guess I was hoping I could convince you to change those plans.” He laughed and I could tell he was partly kidding.

  Plus, I had no intention of changing my plans. We had been planning to go out for weeks. I was ready for this evening. “Maybe tonight when I get home you can do some convincing.” I winked at him and he seemed more energized, nodding eagerly. I turned back around and finished doing my hair and he went out of the bathroom. I took twenty more minutes to get ready, applied a light touch of makeup, and then left the bathroom. He was back in front of the TV and barely acknowledged me when I said I was going to be leaving, just tossed a wave to the side and I left.

  I got in my car and headed out of my driveway and towards the highway to get to the restaurant Michelle had chosen. It was a steakhouse that was supposed to have a cool atmospheric vibe, or at least that’s what she said. It was more on the outskirts of town, so I had a good drive to get there.

  When I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted Michelle’s VW right away. She was picking up Sophie, so I knew I was the last one to get there. I parked in a spot just two spots from her vehicle and locked it up, then hurried up the steps of the restaurant. The door opened before I even reached it.

  A guy held it open and he looked me over as Thomas once did when we first met. I smiled at him and his eyes never left me as I entered the restaurant. I was pretty sure he even checked out my ass. It made me feel pretty good in that moment. I missed having a guy’s attention. Thomas gave me little bits of attention, but it just wasn’t the same like it once was. Thoughts briefly went back to a year ago when I met Nolan. He provided me more attention than I had received from my boyfriend in the past year. Don’t get me wrong. Our sex life had not diminished, but it was more like a chore, instead of needing to do it, because if you didn’t you would feel lost. It was sad that it had gotten to the point.

  I opened my mouth to tell the hostess that I was meeting two friends when I heard my name. “Charity. Over here!”

  I looked to the right and saw them in the bar. I motioned that I knew where I was going and the hostess just nodded. I got into the bar and slid into the booth where Michelle and Sophie were. “Hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I said.

  “Just ten minutes or so. No biggie!” Sophie said.

  I took a drink of the water in front of my spot. I was parched.

  “Michelle does have some huge news, though,” Sophie started.

  I looked up at Michelle and Michelle was red in the face. She shrugged. “Not really that huge!”

  I was dying to know. “What is it? Tell me!”

  “Brett and I are—.”

  “Engaged!” Sophie quickly blurted out.

  My jaw dropped. It was huge news. Brett and Michelle had been dating a shorter time period than Thomas and myself, so I was a bit reluctant to be exceedingly happy for her, but it was still great news for them. They had been in a relationship for just over a year, definitely long enough to know they’re the right one. Just not everyone had that gut feeling right off.

  “That’s awesome!” I said, hoping that she heard my enthusiasm. She showed off her ring and I was left sitting there and feeling a bit of sadness welling up inside of me. I put on a smile, but deep down was wondering if I would ever get the chance to show off my engagement ring. I just wasn’t sure.

  CHAPTER 10

  Nolan

  I

  t was seven thirty on the nose when I walked into The Luxor. I glanced around and spotted Francesca sitting at a table against the wall. She was sipping on something red inside her glass. Red wine perhaps! I walked over to her and she looked up, keeping a grin on her lips.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Hello.” I sat down across from her and was only there a few seconds before a waitress came out, greeted us, and gave me a menu. “Thank you!” I said, grabbing the menu and looking in it.

  “I talked to someone when I got here and he said the lobster is superb,” she stated.

  I looked up at her and nodded. “Not really into lobster tonight,” I said, looking back down at my menu. I continued to look through the menu, while Francesca continued to discuss other recommendations. I closed up my menu after making up my decision.

  “So…what’d you decide?” she asked, seemingly frantic to hear.

  “The catfish,” I said.

  She frowned and I could almost read her mind. That wasn’t the type of meal she expected me to get. I ignored her thoughts and when the waitress came back, I placed my order. Francesca did get the lobster, which was completely fine for her. I just didn’t feel the need to give in to her tastes.

  “So, where’d you have to go this afternoon?” I asked, taking a drink of water, while I waited for my scotch that was on the way.

  She smiled. “What do you mean?”

  I shrugged, remembering how blunt she was about meeting me and not having me pick her up. I still considered it and knew there had to be some sort of reason. “Just found it a bit odd that you weren’t accepting a car ride here. Figured you had to go somewhere.”

  She blus
hed slightly and the waitress came and gave me my drink, interrupting her from proceeding. I thanked her, then looked back at Francesca. “I did have some errands to do,” she finally stated.

  “Errands?” I asked, taking a drink from my glass.

  The redness on her cheeks remained before she finally couldn’t contain herself. “Alright. I won’t give it away because I hate ruining surprises, but play your cards right Mr. Baxter and tonight you’ll get a special surprise.”

  She winked at me and I felt a tad uncomfortable. So much so that I quickly wanted to know what she meant, because I personally hated surprises. “A special surprise? Care to elaborate?” I asked.

  She tilted her head and really bore her eyes into my soul. She then laughed. “You are always quite impatient. I’ll give you a hint. It consists of you…me…and a sexy piece of clothing I might have bought this afternoon. Now, that is all I’m going to say.”

  I thought about that and while I was usually so open to whatever Francesca had on her mind, I was more hesitant at that moment. It confused me and I kept quiet the rest of the meal, only speaking when spoken to and even then keeping my responses very quick and to the point. She didn’t seem to notice as she never brought it up, but there was something nagging at me. I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I didn’t feel right about the situation.

  “This food is to die for,” Francesca said, cooing excitedly about the lobster she was eating. I just smiled in agreement, still remaining timid about speaking. I needed to figure out why I had these feelings before I invited Francesca back to my place as I did so many times before.

  CHAPTER 11

  Charity

  I

  congratulated Michelle for what seemed like the twentieth time as we said our goodbyes and I left the nightclub. After we had dinner, we all decided we could use the chance to continue the night out. We wound up at a nightclub that was just two doors down from the restaurant. Michelle and Sophie decided to stick around and Brett was going to join them, but I was tired and ready to leave. I walked back to my car, which was still parked in the restaurant’s parking spot and unlocked my doors with the remote.

  My lights came on and I got inside. I glanced at the clock on my dashboard. It was just after nine o’clock. Somehow, it seemed like I had been out later. I yawned, signaling that I was tired from my long day at work. I put the key in the ignition and turned it. It sputtered and then died. “What?” I groaned. I tried it again. It did much of the same. Just sputtered and died. “Dammit!” I hit the steering wheel and somewhere along the way something happened because the third attempt was golden. The car started. “Yes!” I was relieved and just needed to get home.

  I backed out of my spot and headed towards home. I kept yawning and started to even nod off a couple of times, so I turned my music up louder and pushed on. Instead of going the highway, I turned down a couple of back roads, not really sure where I was going, but according to my phone GPS, it was a shortcut. Anything to get home earlier was fine by me.

  However, it isn’t always the smart decision, because as I was driving down the one dirt road, my car suddenly halted right where it was. My mouth opened and I looked around. I was in the middle of nowhere. Even my GPS didn’t give a name for the road. I tried to start my car three times again but to no avail. It wouldn’t turn over.

  “Oh my God,” I mumbled. I sat there, not another car in sight. I reached over to my purse and dug out my phone so I could call Thomas, at least. I tried to dial up his cell number and nothing happened. The phone clicked off. The phone also said there was no service. I was literally living my nightmare. I got out of the car and started to walk, searching for service, then when I got one line, I tried calling him again. This time I sort of heard him answer.

  “H….h….h….o…” There were lots of crackling noises.

  “Thomas? Can you hear me?” I asked.

  “Ch…ty…”

  “Thomas?” I screamed into the phone. Then the phone went dead.

  I fought the urge to throw it down and break it into a million pieces. Instead, I slipped it in my pocket. I went back to my car and grabbed my purse from inside. My only option, no matter how awful it was, I had to walk. So, I locked my car and I started walking.

  I walked for what seemed like hours when it was mere minutes. I kept turning around and seeing my car appear so close. I would then groan and turn back around and start walking again. When I glanced at my watch and found that it was nine thirty, I was disgusted. I had been walking for probably fifteen minutes and I didn’t think I was any closer to civilization. I had to keep trudging along and that’s when I saw it. Off to the West was a large building. It was lively, because there were a ton of lights on it, signaling me to get there. I could have run if it wasn’t for the fact that I was sweaty, smelly, and already sore. Plus, the heels I wore were cutting into my feet. I stumbled upon the place, feeling so much happiness to finally have some sort of help at my fingertips.

  When I reached the door, there were a few guys standing outside. Two men were talking and one was leaning against the railing and smoking on a cigarette. When he glanced at me, I nodded, but then realized he looked familiar. I was worried that I had been walking for too long and was suddenly hallucinating because it didn’t seem possible. Standing next to me, a cigarette in hand, was Nolan Baxter. He nearly dropped the cigarette as he gawked at me.

  He then stood up straighter and a soft grin came to his lips. “Charity?” he asked. I couldn’t believe he remembered my name. I just assumed he had forgotten. I had so much I wanted to say to him and suddenly my brain was mush. I could only utter a weak hello and hope my brain would soon start functioning again.

  CHAPTER 12

  Charity

  I

  t’d been a year since I had last seen Nolan, so it was no wonder why my brain wanted to malfunction at that very moment, but I really did have a lot of things that I wanted to tell this man. Starting with, not a day had gone by that I didn’t think of him in some capacity. Yet, I couldn’t say that because that would look like I was a crazed maniac.

  Eventually, I at least got a few words out. “How are you?” I asked.

  He nodded and put his cigarette in the bin outside the door, then glanced at me. “I’m doing pretty well. Thanks. And you, Charity? How are you?”

  The way he said my name had me weak in the knees. I felt like I could accomplish anything by just being in his presence. “I’m doing great. Thanks!” So I lied. It wasn’t like I needed to divulge all my secrets to him.

  He smiled. “Well, you look great!”

  I blushed and looked down at my clothes. I had dirt spots on top of dirt spots. I could sense my hair was a matted mess. So, it was obvious that Nolan was a fantastic liar. “I look a mess,” I said, nervously looking down.

  He shook his head. “No. Not at all!”

  I snickered. “You clearly are a great liar or a cynic. Or maybe you’re just blind,” I said, chuckling. “I know I’m a mess.” I heaved a sigh and haphazardly pointed back towards the direction of the car. “My car broke down about fifty miles back there.”

  His eyes grew. “Fifty miles? You walked all that way and you’re not even out of breath?”

  I laughed. “Well, maybe it just seems like it’s fifty miles. Anyway…it’s somewhere back there. My phone wouldn’t get a signal either.”

  He nodded. “Yeah! Turns out cell service isn’t that great out here. I’d offer you to use my phone, but I don’t have any connections with that platform.”

  My mouth opened. “You mean that you don’t have your personal lines for your cell phone.” I laughed and he joined in.

  “Shocking, isn’t it?” We chuckled a bit more, then he made an offer.

  “I could come look at your car for you.”

  “You’re an auto mechanic too?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I’ve messed on a few cars.”

  I was reluctant because we hadn’t se
en each other and even then we barely knew each other…like at all. So, I couldn’t just willingly agree to have him come check out my car. He was practically a stranger. A stranger I thought about for every day for the past year, but a stranger nonetheless. I opened my mouth to tell him that I would appreciate it if he would. After reconnecting for this brief moment, I really didn’t want to have to jump backward and say goodbye to him again.

  The front door to the restaurant opened up and out walked a woman. She walked right up to Nolan. “Hey, ready to get out of here so I can show you that surprise.” She didn’t even notice me there, or she didn’t act like she saw me.

  His face had a touch of pink and I looked away. That was a million times more awkward than the most awkward moment could have been. “Um…Francesca, this is Charity…” He hesitated and glanced at me, before adding, “An old friend.”

  “Charity this is Francesca, one of my employees.”

  I smiled at her and presented my hand, but she simply snubbed my hand offering. Instead, she replied with, “Hello.” It was very straightforward and I knew that I definitely could not impose on him to do me any favors.

  “I was just leaving. It was very nice to meet you, Francesca.” I then looked up into his surprised expression. “Good seeing you, Nolan.” I smiled and went into the restaurant. I stood there for a moment as the door closed behind me. It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t get between whatever Nolan had going on with Francesca. I had to take a step back and let life take its course.

  CHAPTER 13

  Nolan

  I

  stared at the door for a minute, mainly in disbelief that Charity blew me off like that. For the past year, I had wondered what it would be like if I ever saw her again and that was not how I envisioned it.