Carpe Bead'em Read Free Page A

to think about it.” I’m not
going to let her bully me into a job I don’t want.
    “Don’t think too hard, because I’d hate
to see you work the floor again.” Her eyes darken.
    If I didn’t know better, I’d think
sparks are about to fly out of them.
    Everything on her face and in her body
speaks: I’m the regional manager, which gives me the right to move whomever
she pleases. It just so happens that I please to move you.
    “I see.” I look out the back window,
overlooking the alley and begin to gently hum. “ I can see clearly now the
rain is gone .”
    “Go on home and think about it. Take a day
off.  Pay on me.” She waves me out. “Ta-ta, love.”
    I don’t have the guts to look my
employees in the eyes. Especially after I feel their stares all over me. I might
be a coward, but I don’t want to go back to Cincinnati. I’ve spent too many
years trying to keep my past…well just that. In the past.
     
    Laying around all day didn’t help my
mood. I’m hopeful that going to Georgia’s and being with my best friends will
help clarify what’s happening in my life. They are exactly what I need.
    “Unbelievable!” Prudence belts out. “You
know I never liked Piper. The instance I met her, I knew she was trouble.” 
    In true best friend fashion, Georgia and
Lucy are rooting Prudence on.
    “I would’ve marched around your desk and
told her not to get too comfortable.” Georgia cocks her right eyebrow which is
partially covered by her crimson hair.
    I’ll never forget the day I met
Prudence. It was at the store, and we were about to close. Most employees groan
when they hear the front bell signaling a customer right before quitting time.
Not me. I know they are out looking for something specific and that means a
sale. Usually a big sale, and I was right.
    She needed an outfit for a big trial the
next day. I not only got her the perfect suit, I picked out the perfect shoes
and perfect briefcase to go with it. The commission alone was three months’
rent.
    She came in frequently after that and we
became friends.
    “What are you going to do?” Georgia
asks. Leave it up to the sensible one in the group to cut to the chase.
    “I don’t have a choice. I’ll pay Lucy
rent and have a place there.” I fiddle with my cocktail napkin. “It’s only
three months.”
    “The last three months before your
marathon.” Georgia brushes her loose crimson curls out of her blue eyes.  
    I forgot all about the marathon, and how
moving will affect my real life. My heart flutters. I don’t know what I’ll do
without my daily dose of Bo. I know all his t-shirts by heart. I know exactly
what he will wear before I begin running behind him.
    “I’ll be back for the marathon,” I
confirm. But I know there is no way I’m going to be motivated to run in
Cincinnati, much less continue to train for the marathon.
    Lucy laughs so hard that she has to put
her hand down to catch herself from falling over. Her laughter is contagious.
We have no idea what we are smiling about.
    “There is a bright side.” She wraps her
hands around her stomach. “No more midnight phone calls. You can visit Aunt
Grace every day.”
    We all laugh. It’s true. Laughter is the
best medicine. Even if I know I’m going to be sick.

 
    Chapter Five
     
     
    Girls’ night is over by midnight, and
it’s too early for me to go home—especially when I know Bo’s bar is hoping.
    If I hurry, I can make it there in
twenty minutes, and have a cocktail while I tell him about me moving. I picture
him grabbing me and begging me not to go. No harm in wishful thinking, right?
    The city is more alive than ever and the
night life sounds are electric. The laughter, the fighting sounds of drunken
lovers, the zooming cars all feed into my senses. I better savor it now,
because Cincinnati night-life is nowhere near this exciting.
    I wind my way through the crowd to get
to the bar. All sorts of people frequent the place. Bo has an ingenious way