Halfway through my plate I told Jack that I needed to use the ladies’ room. He nodded and pointed to the twin doors, located mid-court. Once inside the restroom, I sat in a stall and tried to regroup. It was so surreal, holding hands with Jack Garcia, being introduced as his girlfriend. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it.
A boisterous group of women entered the restroom. I counted, three, no four different voices. And I was fairly certain that one of them belonged to Valentina. As I’d suspected earlier, there was no trace of grief in her voice.
One of her friends was speaking. “You sure can pick ‘em, Val. Jack is looking hot, hot, hot!”
One of the others chimed in, “Yeah he is. Hot as hell! But what about that piece of trash he dragged in with him? She’s gotta go.”
I could hear the glee in Valentina’s voice as she announced proudly, “Not to worry, chicas. I’ll have Jack back wrapped around my pinkie before you can say ‘buh bye French bitch’” Her friends exploded with laughter. “He is gonna be mine. Just watch.”
Now I was well and truly trapped. Did I hide out in the stall till they left? And if they left before me, would they ambush Jack in his woozy, defenseless state? I made a decision and hoisted up my French mantle, along with my trousers. I flushed and exited the stall, heading for the sink. Valentina and her posse stood frozen, unsure of how much I’d heard. (Uh, everything, bitches).
I turned up the wattage on my smile and said, “Excusez moi” easing between them to wash my hands. They stayed silent and unsure as I washed and dried my hands. One further peek in the mirror to check my hair, then I gave a small smile to the group and quickly exited the restroom.
I hustled over to Jack at the stage, who seemed to have snagged another beer. Bending toward him I whispered urgently in his ear, “Jack we ‘ave to go.”
He turned to me curiously, studying my face, trying to focus on me. “Why?
“Just trust me, Jack. We need to go now.”
The message seemed to get through. He gathered up the remains of our dinner and tossed it into the large garbage can against the wall. He took my hand, and we threaded through the tables, saying good-byes as we went. We had almost made it to the door when Valentina and her posse intercepted us, giving me the stink eye as she attempted to insinuate herself in between Jack and me.
Uh, no, not today, you grasping has-been.
I threaded my arm through Jack’s and stood my ground. She had no idea who she was dealing with. I did not like this woman one bit and Jack deserved much better.
I managed to sound a bit sorrowful as I said to Valentina, “Je suis desolée…I am so…sorry…for your…loss. I know a love like zat is just one time in a life. If you had not broken up wiz Jack, you would not have had Nick, and I would not have Jack. So, sank you for zat.” I gazed up at Jack with adoring eyes as I said the last bit. His look at me was a bit confused, but he followed along, gamely.
“Good to see you, Val. I’m sorry about Nick. He was a good guy.” His lips tightened as he wrapped his arm around my waist and led me out into the parking lot. He seemed to take our relationship escalation in stride.
Outside he paused and took a deep breath, head tilted back, seeming to search the skies. Then he shook his head and turned toward the car, wobbling slightly.
“Jack, give me ze keys, please. I do not sink you should be driving.” He dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them over without protest. A sensible man who knew when not to argue! I was pleasantly surprised.
Chapter 3
As I drove, Jack leaned back against the seat and watched me. Suddenly he spoke. “It must be tough doing lots of travel as a single woman.”
“What do you mean, Jack?”
“You’re so beautiful; you must get hit on all the time.”
I was glad that it was dark out so he couldn’t see the pink in my cheeks. “Not so much. Most men are quite respectful. Alzough, zer is a man who is always trying to convince me to go to bed wiz him. Unfortunately, ‘e will be at my meeting tomorrow. I call him PBD because ‘e zinks no woman can resist ze allure of a pink button-down shirt.”
Jack’s mouth turned up into a half grin. “Sounds like an ass.”
“You are not wrong.”
Back at the hotel, I turned off the car and sat thinking. It was too late to call Rolly, the limo driver, and I didn’t feel safe taking an Uber alone this late at night in a strange city.
“Eve, what’s going on?” Jack’s question roused me out of my thought tangle.
“Oh, sorry, I am just considering ze best way to get to my ‘otel.”
“No problem; I’ll drop you off,” he offered.
“Clearly you should not. Remember zat I drove?” He sat silently considering this for a moment.
“Hey, your stuff’s already here. Just spend the night in my room and I’ll take you in the morning. No monkey business, I promise.” He held up some fingers as a pledge. “I wasn’t actually ever a scout, so I’m not sure how that’s done,” he admitted sheepishly. “C’mon. You helped me out tonight so you can have a place to sleep. No strings.”
