Callum looked to me for confirmation, I nodded and read off my order of Mushroom Ravioli. I waited for my date to order before handing Kandi my menu.
Once alone we returned back to our conversation, “So, you were saying, ‘family-friendly’?”
“Well… some of the dancers invite their family along.”
“If you want me to come, I’ll be there.”
“I won’t be working so we can grab some food beforehand if you want?”
“Chinese?” My stomach gurgled at the thought. I must have been hungrier than I thought.
“Sounds like a date.” I winked and pressed a kiss to his lips. Feeling warm, I shrugged out of my jacket and hung it on the back of my chair. I began to regret the decision to sit inside.
“I have a question. Why burlesque?”
“One of my dancers, Tatum, suggested it about a year ago. It’s a way for us to market to women. A female strip joint doesn’t interest women. A burlesque show does, it’s a night out, a bit of fun.”
“The club must be doing well with having such a smart woman to run the place.”
“You’re only saying that because you know me and are trying to score brownie points.”
“That’s not true. I mean I do love you and I want all the brownie points I can get, but I do think you’re an amazing person.”
Surprisingly to me, my cheeks flushed at the compliment. It was the first genuine one that I’d heard from someone that wasn’t family or employed by me.
As the food arrived I subtly switched topics. I’d decided we’d talked enough about me and my work. So instead, I started asking more about Callum’s career. I didn’t know much about baseball, all I knew was what Callum had taught me. And the only time I’d ever been to a game was to see him play.
He’d said on our last date that he was thinking of retiring and I wondered just how serious he was about that.
I reached for my glass of water as my palms began to sweat. I gulped down the rest of my glass before refilling it.
“Is it hot in here?” I asked.
“Not especially. Mel, are you feeling okay?" His face pinched into a look of concern.
“Just hot.” I fanned myself with the wine list that had been left forgotten on the side of the table. I tried to laugh it off but I knew that something wasn’t right.
“You look as white as a sheet,” his hand reached out to feel my forehead. “Okay, you’re burning up. Let’s get you home.”
“I’m fine,” although the girls had come home last Friday with the sniffles. I took a bite of my pasta but had to force it down. Maybe Callum was right. It was better to be safe than sorry.
Oh god. My hand covered my mouth as bile crept up my throat.
“Do you want me to drive you home?”
I looked at him, really looked at him. He was so sweet, and I was hiding half of my life from him. I smiled as I declined his offer, “I’m fine grabbing a cab. If I’ve got a bug or something, I don’t want you catching it.”
“Call me later to check-in.” He pulled me in for a hug and kissed my cheek before he left. I watched him walk away before pulling out my phone and dialing the cab company.
I sat on a bench waiting for the car to arrive for about five minutes. I jumped in and gave the driver my address, while my mom’s house was right around the corner, I didn’t want to chance that she might still be home. She would’ve been going to the shops soon before picking up the girls from school. If she’d been home when I barged in and threw myself over the toilet bowl she would’ve freaked out.
It was better if I didn’t worry her, so instead, I held a hand over my mouth and rolled the window down as the cab drove me home.
I’d never liked taking cabs because the drivers nearly always took you the longest route possible. After jumping in the cab about ready to puke, I’d discovered that was key to getting the quickest ride.
All these years and I’d never known that was the golden ticket.
By the time I arrived home, I felt sick to my stomach. I headed inside with the intention of running myself a nice warm bath.
