“No dice,” he says.
“Wait, shh,” I say as I hear a voice echoing in the gymnasium. It’s Maddie.
“Everyone, I’ve just been informed by the fire marshal that a power line has fallen and it’s directly across the parking lot of the facility. They’re asking everyone to sit tight and not attempt to leave. Do not attempt to access your cars until we’ve been given clearance that it’s safe to do so. In the meantime, please continue to enjoy the party by candlelight. Volunteers will be coming by with additional battery-operated candles for your convenience.
“Guess we do what she says and sit tight,” Foster says.
“Should we go out there and volunteer to keep people calm?”
“If you want to, I’ll go with you.”
I take a second to think about that. And, no. I’m feeling selfish. Everyone seems calm out there, and the fire department and the city should have the parking lot cleared soon. Maddie has everything handled. I even hear people laughing out there.
“Not really,” I say.
“Good. I don’t feel like sharing you right now.”
I let his words sink in, and they make me shiver.
“So. Coyotes, huh?”
“What?”
“You said you wanted to feed my bad date to the coyotes.”
Foster is leading me by the hand toward the left. Where are we going?
“Oh. That.”
I sense something in front of us and then hear the sound of springs. A mattress. A bed?
I remember that the community theater just finished its winter production of Romeo and Juliet.
“This is the bed where Juliet committed suicide,” I point out.
“Is that a problem?”
Our hands are still linked together, and Foster gives a tug. Excitement rolls through me, and I climb onto the bed next to him.
He pulls me on top instead.
His chest is warm and broad, and I lie with my head there as his hands stroke my back up and down, under my sweatshirt.
“Why didn’t you come up and talk to me at the bar?”
“It didn’t feel right. You were in a bad place about men at the moment.”
“Oh.”
“And then I saw you the next day at the Bluejay Café, laughing and joking with your brother and your nephews. Andyou were kind to the server and left a big tip. In cash. And anytime anyone sees you, you smile at them and hug them, and people walk away from you, smiling. And I couldn’t help but wonder, how in the hell did you get to be this ray of sunshine for everyone else? How do two people with crap experiences end up in such different places?”
His hands reach under the hem of the shirt I wear under my hoodie.
I reach up and stroke his beard. “The same thing happened to you? A series of dates so bad you think you’re jinxed?”
He sighs and finally lets out the truth. “Not exactly. My best man slept with my would-be bride the night before the wedding. The two of them took off with all the cards and fucked off to Vegas.”
That sounds like the plot of a really depressing movie.
