deeply with such a thoughtful gift. His act had rattled her defenses. She couldn’t deny the warm tingle that had seeped in between the cracks in her armor.
Determined to keep Chase from invading her thoughts any further, she accepted her coworker’s invitation to go to happy hour at a local bar and then head to a club in downtown Atlanta. She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d gone dancing.
She wanted to freshen up instead of going right after work. She raced home, mainly taking side roads to avoid most of the traffic. A half hour later, she’d showered and dressed. Satisfied with her makeup she fluffed her hair out after wearing her usual pony-tail. However, she wasn’t satisfied with her clothes. She looked bland.
She selected gold coiled drop earrings. They dangled boldly from her ear lobes. The bronze-gold color mixture stood out against the silk black shirt with tiny gold threads.
“What the heck am I doing?” she questioned the mirror. A yawn overcame her, to which she noisily succumbed. She peered into the mirror. “What a poor excuse for a party girl.”
She hadn’t dated much since breaking up with Chase. Who could blame her? Rejection stung. Not only had Chase’s family told her that she wasn’t up to par, Chase grew increasingly critical of her. It all coincided with his meteoric rise on campus, then at the state championship.
She slipped on a sensible pair of black flats. The wide shaped front made her feet look like square blocks. She frowned debating on what to do next.
A car horn honked. A few seconds later, her cell phone rang.
“Hey, Kasey.” Laura walked over to the living room and pulled back the curtains, spying her friend’s red Jeep below. “I’ll be right down.”
“Hurry up,” Kasey yelled her response. She hit the annoying horn to punctuate the order.
Laura grinned. Kasey was the most outgoing and happy person that she’d met on the job. Her stories of her crazy weekends left Laura feeling a bit envious. All she could talk about of her weekends were the cable movies she watched.
She looked down at her feet once more. With an irritated grunt, she kicked off her shoes. “Darn it, life is too short.” She pulled out a three inch heeled pair of mules. Turning from one side to the other in front of the mirror, she gave a somewhat satisfied grunt. She glided her hands down the sides of her hips frowning at the inches that seemed to expand on a daily basis. Maybe the black jeans in a darkened room would help mute the imperfections.
Another honk sounded. She flicked off the light switch and hurried out of her apartment.
“Looking good. You know how to clean up.” Kasey grinned at her. Her loud perfume matched her loud voice and her equally loud personality.
But it was all good. Laura returned her grin and settled in the car.
“First stop is The Inner Circle,” Kasey announced.
“Sounds very exclusive.” Laura worried that maybe she’d underdressed. Looking at her friend and comparing outfits, Laura imagined that she’d be the Pollyanna-type next to Kasey’s exposed assets.
“Tonight the club’s only open to the staff, that’s about it. Most of the staff hangs out there before we go our separate ways. But there’s also a few other companies in the area that come to see who is our fresh meat. Can’t complain, though. We do the same with their people.” Kasey leaned over and squeezed her hand. “Can’t wait to show you off.”
“Look, I’m only hanging out. Mainly because you insisted,” Laura protested. “I’m not looking for a man.”
“These days, no one looks for a man.” Kasey impatiently honked at the car in front that didn’t pull off a second after the light turned green. “This is the age where we sample the goods, but don’t stay for the feast.”
“Well, I’m not hungry.”
Kasey laughed. Laura couldn’t help smiling. She suspected that her friendship with Kasey would be full of adventures. She hoped that she had the stamina to keep up with her.
They pulled into the parking lot, which looked fairly full. Most of the nearby parking spots were gone with only handicapped spaces available. Kasey parked between two mini-vans. Then she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a blue hanging handicapped sign. She hooked it on the rear view mirror gave Laura a wide smile and exited.
“Kasey, you’re not handicapped!”
“I know. It’s my mother’s. When I go out at night I use it. Figure it’s safer to park near the entrances to the clubs.” Kasey strutted off in her tight-fitting scooped-neck T-shirt and jeans that looked two sizes too small.
“Kasey, you can’t park here!”
Kasey didn’t turn around and was at the entrance.
Laura ran after her. “Give me the keys, then. I’ll park it.”
Kasey tossed the keys to her and disappeared through the doors.
“What a wench,” Laura muttered.
She got into the car and drove around to the side where there were several open spaces. She didn’t care if Kasey was irritated by her citizen-of-the-year performance a few seconds ago. If she didn’t move the car, she’d think about some person with physical challenges struggling to get into the bar while she and her friend, whooped it up inside.
Unfortunately, she knew all too well what it was like to be considered less than normal.
“Laura?”
Laura recognized the smooth tone that used to call her endearments like pretty lady, sexy brown eyes and her personal favorite, sweet buns. Her cheeks warmed. Thank goodness for the cool evening.
“Glad to see you’ve discovered our favorite watering hole.” Chase caught up to her near the doorway.
“Kasey invited me,” Laura explained. She touched her hair, hoping that there were no stray strands poking up in the air.
They entered the darkened interior. Laura waited a few seconds for her eyes to adjust. She didn’t need to bother.
“Laura! Chase! Over here.” Kasey stood on a chair, holding a bottle of beer. She waved at them as if they were a hundred feet away.
“Hey, guys,” Chase responded. His voice had changed into a low boom that made her jump. “Look who I found wandering outside.”
Laura glared at Chase, not appreciating being the object of his joke.
“Introductions, please.” A young man hit his empty glass repeatedly on the counter. “I’m liking what I’m seeing.”
“Hold your horses, Brandon,” Chase responded. “Everybody, this is Laura Masterson.”
The responding greetings came back to her like an echo. Then they went around the table sharing their names. Some she recognized, but some didn’t work with at the university. The young man who’d smiled like a kid in a candy shop perked up like a spaniel when it was his turn.
“Brandon
