Fool's Gold (Contemporary Romance) (5 page)

“Tellers? What?”

“Well, I figure banks in Manhattan have to pay pretty well, right? I mean, it’s Manhattan.”

“Because every bank wants a girl with a music performance degree.”

The pitcher wobbled as Charlotte refilled her glass. “Fair point.”

“I appreciate the thought, babe. I’ll look into it when I get out there.”

Charlotte raised her glass in a toast. “To new adventures.”

“To good friends.” Victoria clinked her glass against Charlotte’s and took a drink. Packing up and moving halfway across the country was going to be the craziest thing she’d ever done. She could hardly wait.

S
HADY 
Acres Trailer Park sat on a little lake that might be considered quaint if you didn’t know it was just a drainage lagoon for a strip mall. Forty or fifty single-wide trailers huddled together in a loose circle surrounding the lagoon and a sort of fenced common area where the kids gathered to play. Victoria slowed down as she approached the playground, watching for any soaring Frisbees or stray soccer balls.

Leonard Ellerby had been eleven, two years older than her at the time, when he had bolted across the street without looking. The pickup that had hit him wasn’t even going that fast. Victoria could still remember the screaming.

Once you got past the playground, the road curved around to the right. Her mom lived in the same trailer she’d been in for twenty years. Old Lady McCarver still had her clothesline hanging between the trailers, and a pair of faded pink towels were flapping in the breeze.

Victoria eased into the driveway, hoping the crunch under her jeep’s tires was just gravel and not glass, and hopped out. Broken bottles glittered next to the house, their labels long since faded, but their shape distinctive nonetheless. Canadian Mist, Wild Turkey, even a bottle of Jose.

Her mom appeared in the doorway, a dark silhouette behind the torn screen. “Why look what the cat dragged in.”

She was drunk. Ten o’clock on a Thursday morning, and she was already at the sauce. Victoria picked her way across the driveway, trying not to step on anything sharp.

“How’s it going, Mom?”

Her mother backed up, let her into the squalid rat hole she called home. “Just fine. What are you doing here? You in trouble?”

Inside where Victoria could see her, her mother hadn’t changed in a decade. She still had the same bleach blonde hair that needed to be washed. The same cut up jeans that hadn’t been in style since Victoria was in middle school.

“I’m fine, Ma. Thought I’d let you know I’m moving.”

“Eh? You finally getting you a real house like you always wanted?” She dropped into a recliner across from a gleaming wide-screen TV. Bob Barker was prancing around the screen, exhorting someone to “Come on down!”

“Not exactly.” Victoria grabbed a chair from the kitchen table, gave it a shake to knock the loose ash off the vinyl seat, and sat. “I’m moving to New York.”

Her mother nearly dropped her glass. “You’re going to do WHAT?”

Victoria smiled. “Omaha is dead. I don’t want to stay here the rest of my life waiting tables and singing in garage bands.”

Her mother set her glass on the coffee table and reached over the far side of her recliner. She came up with a bottle. “You thirsty?”

“No.”

“Suit yourself. So you want to up and run off? Your man leave you or something?’

“What are you talking about?”

“That Beta boy. He seemed liked a nice one, but I reckon he got tired of you, right? So you’re running off to New York to get away.”

Victoria ground her teeth. That was just like her mom. Blame it on a man. “No. For one, I don’t have a man. I haven’t in three years. And for two, it’s none of your damn business.”

“No need to get hissy, girl.” Her mother took a swallow of tequila. Her eyes narrowed. “So what happens to me when you’re gone? You’re my only baby. You’re just going to run off and leave me here? Your daddy left me when you was just a baby, and now you’re going to abandon me, too.”

“I’m not abandoning you. I can’t stay here. I want to sing. To make a name for myself. To be somebody, and I can’t do that in Nebraska.”

“What’s wrong with Nebraska? I been here my whole life. Never found nowhere better.”

Victoria looked away. Cobwebs danced from the light in the kitchen. A roach trap peeked out from under the fridge. “Have you looked?”

Her mother didn’t answer. She splashed more tequila into her glass. Finally, she shrugged.

“What kind of life is this?” Victoria waved an arm at the squalor.

“The life I’ve been given.” Her voice was quiet, just above a whisper. It dropped even lower. “The life I’ve chosen.”

Victoria pushed herself up from her chair and scooted it back to the table. “Well, it’s not the life I choose. I love you, but I have to find my own way in the world.”

Her mother sniffed once, then looked away. She didn’t say anything, and after a painful minute of silence, Victoria made her way to the door and let herself out. The door banged shut behind her, and a moment later she heard the sound of an empty glass slapping down on the coffee table.

The kids down the street played on their rusty playground, oblivious to everything outside their fence. Victoria climbed in her jeep and left. She didn’t bother to look back.

***

“Charlotte, I need a favor.” Victoria ran her nails down Chuckles’ back, revving his purring to motorboat levels.

Charlotte didn’t even pause. It was a credit to her. “Of course, babe. What’s up?”

“Christine is allergic to cats.”

“And?”

“And I was wondering if you could take Chuckles in for a few months.”

The phone went silent. It wasn’t the response Victoria was expecting. Charlotte was the kind of girl that would help bury a body and then go get ice cream afterward.

“Charlotte? You there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I can’t, V. My mom is allergic, too. I forgot to wash my hands after I pet the Chuckmeister when I was at your place last week and she broke out when I got home.”

Victoria closed her eyes. There was no way she was taking Chuckles to her mom’s. If he didn’t end up as road kill, he’d probably die from the roach poison. “Alright. I’ll figure something else out.”

“I’m really sorry. You want me to call around? See if anyone else would take him?”

“I’ll figure something out. Talk to you later.” Victoria thumbed off the phone and turned her attention to the cat.

He turned over, letting her stroke his belly. He loved it when she stroked his belly. A white patch ran from his neck nearly to his hind legs. The purring practically echoed.

“What am I going to do with you?”

She thought about it, considered who else might take him. Sarah Rusch at work was a pet person. But she had dogs. And Victoria didn’t know her that well, anyway. Then she had a thought that made her feel guilty to even consider it. There was one other person.

***

“This is Beta.” Beta hadn’t really paid attention to who was calling. The corp had a carrier tackled in low-security space and they were scurrying to get more sub-capitals into the system to kill it before any of its friends arrived, and he was focused on directing the other pilots.

“Hey Beta, it’s Victoria.”

He nearly dropped the phone. “Victoria? What? Why?”

“Beta, I’m sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been busy. I need to ask a really huge favor.”

His heart fluttered. “One second.” He held the phone out at arm’s length and pushed the button for his computer headset so he could talk to his spaceship friends. “This is Beta. I need to go afk for a few minutes.”

“Don’t worry, Beta dude. I can cover it.” Bloodboat was a chill dude, and the best fleet commander in the corp. The best after Beta himself.

“Thanks, ‘Boat.” Beta put the phone back to his ear. “Victoria, are you there? What can I do?”

“Are you busy?” Victoria sounded concerned. “I’m sorry if I interrupted a big engagement or something.”

“Nah, it’s nothing.” Lasers glowed on the screen as the ships battled each other to the death. “You said you needed a favor? Your laptop acting up?”

“No.” She went quiet, making his head churn. What could she possibly want? She didn’t call for a month and then she wanted a favor?

“Beta, I’m moving to New York.” His heart skipped a beat. “And I can’t take Chuckles with me.”

“So what do you-- Oh.”

“Can you take him in for a little while?”

“You want me to adopt your cat?” He looked around the apartment. There wasn’t much to it. Not even an actual bedroom. Just a little studio and a bathroom. Enough room for a cat, though. If it wasn’t picky.

“It’s only for a little while. I’m staying with Christine and she’s allergic to cats. I just need some time to find my own place and then I can come--“

“Wait. Christine my sister?”

“Yeah.”

That traitorous skank. She was stealing the girl of his dreams? How could she? He stared at the screen in shock. Explosions rose from the carrier. Woops of delight rose from the headphones still draped around his neck.

“I didn’t know you two were into each other.”

“What? God. What’s wrong with you? We’re not. She just offered me a place to stay.”

Beta sighed with relief. “Oh. Well, that’s good news then.”

“Yeah. So anyway. Would you mind catsitting for me? For a few months?”

He couldn’t deny her anything. She’d known that for ten years. All she had to do was bat her eyes at him. And yet she’d asked politely. It had to count for something. Or not. He didn’t know, not when it came to Victoria. All he knew was that he couldn’t refuse her. “Yeah.”

“You’re sure? Thank you, thank you. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if you said ‘no.’”

“I’m sure. You, uh, need me to come pick him or something?”

“No, I’ll bring him over later, if that’s okay?”

“Later tonight?” Beta looked around the apartment again. Dirty clothes were piled on the end of his unmade bed. A pizza box with a half a Hawaiian pizza still in it lay discarded on the floor beside his desk.

“If that’s okay. I fly out tomorrow.”

Beta’s heart sank. If it weren’t for Chuckles, he wouldn’t have even known she was gone. Showed how he rated. “See you in a little while.”

***

Chuckles was pressed up against the nylon window of the cat carrier, his face flattened against it as he peered out at his new home. Victoria was pleased to see that Beta’s apartment was as clean as his car. Beta himself stood at the door, a sheen of sweat on his brow like he’d just been working out or something. Quiet jazz played on the computer speakers. Miles Davis, from the sound of it.

“Come on in.” Beta pulled the door open wider. “I’d offer you a place to sit, but there’s just the bed.”

At every other time she could remember that would have been a disconcerting offer. She placed Chuckles on the edge of the bed and sat down beside him. “I have his litter box in my car. And some food.”

Beta stayed by the door and pushed a hand through his hair. “Why are you leaving?”

Not ‘what are you going to do?’ Not ‘will you be okay in a new city?’ Victoria unzipped the cat carrier and scooped Chuckles out onto her lap. “I hate Omaha. It’s a dead end.”

“But...” He looked around, took a half step to his computer chair. “What are you going to do? Will you be okay in a new city?”

Victoria blinked. So maybe he wasn’t totally self-centered. A mind reader maybe. “Yeah, I’ll be fine, Beta, thank you. Your sister is going to help me out. It wasn’t so long ago that she made the same move, and she made it without any help.”

He sank into his chair, his shoulders slumping. “I guess. God, Vicks. I just can’t even imagine.”

Chuckles stopped purring in her lap, and she realized her hand had fallen still. Beta wasn’t taking it well. She had to get out of there fast, before he broke down crying. God, but she felt terrible about dumping Chuckles on him. And about breaking his heart over Trent.

She set Chuckles on the bed. “I’ll go get his stuff. Be right back.”

The litter box weighed a thousand pounds as she carried it back into the apartment. Beta directed her to the kitchenette, so she put the food at one end of the linoleum and the litter at the other. They were only about three feet apart.

“Actually, I have a better idea.” Beta crouched beside her in front of the litter box. His shoulder brushed hers, and it was like a spark jumped between them.

Victoria’s mouth dropped open. She scooted out of the way, looking at him in a slightly different light. He was no Trent--he’d never have the intense handsomeness of Trent--but when he wasn’t focused on his video games, he had something. She wasn’t sure what, but it was more than she’d realized.

“Sorry.” He hefted the box and hustled away, taking it to the bathroom. “I figured he wouldn’t want to eat and shit three feet apart,” he called from out of sight.

Victoria laughed. The moment was gone, and Beta was back to his juvenile self. “Thanks. I’m sure, uh, I’m sure Chucks will appreciate that.”

Chuckles was spread out on Beta’s bed, his eyes closed and his side rising and falling rhythmically. The world claimed it was a dog’s life, but Victoria knew better. Chuckles spent his whole life napping or being scratched. Dogs had nothing on that.

Beta came back, wiping his hands on his jeans, and sat on the bed next to the snoozing cat. “Do I need to take him to the vet or anything?”

Chuckles purred as Beta rubbed his belly.

“He’s all up-to-date. Just feed him and clean his litter box.”

“And give him plenty of scratching?”

“And that.” Victoria made her way to the door, but Beta rose and beat her to it. He pulled it open and smiled the world’s grimmest smile.

“Good luck, Vicks. Take care of yourself.” He held out a hand to shake.

Victoria caught his hand and used it to pull him into a hug. His breath caught as she squeezed him, and he barely touched her in return. “I’ll try. Thank you so much, Beta. It really means a lot to me.”

He nodded, and she thought she could see tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Beta was a nice guy. A dork, a nerd and a geek, maybe, but he had a good heart. Victoria walked back to her jeep, regret weighing heavily upon her shoulders. Her last night in Omaha had turned far more depressing than she had expected.