Good Karma (57 page)

After a quick shower, where he replayed the
memories of last night like a favorite movie, he returned to the
bedroom and quietly pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, nylon sweats,
and a faded blue T-shirt that was so old the collar was frayed. The
shirt was one of his favorites, and despite its tattered
appearance, he had never been able to get rid of it.

He was funny like that. When he found
something he loved, he simply couldn’t throw it away. He still had
cassette tapes from when he was a kid. Old classic rock stuff he
had inherited from an uncle at the age of six. Even though he had
no means of playing them anymore, he kept them for nostalgia. Every
time he ran across them while digging through his things, good
memories flooded his mind. That alone was enough to make him hang
on to those antique cassettes.

He glanced at Karma, sleeping so peacefully,
and smiled as he picked up his phone from the dresser. Aiming it,
he took a picture and then a second, closer one. This was how he
wanted to remember her. Tousled and glorious after their night of
passion. Just like his old cassettes, he wanted to hold on to his
memory of Karma long after their affair ended, and years from now,
he would open these pictures and remember how, for a short time,
he’d had it good. So wonderfully, perfectly good.

With another glance toward Karma to make sure
she was still asleep, he quietly rummaged through her bag and found
a pair of shorts, which he gently set on the foot of the bed. Then
he scrounged one of his T-shirts from the closet, placed it beside
her shorts—because he did enjoy seeing her in his clothes—and
quietly slipped out of the bedroom, latching the door with a
snick.

He made a pot of coffee, set out tea and a
cup for when Karma woke, grabbed the Sunday paper from the hall,
and took his coffee and paper to the balcony, where he parked in
the early morning sun. A refreshing breeze blew off Lake
Michigan.

About thirty minutes later, Karma joined him,
holding her cup of tea and wearing a sleepy grin.

“Good morning, sexy,” he said, setting his
paper aside.

“Morning.” She blew over her tea and gingerly
sat in the chair beside him as if her body wasn’t quite
operational, yet. After last night, she was probably all kinds of
achy, but in a good way.

Her hair was a mish-mash of combed tangles,
and she was wearing his shirt and the shorts he had set out. Sleep
still hung in her eyes, but he had never seen anything more
beautiful.

“Come here.” He held out his hand.

She set down her tea and slid from her seat
into his lap, where she snuggled against him.

“Sleep well?” He brushed his palm down her
hair. She smelled like mint toothpaste.

She nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Still tired?”

Again, she nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“You hungry?”

Without preamble, she lifted her head and
kissed him, catching him by surprise, and chiseled a crack into the
concrete wall around his heart.

Her mouth was refreshingly cool and tasted of
mint, and his reaction was instantaneous. His head drifted back,
his arms encircled her, and he pulled her closer, greedy for the
feel of her taking control. She held his face in her hands, her
palms pressed against his cheeks, her thumbs crisscrossed under his
chin, and her lips opened and closed in tender, hungry pulls
against his mouth in a dreamy, affectionate display.

He could wake up to this every morning. He
really could.

All too soon, she drew back and licked her
lips, her cheeks flushed. “I could eat.”

He smiled, his body ready for hers again.
“You know, making love in the morning is a beautiful way to wake
up.”

She inhaled sharply, albeit quietly. “I
wouldn’t know.”

It was the perfect thing for her to say at
the perfect moment.

He pushed her off his lap, stood, and took
her hand. “Then I think it’s time you learned.”

He led her back to the bedroom, left the door
open, and pulled her down into bed on top of him, ready to savor
her a little bit more before she left.

Chapter 48

Being
honest may not get you a lot of friends, but it’ll always get you
the right ones.

-Author unknown

Mark stepped onto Rob’s back patio. The radio was
tuned to B96, and the backyard was full of people. A volleyball net
was set up in the back part of the yard, and half a dozen guests
were batting a white ball back and forth. Still more stood in cozy
pockets around the patio.

Karma had left right after breakfast, leaving
a gaping void, and he just didn’t feel right without her. Maybe
being around the festivities at Rob’s house would lift his
spirits.

A spread of appetizers and finger foods were
set out on the table, shaded by a large umbrella, and a couple of
giant, ice-filled coolers teeming with bottles of beer, water, and
soda sat nearby. He grabbed a Budweiser.

“Hey, Mark.” Rob spied him from the grill and
headed over.

“Hey.” The two clapped their right hands
together and pulled each other in for a brief man hug, and then
Mark stepped back and glanced around. “Lot of people.”

“Yeah. I invited some of my coworkers.” Rob’s
gaze swept around the yard. “Hey, by the way, I’ve got somebody I
want you to meet.”

Mark held up his hand defensively. “No. No
fix-ups today, Rob.” Rob had a habit of springing women on him at
parties like this, and he wasn’t in the mood to entertain some
strange, random woman tonight. Not when the woman he really wanted
was back in Indiana, over two hours away.

“This isn’t a fix-up.” Rob held out his hand
as a pretty blonde approached. She took his hand and let Rob pull
her in. “Mark, this is Holly. Holly, this is my best friend,
Mark.”

Rob was seeing someone? The prodigal bachelor
was in a relationship? When had this happened? The guy had stars in
his eyes and tiny hearts dancing around his head. Rob couldn’t even
tear his gaze from Holly, and that goofy, cheesy grin said plenty
about his feelings.

“Hi. Nice to meet you.” Mark held out his
hand.

Holly had a firm, confident grip. Just like
Karma’s. Cue the tug at his heartstrings again.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she said. “Rob’s
told me a lot about you.” Holly had a smooth voice and spoke with
clear enunciation.

“Holly is the director of marketing for a web
marketing firm,” Rob said proudly, clearly smitten.

For the next couple of minutes, they talked
about work and careers…typical, first introduction type stuff.

“Holly! We’re up!” Someone from the makeshift
volleyball court called.

Holly waved over her shoulder. “Okay. Hold
on.” She turned back. “Good meeting you, Mark. Maybe we can talk
more later.”

“Absolutely.” Mark tipped his Bud in
acknowledgement.

With a smile, she stood on her tiptoes and
gave Rob a quick kiss.

As he slid his arm around her waist, he said,
“Go get ‘em, tiger.”

“I’ll be back.” An intimate look passed
between them.

Mark knew that look. It was the same one that
had passed between him and Karma about a hundred times the other
day while playing basketball. The same one they gave each other
every morning when he came around the corner at the office and
every time she greeted him when he went to her place.

As Holly jogged off to the volleyball court,
Mark followed Rob back to the grill, taking a swallow of beer.

“So, when did you two start dating?” he
said.

Rob was still staring after Holly. “About
three weeks ago.”

Three weeks, and Rob was already this
enamored? “Looks serious.”

Rob spun around and tried to wave him off.
“Nah.” But that same cornball grin remained on his face, saying
otherwise.

“Whatever you say.”

A pair of barbecue tongs tipped with charred
remains swung his way like a finger and waggled up and down.
“You’re one to talk.”

Mark frowned. “What are you talking
about?”

A long hard stare answered him as Rob’s brow
rose knowingly. “You know what I’m talking about. That cute little
thing that came by your apartment Friday. Karma.” He looked around.
“Why didn’t you bring her? I assumed she was staying the
weekend.”

“She needed to get back home.” Just the
mention of Karma’s name did something to his ability to breathe,
and he cleared his throat and looked away. “And you know what the
score is with her. We’re just having fun, remember? Nothing
serious.” What he felt for Karma was more serious than anything he
had ever felt. Saying otherwise was like knifing his own gut.

“Bullshit, Mark. Don’t try to pass that line
of crap on me. I’ve known you too long. So, you can ride my ass all
you want about Holly, but I’ll just ride yours right back.” He
shook the tongs again, a smirk on his face. “I promise you
that.”

In an effort to defuse the conversation, Mark
took another drink and backed into a nearby lounge chair.

But Rob wouldn’t let the topic go. “Besides,
if things aren’t that serious, why did she drive to Chicago to see
you?”

Sprawling open-kneed in the chair, Mark
rested his Bud between his thighs. “It’s not like that, okay? I’ve
already told you…I just…I don’t know…I like her. She’s different.”
They were the same old tired excuses he’d been using for weeks, but
nothing new came to mind. And he refused to go into the kiss and
tell. Not about this. Not about Karma. Some things were too sacred
to tarnish by blabbing about them to others, even his best
friend.

“Yeah, you’ve told me.” Rob gave him a
dubious look. “I hear your words, Mark, but your actions are
telling another story. But hey, that’s cool. You like her. Nothing
wrong with that.” He paused. “But you’re still going to say
good-bye, aren’t you?” He shook his head disapprovingly.

Mark collared the neck of the beer bottle
between his index and middle fingers and lifted it to his mouth,
averting his gaze. Rob was a smart fucker. He could see through
Mark like he was made of glass.

“Tell me about Holly.” Mark glanced back at
his friend to see that lovesick grin plaster on his puss again.

“Nice change of subject, Ice Man.” Rob looked
over his shoulder at his new girl. “Holly’s great. Beautiful,
smart, funny.”

“Sounds perfect.”
Sounds like
Karma.

“Yeah, yeah.” Rob fidgeted as he turned the
smattering of meat on the grill.

“So, what? You gonna marry her or some shit?”
Mark had meant it as a joke, but when Rob turned serious eyes on
him, it was clear he wasn’t laughing. Not even close.

“I think I will.”

Mark puffed out an incredulous breath. “You
can’t be serious.” Rob, the consummate single man. The guy who said
he would never get married.

Rob looked over his shoulder again to make
sure no one was within earshot. “I can’t explain it, Mark,
but…yeah. She’s
it
. Holly’s the one.”

“I thought you said you’d be single forever.”
Why did this news unsettle Mark so much? He should be happy for
Rob, but instead, he was agitated and quickly reminded of the empty
loneliness of his own life. If Rob got married, it would grow even
lonelier. Rob was screwing up the whole friendship dynamic. He was
rearranging the terms and jacking up the feng shui of their
relationship.

“Things change,” Rob said. “People grow up.”
He glanced toward Holly. “And when you find something precious, you
grab on and don’t let go.” He gave Mark a pointed look. “You might
do well to remember that.”

“If you have something to say, just say it.”
Irritation grated Mark’s nerves. He was getting unusually
aggravated by this conversation.

Rob twirled the tongs in his hand. “You’ve
been through hell, buddy. I know that better than anyone.”

Mark shifted uncomfortably, tension mounting
in his neck and shoulders.

“But at some point,” Rob said, “you need to
move on. This isn’t healthy, man. Karma obviously means more to you
than—”

“Goddamn, Rob, you just won’t drop it, will
you? She’s just another woman. I’m not in love with her.”
Liar.
“I’m only with her while I’m working in Indy. And when
I’m done there, we’re done, too. End of story. You know how this
goes. You know I’m not interested in anything serious.”

“Yeah, and I also know that you’re the most
uptight, plan-your-life-to-the-millisecondest motherfucker I know.
You planned your whole life with Carol before she even said ‘I do,’
and when she bailed, you unraveled. You didn’t know which fucking
way was up, and you nearly drowned yourself. Goddamn, loosen up and
live a little. Stop living life like you’re on a schedule. You’re
just pre-destining yourself for failure.”

“Why? Because I refuse to let myself go
through that shit again? It’s called protecting myself.”

“Protecting yourself, my ass.” Rob flipped a
burger with a little extra aggression. “Shit happens, Mark. It’s
part of life. You get up, dust yourself off, and move on. But in
your case, Carol threw you so badly off your pre-defined timetable
that you’ve never been able to get back on track.” He nearly tossed
a pair of hot dogs off the side of the grill. “So what? She didn’t
want you. Better you learned that before you exchanged vows than
after, right? Consider it a blessing she gave you an out before
tying you down, squeezing out kids, and taking half your shit in an
ugly divorce.” He pointed the tongs at Mark. “That, my friend,
would have been truly disastrous and reason to drown yourself,
given how much you’re worth.” He turned back to the grill.

“I don’t need your glass-half-full bullshit
right now, Rob.” He loved Rob like a brother, but the guy was
seriously grating his nerves.

“Yeah? Well, too bad, because I’m gonna say
what needs to be said.” Rob shut the lid of the grill and glared at
him. “If you like this girl, grab her. Maybe fate made Carol leave
you because the forces at work in the universe knew that she wasn’t
right and this girl is. I mean, look at her name, for God’s sake.
Karma. After the shit you went through as a kid, and after what
Carol did to you, maybe her name is a sign that karma is coming
back around to give you something good for a change.” Rob paused
then added, “What if you’re pissing away God’s gift to you, Mark,
all because of some stupid vow you made to yourself about never
letting your heart get hurt again?