Taking Chances (19 page)

“Hey. How did it go today?” Stu asked.

“The usual. The site was great, actually better than the other four.” Alex walked toward his bedroom. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll fill you in later.”

After his shower, Alex checked his phone. There was still no message from Clair and he wondered what she was doing. He sulked back into the kitchen where Stu was sitting and sat down across from him. It took him a while to go through everything he learned from Tom and what he thought about all of it. He couldn’t resist picking up his phone every so often to see if he’d gotten a message from Clair… but nothing. He felt disappointed, but knew she was probably sleeping or working the night shift, and eventually she would text him back. 

Stu drummed his fingers on the table until Alex looked at him.

“Are you even paying attention to me?” Stu asked.

“No, not really. Sorry.”

“What’s your problem today?” He picked up the pile of papers in front him and waved them in front of Alex’s face.

“I get it,” Alex said, throwing his hands up, “we still have a whole week to be here. Does everything have to be done right this second?” Alex ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a big puff of air. “You’re right, I know it’s important. I’m sorry; I’m just ready to go home. I miss… I just need some sleep. Can we go over all this in the morning?” He got up and started to walk toward his room.

“It’s the girl, isn’t it?” Stu said as he leaned back in his chair with a grin.

Alex spun around and glared at him. “She has a name.”

Stu held his hands out as if surrendering, “I know, I know. Sorry, calm down. You don’t have to get so defensive about it.”

“What makes you think it has anything to do with Clair anyway?” He said, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the counter.

Stu’s smile faded, “Seriously? You check your phone every five minutes. From what I remember, you hated your phone. You only got it because I made you get one for work. And unless you’re talking to yourself at night, I assume you’re talking to her.” 

Damn! Am I that transparent? He went back to the table and slumped down in the chair, propping his elbows on the table to hold his head up. “I was doing okay. I mean, I was starting to miss her, the longer I’ve been here, but I was handling it just fine. Then today, that woman showed up at the jobsite and ruined everything.”

Stu tilted his head, “Woman? What woman?”

“Mrs. Miller. Apparently, she goes out there a lot to check on her house. She looked just like Clair, minus the green eyes and pregnant belly. It was almost like Clair was right there and I was looking at the future.”

“Oh boy… you got it bad,” Stu said, leaning forward and gripping his shoulder.  “Are you really thinking about a future with her? I knew you cared a lot for her, but are you two that serious?”

“Yeah, I think so… maybe… oh I don’t know. I can’t picture being without her. We’ve got this connection that I’ve never felt with anyone else before. I feel like its wrong though; like I shouldn’t feel this way so soon since we haven’t known each other that long.” Alex shook his head, “Just forget I said anything. I sound like some crazy, obsessed boyfriend.”

“No Alex. You sound like you’re in love.” Stu looked at his watch. “I’ll tell you what. You answer a few more questions about the jobsite and… as long as you’re back by Sunday night, I’ll let you go see Clair. But it’s up to you if you want to make the six-hour trip just to stay one night.”

Alex sat straight up, “What? Are you serious?”

“Sure! Who am I to stand in the way of true love? If you think it’s worth it, go.”

“Hell yeah, she is! Thanks a lot, Stu.”

Alex told Stu all about the Raven Wood job site, letting him know the pros and cons. He gave him run-downs on all the employees and told him that Tom was definitely a good asset and they needed to keep him around. After Stu was satisfied with his report, Alex packed a small bag and planned to get a couple hours of sleep. He would be leaving early enough that he’d make it to Virginia by lunchtime. Alex wanted to call Clair and let her know, but thought it would be a great surprise for her to see him pop up when she least expected him. He’d leave around lunch on Sunday and arrive back in Pittsburgh for dinner. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he instantly smiled, knowing it would be Clair. He opened it and read the text message.

I hope you’re not mad at me. I worked a double today. I’m going to bed since I’m so exhausted. I wish you could snuggle with me.

Alex texted back: Of course I’m not mad. I wish I could snuggle with you too. But I’ll see you soon. Not much longer now. Get some rest.

I miss you…7 days and counting… Goodnight, Clair messaged back.

Alex smiled, No, one day and counting, he thought because by this time tomorrow, she would be in his arms again.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Clair

Clair felt exhausted. It seemed impossible to even roll herself out of bed for work the next morning. Going to sleep before the sun went down the night before seemed to have done nothing to help restore the hours of sleep she’d lost working double shifts at the diner. When she stood up from her bed, she could still feel the ache in her feet and legs from all the standing and walking she’d been doing. Clair dropped back down across the bed and stretched her limbs, pulling at her muscles, trying to get them ready for another long day. She heard her stomach growl and felt the hunger of a skipped meal, something she’d accepted as normal only weeks ago. Now it was the busy days that kept her stomach empty, not a lack of money. There was no doubt about it; her life was so much better now. Sometimes complaining over tired body parts and long work hours made Clair feel guilty, since she had so much to be thankful for.

After eating a few crackers to fill her stomach, Clair showered and dressed quickly before driving to work in the used car Roz had given her. Earlier in the week, Clair rode with Roz to a dealership to pick out a bigger automobile. After a couple of hours, looking and test-driving, Roz settled on an SUV. The dealership tried to get her to trade her old car in, but she told them they were crazy. Her old car was already paid for and still under warranty. Roz demanded Clair take the old one, insisting it would sit in the garage otherwise.        

Clair was terrified to drive because it had been years since she’d gotten behind the wheel of a car. Having her license when she was sixteen didn’t seem to do her much good when her mother wouldn’t buy her a car or let Clair drive hers. But forgetting her birthday seem to put enough guilt in her mother to let her use her car whenever she was out with one of her shady barfly boyfriends. The nice-mom attitude didn’t last long though; and Clair’s mom was back to her narcissistic self again, refusing to let her use her car for anything. Clair resorted to borrowing it whenever her mother was out on a date. Once she left home, she depended on other people for rides.

Roz took her to an empty parking lot and let her drive around until she felt comfortable again. She still felt rusty but was thankful she’d only be driving to the diner and back every day. Now that she had a car, Clair wouldn’t have to feel guilty about asking Roz for a ride to work anymore.

Clair sat in the diner’s back room and attempted to eat lunch. They had been busy and she had to run out in between bites to serve as cashier. She tried to stay in the back as much as possible because she had a feeling Gavin would be in soon and she didn’t feel like putting up with his flirty comments after having to deal with him every day this week. Somehow, he seemed to know exactly when she was working and every day he’d ask her the same question-- Would you go on a date with me? And every day she’d give him the same answer--No. She was so sick and tired of him running his mouth. No matter how many times she told him she wasn’t interested, he still harassed her. Clair was tired and achy and definitely not in the mood for his questions today.

Since she didn’t eat dinner the night before and only ate a few crackers before coming into work, she was starved. But after eating a few bites of her burger and fries, something wasn’t sitting right on her stomach. When Theresa walked by with a plate of food, Clair stopped her. 

“Hey Theresa, did the grease get changed on the fries today? They don’t taste right.”

Theresa shrugged her shoulders, “No it’s the same. I just had some and they taste like they always do.”

After a few more bites of her burger, she pushed her plate aside. As fast as her appetite had come, it was gone again. She looked at her watch, thankful to only have an hour before she could go home, rest her feet and sleep. She didn’t care if it was still only lunchtime. Clair knew once she got home and sat still for longer than five minutes, she was going to fall fast asleep.

When Theresa walked back through the kitchen, she was carrying a stack of plates. “Is it busy out there?” Clair asked.

“No, not at the moment. Just one guy at table two, and someone just walked in but I told him I’d be with him in a second. Not sure how many were in the group, I had my hands full.” Theresa set the plates on the counter next to the sink and leaned against it with a sigh. Her exhaustion was visible as her shoulders slumped and she rubbed her temples with her fingers.

Clair stood, “Why don’t you take a break? I’ll be leaving soon anyway and you haven’t slowed down since you came in this morning.”

Theresa wiped the hair from her face, “Thanks. Let me know if you get busy though.”

Clair agreed and washed her hands before stepping out into the dining room. She stopped when she saw him sitting in the far corner booth by the window. Crap! Can’t I just have one freaking day without seeing his face?
she thought when she saw him smiling.

Clair walked up to Gavin’s table, notepad and pen ready, hoping to get his order so she could move away from his table as soon as possible. “What can I get you?” She didn’t bother saying hi to him because that only evoked pointless conversation that she had no interest in.

“Oh c’mon, Clair. Is this how it’s going to be every time I come in here? You know, you had such a pretty smile before Alex left; it’s such a pity,” Gavin said as he drummed his fingers on the table in front of him.

“How do you know he left? What business is it of yours anyway?”

Gavin ran his hand across Clair’s arm in a comforting motion. “Oh sweetie, it doesn’t have to be my business, but I like to keep my eyes on the competition. Come sit with me. You’ve been moping around here for days now. Tell me what he did and how I can make you feel better.” Gavin scooted over and patted the bench beside him.

“Don’t touch me!” she snapped, pulling her hand away. Resting her hand on her hip, furious at how bold he was being towards her, Clair said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My issues with Alex, if there ever were any, are none of your business. But, for your information, he hasn’t done anything to me.” She placed the tip of her pen on the notepad, “Now are you going to eat here or not? I’d prefer you didn’t, if you want my opinion.”

“Well, now that depends. Is your shift about to end?” he asked with a wink.

Clair glanced at the clock on the wall and gritted her teeth, “Not soon enough.”

Gavin’s face lit up and he clapped his hands together. “Oh goodie, well since you’re going to be here, I’ll have a burger all the way, fries, and a Coke.”

Clair scribbled his order on the notepad before she turned and walked away. She could feel his eyes watching her and it made her shudder. Please let me make it through this last hour. She opened the door to the kitchen and gave his order to the cook before filling a cup with Coke. When she carried his drink to the table, she thought about accidentally spilling it in his lap. But as bad as she hated Gavin, Clair knew she still had a job to perform.

She set his drink down and pulled a straw out of her apron, laying it on the table. Trying to be civilized, she said, “Your order will be just another minute or two.”

“So when are you going to have dinner with me?” he asked.

“I’m not. I’ve already told you I’m not interested.”

“Oh c’mon, one date with me is all I ask… You don’t
know what you’re missing.”

“I have a boyfriend, Gavin.”

He grinned, “You’re not married. What’s one date? You’ll probably like me better anyway.”

Clair stared into his eyes. She wanted to make sure Gavin got the message she was about to send. “That’s exactly the point. I don’t need to know what I’m missing. It’s called commitment, Gavin. Maybe if you tried it, you’d be able to find a girl who was actually interested in you.”

“What? You don’t think I can compete with Alex?” he sneered.

She rolled her eyes. “The point is I want to be with Alex, not you. Can’t you just accept that?”

“What does he have that I don’t?” He stood up and did a little turn beside her. “I mean, not to sound conceited or anything, but look at me!”

Wow. I can’t believe this, she thought, exhaling heavily. Clair looked around to see who else was watching this nonsense, but Gavin was the only customer except for one diner who had his nose in a book.

“Are you being serious right now? You might actually have girls interested in you if you didn’t act like such a conceited ass.”

“Oh, I have plenty of girls interested in me. Just not the one I want.” He took a step closer, the smile falling from his face. “Now, let’s be real. You can’t be all that happy with Alex. You’re always here working and I never see him with you. Maybe he’s just not that interested, at least not like I am.”

He was standing inches away from her. Too close. Clair wanted to back away, but she wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. She bored her eyes into him, “I’ve only been interested in one person since I stepped foot in this town, and you aren’t him. How often Alex comes to see me is none of your business. And neither is what we do on our dates. I’m not sure how much clearer I need to be.”

Gavin held his hands up, “Okay, okay. I’m just trying to help you out. You’ll see Alex for what he really is soon enough and then you’ll come to me. After that, I can finally show you what a real man is.”

Clair cut her eyes at him. The more he talked, the more furious she got. “And just what do you think I’ll see in Alex?”

“Well, let’s just say Alex is lazy. He gets lazy and quits. Just like the last few jobs he’s had.”

“Lazy? Alex is not lazy.” Clair huffed and narrowed her eyes at him. “He works all the time and he’s very good at what he does. He has important job responsibilities on which his boss depends heavily. What are your responsibilities? Shall we add stalking to your list? You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re just jealous of him and what he’s been able to achieve on his own.”

Gavin laughed out loud, “Jealous?
Of Alex? Yeah, right. Alex is a suck-up and he’s good at it too; always sucking the boss’ dick to get ahead. I mean, look at what he does now. He sits on his ass all day in that office and orders people around. I bet he thinks he’s real special.”

“That’s enough! I will not stand here and let you talk shit about my boyfriend.” Clair tried to keep the level of her voice under control as she leaned in to him, so close she could feel his breath on her face. “He is an amazing person and would do anything for anyone if they needed his help, which proves to me
that you obviously don’t know him.” Her voice trembled the more enraged she became. The anger in her brought tears to her eyes and she bit the inside of her cheek, forcing them back. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him. “I think you should just leave. And the next time you come in here, you can order your fucking food from someone else.”

Gavin smiled broadly at Clair as he slid his hand up the back of her arm and across her bare shoulder. The strap of her tank top didn’t provide enough of a barrier between his hand and her skin and his touch made her sick. “Seeing you get all riled up is a real turn on.” He looked over Clair’s head and smiled, “Well damn, look
who just showed up.”

Clair turned her head to see Alex looking in the window at them, his hands balled into tight fists. She opened her mouth to speak to him through the window, but he turned and walked away. Gavin gave her shoulder a squeeze and winked at her. Clair pushed him hard in the chest making him stumble backwards.

“Don’t you ever touch me again,” she seethed before running to the door to stop Alex.

She flung the door open and the humid air hit her. Like a vacuum sucking the breath from her, she choked for precious oxygen. Looking in the direction he was walking, she shouted, “ALEX! WAIT!” But he kept walking. She caught up to him, grabbing his upper arm, but he jerked it away, his hands still tightly balled into round fists. Clair stopped and watched him stomp away. “Please. Just talk to me,” she pleaded, her voice quivering. She didn’t understand what was going on, why he was here and what she did to make him so mad. All she knew was that she missed him terribly since he’d been gone and couldn’t let him just walk away from her.

Alex spun around, and marched up to her. His face was inches from hers when he said, “I should have known this would be a mistake. But what’s worse is to be replaced by the person I hate most.” His eyes flicked towards the diner.

“What are you talking about?” Clair asked, confused.

Alex snickered, but he looked furious, “What do you think I’m talking about? I saw the way you two were talking, and the way he was touching you. Do I look fucking stupid to you?” He paused and stared at her, his disappointment clear as he waited for her to answer.

“But it wasn’t like that, Alex.” 

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were glassy. The muscles in his cheeks flexed as if he were trying to hold himself together. “If I hadn’t walked up, what would have happened next? What would you have let him do?”

He turned back around and started to walk toward his car. But before Clair could answer him, he yelled in a rough voice over his shoulder, “I’m done!”

“What? No, wait,” Clair cried as she followed behind him.