maniac.”
“Yeah.” I laugh, swiping the back of my hand across my forehead.
After showering and changing, Soledad and I stand side by side at the mirror fixing our hair and makeup as she tells me about her day. She works as an interior designer at a local firm.
“It was nearly a disaster,” she says. “The upholsterer was holding our furniture hostage.”
“What? How can they do that? Didn’t you pay the bill?”
“We don’t usually pay in advance.” She rolls her eyes. “They were having cash flow problems and the people who work there hadn’t been paid in weeks. So they held the stuff hostage. I needed that furniture today. The client’s having a big party this weekend. So I did arrange to pay our bill in advance but I made sure that the guy’s employees got paid and they delivered our stuff this afternoon.”
“Whew!”
“No kidding.”
We sling out bags over our shoulders and leave the gym onto the now dark street.
“Incognito?” I say.
“Okay!”
We often go there after a workout. It’s close and they have great cocktails and good food that isn’t wildly expensive. We approach the red-neon-lit building. They have a nice rooftop patio in the summer, but it’s still a bit chilly for that. Inside, the place is long and narrow, with brick walls and dark wood. We pass the bar against one wall and take a table for two.
“I need to see the hockey game,” I tell the server immediately.
She nods. “We’ve got the Penguins’ game right there.” She points.
“Perfect.”
Knowing me, Soledad lets me take the chair facing the big screen. She shakes her head, smiling.
“It’s my business,” I tell her, also smiling.
“I know, I know. I think it’s cool.”
I already know what I want, so I don’t bother looking at the menu, instead fixing my attention on the TV screen. Penguins are up by one near the end of the first period.
“Who are you cheering for?” Soledad asks.
“You know I don’t cheer for any one team.”
“How can you not? You have to cheer for someone.”
“I want my guys to do well.” I don’t have that many clients in the NHL yet, but one of them is playing in this game. “Jason plays for Carolina. I want him to play well. If they win, they’re on to round two. Against the Bears. Who one of my other clients plays for.”
We order our drinks and food, a Buffalo chicken salad for me, a barbecue whiskey burger for Soledad, along with two margaritas and a basket of chips to start.
“So…I have a big new client,” I tell her when we have our drinks.
“Oh yeah? Who is it?”
“Hunter Morrissette. He plays for the New Jersey Storm.”
“Oh, wow! That’s great news! Congratulations!”
“Thanks.” I bite my lip. “It is great…but I’m having some misgivings.”
Her forehead creases. “Why?”
“I knew him in college. We were…friends.” I look down at my drink. “And for one night, we were more than friends.”
Soledad makes a small noise and I look up to see her wide dark eyes. “Whoa.”
“Yeah.”
“One night?” She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip.
“One night in Cancun.” I give a dry laugh. “That sounds like a movie.”
“X-rated, I assume.”
“Oh yeah.” I roll my eyes. “We drank a lot of cerveza and tequila and…hormones kind of took over.”
She lifts one shoulder. “That happens.”
“It wasn’t just us, true. But…” I stop, not sure where I’m going or how much I want to say.
She munches on a chip, watching me.
“I really liked Hunter.” Again, I look down. “When I first met him, I had a little crush on him.”
“Ah.”
“Then I thought he was a jerk. He was so…moody. He never smiled. He didn’t party. He barely talked to anyone.”
She nods.
“But I got to know him better and realized he wasn’t that bad. Except then he had a girlfriend. So.”
“Just friends.”
“Yeah. There was one time…” I stop. “Well. Nothing ever happened. I had a couple of boyfriends, he had a few girlfriends. Then in Cancun, it was just us, and some of our teammates.”
“So he obviously was attracted to you, too.”
I make a face. “Who knows? We were all wearing skimpy clothes and drunk. If it wasn’t me, it would have been one of the other girls.” I scoop up some salsa with a chip.
“Ohhhh, Kate.”
“What?”
“That bothers you?”
“No.”
I can tell she knows I’m lying by her little snort. “It was more than hot vacation sex for you.”
“Women can have hot vacation sex with no strings attached just as easily as men can.”
“Sure. Theoretically. But we’re talking about you.”
I sigh. “Okay, you’re right.