Authors: Ella Celestine
The door behind her clicked open. Footsteps made her turn around to the guy who’d just entered the room. He was short, tan and older, but still a nice looking guy. He nodded at Clyde.
“How’s he doing?”
“Well, he’s not dead,” Janessa said.
“That’s a shame,” the guy said with a wide grin on his lips.
“Did you come here just to taunt me?” Clyde asked.
“Only a little. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”
“I’m fine. Will you please tell him I’m fine?”
“He’s fine, and he’s done,” she said as she finished bandaging him up.
“You’re fast.”
Janessa wiggled her gloved fingers. “Quick hands.”
The man slowly stood up and looked at the bandages. He nodded in approval before slipping his shirt back on. A grunt of effort followed his motions until he’d managed to pull the shirt down over his head.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” she said as she slipped off her gloves and threw them away before washing her hands.
“I know this is forward,” he said slowly.
Janessa turned around with an eyebrow raised.
“Do you think I could take you out to lunch one day?”
For a moment, Janessa was lost for words. Her first reaction was to say she had a boyfriend, but then she remembered that she and Tony weren’t talking. Then again, if he found out she was seeing someone, he’d flip a lid. She grinned.
“You know what? Why not?”
“Really?”
Janessa laughed. “Sure.” She wrote down her number for him before handing it back. “I’ll have someone bring in your discharge papers. Give me a call.”
She walked out of the room to Clyde’s friend shaking his head. On the other hand, she couldn’t stop grinning. Not then and not for the rest of the day. Even when she was elbow deep in the dirtiest of tasks, she couldn’t help but be a little giddy. Not only had someone asked her out, but he was gorgeous. She couldn’t get his crooked smile off of her brain.
“Janessa, I need you to stay later than planned,” Vanessa said after she’d walked over to her table in the cafeteria.
“Today is my short shift,” Janessa said in disbelief.
“Did you hear what I just said? I need you to stay later. It’s a mess today. Two nurses are out sick, one just got married. You’re one of the few people here. You have to stay.”
Janessa balled up her fists under the table. She could feel the retort bubbling in her throat, but she held it in. Even more so than before, she needed her job. Janessa bit her lip.
“Sure thing. I still have tomorrow off, though.”
“I might need you then too.”
“Nope. It’s my mandatory day off. I’ve worked ten days in a row. Besides, I need to sleep, and I have a date,” she said with a smile.
Vanessa scrounged up her nose. “With who?”
“That sweet patient, what was his name? Clyde.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you had a boyfriend.”
“Not anymore.” Her grin widened.
Vanessa scoffed. “Your personal life is none of my concern,” she said, sticking her nose up into the air.
Janessa shrugged. “Just making conversation.”
She watched the woman roll her eyes before she turned on her heels to stalk away. The irritation of having to work longer than previously planned still lingered, but the look on Vanessa’s face had been enough to ease it.
As Janessa thought about it, she realized that she hadn’t been on a date in forever. What was she supposed to wear? What were they supposed to talk about? Nervousness found its way to her belly. She had to call in backup for this.
Chapter Two
“Hey, girl!”
Janessa looked up from the book in her hands. Tasha was walking over to her quickly, her hips swaying as she waved. Janessa smiled and waved back.
Tasha was the best friend a girl could ask for. She was upbeat, silly and most of all, honest. Sometimes brutally honest. They’d bumped heads a few times, but they’d always made up after.
Where Janessa was awkward, fashion challenged, and more quiet, Tasha was the opposite. She was always ready for a party, she was popular and likable. Janessa loved going out with her for social events because she always did her best to include everyone and make sure no one was having a bad time.
Today, she wore a dark purple skirt, black heels, and a black top. Her brown skin looked smooth and glowing. She had long, auburn hair cascading over her shoulders, which she flipped often when she spoke. Janessa could see she’d done her makeup impeccably too.
She sighed. One day, she hoped to be able to do that on her own. Janessa had never had the time or opportunity to learn “girly” things. Her mom passed away young, and her father did the best he could, but he was a man of few words who valued academic prowess over looks. Janessa envied Tasha’s skills.
“You’re here earlier than I thought,” Janessa said, bookmarking her page before she closed her book.
“I was already out. I’m planning this dinner party for a couple of friends in two weeks to celebrate my new loft.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“When you broke up with that bastard, Tony. You know I can’t stand him.”
“He’s not all bad.”
Tasha rolled her eyes. “He just cheated on you. Again. He’s an asshole, but enough about that,” she said dismissing the conversation with a wave of her hand. “We’re going to get you all dolled up. Let’s go.”
Janessa pushed her book inside of her purse and stood up wearily. The mall wasn’t her favorite place in the world, it never had been. There were too many peering eyes, too much talking, and the music was obnoxious. She wanted to be gone before they’d even started.
“I love the mall!” Tasha exclaimed. “There’s so many sales today. Where should we go first?”
“If I had any idea, you wouldn’t be here today.”
“True. Hmm, let’s go in here.”
“That’s lingerie,” Janessa said wrinkling her nose.
“Hey, you never know.”
She shivered. “Let’s just focus on clothes,” she said pushing Tasha away from the store.
Fifteen minutes later, Janessa was tucked inside of a tight, orange dress. She looked at herself from different angles.
“I look like a jack-o-lantern.”
Tasha popped her head out of her dressing room and pulled a face. “Yeah, I wouldn’t go with that one. It looked so much better on the mannequin.”
Janessa sighed. She was already tired of this. Moving back into her stall, she pushed through the clothes that Tasha had given her. One thing did seem to catch her eye.
It was a pale pink dress with faint white flowers on it. The dress stopped at her knees and was strapless. She eyed the price tag and groaned.
“I thought you said these were on sale?”
“They are on sale!”
That was on sale? She was half tempted to walk the dress back out, along with the rest of the clothes and give up. There was just something about the dress though that called to her.
Hesitating, she pulled the dress from the hanger. The material felt soft in her hand. She slipped it over her head, pulled it down and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
She was instantly surprised. Working her fingers through her hair, she pulled it up into a pinned up look. Turning her head back and forth, she smiled at her reflection. The dress was gorgeous against her brown skin and fit her perfectly.
“What do you think?” She asked as she stepped out of her room.
“Damn girl! I love that on you.” Tasha said excitedly. She walked around Janessa checking out every angle. “That looks so good on you! Your date’s not gonna be able to keep his eyes off of you.”
Janessa grinned. “You think so?”
“Hell yeah!”
She had to admit, she liked the way she looked. The dress felt like a part of her that she’d yet to really explore fully. It was almost disappointing when she had to take it off and put back on her jeans and t-shirt.
Janessa skipped the heels that Tasha insisted on and went for pale, pink flats instead. She did let Tasha pick out her makeup, though. By the time they were done, Janessa had done more shopping than she’d intended. They carried the heavy bags out to their cars.
“What do we even talk about?” Janessa asked. “I barely know anything about him.”
“That’s why you date someone, so you can get to know them. Besides, you’ll be fine. Just don’t broach the subject of your asshole ex.”
Janessa rolled her eyes. “You’ve never liked him.”
“Damn straight.”
“Thanks for the help,” Janessa said, hugging her before she got in the car.
“No problem. Call me after your date. Good luck.”
“I need all the luck I can get.”
Janessa was already late. Her hair had refused to act right for her, then she had to find the makeup she’d just brought, and it took forever to put it on. By the time she was slipping on her shoes, Clyde was calling her.
“So, I was wondering if you just wanted me to pick you up. It’s really not a problem.”
“No, I’ll be there shortly. I promise.”
He laughed. “Take your time. You got the address right?”
“I did,” she said, grabbing her purse and giving herself one more look over in the mirror. “I’m leaving out now.”
“See you soon.”
Janessa locked her door before turning around. “Shit!” She clutched her chest before hitting Tony with her bag. “What the hell’s your problem sneaking up on me like that?”
“I wasn’t sneaking! You’re the one coming out of your room backwards.”
“Whatever,” she said as she pushed past him. “How did you even find me?”
“You know I have eyes all over this city,” he said, looking proud of himself as he adjusted his button up shirt. “Now, can you stop this nonsense and come home already?”
Janessa scoffed. “That’s never going to happen.”
Tony stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “Where are you going looking so nice?”
The lie sprang to her lips so quickly that it almost took her by surprise. “I’m going out with Tasha, not that it’s any of your business,” she said as she stepped around him.
“We’ll talk about this later!” He called after her.
“I can guarantee you we won’t!” She shouted back.
Only when Janessa was safely in her car could she breathe easier. What was she thinking, lying to Tony like that? He was a powerful man with powerful friends. She knew he’d never do anything to her, he’d never even so much as lifted a hand towards her, but she’d seen his bad temper directed at other people.
Sometimes, it was justified. Like the time her professor wouldn’t stop groping her and threatening to fail her if she said anything. Despite her protests, Tony had taken care of that swiftly and efficiently. It would have weighed more heavily on her conscious if her professor hadn’t been such a predator.
Other times, it wasn’t so justified. Like the times that Tony had simply been jealous. She’d seen co-workers at past jobs quit with black eyes and friends who stopped talking to her simply because they didn’t want to get caught up in anything that Tony perceived as flirting.
Now, there was Clyde. Just the thought of him was enough to bring a small smile to her face and push away some of the gloom that she felt. Still, she didn’t want anything to happen to him. If Tony found out that she was dating, he’d lose it.
She thought back to the hospital and imagined the big, strong muscles. Janessa was pretty sure he could handle himself in a fair fight, but Tony didn’t always play fair.
The situation stayed on her mind as she followed her GPS to the address that Clyde had given her. When she arrived, she couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a huge fair going on; rides, carnival games, the smell of fried foods. Janessa was in heaven.
When she’d parked, she texted Clyde, and they met up at the entrance. He was gorgeous even from a mile away. Blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and sneakers didn’t seem like anything special, but on him, she found herself biting her lip at the image.
“Did you find the place okay?” Clyde asked, a big smile on his face.
Janessa nodded. “A fair, though. I’m surprised.”
“Disappointed?” He asked, raising a brow.
She shook her head. “Not at all! I haven’t been to one of these things in years.”
His grin widened. “I’m glad you like it. Let’s go get in line.”
Clyde stood beside her in the line so closely that she could smell his cologne. It was the most alluring fragrance of cedar and citrus, like mandarins. He smelled like the woods where she and her father would go hunting in the summer.
As that thought ran through her head, she noticed that Clyde kept sneaking peeks at her. Every time he thought she wasn’t looking, his eyes took her in. Each time, he smiled and seemed to move a little closer.
What had she gotten herself into? There was a familiar fluttering in her belly. She hadn’t been so excited and nervous since she’d met Antonio or after when she’d passed her nursing exams.
“Two wristbands, please,” Clyde said.
He paid for both of them before he wrapped Janessa’s around her wrist and fastened it. The bright yellow of the band almost looked at home with her soft pink dress. Clyde held out his arm.
“Ready to go in?”
She slipped her arm around his. “More than ready.”
Janessa couldn’t remember the last time she’d warmed up to someone so quickly. They rode everything from the smallest things to the coasters. Janessa screamed at the top of her lungs, but when the ride was over, she wanted to go again.
“You’re insane,” Clyde said shaking his head as they stepped off of a ride. “I don’t see how you like those things.”
“What’s not to like about shooting through the air and being weightless? It’s the closest you can get to flying.”
“They make airplanes for that.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same,” she said with a laugh as they sat down at a wooden table with a giant red and white umbrella shielding them from the sun.
“Well, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to eat before we go on any more death traps.”
Janessa laughed. “It’s not a death trap, but I could eat.”
“What would you like? There’s a couple of different restaurants on site.”
She shook her head quickly. “You can’t come to a fair and not eat fair food. I want a corndog and an elephant ear.”
Clyde grinned. “Anything else?”
“Ohh, yes. A large lemonade.”
“You got it.”
She smiled as he walked off to get their food. Pulling out her phone, she opened her camera and checked her hair. The coaster had shaken a few pins loose because her hair was trying to escape. She dug into her bag, pinned the curls back up and retouched her makeup.