I stopped at my bedroom. The sound of the doorbell had woken Shay. Her long thin arms stretched up for a yawn. "Was that the door or was my dream about the ice cream cart man being outside real?"
"It was the door. My friend Jack just pulled up, so you might want to grab some clothes." I walked to the entry and opened the door.
Jack was holding up his phone and a six pack of beer as he walked inside. "I bring gifts. I sent you a warning text because I never know what the hell is happening in your den of sin."
"Good to see you too, buddy."
"I find myself with nothing to do this afternoon." Jack headed to the kitchen and put the beer into the refrigerator but emerged with one in his hand and one for me. "And I thought to myself, I should go see what my bestest bestie Nash is up to." Jack's attention was immediately pulled past my shoulder. He tilted his head to get a better view. "Hello there."
"Hello." Shay strolled past. She had pulled on her favorite pair of faded jeans and a short black t-shirt. Her hair was swept up in a ponytail, which meant I'd be spending an insane amount of time thinking about her long, kissable neck.
"Shay, this is my friend Jack. You might have seen him at Fantasm."
"Yes, Delicious Man. That's the code name the dancers use for him."
Jack's brow arched. He looked confused and then pleased. "Is that right? So they think I'm delicious?" Jack nodded at me. "Did you hear that? Delicious Man."
"They know you're the best tipper," Shay added. Her smile had faded completely. Thick head that I was, I finally started to catch on that she was upset. And I knew why. I was an idiot. And now my big mouthed friend was making it worse.
"Is my friend treating you well?" Jack asked before I could signal him to shut up.
Shay's mouth twisted to the side as she looked at me. "I'm not allowed to discuss the contract, but you get to tell everyone?"
"Uh oh." Jack pacified himself with his beer and headed out to the patio to leave us alone.
"I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have told him, but Jack is my sounding board. He's the friend who keeps me in check. I came up with this plan when we were both watching you on stage at Fantasm. So you could say, he knew about my idea when it was still just a seed in my mind and long before any contract was written. He's a good guy. He wouldn't ever betray my trust by telling anyone."
Shay nodded weakly. "I suppose that makes sense. But it stops with Jack."
"Yes, absolutely. It's no one's business. Why don't you pour yourself some wine and join us on the patio. Once you look past how big mouthed and delicious Jack is, he's a great guy. And I don't say that about many people."
Jack had his legs stretched out in front of him as I walked out onto the patio. He looked past me to make sure I was alone. "Dude, I opened my big mouth. Sorry."
"I won't deny the big mouth part, but I think I've smoothed it over." I pulled out a chair and sat. The late afternoon sun was reflecting off the blue water. The nice weather had brought a flock of pelicans to the water in front of the house. I watched them flap their giant wings as they hovered over the breaking waves to catch fish. "She is not like anyone else I've ever met. I'm glad the money will keep her from having to work at Fantasm again. She deserves way more than that."
"Maybe she deserves a nice, rich boyfriend who will give her a happy ending." There was no way to misinterpret his suggestion.
"The word nice is key there. I'm the last person she needs in her life. Just the fact that I've hired her to help me overcome my rabid sex drive should be clue enough for that."
"By the way, I went into Fantasm the other night. The mood in there is gloomy since Shay left."
The sliding door opened, and Shay stepped out with a glass of wine. "They were only excited about me because I was new. I'm sure Rocky will find another new girl soon and then the crowd will be just as enthusiastic and happy as always."
"Interesting theory," Jack said as Shay pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. "Except it's already been proven wrong. Rocky hired a new girl last week. Let's just say, she's a dud."
Shay responded by sipping her wine.
Jack pointed at me. "Enjoy that beer, pal. I nearly lost my life trying to buy it. Well, lost my life might be an over-exaggeration but it was quite the shopping adventure. Conway's Market in the downtown area had just put out their first delivery of pumpkins as I pulled up to the lot. I was nearly stampeded by women running for the squash." He looked at Shay, who sat down next to him with her wine. "I know the saying is usually—what is it about women and horses?" Jack continued. "But what is it about women and pumpkins?"