Breaking Even (6 page)

“It’s the best lasagna I’ve had,” Ric
added. Lindsey beamed with pride.

#

Ric enjoyed dinner more than expected. When he first
realized that Lindsey had visitors, he wasn
’t sure how it would go. She seemed
prickly, which he understood once he saw it was her sister and her fiancé. To
say that he and Laura had not hit it off well was an understatement.

Lindsey's lasagna looked like something
out of a magazine and it tasted great too. He watched her flit around the room,
topping off drinks, and grabbing more bread from the kitchen. As the hostess,
she worked hard to make sure that all her guests had what they needed.

Even Laura seemed to relax a bit, although
her hands shook as she passed the bread. She seemed to be accepting Ric’s
appearance. It was a start at least.

After dinner, Fox and Laura offered to
help with the dishes, but Lindsey said she and Ric would take care of it. Fox
took the hint and reminded Laura that Atlanta would be a long drive back. Laura
hung back, but together, Lindsey and Fox eased her out the door.

After Fox and Laura left, Lindsey closed
the door behind her and looked straight at Ric. "Well, that was awkward.”

“I’m just glad they’re gone. Come here and
give me a real hug,” he said.

She came into his arms as if she belonged
there. Gone was the prickliness he had felt from her so often on the island. He
nestled around her, loving the way her curves melded against him.

“You had a hug in the kitchen, remember?
And a kiss,” she teased.

He laughed. “I did steal a kiss, didn’t I?
You launched into your whole ‘we’ve been talking’ speech and I wanted none of
that.”

“I still can’t believe you’re here. How
long can you stay?”

“I told my staff I would be back Monday
afternoon. If you want me here. If you don’t, I can drive back to my house in
Atlanta and fly home tomorrow.” Ric waited for her answer, hoping she wouldn’t
send him away. He still couldn’t get a feel for how she felt about him or what
she wanted.

“That’s great. We can drive up into the
mountains, go exploring.”

That surprised him. “I like that idea. So
where is your roommate? I thought he would be here.”

“He’s working. His uncle and dad opened a
bar together. This weekend is the grand opening.”

“Ah. Have you been yet?”

“Not yet. I planned to ride over there
tonight with Fox and Laura, but after you got here, I lost interest.”

“Well, let’s go now.” His sense of time
vacillated between East Coast and Vegas time, but it seemed too early to be in
for the evening.

“Okay, but let’s clean up the dishes
first. I don’t want to leave all this overnight.”

After cleaning up, Lindsey changed into a
sexy yellow top with spaghetti straps.
Díos
, did she have any idea how
she affected him?

“What, you don’t like it?” Lindsey asked.
The fact that he liked it too much must have shown on his face.

“Great color—I just don’t see how I can
keep the men from swarming around you. Are you ready?”

“Let’s go.”

Ric led her out to
his car, a late model SUV.

“Nice car,” she said. “I can’t believe you
keep a car this nice when you’re never there. Does your tenant drive it?”

He laughed. “I have a guy at the
dealership who takes care of me when I’m in town.”

Whoever said that rich people never pay
for anything had to be on to something.

Lindsey gave him directions and then
settled back against the soft leather. She glanced over at his profile, but he
kept his eyes on the road.

“This feels weird to me.” Lindsey wished
she could feel at ease with Ric, like this was something she did all the time.

“What feels weird?” he asked, patient as
ever.

“Us. This.” She motioned for him to turn
down the main road that would take them into downtown. At least most of the
traffic from the earlier football game had dissipated.

He looked over at her. “Want to tell me
why?”

Lindsey shrugged. “It’s hard to explain.
Calliope was an island adventure, like something out of a book. Now you’re
here, eating dinner in my house, taking me to a bar. It just seems … weird.”

“I would say it’s normal,” he countered.

“Which is what’s weird.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand.
“I’d like to do normal things with you more often. I want us to spend time
together, get to know each other. Hold hands.”

Lindsey grinned. His hand felt solid
against hers. “Yes, you’ve said that. But it’s one thing to say that and
another thing when you’re here. It makes it more real.”

“I should hope so.” He squeezed her hand
and let go to make the turn.

“We’re going there,” she said, gesturing
to the odd corner building with a large globe on the sign.

During the holiday weekend, downtown
teemed with students wearing orange. They got lucky with parking and found a
spot a few blocks from the bar.

“This must be quite a change for you after
living in Tallahassee and Miami,” Ric said. He helped her out of the car, and
they held hands as they walked downtown.

“A nice change. I think I like life in a
small town.” Up ahead, she could see the oversized wooden sign designed like a
flat globe.

“So what made them open a bar here?” Ric
asked.

Lindsey shrugged. “Who knows? Ben’s uncle
has lived near here a long time. This space became available, so he decided to
try it. If Ben hadn’t found a roommate, his other option was to move in with
his uncle.”

“Well, from the looks of the crowd, the
bar may have filled a niche.”

The bouncer asked to see Lindsey’s
identification but waved Ric through. While the bar wasn’t standing room only,
most of the tables were full. She didn’t know what used to occupy this
building, but the renovation appeared successful. Exposed brick lined one wall
and dark tongue-in-groove paneling covered the other three. Two pool tables
filled the area in the back and both had games in progress. Scarred hardwood
floors gave the bar its vintage feeling. Ben had told her that the floors were
from the former hardware store at this location.

A large couch sectional filled an entire
corner, facing the street for prim people-watching. despite the fact that it
had just opened. Tall tables filled the rest of the space.

Lindsey spotted Ben behind the bar and
nudged Ric in that direction. Ben’s face lit up when he saw her. He wiped his
hands on a towel and shook hands with Ric, the two of them reserved but
cordial.

“Lindsey, I was hoping you’d make it. What
do you think?”

“It’s an amazing space. I love the couch
in front. And what is the front of the bar?”

“Old tin off my uncle’s barn roof. He had
the concrete top custom poured.” A river of concrete almost spanned the width
of the bar, curving in an S shape.

“It turned out well,” Ric said, running his
hand along the top of the concrete.

Distracted by Ric's hand, Lindsey realized
she hadn’t introduced Ben and Ric.

“Where are my manners? Ben Morton, meet
Ric Salzana from the Bahamas.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ric said, and Lindsey
felt his arm drape around her shoulders. The move felt forced and she wanted to
edge away, but she stood still, smiling.

“You don’t sound Bahamian,” Ben said when
he heard the accent.

“I grew up in Venezuela. Now I run a
resort on a private island the other side of Nassau.”

“Ric’s being modest,” Lindsey said. “He
owns most of the land on the island and he’s CEO of the resort.”

“So that’s where you went for that
blackjack tournament?” Ben asked.

“Yes. It’s a beautiful resort, modeled
after an old castle,” Lindsey said, bragging.

Ben nodded to another customer and turned
back to Lindsey. “It’s getting busy—what can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a pale ale on draft,” Ric said.
“Lindsey, do you want to try a hard cider?”

“Apple cider? That sounds good.”

“Coming up.” He poured the drinks and set
them on the bar. Ric pulled out his wallet, but Ben waved him away. “On the
house,” he said.

“Thanks,” Lindsey said. “We might see you
later.”

Lindsey and Ric turned to look for a seat
and she spotted Sarah, a fellow math graduate student. Lindsey waved and the
other girl came over. “Sarah, didn’t know you would be here.”

“The gang is upstairs, over by the
windows. Who’s your friend?” She sized Ric up, her smile friendly.

“Ric, meet Sarah Waters, one of my
graduate student friends. Sarah, meet Ric Salzana.”

“Nice to meet you. Come join us upstairs.
I’ll be back up in a bit.” Sarah left them and headed to the restroom.

Upstairs, the bar had more couches and
more tall tables. In one corner, a small stage was set up, with speakers and a sound
system. Upstairs, gray plaster walls gave the rooms an airy feeling. Vintage
photographs of local scenes filled the walls.

Lindsey and Ric found her gang, all math
teaching assistants, settled on a pair of couches by the window. The group had
gone out a few times since classes had started. Although she didn’t know them
that well, they were starting to become friends. She introduced the group to
Ric all at the same time: Brian, Stephanie, Whit, and Mary Margaret.

Whit slid over so she and Ric could sit
together on the couch. Lindsey snuggled under the arm he draped cross the back
of the couch. Ric handled their questions well.

“Lindsey, you were holding out on us!”
Stephanie said, laughing. “Who knew you had a guy waiting for you in the
Bahamas?”

She smiled, ignoring the way Ric tensed
beside her. “I know I told you about him,” she said, laughing. “Y’all just
forgot.”

“Just think of me as Lindsey’s best-kept
secret,” Ric said. Anyone else looking at him wouldn’t notice the tightness in
his smile, but Lindsey saw it.

Lindsey rotated her glass of cider,
letting the amber liquid catch the light. “I like this hard cider. How did I
not know about this?"

“It’s usually sold alongside beer, and you
don’t buy beer,” Ric said, teasing.

Sarah came back up carrying a glass of
white wine. Whit gave her his spot on the opposite couch, claiming he had to go
speak to a friend.

“So how long are you here for?” Sarah
asked.

“I’m headed back Monday. I don’t want to
be gone too long during prime hurricane season.”

“And when are you going back down there?”
Sarah asked Lindsey, all excited to hear about it.

Lindsey thought about it. “We’ve talked
about me coming down for fall break in two weeks.”

“Wow. Fall break in the Caribbean. I might
have to climb in your suitcase.”

Lindsey laughed, but hoped that Ric didn’t
suggest Sarah come along. She wanted him to herself.

Lindsey glanced up and saw Ben
approaching. A thin man with a shaved head and a thick bushy red beard followed
close behind him. Lindsey and Ric stood up to greet them.

“Lindsey, I’d like you to meet my uncle,
Scott Morton,” Ben said.

“Scott, this is my roommate Lindsey Todd
and her friend Ric… I’m sorry, I don’t remember your last name.”

“Salzana,” Ric provided. They shook hands.
Scott’s eyes never left Ric.

“That’s an unusual name,” Scott said, one
hand pulling at his beard.

“I’m originally from Venezuela.”

Scott’s face whitened and he eased way.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’d better get back downstairs.”

Without another word, Scott was gone. Ben
frowned, turning his head from Ric and back to Scott. Either Ric didn’t notice
the abrupt departure or didn’t care.

Lindsey smiled, trying to ease the sudden
tension. “Ben, you remember my friends from the other night.”

“Sure,” Ben said, waving.

“Great bar, man,” Whit said. “I think this
is our new hangout.”

“Good deal. Pass the word.” After Ben and
his uncle left, the chatter circled around them again like a fog.

“What was that all about?” she asked Ric.
“Ben’s uncle looked like he had seen a ghost.”

“So, who is from around here? Any cool places
to see? Maybe somewhere we could take a picnic?” Ric asked, changing the
subject.

Whit leaned forward. “I’m from Walhalla.
You could go up to the Stumphouse Tunnel, about forty-five minutes north of
here.”

“What is that?” Ric asked.

“Before the Civil War, a railroad company
started digging a tunnel under a mountain. They planned to link up to a rail
line in Tennessee. They never finished.”

“Thanks for the Clemson history update,”
Sarah groaned. Whit elbowed her.

“Ignore her. At one point Clemson used the
tunnel to cure blue cheese, but now it’s a tourist spot with picnic tables.
There’s also a waterfall a short hike away.”

“That sounds like it just might be the
trip. Lindsey, do you want another cider?” Ric asked.

“Sounds great.”

“I’ll be right back.” Ric went back
downstairs and Sarah slid over beside Lindsey. Over in the corner, a singer
dragged a stool onto the stage and began setting up with a guitar and amp.

“Whew—he was H-O-T-T HOT! And I don’t mean
average hot, either. I mean Charleston in July hot. You did not tell us about
him. I’m so used to seeing everybody in shorts and a T-shirt, and he shows up
in pressed gabardine.”

Lindsey laughed at that. “He dresses for
work. I can count on one hand the times I’ve seen him not in a suit.”

“And this is your boyfriend?”

Lindsey felt a little bit put out that
Sarah was so surprised. “Well, long distance. We haven’t known each other long.”

“And the way he rolls those R’s, that’s
just too sexy.” To punctuate her words, Sarah fanned herself with her hand.
“Well, if you decide you’re done with him, send him to me. I could get lost in
that.”

Lindsey bristled at the idea of Ric with
Sarah and had to remind herself that her friend was only kidding. Maybe.

“Where is Tanya?” Lindsey asked, looking
around. She had just noticed that Sarah’s roommate wasn’t with them. “She
didn’t come tonight?

“Don’t even get me started. She’s driving
me crazy. I told her we were all going out for drinks, but she’s staying home
to video chat with her boyfriend in Macon. Who knows. She talks about leaving
at the end of the semester to move back with him. I don’t know. You may be
seeing someone who doesn’t live her, but at least you go out and have fun.”

“She should at least finish the master’s.
What’s a couple of years?”

“I know, that’s what I tell her.”

The singer introduced himself as Rockford
Montgomery Levinson the third. “Now that’s a mouthful, so you can call me
Rocky. Let’s get this party started.”

He started with a few strums on his guitar
and went straight into a cover of a popular country music song. His second song
sounded like a cross between country and southern rock. The crowd warmed up to
him, clapping and laughing along with the song.

Ric returned with the cider, but nothing
for himself. He slid into the seat beside Lindsey and seemed content to listen
to the music. Lindsey snuggled under his arm, loving how well she fit. Ric
couldn't hear her over the music unless she shouted, so she just relaxed.

Rocky switched to a slow ballad that had
crossed over to the pop charts. Lindsey closed her eyes and let the sound wash
over her. As Rocky sang about a boy and a girl, she imagined that he sang about
her and Ric. Nothing was ever as simple as the love songs sounded.

“The line must have been long,” Lindsey
said, taking a sip of the cider.

“A little bit. Downstairs is standing room
only now. Who is this guy? He’s good.”

“I don’t know. I guess he’s somebody
local. He’s got a great voice.”