Cheating at Solitaire Read online

Page 8

 

  "Great. "

  "Six thirty this morning, and Im out of here," she stated flatly.

  "Six thirty? Your flights at six thirty, or youre leaving for the airport at six thirty?" Lance glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. "Because its four fifteen in the morning right now. "

  Julia turned to study the clock herself. "It cant be!"

  "It is. " He raised his eyebrows in mock reverence. "Welcome to the criminal justice system. "

  "Im not going to make it," Julia exclaimed, wilting with the realization. "Its her fifth birthday, and Im not going to make it. "

  They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Lance turned to her. "What if I was to make sure you made that flight? What would that be worth?"

  Julia leaned her head against the notice-covered bulletin board. She heard paper crinkle and felt a thumbtack jab into her skull, but she was far too exhausted to care. "If I made it to the airport with all of my belongings in time to catch a six thirty A. M. flight?" "Yeah," he said.

  "If you could do that, you could name your price. But since—"

  "I need to make a call," Lance said to a passing guard. A moment later, he was gone, leaving Julia on that hard bench alone.

  Forty minutes later, Lance appeared at Julias elbow. "Come on," he said, holding her coat. "Lets sign the forms and go. "

  "What? Were ready?"

  "Well, I dont know about you, but I am. "

  The frigid March air hit Julia like a fist as they exited the station, and she recoiled, leaning into Lance. To her surprise, in spite of the hour, a cab was idling on the street at the bottom of the steep stairs. As they reached the sidewalk, the back door of the cab opened and a young man got out. Lance nodded at him and asked, "Everything set?"

  "Its all in there," the young man responded. "I signed her out of her room, too. "

  "Okay. " Lance moved to shake hands with his friend. "I owe you. "

  "Damn right you do. "

  "Will someone please tell me whats going on here?" Julia asked.

  "Oh, sorry. " The young man stepped forward and held his hand out for Julia to shake, which she did. "How ya doing?"

  "Julia James"—Lance put his arm around her—"Id like you to meet Tom Ford, a friend of mine. " Lance ran his free hand through his hair, a gesture that almost succeeded in muffling his voice when he added, "Toms also a bellman at the Ritz. "

  "Oh," Julia said, allowing a lot of pieces to fall into the puzzle.

  "Tom and I are members of New Yorks thespian underground," Lance explained. "Theres not a hotel we cant get into, a restaurant we cant eat at, or a Gap where we cant get . in employee discount. Were very powerful. Dont mess with us," he joked.

  Tom raised his eyebrow in a "yep, Im guilty" gesture. Julia looked at her carry-on bags lying in the backseat of the cab and forgot about invasion of privacy and hotel security, serenely grateful that Tom had chosen to abuse his power for a good cause.

  "Come on. " Lance pushed her toward the running taxi. "Weve got a plane to catch. " With a wave back at Tom, he said, "Thanks, man. Good luck in LA. "

  Julia was almost in the cab when she registered the "we. "

  "We? What do you mean Weve got a plane to catch?"

  Through the diluted light of a streetlamp, Lance surveyed the exhausted woman who was halfway into the cab with one foot on the back floorboard and one hand on the top of the car. There were a couple of ways he could force her into the car from that] position, none of which he would try in front of a police station, j

  He held out his hands. "Julia, Im a bartender. I work nights and, as you can tell, I didnt show up tonight, so Im probably fired. I dont have an agent, not one that Im proud of anyway. Im not scheduled for any auditions. And yet my picture is on every newsstand in America. You dont know me, but you have to believe me when I say that I am a good actor and I dont want to get ahead this way. Believe it or not, Im an honorable guy. But honorable or not, Ive still got to make rent. If I stay here, Im gonna stumble, and then youre going to go down with me. I dont want to do that. Remove the temptation, please. Just get me away from this town for a while. Lets regroup. Lets put our heads together. Lets do it in Tulsa. "

  She shifted. He saw her start to budge. She shifted again, and he wished shed just get in the stupid cab. He wasnt wearing a heavy coat, and it was freezing out. He tried one more piece of truth. "Youre here with me, or youre there with me. Its your call, but the clock is ticking. And you said I could name my price. "

  She slid into the backseat and said, "Lets go. "

  Chapter Seven

  WAY #47: Get out of town.

  If theres a place youve always wanted to see—go there. If theres an adventure youve always wanted to experience —do it. Traveling isnt just for couples anymore.

  —from 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire

  Julia hated to call so early, but the flight was boarding soon and she didnt know when shed get another? chance. Carolines greeting was groggy but to the point. "Hows it going, slugger?" "You heard?" Julia asked, cringing.

  "Oh, I saw. There was news footage. What were you think-

  "Please, C, please dont start. Ive been sitting in a police nation hallway all night. So, please, if we can do this conversation later, I would really appreciate it. "

  "Sure," her sister said. "Well do it when you get home. "

  "Well. . . see . . . " Just spit it out, Julia, she told herself. "I wont be alone. "

  "I knew it!" Caroline cried. "As soon as I saw that picture, I just knew in my gut! He looks just like—"

  "Caroline!" Julia cut her off.

  "What? Cant I say it? Doesnt he know hes the spitting image of—"

  "Caroline, cut it out. Were not together together. Making the flight was kind of iffy, and there was a price attached. Ive got to take him with me. But its okay. I can keep an eye on him this way, keep things from escalating. So, please, just brief the troops. "

  "Whatever you say," Caroline said. "Whatever you say," she repeated, not trying to disguise her skepticism.

  Julia looked across the terminal at the man waiting for her by the glass and told herself that everything was for the best. Then Lance yawned and stretched, and she saw half the women in the airport drop their purses and their jaws at the sight of him. Oh, well, she thought, that which does not kill us makes us stronger. She said good-bye to her sister and snapped her phone shut.

  Lance took this as his cue to make a call himself.

  "Everything okay?" he asked as he walked past.

  She cut her eyes up at him and said, "Fine. "

  He slid a quarter into a pay phone and dialed a familiar number. He told the operator that the call would be collect, something he no longer felt guilty about. The guilt he did have came from calling at what was essentially the middle of the night in

  California. But knowing his mother and her chronic insomnia, Lance half suspected she might be repotting petunias or vacuuming the oven instead of in the middle of a dream. Whatever the case, he was sure shed want to know what was going on.

  "Theyre not true," he said instead of hello as soon as he heard his mothers voice.

  "Well, I knew that," she said, her voice utterly awake, her response to the point. Lance realized then how much hed missed his mothers shorthand. With other people, things needed to be explained, sentences needed to be finished. When he was talking to the woman whod raised him, all adjectives and most verbs became virtually useless.

  "So," she said, "are you going to tell me whats going on?"

  "Do you want me to?"

  "Not really. As long as youre okay. "

  "I am. Im good. "

  "Sweetheart," she started, and he knew very well where that sentence was going to end up. "Dont, Mom. Please. "

  "But hes your father," she pleaded. "Hed want to—" "You didnt need his help when you were raising me. I dont need it now. "

  "Okay," she said, backing down. "Youre okay?" she asked again. r />
  "Yeah," he said. "Im okay. Look, Im going to drop off the radar for a little while. Dont worry if you dont hear from me for a day or two. " From the corner of his eye, he saw a newsstand full of tabloids. "And if you read anything about me," he went on, "dont believe it. "

  The line was silent for a long time, and Lance wondered if the call had been disconnected. Then he heard his mother say, "This sounds like something—"

  "Dads not a factor in this. "

  "Youll call if you need anything?" she asked him.

  "Of course," he said and told her good-bye.

  Julia was in first class; Lance was stuck in coach. Well, not really stuck. Shed put him there under the guise of not wanting to draw attention to themselves by traveling together, and hed bought it. Or he didnt care. Whatever the case, she stretched out in the leather seat, ate her warm croissant, and got ready to sleep until they had to change planes in Dallas. Without delays, theyd touch down in Tulsa at one and be at her sisters in plenty of time for Cassies three-oclock party.

  Her heavy eyelids had just begun to drop when she heard, "Excuse me," and opened one eye to see a flight attendant hovering overhead. "Im sorry to bother you, Miss James. Its just that Im such a huge fan. The airline usually frowns on this sort of thing," the young woman said as she reached into the pocket of her smock, "but if you could . . . " She held a copy of 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire and a pen toward Julia.

  An autograph, Julia thought, feeling as if the last few days had been a dream and she was just flying out of New York, not fleeing from it. Her book was in her hands; a woman who appreciated her message stood before her. This is who I am, Julia thought. This is what I do. Her confidence soared. Two lines inside the cover. A signature. A smile.

  She took the book, opened to the front page, and saw that someone had beaten her to it.

  To Marci, All the best, Lance Collins

  When the passengers back in coach were finally allowed to deplane, Lance followed the masses through the airport.

  Julia was nowhere to be seen. The staff at the Ritz had shipped the bulk of her toy purchases home for her, but she still had suitcases and other bags. Lance knew she might have ditched him, but she wasnt going home without her luggage. He stood on his tiptoes and scanned the baggage-claim area when a noise flew past his ear like a gnat.

  "Pssst. Pssst. "

  Where was that coming from? "Behind the ficus. " He started to pivot. "Dont turn around!"

  Lance faced forward, away from rustling of fake ferns and plastic trees that came from an exhibit designed to encourage visitors to check out the Tulsa Zoo while they were in town.

  Among the stuffed monkeys and rubber snakes, Julia was hiding with her scarf wrapped around her head.

  "Exactly what are you doing?" Lance wanted to know.

  "I am waiting for you to claim our bags. Then you and I are leaving without anyone knowing were here. "