“You’re out at the same time tomorrow night, right?” he asked, leaning against the wall next to his open door.
“Yes, but honestly, you don’t have to—”
“Then I’ll see you at midnight,” he cut her off and disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind him.
Chapter Five
The summer went by too quickly for Jake; he wasn’t ready for classes to start again so soon. It had been a good summer for him. He’d pulled in plenty of tips on top of his manager salary and felt somewhat comfortable paying rent and his various bills at the same time now, and Mike had miraculously quit and moved to Houston to help out at his dad’s restaurant. Charlie had let Jake take over the hiring process, and Mike’s replacement was Cameron, a thirty-three-year-old single dad who’d been laid off the year before at another bar in the area when it closed down – he was thrilled to be working again.
True to his word, Jake had continued to meet Miriam at the computer lab each night Sunday through Wednesday. She had finally stopped telling him it wasn’t necessary after a group of frat boys had cat-called them one night at the beginning of July. Jake had pulled her closer, his arm around her petite shoulders, and given them his best glare from under the street lamp, and they’d scattered back to the bar. That night, and the next one when he’d showed up in the pouring rain with his old Civic coupe, had made her see that maybe he had a point.
The guys had all come to appreciate Miriam as a roommate. Terrence, Damian’s little brother and Miriam’s predecessor, had been a spectacular slob, whereas she kept things neat and tidy and made a delicious Sunday brunch every weekend. Libby spent a fair amount of time at the house, too, and she seemed to have warmed up somewhat towards the guys, even Fink. She yelled at him less, at any rate.
The last Saturday of the summer found the five of them floating lazily around Lake Lewisville in a rented pontoon boat. Libby, in an extremely skimpy red bikini that she’d kept from a recent photo shoot, lay on her back on the cushioned back end of the boat, soaking up the late afternoon sun’s rays. Miriam was sprawled out on her stomach next to Libby in a bright blue, more conservative two-piece suit that left a bit more to the imagination, reading a book. Jake, Damian, and Fink all stretched out on the cushioned benches that wrapped around the boat’s interior, relaxing in the shade and drinking beers they had stored in a cooler near the empty driver’s seat.
“This,” Damian sighed happily, “is the best day.”
“Amen, my brother,” Fink mumbled lazily. Damian was too relaxed to care.
“You know, I have to agree with you,” Jake remarked, taking a swig of his beer. “We should have done this every weekend all summer. Let’s do that next year.”
“Sounds expensive,” Miriam called from her perch. “Besides, if we did this all the time, it wouldn’t be special.”
“Oh, please,” Jake snorted. “When we watched the fireworks from the roof last month, you said, and I quote, ‘I wish we could do this all the time.’”
Miriam pushed herself up onto her forearms and gave Jake a mock-glare. “Fireworks are awesome, Jake. We sat on the roof of our house, ate popcorn, and watched a beautiful show of colored lights in the sky. I don’t think that’s something I’d enjoy less if it happened more often.”
“I think you may have enjoyed it a little bit more than the rest of us,” Fink yawned, reaching for another beer. “Kind of like how I’m enjoying the fantastic view you’re giving us of your breasts right now.”
She threw her book at him, causing him to slosh beer down his bare chest.
“Calm down, we didn’t see anything,” Jake placated her. “He’s just being a dick.”
“He’s right, Miriam, I didn’t see anything,” Fink assured her, wiping himself off with his discarded tee shirt. “I’m a lot more interested in Libby’s assets than yours, anyway. No offense.”
“Ignoring you!” Libby called out, not moving or opening her eyes.
Another two hours went by, and they all felt ready to head back home to Denton. “What should we do tonight?” Damian asked as they walked back into the house at a quarter to eight.
“Let’s get pizza,” Libby suggested. “I’m starving and I don’t have another shoot for two weeks, so I can afford the carbs for a change.”
Fink called and placed the order, and soon they were all sitting in the living room, eating pizza and watching a random action flick that had been halfway-over before they’d turned it on.
“Hey, why don’t we go to Mack’s after this?” Miriam suggested. “Tonight is the first open mic night, right, Jake?”
“Yup,” Jake confirmed, his mouth full of pizza. One day a couple of weeks ago, when Miriam had come in for lunch like she did nearly every weekday, she’d taken note of Charlie’s piano in the back corner. She’d excitedly put forth the idea that Mack’s should have an open mic night – they could probably get the necessary equipment for a good price if they offered some kind of discount to the vendor, and it would almost definitely get more people into the bar. Jake surprised himself by taking the initiative and actually talking to sound equipment suppliers and running the numbers himself before taking the idea to Charlie, who’d been all for it. Jake had posted information about the event on Macks’ website, the bar’s Facebook page, his own personal Facebook (which he rarely used), and he had put up signs all over Denton, the UNT campus, and the TWU campus with Miriam’s assistance. Charlie was so pumped about the event that he’d promised Miriam that he’d make it a weekly thing if it were successful.
“We should be there!” Miriam exclaimed. “If this event is going to be your shining success – and it will be, obviously – you should witness it! And so should the rest of us.”
“Are you going to sing?” Jake grinned at her.
“Well, I did just get some new sheet music – I’ve been working on this song for about two weeks, just for fun, and I think I’ve really got the hang of it now,” she mused out loud.
“What’s the song?” Damian asked, taking his plate to the sink with Fink right behind him.
“It’s a surprise,” she smiled mischievously, gathering the rest of the plates and taking them to the kitchen. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
***
“You guys are in for a real treat,” Libby told them as they entered Mack’s, where Cameron and Shelly were setting up a couple of mic stands, including one that leaned over the piano, which even had a spotlight trained on it. “Miriam is really talented.” The stereo equipment appeared to be ready to go – in just a short while, Jake would find out whether his work had paid off or not.
“I’m going to go sign up for a spot,” Miriam announced, hurrying over to Charlie, who was sitting nearby the “stage” – a platform Jake had built with a ramp so the piano and mics could be more prominently displayed – with a sign-up sheet. When she met the others a few minutes later back at their usual booth, she was laughing. “Charlie is such an old flirt! I can’t believe he never got married.”
“Yeah, that’s Charlie for you.” Jake waved to his boss. “A real ladies’ man. Take a good look, Damian – that’s you in forty years, only more awesome.”
“Hey, that man is a hero among men,” Damian argued. “I’d be lucky to turn out like him, and so would you.”
Jake threw his hands up in defeat. “Not arguing with you; you’re absolutely right.”
Soon the first performer was up, and the gathering crowd indicated that Miriam’s idea really was a great one. It was an hour into the event and Mack’s was fuller than they’d ever seen it. It helped that Jake, in a fit of inspiration, had told Shelly to keep the door propped open so everyone walking by outside would hear the music and be drawn in. Charlie was emceeing and looked like he was having the time of his life.
“Next up, we have the talented and beautiful Miriam Silver joining us at the piano!” Charlie called out into the mic. Miriam hopped up onto the stage with her sheet music, Libby sitting gracefully next to her at the pi
ano to turn the pages for her. Cameron adjusted the mic for her and gave her a thumbs-up before jumping back down from the stage. Miriam took a deep breath, squeezed Libby’s hand on the seat next to her, and began to play.
Jake realized, after Miriam started singing, that he’d never actually heard her sing before. He absolutely would have remembered if he had, because her voice was nothing short of amazing. He recognized the song as one that had played in his car on their last grocery run a couple of weeks ago. It was an Adele song that she’d found on his iPod – he’d admitted to her that he found Adele’s voice both powerful and soothing, and she’d agreed wholeheartedly, humming along with the music. Now, though, Adele’s voice was the furthest thing from his mind as he sat, transfixed. She could do this professionally instead of teaching, no question. Employability wouldn’t be an issue.
When the song ended, the bar roared with applause, cheering, and a few cat-calls (one of which came from Fink) as Miriam and Libby made their way back to the others.
“Girl, that was intense,” Damian told her, handing her the cream soda that had been dropped off during her performance. “I didn’t know you had that in you.”
“I got the whole thing on video,” Fink announced, holding up his phone. “Libby, you were a fantastic page-turner. I was very impressed.”
“Shut up, Fink,” Libby replied good-naturedly. She really did seem warmer toward him; Fink had definitely not lost hope for a future with her. “Miriam, you really stole the show – no one else is going to measure up to that for the rest of the night. Maybe not ever.” The guys nodded their agreement.
Miriam blushed at all the attention. “I don’t know about all that,” she demurred, as various people stopped by the table to compliment her on her performance, including Charlie, Cameron, and Shelly. “But it looks like open mic night has been successful, so that means Charlie will probably do it every week now, right?”
“With a crowd like this? Yeah, I’d say so,” Jake answered, pleased at the way the night had turned out.
At midnight, Charlie ended the event, and people slowly started to clear out of the bar. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling pretty wired. And hot. Who’s up for a run to Jupiter House for smoothies?” Miriam asked.
“Ooh, I’d love one,” Libby said, grabbing her purse and standing up. “I haven’t been there all summer! Let’s go.”
The five of them walked to the east side of the square, giving Damian a hard time because Shelly had been trying to make him jealous all night by flirting with one guy after another, including Fink. “I told her, we’re not dating,” he shook his head. “We’re just hooking up – she’s one girl out of I couldn’t even tell you how many in my contacts list. If she wants more, she’s barking up the wrong tree.”
About twenty feet away from Jupiter House, Miriam froze in her tracks. “Um, I changed my mind,” she said nervously. “Let’s go somewhere else. Is Beth Marie’s open this late?”
“What?” Fink complained. “No way. You got me all excited about smoothies!”
Libby zeroed in on what had caught Miriam’s attention. At a table just outside the door, a black-haired guy in his early twenties was enthusiastically making out with an Asian girl in cat’s-eye glasses, poufy pigtails, and a skimpy outfit that reminded Jake of a slutty Rainbow Brite doll. “Oh, those absolute whores,” Libby gritted her teeth. “Have they no shame? Wait, why is that even a question? It’s a clear ‘no.’” She turned to Miriam, taking her by the arm. “You will not let them ruin your evening, nor will you permit them the power to change your plans. Come on, we’re going in.”
They almost made it through the entrance without incident, before Fink tripped over the guy’s outstretched leg. The lovebirds broke apart, the guy glaring up at Fink. “Hey, watch where you’re – Fink?” He glanced to Fink’s right. “Miriami?”
“Hello, Josh. Mei,” Miriam replied uncomfortably.
“Oh, my god, Miriam!” Mei exclaimed pleasantly. “We haven’t seen you since you moved out! How are you?” It was almost as if she had no idea that she was a man-stealing slut, or that she was the last person Miriam would ever want to see or talk to.
“Fine,” Miriam replied, shuffling her feet. “Um. How are you?”
“So great!” Mei gushed, snuggling up to Josh, who looked a lot less at ease with the situation than the oblivious Mei. “We’re finally dating, for real – I couldn’t be happier!” She smiled adoringly at Josh, who tried to look more comfortable, but wasn’t especially convincing.
“I’m sorry – are you actually boasting about your relationship to the girl you took him from in the sluttiest way possible?” Libby loudly asked in disbelief. “My god, what’s wrong with you? Are you stupid in addition to being a gigantic slut?”
“Hey,” Josh protested, “don’t call her names; it’s not her fault—”
“Oh, don’t worry, I blame you, too,” Libby spat at him. “You’re the scummiest loser I’ve ever known. How you’ve made it this far in life, I have no idea, unless it’s all Daddy’s doing.”
“Yeah, you’re kind of terrible,” Fink piped up.
“How does this even concern you?” Josh asked Fink, confused.
Fink gave him a look that plainly said he thought Josh was a complete idiot. “She’s like a sister to me, you simpleton. Who do you think she lives with now?” he asked, waving his arms to indicate himself, Jake, and Damian. “Do your parents tell you none of the temple gossip?” He snorted. “Oh, right – you screwed that up for them, big-time. Mommy and Daddy must be pretty pissed at you.”
Josh glared at Miriam, who had backed up into Jake during Libby and Fink’s verbal assault. “Yeah, thanks a lot for that, by the way. My parents cut me off after you blabbed to yours and they told all their friends. God, Miriam, immature much?”
That got Miriam’s ire up. “Immature? Because I didn’t lie to my mother about why I had to break my lease? Who the hell do you think you are, Josh? You can’t cheat on me for years and then say that kind of shit about me!”
“Your uncle got me fired from my internship at his friend’s software company and told everyone he knows not to hire me!” Josh exploded, standing up to tower over Miriam. “I work at fucking Foot Locker now! My parents are so pissed at me, they stopped sending me money!” His eyes flashed in anger. “You were so bitter that I chose Mei over you for not being afraid of her own shadow in bed—”
“Excuse me for not being a slut!” Miriam yelled back at him. People nearby were beginning to stare unabashedly.
“There’s a difference,” Josh told her coldly, lowering his voice, “between a slut and a girl who’s comfortable with her sexuality. You’re such a prude, Miriam – are you that shocked I needed more than you could give me?”
“Okay, seriously?” Jake stepped forward with one arm protectively wrapped around Miriam’s shoulders, having reached the end of his patience with Josh. “You are so far out of line, man. If your family’s mad at you, it’s your fault, not hers. Grow up, for god’s sake. Take responsibility for your actions.”
Josh scoffed. “If you’re trying to get into her pants, don’t bother. She’s so vanilla that you’re better off jacking it—”
Libby hauled off and slapped Josh in the face, hard enough to leave a bright red hand-shaped mark on his cheek. She continued screaming at and berating him (and Mei, who had wrapped herself around him after Libby’s attack) while Jake took Miriam’s hand and led her inside the coffee shop. Damian and Fink stayed outside to back Libby up, although she didn’t seem to need it.
“We need two smoothies, please,” Jake informed the girl behind the counter, pointing out the one on the menu he knew was Miriam’s favorite, before his phone buzzed. “Actually, we’ll take three more,” he amended, pointing out the ones Damian had asked for in his text message. They wait
ed silently for their drinks, Jake having dropped Miriam’s hand when it was time to pay. Once they took their drinks from the counter, Jake glanced at the doorway and then at a subdued Miriam. “They’re gone,” he told her, leading her back to the door where the others were waiting for them.
“Ugh, I’m sorry,” Libby apologized, clearly still angry. “I just couldn’t listen to him – or her, for that matter – and I lost control of myself.”
“No, it’s okay,” Miriam sighed, sipping her smoothie as Jake passed out the remaining ones and took cash from Fink and Damian. “I couldn’t avoid them forever, you know?”
They started off back toward the house. “So, about that stuff Josh was saying—” Fink began.
“Fink, I will pay you twenty dollars to change the subject,” Miriam groaned.
“Please, I don’t need your money – I have my trust fund and my dad’s credit cards,” he scoffed. “I just wanted you to know that he’s a total wad of dog crap with no idea what he’s talking about, okay? You are a nice girl, and that’s obviously not something he understands the value of. Let him find out the hard way when that girl gives him herpes, if she hasn’t already.”
Libby smiled her approval, stepping closer to Fink, who continued, “I mean, you may be more of a sugar cookie than a slice of red velvet cake,” and here, Libby backed away in disgust, “but a lot of guys like that! I mean, I don’t know any, personally, but the point is that you should not be embarrassed about it.” He unlocked the front door and Miriam pushed past him and raced up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door. “What?” Fink asked, confused, as Libby glared at him and Damian shook his head.