The following week, Avery Ward stepped out of a cab to get a better look at the Brickyard Sky Apartments, a building complex he had heard Melissa talking about in the checkout line. It looked old, perhaps a product of 1920s architecture or older. Shrubs, palm trees and neon signs clashed with the earthenware brick, which he credited his opinion for the simple fact that, even though he was no design genius, he knew what looked good. It seemed to distort any sense of history. It was like introducing Elliot Ness to the eighties. It just didn’t seem right to him. And to think this was where Melissa had chosen to call home. His opinion of her was a little less than it had been. But not enough to turn back.
He handed a twenty-dollar bill to the cabby. It was the first time in years he had paid cab fare instead of gas for his own vehicle. The week before, Gina had seized Dexter’s gun and got so mad that she shot the air out of Avery’s car tires. Avery had been going everywhere by cab ever since.
It was an unusually cool evening for May, but it was welcome over the pounding heat of the last two months. It made the nervousness that steamed up his collar lighten in intensity. Even the soft-spoken birds chirped “hello” to him.
As he took a hesitant step toward the building, he looked at the stack of papers in his hands. He hoped he had printed enough to cover all the apartments. Even though 311 was the critical door, he had to make it seem like anyone was invited to his barbecue—or Chet’s, rather; he was no longer an official member of the committee. As long as Melissa got hers, he didn’t care who else attended.
He scanned the page once more to check that the info was correct. He needed to give her every opportunity to show.
AWESOME EPIC BARBECUE
Where: At Kappa Theta Beta Fraternity House
When: Memorial Day Weekend
Time: 5:00 Friday – TBD Monday
Why: Because it’s fun!
Who’s Invited: You are!
What to Bring: Food, beer, bikinis, sunglasses, whatever you want!
Who to Bring: Just come already!
Everything seemed to be in order. He just had to find the flier he had set aside special for her. The copy he had made for her was identical to the rest of the stack save for one caveat.
Prize: Mystery gift to anyone who can go the whole night without touching her cellphone.
The prize, of course, was a date with him. But he could tell her that after she won. He took another step toward the building, this time with more confidence.