Miracle on 34th Floor Read online

  The music was loud. They had a live band tonight, so she could expect more of the same all night.

  She made her way to her first table and nearly stopped halfway there. Big guy sat in her section. A whole group of equally big guys sat with him. She held her breath for the count of two, set her shoulders back, reminded herself she’d seen much worse in Iraq and then smacked her gum for emphasis. Laughing at herself, she stepped up to their table. “And what are you gentlemen having tonight?”

  The guys only half heard her so she waited. She recognized another one from the gym. The guy big guy had protected her from, or so she thought. But they were friends. She didn’t narrow her eyes, but at least now she knew what she was dealing with in these guys.

  She tried again. “Can I get you a round of beer?”

  Big guy nodded. “Yeah. Why don’t we start with that? And the onion rings. Two orders of those. Send us the sliders and chips and salsa. Just keep it coming.”

  She made a note and nodded. “You got it.” She winked and smiled and then moved to the next table. But she felt eyes on her. When she glanced back, big guy was watching. He had nice eyes. She turned away. But not nice friends. And if she were to guess, not a nice past.

  Once she’d gone through all her tables, she submitted orders and then started bringing back their drinks.

  Her section was full, and everyone was thirsty. It might be a real good night.

  “Hey, bring some of that sugar over here, princess.” An older man patted his lap. It was always the older ones. She winked. “Nah. You have a good night now.”

  His buddies laughed at him. Her job was as much about acting as anything. Anything for the money. That’s where she was at this point. Well, not anything. She had some definite limits. But for a little flirting, waiting tables, keeping men full of drinks and appetizers, this job was surprisingly profitable. She brought in more cash in her evening shift than her whole day at Walmart.

  She’d enlisted right out of high school and hadn’t taken advantage of their offer to pay for education yet. Maybe she’d be able to get her act together, take the SAT, and apply somewhere. But all that took time and money, and she didn’t have any of either.

  About halfway through the night, she leaned her elbows up on the bar, watching her tables and taking a little breather.

  Then something started happening over at the big guy’s table. They were nudging him and laughing and needling him. She saw his next move before it came. When the guy from the gym jerked a thumb in her direction, she waited, curious. She prepared herself to turn down whatever this new attention meant.

  He took his time, watching her all the while he approached. He seemed steady. She hadn’t seen him drink much. He was huge but trim. Broad shoulders, narrow waist. She’d caught a glimpse of that washboard stomach at the gym, and she knew he was something to look at it. But what was he inside? What did he want? How did he spend his time? So many things she didn’t know. A small voice said that giving him a chance would help her get to know these other sides to him. But a much louder voice told her she’d been there and now was not the time to fall for the same traps she had before.

  But she couldn’t help her interest, the immediate attraction to such a man. When he finally stood in front of her, he smiled. And she melted a little bit, puddling in front of him, she bit her cheek so she didn’t smile back.

  “So, I’d like to get to know you.”

  Nice beginning.

  “I’m Xander Smith.”

  Ah, the Xander Smith. She’d read about him. More or less forced to retire or ride the bench for his last few years. The pundits hadn’t stopped talking about him or trying to predict what he would do with his life. So far, all she knew about were the gym and the night club. Must be nice to be so free that you were bored about it.

  “Hi. I’m Sammy Goldwin.”

  “Sammy? I like it.”

  “Actually most people call me Sam. I don’t know why I said Sammy.”

  “I don’t want to be most people, so I’d like to call you Sammy.”

  She dipped her head, not feeling much like arguing over something that didn’t matter. She doubted they’d have much opportunity for him to use her name. Maybe at the gym. The thought made her happy. And she tried to tamp out the happy expectation. But it rose inside the more she looked at him.

  One of the women at her tables waved a hand.

  “Oh, I’ve gotta get back to work.”

  “I’ll wait here for a sec.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  She brought that table another round and checked on the others. Just as she predicted, she was making bank if they all tipped well. The tabs just kept rising. When she was finally finished checking on everyone, she made her way back to Xander. He’d taken a seat on the corner of the bar and was watching a game, his old team.

  “Do you miss them?”

  “Who? The team?” He shook his head. “Yes and no. I got some of them here with me tonight. But it’s not the same.”

  “Yeah, when I see my squad, I love to see them, but nothing will ever be the same as when we served together.”

  “Were you enlisted?”

  Why had she started to share anything about herself? This was all information she usually kept safely guarded. “Sorry. I’m talking too much.”

  “Not at all. I like hearing you talk.”

  She didn’t answer. Just kind of half-smiled at him. “So, what’s got the guys all interested?”

  They were watching and laughing and passing around money.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t pay any attention to them. They’re…well, they’re good guys mostly but depends what how you know them.”

  “How you know them?”

  “Right. Like, see Jay over there. You saw him at the gym. He’s a bit funny about women. But on the field. There’s no one else I’d want clearing the path for me, you know?”

  She wanted to concede she did know. That she’d put her life in some of the guys’ hands in her squad, but that didn’t mean she wanted to hang out with them on the weekends. “I’ve got people like that. So, what’s going on here, some kind of bet? What did they get you to do, coming over here, all charming?”

  “Am I charming?” His overly pleased reaction made her want to turn away. No. She couldn’t let this go anywhere.

  “I don’t know. What is it?” She crossed her arms, waiting.

  “Well, now. Just a second. This has nothing to do with those guys.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “It doesn’t. Honest. They might be all interested, but I’ve been wanting to talk to you since I saw you at the gym.”

  “Why? You got something to say?”

  “No. Well, yes. I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair which mussed it up in such a sexy way, she had to physically stop herself from reaching out to touch it too.

  She waited.

  “Okay, well, one of the things I wanted to talk to you about is the NFL alumni dinner?” He smiled. “I was hoping you’d go with me.”

  “Just like that? Isn’t this dinner for families and close friends and girlfriends and things?”

  “Well no, for some it is, the rest of us find a pretty girl and go have a good time.”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “No?”

  “No, I won’t go to the alumni dinner with you.” She had nothing to wear. And furthermore had no desire to be on display as someone’s arm candy.

  He floundered for a minute. She could see him try to regroup and felt a small amount of sympathy, but she couldn’t possibly even consider such a thing. That whole group was so far out of her normal comfort zone she knew she would be miserable all evening, embarrass herself, and maybe start to fall just a little bit for this good looking man in front of her.

  He fiddled with the counter, then he leaned closer, the sincerity in his eyes disarming. “Can I…Can I talk you into it? If you don’t want to make a thing of us, it can just be for fun.
Lots of the guys just bring a girl for the night, you know? Someone who might enjoy it.”

  “So, like a one night stand?”

  He turned red, which surprised her.

  “Maybe for them, but that’s not what this is about. Honestly, Sammy. I would want to do other things too, date, get to know you.”

  He was really stumbling over his words and as much as she was enjoying this refreshing and sincere side of a football player, she decided to put him out of his misery. “Look, thanks for thinking I’d be a good fit for this dinner, but I really can’t go. I don’t have time. Or a dress. And it’s not my thing.” There, she’d shut him down nicely. “So go tell the guys so they can see who won the bets.”

  “It’s not like that.” He shook his head. But he turned away. “Maybe I’ll see you at the gym.”

  “Maybe.” That was more her speed anyway. Walmart gave her a free gym membership as part of their employee self-care program, and she was grateful every day for it. Sometimes those moments really pushing her body were the only things helping her work through some of the trauma from her time in the army and some equally messy bits with her family. She knew she should be seeing a counselor. She’d seen one for a bit, but she wasn’t suffering like some. She didn’t have anxiety or anything, just some lingering memories that were hard to work through, or relive. She didn’t know how to make them go away. And should they go away? She couldn’t wish away the memories of her friends’ deaths, giving their lives in the service of their country.

  His feet dragged him back to their table where the guys roared with laughter. A part of her burned in anger and all sorts of scenarios where she put them all in their place ran through her mind. But she knew it would be best to let it all go. She didn’t have time to deal with these kinds of guys. And she needed their tips. If they were all NFL players, they could be her biggest hits of the night.

  She made her way through her section. When she stood again in front of Xander’s table, the guys couldn’t stop snickering. Xander frowned at them, and Sam winked. “What else can I get you gentlemen?”

  Jay reached a hand out and placed it on her waist. “I couldn’t help by notice we have the same eye color.”

  Everyone else at the table snorted into their drinks.

  “No really. And I’ve got tickets to a dinner with all the big players. Come with me.”

  She studied him. Then shook her head. “Hey, thanks guys, but this dinner just isn’t my thing.” She wanted to squirm away from his overly large hand but sometimes these things were best handled more subtly.

  But before she could do anything more about it, Xander slapped his hand down. “Lay off Jay. She’s not interested.”

  His eyes flashed back, and Sam’s finger hovered over her fight button. The call button she was to use if anything seemed heated at all. They had bouncers to take care of the problem before it got out of hand. But Xander stared Jay down and after a moment Jay looked away. “Whatever. Look, I’m gonna go dance.”

  She stepped out of the way so he could make his way onto the dance floor. She took any remaining drink orders and as she turned to go, Xander stood. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay. Thanks.” Their gazes connected, and she sucked in her breath at the happy electricity that passed in between them.

  He sat back down and she went back to work. But she couldn’t get over the feeling she had when Xander was near. She felt special. And she hadn’t felt important to another person in a lot of years, more than she cared to count. What would it feel like to share life with someone else? She had no idea. But the thought of Xander actually being a good guy made her happier than she should be thinking about. He probably wasn’t. She knew that. Anyone in the world would tell her the same.

  But right now, she liked being near him. And that was a dangerous thing to feel. This night couldn’t end soon enough. Even though she told herself she wanted to get away from him, the feel of his gaze on her made her feel noticed and even safe. And even though she should be running, her eyes found his so many times, she stopped trying to prevent their shared looks and just decided to start over tomorrow. She’d likely not see him again anyway.

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