Page 46 of Faking the Face Off

She isbeautiful.Anna’s hair hangs loosely around her shoulders, with curls that are thick and wavy, framing her features like she’s a painting hung in the finest museum. The dark forest green dress she’s chosen hugs her curves perfectly, showing off her décolletage while also giving nothing away, and the familiar scent of lavender hits my senses.

I take all of this in while my heart begins to slam wildly inside my chest. She is stunning.

“Hi,” I say, holding out an arm for her. “You look—incredible.”

“Thank you,” she says, smoothing her dress as a pale pink flush stains her cheeks. She drags her eyes up to meet mine. “You clean up nicely yourself. For me or for the sneaky pictures we know people will take tonight?”

“I told you,” I say as she closes the door and locks it. “I’m trying to impress you.”

It was meant as a fun toss away, even though Iamtrying to impress her, but more like a reminder. Yet, I’m rewarded when she takes my outstretched arm and snuggles up to me as we head down the steps and back out to where my car waits on the street.

As I open the door for her, she turns around and faces me, grinning mischievously. “Remember when you had that old Ford Escort, and now you drive a Mercedes.”

Chuckling, I wait until she’s inside the car before closing the door and walking around to hop inside myself.

“It’s strange sometimes,” I acknowledge, “but it’s good to look back, remember how far I’ve come.”

I point the car toward the center of town and we make our way to the restaurant. If I was a worrier, I’d have tried to plan out our conversation, made it so we had things to talk about. I’ve done it in the past with other dates, but other dates weren’t Anna. Our conversation flows smoothly, effortlessly. It’s the kind of talk you have when you have history and a shared story between the two of you.

We cover topics ranging from our old friends whom we keep up with, who’s married now and who had a baby, to Danny’s health and all the way back to my youngest sister’s surprise party last year, which I hosted. She’s quizzing me about my record collection when we pull up to the valet at the restaurant I’d chosen.

“Tommy’s?” she asks, emitting a low whistle after and making me crack up. “This is serious territory, Ollie.”

“It’s dinner, Anna, don’t be scared.” My door opens and valets help us both step out of the car. When Anna walks around to my side and joins me, I reach out and place her hand in mine, thrilled when she wraps hers right back.

If I was even worried about tonight or nervous at all, it’s forgotten. There’s an ease we have with one another, a shorthand, and it’s showing. Even as we’re led through the restaurant by the hostess, with more than one head turning as we do, I feel at peace.

Once we’re settled with drinks and our appetizers on the way, she hits me with her first question.

“So,” she says, letting her elbows lean on the table as she grins my way. “We’ve known each other a long time. I know you like hockey, you’ve threatened to give me a latch-hook rug in the past, and I’ve found out you have an affinity for jazz now that you’re an adult.”

I hold up my beer. “Guilty.”

“What else is there to Ollie that I don’t know about?” She leans back in her seat and eyes me. “Are you an assassin? Double agent? Maybe you work with the elderly?”

“While both assassin and double agent would be mildly cool, and also horrifying, you’re right about the volunteering.”

“That’s right.” She leans closer again. “Gambler’s Anonymous. It’s nice that you are giving back to help others who have been affected by it.”

“If anyone understands what they’re going through, from the point of view of a family member, it’s me. It was bad when I was little. My dad would take off for weeks on end and spend any dollar amount in our family bank accounts he could get his hands on.”

Anna’s eyes cloud over with sympathy. “Really?”

“There were winters when we were in high school that no one knew we had our heat turned off the day before. There were times I had to take cold baths, for weeks in the winter, because my mom was trying to find the money to pay our bills.”

“Those were times he took off?”

I nod. “Long story short, once I started playing with the Renegades I noticed that even though I was excelling and doing what I’d always wanted, I felt empty. That’s when my sister, Mia, introduced me to the River City Gambler’s Anonymous group.”

“It’s also called GA too, right?”

Our server appears, sliding a shrimp cocktail in front of Anna and the salad I ordered in front of me.

“It is.” I grab a fork and dig in, still talking. It’s so easy to do this with her, I’m surprised I’ve not talked about this part of me before. “I’m grateful I’ve been given the chance to spend my time with some of their recovered addicts.”

“What do you do?”

“I help organize events that keep those in recovery busy. When Mia lived here, she would plan something every otherweekend for the GA group. From a bowling meetup to a movie night out, potluck dinners and jazz nights…whatever we could do to help keep them strong.”

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