Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Lexi
After breakfast, we hit the beach and the boardwalk.
Why, I’m not sure. It was November, windy, and cold.
But we bundled up in our coats and wandered outside anyway, inexplicably looping our arms together.
It wasn’t practical because we took up half the boardwalk, but I didn’t say anything, since there weren’t a lot of people out this morning.
Also, I was on the end of the line and only had to loop arms with Basia, so it wasn’t too bad.
Atlantic City’s beach was beautiful, the water dark and white-capped.
The wind was brisk beneath the chilly autumn sun, stealing whatever warmth the rays offered.
A few tourists wandered the white sand snapping photos while seagulls screeched and dive-bombed them, looking for food.
Another reminder of my ill-fated encounter with the birds.
“Thieves,” I muttered.
After everyone except me took a ridiculous number of photos, we launched into an afternoon of shopping along the boardwalk lined with overpriced boutiques, expensive restaurants, and souvenir shops.
Several of the shops were closed for the season, but enough of them were open to draw tourists, like us, inside.
We bought ice cream in forty-degree weather in a small store that had postcards, beach gear, and, strangely, a couple of slot machines.
“This feels wrong,” I said, teeth chattering as I licked my ice cream while sitting at one of the shop tables.
“Consider it an adventure,” Gwen said, eating her cone.
Basia finished her ice cream and wandered over to the slot machine. She pulled some money out of her purse and put it into the machine. It chimed and whirred. She pulled down on the handle and suddenly lights started flashing and coins spilled out. A puff of confetti spit out from the machine.
“OMG! I just won a hundred dollars!” Basia squealed.
She hugged each of us before immediately cashing it in and spending most of it on a giant bag of caramel popcorn, a sea-glass necklace, three soy candles, and a tray made entirely of seashells.
She was downright giddy as we left the ice cream shop. We wandered around for a bit before stepping into a clothing boutique with a lot of mirrors.
Basia grabbed a cute dress off the rack. “Wow, look at this cute maternity dress. I’m going to try it on.” She headed back toward the dressing room.
Gwen pulled down a white blouse and followed Basia.
Gray strolled around and finally stopped in front of a table of sweaters. “I’ll try this gray sweater,” she said and then tossed me the same one, but in blue. “Try it out, Lexi. Blue looks good on you.”
“I don’t need any more sweaters.”
“Just try it. You know, for the girl-bonding experience.”
Reminding myself to venture out of my comfort zone, I did. The dressing rooms were small and curtained. I preferred doors, but nonetheless, I stepped inside, changed, and reached for the curtain to go back out and ask the girls their opinion of it.
The curtain and rod suddenly detached from the walls and the whole assembly fell on top of me. The two of us exited the dressing room together.
“What the heck?” I said, doing some karate moves to untangle myself from the curtain. Finally, I emerged, gripping the curtain in one fist, my hair sticking straight up from the static electricity. I sneezed hard, three times in a row, before wiping my nose on the back on my hand.
“Wow, these are kind of dusty.”
The store fell quiet and the store associate and a woman customer at the register stared at me, open-mouthed. Basia, Gwen, and Gray all peeked out from behind the curtains of their dressing rooms, staring at me in shock.
“Lexi?” Basia asked carefully. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure. I wanted to show you what this sweater looks like on me. I put it on, but as I exited the dressing room, the curtain thing just collapsed on me. I did not pull hard on the curtain. It just gave way…on my head. Wholly unprovoked, I assure you.”
The cashier blinked, as if she couldn’t figure out what to say. She finally spoke. “Are you…okay?”
“Yes,” I said with as much dignity as I could summon.
“I’m fine. The curtain, however, apparently needs some attention.
Here.” I shoved the dusty curtain and rod across the counter.
The associate looked at it for a long moment before she gingerly took it.
The woman who was standing nearby purchasing a skirt took three steps away from me.
Gwen covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. “OMG, Lexi.”
The store associate gathered the curtain and the rod and placed it behind the counter. “Well, I’m sorry that happened. If it matters, I like that sweater on you.” She mustered a smile.
“Good, I’ll take it. I’ll be right back.”
I quickly retrieved my purse, shirt, and coat from the curtainless room. Since I couldn’t change in private, I kept the sweater on and paid for it. I let the girls know I’d be waiting for them outside before I broke something else or someone decided to offer me therapy.
As I walked outside, I swear I could hear laughter following me out.
As the afternoon passed, we continued shopping, taking pictures, and finally eating dinner. We returned to the hotel with full stomachs and collapsed on the penthouse sectional after throwing our coats and purchases across the table and chairs.
“I’m kind of glad I’m banned from the casino,” I said, taking off my shoes and socks and wiggling my toes. “Playing against a dealer was more stressful than fun. And frankly, it wasn’t as challenging as I was expecting.”
“Well, you’re a card-counting legend now,” Gray said, rising from the couch. “Who wants a drink?”
I declined and Basia asked for water, but Gwen said she’d have a glass of the pinot grigio. Gray began assembling our orders at the suite bar while Gwen pulled out her phone again.
“No more pictures,” I begged. “You must have over a hundred already.”
“I’m not going to take any more pictures,” Gwen said, rolling her eyes. “I want to tell you the plan for tomorrow. We’re leaving the casinos behind and going on a cultural and historical expedition.”
“A cultural and historical expedition?” Basia asked.
Gwen swiped on her phone. “Yes, we’re going to a place called…Batsto Village.”
I immediately perked up. “The preserved ironworks place?”
“You know of it?” Gwen asked in surprise. “It’s located off Route 542 in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest.”
“Wait. New Jersey has forest?” Basia quipped.
“Very funny,” Gwen said, pursing her lips. “It’s supposed to be quite interesting.”
“I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard of it,” I said. “It’s best known for its historic ironworks, which produced vital supplies for the Continental Army during the American Revolution.”
“Sounds cool to me,” Gray said, handing Basia a bottle of water and Gwen her wine. “I’m always into checking out weapons.”
Thank God everyone seemed on board. Finally, an activity I could fully get behind. “It sounds fascinating, Gwen. Good call.”
“It’s about a forty-five-minute drive north of Atlantic City,” Gwen said. “You okay with that drive, Gray?”
“Sure. Why not?”
We talked a bit more before Gwen picked out a movie to stream. While the others started watching it, I retreated to the bedroom to call Slash.
He answered on the second ring, voice warm and sexy. “Hello, cara. Still alive? Casino still standing?”
I lay down on the bed, stretching out. “Ha-ha. Yes, I’m obviously still alive and the hotel casino is still standing. However, I may have been banned from it.”
A beat of silence. Then…laughter. Deep, rich, unfairly attractive laughter. “You got kicked out of the casino? That’s my girl. Card counting?”
“More like strategic arithmetic. However, the girls say I’m a legend now and intend to write it as my epitaph.
I won a boatload of money. Thousands. And Basia hit a jackpot on a slot machine in an ice cream store.
She won a hundred bucks. There was confetti.
You have your work cut out for you if you intend to win our wager. ”
“Pregnant luck and geek math,” he chuckled. “Atlantic City never stood a chance. But don’t worry, I’m confident in my own luck. Remember, money isn’t everything on the fun meter.”
I smiled. “True. But speaking of the fun meter, we strolled along the beach and boardwalk. I won’t lie; it was chilly. Gwen took a ton of photos, we ate ice cream, and a dressing room curtain and rod fell on my head in a boutique, but I’m okay, and I bought a new blue sweater.”
There was silence and then he spoke. “Sounds eventful.”
“And fun,” I added. “Really fun.” I watched the moonlight glint off the casino towers outside. “But that’s not all the news. Gwen asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. She asked all of us. Angel will be the maid of honor.”
“Whoa, congratulations.”
“Our dresses will be pink. I’m not crazy about the color, but it will be okay.”
“You’ll look stunning.”
“Guess we’ll see. How’s the weekend going for you? Are you having fun? Did you have the big poker party yet?”
“The poker game is tomorrow night,” he said. “But today I baked a cake today to get ready and had a lot of fun doing it.”
“You baked the chocolate cake?”
“I did. I haven’t frosted it yet, though. I’m letting it cool first before I have fun frosting it. But it looks and smells good.”
I rolled onto my back, adjusting the pillow behind my head. “Did I ever tell you how sexy it is when you talk about cooking?”
“Remind me to do it more often,” he said, and I could hear the amusement in his voice. “What’s on the agenda for you girls tomorrow if the casino and shopping are off the schedule?”
“We’re going to a historical site called Batsto Village. It’s an old ironwork factory where they made weapons during the American Revolution.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“It sounds fun,” I corrected him. “At least there’s a lower probability of trouble there than at the casino.”
He laughed. “Ah, with you, cara, trouble is practically guaranteed. But so far, so good. I just hope it stays that way.”
I couldn’t argue with him. “Me, too, Slash. Me, too.”