Chapter 22
“Hannah?” called Nicki.
With the baby shower in full swing in the dining room, I looked up from my position behind the front desk to see the party’s hostess coming toward me in very tight jeans, very high heels, and a very low-cut shirt that seemed to just hang around her neck like a bright-yellow circle scarf.
For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how she kept it in place.
“Can I make you a plate?” she asked. She’d brought the food while I was providing beverages, dishware, and silverware, plus my housekeeper Maureen’s assistance. The cake was, of course, from Kneadful Things.
“No thanks, Nicki,” I said. “I’m just on my way out to din—”
Nicki’s excited squeal cut off the rest of my sentence. “Oh, my Gawd,” she said. “Did you get us a stripper?”
“Did I…what?”
I followed the direction of Nicki’s gaze to see Xander coming down the stairs.
Immediately, I felt indignant on his behalf.
It wasn’t as if he was dressed in chaps or a breakaway police uniform.
He was wearing the Levi’s and the work boots again, along with an old dress shirt and suit jacket that were left over from Dad’s Wall Street days.
And honestly, with the knit cap covering his hair, and his necklace peeking out from underneath his lapels, he looked to me more like a hip young businessman. Or maybe an underground artist.
Although, okay, based on physique alone, I could see where Nicki might have gotten the wrong idea. And getting in an argument with a paying customer wasn’t exactly a smart business move.
Still. The best parts of Xander had nothing to do with his appearance.
“He’s not a stripper,” I said, quelling my outrage as Xander joined us at the desk. “Nicki, I don’t think you’ve met Xander. My handyman.”
“Hello,” he said.
Nicki gave him the up-and-down, a catlike smile playing on her lips. “Oh, I’ll just bet you’re handy,” she said. “You wouldn’t want to make a few extra bucks right now, would you?”
“Sorry,” he said with a smile at me. “I have a previous engagement.”
“Oh, well,” she said with a shrug as she turned and sauntered back to the dining room. “I guess we’ll just have to amuse ourselves with that stupid fucking Dirty Diaper Game.”
* * *
Leaving Maureen in charge, I said a quick goodbye to Casey, and Xander and I were off on our date. It was still cold out, so the snow hadn’t melted much. But the street was plowed, and the sidewalks were shoveled, giving Xander and me a clear path to my old Kia Soul.
“Is that…normal?” asked Xander. He pointed across the street, where one of my neighbors sat in a beach chair set up in the empty space between two parked cars, watching something on her iPad.
She was bundled up against the weather, but otherwise, she looked as if she was enjoying a beautiful day at the Jersey Shore.
“It is if you shoveled out the spot,” I explained. “And you don’t want anyone else to park there.”
While Xander contemplated that, I aimed my key fob at my Kia, parked in the Sunny Side’s private driveway. I pressed the unlock button, and with a chirp-chirp, the headlights blinked on.
“I thought we’d drive,” I told Xander. Our destination was within walking distance, but there was rain in the forecast for later tonight, and I didn’t want to chance us getting caught in a downpour. For obvious reasons.
“We’re going for a ride in the car?” he asked. Even Casey had never looked so excited at the prospect.
I laughed and nodded. “Get in.”
* * *
It was a quick drive over to the boardwalk, to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. But if I’d expected my date to simply hang his head out the window for the short duration the way the dog would have, I’d have been sorely disappointed. Good thing I knew better.
Like the inquisitive mechanic he was, Xander examined all the knobs and buttons and gauges, and he asked questions about the car’s inner workings that, frankly, I didn’t have the knowledge to answer. So, he pulled the Kia’s manual out of the glove compartment and started to study the diagrams.
With my eyes on the road, I couldn’t help stealing a few sidelong glances at him as he puzzled things out. Studious Xander was adorable.
“How did you learn to drive?” he asked after a while.
“My dad taught me,” I said.
“From the manual?” he asked, holding it up.
“No.”
“Not from one of his other books, I hope.”
I grinned. “No.” Then, I thought about that. “Although, at the end of every driving lesson, he would look at me and say, ‘We better go home, Hannah. The wheels are tired.’”
Xander chuckled.
“And the car probably needed a brake,” he added.
We both laughed as I steered us into the Hard Rock’s parking structure.
* * *
In high spirits, we found a space and locked up. Then, we made our way out of the garage, playing our newly made-up game of dueling dad jokes. Xander had the advantage of recently reading up on the corny quips. But having listened to them for twenty-six years, I was more than holding my own.
“I heard the price of tires is going up,” I said. “Because of inflation.”
“Well, I heard the tires threw a party,” he said. “It was a real blowout.”
“Oh my God,” I said, “what are we doing to your translation charm? Are we going to break it?”
“Don’t worry,” he said with a wink. “I don’t think our jokes will crack it up.”
That gave us both a major case of the giggles. We fell against each other, laughing.
But a few feet from the escalator that led up to the Hard Rock, Xander abruptly fell silent and stopped walking.
Stopping as well, I turned to him. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
He looked at me and smiled. “Not at all,” he said. “It’s just that…I’m familiar with the word escalator. But there’s no equivalent in my realm, so the concept has always been a little mysterious. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one in person. In action.”
I nodded, letting it all really sink in. Because he had such a good attitude about everything, it was easy to forget how strange this whole world—this dry world—must be for him.
“We could take the stairs, if you’d rather,” I suggested.
“Are you kidding?” he asked. His smile got bigger, and his eyes sparkled. “And miss out on all the fun?”
Grabbing my hand, he pulled me onto the moving staircase. As we rode up, Xander peered around him in awe. Meanwhile, I gazed up at him, equally amazed. He was so open to new experiences. So curious. So…fearless.
“Oh, be careful,” I said when we were approaching the top. “We’re about to get off.”
As he made the transition back to solid ground, Xander stumbled but quickly righted himself. “What a ride!” he exclaimed, laughing.
His delight was so infectious that I had to laugh too.
* * *
I’d made a reservation for two at Kuro, one of the Hard Rock’s many restaurants—and I was glad I’d thought to book ahead.
Considering it was the middle of winter, the place was surprisingly crowded.
Normally, I might have enjoyed the opportunity for people watching.
But after the hostess led us to our booth and we got settled with menus and ice water, I only had eyes for Xander.
“I chose this place because they’re supposed to have amazing sushi,” I told him. “You know, raw fish?” I clarified. “So, if you have a hankering for some home cooking—well, okay, not cooking, exactly, but, um… I just thought you might enjoy a little taste of home.”
Xander’s gaze was warm. And just for me. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”
I sipped my water. “Do you miss it?” I asked.
“Home cooking?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “Home.”
A shadow seemed to cross his face.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “That was a stupid question. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t upset me,” he said. “Or not in the way you think. Really, I should be missing home. But at this moment, I have to say, it’s the farthest thing from my mind.”
I nodded. It was the same with my parents. I should be missing them. And yet, since Xander had come into my life…
He reached across the table, took my hand, and gave it a little press. His shadowy expression burned away, and his gaze on me was searing. “Besides, how could I ever miss home when I’m with you?”
* * *
The server told us about tonight’s sushi specials, Xander made some remark about a raw deal, and we shared another giggle. At this point, I wasn’t sure if we were laughing at the joke or how bad the joke was or…what. I only knew that I was having a good time. The best I’d had in ages.
Maybe ever.
FYI, the sushi was amazing, and we both ate more than we probably should have. So, after dinner, it felt good to get up and walk a little. By this time, the Hard Rock was noisy and bustling with activity. When Xander’s hand found mine again, I noticed how large his was in comparison.
We followed the marble-tiled path that wound through the lobby, past the shops and restaurants, and along the border of the casino. I did my best to play tour guide, but I soon realized I was poorly qualified for the job. I hadn’t been here since Drew’s bachelor party, and that was over a year ago.
Actually, almost two.
Although I lived in Atlantic City, I hardly ever frequented these big hotel-casinos. My reasoning had always been that I preferred to support the Jersey Shore’s small businesses.
Except, now that I thought about it, I didn’t patronize a whole lot of independently owned haunts either.
Over the holidays, Rita and her husband, Darnell, had practically had to drag me down the street to Wills’s wineshop for his December monthly tasting.
And I’d turned Drew and Garth’s invitations down so many times that, lately, they didn’t even bother asking me to join them for a drink at our local dive bar.
Just then, a bell went off, followed by shrieks of excitement.
“Sounds like somebody won big,” I said.
“Big what?” Xander asked.
“Um, big bucks?” I tried to explain. “Money? I think somebody just won a jackpot.”
“From one of these?” asked Xander, pointing at a row of slot machines. He veered off the path and onto the wildly patterned carpet, pulling me along with him.
“That’s right,” I said.
Hand in hand, we continued to weave our way through the casino area. His eyes lit up, taking in the myriad of slots. Some were based on TV shows or movies. Others featured animated characters. They all, of course, dangled the possibility of a huge payout with that one lucky spin.
“How do they work?” asked Xander. I could practically see his mind churning as he watched the reels whirl and the lights flash, trying to see through to the inner mechanisms of the machines.
“Well,” I began, “you give them your money.”
“And?” he prodded.
I shrugged. “Usually, it ends there.”
I’d meant it to be a joke, but it landed flat.
Xander looked at me and frowned. “That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
Huh.
The way I was describing it, it didn’t sound like much fun, did it?
Suddenly, I didn’t sound like much fun.
“Hannah?” said Xander, interrupting my thoughts.
I blinked at him. It was ironic, really. He was the literal fish out of water. And yet, here I was, barely even knowing how to have a good time in my own goddamn hometown.
But that could change. I could change.
In so many ways, since I’d found Xander on the beach, I already had.
I clasped his hand tighter and grinned. “Come on,” I said. “Let’s try our luck.”