Page 15 of Beckon

Chandler caught himself smiling. Actual lips peeled back and teeth showing, smiling. Something about her just pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“A light snack then and we can discuss the jacket?” Chandler hadn’t heard what happened to it, nor did he care, but if it made her happy and allowed her to relax, he’d give her the one he was wearing now too.

“Okay, but I get to pay, it’s the least I can do. And comp your ride.” Chandler needed to sit down with her and say sorry, but he couldn’t allow that.

“Compromise? You can do one or the other, but not both.”

She started driving without answering him. The look on her face in the mirror told him she was mulling it over, so he kept quiet and let her think.

Lord knew he hated people trying to get in his head when all he wanted to do was focus. It was strange how she was so untainted, yet his soul black as sin, but he felt he understood her. Even though he’d spent less than ten minutes in her presence sober, and she rambled most of that time, he felt a kinship. Some kind of connection but it wasn’t anything he could pinpoint.

The longer they drove in silence, the more comfortable he became, which made zero sense. She punched in something on her phone at a red light and then shut down her display on the dash. Finally, she broke the silence.

“Fine. I’ll buy the snacks and you get the ride.” Her smirk told him he was getting the better end of the deal, but he agreed. At his nod, she continued. “But we are not going to the place you were headed if that’s okay. I have a better place in mind. A perfect place if you need a distraction. I know I could use one, but you agree, I pay, yes?”

He knew he was being played somehow, but he could also see how important this was to her.

“Fine, but I do get to take you to a proper dinner. Maybe Saturday?”

What the hell possessed him to vomit those words out, he’d never know, but they were out there now and her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“That would be nice. I haven’t had a date in, well, forever.”

This was not part of his plan. He was supposed to apologize, make her feel good about being good, and that was it. Now he was letting her treat him to snacks and God knew what else and he asked her on a date.

Chandler debated with himself to clarify it was just dinner, not a datedate, but he found himself silent. Not because he intended to date her, but somewhere deep down, he felt she needed the label. What did it matter to him what it was called? His mission was underway, and he had an end goal in sight.

There was something freeing about knowing he could leave this world on a positive note. Knowing there were people like her would make it so much easier.

Tamitha navigated into a parking spot at what could only be described as middle school birthday party hell.

“Adventure Palace? In all the years I’ve lived here, I’ve never been. Seems a bit big for an arcade.”

“Arcade is a total undersell, this is a magical portal to a realm of fun. They also have great carnival-style snacks that’ll make you wish it was a crisp fall night and you were outside on the midway. Come on, I promised you snacks, everything else is a bonus.”

That woman was confusing. She was clearly a woman, but as soon as she parked, she turned into a kid. “Okay, Tamitha, you’re in charge, but at the risk of disappointing you, full disclosure, I just planned on taking you to a chain bar and grill for an overpriced, complicated-named hamburger with mediocre fries.”

“It’s Tami. And noted.” Her laugh felt like bubbles all around them. “Besides, I figure you could stand a little old-school fun.”

Chandler rocked back on his heels at her statement. Before he could ask her what the hell she meant, and probably not at all in a cordial manner, she’d flung open the glass doors like she had arrived. Her long light-brown hair billowed back in the wind gust she created with the doors. It blew her scent back to envelop him. The noise coming from inside was all… happy sounds.

How long had it been since he was somewhere like this? Somewhere everyone was happy. It didn’t immediately come to him.

He followed Tami up to the counter where a man who was ninety if he was a day, greeted her familiarly. “Lady Chariot Driver, I wasn’t expecting you. Are you here on a special quest?”

“Of course, Quest Master, what else would I be doing? Even brought some backup. This is my mysterious visitor, Chandler, and by the look on his face, I’d say it’s been a lifetime since he’s completed a magical quest, so we need tokens, stat.”

Mr. B, according to the name tag he wore, beamed at Tami the way a grandfather might and handed her two velvet bags loaded with what he assumed were tokens. He gave her a wink and turned back to pass out a pair of skates to a kid.

“Lady Chariot Driver, Quest Master?”

The grin that crossed her face was mischievous. “Why yes, mysterious visitor. I told you it was a portal. You are free to be anyone and any age you want to be here. Play all the games you like, the Quest Master.” She leaned in like it was a great secret. “Mr. B., has granted us local currency on the agreement that…” She seemed lost in thought.

“Sorry, I can’t think of a cool way to say this part, but any tickets you win go to the box of awesome. He uses them to pass out to kids who are having a bad day or tough time winning enough to get that special thing they have their eye on. No kid leaves here sad. And neither will you.”

Chandler was still staring at her, wondering how someone got to her age and still had such a pure heart, when she hefted a velvet bag into his hand.

He continued to stare at Tami, the place he was in, and the bag in his hand. He was stuck in a loop just looking between those three things.

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