Page 14 of A Ballad of Betrayal and Beauty

I lean back on the washer behind me. “Oh, no. Had to hang up my dancing shoes after I broke my ankle one night at the club. I work at a call center now.”

He nods. “That’s cool. Not the ankle, of course. I’m sure that was rough. So, a call center, huh? Like customer support?”

Not quite. People can be so judgmental of what I do for work and chances are he’d be the same way. It’s not that much different than stripping. But . . . it’s different enough. “Sort of.”

“Is that why you moved here?”

“Yeah. I started at a call center in Vegas, but the manager . . . Let’s just say he wasn’t the best. So a few girls told me there was another one here in San Francisco, and . . . the rest is history.”

“That’s amazing.”

I raise my eyebrows. “It is?”

His cheeks color and he looks away. “I just mean, I never thought I would see you again. I mean I hoped—” He glances up at me and this time he doesn’t blush as much. Does he want me to know just how much he’s thought of me since that night? “And now, here you are, doing laundry of all things.”

No, don’t do that. Don’t let yourself hope.God, how I wish I could tell him everything about me, but I don’t want to scare him away. He’ll just leave like everyone else.

“Right. Well, I’m done, so I better get going.”

“Oh.”

I take another few steps back and watch his smile slip away. “It was really nice to see you again.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Then, with all the strength I have, I turn and head for the door. I feel claustrophobic. I need to get outside into the air. His presence is overwhelming, reminiscent of that night two years ago. The door is ahead of me. I can almost breathe.

“Wait,” I hear him call from behind me, but I’m outside and can finally take a breath in. I hear the bell go off and Doris yelling out in her raspy voice not to leave laundry unattended. “Yeah, yeah, I’m not going anywhere,” he assures her before the door closes once more.

I turn to face him, keeping my basket between us for some distance.

“That’s it?” he asks.

“What’s it?”

“‘It was really nice to see you again’? That’s all?”

I open my mouth but close it again when it’s clear everyone inside the laundromat is watching us. “I mean . . . yeah? Isn’t it?”

“What if I didn’t want that to be all there is?” he asks, taking a step toward me.

My heart races but I shake my head. “Joel, you . . . you don’t even know me. I’m just that stripper from Vegas you paid to hang out with one night. We can’t just be friends.”

“Who said anything about being just friends?”

My eyes close and I let out a long breath. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? You got a boyfriend?”

“No, but I?—”

“You’re not attracted to me, then?” he asks with a knowing smirk.

I bite my lip.Damn him. “It’s not that. I just—I don’t really have the time to date anyone right now.”

“Surely you must have some days off from the dreaded call center,” he teases. “Let me take you out on a date.”

Stomach flipping, I tilt my head. “A date?”

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