Page 24 of Gin & Jewels
Brad pulled out a twenty from his wallet and put it into the tip jar. We took a seat at an open table and waited for our sandwiches. “They seem to love you. Why’d you quit?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Money. I needed more than the minimum wage and the few tips we get here.”
He opened his bottle of water by holding the bottle with the hand in the sling and twisting the cap with his other. Just seeing him struggle slightly made my blood pressure rise. If it weren’t for Keith and Micky, the poor guy would function with both of his arms. “Understandable. I quit the Marines because of money too … and I hated getting shot.”
“You’ve been shot before?”
Brad bobbed his head. “Yeah, made a full recovery from that, and then I was stationed in Barstow and not deployed any longer. My mother got sick, and her medical bills were starting to pile up, so I decided I needed to get out and help her.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is she better now?” I took a drink of my water. I loved that he cared enough for his mother to help her with her medical bills. Even though I didn’t know him, it told me that he was a good guy. After all, he practically took a bullet for me, and he didn’t know me.
“She had breast cancer but is now in remission. Saw her a few weeks ago, and she’s finally looking like her old self.”
“That’s good.”
Verlene placed our sandwiches in front of us and then patted me on the back. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks, Verlene,” I said.
We dug into our sandwiches, and it was just as I’d remembered: warm and delicious with super soft sourdough bread.
“Tell me about yourself,” Brad said after taking a sip of water. “Are you still working at the casino?”
I shook my head. “No. I was going to continue working there part-time, but I was tired of the drunks and the smoke.”
He smirked. “I hate going to the casinos because of those reasons too.”
I chuckled. “You and your friends didn’t seem to mind the other night.”
“That was a once in a blue moon thing. Vinny wanted to gamble, so we took him out.”
“Oh, right. Did he get married?”
“That’s this weekend.”
I took a bite of my sandwich. “That’s cool. I’ve never been to a wedding before.”
“Really?” He furrowed his brows.
I shrugged a little. “Haven’t known anyone getting married.”
“This will be the fourth wedding for our group.”
“And three more to go?” I joked, remembering they were making a bet on who would be the next to get married.
Brad laughed. “That’s what they think, but I don’t see any of the three of us getting tied down anytime soon.”
My heart sank into my stomach, and I didn’t know why. “Why is that?”
He leaned closer and lowered his voice as I stuck a chip into my mouth. “Because we’re male escorts.”
I choked and grabbed my water to wash it down. “Really?” He nodded. “But what about that woman you were buying a ring for?”
Brad chuckled. “That was a paid date. There wouldn’t have been a ring purchased.”
“Oh. She was a client?”
“Yeah. A one-time-you-put-me-in-danger client.”
