AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Walking two blocks in the heat of the day in a Palm Springs summer may as well have been running a marathon. The blast of A/C hit Gia like a slap to the face, its icy coolness laced with a hint of mustiness—the old system probably original to the ‘50s era diner.
“I thought Austin was hot,” she said under her breath as she wiped the sweat off her arms.
“You really are new in town.” Roxi waved to a woman behind the laminate-topped bar. “That’s Victoria. She bartends at a place I like on the weekends—Palmeranian. I mean, a place I used to like.”
“Clever name,” Gia laughed. “Not that I’ll go.”
“Of course not.” Roxi winked.
“It’s not a good idea.”
“Right. So, what’s youractual story?” Roxi asked once they’d sat in a booth. It had space for six, and she sat there anyway.
“I told it in the meeting. My name’s Gia, and I’m an alcoholic. I moved here from Austin. I’m looking for a job—so if you know anyone who needs an underqualified Jill of no trades, I’m your gal. I just got out of a relationship with another ‘not the one.’ That’s about it. I’m simple.”
“I doubt you’re simple. And Iknowthere’s more to the story. I’ve heard Austin is pretty rad. Why Palm Springs?”
“I threw a dart at a map and it landed here.” Gia flipped the plastic menu she was pretending to read instead of noticing Roxi’s features. She was, in fact, noticing Roxi’s features. Eyes the color of espresso—just as steamy, too. Pouty lips traced with a nude-colored lipstick—you had to really look to tell she was wearing any. Teeth a smidge too crowded. Her honey-colored skin showed she’d battled acne as a teenager—a few faint scars remained. “Why’re you here?”
“We moved here when I was six. Snuck over the border from Baja, back when you could do that sort of thing,” Roxi said, shrugging. “I never left.”
“Do you want to?”
“Maybe, but what’s the point? I could drive a school bus here or somewhere else, but I can’t drive away from who I am. So, I stay.Que sera, sera.” There was that shrug again. “My family’s here. And I know the cops. Went to school with half of ‘em.”
Gia wondered what it must be like to live in one place. Tostayin one place. She’d lived in Boulder, Santa Fe, Newark, Atlanta, and Austin. When times got tough—when she hit a dead end in a relationship or job, when she couldn’t face waking up in the same bed in the same dingy apartment—she moved to a new dingy apartment in a new town. She’d call her dad, ask for a little help, relying on his lingering guilt about her mobile childhood and her mother’s addiction issues. He’d comply, sending her whatever she needed to “get by,” and the cycle would repeat. It wasn’t terribly functional, but it worked. Sort of.
“Wow. I admire your determination. I never have been able to stay put,” Gia said.
“Why’s that?”
“Oh, come on, you know why.”
“I really don’t. Hang on—know what you want?”
“Whatever you’re having,” Gia said to Roxi’s back. She was halfway to the counter, head held high, shoulders set. Her hair landed in her mid-back and swayed side-to-side as she walked.
In no time, she was holding two white diner mugs. “Here.Café con leche, two sugars, extra shot.” Roxi raised the diner mug. “Salud.”
“Salud,” Gia nodded, “So—”
Gia suppressed OG, who told her to ask Roxi to her place and see where things went. The truth was, she knew where they’d go. They’d race to her apartment in a fury, stopping at a convenience store along the way. It would only take half a bottle of Jim Beam before they were laughing and pretending they knew each other enough to justify hopping in bed two hours after meeting. The old Gia wouldn’t think twice about that scenario—it would just be.Que sera, sera, as Roxi said. Sober Gia had been on the wagon for nine days, and the last thing she needed was a roll in the hay with a feisty woman who probably wouldn’t call her after they hooked up and whom she’d have to see each week in her meetings. She’d promised herself no relationships for a year. No casual sex, either. Palm Springs was a new start, an opportunity to focus on drying out, cleaning up, and becoming the person she told herself she could be every New Year’s Eve.
“How do you survive this heat? I thought I could handle it, but damn—”
“You get used to it. Austin’s hot.”
“Not like this. This is like living in a sauna you can’t escape,” Gia said, noticing a chip in her mug’s brim just above the handle. “And it’s only June. How am I going to survive?”
“You’ll adapt. And maybe you’ll actually stay—instead of running away. You won’t be able to escape.”
“Ouch.” Gia mimed a dagger to her heart. “We just met and you’re already shaming me and my ways?”
“Not shaming you. Just your ways,” Roxi smiled, the corners of her lips turning up loosely, her peace offering small but intoxicating.
“It takes one to know one.” Gia took another draw on her coffee, careful to avoid the part of the mug that was chipped. “Mm. That’s good.”
“Yeah, Victoria makes damn good drinks. Too bad you can’t try her mojito. It’s the best in the west.”
