Wrong Number by R.L. Kenderson

Author:R.L. Kenderson [Kenderson, R.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2020-04-03T18:30:00+00:00

Twenty-Three

Cal

I almost stayed home Saturday night, but several things convinced me to go. I was still new at my job, and I didn’t want my employees to think I had better things to do than hang out with them. I had also considered Indy’s advice about Patrick. I could either ask him out for drinks or take the opportunity that was presented to me and pretend to befriend him. I couldn’t pass it up because I had no desire to ask Patrick to get drinks with me after work and spend any more time with him than I had to.

The biggest reason I wanted to go was that Indy had been avoiding me all week. I hadn’t pressured her or tried to get her alone after she walked away from me on Monday because I wasn’t going to be that guy. That would put me in line with Patrick.

But I was hoping to at least sit down and talk to her. Ask her what had happened and why things had changed. I liked Indy. I liked being with her—not just sexually—and I didn’t want to give her up without a fight.

I showed up early, fully expecting to be one of the first ones at the party. The employees in charge of putting the event together had rented a ballroom at a local event center, which was now covered in Halloween decor.

There was a cash bar, a table covered in food, tables and chairs, a DJ booth, and a dance floor. When my employees had talked about a costume contest, I should have guessed that they went all out for the event, but I was surprised.

I was also shocked at how many people were already there. I guessed there was no such thing as fashionably late for this group of people.

“Hi, Cal.” One of my older employees waved to me. “Nice costume.”

I waved back but didn’t stop to chat. I needed a drink first.

As I waited for the bartender to grab my beer, I looked around for Patrick. It was going to be harder to find him with everyone dressed up, but since I remembered that he and his wife had won the costume contest before, I ruled out any badly dressed people as Patrick.

I should have dressed in something with a mask, so people wouldn’t recognize me right away, and then I could have blended in better. Instead, I had decided to dress as a doctor. I’d already had the scrubs, surgical cap, and stethoscope from when I’d worn the getup one year in New York. I figured a new location was a good excuse to recycle an old costume.

The bartender handed me my bottle when I thought I spotted Patrick. He was dressed as a 1920s gangster, and the woman who I assumed was his wife had on a flapper outfit.

I didn’t think it was the most original couples costume, but I could see they had gone all out and put a lot of details into their outfits. Maybe that was why Patrick won every year.

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