Authors: Jami Wagner
Date in the Dark
DATE IN THE DARK
A Novella
Jami Wagner
Date in the Dark
Copyright 2015
by Jami Wagner
Published by Jami Wagner
Cover Design by Paper and Sage
Acknowledgments
I met many amazing people while writing this
story. Each of you has touched my life and my writing in a way I
will never forget.
Mary Billiter: One class with you started it
all. Your enthusiasm for writing fiction has made me want to write
better and write more often. You brought the idea of this story to
me with less than two weeks to write it. Without you and your
encouragement, I wouldn’t be able to share this story. Thank you
for everything you’ve done.
Dana Volney: Thank you for accepting my many
emails and my long lists of ranting text messages on how I need to
change something only to end the list with the words – never mind.
It means a lot to me to have you as friend. You are one of the most
positive and caring people I know. I am forever grateful to have
met you in Mary’s class.
Stormy and Kate: You were amazing beta
readers. You have different tastes and both read this story twice.
You will never know how much this means to me.
To all of you in my Wednesday night writing
group: thank you for welcoming and supporting me in this journey.
Everything you have given me has been appreciated more than you
know.
Megan: For forty hours a week you listen to
every idea that pops into my mind and you’re never afraid to give
me your honest opinion, which I love. Thank you for being
there.
And last, but never least, Grant: You hung in
there when I hashed out every emotion in the world. This experience
has been incredible and unforgettable. Thank you for being there
through it all.
Contents
Chapter One
Allie
My couch sounds a lot more relaxing than
going to work. To curl up with a blanket, a book in my hands, and
to have, Bell, my black lab, snuggling next to me. It would be the
best way to spend the snowy day after Christmas. Instead, I’ve
somehow managed to be standing in the one coffee shop that’s trying
to find out how many people it can cram inside all at once. I
glance around. Not a single seat is open, and there’s someone
touching me on each side. It’s a tad bit overwhelming for seven in
the morning.
“Next in line!” someone shouts over the
madness, and the line that took me twenty minutes to get through
moves forward.
Awesome.
I’ve been here long enough to count
the exact minutes.
Please don’t let this be a preview of how my
day is going to go.
I love my job. I honestly do, but it
would’ve been nice to have today off. I could be spending more time
with my parents and sister. Not that I can’t see them anytime I
want. Holiday’s just seem to have an effect on me. I can never get
enough family this time of year.
The door chimes behind me and another couple
pushes their way inside. The cold chill of last nights’ fallen snow
blows inside with them, sending a shiver through my body.
I
can’t wait to have that hot coffee in my hands.
I peek through the crowd and catch the sight
of Kelly’s cropped auburn hair bobbing through the people in my
direction. Ever since we graduated college, we’ve meet every
Tuesday and Friday for coffee before work. Nothing keeps us from
our coffee. Not traffic, an empty bank account, a holiday, or even
a late night with too much to drink. This, more often than not, is
how Kelly spends her evenings. It gets worse when she visits her
family or when the year is closer to coming to an end. And it’s the
exact reason she looks like she’s ready to puke.
I can’t believe she drank as much as she did
at her family’s home in Denver last night and still managed to
catch her flight home at four this morning. I thought for sure the
moment we made it inside the coffee shop - which engulfed us with
the smell of fresh-ground coffee beans – that’s she’d throw up on
the spot. She didn’t, but she did however go straight to the ladies
room. Now, with one hand on her forehead and the other on her
stomach, she stands next to me in line.
“I feel useless,” she says with a sigh,
flipping her crimson hoodie over her auburn hair.
“I ordered your latte with two extra shots,”
I inform her as she looks at me with gratitude in her eyes. They
aren’t
too
bloodshot, but she’s going to need all the
caffeine she can get today. Weeks ago, I tried to tell her that
scheduling any photo shoots the day after Christmas would be a bad
idea. From the miserable expression on her face, I bet she wishes
she would’ve listened to me.
“Maybe it’s time to stop drinking so much at
family events,” I suggest, and fail to hide my smile. This would
never happen. I’ve been around her family many times, and they know
exactly how to celebrate. I swear, their parties just get worse
every year.
“You’d think I’d be used to it by now,” she
says, rising on the tips of her toes and craning her neck to watch
as drinks are made behind the counter. The coffee grinder roars,
and she drops back to her heels. “Do you see those ladies sitting
over there?” she points toward the far right corner, where a group
of woman are gathering in a circle, smiling and laughing as they
talk. “Well, while I was waiting in line for the bathroom, I heard
the one in the pink sweater got engaged yesterday. I tried to sneak
a look at the rock, but my head wouldn’t stop pounding from the
noise of clicking keyboards and people sharing Christmas stories.”
She rubs her temples. “I’ve never understood why coffee shops are
the place to bring your computer. Do people really get that much
more work done being here than at home?”
“Free WI-FI and fewer distractions.” I shrug.
“It makes sense. Plus the coffee is good.” Another couple takes
their drinks and leave. Only six more people to go and our drinks
will be ready.
Kelly nods. “Right, right. Oh, hey, look what
I found on the bulletin board over there.” She beams at me as if
she’s forgotten she’s feeling ill and pulls a piece of paper from
her purse.
My eyes flash to the black flyer with bold
white type that she dangles in front of my face. I grab it from her
hand and read it.
Date in the Dark
Meet your mystery date with only five minutes to
spare!
December 29, 30, and 31st
Don’t have a date and think fate can bring you and
your perfect match together? Come to the Blind Date at 7pm all
three nights! Enhance your senses and dine in the dark with the
same person of the preferred sex. On the final evening, New Years
Eve, at 11:55, the lights come on to reveal the mystery.
Take a chance. You never know…you may find THE
ONE.
I blink a few times and read the flyer again
before looking up. I really need that coffee. Like, pronto. I’m
losing it. Each time my eyes see the words “Date in the Dark,” I
read that my best friend wants me to date a complete stranger in
total darkness, and that can’t be right.
“Do you feel okay?” I ask, concern filling my
eyes.
“Ha-Ha, I’m fine. Stop looking at me like
I’ve gone mad, and just think of how romantic it could be.” She
closes her eyes and smiles.
“It’s probably a fake flyer. No one with half
a brain would partake in something like this,” I rest my hands on
her shoulders and look her in the eyes. “How much
did
you
drink last night?”
She snatches the flyer, shrugs off my hand,
and crosses her arms. “Not that much, and we are totally doing
this.” Instantly her face beams with a smile that has “pretty
please” all over it.
I sigh as we step forward. She can’t be
serious. I’ve heard of these places where you dine in the dark.
You’re not able to see a single thing while you eat and that
doesn’t sound like fun for me. A giant mess full of embarrassing
moments is what it sounds like. I picture more food in my lap or on
the floor than actually making it in my mouth.
“It sounds like a setup for some crazy psycho
killer.” I shake my head. “Hey, I know how to kill a bunch of
people at once. Tell them they’re going to find love and put them
in a dark room.”
“If you showed any interest in finding a date
for New Year’s Eve, I might let up, but you haven’t, so this is it.
This is what we’re going to do. Unless…” She grins.
“No, don’t even say it.” I hold up my hand
and look away. “Real life doesn’t turn out like the books we read,
Kelly. I’m not going to fall madly in love with Parker, I can’t
even stand him.”
“How can you say that? You’ve never been on a
date with him and I know for a fact you avoid him at work. He asked
you out once, you said “no.” That’s no reason to stop talking to
the poor guy.”
“Alright fine, you win. I shouldn’t say I
can’t stand him if I don’t even know him, but I work with the man
and that’s all I need to put him on the ‘never going to happen’
list.”
“Oh, come on, who don’t you have on that
list?” She laughs and rolls her eyes at me. “Come on. Please.
Pretty please?” She pauses. “Either prove to me you want to find a
date, or we’re doing this.”
The entrance door chimes once again over the
chatter of waiting coffee lovers, and if the person walking in
isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is. Through the small space
available, I watch as the doorway fills with the same tall, dark,
and drop-dead sexy man that I see each day at work. Before I can
pull my eyes away, his piercing blue ones glance over the entire
shop. They land on me and my breath catches. Dark hair and blue
eyes have always been a weakness of mine. Parker is no exception
and this is the exact reason I’m always avoiding him.
Parker
“Dude, it’s going to take us forever to make
it through this line. I’d like to get to work before dinner.”
Miles, my brother, complains as he steps inside behind me.
The smell of fresh-ground coffee fills the
air, and I inhale deeply.
If only the smell alone could wake me
up.
“Hey, isn’t that the chick you work with who
turned you down?” He nods in Allie’s direction.
I peel my eyes away before he can notice my
eyes haven’t left hers since we got here. “Yes.”
“Man, she’s hot. You should ask her out.” He
says, rubbing his hands together before breathing on them.
“You honestly think I haven’t thought of that
before?”
Miles laughs as we take a spot in line.
This place is packed and I can’t be late.
I’ve shown up past eight enough the last few weeks that sooner or
later someone is going to say something to me about it. And I don’t
feel like today should be that day.
“Let’s just find another coffee shop.” I say,
pointing to the door.
“Yeah, okay, but that girl is coming over
here. What’s her name again?” he asks, but before I can answer
she’s standing in front of me.
“Hey, Allie,” I smile as both her and her
friend stop.
“Parker,” she nods. “Did you have a nice
Christmas?”
“It was great. And yours?”
“Perfect.”
I keep the smile on my face as the four of us
stand in a circle. After we manage to glance at the other awkwardly
at least once, Allie speaks up.
“Alright, well, I’ll see you at work
then.”
“Yeah, see you there.” I watch as Allie and
her friend leave. Then, I return to my place in line.
“So, we aren’t leaving?” Miles asks behind
me.
“No, this place is fine.”
“Want to tell me what the heck that was
about? Please tell me you felt how weird that was. Have you two
never spoken with each other before?”
“We have, I told you. I asked her out
once.”
“And that was it? I’m guessing she said “no”,
but that doesn’t explain how either of you don’t know how to hold a
normal conversation. I mean, neither of you bothered to introduce
us. Her friend is smoking hot and I feel jipped, sort of.”