Crystal Ball

“Sorry to cut you short,” Justin apologized. “But I kind of have a date tonight.”

“Oh, really? That’s cute,” I cooed.

“Mamma? What’s a date?” Janie asked, her hands pausing as she played with her doll.

“A date is when two people go out together, like to dinner or a movie or to do something fun,” I explained to my daughter.

“It is not cute,” Justin protested as he grabbed our dad’s truck keys from the hook by the door. “I’ll talk to you later, Emma. Love you Janie.”

“Love you, too!” Janie yelled as she started playing with her doll again while I followed Justin into the hall.

“So, who’s this hot date with? Anyone I know?” I asked as I leaned against the doorframe. He looked at the floor as he mumbled. I laughed. “What was that?”

“I’m taking Lottie to dinner and then we’re going to a party,” he repeated.

“Lottie? As in little Lottie Gaskarth?”

“She’s not so little anymore,” he protested and I couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s cute,” I reiterated.

“Again, it is not cute.”

“Whatever you say, Jus. Now, I don’t want to pry, and I am not going to ask, because I truthfully do not want to know the answer. But if you are having sex,” I whispered, cautious of little ears. “Be safe, okay?”

“Emma,” he groaned.



“Dad, can you watch Janie for a little bit?”

He looked up from the game on the TV. “Of course, baby doll.”

I smiled as I stood from the couch. “I won’t be gone long. I just need to do a little grocery shopping, and I might stop by a few clubs in Baltimore to see if they are hiring. I’ll have my cell on if you need me.”

My dad laughed as his head moved back and forth. “I think we’ll be fine, Emma. I did raise two kids on my own,” he reminded me.

“That was fifteen years ago, Dad. But thanks.”

“Do you need any money?” he questioned. I shook my head, about to protest when he spoke again. “I know you don’t have a job down here, yet. And I don’t want you to struggle. If you need anything, I’m right here.”

“Thanks, Dad. But I will be fine. I have savings and I don’t plan on being jobless for long.”

I kissed Janie’s forehead as she played with her doll on the floor by my dad’s feet before giving my father’s cheek a kiss as well. I drove into Baltimore first, not wanting to drive around with groceries in the car, especially if I picked up anything frozen.

The first two clubs were not hiring, but I left my resume anyway, telling the manager to keep me in mind if and when they were. The third club was hiring, but the manager wasn’t in. Again, I left my resume, asking to have them call me.

The fourth was a new club in a previously vacant warehouse. From the last time I had been in that part of the city, they had done some major renovations. It no longer looked like an abandoned building. It looked rather like an old Pub from the outside, while the inside had been transformed into an upscale lounge, complete with large sofas, high tables with stools, and a cocktail server walking about. Looking over the bar in the far corner, I noticed a simple menu posted on the wall, surrounded by paintings by local artists as well as a few pictures of musicians and comedians that had played at the location.

The girl working the front counter—a teenager, by the looks of it—told me to have a seat while she got the manager. I sat at one of the high tables, taking in my surroundings as I waited.

“Emma?” someone asked from behind me. “Emma Parker?”

I turned around slowly. “Yes?” I answered, confused.

“Emma!” he exclaimed.

“Jack?” I didn’t have a chance to respond before he had his arms wrapped tightly around me as I still sat on the end of the stool. As he pulled away, I smiled tentatively up at the tall, lanky guy. He surely had grown up in the past five years. He wasn’t as gangly, though he was still thin as a rail.

“What are you doing here?” we both asked at the same time before laughing at the coincidence. “I’m looking for a job, actually,” I answered.

“A job? When did you move back?” he questioned.

“Last week. Alex didn’t tell you?” I asked, noticing his complete surprise.

“Alex knew you were back?”

“I’ll take that as a no,” I muttered, laughing uncomfortably.

After a moment of silence between the two of us, Jack half smiled. “Well, I have to get going. But I’ll give you my number. We need to hang out. Soon.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” We exchanged numbers before he walked out the front door, waving as he did so.

“My name’s Doug. Doug Grant, I’m the owner,” I tall guy towered over me. He didn’t look more than twenty-six, twenty-seven at the most, and had beautiful blue eyes.

Realizing I was staring, I stuck out my hand and introduced myself, “Emma Parker. Nice to meet you.”

“I’ll be honest with you,” he started, leaving no pretenses. “I’m looking for someone who can basically manage this place when I’m out of town.” He motioned around him as he spoke. “And, quite frankly, you don’t look even remotely old enough to have the experience to do so.”

“Well,” I scoffed, taken aback. “First off, and no offense but, you don’t look old enough to own this place, let alone run it. And secondly, this isn’t my first rodeo. If you look at my resume,” I said, slightly defensive as I pointed to the piece of paper in his hands. “You’ll see that I basically ran The Ram’s Den single handedly. So before you start making assumptions, I suggest you do a little research, or at least an interview.” I huffed the air out of my chest as I ended my speech.

Doug stood there for a moment; his mouth hanging open before a smirk slowly replaced the gape between his lips. “Well, well, well. There may be hope for you, yet. Come with me.” He turned and walked to a door at the back, without looking to see if I would follow.

I stared at his back as he left before doubling my steps as I tried to catch up to him. Doug led us through a door that opened into the actual venue. The place was massive, the fact that it used to be a wide-open warehouse working to its advantage. A long counter wrapped around the three existing walls on a raised platform, stools placed underneath. Across the room stood a large stage, a DJ table currently set up in the center. Another, larger, bar stood toward the farthest wall from the stage, leaving plenty of floor space in between.

We did not loiter. After letting me take in the room, Doug led me behind the stage, pointing out rooms as he went. Finally, at the end of a hall, he opened the last door. “This is the office. Take a seat.” He motioned to the couch on one side of the room, following closely behind me. He sat in a chair placed directly across from the couch. “Okay. So, I will level with you. As much as I would like to be meticulous and hold out for the best, you are only the fourth person to inquire about the position in over two months. And it seems you may be best suited. That being said, this will be probational. I’ll give you two weeks to pick up the daily routines, learn the books, ordering and dealing with vendors, booking acts, all that jazz,” he listed. “If you can’t handle it, you’re gone. Sound simple enough?”

I looked at him, puzzled before sputtering over my words. “Uh, yeah. Sounds great. When do I start?”

“Well, it is Friday. Probably not the best night to get you started. How about you come by tomorrow afternoon and I will have Abbey show you the front desk, get you acquainted with ticketing and introduce you to the staff. I’ll be here at four and we’ll start you on the behind the scenes stuff.”

“I’ll see you at four, then,” I responded as we both stood. “There’s one thing, though,” I started before I made a move for the door.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Well, I’m a single mother. So, eventually, I may need to bring my daughter with me during the day. I have a sitter at night, though. And before you say anything,” I rushed, noticing he was about to protest. “She’s four, and very well behaved. She would no doubt just sit in here and play. At least, that’s what she did at The Ram’s Den. She won’t get in anyone’s way.”

He stared at me wide-eyed for a moment before speaking. “We’ll see,” he hedged. “If you’re good enough, I guess I won’t have much of a choice.”