Page 10 of The Escape Room
“Where’s Ryan?”
“He left about an hour ago, right after the power came back, and he asked me to let you sleep. I hope that was okay.”
“Do you have his address or phone number from the raffle?”
“No, I was only given your names.” He stepped around the desk and stuck an envelope in my hand. “This contains a lifetime pass to The Great Escape. I gave Ryan the same thing. My uncle and I know we screwed up big-time with that lock thing, but we hope you’ll come back and see us.”
“It’s fine,” I muttered, as I stuffed the envelope in my pocket. Benji handed me my overcoat and phone and apologized again, and I promised him I’d be back someday as I headed for the exit.
I ended up walking home, which took over an hour. The rain had stopped, and the city sparkled in the early morning sunlight. Oakland had never looked more beautiful.
Eventually, I reached my dad’s faded, purple Victorian. I’d moved back home after Chad dumped me. It was supposed to be temporary, but two years later, I was still here.
When I went inside, I found my father reading the paper at the kitchen table. He was dressed in striped silk pajamas, and his long dreadlocks were neatly tied back with a scarf. He normally hung out in a ratty bathrobe, so he’d obviously had company the night before.
Dad peered at me over the top of his reading glasses and grinned as he said, “Since you’re getting in at eight a.m., I assume the date went well.”
“It was fantastic.”
“So, are you going out with this guy again?”
“Absolutely. He’s everything I could ask for, and I think we have a real shot at building something great together.” I reached for the coffee pot and added, “I just have to find him first.”
Chapter4
Dare asked, “How long are you going to keep this up?”
I took a sip of beer and shrugged. “As long as it takes.”
“It’s been a month and a half, and once again, Ryan’s probably not going to show up.”
“You don’t know that.” I arranged a couple of pencils and a little tent card on my table. All around us, O’Grady’s Pub was bustling with activity as teams gathered for the weekly trivia contest.
“There has to be another way to find this guy,” my friend said. “Assuming he even wants to be found.”
“I’ve tried everything I could think of. The organizers of the charity event refused to give me his phone number or address because it’s a privacy violation, and by the time I found the right coffee house through trial and error, he’d gotten fired. His former boss wouldn’t let me bribe him for Ryan’s phone number, either.”
Dare sighed and took a drink from his pint glass before asking, “How about letting Skye and me play trivia with you? My husband’s going to be here any minute, and you’re allowed up to three people on a team.”
“Sorry, my team’s full. But you and Skye can form your own team if you want to.”
“Your team is you and an empty chair.”
“I know it seems like I’ve gone off the deep end,” I told him, “but sooner or later, he’s going to show up. I’m sure of it.”
“I’m worried about you, Rick. What if you’re setting yourself up to get hurt again?”
“I appreciate the concern, but I’m okay. In fact, I’m better than I’ve been in a very long time.”
“But what if he never shows up? What if he left the Bay Area?”
My breath caught as I noticed pink hair moving through the crowd, and I whispered, “What if he just walked in?”
“Seriously?” Dare whipped around and scanned the room, and then he exclaimed, “Holy shit, that’s him! I’ll be at the bar. Good luck!”
My friend rushed off, and when I tried to take a sip of beer, I realized my hands were shaking. I exhaled slowly and fidgeted with the items on my table as I waited for Ryan to notice me. I had no idea if he’d think showing up at the pub was cute or creepy. It could go either way.
When he finally spotted me, a huge smile spread across his face. But then, uncertainty crept in, and he approached me hesitantly and said, “Hi, Rick.”