Two of a Kind. Сьюзен Мэллери

      Noelle laughed. “Sorry. I love to read teen fiction. It’s a flaw, but one I can live with.”

      Isabel leaned toward the center of the table. “Patience, honey? You’re missing the point. Felicia had sex with the mysterious Gideon.”

      Patience turned to Felicia. “How did that happen?”

      “In the usual way. We were outside on his deck and...” Felicia stopped and cleared her throat. The three of them were staring at her with identical expressions of confusion.

      “You mean you’re curious about the order of events that led up to our encounter. Not where and in what position.”

      Isabel leaned back in her chair. “You know, I’m going to have to think about that. No one has ever given me a choice like that before.”

      Noelle patted Felicia’s arm. “You’re one of my favorite people, you know that?”

      “Because I’m a freak?”

      “You’re not a freak. You’re honest. There aren’t enough honest people in the world. How do you know Gideon? You must know him because I can’t see you jumping into bed with a perfect stranger.”

      A lovely assessment of her character, Felicia thought, however false. Because that’s exactly what she’d done. Twice.

      “We met four years ago, in Thailand. It was a brief, um, encounter. When I got here, I heard him on the radio and realized it was the same man. I didn’t know what to think or do, so I’ve been avoiding him for the past couple of months.”

      A plan that had been going really well, until spiders had worked their arachnid mojo and changed everything. Although she couldn’t really say she objected to the ultimate outcome.

      “I wanted to talk to someone about the job offer,” she continued. “So last night I drove to his house to speak with him.”

      “You drove to his house?” Patience repeated. “Just like that? You’re so brave. I wish I was like that. Direct and fearless. I overthink everything.”

      Felicia thought about explaining why she’d picked Gideon, then stopped herself. It was possible her friends wouldn’t understand her reticence in speaking with them about the job.

      “What’s his house like?” Noelle asked. “Is it fabulous? I bet it’s fabulous.”

      “The part I saw was nice.”

      “They did it on the deck,” Isabel said, reaching for her drink. “I’m guessing there wasn’t a tour.”

      “Oh, right. The deck. That’s pretty hot.” Noelle smiled. “You two make a cute couple. Ooh, I wonder if he’s going to dedicate a song to you tonight. I’ll have to listen.”

      “I’m sure he won’t,” Felicia said, knowing now she, too, would have to listen. Just in case.

      Is that something a man would do after a night with a woman? She wasn’t clear on what normal people did in relationships. She might have slept with Gideon, but he was still a mystery to her. She’d had sex, but never love. A physical encounter but not a boyfriend. She hadn’t ever even been on a traditional date.

      How was she supposed to find a man and fall in love when she couldn’t even get asked out on a date?

      * * *

      “GOOD EVENING, FOOL’S GOLD,” Gideon said into the microphone. “I’d like to start tonight with a favorite, for a friend of mine.” He pushed the button, and the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” began to play. He thought about mentioning the spiders but knew that would lead to questions, and he enjoyed his nights without the phone ringing to interrupt.

      The red light on the wall flashed.

      So much for a quiet night. Gideon walked to the front door. For a second he wondered if Felicia had come by, then decided if she wanted to see him again, she would be waiting at his house, not interrupting his work.

      He opened the back door and found Angel standing on the steps, a six-pack in his hands.

      “Hey,” he said, motioning for his friend to follow him back to his desk. “Tell me you’re not looking for a place to crash. Ford already claimed the back room here.”

      They walked into the control room. “I’m good,” Angel said. “And you’ll be free of Ford soon, too. We’re renting a house with Consuelo. It’s furnished. We’ll have the keys in a couple of days.”

      He passed over a beer.

      Gideon took it and popped the top. “You’re going to live with Ford?”

      “You sound surprised.”

      “You’ll kill each other.”

      Ford and Angel had always been competitive. They would bet on anything and liked to create elaborate challenges with ridiculous payoffs.

      “We’ll be fine,” Angel said. “Consuelo will keep us in line.”

      “Or smother you with a pillow if you get to be too much trouble.”

      He’d only met the feisty brunette a few times. She was small but muscular, and she fought dirty. He’d watched her take down a trained fighter twice her size and not break a sweat.

      He pushed another button to start the next CD.

      “Besides,” Angel said, waving his can. “I always win.”

      “You don’t always win. You win more than half the time, which is the problem. Ford gets defensive, you get cocky. It’s not a good scenario. It’s like when the two Terminators fight. They both walk away and the town is left in ruins.”

      Angel grinned. “I like the Terminator movies. I see myself as a T-1000.”

      Gideon rolled his eyes. “I see you as the old beat-up Schwarzenegger.”

      “Hey.”

      “I’m just saying. You’re over forty, my friend.”

      “It beats being dead.”

      Gideon raised his can. “I will drink to that. How’s the business coming?”

      “Good.” Angel looked around the studio. “You should join us. Get out of here.”

      “I like it here.”

      “You have to miss the work.”

      Gideon knew what he meant. That it was difficult for some guys to walk away. They craved the excitement or the constant travel. Without danger, they couldn’t relax. One of those counterintuitive truths he was sure Felicia could explain.

      “I’m happy being like everyone else,” he said.

      He couldn’t go back. Couldn’t pick up a gun and kill again. There wasn’t enough left inside. The damage was permanent and his pretense at normal tissue-thin. He wanted a sameness to his days. He wanted ordinary.

      “We’ve got plenty of work,” Angel said. “Ford’s been selling the hell out of the company, and we’re getting corporations signing up. I’ve been talking to the big security companies, and they want us to do their training. Easier and cheaper for them. We could use the help.”

      “No, thanks.”

      “You’ll change your mind,” Angel insisted.

      “I won’t. Just like you won’t go back into the field.”

      Angel’s mouth twisted. “I’ve seen enough death to last me a lifetime.”

      And he’d come close to losing it all, Gideon thought, his gaze drifting to his buddy’s scar. The one on his neck. He only knew pieces of that story, but he was sure Angel’s life had been spared by mere seconds.

      Gideon’s decision to walk away had come over time.