LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

too, like hot dogs and nachos?”

      “Ok.” Barry nodded. “Anything for you, Sam?”

      “Soft pretzel, with lots of cheese and a Coke, please.” She reached for her purse.

      “Don’t worry about it. I got it.” Barry answered. The three men made their way up the steps to the concessions.

      “I’m Jake, by the way and this is my friend Lewis.” Jake put his hand out and Barry shook it while they waited in the concessions line.

      “I’m Barry.”

      “What’s wrong with your friend?” Jake asked.

      “What?”

      “Your friend is not very friendly.” Jake explained.

      “What friend?” Barry asked squinting to see the menu prices.

      “That girl you’re sitting next to.”

      “Nothing’s wrong with her. Why do you ask?” Barry answered absentmindedly.

      “Well, for one thing she just about tore my head off when I asked her where she got the tickets. Then she thought I was gay.”

      Barry stared at Jake blankly. “I never even saw you talk to her. I was talking to her.”

      “No, not your girlfriend the other one.”

      “Oh, my sister. Yeah, she can be like that. Particularly with men.”

      “Is she gay?”

      Barry laughed. “No, she’s not gay. She’s just had bad luck with men so now she’s scared.”

      Jake thought about this. Poor girl’s probably looking over her shoulder wondering when her abusive ex will attack. “Who is she scared of?”

      Barry laughed again. “No, you don’t get it. My sister’s not scared of any man. She’s scared of all men. I’d actually feel sorry for a man if he tried to hurt my sister. She can be ruthless.”

      “So what exactly is she scared of?” They were inching closer to the front. At this rate the game would start before they had even ordered.

      “My sister’s been married twice. I actually think what she’s most scared of is that she’ll meet a guy and he’ll propose.”

      Now Lewis laughed. “Well, she can relax then with Jake, ’cause he’ll never propose.”

      “What do you mean by that?” Jake asked defensively.

      “Come on, I’ll bet my boat you’d never propose. You’re just not that type of guy.”

      “You’re on then.”

      “I’m on for what?”

      “You just bet me your boat that I’d never propose.” He smiled at Lewis. Lewis had a really nice boat.

      “So.”

      “So, I’m going to propose to his sister.” He pointed to Barry who laughed.

      “Well, that’s one way to make her face her fear.” Barry chimed in.

      “I’ll bet my boat that by the end of the game you will not have proposed to his sister and what do I get if I win.”

      “I’ll take your wife out and show her a good time.”

      “That’s so wrong, man.”

      Jake lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear. “You know your wife would want a night with Jake Jameson.”

      The smile suddenly melted off of Barry’s face. “You’re Jake Jameson the movie star.” He said quietly.

      Jake put a finger to his lips. Damn this guy hadn’t recognized me and I blew it.

      “Here’s my card in case you’re ever in the market.” Barry handed him his realtor business card.

      “Thanks.” said Jake as he took it.

      “So” said Lewis bringing them back to the topic. “What do I get if you lose?”

      “I never lose a bet.”

      “Still, it’s not a real bet until both sides take a risk.”

      “Ok, if I lose then I have to do something really embarrassing on national TV.”

      “As long as I choose what it is.”

      “Deal, because I’m not going to lose. This is the easiest thing; all I have to do is pop the question.”

      “No, that’s not fair you have to make it seem real. If you were proposing to a girl at a football game how would you do it?”

      “I’d use the big screen, of course. Your sister doesn’t seem like she has much of a sense of humor, though.”

      “Is that an attempt to chicken out ‘cause the bet’s already on, bro’?” Lewis began thinking of embarrassing things Jake could do.

      “Actually, this would definitely get her back for all the practical jokes she’s always playing on me.” Barry smiled. He could just imagine the look on her face when none other than Jake Jameson proposed to her.

      Chapter 8

      Jake had made several phone calls to arrange for the special announcement. He sat there nervously trying to scope out Sam and measure her reaction. Millions of women would die for this moment. The question was, is she one of those million? She might just slap him. The ring he would use was made of a straw wrapped into a ring with Lewis’ diamond stud earring poking through. That was another brilliant idea they had come up with while in line at the concessions. The game kept him mildly distracted. The words Sam, will you marry me? –Jake would flash on the big screen near the end of the game. Then he would figure out a way to get down on one knee between the cramped seats and hold out the ring. Jake kept an eye on Sam by talking back and forth to her brother about the game. Barry being a Bears fan kept identifying his team’s strengths while Jake identified the Dolphin’s strengths. She was definitely not like most Hollywood types. She had devoured the soft pretzel, eaten a hot dog, and slurped down two cokes. She often laughed at their comments, but she rarely spoke.

      Barry kept a close eye on his sister. She obviously had no idea she was sitting next to Jake Jameson. That was so typical of Sam. She always seemed oblivious to the world around her. She probably never looked at the guy in fear that he might look back. He could remember back in high school when his friends wanted to ask her out. She was so pretty, but never seemed to know it. She wore baggy clothes, no make-up and kept her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She never wore contacts and would choose the thickest frames for her glasses. She always acted like she wanted to be invisible which was similar to how she was acting today. With her dark glasses and her hair falling over her face you would think she was a celebrity trying to hide her appearance.

      Sam absentmindedly watched the game. There’s something so familiar about this guy, but I can’t put my finger on it. Now that he’s in town he’ll probably visit his aunt. Then she’ll want the three of us to have a nice meal together. He doesn’t seem that bad looking and Barry said he paid for all the food at the concessions. So he’s probably mildly successful. Maybe if she asks us to have dinner, I’ll go. I haven’t been on a date in three years.

      Half time started so Jake and Lewis excused themselves to go say hi to a friend. Barry filled Janet in on the prank and Sam watched the show.

      ***

      “Enjoying the game?” Ely asked. Jake and Lewis stood outside the announcer’s door where Ely came out for a moment to chat.

      “It’s an interesting game, but not as interesting as the action in the crowd.” Lewis replied with a chuckle while elbowing Jake.

      Jake turned away slightly. Suddenly, he wasn’t feeling well.

      “What’s

Скачать книгу