but
she heard Jay laugh.
“I’ll wait in the living room,” he told her. “I put your backpack in
the bedroom.”
Mandy forced herself from the tub and grabbed a towel. She knew he
couldn’t see her if she went straight to the bedroom, but she still half ran
and a half hopped as she got back to the room and slammed the door behind
herself. She didn’t return until she was fully dressed in a pair of black
leggings and a pink t-shirt.
“Hey,” she greeted him as she came out of the room. Jay looked a little
more like the guy from the wrestling ring when she met him in the living room.
His hair was damp with sweat and he smelled of exercise and exertion as he
stood to greet her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her, his green eyes looking her over as
he did.
“Better,” she smiled back at him.
“Good,” his deep voice answered. “I’m going to take a shower and then I
have to get back to the stadium to get ready for tonight’s show. I want you to
come with me, if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine,” she nodded. She’d feel a lot safer there than she would
alone in his hotel room. Having one big, muscular wrestler with her was good,
to have a company of them would be better.
The stadium was a buzz of activity when they got there. There were no
ticket holders, there wouldn’t be for a while, but people were running around
and doing check after check as they walked through the hall. She was still
wearing her borrowed shoes and vowed to find the woman who’d lent them to her.
She knew they were ruined, but she could at least thank her and apologize for
wrecking what were probably custom sneakers.
Jay led her to the greenroom and helped her to a plush leather couch.
“From here,” he told her as he pointed at the large window covering the one
side of the room, “you should be able to view the whole show. It’s a lot
crazier than last night’s show. That was just a house show. Tonight we’re live
on TV, which is always pretty cool. The Starlets will probably hangout here, so
you can thank Sapphire for the shoes when she arrives.”
“Cool,” Mandy nodded. “Hey Jay,” she began as he brought over a chair for
her to put her foot up on. “Can I asked you a question?”
“Sure thing, baby girl,” he smiled at her.
“Is Viper really your last name?”
He laughed at that, a big booming laugh that filled the room. “No,” he
said as he laughed. “That would be pretty great. My real name’s Jason Turner,
but I do go by Jay. Only my mom calls me Jason.”
“Cool,” Mandy blushed. “My last name’s Swift, if you’re curious.”
“Okay,” Jay smiled. “Now I have a question for you. What are your plans
now? I don’t want to dump this on you, but after today we’re back on the road.
What are you going to do?”
“Um,” Mandy mumbled as she felt panic rising in her gut. “I have no
clue. I don’t think I can go home. My aunt lives in Mississippi, maybe I could
go there.”
“You could,” Jay shrugged. “But we’re always looking for skilled
workers who are okay with being on the road most of the year. If you’re up for
it, I could see about getting you a job with us. It’s not great money, but your
travel expenses would be paid and you’d get to see the whole country.”
“I guess it would depend on what it is,” Mandy told him. “I’ve only
ever worked as a waitress.”
“I’ll ask around,” Jay told her. “I’ll let you know if there’s anything
and we’ll go from there. I don’t want to pressure you, but I can’t just up and leave
tomorrow without knowing you’re going to be okay.”
“Thanks Jay,” Mandy smiled. “I think I will be.”
Jay left Mandy in the greenroom, but she wasn’t alone for long. A few
of the Starlets came in and joined her before the show began and she finally
got to meet the woman who’d given her the shoes.
“I’m really sorry, Sapphire,” Mandy said to the beautiful raven haired
wrestler from her spot on the couch.