Reckless Radiance Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    The bowling alley was deserted. They picked up their clownish shoes and picked out their ideal balls for the sport and got set up on lane five. Russell entered their names on the electronic scoreboard as Valerie tied the neon green laces of the rented shoes. Glancing over at him, she giggled. Tall, dark and handsome and wearing orange and green shoes that were so bright they could stop traffic.
    Russell turned to her and followed her gaze looking down at his feet then to hers. “That isn’t fair. You make them look cute,” he said.
    Her head ducked down immediately and she shuffled her toes in the ridiculous shoes before giving him another shy glance.
    They started the game and after three turns, Valerie had switched balls twice and managed to land one turn in the gutter and the other two with less than half the pins knocked down. Meanwhile, Russell was sitting comfortably in the winning spot with a perfect score. Three strikes in a row.
    “Man, I used to be really good at this. Are you some kind of bowling shark?” she asked with a laugh.
    He bent down to gather his ball from the spinning return and glanced up at her, his dark hair falling over his eyes for a moment before he brushed the hair off his face. “What does a sea animal have to do with this game?” he replied sincerely. Is he for real? Valerie laughed and shook her head. With perfect form and a deliberate, strong hand, he sent the ball rolling down the lane and it curved right into the gutter. His face was shocked and he looked back at her as she let a gloating grin sit on her lips. Valerie shrugged and he prepared for his second turn in which the exact same thing happened.
    Valerie strutted passed him, patted him on the bicep before picking up the hot pink ball she’d settled on. “It’s a sport , not a game,” she quipped.
    Russell guffawed and took a seat to watch her attempt. She took a breath, held the ball under her chin, reared it back slow and low and finally shot it forward as gracefully as she could manage . Strike. Valerie leapt in the air watching all ten of the white pins clatter and get swept away. She squealed and spun on the slick floor to face Russell. Sitting in the bright blue plastic booth of their lane with his forearms resting on his knees, he stared at her as she walked toward him. Valerie saw something behind his eyes. It was the sweet and gentle look of a man who cared for her. And for no good reason , she thought. His smile was so genuine it stunned her. The joy he seemed to exude at her happiness was astounding.
    He stood, ready for his turn, and when he brushed past her, he leaned in to her and whispered in her ear. “Still got it.”
    She met his eyes for an instant and saw his charming smirk lend a sparkle to his already striking stare. She sighed at the smoldering look from him. Still got it.
    ***
    They settled on accepting a tie before moving to the snack area for some food. One game won by Russell and one by Valerie. Valerie was picking pieces off her salted soft pretzel when Russell arrived with their drinks.
    “Was this fun?” Russell asked, raising the red paper cup to his lips. She nodded silently and took a drink as well.
    “How long has it been since you had fun?” The question hit her in the chest and she felt herself holding her breath, saving herself from showing him her cards. A long damn time , she thought. She shrugged and forced a smile before slyly letting out a heavy, quaking breath.
    “Are you ever going to tell me anything about you?” she blurted. He’d barely told her a thing besides the fact he liked bowling. But then again so did everyone according to him. He knew about her job, where she grew up, what her parents did. She knew his name.
    Russell laughed and dipped a black-speckled corn chip into a tiny cup of nacho cheese. He silenced himself with the food and nodded at her. “What would you like to know?”
    “Do you have a job?”
    He paused a moment and his hand moved to his