Playing House--Chapter One

Photo by Hannah Murrell on Unsplash

(When the man she’s been ‘saving herself’ for chooses her sister, Ginny Cotton— anxiety ridden, chess playing, nerdy girl— sets out to lose her virginity.

Playing House is a full length novel previously published under a pen name some years back. I unpublished it with plans to give it an update, new cover etc, but instead I’ve decided to share it here.

New chapters released every Thursday!)

Ginny Cotton paced in front of her second story window, barely aware of the beautiful orange sunset, certain that somewhere in the city of Portland, a hot guy was laughing at her.

If only she’d come up with a better response to his last text, something clever or cute, something that said “fun, sexy girl” rather than “smart, nerdy girl.” Instead, she’d let her guard down, been herself for a moment, and that would never work with a guy like Steele.

Everything about him, from the brief bio and the photos he’d posted on the dating site, to the flirtatious messages he’d sent her, and even his name, screamed “player.” Seriously, who named their kid Steele? He’d probably made it up. Ginny was playing along because dating someone like Steele fit in with her plan, a plan she may have just blown.

Ginny paced her way into the kitchen, grabbed a dishcloth and a bottle of cleaner, and started wiping down the cupboards. If she didn’t get a reply in five minutes she’d send another text, make another suggestion.

****

Pierce Vaughn set a giant bowl of popcorn and two microbrews on the coffee table and sat down to watch the Seattle Mariners’ baseball game.

Steele, his twin brother, reached for a beer, “You got a text.”

Pierce picked up his phone, which was sitting on the sofa between them, and read, Let’s play chess! It was in reply to a message he hadn’t sent: I like games. You like games. What do you wanna play?

“What the fuck? Who are you texting on my phone?”

“I found you a girl. Don't give me that look. She's cute.”

“Where did you find her?”

“A dating site.”

“You didn’t sign me up did you?”

“Of course not, I’d have to pay to do that. I used my account. She thinks you’re me.”

“And she wants to play chess?”

“Apparently. Big brain, big breasts, she’s perfect for you.” 

“Yeah sure, just like the last woman you introduced me to was perfect.” Pierce set the phone down and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

“At least take a look.” Steele indicated his laptop. “I have her profile right here.”

“No thanks.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for one thing, I’d have to explain to her that I’m not you.”

“That's if you want to keep seeing her. If you don't like her, or if it ends up being a sex thing, she'll never know the difference. But don't go getting anyone pregnant using my name, that's the last thing I need.”

Steele already had one kid. His three-year-old son lived with them every other week.        

“Not interested,” Pierce said.

“You know, just because your last relationship was a failure of epic proportions, that’s no reason to give up.”

Epic failures, major humiliation, both were accurate descriptions of his most recent relationship, and also his first. Nothing in between had mattered much. “I’m not giving up. I don't trust your judgment.”

“You’re never going to forgive me for Trina, are you?”

“No.”

“If I'd had any idea how that was going to turn out I would never have introduced you to her.”

“I know.” Pierce lifted the bottle. Before it reached his lips, his phone pinged with another text. He set the beer down to read it.

I shouldn't have said chess, but it's my favorite game. I forget that most people don't like it. I play other games too. How about Words with Friends?

Pierce showed the text to Steele.

Steele read, laughed, and handed Pierce his laptop. “Meet Ginny.”

An attractive brunette filled the screen. Pierce liked her smile. He liked her sweater too. She filled it out well. He skimmed her bio. A master chess player with a business degree, she worked at a bank in the loan department. Her interests included board games, reading, watching movies, bike riding and spending time with her family. She was not into the party scene.

“Sounds boring to me,” Steele said, “But you can’t tell me you wouldn't have been interested if you’d seen Ginny first.”

“Yeah okay, I’ll give you that, but I’d have sent a much better message than the corny one you came up with. I mean wanna? What the hell is that?”

“Hey, it worked. She wants to play. I’d skip the word game if I were you and invite her over for a rousing game of chess.”

Pierce ignored the sarcasm. “And look like an idiot?”

“Why would you look like an idiot?”

“Chess is not my game.”

“I’m sure you’d figure it out fast. Hell, you’re still better at playing games than you are at talking.”

This was true. Pierce had been slow to talk. His father, a psychiatrist, had sent him to some of the most respected experts in the country to figure out what was wrong with him. He’d performed exceptionally well on their tests because they were mostly games and puzzles, which he was good at. When they’d concluded that Pierce’s IQ was far above average, his father had gotten his hopes up that his son would do great things someday—if he ever talked.

“It must have taken her years to reach the rank of master. I’d have to study the game for a month or so first.” Pierce wasn’t opposed to the idea. He needed a new game, a new challenge.

“Great, but I don't think you should wait a month to text her back.”

Already working on his reply, Pierce ignored him.

                                                         ****

Ginny studied Steele’s photos while sanitizing her keyboard. In one he stood behind a motorcycle, holding a helmet under one arm. He was tall and well built, with dark hair and handsome features. In another photo, he was sitting in a hot tub with three women, and he was smiling. Steele’s arms were behind the backs of the women on either side of him. He had nice shoulders, and from what she could see of his chest, it looked solid and smooth. Ginny preferred smooth over hairy, not that she'd had much experience with either.

Looking more closely at the women in the photo, Ginny realized that there were no visible swimsuit straps on their shoulders. No wonder he was smiling. Were they topless, or nude? A guy who rode motorcycles and went hot tubbing with nude women was not someone she could date for real. Ginny couldn't imagine hot tubbing naked in mixed company. No, that wasn't true. She certainly could imagine it, and now that the idea had been planted in her mind, she would imagine it—later. Passionate Ginny might indulge in a little fantasy with Steele and the hot tub, but these fantasies had nothing to do with real life dating, which Sensible Ginny was in charge of.

She jumped at the ping of a text arriving.

I haven’t played chess since I was a kid, don’t want to embarrass myself against a Master. Let’s go with Words with Friends.

Steele was smart enough to know that he couldn't beat her, which meant he didn't have a big ego. This was surprising considering the photos he'd posted. But he wanted to play, and that meant she hadn't blown it after all.

Ginny said yes to the game and offered him the first move. She changed into her nightshirt, trying to convince herself that being ready for bed at ten o'clock on a Friday night did not mean that her social life was pathetic. Six a.m. came early, so naturally, she was too tired to go out on Friday nights. It was enough to go out on Saturday nights. Sometimes she even did.

Ginny checked her Facebook page. Her cousin had posted photos of her adorable baby boy. Ginny commented on how cute two-week-old Logan was. Callie was the same age as Ginny, and the two had been close growing up. Not so long ago Callie had been hanging out with Ginny on Saturday nights. Now she was living with a guy and had a kid. It had happened fast. Too fast. The pregnancy hadn't been intentional. It had all worked out though.

Meanwhile, Ginny had been waiting for Jason Gilmore to realize they were perfect together since sophomore year of high school. Eight years. Two years ago he’d given her hope. Jason had told her that his mother was sure he’d end up with Ginny eventually, and he’d admitted that she was probably right. Jason had always said that he planned to be married by twenty-five. Ginny had agreed that this was a good age for getting married. She'd even written it down on her long-term goal list: be married to Jason by twenty-five, have two children by thirty, and possibly one more after that. Jason had once said that he wanted three kids. Ginny had ten months to go until her twenty-fifth birthday. It could still happen. If only Jason weren't currently dating her sister.

Steele’s first move arrived. Stud. Really? It wasn’t even worth much, point-wise. She wrote back. Either you have lousy letters, or you're trying to impress me.

His reply came instantly. Blame the letters. I always play to win.

Well, so did she. Ginny focused on the board, studying it until she came up with a word worth twenty-two points. She made her move. While she waited for his move, Ginny tried to guess things about Steele. Did he live alone or with a roommate? Alone, she decided. And his job? Self-employed might mean anything. He could collect cans and turn them in for deposits and call it a job. Or he might stand on highway on-ramps holding up signs and begging for money. Ginny had heard that those people make a lot of money in a day. She'd heard this from her mother, who believed that all homeless people were scam artists and men who looked for women online were all pretending to be someone they're not. Steele was good-looking, he couldn't fake that. Not unless those photos were actually of someone else. Ugh, she had to stop thinking this way.

“I am not my mother,” Ginny said aloud.

****

Pierce received Ginny’s move. It was worth twenty-two points. Not bad. He needed to top it, or at least get twenty points so that he wouldn't look pathetic. It wasn’t going to be easy. He was having bad luck with the letters. Too many vowels. It occurred to him that he could have written dust instead of stud. Ginny might have taken him more seriously if he had, though it wasn't worth any more points. If he lost too badly, Ginny might think he wasn't smart enough for her. She might think that anyway when she found out what he did for a living. He'd have to convince her otherwise.

****

At ten–thirty, Ginny was too tired to think clearly. Ahead by twenty-three points, it seemed like a good place to stop. She sent Steele a text to tell him they’d finish tomorrow. He replied Goodnight Ginny, sweet dreams.

The words gave her a warm tingly feeling. Warm tingly feelings made her think about Jason, which made her think about Jason and Bryn. This promptly killed the warm tingly feeling. The two had been dating for three months now. It wouldn't last, couldn't last. Jason and Bryn were way too different to be together. Any time now, they would come to their senses and break up. Ginny liked to imagine them laughing about it afterward.

Wouldn't it be convenient if, by the time this amicable break-up happened, she was dating someone? Preferably he’d be an attractive someone. Seeing Ginny with another guy, especially a player type like Steele would make Jason realize that he was in love with her and had just been too stupid to realize it until now. She’d let the hot player guy down gently, marry Jason, and, of course, live happily ever after. Ginny was pretty sure she’d seen this exact plot played out in a romantic comedy once, but that didn’t mean it couldn't happen for real. She flipped off the light, curled up under her comforter, and allowed Passionate Ginny to imagine herself naked in a hot tub with Steele.

****

Ginny reached for her phone first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed. Steele had already made his next move, worth eighteen points.

There was also a text message from her sister. Are you going to be at Grandma's for dinner tomorrow? Jason and I have exciting news, and we want to tell everyone at once.

Exciting news did not sound like a good thing, not when it included Jason. If it were Bryn alone, her exciting news might be that she'd won another best legs contest at a nightclub. Or she'd found a great pair of designer jeans at a resale store. What would Jason and Bryn consider good news? Maybe they'd bought a lottery ticket together, and it was a million dollar winner. Ginny could only hope that it was something as small and insignificant as this. She hoped it, but the cold dread in the pit of her stomach said differently. Jason did not take dating lightly which could mean…no, their exciting news could not be Ginny's worst fear made real. It couldn't.

The idea of Jason, her Jason, marrying Bryn was ridiculous. Jason would be far happier with someone who liked the same games, the same books, and the same movies. Someone content with spending Saturdays bike riding, browsing the shelves at their favorite bookstore or watching back-to-back Harry Potter movies on a rainy afternoon. He needed someone like Ginny.

Ginny's sister was a social butterfly, not to mention a chameleon. Bryn had attended four different colleges, including beauty school, and still didn't have a degree. She now worked in a family style restaurant as a server while waiting for the next brilliant plan to form. When Bryn got excited about something, or someone, she pursued it at full gallop right up until the moment she changed her mind and pulled up on the reins. Ginny had a horrible vision of Bryn coming to an abrupt stop on the edge of a cliff, and watching, regretfully, as Jason went over the edge. Ginny planned to be waiting on the ground to soften Jason's landing, should that day ever arrive.

Ginny considered calling Bryn and trying to get the news out of her early, but she knew from experience that her sister would enjoy torturing her by making her wait. Jason, on the other hand, could be broken far more easily. Ginny sent him a text asking him to meet her at their favorite coffee shop in half an hour. He agreed. She put her hair in a ponytail, threw on yoga pants and a T-shirt, and started out the door.

Her apartment was on the second story of an older Craftsman-style house that had been made into a duplex. The stairs had been added to the side of the house which did not do much for the architecture. Ginny retrieved her bicycle from the front porch, where she kept it locked up. The day was cloudy but warm for May, perfect for a bike ride.

Portland’s Hawthorne district was a trendy neighborhood with several high- end used clothing stores. It’s where she went to trade in her too big clothes for ones that fit, as she lost weight, which she’d been working hard at. There was also Powells, the bookstore where she spent way too much time, and the bakery which she’d cut back on. The bus stop was only two blocks away and took her downtown to her job at the bank.

Ten minutes later, she was in line at the coffee shop, trying to ignore the smell of egg and cheese sandwiches. She’d planned to boil an egg and eat grapefruit, but she was out of sugar and couldn't eat grapefruit without a teaspoon of sugar. This being a lifestyle change, as opposed to a diet, meant that it was perfectly acceptable to have a less than ideal breakfast once in a while, she reasoned.

Ginny ordered a vanilla latte, making sure to say skim milk, and an egg and cheese sandwich, vowing to burn off the calories by going on a long bike ride as soon as she left here. Maybe Jason would go with her. They hadn’t been on many bike rides lately or spent much time together aside from chess club nights. She missed his company. Ginny ordered Jason his favorite drink, a hazelnut latte, and found two seats in front of the window. Too hungry to wait for Jason, she took a bite of her sandwich. Mm, this was so much better than grapefruit.

She saw Jason before he saw her and watched him walk past the window. Ginny hardly recognized him anymore. His style had changed in the last few months, from basic blue jeans and solid colored Polo shirts to expensive jeans and button up shirts with patterns. Even his hair was different. Bryn had taken the nerd out of his brown hair by ridding him of his part and showing him how to use gel. Ginny hated the whole idea of Jason being one of Bryn’s pet projects, but he did look more attractive.

The bell on the door jingled when Jason came in. Ginny waved him over. “I got you coffee. I didn’t know if you’d be hungry or not.”

He put one hand on his stomach. “Bryn and I went out to breakfast. I'm feeling a little sick from eating pancakes.”

“You got Bryn out of bed before nine o’clock? She’s not usually awake for at least another hour.”

“There was a party last night, a work thing, and it went pretty late, so she slept on my sofa. Normally I hate that kind of get-together because I never know what to say to people, but Bryn is good at socializing. She keeps up with current events.”

“Yeah, she knows what all the celebrities are up to from reading tabloids.”

Jason's eyebrows shot up, and Ginny realized that the old unibrow had been replaced by two nicely shaped individual brows. Bryn’s work for sure. It did look better, even if he was giving her a look that made her feel small and petty. She took another bite of her sandwich, making a mental note to be more careful when talking about Bryn.

“Bryn’s been thinking about finishing her degree so she can teach grade school,” Jason said.

Bryn had been talking about teaching off and on since high school. It was only one of the dozen or so careers she’d considered. “She does love kids. I’ve always thought Bryn seemed happiest when she had a nanny job.”

“She’s going to be a great mom.” Jason wore a dreamy sort of expression that Ginny found alarming.

“I’m sure she will, someday.”

“We both think it’s better to have kids when you’re younger rather than older. And we think that kids are better off when they have a parent who stays at home.”

Ginny took another bite of her sandwich but didn’t taste it. Her hands were trembling when she reached for her coffee. They were talking about children. Did this mean that Bryn’s surprise was exactly what Ginny was afraid of? She gripped her cup with both hands. She had to know now.

“You asked her to marry you, didn’t you?” 

Jason nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Ginny said, loudly enough to turn heads. “You should be jumping up and down with joy on this momentous occasion, not apologizing for it.”

“I’m not sorry that I’m marrying Bryn. I’m sorry that you’re not happy. You haven’t been happy with me since Bryn and I started dating. We did ask you first if you minded and you said you were okay with it.”

“What choice did I have?”

“You could have said no.”

“And have you both resent me for it?”

“We wouldn't have resented you.”

“You would always have wondered how it could have been if I hadn’t ruined it. It would have hurt our friendship.”

“That’s what I don’t want to happen. Nothing has to change between us.”

“It already has, Jason.” Ginny stood up, taking her half-eaten sandwich and almost- empty cup with her. She took her time disposing of her trash in the proper receptacles; compost, recycle, etc., while taking a couple of deep breaths and willing her heart to slow down.

She found Jason outside in front of the bike rack, shaking his head at the outstretched hand of a homeless man. “We can still go for bike rides. And it’s not like I’m going to stop going to chess club or anything.”

“We haven't even finished the game we started at your house three months ago,” Ginny said as she unlocked her bike.

“I have some stuff to do this afternoon, but I'll be home tonight. Bryn has to work, so if you want to come over later, we could get dinner and play afterward.”

Oh goody, she could be his fill-in person while Bryn was at work. She was about to tell him what she thought of that idea but saw the anxious look on his face and changed her mind. Jason would keep worrying, and possibly even make himself sick over it, if she didn’t convince him that everything was fine.

His arm came to rest on her shoulders. “Come on, say yes. We'll get burgers at the brewpub.”

“No burgers. I don't need the extra thousand calories.”

“How about garden burgers at the vegetarian place you like?”

It would be so easy to say yes. But why spend more time with him, when it would only lead to disappointment? “I already have plans.”

“What plans? Did you meet someone interesting online?”

Ginny hadn’t told Jason about her online dating. She’d told her grandma, and her mom had overheard and mentioned it in front of Bryn, who had, of course, told Jason.

“Yes.”

Ginny got onto her bicycle, hoping to leave before he could ask more questions.

“Are you going out with him tonight?”

“Yes.” Ginny pedaled away to avoid giving him details. She wasn’t in the habit of lying. Even a small fib brought on the guilt.

No longer in the mood for a long bike ride, Ginny went straight home. She checked her phone. There were no new texts, but it was her turn in the word game with Steele. Ginny tried to study the board but couldn't focus. Jason and Bryn were getting married. She said the words out loud, trying to make it real. The tears came. Ginny didn’t bother fighting them. She was not going to marry Jason. They were not going to have three children. Her favorite fantasy was never going to happen.

How many times had she envisioned their wedding night? Hundreds. They’d be on a beach in Hawaii in time to watch the sunset. Jason would stand behind her and put his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. They’d stand that way for awhile, enjoying the moment while the anticipation grew. She’d turn slowly, kiss him. Jason would tell her he wished they hadn’t wasted so much time. They’d go inside and make love.

It would be the first time for both of them. Jason was waiting for marriage for religious reasons, and Ginny was waiting for Jason. Now he was going to be her brother-in-law. Ginny had to find a way to erase every romantic thought she’d ever had about him. Jason must be banished from her fantasy life forever. But how?

While she pondered the question, a text arrived from Steele. Are we still playing?

What was the point? If she said yes, the game might lead to a date, but so what? She knew how it would go from there. If she didn't like the guy, all would go smoothly, and he might even ask for a second date, which she would say no to. If she did like him, her anxiety would kick in, and she'd freeze up and not be able to talk or have to pee a dozen times or start feeling faint.

Ginny went to Steele’s profile page. She studied his deep blue eyes, sexy smile, and straight white teeth. He was every bit as good looking as he'd been in last night's fantasy. In her imagination, she'd joined him in the hot tub, the bedroom, the kitchen, and on the roof of the house. It had been a very involved fantasy. What would he be like for real? She no longer had any reason to wait, and no one to wait for, so why not find out?

She’d told Jason that she had a date tonight, and now she was going to make it happen. The question was how to make Steele say yes? How could she be sure this date would end differently than all the other first dates? If only there were some way to skip the first date, maybe the second and third dates too, and go straight to the good part.

An idea came to her. Ginny thought about it for a long while before writing a carefully worded text. Passionate Ginny hit send before Sensible Ginny could stop her. 

(I’d love to know what you think of this story, as it’s a bit different than what I’ve posted so far. Feel free to like, share, comment!)