Page 1 of A Roommate for Ronny

Chapter One

Ronny

It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.

After spending a few years in Hollywood, going on every open call, every audition, everything I could try for from commercial to movies, I had to accept that it wasn’t going to happen. Sure, I had talent, but so did many of the thousands of other wanna-be actors, dancers, singers, musicians… To make ends meet, I bartended at night and did pretty well, but living expenses and acting expenses for things like classes and headshots never left me with anything at the end of the month.

It was like having two full-time jobs and not a penny to show for it.

So, finally, after a disastrous callback for a role I’d really thought I stood a chance at getting, I packed up my things and drove away to accept a position at a shifter club in the Superstition Mountains. One of their managers had come into the bar where I was working and given me their card, told me if I ever wanted a change, I should call someone named Karma. At the time, I’d still been sure I could make it in movies or TV, but as I drove away from my month-to-month overpriced studio apartment, all that had changed. Whoever this Karma was, she had told me to get there as soon as possible because they needed a bartender ASAP. It seemed one of their employees was heading off on paternity leave unexpectedly early, and they had a shift for me starting the same day I arrived.

I’d gone directly to the club, hoping someone would be able to direct me to a motel or somewhere for the night. Following the instructions I’d been texted, I drove past the guest parking lot and turned onto a narrow road winding up the side of the canyon to a smaller lot for staff and deliveries. The cliff overlooked miles of desert, the sky a dark-blue bowl tucked down all around. As I stood by my car, a nude man came up from a trail I hadn’t noticed. He stopped by a bench and dressed himself in one of three piles of clothing.

Before I had time to make sense of it, a panther bounded up and headbutted the guy who was sitting down putting on his shoes. “Randolph,” the other man said, “cut it out.”

Shifters. Animals provided a place where they could go and run with one another. Another glance over the edge revealed the path they’d used.

My beast wanted to go and explore, but we had other things to do and people to meet. It was not where I thought I’d end up, but I was determined to make the best of it. Nobody had forced me to give up my craft; I’d made a mature decision to move on, and as I approached the employees’ entrance to the club, I hoped I wouldn’t regret it.

The door led into a bustling kitchen, much more cooking going on than the average nightclub. About the most I had ever seen in such a venue was finger food or maybe a burger, but my mouth watered at the scents of grilling beef and mushrooms.

“Hello?” I looked around trying to catch someone’s eye. “I’m here to meet with someone named Karma?”

All the clashing and banging, the voices giving orders, and laughing stopped. The room went silent. Had I said something wrong? That was her name, right?

After a long moment, a man in chef’s whites stepped forward. “Miss Karma is in her office, but I can send someone for her. Who shall I tell her is waiting?”

“Never mind, Arno.” The woman who swept into the room was medium height, medium build, everything about her average, except that nothing was. She carried herself like a queen, if queens succeeded in adding warmth to their dignity. “Ronny?” She held out both hands to me. “I’m so happy you agreed to come and help us out.” Facing the kitchen staff, she announced, “Ronny is here to fill in at the bar. He’s a famous bartender from Hollywood. Isn’t that great?”

A chorus of agreement filled the air, and then I was surrounded by staff from not just the kitchen but others from the rest of the building. Everyone was shaking my hand, introducing themselves, and asking about what it was like in Hollywood.

Had I waited on celebrities…yes.

Would I say who they were and what they ordered…yes.

Why did I leave? That was much harder, but Karma shouldered her way back in to where I stood and put a hand on my shoulder. “I think that’s enough for now. We don’t want to have Ronny run away because we overwhelmed him on his first day. I’m sure he’ll be glad to share all his interesting stories once he’s settled. After all, he’ll be living here and likely eating most of his meals with all you wild animals.”

Amid the laughter and a few apologies, I tried to process what she’d said. Surely she meant living somewhere nearby—a real plus—and eating a meal while on shift. Also, a bonus.

“About where I’ll be living?”

“Marcus, would you show Ronny to his unit. It’s a two-bedroom because that’s all that’s available now, but I think you’ll like the extra space.” Karma smiled. “Welcome to Animals!”

I’d been offered a handsome hourly rate and hoped for nice tips…but a place to live and most of my meals? Likely they took it out of my pay, but that still sounded pretty good.

Marcus filled me in as he showed me out a back door and into the cliffs behind the club.

“Do all the employees live here?” I asked.

“No, but many of us do. How can you beat free room and board?”

“Wow. That’s incredible. And everyone seems so nice.”

He held open a door on the right. “This is you. And yes, everyone is pretty great and the food is good, too. Do you want me to come help get your stuff from the car?”

I told him I had this, but it was one more example of how nice my new coworkers were. They treated me as if I’d been there forever, while still helping me find my way in the new environs. I began to think this was where I should be and shut out the doubts about giving up on acting.

All of which was great until one evening as I was eating dinner in the kitchen before my shift. The chef loved to try out new recipes on staff, and that could be quite adventurous. Tonight’s pasta selection involved several types of shellfish in a light creamy sauce, and it was a winner.