Chapter Twenty-One
T he next couple weeks brought me into May, and my life settled into a nice rhythm. Work, spend time with Sam and Emily, repeat. Dre and Christa had both left me alone, which made things a hell of a lot easier. I was still sleeping in my sister’s spare room, but it hadn’t been as skin-crawling as I’d imagined. Paul had been away on a business trip one of those weeks, and the other he was barely around. I was really enjoying the extra time with my niece, but I couldn’t hang around forever. I was saving up for a rent deposit, and once I had enough stashed away, I’d be getting my own place.
Stephen and I texted each other regularly at night, but we didn’t see each other outside of work. In fact, I didn’t see anyone. For the time being, I’d taken the antisocial route and turned down after-work invitations from Kate and Adam. And since Stu was living in blissful cohabitation, I couldn’t have made him put on pants and go out even if I’d wanted to .
Yep, I was doing just fine. Until I’d let Stephen talk me into this .
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
“It’s good to get out once in a while. You’ll have fun. Don’t you trust me from the last time I said that to you?”
“Yeah, but that time was a surprise. This time I know what we’re doing, and it’s a little nerve-racking.”
We were going to a bonfire at his sister’s house. His sister . I hadn’t even introduced him to my sister yet. The only thing more butterfly-inducing would be meeting his parents. I’d learned that he had a tight-knit family, and soon I’d be meeting one of those members. Why was I making this into such a big deal?
“I’m not trying to give you a panic attack here,” he said. “I just thought you’d have a good time. Jillian’s cool. You’ll get along with her great.”
I nodded. “Wait, your parents won’t be there, right?”
“No, you won’t be meeting them until I bring you over for family dinner on Sunday.” My mouth dropped and he laughed. “I’m kidding, Perry.”
“You’re lucky, pal.”
“But you will get to meet my nephew, Daniel. It’s only right since I already met your niece.”
Only because he’d showed up unexpectedly on my doorstep like a puppy. And I took him in.
“Who else will be there?”
“Jillian’s husband, Mike, and a few of their friends. Alex might stop by. Probably not too many tonight. She does more for holiday parties. This’ll probably be just a smaller get-together.”
Hmm. I think I would’ve preferred an enormous crowd to get lost in. I smoothed my hands over my shorts. It wasn’t summer yet, but it felt like it. The sun was just starting to go down, and hopefully the temperature would too; otherwise, it’d be way too hot for a fire.
“Just another minute now,” he said, pulling down a street with huge wooded lots. She lived in a suburb of Milwaukee, and the area looked like its own little world outside the city.
“Wow, I bet it gets pitch black around here.” There weren’t even streetlights.
He nodded. “You can see the stars perfectly.”
We pulled into her long driveway that already contained half a dozen cars and my nerves spiked again. It made no sense. It wasn’t like I was Stephen’s date for the evening.
“Come on, we’ll walk around back. I’m sure everyone’s outside.”
I stepped out and my eyes caught sight of…. “Holy shit, are those turkeys? And they’re just running around like that?” There were like twenty of them.
“Yes, they’re family pets. Do you want to go pet one?” He tugged on my hand, but I yanked it away. He started laughing. “Kidding, Perry. They’re wild. They come through here a couple times a day.”
“And what if I would’ve said yes? Look at those sharp nail thingies—they look vicious.”
“Only if you try to pet them.” He winked.
“Well, aren’t you freaking hil—”
“Look, there’s Daniel. Let me introduce you.”
“Where?” I looked in that direction, and all I saw was a couple of teenagers throwing around a baseball.
The kid with the lighter hair noticed us and waved. “Hi, Uncle Stephen.”
Stephen waved back, and as we walked over, I said, “A little confused. I thought Daniel was the little one. What’s your younger nephew’s name?”
“I only have the one.”
“But you said he was fourteen months, and that’s why you needed the practice babysitting.”
Daniel tossed the ball at him and he caught it. “No, I just said he was fourteen. I never said months. ”
“But—”
“And I could still use the practice.” He grinned, pulling his teenage nephew in for a hug. “I’m getting tickets for the Brewers game next week. You in?”
“For sure. Thanks, Uncle Stephen.”
“No problem.” He patted him on the shoulder, glancing at the other boy. “How’s it going, Ben?”
“Pretty good.”
I was still figuring it out when Stephen said to Daniel, “I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Perry. Perry, Daniel and his friend, Ben.”
I smiled. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
They both returned my hi, but Daniel would barely look at me. Maybe he wasn’t thrilled about someone new coming to his home. The boys stepped away, and Stephen motioned for them to go farther out so he could throw the ball.
I took that moment to check out the surroundings before it got completely dark. I couldn’t see the backyard, but there was a good acre’s worth of land on the side with some giant towering trees. The bonfire was already blazing with several people kicking back, a few coolers on the ground.
One of the women looked slightly familiar from the side, but when she turned I got a better view and my memory triggered. The initial reaction caused my stomach to tighten. Are you shitting me? It was the same blonde woman from Wengo’s. I wondered if Stephen knew she’d be there. Maybe he’d invited her too. Ugh. She was probably friends with his sister. Would I have to sit there and watch her and Stephen all night? I hugged my midsection. I wasn’t feeling too well.
“Perry? You okay?”
Stephen touched my arm just as I heard Daniel yell, “Mom, Uncle Stephen’s here!” My attention was redirected to the boy as he ran out into the street and waved his hands. “Ready!”
“Perry?” Stephen said again.
I signaled for him to go ahead and throw the ball, then glanced over to see that woman approaching. All smiles and sweetness. What was going on? There was no way she didn’t recognize me.
“Yay! I’m so glad you made it,” she said, her face lighting up when she looked at Stephen. He smiled back. Ugh. He definitely wasn’t surprised to see her.
She handed him a bottle of beer that I didn’t even see her carrying. She’d probably just pulled it from her snatch. I bet she could fit a whole six-pack up there.
“And you must be Perry.” She turned to me, still latched onto Stephen’s arm. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’m Jillian, in case you haven’t figured that out by now.” She laughed. “So, what can I get you to drink? I know you don’t care for beer.”
Uh…. I darted between them. Same blonde hair, same blue eyes, same beautiful smile. Daniel’s mom, Stephen’s sister . What the fuck was wrong with me? How did I not connect that right away? Maybe because she looked so young. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. But I’d still let some deranged jealousy that I had no business having cloud my common sense. Oh God. Did I actually compare his sister’s vagina to a beer cooler? I groaned. At least I hadn’t said it out loud.
“Perry?” Stephen touched my shoulder. “I think she just needs some water and a chair.”
They were both looking at me with concern, and I felt really, really foolish. “No, I’m fine.” I smiled at Jillian. “Nice to meet you too.”
I stared at her. Damn, she looked way too young to have a fourteen-year-old kid. I thought back to that night and what I saw. She’d kissed him, but it had only been on the cheek. There had been affection between them, but I’d taken something innocent and ran it into the muck. If only I hadn’t acted like an insanely insecure girlfriend…. What a way to fuck up a first impression. That was so mething I’d never get back again.
“You know what,” Jillian said. “I’ll take Perry inside for a bit and find her something to make her feel better. You go be sociable.” She pointed to the group of people by the fire.
Stephen shook his head. “No, I’m staying with her.”
“No, we’ll be fine,” she said.
He looked at me and I nodded. Better to get this over with sooner rather than later. “All right,” he said, then walked off, shaking his head. I guess big sister won. At least I assumed she was older; otherwise, she would’ve had her son when she’d just hit puberty.
She gave me a warm smile. “Come on, Perry. I have to grab some more food anyway. We can chat in the meantime.”
“Okay.”
I followed her through the back patio doors and into the kitchen. The house was smaller than it looked on the outside, but it was really cute. Cozy.
“So, first off.” She opened the fridge. “What can I get you to drink? Hmm.” She tapped her lip. “I’m pretty sure we have some wine coolers downstairs if you like those. There’s soda up here, iced tea. I don’t have any juice, but we could always make you a mixed drink with—”
“Water,” I said, stopping her before she kept going. “Water’s just fine for now.” Jillian handed me a bottle. “Thank you.”
“Welcome.” She rummaged around and pulled out a bag of veggies.
“I’m really sorry,” I said. I was losing my mind thinking about what happened, knowing she knew but wasn’t acting like it. I had to get it all out while we had this time alone. “I didn’t know who you were that night.” Like that excused my actions, but at least it was a start.
Jillian leaned back on the counter and seemed to study me. Her eyes were just as blue as her brother’s. And just as kind .
“I know, Perry. I had a good idea who you were when I first saw you, but then after my shower”—she smiled—“I put the rest together. I understand.”
She was way too fucking nice. “You didn’t think I was crazy? God, I can’t believe I did that to you. I’ve never acted like that before.” Well, not that , specifically.
“Sure I thought you were crazy, but jealousy can make a person do irrational things.”
“Oh no, it’s not like that. Stephen and I are just friends….”
“Yes, that’s what he tells me too.”
“…. and I was having a really shitty day, and I know it sounds idiotic, but I saw you and jumped to conclusions, and I was hoping he’d be alone because I really needed a friend that night and….”
I paused. The more I explained, the more I was pretty sure I was making it look like I was in need of psychological help. In my defense, I hadn’t even known he had a sister that night, but was that really a defense?
“At least the drink was clear,” she said, laughing.
I groaned, dropping my head. She was definitely the better person here. I wasn’t sure if I’d be that understanding to a complete stranger.
“Why didn’t you tell him what I did?” I asked.
She shrugged. “What would be the point in that? I already knew enough about you from Stephen to form an opinion, and I figured what happened was just a knee-jerk reaction from seeing him with someone else.” She set a plate of cookies by me and smiled. “Just don’t do it again. Deal?”
“Deal, but it’s not exactly what you think. Like I said, your brother and I are just friends.”
She nodded and walked to the sink. Stephen had talked to Jillian about me? What did he say? I wondered if she knew I had a boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend, but she wouldn’t know that yet because Stephen didn’t. I’d never told him that we’d broken up. But I also didn’t want Jillian thinking I was going nutso over seeing Stephen with another woman while I had a boyfriend. Fucking complicated.
“Really, Jillian. We’re just friends.”
She peered over her shoulder. “Okay.” She smiled. “Make sure to help yourself to a cookie.”
“Thanks.” I picked up a chocolate-covered shortbread thing and took a bite. I was munching on it when a guy entered the kitchen and grabbed keys off the counter.
“I’ll be back. I need to make a beer run.”
“Can you also pick up another bag of pretzels for the dip? We’re running low.”
“Sure.” He kissed Jillian on the cheek.
“Perry, this is my husband, Mike.”
He came over and shook my hand. “Don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
“Nope, first time,” I mumbled with a mouthful of cookie.
“She came with Stephen.”
As friends . Fuck, I could start my own game. Every time the word ‘friend’ was used, we’d have to take a drink. At this rate, no one would be able to stand by the end of the night.
“Well, nice to meet you,” he said, then clomped down the stairs. “Back in a bit.”
Jillian finished at the sink and turned around. “So, what’s it like working with my brother—is he a real hard-ass?”
I laughed. “No. Well, maybe at first, but it’s fine now.” I took a sip of water. “And that’s another reason why I didn’t want you thinking I was here as his date. You know, because of the whole working under him thing.”
By the way she looked at me so curiously, I was beginning to think that I was protesting just a bit too much. All right, Perry. Close that damn mouth and keep it closed .
She pulled a large bowl of something from the fridge and handed it to me. “Will you help me carry things out? Just some snacky stuff to set near the bonfire. If people want anything else, they can come in here and get it.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Oh, and for the record? I didn’t think you were here as his date. Stephen’s never brought a date around before, or even a woman for that matter. See, nothing to worry about. It was already obvious to me that you were something else.”