Chapter 23
Nick
Istared out the window as Henry navigated the Maserati through the narrow streets of Alexandria.
The grace and age of this part of the city spoke to my inner geek.
Maybe geek was the wrong word. Much like I couldn’t buy any of the expensive cars I obsessed over, I’d never be able to afford a house in this neighborhood.
Looking at both, however, was still free.
“It’s a beautiful place,” Henry said with a touch of admiration.
“Yeah,” I said. “The inside is even better.”
Henry pulled into the alley leading to the parking behind the house, found a space, and cut the engine. The sudden silence amplified the thudding of my heart. I smoothed the fabric of my shirt as if it were responsible for the knots in my stomach.
“Hey,” Henry said softly, reaching over to rest his hand on my knee. His thumb traced slow, comforting circles. “You okay?”
I forced a smile, though I could feel the edges wobble. “Just a little intimidated, I guess.”
“By Zeke and Orion?” His eyebrows lifted. “Zeke’s Brenda’s little brother, he’s practically family.”
As much as I loved Brenda, I wished Zeke was my boss. Brenda was so... Brenda. Her brother was more my speed. “Not them, it’s this whole party thing with all Brenda’s wealthy friends and family. I think her parents make you look poor.”
Henry’s expression softened. “You belong here just as much as anyone else.”
I snorted. Henry might think I was special, but not everyone shared his opinion. “Easy for you to say. Mr. ‘I own a Maserati and wear it like a second skin.’”
“Just because you don’t own a fancy car or a big house, doesn’t mean they don’t like you. Appearances aren’t everything.”
“Tell that to my nerves,” I muttered.
He tilted my chin toward him, his gaze steady and reassuring. “You’re one of the most genuine people I know. That’s why everyone loves you. Just be yourself.”
I searched his eyes, drawing strength from the sincerity I found there. “Thanks.”
“If things get too overwhelming, we can make a swift exit,” he said. “I’ll claim I have a work emergency.”
I laughed, the absurdity of the statement lightening my mood. “Oh yes, your office will use the K-Street Lobbyist bat signal.”
“Exactly.” He pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Come on. Let go have fun.”
Having fun around Henry was easy. He made me ridiculously happy. “Right. Fun. Just promise me if Brenda gets to be too much, you let me know and we’ll leave.”
“She won’t.”
We stepped out of the car, and I took a deep breath, hoping to steady myself. Henry came around to my side, his hand finding mine as we approached the front steps.
Before we could knock, the door swung open and Brenda practically ran out the door.
I almost always saw her dressed for work, and I’d forgotten how she looked in jeans and a casual shirt.
Business Brenda had to tamp down her natural flair for fun.
It didn’t totally smother it, but it wasn’t the full Brenda experience.
Seeing her bounding toward us, I wanted to leave before we made it into the house.
“Nick!” She scooped me into a hug that almost pulled me off my feet.
Waiting less than a second, she released me and turned toward Henry.
“Nice to see you again. The first time he shooed me away before we could get to know each other. Come in. It’s dreadfully calm with just my parents, Zeke and Orion. The others can’t get here soon enough.”
Hurricane Brenda blew us inside and whisked us past Zeke and their parents.
I had an idea what was coming, but there wasn’t time to warn Henry.
She poured three glasses of white wine without a word and then handed one to me and Henry.
“Shall we toast to Nick’s big award? Did you two celebrate in style?
I’m sure you did. Give me all the details. ”
I side eyed Henry, but he calmly held up his drink. “Yes we should toast Nick. I’m very proud of him.”
We chinked our glasses and took a sip. “We did celebrate,” Henry said. “And you’re not entitled to any details, boring or otherwise.”
I expected a snarky come back, Brenda never let me off that easily. They watched each other as they took another drink, and then Brenda didn’t comment. It was like he managed to mentally tell her to back off, which was crazy. Telepathy existed only in comic books and fantasy movies.
“At least you two did something,” she said after an awkward pause. “Nick deserved the award, but corporate doesn’t always recognize the people they should.”
Now I knew something was off. Brenda never praised senior management.
“Nick!” Zeke said as he and Orion entered the kitchen. “Back for another tour?”
There had been things he’d promise to show me ‘next time you’re here,’ but I got the impression that wasn’t really why he joined us. “Sure. Henry should join us. He actually knows something about antiques and will appreciate what you did more than I ever could.”
“Nonsense,” Zeke waved it off. “You impressed me with what you knew and your passion for preservation.”
“Oh lord,” Orion said. “Get him started on the lack of appreciation for historical accuracy and we might not leave the kitchen.”
Orion turned to Henry. “Hi. Orion Blake.”
Henry shook hands with our host. “Henry Angelini. Nice to meet you. In your partner’s defense, the house is very historically accurate, he must’ve spent a lot of time researching.”
“Just a bit,” Zeke said before introducing himself to Henry.
“Now, the real reason I’m here is because Brenda spirited you off before you could be polite and say hello to Mom and Dad.
They won’t hold it against you, if you act fast. Mom in particular wants to meet Henry.
Something about, ‘Nick is such a nice boy. He deserves someone who’ll appreciate him. ’ Or words to that effect.”
I groaned out loud, but inside it felt nice to have a mother watch over me. Zeke’s mother, Ruth, was maybe a bit too maternal, but it was still sweet of her to check on me. “Your parents are so nice, I don’t want to get on their bad side.”
Greeting Ruth and Ares had that meet the parent’s vibe. At least that’s what I imagined it would feel like if I had parents who cared.
Ruth asked Henry a lot of probing questions, but he just smiled and answered her. Most of her inquiry seemed normal, where did he work, where was he from, did he rent or own. Some, however, were out there.
Even Ares grimaced when his wife asked if Henry had any prior arrests, specifically for domestic abuse.
“Okay,” I said, stepping closer to Henry. “I think those are enough questions. And before you get the wrong idea, no he doesn’t have any criminal record, but if he did, do you really think he’d admit it in front of everyone.”
“Good point,” Ruth said. “I’ll have Zeke use his connections to run a check.”
“And now this conversation has run its course.” Zeke said, ushering us into the dining room where he’d set out food. “Your mistake, Henry, was being so open. Had you hedged a bit more, she might not have asked so many questions.”
Henry laughed as he picked up a small plate. “She’s fine. I like that she’s watching out for Nick.”
It was sweet of Ruth to make sure I was okay, but it hit a little too close to home. I wanted to believe my mom would do the same if not for Dad. Growing up, I didn’t see the extent of his abuse until I put some distance between me and them. Now, it hurt because I couldn’t save her.
“Hey?” Henry put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just thinking of Mom” I shrugged, hoping it would move us along. “Why don’t you let Zeke show you the parts he showed me and I’ll get something to eat.”
We looked at each other and I hoped he’d get the message I needed a few minutes alone. After a few more seconds of our stare off, Henry nodded. “Sure. I mean, if Zeke’s not too busy.”
“I’m not busy. Brenda’s hosting this party,” Zeke rolled his eyes. “She treats my house like her private event hall except I don’t get a rental fee.”
Zeke motioned for Henry, but he hesitated. Thankfully, whether he meant to or not, Zeke made me smile. His description of his sister was accurate.
I must’ve reassured Henry enough, because he left to get the tour.
The moment they left, I dropped my facade. Zeke was close with his siblings. He knew what they liked, how they acted, and they did things for each other. I had people whose DNA matched mine, but otherwise we had nothing in common and no interaction.
Walking around the table, I didn’t recognize some of the food. Zeke had cooked, so I knew everything was probably delicious, but I limited myself to things I could name.
I made sure not to overload my plate, because nothing screamed socially stupid louder than stuffing your face on snacks at a party. Turning, I nearly ran into a mountain of muscle.
Brenda’s father stood watching me like I was a side show curiosity and he was trying to figure out the gimmick. He blinked, and the feeling of being scrutinized disappeared.
I stepped back to allow him access to the food. “Sorry, Mr. Masterson. I didn’t mean to get in your way.”
“You’re not,” he said, his voice amazingly soothing for a man that big. “And call me Ares.”
Why did real adults think it was cool to tell us to use their first names? I had trouble calling Brenda by her first name the first six months on the job. How was I going to manage call her dad Ares?
Of course, as first names went, Ares was totally cool. “Okay. Sorry again for not letting you get to the food.”
“You weren’t in my way,” he said. “I actually came to talk to you.”
Now it made sense. His “call me Ares” was a ploy to get me to relax before he swooped in to have a talk with me. “Um.” I swallowed hard to clear my throat. “Sure.”
Ares laughed and if the house had been full, I’d have been embarrassed at being the cause of such loud amusement. “Don’t look so scared. I just wanted to see how you’re doing. Brenda can be a lot. Trust me, this is better than when she was a teenager.”