Eighteen #2
“I am.” He smiled at her, passing her a bottle of Dom Pérignon.
“I’m sorry to be late. I forgot I had to put in an appearance at a charity function this evening, but I didn’t want you to think for a moment that meeting Jory’s partner wasn’t of paramount importance to me.
So I brought you a gift, and I’m hoping that perhaps we might have dinner with you and your husband next week sometime, if that would work. ”
She could only nod. He was giving her his full attention and it was short-circuiting her brain. “That would work. That would be great.”
“Excellent.” He smiled at her before he offered Chris his hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Chris was spellbound as well. “And you,” he said as he shook Dane’s hand.
I watched Dane meet the others, shake their hands, and smile until the room was silent, watching, waiting on him. I got up, and he stepped in front of me, a hand on my shoulder.
“How are you?”
I smiled up at him. “I’m good. Are we still on for brunch tomorrow?” It had become our Sunday morning ritual after the first time meeting with the lawyer.
“Yes. Let’s hit the gym first. I have to beat Jude at racquetball this week or I owe him a car or something, and even though annihilating you isn’t much practice, at least it gets my blood moving.”
I chuckled. “You’re frickin’ hilarious.”
He grinned before patting my cheek gently and turning to go. “Don’t forget we’ve got to go through applications sometime tomorrow. I’ve got to start interviewing next week.”
“How many assistants is that in the two months I’ve been gone?”
He smirked at me. “Just shut up.”
“Carina, then Debbie, and last Friday you fired Shannon, right?” I asked innocently.
“Keep it up.”
I nodded, looking down before my eyes were suddenly back on his. “Say it.”
“What?”
I squinted at him. “C’mon, just say it.”
He gave me a long look before he suddenly sighed. “Fine. You’re right. You were the best assistant I ever had. You took care of me at work and at home. You were phenomenal. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Yes.” I preened.
“You know you’re amazing. I should tell you more often.”
It was all I needed to hear.
“Here,” he mumbled as he passed me something.
When I looked at what was in my hand, I realized I was looking at the royal-blue leather billfold I had seen and wanted when we went to Vail over Christmas. I had decided it was too expensive. I didn’t actually need a new wallet. My head snapped up, and he smiled.
“Your wallet is a travesty.” He grinned wickedly. “The sound the Velcro makes when you peel it apart to pay for something gives me chills. Use that instead.”
“Thank you.” I smiled back, smiling because we both knew the wallet I had now was quite old but there was no Velcro.
“I’ve been obsessing about this, wishing I’d just gotten it.
” I did that a lot, and always had to judge a purchase not made on the amount of thought I would put into it afterward.
Sometimes I was just out for some retail therapy, but other times I really wanted something, and when I didn’t end up getting it, afterward it nagged at me like dripping water in the shower.
“I know you well,” he said before giving me a final pat on the cheek before he was on his way out the door.
The second the door closed behind him, Dylan yelled my name.
“Jory!”
I turned to face her.
“Dane Harcourt is your brother? The architect?”
“Yeah.” I smiled, because when he was my boss, I was proud to claim him, but now that we were family, I practically glowed when anyone mentioned that we were related. He was born to be a big brother, and I was so glad he had chosen to be mine.
“Holy shit,” Chris breathed out, and everyone laughed at him. “Jory, buddy, you could’ve warned me. I’m a huge fan of his work, being an architect myself.”
I shrugged. “Sorry.”
“So where did you guys go for Christmas?” Dylan asked me, carrying the champagne to her refrigerator. “I knew you went out of town, but you never said where.”
“We went to Vail,” I told her. “It was nice. He skied and I shopped and we ate and drank and it was awesome. Next year we’re going someplace warm, like maybe Maui or Cancun.”
“There’s only you guys?” she asked me. “Your folks are gone?”
I nodded. “Only us.”
“You didn’t want to be an architect, Jory?” Chris asked me.
I shook my head. “Nah. He’s the genius, I just ride.”
“You’re a genius too,” Dylan chimed in, cupping my face in her hands. “I promise you.”
I leaned in to kiss her nose.
“But I could kill you for letting that man walk into my house. My God, what he must think.”
“He thought it was charming, believe me.”
“He’s incredible,” she breathed out, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. “And you two look nothing alike, apart from the fact that you’re both gorgeous.”
I patted her cheek. “He and I are in different leagues, babe.”
“Jory, come over here and dish,” one of the women called to me from the couch. “Sit here by me.”
Fun to talk about Dane and realize they were all amazed. I would have been the same way. It wasn’t often that a man like that walked into your living room.
By eleven it was clear Ray had blown the evening off, so I left to meet Evan at the club. Before I could go inside, though, my phone rang.
“Jory?”
“Hey, Nick.” I smiled into the phone. “How ya been?”
“Okay.”
I stepped out of the way of some people so I was standing in front of the club.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls around Christmas but—”
“I just didn’t want you to think I was breaking my promise. I told you I would meet your family, but you never called me back.”
“Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. I had just met somebody, and it seemed like it was going to be serious, so I basically blew you off. It was a real shitty thing to do.”
I laughed softly. “Everybody blows off their friends for a lover, Nicky, don’t beat yourself up. Who cares? We’re friends, we’re good. Tell me what happened?”
“He told me after New Year’s that he didn’t want to break up with me over the holidays but that it was over before Christmas. He said I was shitty in bed and that I should think about taking lessons from someone. It’s getting to be the story of my life, J.”
I winced. “I never said you were shitty in bed. I said we—emphasis on the word we—had no chemistry. That has as much to do with me as you.”
“No it doesn’t, because we both know you’re great in bed.”
I was silent, because I wasn’t sure yet whether he was trying to be offensive or not.
“I bet all the guys you’ve been in bed with tell you all the time how hot you are and how good and—”
“Bye, Nick,” I said before I hung up and headed into the club.
I had a good time hanging out with Evan, but took home numbers instead of guys. He asked me as I was leaving if I was turning into a monk.