Backstage (The Barter System Book 4) (29 page)

Isaiah was the first to see the women enter and stood.  The other men joined him as they approached the table. 

The twins went into the arms of their fiancés.  Isaiah and Ezra greeted his sisters with chaste kisses to their cheeks and obviously unchaste whispers in their ears. 

After a tight hug, his father pulled out a chair for the wife he clearly still adored and murmured softly until his mother blushed prettily.

Theodora smiled at everyone and touched the back of an empty chair but he moved to guide her into the one beside him. 

“You look so beautiful.” 

It wasn’t an empty compliment and only years of learning how to control his physical reactions to women saved him from embarrassment. 

Theodora wore a blue cashmere top that highlighted her spectacular eyes…and outstanding cleavage.  She wore butter soft leather pants that clung to her rounded hips and short-heeled black boots. 

Her blonde curls were pulled back from her face in sparkling clips and minimal makeup made her eyes look enormous.  Tiny hoop earrings were her only jewelry. 

“Thank you.  So do you, Kiefer.” 

As she sat, he settled beside her, and kept his arm along the back of her chair.  “I told you, men are disgustin’.  I shaved and put on extra deodorant.  Had to look for an hour to find my brush.”

She laughed and he felt almost dizzy for a moment.  “Somehow, I imagine that you roll out of bed looking like you do.” 

He wanted her to know the answer to that more than
anything
else.  She saw it in his face and couldn’t hide the pink that touched her face. 

“What do you drink, Teddy?”  His voice was low and all he wanted was to take her out of the restaurant and get her into a cool, softly lit place where he could explore every inch of her body. 

“I have no idea.”  Glancing up at everyone around the table, she smiled at the twins who were staring at their brother with narrowed eyes.  “It’s all good.” 

Madeline leaned forward with her arms crossed on the table.  “Seriously, we love her.”

Mikayla pointed at him.  “Don’t be yourself.” 

“You wound me,” he said with a laugh he
did not
feel. 

The twins blinked at him and sat back in silence for a long moment.  Their expressions cleared, turned to Theodora, and took turns talking.  “Kiefer is a good man, one of the
best
actually.  Our brothers are not only good-looking but also kind and hard working.  Kiefer will keep you laughing; he does that with everyone he meets.” 

Theodora chuckled.  “I promise you don’t have to sell me on the value of the people in your family.  As for Kiefer, we’ve been chatting and going for coffee for days.”  Huge grins broke over their faces and Teddy held up her hands.  “Hold it.  I see your minds jumping ahead.  I want you to take a deep breath and
hear
what I’m saying.  We’re
friends
.  When he returns to Oklahoma in a few weeks, I will continue to be his friend here in New York.”

The girls tilted their heads in sync.  “Wait…”

Teddy didn’t let them verbalize the question.  “
Friends
.  Now, I’d love a white wine spritzer with cherries and no one laugh at me.” 

Kiefer swallowed hard.  He wasn’t sure how he felt about being
friends
with the woman beside him but he knew his nature and he wasn’t going to put himself in a position where he’d fuck shit up. 

“Cherries…?  Really?” 

Her blonde curls shimmered as she nodded.  “I blame Isaiah.  When I was a little girl, maybe six or so, his family brought me here and ordered me a Shirley Temple.  He insisted that the added fruit made it a grownup drink…like you’d find in the tropics.  I was enthralled and sipped it
pinky out
all night.  I got so used to the cherries over the years that I can’t drink alcohol without them.” 

“You’re welcome,” the big man said with a smile that pulled his scar tightly over his cheek.  “I also take full credit for introducing you to imported cacao.  Blame me all day long for that one.” 

“There’s a difference, I promise there is.”  She winked at him.   

* * * * *

Their group ordered a round of drinks and then another, all the while, talking and laughing. 

Kiefer smiled when his mother asked innocently, “What do you do for fun, Theodora?” 

Relaxed from two low-impact drinks, the blonde folded her hands in her lap and cleared her throat.  “I can’t drive but a lot of people don’t here in New York.  All of my cousins are ridiculously active and by comparison, I’m kind of boring.  I read a lot and,” she glanced at Kiefer with a smile, “I’m working on a cookbook.” 

“You started it?”  She nodded shyly and he felt fucking outstanding.  “You’re going to do great and people are going to love learning to cook from you.” 

“Thanks.” 

“That should be a bestseller in no time if people have a single functionin’ taste bud.”  Everyone laughed.  “What else, dear?” Becky prompted gently.  “What things did you do when you were a little girl?” 

“Before my eyes got really bad, I was able to ride in the cooler months, when it was overcast.  I loved it so much but I wouldn’t trust it in the city anymore.  My distance vision sucks.” 

Vince said, “You should ride in the country.  We have acres and acres of clear, flat land and about a dozen horses.  Mama doesn’t ride much anymore but she has the gentlest mare named Pretty Girl you’ve ever seen.  She’d love you.”

Lifting one brow, she snorted.  “I hate those movies where the city girl ends up stranded in the country without a clue.  That would be me and I’d be mortified.” 

Kiefer leaned forward slightly. “You need a guide, someone who knows the country like the back of his hand.  Someone who would keep you safe and show you everything.”

“Is there a lot to see in the country?” 

“It’s a whole different world.  I think you’d love it.” 

She stared into his eyes and he forgot the rest of his family was at the table with them.  Then she said softly, “Maybe one day, I’ll take a trip to Oklahoma and you can show me.” 

Their food arrived and conversation slowed but didn’t stop. 

Theodora looked at his parents and said softly, “You have a lovely family.  The two of you are truly the backbone of it.” 

Ivan grinned.  “That’s good of you to say, Theodora.  My boys can be a little rowdy and my girls often make a muscle in my face twitch, but they’re damn good people and that’s the best part of bein’ their dad.”

“We’ll be here for a few weeks yet.  One of our cubs will likely get on your nerves by then.”  With a calculating smile, Becky added, “Then again, perhaps Kiefer can keep you from bein’ alone too much while we’re in town.” 

“Kiefer is a great conversationalist but I truly don’t mind my own company.”  Turning her attention to the twins, she gave them a wink.  “I should introduce your brothers to my cousins.” 

Linn’s eyes went wide.  “Bristol and Carly?”  Theodora nodded.  “Sweet lord, not sure even
my
brothers can keep up with those two.” 

Vince and Reynold were immediately on alert.  Their oldest sibling tilted his head.  “You have female relatives here in the city?”  The caterer gave a single incline of her head.  “Are they half as lovely and charmin’ as you are, Theodora?” 

Waving her hands with a bright blush, she chuckled.  “I’ve never met so many charismatic men at one time.  The girls are incredibly pretty, bright, and outgoing.  I think you’d all get along great.” 

Ezra sat back with a laugh.  “I think they’d lead you on a merry chase.” 

Vince murmured, “Interesting.” 

While they ate, his two brothers turned over the possibility of connecting with women recommended by someone all of them had grown to like. 

Resting her chin in her hand, she smiled. “All of you look really young…how old are you?” 

“Thank you for the compliment.  I’m the oldest at thirty-five.  Kiefer is thirty-four.  Vince and William are thirty-two.” 

“Wow…there’s a big gap between the boys and the girls, huh?” 

Becky made a funny sound.  “Madeline and Mikayla were the happiest surprise.  Reynold went off to college when they were eleven and they cried for
days
.  The next year, when they lost Kiefer, I couldn’t get them to go to school.  They said their eyes were too puffy.  They were fourteen when Vince and William left and refused to eat.  They swore they were goin’ on a hunger strike until their brothers stopped leavin’ them.” 

“How long did that last?” Teddy asked, laughing.

“Less than four
hours
.  You’ve seen their metabolism.”  The twins nodded seriously.  “The year Reynold graduated college and returned home, they followed him everywhere for weeks.” 

Sudden tears filled Becky’s eyes.  “I’d never been so glad for that until the day of his accident.  Ivan was away on business, the other boys at school.  The twins somehow got him on the hay trailer and back to the house.  It took all three of us to get him in the bed of the truck so we could keep him flat.  I think I did a hundred the whole way to the hospital.”  She looked at her oldest child.  “The worst day of my life.”

The blonde nodded.  “I knew it was pretty bad.  I didn’t know the three of you were home alone.”  She seemed introspective. 

“I can’t imagine the mind-numbing fear you must have been under.  Not being sure if you’d get your child help in time…but you
did
.  Lifting a man twice the size of any of you and getting him to the hospital in time.  That’s the most inspiring example of
teamwork
I’ve ever heard in my life.” 

Becky stood and walked around the table to kiss Teddy’s head.  “I…I don’t think I ever looked at it like that before.  It was all just horrible.”  She lifted Theodora’s chin to stare into her eyes.  “Thank you for givin’ me something positive to remember about that day.” 

“I don’t participate much of the time.  I watch people and see different things.  If I’d have been in your shoes, I’d have likely panicked.”

“Something tells me that wouldn’t be the case at all.” 

She shrugged.  “My upper body is weak.”  Smiling at Reynold, she explained, “I would have had an
enormous
amount of food prepared for your homecoming though.”  He laughed.  “We all have our strengths.”

“Know that we’re grateful for yours.”  Becky kissed her forehead and returned to her chair. 

Teddy took a tiny sip of her wine as the server took away unnecessary dishes.  “I’d like each of you to tell me your favorite food…and go.”  Around the table, each person said what their favorite food was.  “Excellent choices…there are a couple of unusual things in there.  You can tell a lot about people from the foods they like.”

Ezra looked at Linn and said, “You’re going to love this.”

She grinned.  “I cannot
wait
.  Theodora, please food analyze us.”

Teddy cleared her throat.  “Bear in mind that this isn’t an exact science.  I do this with my family sometimes and we all have a good laugh.”  To Madeline, she said, “Cherry pie…you are genuinely sweet with a bit of a bite.  You embrace life to the fullest, have no problem dealing with adversity or stress, and enjoy your own company…how did I do?” 

Madeline nodded. 

She turned to Mikayla. “Apple crisp signifies that home and hearth are most important to you.  You are incredibly outgoing but most people would be surprised to learn that your greatest aspiration is to be a mother.  Am I right?” 

His sister was unable to hide her shock. 

Grinning at Isaiah, she told him, “It’s not really fair since I’ve known you since I was born.  However, roast beef…cold or hot…says you’re solid and steady, focused on caring for those around you, especially family.  Your goal is to raise several happy children so they are never truly alone.” 

“I love you, Theodora.” 

“No more than I love you.”  After a small sip of wine, she continued.  “It is also unfair with you, Ezra but I don’t care.  Lobster bisque is warm and comforting with a decadence few people know you have.  You care deeply for those people in your life and are far from selfish.  However, you hide your secret love for outrageously expensive things.” 

One blink.  “Coins and watches.  I spend ridiculous amounts of money on them and hoard them like a troll under a bridge.”

Theodora smiled.  “Show them to Madeline…she’ll be impressed.  Ivan, your love of steak fajitas covers all the bases.  You are a person who likes life to be well ordered and neat, but you aren’t afraid to get messy to accomplish what needs to be done.  A bit of spice is also welcome.” 

“Damn, girl,” his father murmured.

“Becky, your love of beef wellington fits you exactly.  It is a filling dish that symbolizes your desire to be all things to your husband and children.  You’ve put things you wanted to see or do for yourself aside to further their goals…and none of them know.” 

Swallowing hard, Becky met her eyes.  “I’ve always wanted to see Ireland and…write children’s stories.  I have a box of them under my bed based on the kids’ lives growin’ up.”

“You should share them with the world and take the trip you’ve always dreamed of taking.”  Focusing on his oldest brother, Theodora smiled.  “Crème Brule is so delicious.  It is also my cousin Carly’s all-time favorite dish as well.  It is sweet and rich, showing your need to prove what you can do to the world around you.  However, you refuse to compromise on what you want or need in the process.”

“That’s dead on,” he replied.

Grinning at Vince, she winked.  “My cousin Bristol also adores chocolate croissants.  It shows a sensitivity you keep hidden from the world and even from yourself.  You are happy with the layers in your life, willing to take the bitter with the sweet.  Your desire to see others happy sometimes leaves you without the things you truly want.” 

His eyes were wide as he nodded.

Then the fascinating woman turned her enchanting eyes on
him
and he wondered what she would say.  “Meatloaf appears simplistic.  Sometimes, it has
one thing
that makes it different from every other piece you’ve ever eaten, like a secret ingredient.  You pretend to be one-dimensional but in reality, you’re a big thinker.  You pursue things you believe others want you to do to maintain the façade but in reality, there is something you truly want to do that you haven’t given a chance.”