Chocolate for Two (24 page)

“I’d love one, thanks, Andie. Happy birthday, Waverly.” His nervous smile spoke for him. He definitely had a crush brewing, and not on me.

“Thanks Morgan,” I said without much enthusiasm. I knew I wasn’t being all that nice, but I just didn’t like the way he looked at Andie.

Andie pointed around the table. “Jake and Davey, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is Jake and Davey. Jake is marrying Waverly, and Davey sells awesome makeup.”

Davey laughed. “As a heterosexual married man, I’m not quite sure how to take that.”

Andie held up a finger. “Trust me, my new friend, it’s a compliment.”

Morgan sat down next to Andie, and I could feel my body tense up. Jake, perceptive as ever, immediately noticed.

“You doing okay, birthday girl?” He brushed a loose strand of hair out of my eyes and softened his voice. I loved it when he softened his voice.

“Yep.” I nodded and forced a smile that didn’t fool him for a second, but he was discreet enough not to push it.

I silently thanked him for it.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down over my hips, not making eye contact. “Talk about what?”

Jake laughed as he removed his shirt. “Don’t play dumb. What’s going on with Andie and Morgan?”

I looked at him and sighed. “I don’t know, and to be honest, I’m not sure I want to.”

We’d just gotten home from Stone Street. As the group had scattered in various directions, I’d suspiciously watched Andie and Morgan head toward their building.

“He likes her. That much is obvious,” Jake said.

“I know.”

“Does she like him back?”

“I’m not sure.” I pulled on a pair of pajama shorts. “You’ve met Nick. You see how great he is, right?”

Jake nodded. “But that doesn’t mean anything. You know that, right?”

I sighed. “I know.”

“Are you going to ask her about it this weekend?”

“You mean in between drinking tea and eating tiny sandwiches?”

“Is that what you do at showers?”

I nodded. “It’s
so
painful, Jake. You have no idea.”

He scratched his eyebrow. “So no one actually takes a shower?”

“So witty. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to pack.” I playfully pushed him out of the way and headed for the hall closet to find my suitcase.

“What time do you need to leave for the airport? I’ll call a car service.”

I stopped to think. “Eight should do it.” Then I remembered something. “Hey, speaking of airports, you have to see the card my dad sent me for my birthday.” I walked over to my desk in the living room and picked up a bright-yellow envelope, then fished out the suitcase and rejoined Jake in my bedroom. “Check it out.” I pulled the card out and handed it to him.

He laughed as he read it. “Does he think you’re turning eight years old?”

The front of the card showed a kitten seated in a small model airplane. The inside said “Hope your birthday’s a trip!”

I shrugged and smiled. “I agree it’s hardly age-appropriate, but I guess it’s better than a corny joke about being over the hill or something.” The important thing was that my dad had—as always—remembered my birthday. He and Betty had also serenaded me with a surprisingly good rendition of “Happy Birthday” over the phone earlier.

I opened the suitcase on my bed and thought about what to pack.

“Have you come up with a plan for the ring yet?” Jake asked.

I looked up at him. “You mean what to tell your mom and company about why I’m not wearing one?”

He nodded.

I looked hopefully at him. “I was thinking…maybe I could just not get on the plane?”

He walked over and put his arms around my lower back. “Good luck with that. We should probably go shopping for a new one when you get back. Or do you want me to take care of it because you’re so busy with work right now? I’ve done it before, and to some acclaim, as you may remember.”

I smiled and leaned my cheek against his chest. “I’m just not ready to accept that it’s really gone. It was so pretty.”

He smoothed the back of my head, and I wrapped my arms around him.

We stood like that for a few moments until he finally spoke.

“The ring’s gone, Waverly. I’m not,” he said softly.

He knew me so well.

He nuzzled my neck. “How about you pack a little later? I’d like to celebrate your birthday…properly.”

I smiled into his warm cheek. “It’s not really my birthday until Sunday.”

He breathed softly into my ear and gently slipped his fingertips down the back of my shorts. “Then I guess we’ll have to celebrate twice.”

“Do you see her?” Andie asked.

I shook my head. “Do you?”

“No. What kind of car does she drive?”

“I have no idea.”

Andie and I were standing outside the West Palm Beach airport, waiting for Jake’s mom to pick us up. We had a few hours before the bridal shower, which gave us plenty of time to take a literal one and get girlied up for the occasion.

“Is that her?” I squinted at an enormous silver Mercedes approaching the curb.

Andie pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and nodded. “Oh yes it is. I can spot that snobby attitude a mile away.”

“Andie!” I tried not to laugh.

She shrugged and put her sunglasses back on. “I’m sorry. It’s just who I am. I blame it on my mother.”

I put my arm around her and squeezed. “Thanks so much for coming down here with me. I don’t think I could have survived this without you.”

“I’ll find a way for you to pay me back.”

Mrs. McIntyre emerged from the car wearing an outfit that was almost identical to the one she’d worn the night of our engagement party. Silk shell, blazer, pants.

I decided to speak first.

“Hi, Mrs. McIntyre. Thanks so much for picking us up.” This time I refrained from trying to hug her and instead just stood there awkwardly. She looked happy to see me.

“It’s no problem at all. How was your flight?” she asked.

I blushed. “Piece of cake. I slept through most of it.” What would she have thought if she knew I’d needed to nap on the plane because I’d been up so late last night hooking up with her son? “You remember my friend Andie?”

She smiled politely at Andie. “Of course. I’m glad you could join us.”

We were about to get in the car when Jake’s mom put a hand on my arm.

“Waverly, where’s your engagement ring?”

I felt my face flush. “Oh, um, I haven’t picked it up from the jeweler yet. I’ve, um, just been so busy at work that I keep forgetting.”

She looked a bit distressed. “So you’re not going to wear it to the shower?”

Andie, the consummate professional, immediately jumped in to defuse the situation. “I’m excited to visit Florida again, Mrs. McIntyre. I’ve been here only once before, and that was for the requisite family vacation to Disney World in eighth grade. I’m sure this will be much more fun. Waverly said she had a wonderful time when she came down for the engagement party.” She smiled brightly.

Jake’s mom looked pleased. “We’re happy to have you.”

“I hear your house is beautiful too,” Andie said.

“Why, thank you.”

I gave Andie a grateful look as we climbed into the car, then tried to forgive myself for lying to Mrs. McIntyre about my ring,
again
.

“I swear to God, if one more of these women asks me what my father does for a living, it’s going to get ugly,” Andie said under her breath.

I laughed. “Shhh.” We’d finished lunch, which was elaborate and delicious—think crab cakes, tuna tartare, and Kobe beef sliders—and gifts, which were elaborate and expensive—think china, crystal, and personal checks. Now the two dozen or so immaculately dressed women—all well past fifty—were sitting around in their designer clothes sipping tea, nibbling on fancy cupcakes and cookies, and chatting. Thankfully no one had brought out any ridiculous shower games. And no one had questioned my story about why I wasn’t wearing my ring, though it had certainly raised some eyebrows.

After I’d finished opening the mountain of presents, Andie and I had managed to find a small table in the corner with just two seats.

She leaned toward me and lowered her voice. “Have you noticed the crazy nicknames?
Bee. Candy. Cookie. Bunny
. Everyone’s either a small animal or a snack.”

I tried not to laugh. “Shhh. Don’t be rude.”

She looked around the room. “And the clothes? It’s like a freaking Easter basket in here. Any one of these women could be my mom or one of her friends.”

Andie’s mom was named Bitsy. Yes, Bitsy. I’d only met her a few times, but I could easily picture her fitting seamlessly into this crowd. She was always perfectly coiffed and styled and manicured, no matter what time of day it was or what the occasion was. Unlike Andie, who was determined to pave her own way in
the world, you could tell Bitsy
came
from money just by looking at her.

Just like Aaron’s parents.

And now Jake’s.

I decided to change the subject.

I unwrapped a miniature red velvet cupcake. “So, listen, can we please—finally—talk about what’s going on with you and Nick? I know you hate it when I pry, but you’ve been avoiding this conversation since you arrived in New York, and after yesterday I can’t take it anymore.”

She sighed and broke a chocolate-dipped macaroon in half. “Do we have to?”

“You can’t avoid it any longer, Andie. It’s obvious something’s going on, and I think I’ve been pretty good about not butting in so far. But the time has come.”

She nodded and lifted the cookie to her lips. “You have. I expected you to butt in a long time ago, actually.”

I nodded, glad we were finally going to address the situation. “Okay, let’s get it over with. What is—”

The sound of a woman’s voice interrupted me.

“Waverly! How are you? I haven’t had a chance to chat with you yet.”

I set my cupcake down and looked up. Bee Worthington was standing there.

I smiled “Hi, Mrs. Worthington. I’m fine, how are you?”

“Oh, please, call me Bee!” She waved a hand in front of her face and laughed a bit louder than necessary. I wondered how much champagne she’d drunk.

I gestured to Andie. “You remember my friend Andie?”

“Of course, Andie! From our shopping day. Wasn’t that a hoot?” She slapped her thigh.

Andie nodded, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. “Oh yes. A scream.”

Bee patted her poufy hair, which today actually sort of reminded me of a bee. Or at least a bee
hive
. “I’m just delighted with the dress we chose, aren’t you?” she asked me.

I nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

“And with a figure like yours, it’s going to be just stunning.” She looked at Andie. “Doesn’t Waverly have a great figure?”

Andie nodded several times. “Oh yes, she’s hot.”

“You’ve got a nice figure too,” Bee said to Andie. “It’s just harder for us short and busty girls to pull off the long and lean thing, especially with hips like ours.”

I tried not to laugh at the comment.
Short and busty girls? Hips like ours?

Bee polished off her champagne. “I’m so excited to go dress shopping again with you both tomorrow.”

Andie looked confused. “Dress shopping tomorrow? Didn’t we find the dress last time?”

Bee set the empty flute down and put a hand on Andie’s shoulder. “That was for Waverly, dear. First thing tomorrow we’re headed to Worth Avenue to find the perfect gown for
you
.”

Andie slowly turned to face me, her eyes narrowing. “Oh,
really
?”

I winced and gave her a sheepish smile. “I might have forgotten to mention that part of the weekend.”

“Something tells me you forgot on purpose.”

“It will be wonderful,” Bee said. “Ava has all sorts of ideas already.”

“
Really
.” Andie slowly ate another bite of cookie but kept her eyes on me.

I stood up. “Um, I’m going to go talk to Mrs. McIntyre about getting all these gifts shipped back to New York. Will you two excuse me for a minute?”

Andie laughed. “Sure, you go ahead and do that.” We both knew I was busted.

“I’ll go with you, dear. I need a refill of this delicious champagne.” Bee grabbed me a little awkwardly by the arm and led me away from the table. As we walked away, I looked back at Andie and gave her a
Please-don’t-kill-me
face.