Good Wood (33 page)

“What is it?” He gave me that shy, panty dropping smile again before glancing down.

“Well, we’ve been seeing each other for a while now. And I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.” He paused and I started to feel a little light headed. “Will you….”

Wait….what the hell is he going to ask me? Oh no!

“What, Joe?”

“…go to Tamryn’s Christmas party with me?”

The question rattled around in my head like a bullet ricocheting off metal. It took me a few moments to get my mind around the question. As my heartbeat slowed to normal I was overjoyed that I’d avoided making a horse’s ass out myself.

“
Sorry, what?” I stalled for time to think.

“Well, Tamryn has this big swanky annual party. It’s very over the top. She told me under no uncertain terms that I
am
coming this year.”

“I take it you normally don’t attend.” He gave me a sheepish look and shook his head.

“No. And this year she said I not only have to come but I need to be presentable. I take that as sister shorthand that she wants to try and set me up.” I felt a stab of ice in my chest.

“So what? You’re in need of an ‘escort?” There was an unmistakable bite in my delivery. The hurt showed in his eyes.

“No. I just don’t want a bunch of women to get their hopes up. I already have a girl.” The way he said it, so without guile, melted the frost from my heart.

“Oh.” I knew I was blushing and felt like an asshole. “Sorry.”

His raised eyebrow and the disbelieving smirk he gave me made me feel even more like an idiot. Here I was, treating Joe as if he were Draven. They were more different than I ever thought possible. I guess being damaged was something Joe and I had in common. At least he was smart enough to get professional help for it.

He mentioned the party was formal and with only a few days to shop I had to call in the reinforcements. Dan had been planning on flying down to Galveston in a week anyway, so when I called him he was thrilled to jump on a plane early. Joe had some finish work to do on the hotel, so I took Dan on a quick site seeing tour and we stopped for a sushi and saki lunch.

We slid into seats and put in our order and in no time were enjoying some of the best sushi in town. Dan suggested a plum saki to accompany our meal. He was on the mark as always…it was heavenly. I was reminded of how much I missed dining with him; a man with no agenda, no ulterior motives, and an encyclopedic knowledge of alcohol. As our server walked away, Dan poured the saki out into our cups.

“Molly, it’s a pity we live so far apart. Maybe if I decide to move down to Galveston we can set up a biweekly dinner? I would love to have you show me the better restaurants around here.”

I sat back and relaxed as the strong saki slid though my veins bringing warmth and comfort to my frayed nerves. I was glad we had opted to cab to lunch. The size of the bottle that Dan had ordered would have made driving home an issue.

“I would love that. So are you seriously considering the job?”

“Hells to the
yes
. My brother is a lot of fun to work with and he is willing to offer me what I’m worth. Between that and being on the Gulf Coast again I am having trouble coming up with reasons not to take it. I’m getting so tired of the damn rain up north.”

“I miss it sometimes. I didn’t realize how much I would when I left. I was just glad to be out of there.” Dan raised an eyebrow and I decided to change the subject. “So how have things been with you?”

“Good enough. I broke up with my last steady boyfriend a month or so back. I’m really tired of all the damn drama. Is it so much to ask to meet a God damn grownup instead of all these teenage boys trapped in adult bodies?” He rolled his eyes as he said it coaxing a laugh out of me.

“You always did like them young.” He slapped at my hand but his eyes twinkled.

“You’re awful. So tell me more about this mystery man. Joe, wasn’t it?” I popped a piece of sushi into my mouth and slowly chewed it. Taking a sip of saki, I let the warmth from it settle to my stomach before answering.

“Do you remember that night we got drunk on the beach? That giant bonfire and the two over-muscled guys I kept calling Hanz and Franz?” Dan snorted, nearly spitting out the food in his mouth. Swallowing around his growing laughter he nodded.

“God yes! They kept trying to pick you up and I finally told them they didn’t have the equipment for you. They left because they thought you were a lesbian. I just meant all the steroids probably turned their junk into shriveled little peanuts.” I poured us some more saki.

“Probably true, for them I would have become a lesbian. Anyway, we spent an hour after that trying to do that quiz in the magazine about the perfect man. Do you remember?” Dan took a swig of his drink and grinned.

“Until it got too hard to read it. Then you went on some drunken rant about the perfect guy wouldn’t be perfect. But you had a laundry list of things that he would have. Big package, strong arms, nice butt, kind to kids, loves to help others. As I recall, I started singing that song the cricket sang about a dream, or was it a wish.” I tossed my napkin at him and he descended into a giggle fit. It took a few moments for him to recover and he wiped his eyes.

“That guy I was describing? It wasn’t just some fantasy guy I built in my head. That was Joe.”

Dan stopped laughing immediately and looked at me in abject shock.

“Wait. Are you telling me that you knew this prince as a girl and you let him get away?” I grimaced and took a big drink of saki.

“That was the problem. Me being a girl and him not having a clue I was alive.” Dan snorted. His face was decidedly red and he was starting to slur his words just a little when he talked.

“Well, none of us are pristine any more. Speaking of pristine. I have gossip.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Do tell.”

“The staff is fleeing Draven’s restaurant like rats from a sinking ship. Of course
you know
I left right after you did. Now they are
all
on their way
out! He lost his ‘Best in Seattle’ rating. And there’s trouble in paradise, sweetheart. When Elaine went on maternity leave, things slid even further. Elaine’s cooking was a piss poor imitation of yours and the new chef is a copy of a crappy copy. Draven’s hemorrhaging money every month. It’s downright embarrassing.”

“It’s karma.” I shrugged. We clinked our cups and downed more Japanese painkiller.

Afterward, Dan took me to the perfect little dress shop. A friend of a friend owned it and had several dresses waiting for us when we arrived. Dan and the owner Peter, a stylish gay with long blond hair and a Viking build, set up court in two chairs to critique for me.

“That last one was a little too slutty. It’s Christmas, but you don’t want to show off all the goodies,” Dan sagely advised. Peter snorted nearly blowing bottled water out of his nose.

“Give me some warning before you make with the snarky. Good gracious, this vest is suede.” Peter checked quickly to make sure he was unmarred.

“Ignore him, Peter. He’s a lush.” I pulled a long blood red gown from the rack.

Peter turned his attention to my most recent selection “That one is stylish. I consider it a Grace Kelly meets Marilyn Monroe. Just a touch of seductress, but gallons of class and style.”

I pulled it on in the dressing room and immediately felt sexy. The dress had one long sleeve that covered my tattooed arm and left the other arm bare up to the collar bone. The long sleeve had a gentle cascade of fabric on it and the dress had a slit that rose up the front to mid-thigh. I paraded in front of my panel of judges.

“Are you sure it isn‘t too much?” I frowned. Dan and Peter exchanged a knowing look and smiled.

“You look beautiful, sweetie.” Dan took out his credit card and handed it to Peter. “This is my treat…a Christmas present from me to you. But I want to take a picture and text it to Draven. That asshole needs to get a look at what he let go. Like I always say, the best revenge is looking stunning.”

The night of the party I was so nervous I could barely eat. I forced down some crackers and Sprite as Dan helped me get ready. When my make-up and hair was as good as it’d get, he snapped a quick picture with his phone. All altruistic intention aside, I strongly suspected that Dan was camping out for a chance to get a glimpse of Joe. When Joe rang the bell, Dan was still waiting with me like a proud fairy godmother. I opened the door and Joe’s reaction was worth all the effort Dan and I had put in. He just stood there, all smoldering in his black tux and bowtie staring at me for a few seconds. Then the most lascivious look I’ve ever seen stretched across his face.

“Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood, you look good enough to eat.” He swept me into his arms and as he dipped me in a dramatic kiss, all my anxiety drained away. Dan cleared his throat and Joe broke away, looking at him in shock before returning me to an upright position as an understanding smile transformed his face.

“You must be Dan.” Joe moved over to shake his hand. “I can’t thank you enough for helping her find a dress for tonight.”

Dan blushed a bit, and looked like he might start fanning himself at any minute. He actually tittered a bit like a schoolgirl and I pressed my lips together fighting off a laugh. I couldn’t blame him. Joe always looked like a wet dream, but tonight he was absolute perfection. His tux seemed perfectly tailored for his broad shoulders and he wore it with the confidence of someone who’d done their fair share of formal occasions.

“Just glad I could help. Now you take good care of my girl there.”

“Always.” Joe nodded, as he took my hand and led me down the stairs barely taking his eyes off of me. As we reached, the street it was my turn to stop and gasp in amazement. A black stretch limo sat at the curb, a driver in full uniform standing with the door open for us.

The ride out to his sister’s house was magical. There was a bar in the back of the limo and Joe poured us a few drinks. He hinted about something he was making for me. I teased him about his gift, wondering if I’d chosen poorly. My phone beeped and I glanced down to see a text from Dan.

Holy hot hunkalicousness. Do
all
the things that I would do! I don’t expect you home tonight. You hear me?

I showed the message to Joe who rolled his eyes and turned my phone off. He took my phone and drink and set them aside. Advancing on me, he exuberantly kissed me, removing all of my lipstick. His hand made its way up the slit in my dress, and I figured I wouldn’t be going home tonight after all. Our groping intensified and with an exasperated gasp, Joe forced himself away from me. He actually moved to a different seat.

“Damn, baby girl.” His green eyes blazed like a forest fire and his lips were covered in my ruby shade. “You in that dress…”

My eyebrow twitched and every inch of my skin felt as red hot as my gown. I pulled my lipstick and compact out of my purse. The expression he wore as he watched me reapply was nothing short of dangerous. “I think you’d better stay over there.”

As we slowed to turn, I got a glimpse of where we were going. The house-strike that-
the mansion
- was enormous. The entire grounds were lit up with gold lights and hundreds of people were mingling under a gigantic white tent set up next to the house. As the limo pulled in front of the house along the long circular driveway, my butterflies returned. Only now they were the size of angry warplanes.

Joe squeezed my hand as a man stepped up and opened the door for us. Stepping out, Joe turned and offered me his hand. Slipping out of the limo I watched as a wave of humanity turned to look at us. It was accompanied by the murmur of many voices. It made me self-conscious, but Joe put my arm through his and drew me along and the anxiety fell away.

A diminutive brunette woman stood at the top of the stairs greeting guests. Her eyes swept over the crowd before coming to rest on Joe. They flitted to me a moment later and I suddenly knew what a field mouse felt like when spotted by a bird of prey. As she came closer, her eyes softened and a warm smile appeared on her face. A lanky man with dark hair and a lazy grin followed in her wake. He reminded me of a cross between a cowboy and a loan officer.

“Joe! I’m glad you could come. This must be Molly.”

“Guilty.” I chirped, feeling like a tool.

“I’m Tamryn and this is my husband, Robbie.” The lanky loan officer/cowboy gave a halfhearted wave from behind her. She stepped forward and as I put my hand out to shake hers she pulled me into a quick hug. “Glad you could make it, Molly. I see you actually got my lug of a brother to wear a tux. Will wonders never cease.” Her tone was playful and Joe gave a little laugh next to me before pulling her into a side hug.

“Hey, sis. As ordered I’m here, on time and in proper attire. So what’s up?” She glanced around and led the two of us aside, away from the main party.

“Well, Joe, it’s like this…mom and dad are here for the holidays.” Joe went rigid next to me and I gave him a sideways glance. His next words came out in a quiet growl.

“Why in the hell did you invite me? I have no interest in seeing them.” Tamryn put her hand on his arm and stared into his eyes.

“Because I’m tired of this, Joe. It’s time you try to make peace with them. I’m not taking sides, but let me say this to you before you jump in your car and head home. It’s getting harder every year to explain to the girls why we have Christmas with grandma and grandpa
or
Unky Joe. And honestly, I’m getting tired of making excuses. “

The night air was fairly choking with awkwardness and I really wished I could figure out a graceful way to excuse myself. Instead, I stood there like an idiot with my arm entwined with Joe’s. His eyes met mine and I pled with him without saying a word. He sighed and surprised me by pulling Tamryn into another hug. From the look on her face Tamryn was just as shocked.

“Sorry, sis. I’ve been putting a lot of this on you. For your sake and the girls, I think I can find the strength to be civil for a few hours.” Tamryn pushed back from him and gave him a querulous look before nodding.

“Thank you, Joe. That means a lot to me.” She led us into the party and for the next hour my mind desperately tried to keep track of names and faces. Mostly, I wanted to stick my head under the chocolate fountain and drink deeply, but I settled for a couple of flutes of champagne. Among the characters I met two judges, a senator and Joe’s old lacrosse buddies from the club his parents belonged to. When we finally finished the marathon gauntlet of introductions, Joe took me to a quiet corner of the patio for a drink.