Lucky Number Four (22 page)

I decide to take a bath, taking care to shave
my legs, and then after a long soak, jump into the shower to rinse
off. A date finally, one that Jeff approves of. What can go wrong?
I mean, everything will be good. I feel it.

Jeff is missing from the room when I exit the
bathroom, but my dress and shoes are laid out for me. I hear
muffled voices coming from the door leading to the dining room of
the loft. Creeping to the door, I turn the lock, as I don’t want
any unwanted company finding me in a towel. I quickly dress, apply
minimal makeup, slip into my three-inch heels, and wait for Jeff to
knock on the door to be let back in. Minutes pass and the voices
continue. Sighing, I grab my clutch, move to the door, and open it
to see my three roomies and Jeff lounging on the three couches.

“Beautiful,” Jeff says with a shit-eating
grin.

“Agreed,” Colin and Drew reply almost in
unison. Liam just nods his head.

“Your date is coming up the elevator. Brad
just buzzed.” Jeff grins and walks me to the door so I can’t see
Colin’s reaction.

Jeff opens the door and the elevator dings at
the same time. It opens and I see Ronald Caudwell, a math class
buddy of ours, standing there with a bunch of flowers in his hand.
He looks nervous, his smile a little wobbly when he sees Jeff and
me. Jeff taps me on the shoulder and he magically has my coat in
his hand. He helps me into it as Ron walks slowly toward us. I
watch his eyes widen as he glances at my dress. He swallows hard.
It takes a second for me to realize he’s never seen me in anything
but sweats, jeans, T-shirts, and shorts.

“Hi, Dora. Hope you’re not disappointed,” he
says quietly.

“Disappointed? Definitely not,” I reply with
a wide smile.

I like Ron. His hair is a rich, chestnut
brown, neither short nor long. He’s just a few inches taller than
me, even with my heels on. He has two adorable dimples that appear
in each cheek when he smiles. He has a good build and definitely
cleans up nicely. He hands me the flowers and I wonder where he
found such beautiful ones this time of year.

“You look amazing, Dora.” His voice
interrupts my brain’s musings.

“I was just thinking the same about you,
Ron.”

“Well, kids, you have fun. Don’t keep her out
too late, Ron.” Jeff sounds like a stern father. I elbow him gently
in the side as I take Ron’s hand and lead him to the elevator.

“Oh … Jeff, be a dear and put these in water
for me, and don’t forget to put a penny in the bottom of the vase.”
I walk back and hand them to a grinning Jeff. “Also, don’t wait
up,” I say before returning to Ron, who’s holding the elevator door
for me.

Ron’s nervous, but his silence is killing me.
We’ve been in the car for ten minutes and he hasn’t said a word.
Great.

“So where are we going?’ I ask, trying to
sound casual.

“A restaurant Jeff told me you love.” He
clears his throat. “I hope that’s okay.”

He keeps his eyes on the road, but he
swallows hard, waiting for my answer. He’s different in class. In
fact, he loves telling jokes and making people laugh, so why is he
so uptight right now?

“Has to be Papa’s then, because that’s my
favorite.”

“Yeah, that’s it. We should be there soon,”
he replies woodenly.

Really? Like I don’t know.

I want to ask him if something’s wrong, but I
don’t think he’ll tell me the truth. The warm bright lights of
Papa’s penetrate my deep thought, and luckily, we snag a parking
spot a few feet from the front door.

The place is packed, full of happy, laughing
people. Papa is playing host. His eyes widen and he belts out,
“Dora, my beautiful, redheaded angel. My worlda has just become
brighter.” He holds out his arms and I move in for the hug. He
smells of pizza sauce and Old Spice. “And who is this younga man?”
he asks, staring hard at Ron, who looks like he wants to leave.

“Papa, this is my friend, Ron.”

As the words leave my lips, I realize they’re
true. He is, and will stay, just a friend. There’s no chemistry. I
feel a little depressed.

“Aww. He looksa like a nice young man. I
havea your table ready for you.”

He leads us to the back, and Mama waves and
blows a kiss to us from across the room. Several of the waiters say
hello as we pass by. It’s a big table that Papa takes us to, and I
wonder why there are so many seats. Before I can mention it, I hear
a commotion behind us. I inwardly groan as I realize we’ll be
joined by others. Not just any others, but my roomies and one of my
so-called best friends, a grinning Jeff.

“Dora, what are you doing here?” Jeff asks,
all innocent.

“Surprised? I think not. You told Ron this is
my favorite place.”

“I mentioned it, but he never said he was
going to bring you here. Hey, Papa, these two are on a date, and it
wouldn’t be right to join them.”

“Ah, Jeffrey, we are fulla. No more tables.”
Papa looks upset and I feel guilty.

“It’s okay, they can join us. Right,
Ron?”

Ron nods his answer and everyone grabs a
seat. At least the models look to be chagrined. Not Jeff though, he
still has the smug grin on his face.

“We had no idea you were going to be here.
Honest.” Colin’s English accent sends a warm sensation down my
spine. I don’t look up from my menu. My tongue is a little too tied
at the moment.

Jeff is sitting to my left, and I reach under
the table and pinch his thigh as hard as I can, wondering what he’s
up to.

“Oww.” He slightly jumps and then turns to me
and glares.

“You deserve it,” I whisper, leaning over and
blocking the others’ view with my menu.

“Wait until you get home. That’s going to
leave a bruise,” he replies through clenched teeth.

“Okay, who’s ready to order?” Sal, a
part-time waiter and a new dad, pulls my attention away from
Jeff.

After everyone orders, the mood at the table
begins to resemble a funeral service. No one is talking and
everyone is avoiding everyone’s eyes. The only thing we’re missing
is bouts of crying. What a fun date. If I’m being honest, I’m kind
of glad Ron and I aren’t here alone. The friend thing is really
beginning to sink in. I guess it’s time to get this funeral—I mean
party
—started.

“So guys, any photo shoots coming up soon?” I
ask and watch as all eyes zoom in on mine. I swear I hear sighs of
relief from the whole table.

“No, it’s pretty quiet this time of year. I
have one Christmas gig on Monday, but then it’s free time until
January,” Drew replies.

Mr. Aussie speaks up next. “I’m traveling
home in two weeks where it’s, like, ninety degrees. So, I booked a
few shoots while I’m there.”

“A couple of shoots in freezing cold London.
What was I thinking?” Colin’s voice makes me want to go with him
just to keep him warm.

Stop it, Dora. Get a grip. Out of your
league.

“Shoots?” Ron asks.

“Oh, Ron, I’m sorry. How rude of me. These
are my roommates.” I make the introductions and watch as poor Ron
seems to sink into his chair. He’s intimidated and I need to
correct the situation. “Surely you’ve heard how I ended up with
these nerds.” I watch three sets of eyebrows shoot up, but I ignore
them. “Liam has a superstition that the number four is lucky for
him. Their old roommate left and they were so desperate they
bullied me to move in.”

“I had heard a rumor around campus about
this, but thought it was just gossip.”

The food arrives, saving me from having to
talk anymore. Hopefully a few glasses of wine will relax Ron. My
stomach growls and laughter erupts, breaking the tension, thank
heavens. I would have been embarrassed, but for once I’m glad my
stomach loves to talk.

After a couple of glasses of wine myself, I’m
feeling like this evening has been salvaged. Ron seems like he’s
finally enjoying himself, and my roomies have made him feel like an
old friend. They really are a cool bunch of guys. Pushy, yes, but
they have hearts. Even Jeff is having fun, although that will end
quickly when I ream him for his antics when we get home.

Papa and Mama stop by our table whenever they
can. All in all, it’s a great evening. Sal has been amazing,
refilling empty glasses and making sure we’re kept satisfied. I
catch Ron looking at his watch. I check mine and see that it’s
almost one in the morning. I grab Sal and ask for our checks.

“Checks are taken care of,” he replies and I
shake my head.

“Who?”

Sal points across the table to Drew, who
smiles at us. What a beautiful—I mean, handsome—smile.

Okay, so it’s a freaking
hot
smile.

“It’s the least I could do after crashing
your date.”

I watch his luscious lips as he talks,
wondering what they would feel like against mine.
Damn, Dora,
time to go home.

“Hey, Ron, you live close by, right? Why
don’t we take Dora home? I know you have that thing in the
morning,” Jeff casually says.

“Well …” Ron starts, and then everyone
reassures him that they’d be happy to take me home.

“Is that okay, Dora? You won’t be upset?” Ron
looks at me anxiously.

“No, Ron, it’s fine. After all, they know
where I live.” I smile and then kick Jeff’s leg, which goes
unnoticed since it’s hidden by the red-and-white checkered
tablecloth. He grimaces, glaring in my direction. I stand and pull
Ron up with me.

“I’ll walk him to his car and meet up with
you guys in a bit.” I don’t wait for an answer as we maneuver
through the still-crowded restaurant.

“I had a really good time, Dora. Your
roommates seem cool. Sorry I’m not taking you home.”

“No worries, Ron.” I kiss his cheek and then
watch as he gets into his car.

Well, that went well. So happy there wasn’t
too much awkwardness. I’m also glad he didn’t ask me out again
since I hate letting people down.

I walk back into the warm restaurant and find
our hosts and kiss them goodbye. My escorts wait patiently for me
by the front door. I also kiss Sal on the cheek on my way over to
meet up with Jeff and my roommates. Yes, I’m a little unsteady. I
lost track of how many glasses of delicious wine I had. I don’t say
a word as they move aside. Jeff pushes open the door letting in the
cold, frigid air. I don’t remember it being cold when I said
goodbye to Ron. The car is silent on the way home. I wish I could
read minds.

This time, I stay awake until we reach the
loft. Jeff takes his key and puts it onto the lock of my private
entrance. I wave to the three as they go through the main
entrance.

I hit the bed to stop the room from spinning
and proceed to pass out.