by Jenn Sable
My phone buzzed.
Tess: Are you still here? Leona just said that you were in the city this afternoon with CLAY McCADE. Meet me for happies at the Red Umbrella. The patio is open. The weather is fine, and so is the waiter!
I smiled and started typing.
Me: I planned to head back to Pine Haven. It sounds like you’re in good hands over there.
Tess: Boo! *thumbs down emoji* It’s the beginning of your birthday weekend. Come on, drinks, dinner. I’ll drive you home before you turn into a pumpkin if need be!
Me: I’ve got an early morning tomorrow. My aunts expect me to help ALL day with the chili cook-off. You know how it goes, they host, and I end up doing all the work.
Tess: That’s tomorrow. This is tonight. Are you too OLD to go out to dinner now?
Me: Yes. I am too old. Get used to it. I’m thirty now.
Tess: You’re not thirty for two more days. For now, you’re still in your twenties, so start acting like it! I have a present for you.
Me: I told you not to get me anything!
Tess: Oops.
Me: Gah! You never listen.
Tess: What did you say?
Me: Real funny. Fine. I have to make a quick phone call. Meet you there in twenty.
Tess: OMG, this waiter is only a college boy toy, but damn, his ass giving me naughty thoughts. Hurry before I do something irresponsible.
I laughed.
Me: You're only 28. Go for it.
Tess: Tempting! Hurry!
I was laughing and pressed Clay’s number.
He picked up on the third ring. “Hey.”
Pleasant tingles emanated from my head and shot down my spine. I’d never been so aware of the sound of a man’s voice before. Clay’s voice was smooth and deep but had a raspy quality when he spoke softly like he had when he picked up. It was as though he tried to answer the phone while seated at a table full of people that he didn’t want to overhear our conversation.
“Hey.” I hated the way my voice sounded, a little too high and a bit too loud.
He chuckled, and I felt face heat. “You ready?”
Yes.
“No.” I was shocked at how badly I wanted to say yes, how much I suddenly wanted to see Clay and be alone with him on the ride back to Pine Haven. “I’m letting you off the hook this afternoon. You’re free to flirt with as many loose women as Scott can throw at you this evening.”
“Nope, I’m your chauffeur today. The only woman who is getting a ride from me tonight is you.”
My face flamed, and his laugh was husky. “Sorry, that sounded . . . bad.”
I bit the undersides of my lips in order not to laugh. “See, you’ve spent exactly one hour with Scott Dunn, and now you’re talking about giving rides to women.”
“True. He’s a bad influence on me. I’d better come to pick you up before I completely lose my manners.”
I giggled. “Too late. Tess already peer pressured me into a girl’s night.”
“Oh yeah? I’m jealous. Do you want me to hang around and drive you both home later? So far, I’ve only had a beer, and I’m more than happy to switch over to something nonalcoholic.”
My brows lifted. “No way. One, if Tess knew that we had a DD, she’d slide into party animal mode, and I’d have to play Party Mom all night. Two, that’s just too nice and too much to ask of you. Go out with Scott, have fun. Do your guy stuff, go buy that girl a bottle of wine for later tonight.”
He was quiet for a beat. “All right, birthday girl. Have fun. I hope to see you later.”
“Definitely. Tell that wild child, Scott, that I said hello.”
“Will do. Enjoy your dinner and drinks.”
I disconnected the phone and looked up to see Bonnie walking out with her purse slung over her shoulder. “Who is the lucky guy?”
My brow wrinkled. “Huh?”
Bonnie rolled her eyes. “If you were a puppy, you’d be running around in circles wagging your tail. You’re grinning ear to ear.”
I blinked and realized that I was standing on the sidewalk outside of the Socialite building, smiling like a buffoon. “Oh, no one.”
Bonnie crossed her arms and arched a brow. “Right. Um, anyway, have a good weekend. We’ll see Monday morning since you’re officially employed with us now.” She winked and walked away.
I strolled the several blocks to the Red Umbrella and tried to think of what Monday would be like at the Socialite, but my mind kept returning to my phone call with Clay. “You’re the only woman who is getting a ride from me tonight,” played on repeat in my mind.
My best friend, Tess, sat at the high-top table with her compact out, checking her lipstick in the small round mirror. I smiled when I saw her. She was always so stylish and fashionable. She wore a large sweater that hung off one shoulder paired with a mini skirt, leggings, and high heeled boots.
She noticed me, smiled and leaned to the side and looked behind my shoulder, and frowned. I swept my eyes back over my shoulder, expecting to see someone that I knew she didn't like, but there was no one. I approached the table.
“Hello, lady, love. Who were you just frowning at?” I turned around, and there was no one behind me.
Test crossed your arms. "Exactly, I was frowning at no one. Where is Clay? I thought you were bringing with you."
I shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, no, I didn’t invite him. I thought that you wanted a girl’s night. I thanked him and told him that I would get a ride back to Pine Haven from you.”
“You did what?” Tess looked at me like I’d just tore up a winning lottery ticket.
“What's the big deal? This way, he can spend the rest of the afternoon with Scott as he had originally planned, and we can have girl time.”
Tess pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sweet Lord Jesus, I'm thrilled that Scott's not here, but Clay should be here! Come on, girl. That man has been on a base up in the north pole and probably hasn’t had a warm-blooded woman to warm him properly, and you’re just pushing him away!”
I laughed. “You’re silly.”
Tess gripped the side of the high-top and leaned forward. “I think you two would make a hot couple. I always did."
I rolled my eyes, sat, plopped my purse down on an empty seat, and reached for a drink menu. "You say that about every man who is single within a fifty-mile radius."
"No, I don't." She looked genuinely baffled.
I dropped the menu. "Yes, you do. Are you serious right now?"
Tess leaned forward again and enunciated her words. “You would make a hot couple. I typically say you would make a cute couple or an adorable couple, but I've never used the words hot couple until now because it's true. You and Clay McCade would be an off the charts, smoking hot couple. You’d probably have to keep a fire extinguisher next to your bed, so when you lit the sheets on fire, you could put them out."
I snorted with laughter. "Oh, my God. Girl, you are too much. And, although seeing Clay today was exciting, he’s still the neighbor next door, Leslie’s little brother, and my friend.
Tess blinked. “Yeah, and?”
My fingertips massaged my brow line as I considered how best to put this topic to rest. “Tess, he’s getting ready to sign a four-year contract to work in Alaska. There. Done, end of the story.”
Tess sloshed the ice around in her water with a straw. “You have such a limited point of view.”
I squared my shoulders. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Tess shrugged, exasperated. “So what if he’s going away for however many years? What does that have to do with you enjoying him right now?”
I cleared my throat. “Enjoying him?”
Tess smiled coyly. “Yeah. Clay’s your friend, you’ve known him forever, and maybe you should stick your toe back in the water of having a love life by letting him stick his—”
I held up a hand. “I got it. I got it. I just don’t see Clay and I ever going that far.”
“Maybe that’s your problem. You won’t e
ven allow yourself to see potential opportunities. Why do you think that is? Are you scared to try again?”
I frowned. “I’m not scared. I’m cautious, and in this particular case, I don’t want to ruin a friendship or create tension between my family and theirs. Clay is off the table.”
Tess took a dramatic breath. “You and Clay are adults, and if either one of you wants to have sex with someone, childhood neighbor or not, you’re allowed.”
I smirked. “Thanks for the confirmation. I can already see tonight’s diary entry, “Today, a few days shy of thirty years old, and I am a confirmed adult. Better late than never.”
Tess smiled. “I’m so glad that you brought that up. Soon you’ll be officially out of our twenties and never crossed off one thing from your “In My Twenties” list. Remember? You listed: go skydiving, take a trip to see the northern lights, hug a sequoia tree, yell from the top of Mount Rushmore, and have a one-night stand. We only have time for one of them.”
“I can’t believe that you took the time to memorize my list. How about you focus on finishing yours, and I’ll worry about mine.” I looked back at the drink menu, signaling that I was done with this conversation.
Tess slapped away my drink menu. “I already finished mine.”
“Oh.”
Tess crossed her arms and nodded at the list in front of her. “What's the point of even looking at that drink menu when you know that you're going to get a glass of pinot grigio? There’s not a spontaneous bone in your body. You never stray from the beaten path, not even on drinks.”
I scoffed. "You don't know, and I could be interested in the . . .” I quickly scanned the drink menu, “Friday fireball special.”
Tess nodded sarcastically with her brows drawn together and mouth on a flat line. "I dare you to get a Friday fireball special. You order one, and I'll pay for it. Maybe a fireball is exactly what you need, something to fire you up. You're turning 30 years old on Sunday, and you've become completely predictable. You might as well be sixty."
I blinked several times. "Your mother is sixty and a total badass, so I'm fine being compared to a sixty-year-old, thank you very much.”
Test touched the tip of her tongue to her eye tooth, and I could practically see the inner wheels of her mind spinning. “My mom is badass at sixty, and stable and steady, and knows exactly what she wants because when she was thirty, she didn't play it safe. She wasn't predictable. She grabbed life by the balls and had experiences and tried new things. She bit into the juiciest parts of life to ensure that when she turned sixty, she could be predictable without being regretful."
I stared at Tess, and somewhere, deep down, a part of me worried that she was right. An attractive young waiter approached the table, who looked like he went to the gym for fun. His exposed forearms from his rolled-up sleeves were corded enough to make any red-blooded woman notice. It shocked me that I saw it. I hadn’t paid much attention to what I found attractive in a very long time.
"Hey, it looks like your friend made it." The waiter gave Tess a sexy and knowing grin. She smiled flirtatiously back.
The waiter turned to me, and his dark blue eyes reminded me of sapphires. "My name is Alex, and you must be Melissa. I have the pleasure of serving you this afternoon, so don't hesitate to ask me for anything. I'd love to make your experience at the Red Umbrella Cafe memorable."
The way the waiter stared at me made me feel like he was referring to a lot more than just our drink order. Am I losing my mind, or does our waiter want us to order a threesome for dessert? I'm turning thirty on Sunday. I'm too old for this.
Tess chimed in. "Have you tried the Friday fireball special?"
Alex quirked a smile. "Yeah, it's a wild one. Would you like a fireball?"
Tess's eyes snapped to mine. "Yes, I'll have a fireball. I've never had one before, so I'll be brave and give it a try."
Alex chuckled. "Very nice. One fireball for you. And for you, Miss?"
I sighed and felt all nearly thirty years of my existence. "I'll have a glass of Pinot grigio, thanks."
The temperature dropped dramatically after the sun went down. Tess and I left a disappointed looking Alex at the Red Umbrella after two drinks and headed to Mama Viola's, my favorite Italian restaurant, for dinner. I texted Clay a silly photo of Tess and I hugging the statue outside of Mama Viola’s and told him that we were adding another girl to our girl’s night.
He’d texted back almost immediately.
Clay: Mama Viola’s?
Me: Yes! I wasn’t sure if you’d recognize the statue.
Clay: Are you kidding? That place has the best spaghetti and meatballs.
Me: Do they? I always get the chicken parm.
Clay: Chicken parm? I never tried it.
Me: I guess we’ve been missing out all this time by sticking to our favorites.
Clay: Let’s do the unthinkable. We’ll go to dinner and order something new.
Me: I want to say yes, but I’d just end up getting the chicken parm anyway.
Clay: Scared to try something new?
Why is everyone asking me that? I’m not scared. I just prefer not to try. Oh, God, when did I turn into such a timid creature?
Tess sat her glass of water on the table and eyed me suspiciously. “Who are you texting?
I shook my head. “No one. I just put a note in my calendar about something.”
Tess sighed and ran her hand over the off-white tablecloth. “You suck at lying. Are you texting Clay?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Maybe.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “See, I told you that we should’ve invited him to join us. I’m going to the ladies’ room, and by the time I get back, I hope you’re little chat will have wrapped up so that we can flirt with men who are here, in person, like real people do.”
I pressed my lips together and tried not to laugh. “That’s a plan.”
Tess stood. “I’m serious.”
I nodded emphatically. “So am I, I promise, girl scout’s honor.” I held up a three-finger salute.
Tess laughed. “I’ll walk slow.” She winked and strolled away from the table.
I reached for my cell and re-read Clay’s last message.
Clay: Scared to try something new?
My heartbeat ticked up a notch.
Me: More like, I stick with safe bets.
It took a minute, but the dots started to dance along the bottom of the text thread.
Clay: Hmm, how about you order your chicken parm, and I’ll order my spaghetti and meatballs. Then we can sample.
Me: Sample?
Clay: Yeah, I’ll give you a bite of my meatball for a taste of your chicken.
Me: I don’t know what if I end up liking yours more than mine?
Clay: I’d be happy to give you all of my meatballs for all of your chicken.
Tess returned to the table and took a sip of wine. “Look at you, giggling like a schoolgirl. I haven’t seen you like this in quite a while. I would’ve given you more time, but there was a line in the ladies’ room, and I didn’t want to wait. I did, however, order another glass of wine. Tell lover-boy you’ll call him later. We’re not going to find anyone in here to flirt with tonight. Everyone’s married. Everyone, I looked. ”
I nodded sympathetically. “Okay. Let me just wrap this up.”
Me: I have to go. Tess is giving me funny looks and wondering why I’m laughing.
Clay: You’re laughing?
Me: Um, yeah.
Clay: Are you laughing at my meatballs?
Me: Stop! No more meatballs. This conversation can’t take anymore.
Clay: Okay, no more meatballs. You won’t ever see me type meatball ever again.
Me: You’re twelve.
Clay: So are you if you’re giggling over the word meatball.
Me: feowfi d
Tess reached over and plucked my phone out of my hand and started typing.
“What the hell, I was typing!”
She smiled. “Yup,
and now I am.”
Me: This is Tess. Would you like to join us?
Clay: Hey, Tess. I just got back to Pine Haven and now am in the middle of something, but next time.
Me: Okay, Melissa would love that.
Me: In fact, she can’t stop talking about you.
Me: Oh, the food’s here. Must run.
I swiped my phone back from Tess and dropped my head in my hands. “She can’t stop talking about you? I’m going to kill you.”
Tess waved off the text message as though it were nothing. “Well, wait until after dinner because this looks delicious.”
I held my breath as the dots at the bottom of the screen danced, then stopped. I held my breath when Clay started typing again.
Clay: Enjoy your dinner.
*****
Tess wiped her mouth and let her cloth napkin drop onto the table. "That chicken francese gets me every time."
I leaned over the dessert menu. "Don't judge me, but I'm getting a piece of chocolate cake to go."
"Are you looking for something to sweeten your evening?"
"I am."
She laughed. "Why don't you try someone instead of something?"
I flashed her a warning glance. "We're fresh out of college waiters, so I guess I'm out of luck."
Our waitress, Mable, approached and held out the check. "Who wants it, or do you need it separated?"
Tess held out her hand. "Hand it over. Mel is turning thirty on Sunday, so tonight is my treat."
Mable's eyes grew bright. "You didn't say anything, Melissa!"
I mouthed a silent thank you to Tess, and she blew me a kiss across the table. I laughed and looked at a highly annoyed Mable. "I'm not exactly looking forward to this birthday. I’m officially starting a new chapter in my life that I’m not ready for just yet."
Mable nodded sadly and placed a hand on her stomach. "It's because you're having dinner on a Friday night with another woman instead of a man, and there's no baby in your belly. When I was your age, every Friday evening, Todd would take me out to dinner. Then we'd go home and make love for the rest of the night. He had a great appetite for life. We had four children."
Tess and I looked at one another, and Tess let her hand drop to the table. “I want a Todd.”
