Friends Without Benefits

by Marci Bolden

  “I go with you to test-drive a few cars, and in exchange you are going to paint my house?”

  “No. We are going to paint your house. I’ll just take care of the colors and decorating.”

  He considered her suggestion for a moment. “How about you pick out the colors, and I pay someone to paint?”

  “Even better. Deal?”

  He nodded his head. “Deal. Finish up so we can go.”

  “Go where?”

  “Car shopping.”

  Her eyes widened. “Now?”

  “Well,” he said picking his sandwich up, “after lunch.”

  Paul’s little brother was nothing if not a know-it-all, and Matt certainly seemed to think he knew everything at the moment. From the time Paul and Dianna had walked into the dealership, Matt kept glancing at Paul, smirking as if he’d discovered some great truth.

  Dianna had been firm on the highest monthly payment she could afford, and while she was gathering up her paperwork to trade in her SUV, Paul had called his brother and struck a deal. Matt agreed to have several nicer sedans ready for her to test-drive, and when she chose one, he’d offer her the same discount he’d offered members of the O’Connell clan in the past.

  Matt immediately surmised that Dianna was Paul’s girlfriend, and even though Paul insisted she wasn’t, his little brother winked and gave him the thumbs-up the very first time Dianna turned her attention to the cars he’d lined up.

  Dianna sighed, pulling Paul’s attention back to her. He stopped glaring at his brother and watched her lift her pen from the signature line.

  She looked at Matt and gnawed her lip for a moment. “Are you sure about this price?”

  She wasn’t stupid. She had to have known she was getting a discount, but Paul hadn’t discussed it with her, and he wasn’t going to give her the chance to bow out because he was calling in a favor for her.

  “Year-end clearance,” Paul offered.

  Dianna glanced between the brothers before scrawling her signature on the last required spot, and Matt slid the keys to a much more sensible sedan toward her. She hesitated but then grinned widely as she curled her fingers around the key ring.

  “Thanks, Matt.” Paul stood and held his hand out.

  Matt took his brother’s hand but was smiling at Dianna. “I hope you enjoy the new car.”

  “Oh, I’m sure I will.”

  Paul started to leave, hoping to make his exit before Matt did or said something stupid. He should have known he never stood a chance.

  Matt slid around his desk as they walked out. “Are we going to see you next Sunday?”

  Dianna glanced at Paul, clearly confused, and Paul moaned.

  “I told you I’m not going,” he said.

  “You can’t miss the family Christmas. Annie will freak.”

  “Christmas already?” Di asked.

  “Family tradition decrees that the second Sunday after Thanksgiving is the O’Connell family Christmas,” Paul said. “Annie is our older sister. She thinks since Mom is no longer with us, it’s her job to see me through my divorce. The only thing is, she doesn’t have a nurturing bone in her body and her so-called support comes off rather condescending.”

  Matt laughed but stifled it when Paul frowned at him. He cleared his throat and focused on Dianna again. “He’s not completely off the mark.”

  “The family Thanksgiving was bad enough,” Paul said.

  “He barely stayed long enough to eat,” Matt told Dianna. “And then he refused to join any of us on Thanksgiving Day.”

  Paul tensed his jaw muscles. Not now, Matthew.

  “That’s my fault, I’m afraid,” Dianna said. “He spent Thanksgiving with me.”

  Matt’s eyes lit as if he’d just gotten the confirmation that he had been seeking ever since Paul first introduced Dianna, and Paul had to wonder which was worse: his family thinking he was sulking, or his family thinking he’d spent the day with a woman.

  “Oh.” Matt gave Paul that know-it-all smirk again. “Why didn’t you tell us you were spending the day with a friend?”

  “Because it’s none of your damned business.” Paul put his hand to Dianna’s elbow and steered her toward the door. “Thanks for your help. Sorry we can’t make it—”

  Matt dismissed his brother’s refusal and followed them outside. “It’s next Sunday at noon, Dianna. Lunch and then our traditional white elephant gift exchange—ten-dollar limit. We are a funny bunch, so the more outrageous the gift, the better. Last year I walked away with a pair of British flag underwear.”

  Dianna laughed. “Very nice. But,” she said looking up at Paul, “I don’t think I’ll be there.”

  “Of course you will. As soon as I tell Annie I met Paul’s new girlfriend, she won’t let up until he agrees to bring you.”

  Dianna put her hand to her chest, clearly surprised by Matt’s assessment. “Oh, we’re not dating.”

  Matt shrugged. “That doesn’t matter. See you next weekend. Paul knows where. Oh, and if you try to duck out, I have your phone number in that nice big stack of paperwork.”

  “Enough,” Paul warned. “I’ll be there, but don’t drag Dianna into it.”

  Matt laughed. “Seriously, though, you should come. It’ll be fun.”

  Paul snorted as he gently pushed her toward her new car.

  Dianna giggled as they climbed in. “Stop scowling. You don’t have to go.”

  “Oh, yes, I do. He wasn’t kidding about Annie.”

  “I’m sorry. I thought telling him you were with me would help. I didn’t think he’d jump to the conclusion that we were dating.”

  “He came to that conclusion the minute we walked in the door. My family isn’t happy unless they are nosing around my personal life.”

  She bit her lip but couldn’t stop her grin from spreading. “Would you like me to go with you?”

  He watched her adjust the rearview mirror. “If you come with me, Annie is going to make a big deal about it. No matter how much I insist we aren’t a couple, she will give you the third degree.”

  Dianna focused on him. “That’s a small price to pay to make it so you can tolerate being around your family again.”

  His frustration faded a bit. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She started the car. “Now that we have my new car taken care of, we need to go pick out paint colors.”

  “Wait. You said you were going to pick out paint colors.”

  “I am.” She winked at him. “I’m just taking you with me.”

  Chapter Six

  Paul frowned at his brother. Matt held up a to-go bag from one of their favorite local hamburger places, but Paul wasn’t impressed.

  “What are you doing here, Matty?”

  “Just thought I’d swing by. Catch the game.”

  “There is no game.”

  “Oh. Well, maybe a movie, then.” He pushed his way into Paul’s house and kicked off his shoes. “Grab us a few beers, will ya?”

  Paul exhaled as he closed his front door and headed for the kitchen. There was absolutely no point in trying to fight what was about to happen. Grabbing two bottles from the fridge, he took them to the living room and dropped onto the sofa next to Matt. “Get it over with.”

  “What?”

  “The game of twenty questions you plan on playing.”

  Matt at least had the decency to try to look offended. “I just wanted to hang out.”

  Paul grabbed a burger and an order of onion rings. “She’s just a friend going through the same shit I am, and we’re trying to help each other through it. No sex or heartstrings attached.”

  Matt nodded. “That’s a pretty big favor you called in for her. Asking me to give her a car at cost.”

  “And I appreciate it. If you need me to cover some of the loss, I will.”

  “We’ll make it back selling her Suburban.”

  “Good.”

  Matt shoved a few fries i
nto his mouth. “She’s pretty.”

  Paul sighed at the abundance of lettuce and tomatoes on his sandwich. “You know I hate this shit on my burger.”

  “So take it off, big boy. You didn’t answer me.”

  “You didn’t ask a question.”

  Matt scoffed. “Sorry. Dianna’s pretty, isn’t she?”

  “Actually, I think she’s beautiful. She’s reminds me of Mom in a way.”

  Matt snickered, and Paul glared at him.

  “Mom was gracious and kind. She always put us first. Dianna is like that. Mom didn’t deserve all the crap Dad pulled, and Dianna doesn’t deserve what her husband is putting her through. She’s strong, but she needs someone to help her, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.”

  “And you’ve decided to be that someone.”

  Matt’s tone told him all he needed to know. It wasn’t an observation. It was a warning.

  “She isn’t like Michelle, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  “How do you know?”

  Paul shook his head. “I’m not doing this, Matt.”

  “Doing what?”

  He took a big bite of his sandwich. “I’m not discussing my fuck-ups with you,” he said around the mouthful.

  “I wasn’t talking about your fuck-ups.”

  “You were getting there.”

  “I just want you to be careful. Is that so wrong?”

  Paul frowned at him. “For the last few years, you’ve been subtly telling me how wrong I was to marry Michelle. You never once took into consideration that I actually loved her.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “The hell it isn’t.” He squirted a packet of ketchup on his onion rings.

  “I know you loved her. But she was using you from the get-go.”

  “And I was just too stupid to notice?”

  Matt dropped what was left of his burger and wiped his hands. “You were blinded by her. The rest of us were on the outside looking in. We had a better vantage point. We hated watching her hurt you for so long, but you wouldn’t listen. In case you didn’t know this about yourself, you can be pretty damned stubborn.”

  Paul smirked. “That’s an O’Connell family trait apparently.”

  “I don’t want you to get back into a situation like that.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You can see why I might think that, right? I’ve never even heard you mention this woman, and then all of a sudden you’re asking me to do her a favor. That’s not like you.”

  Paul swigged his beer as he considered how much to tell his brother. “Look, I’m not giving you details, because…I don’t want to, basically. You’re being too damned nosy for my liking.”

  Matt chuckled. “Okay.”

  “She was married for over twenty years. She stayed home raising kids and taking care of her family while her husband worked to support them. Then one day, he left. Just like that. Now she’s got two kids to support and all the bills that she had before but no husband to help her out. She’s doing the best she can, but she had this huge car payment dragging her down. I knew I could help her.”

  “But why is it your job to help her?”

  Paul shrugged. “I was a mess Thanksgiving. Okay? There, I admit it. I was drinking myself into a stupor, and she came over and did her best to talk me through it. We’re both going through hell, but we’re trying to make things a little easier for each other. And nowhere is sex, love, or money involved in that. Okay?”

  Matt nodded. “Okay. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again. Not every woman is after your classic good looks, you know?”

  Paul rolled his head back and groaned. “Jesus, you sound like Annie.”

  Paul let out a catcall whistle when Dianna opened her front door. “Hubba hubba.”

  Heat started at her neck and quickly rose to her newly dyed hairline and flushed her face. “Stop.”

  “I like it. Very nice.”

  She ran her fingers through her freshly cut strands. She’d used the gift certificate he’d given her to have long layers put back into her hair and have the color dyed a shade lighter than her natural chestnut with a hint of auburn. She had walked out of the salon feeling years younger. When she got home, she’d even put on makeup. She hadn’t done that in months. She’d added just enough mascara and eyeliner to bring out the brightness of her blue eyes, used a bit of concealer to hide the seemingly permanent dark circles under her eyes, and dabbed on a little lipstick.

  She hadn’t paid close attention to her appearance since Mitch left. Realizing the creases in her forehead had somehow grown deeper and the lines around her eyes and mouth more obvious dampened her spirits, but she pushed the criticism aside and relished having an updated look.

  “I can’t thank you enough, Paul. Seriously, I so needed this.”

  “You look beautiful. Even more beautiful,” he quickly amended. “Thanks for inviting me to dinner. It smells great.”

  She grinned. “Well, I owed you. I hope you like eggplant parmesan.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  She took a bottle of wine from him as he hung his coat, and then they walked to the kitchen. While he lifted the lid off the sauce and tasted it, she dug out a corkscrew and glasses.

  “Is this homemade?” he asked, going in for another spoonful.

  “Yes.”

  “Amazing. Do you make everything yourself?”

  “Not everything.” She grunted as she pulled the cork out. “Mitch preferred homemade, and I had the time, so I did whenever possible. It’s a habit now, I guess.”

  Paul lifted his glass after she filled it. “Well, here’s to hanging on to the good habits.”

  She clinked her glass to his and took a drink. Paul got plates down while Dianna returned her attention to the stove.

  Leaning against the counter, he took a drink of his wine while she strained the pasta. “I have a confession to make.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “I didn’t bring the wine just for dinner. I was hoping to get you drunk so I could take advantage of you.”

  Dianna turned and lifted her brows at him.

  “I need to go Christmas shopping, and I really suck at that. I thought if I got enough wine in you, you’d agree to help me.”

  “Oh, yes, I can see how you’d need alcohol on your side. Women hate shopping.” She smiled when he laughed. “I was planning on going to the mall tomorrow after we left Annie’s if I had time. I need to get a few more small things. Want to tag along?”

  “Perfect. And it will give us an excuse to bail.”

  “You’re worrying me a bit.” She topped off his food with some sauce. “Are they going to sit me at a table with spotlights and grill me?”

  “That’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.” He accepted the plate. “Michelle left a bad taste in their mouths. I wouldn’t be surprised if any woman I ever introduced to them in the future had to go through a lie detector test.”

  Dianna sat across from him with her own plate and watched him cut into his dinner. He had taken three big bites, moaning his appreciation each time, before he stopped chewing.

  He eyed her. “What?”

  She chuckled when she realized she’d been staring. “It’s nice to cook something I like and have someone enjoy it rather than complain and then go make a sandwich.”

  “Anybody who doesn’t appreciate your cooking is an idiot.” He started to fill his mouth again and then stopped. “Wait, we’re talking about him right? I don’t want to call your kids idiots.”

  “Well, them, too, but they’re kids. They aren’t supposed to like good food. I meant him.”

  “Well, he’s an idiot.”

  “Indeed.” Dianna cut into her dinner. “Tell me more about your family.”

  He told her about his siblings as they ate. Matt had opened the car dealership right out of college, and Annie went to work for a real estate agency after high school. Five years after that, she branched out on her own. The other rea
lty office closed, but Annie’s was still going strong. She’d never married but had a daughter. The father had never been in the picture. Matt, on the other hand, was happily married and spoiled his two girls rotten.

  Paul’s sons, Sean and Toby, sounded eerily similar to Dianna’s boys. Toby was quite serious, while Sean had always been the class clown. Paul had never been close to his boys, but now that Michelle was out of the picture, he wanted to try to fix that.

  In turn, Dianna told him of her love of music. Once upon a time, she’d hoped to give lessons, but she’d never found the time. Jason had never cared to learn, but she’d taught Sam to play the guitar, though the piano was her favorite.

  Once dinner was done, Dianna filled a container with leftovers and put it on the counter for Paul to take home. The dishwasher door squeaked as Paul opened it, and Dianna stopped gathering their plates from the table as she turned to him.

  She watched him rinse a pan before setting it inside the machine. “What are you doing?”

  He glanced back over his shoulder. “Helping you clean up. Is that wrong?”

  “No. No. That’s right. That’s very right. Thank you.”

  “He didn’t do that either, huh?”

  “And get his hands dirty? God, no.”

  They worked together to clean up dinner, and then Dianna led him to the living room. They sat on the sofa, and Paul listed off who he intended to buy presents for when they went shopping the next day while Dianna wrote their names on her shopping list.

  “Any idea what you want to get them?” she asked.

  Paul sank back into the sofa and rolled his head back. “Not a clue. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I hate Christmas.”

  Dianna gasped dramatically. “What?”

  “The stress, the panic, the pressure. It’s horrible.”

  Her smile faded as he ran his hand through his thick silver strands. “I know it’s been a tough year, but—”