Love is in the Cards

by K. L. Brady

  His gaze shifted toward Kyle, whose bottom jaw slammed on the table. Cody shrugged, faking confusion, but he well understood the drama unfolding—with pure, unadulterated clarity. "Always nice to see you, Kyle."

  "Yes," Chandra said to him. "What a surprise! It's great to see you here...and with Tessa." Always a gentleman, Kyle stood and greeted Chandra with a kiss on each cheek and a brotherly embrace.

  After a quick calculation, Chandra perked up, seemingly relieved to see Cody’s ex on a date. She excitedly volleyed her glance to Kyle then Tessa. "We've never been formally introduced. I've seen you...in passing at some industry events, but it's a pleasure to meet you in the flesh."

  "Same here. I've heard so much. All good things, of course." Tessa reached out her hand to Chandra in a gracious follow-up to Kyle's lead. "What, uh, what brings you two out to ThaiPhoon tonight?" Tessa shifted her gaze between Cody and Chandra.

  Chandra jutted her thumb toward Cody, placing all the blame on him.

  Tessa used to tell him he could've earned a doctorate for his execution of one single skill: burying his head in the sand. His willful disdain for reality even astounded him, and her words felt a whole lot like the truth in that moment...especially looking at Kyle's deadly stink eye. It was potent enough to make Cody shrivel up and die; after glimpsing it, he ignored that, too.

  "I'd been planning to bring my Chandra here for some time. The food is fantastic, especially the seafood curry dishes." He emphasized the latter part as if Tessa needed more of a reminder. Cody grabbed Chandra's hand and threaded his fingers with hers. "So, when my lunch plans took an unexpected turn this afternoon, I figured tonight would be the perfect occasion to share this experience with my sweetheart. Our condo's right up the street and around the corner."

  "Yes, indeed," Chandra said in a sing-song voice. If he won an Oscar for lead actor, she'd win supporting actress in his comedy. Chandra had caught on to his game and apparently opted to play along. "It's close by and I've been hearing such wonderful things,"—she shrugged—"and, of course, what my Codykins wants, my Codykins gets."

  The Codykins bit drew eye rolls from all present, including him.

  While everyone else was distracted with a round of chuckles, Tessa faked a stomach heave when she thought no one was looking.

  Cody noticed.

  He turned his attention back to his fiancée and waited for the consequences. Chandra's anger would present itself as a tight smile or a Kung Fu death grip around his arm. Tessa, on the other hand, would've taken him out at the jugular with Ginsu glares when she discovered his true motive for date night.

  Kyle, oblivious to Cody's impending plot, waved down a server. "Our waiter's heading over," Kyle said to Tessa. "We can finally put in our orders, and I'm sure you two would like to get to your seats."

  Nice try.

  Maybe he hoped Cody would take the hint and leave. Where’s the fun in that?

  "Yes, I'm absolutely famished," Tessa said. She took the signal and made her play. "Looks like your server's on his way, too. Shame. It's been such a pleasure chatting. We'd love to have you guys join us, but—"

  "Well, don't mind if we do.” Cody pounced on the opportunity with a smugness so thick it could choke a whale.

  "Oh, no," Chandra said. She had other plans. "We wouldn't want to interrupt—,”

  "It's such a kind and generous offer, we can't refuse, can we, Chandra?" Cody said, swooping in with a deft response. He didn't even wait for her reply. "Thanks so much for asking. I, for one, would never want to deny anyone the pleasure of your company."

  Oh, the bull. Molasses-thick and knee-deep.

  He wasted no time pulling out a seat for Chandra, who cut him a hard side eye before pasting on a fake smile.

  She flaunted a cheerful mask even if she secretly wished to slap him into the New Year.

  In a similar situation, Tessa would've turned her inner-witch on full tilt and, with barely a swish of her broom, embarrassed the heck out of everyone within a fifty-mile radius.

  "That's fine, Sweetie. You know what I always say."

  "Let me guess," Tessa piped in. "What your Codykins wants, your Codykins gets."

  While Chandra tossed her head back with a giggle, Tessa's eyes rolled out of the restaurant and back inside.

  During their honeymoon phase, he thought Chandra’s laugh angelic and cute. Now the squeal had the same effect as fingernails dragging across a chalkboard.

  "Cody, it's good you snapped this one off the market before she got away," Tessa said. The smirk she wore was less than subtle. "I couldn't have engineered a more ideal match for you. Absolutely perfect."

  Now, Cody felt his eyes roll out of the restaurant and back. He knew exactly what she meant, and it was nothing nice.

  "You are too kind. And I appreciate you allowing us to join you for this wonderful, damp evening,” Chandra added.

  During an uncomfortable, brief lull in the conversation, Chandra leaned over and rubbed her fiancé’s arm.

  "Well," Cody said, looking at Tessa. "I'm sure we're all famished, right? My stomach is growling since my lunch plans changed, abruptly."

  "You don't say." Tessa tilted her head toward him and feigned a pitying expression. "I hate it when that happens. I'm a bear when I miss a meal. What happened? Do tell."

  "I won't bore anyone with the details." To Cody's relief, they were saved by the bell, or the server, as it were. "Time to put in our orders." He glanced over the menu and then at Chandra.

  "Everything looks so delicious. What do you have an appetite for?" he asked his future bride. "The shrimp curry is heaven. I can't recommend that one enough." Cody shifted his gaze from Chandra to Tessa, whose hostile squint greeted him like stink on a skunk.

  "Red curry chicken," Chandra said. "It's one of my favorite dishes."

  Kyle rubbed his hands together. "Mmm. Sounds perfect." He looked at Cody. "I can't thank you enough for recommending this place...this afternoon."

  Snitch.

  "Yes, I recommended it," Cody said, trying to hedge, "but I had no idea you'd take me up on it so quickly."

  Cody would be sure to "thank" Kyle for blabbering later. Chandra wouldn't miss that beat. He'd be sleeping with one eye open—and on the couch. The look she flashed confirmed his suspicions.

  Meanwhile, Tessa showed uncharacteristic restraint at the revelation, but Cody knew that her head would've spun off her neck had they been alone. At last, she placed her order. "Curry chicken and a whiskey sour—double, please."

  The waiter disappeared and the awkwardness was so palpable it took a fifth seat at the table. Cody had prepared to fill the uncomfortable silence, but Tessa beat him to the punch.

  "Kyle, you know," she leaned into him. "I never get to watch TV anymore. Everything's so crazy with the business. But I caught an episode of Jeopardy the other day, and I finally got a question right." Cody watched Kyle slightly lean in, inhale her scent. Had to be lavender and jasmine. He could never forget it.

  "Jeopardy? What was it?"

  "Who is a coward? I'll bet you'll never guess the right answer," she said. As the waiter returned with her drink, her eyes sparkled with joy and relief.

  Kyle chewed on the question not realizing she'd taken a nasty swipe at Cody.

  Cody growled inside but remained visibly cool. If he retaliated, he'd bring their simmering tension to the surface. He'd already earned a spot on the couch. No need to shoot for the moon...literally.

  "The lion on the Wizard of Oz?" Kyle eventually replied.

  "Ooh! So close! You almost nailed it." With her glass turned up as she gulped down the whiskey sour, she hacked Cody with a lethal glare.

  Cody seethed. He should've returned to the high road to keep the peace, but he didn't—refused to contain his tongue.

  "What a coincidence. You know, I saw that episode. Must've been the Wizard of Oz Category. I got one about a bitter witch right, too. My answer was: who is petty?" He sucked down a long sip and hacked her with a squint of his own.
“Wait, no. Maybe I overheard someone discussing that at lunch today. Oh, never mind."

  Cody glared at Tessa as her jaw clenched. The veins in her neck popped into her skin. She tried to suppress her anger by folding her napkin across her lap and steepling her fingers, but she reached the point of eruption. "Excuse me. I'm going to the ladies' room. Another minute and we’ll have some serious problems at this table.”

  Without regard for the optics, Cody bolted up and followed on her heels. He caught her in the lobby and stopped her with a gentle elbow tug. She spun around bearing her teeth, waiting for one wrong syllable. She extended her claws and stood ready to strike.

  "What was that all about? Coward?" Cody asked. Breathless with anger, he noticed curious onlookers and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Jeopardy? Really?"

  "Well, if the question fits," she replied, mirroring his hushed, angry tones.

  "How many times do I have to apologize for what I did five years ago? I was a different man, then. I’m sorry, okay?”

  "You’ve got that right, you're sorry." She folded her arms over her chest. " So, what now? You think that's it? That you can just pat me on the head, say I'm sorry and like magic. Poof!"—she snapped her fingers—"you erase the hurt you caused, the betrayal? The loss? You've known me for most of my life. You couldn't actually believe you could pacify me that easily, could you?"

  He opened his mouth to speak but no words came.

  She pressed her voice into a scary whisper. He almost wanted to take a step back. "You left me in ashes and Keep It Real saved my life. You didn't really expect to ambush me, and I’d march along like an obedient little soldier, did you? Please tell me your fancy little CEO position affords you better medication than that."

  "Sending you the card was the hardest thing I had to do."

  "Had to do, huh?"

  Again, he had no words.

  "The only thing we ever have to do in this life is die. That's it. Devastating me, destroying us, you made choices. Maybe I'd respect you if, for once in your life, you owned up to them. But, no, admitting you're a pile of cow dung is too much like right. And then you don't stop there. Oh, no! You use a lovely date to make Kyle an accessory to murder by food poisoning. What did I ever do to you, except receive the pain you inflicted on me and survive? Are you so small that you didn't even want to see me survive?"

  "I was angry."

  "Therein lies the difference between you and me." She pressed her lips together and nodded. “When you hurt me, I channeled my pain and energy into building my company. When I hurt you, you channeled your energy into hurting me. I've never intentionally caused you pain. Oh, but I will now. And this slick move you pulled right here, tonight? You declared war. Now watch me bring the fight to your doorstep."

  "Tessa—"

  "Oh, no. It's on! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my date and leave. With this weather, it's the perfect night for Kyle and me to snuggle up and take things to the next level."

  Cody grunted and stormed into the bathroom where he paced until his hostility subsided. By the time, he returned to his seat, Kyle and Tessa had disappeared.

  Only a frighteningly calm and cool Chandra remained. She didn't often allow her anger to get the best of her, but if she'd been an alley cat, his body would be fully mauled and half eaten.

  "Tessa treated for dinner," she said with an eerie calm. "She insisted before she took off with Kyle. Quite kind of her given the circumstances, don't you think?"

  "Chandra..." He took a seat beside her and grabbed her hand, but she pulled it away.

  "Help me understand this—exactly what did you expect to happen, huh?" She asked sweetly, leaning her cheek toward him to request a kiss. The daughter of Dr. Barrington believed in keeping up appearances. "What did you think?" She didn't speak with a scowl in her tone. Rather, she squeezed each word through a tight smile and gritted teeth. "Did you really believe she'd revere you as the hero in this scenario? That she'd somehow obey you like some trained Yorkie? These are the mysteries perplexing me right this minute. What did you think?" The sugar in her voice was coated with deadly venom.

  "I didn't."

  "Now that's the first truthful thing you've said in days. You didn't think about her—and you sure didn't think about me—or us, which makes me question everything about our relationship." Despite the height of her anger, she still spoke with a steady tight grin. "And, unlike your little ex-girlfriend, I'm a woman. When it comes to us, I don't play games or Jeopardy. Frankly, I despise questions."

  Cody wanted to do right by her and their relationship, but, at that moment, he didn't know if appeasing her was the right answer for either of them. She didn’t like questions, but he lacked answers.

  "Now"—she grabbed her purse— "I'm going home. I have no idea where you're going to sleep tonight, but I promise that you will not rest soundly anywhere within a close vicinity of me." She warned, "Don't you dare follow me" in the final kiss she left on his cheek with nary a syllable spoken. "Enjoy the rest of your dinner, Hon, and thank Tessa for her generosity when you see her at work tomorrow."

  He didn't chase her. He didn't have the energy to feign regret. She was no more perfect than he, but she deserved his honesty. He couldn't speak the truth without causing a massive scene. She hated scenes more than questions. So, he grinned and waved as he watched her walk out of the restaurant and, for all he knew, out of his life forever.

  Two servers returned prepared to fill the table. "Looks like a few of your guests are missing," one said.

  "And they won't be returning. I'll need some to-go boxes. Leave the drinks to me."

  He grabbed Tessa's whiskey sour, chucked it down, and stewed in the mess he'd made.

  Cody cursed the morning sun as he wriggled his body in the squeaky leather couch cushions; his back creaked and his butt sunk into the springs. The previous night's cocktails hung over his head like a cement hat. Tessa first crossed his mind, then Chandra. The order of his regret wasn't lost on him. He had some wrongs to right, and he knew exactly where to start.

  He let out a long yawn and flipped to his side so he could roll off the office sofa. The position offered a city view which held his focus while he cleaned the crud from his eyes...then Kyle entered. Cody braced himself for hostility, but the greeting was unexpected.

  "Well. Morning, Sunshine." He spoke with neither a smile in his voice nor his face, and dropped a pile of files on his desk. "Looks like your evening ended as I expected."

  Cody struggled to sit up, but he was determined to own up to his behavior the night before. Upright, he buried his face in his hands. "Man, I apologize. I stepped completely out of bounds."

  "You don't say."

  "I don't even know what came over me. Five years ago, I broke up with Tessa, and the woman still makes me crazy."

  "Thanks for the recap, Captain Obvious. But we're boys. We'll be cool again...eventually," Kyle said with a bit of bite in his voice. "You've got some thinking to do. You need to figure out why she still has this effect on you. Neither Chandra nor I deserved your performance. Neither did Tessa."

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tessa

  * * *

  I De-clare. War.

  By the time the blowout ended, Tessa and Cody had abandoned all semblance of civility. He crossed a red line—actually, all of them—with his ThaiPhoon dinner antics, so Tessa jumped in his butt with both stilettos, paid the tab, and stormed outside.

  Now, fat raindrops plopped against Tessa's tense jaw as Kyle took forever to return with the jacket she left. She felt thankful for the reprieve, a moment to simmer down and cool off. She resolved to unleash her fury on Cody tomorrow. Now, more than ever the night belonged to her and Kyle.

  "Here, I've got you." Kyle's sweet words made butterflies flitter in her Tummy. She stepped backward out of the rain and into the vestibule. He held up her jacket so she could slip her arms into the sleeves.

  "I'm sorry about the scene," she said to him. "What looked like a petty a
rgument over dinner was, in fact, five years of regret paired with frustration, spite, and resentment."

  "It's okay. Really. I can relate." He chuckled. "Put me and my ex in a room, and you'd need a parka and ski mask to survive the chill. Are you sure you want to hang out tonight...I mean, after everything that's happened?"

  "Kyle, I'm starving." She sucked her tongue and cranked her neck. "If you think the display in the restaurant was something to behold, you don't want to see the destruction and discontent I'll unleash upon the earth if you don't feed me. I take hangry to unseen levels." Her eyes zoomed in on a protrusion coming from his coat pocket. "Is that an umbrella—or are you happy to see me?"

  At first there was silence. Then he folded over laughing which proved to be contagious as they both curled at the stomach.

  "You have a warped mind...and I like it. A lot."

  "Trust me. You have yet to glimpse a fraction of my debauchery."

  He opened the umbrella with ease. The problem came when trying to figure out how they fit together beneath the undersized canopy. "You're going to have to put your arm around my waist," he said. "I mean, for us to both stay dry. It's starting to pour, unless you want it all to yourself."

  "No," Tessa said. "I want to share...with you." She wanted to be close to him...as close as possible, to inhale his scent, to feel his warmth, to forget her pain.

  Heavy clouds emptied onto the hard ground, but the sound dissipated into soothing muffled pitter-pats. She slipped her arm around Kyle's waist and allowed her hand to rest on his six-pack. Her heart skipped so many beats, she thought she had a minor stroke.

  His arm found her shoulder, and he snuggled her tightly to keep her dry. Thank heavens for the rain, for the security of his arms around her; he shielded her, and she felt protected. Even outside in the chilly fall mix, he warmed her with his man-magnificence. The delicious leathery scent that peppered his skin might induce her to devour him if they were in private quarters. For the first time in a long time, she realized she missed the closeness.