“So, can I ask you something?”
I swallowed the last mouthful. “You can ask anything.”
“What is the deal with Colin?”
My hand holding my glass of water froze partway to my mouth. “Excuse me?”
She began to laugh and reached across the table, patting my arm. “I should have phrased that better.” She lifted one eyebrow in a gesture I was too familiar with after working with Sandy.
It said: Busted.
“You were a little abrupt with him this morning.”
“We worked it out.”
“You weren’t actually jealous, were you?”
I looked down at the table and shrugged. “This is all new for me, BB. All I saw was a handsome guy handing you what I thought was his number. I realize it was stupid and my reaction was over the top.” I met her gaze. “But I also realized I have no claim on you. You are free to date anyone you want.” I swallowed the bitterness I felt.
She studied me for a moment then smiled. “No one has ever been jealous regarding me before. You were kinda cute.” She sat back. “Even if it was, as you say, over the top.”
“I apologize.”
“I would never date someone else while I was with you, Reid. If you don’t understand that, let me reassure you right now.”
“Me, either. You’re it for me, Becca. Done and dusted.”
Her eyes grew round.
“I mean . . .” I scrubbed my face in frustration, realizing how that sounded. “I mean I don’t want to date anyone else.”
“Okay.”
I sighed. “So much for saying the right thing.”
She chuckled. “You did fine.”
“So what did you want to know about Colin?”
“Oh. How on earth is he Sandy’s grandson? He must be thirty. She told me she turns fifty-five next month. Is he adopted?”
I leaned back. “Ah, no. Sandy was a bit of a wild child. When she was eighteen, she married a man who was forty and had a son her age already. His son—Aaron—got married and had Colin when he was twenty-four, and a daughter, Jennifer, a couple of years later. She was a very young grandmother.”
“Wow!”
“I know.”
“Is she still married?”
“Yes. Her husband, Max, was a doctor. He retired years ago, and his health isn’t great. But they are still together. She looks after him with some home care help. He still adores her and she him.”
“And she got on well with his son?”
“Yep. They are great friends, and Sandy loves Colin to bits. He gets a kick out of telling people she’s his grandmother—they never believe him. He teases her about it a lot.”
“You’ve spent a lot of time with them?”
I drained my water. “Yes. When I joined the company, Sandy took pity on me and fed me a few times. Max is great, and I enjoy talking to him. I’ve only met Aaron a couple of times, but he seems like a nice guy. He lives in Ottawa but comes for visits to see Colin, Max, and Sandy often. Aaron’s daughter, Jennifer, lives in Europe, so Sandy doesn’t see her granddaughter very often. I haven’t even met her.”
“Sandy never had kids?”
“No.”
“Sandy would have been a great mom.”
“I think that’s why she is so close to Colin.”
“Makes sense.”
“Anyway, I rigged a bunch of things at their house to make it easier for them. Colin sees them a lot, so we became friendly. I heard him telling Sandy one day about a patient he was worried about, and I told him what I did. Since then, on occasion, he asks for help.”
“Wow. That must be quite a story—Sandy, I mean.”
“I don’t know everything, but she told me some history. It caused a huge scandal, I guess—the age difference and him having a son her age. She knew Aaron first, and they were friends. She met Max at some social function, and she said it was love at first sight for them both. They went through a lot, but they made it.”
We walked back to the office, our fingers entwined. In the elevator, Becca turned to me. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Anytime.”
“Can I repay you with dinner tomorrow?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yep.”
She pressed a kiss to my mouth before the doors opened and our hands separated. I followed her down the hall, pausing in my doorway when she spoke my name softly.
“Reid?”
I turned. “Yeah, BB?”
She glanced around quickly, then kissed me again.
“You do have a claim. I wanted you to know that,” she declared, then hurried away.
The grin never left my face the rest of the afternoon.
Reid
I STARED AT the computer screen—for the first time in my life, I didn’t understand the images in front of me. I restarted the video, slowing it down, trying to memorize the instructions. I was failing big-time. I glanced at my phone, checking the time. It was after seven, and the office was empty. I studied the screen again, thinking of Becca’s offhand remarks over lunch at my desk earlier that day.
“Bentley’s wedding is in two weeks—how exciting!”
I nodded, noncommittal.
“What’s the matter? Are you an I-hate-weddings kind of guy?”
I chuckled, looking at her sandwich, wondering if she was going to eat the other half. She’d been working on the first half for a solid ten minutes. My entire sandwich was gone in five. “I have no idea. I’ve never been to one.”
She gasped. “Really? I love weddings!”
“Nope.” I tugged on her plate. “You gonna eat that, BB?”
With a laugh, she pushed the plate my way. “You’re hanging around Aiden far too much. You’re beginning to eat like him.”
I picked up the sandwich with a grin. “I’m still a growing boy. So why do you love weddings so much?”
She leaned her elbow on my desk, propping her chin in her hand as she gazed past me out the window. “I don’t know. The beautiful dresses, the words of love, the flowers, and everyone smiling.” She shrugged. “It’s really nice. The speeches are usually long, but I imagine since it’s Aiden and Maddox speaking, they’ll be pretty entertaining. Later, we can dance!”
I almost choked. “Dance?” I managed to get out.
She bobbed her head enthusiastically. “I know we’re not announcing we’re a couple, but you’ll dance with me, right?” She moved her index finger around the desk in small circles. “If you’d rather not, I can ask Craig or someone else.” A little grin tugged on her lips. “I think I heard Sandy say Colin was bringing her. I’m sure he’d dance with me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t think so. You want to dance? Then we’ll dance, Ms. Holden. I’m claiming all of them. Now.”
She stood, brushing off her skirt, fighting a smile. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
“Yep. That’s part of the wedding! Look at you getting into the spirit!”
She picked up her phone and left.
It was only after she’d walked out that I realized she’d played me.
Damn, she was good.
Really, though, I was fine with it since I didn’t want anyone else dancing with her.
Except, I had no idea how to dance. I had never attended a dance growing up, two-stepped with a woman in a country bar, or even swayed with someone in a drunken haze.
More virgin territory.
That was why, on a Friday night, I was studying dance videos and websites. Surely, it couldn’t be that difficult? Lots of people did it. I had seen Becca dance. She was graceful and fluid. I just needed to make sure I didn’t stomp on her toes. I looked back at the screen and realized watching wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to practice.
I checked the hallway, glancing up and down. It was deserted. Satisfied, I returned to my desk and turned on my wall of monitors. I studied the movements for several minutes, then pushed off my desk. I recalled the instructional tutorial from earlier.
Relax.
Keep your head up and back straight.
Listen to the music.
Let your body feel the rhythm.
I rolled my shoulders, already confused. How was I supposed to relax but keep my back straight and my head up? I decided to go with relax.
I hung my head and listened to the music. It had a nice tempo. Self-conscious, I tapped my foot to the beat and attempted to follow the steps on the screen. I was awkward and stiff. I kept going the wrong way instead of the way they instructed. I stumbled and had to right myself.
It was much harder than it looked.
I tried again, cursing loudly when I slammed into the corner of my desk. I kicked at the edge, wondering how bad it would really be if Becca danced with Colin. He had a girlfriend, after all.
The flash of jealousy that hit me at the thought of her in his arms instead of mine made me try again. This time, I tripped over a chair.
I stood up, brushing off my pants as I heard the sound of clapping. Startled, I spun around to see Aiden in the doorway, his expression amused. He indicated the monitors behind me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I hit the end button. “Nothing.”
He walked in, his shoulders shaking from laughter. “I think you were attempting to dance, but at first, I wasn’t sure if you were having a seizure or drunk.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
He met my gaze. “Yeah, kid, it was.”
I sighed, dropping my head to my chest. “Becca wants to dance at Bent’s wedding.”
“And?”
“It’s another punch card, Aiden. I don’t know how to dance. I have never danced in my life!”
He frowned. “Not even when you’re alone in your boxers making a sandwich and a good song comes on the radio? You don’t start busting a move?”
“First off, thanks for the visual, and second, no. Never. And I don’t think ‘busting a move’ is what Becca wants. She wants slow and romantic—” I jerked my thumb in the direction of the wall “—like they’re doing.”
He rubbed his chin and shook his head. “I think that’s a little out-of-date for Becca. She wants you to dance, not waltz.”
“Dammit, I wasted a couple of hours.”
He snorted. “Boy, if that was after a couple of hours, I wouldn’t want to see what you looked like to start.” He shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. “Okay, let’s get at it.”
“What?”
He grinned. “You wanna learn how to dance? I’m gonna show you.”
“Seriously, could you step on my foot again? I think there’s one toe you haven’t bruised or broken yet,” Aiden grumbled.
“It’s not my fault. You have such big feet.”
“You know what they say about big feet . . .” Aiden waggled his eyebrows.
“Fuck. Knock it off. Do you really need your hand on my ass?” I complained again, reaching behind me to tug his arm higher.
“Trust me, when you’re dancing with Becca, that’s where it will end up. Cami likes my hand there, right around the curve of her—”
I stepped back, holding up my hands. “Dude, I am not Cami.”
“No shit. Her ass is great, and she’s graceful. You need to relax.”
“I can’t relax! You keep telling me what to do and hugging me . . . and feeling me up! It’s just not right, Aiden!”
“Me telling you what to do, or the hugging part? Because, seriously—I like the feeling up part.” He winked. “You’re a little bony, but if I batted for the other team, I’d go for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are so immature.”
He held out his arms, waiting for me to take his hand. “Okay, again. You need a lot of practice.”
With a sigh, I stepped into position. “Watch where you put your hands,” I growled.
He chuckled. “Whatever, kid. You suck at this, but we’re gonna keep trying. Follow my lead.”
“That’s another thing. How am I supposed to learn if I’m following your lead? Won’t Becca expect me to lead? Maybe we should try that?”
He shook his head. “I lead. I’m the guy.”
“I want to be the guy.”
“Not right now.”
“No, let’s try it my way.”
“No! I’m the guy! I’m too big to be the girl. That’s your job!”
“I’m tired of being the girl!”
A voice made us both freeze.
“Is this what happens after hours around here? Maddox, you’ve been hiding things from me.”
Aiden and I separated, then faced the door.
Maddox and Richard VanRyan filled the doorway. They had their arms crossed, amusement written all over their faces.
“How long have you been there?” Aiden demanded.
“Long enough. I think the question is how long have you been at that?” Maddox responded.
Aiden glanced at his watch. “An hour or so.”
“I was practicing before he got here,” I piped up.
Richard’s expression said it all. My practicing hadn’t helped.
“Um, what are you doing here, Richard?”
He grinned. “I was in Montreal. My flight had a stopover, and there was a mechanical malfunction that grounded us for the night. I called Maddox to see if he wanted to meet for a drink, and he insisted on coming to get me.”
“And you’re here in the office because . . . ?”
“I heard they were auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance. And I wanted to come to see it for myself. By the way, the answer to the question is no. You can’t dance, Reid.” He started to chuckle. “In fact, both of you suck.”
“Hey!” Aiden frowned. “I’m a good dancer. Cami says so.”
“Uh-huh.”
“She never complains.”
Maddox burst out laughing. “Because all you do is crush her to your chest and fling her around. She hangs on for dear life.”
“If you think you can do better, be my guest.”
Maddox lifted an eyebrow. “You wanna make a little wager?”
“Sure.” Aiden put his hands on his hips. “Bring it.”
“Hey!” I objected. “I only want to dance with Becca at the wedding. Not be part of some sort of contest.”
Richard smirked, ignoring my words. “I’ll accept too. Double or nothing.”
“That confident, are you?” Maddox returned his smirk.
“When I first knew her, my wife could, and often did, trip over air. She’s gotten better, but she still finds being vertical a challenge at times,” Richard laughed. “When Katy dances with me, she’s grace personified. I think I have a lot to do with that.”
Aiden chuckled. “Okay then, I think we have a challenge. You each get a chance with him, and whoever shows him how to dance the best, wins.”
“Um.” I scratched my head. “I really don’t want to dance with anyone else tonight. I think I’m good.”
“What’s the wager?” Maddox asked, ignoring me as he looked between Aiden and Richard.
“A thousand bucks.” Aiden rubbed his hands together. “Whoever teaches him to dance gets the cash.”
My eyebrows flew up.
Richard shrugged off his jacket. “You’re on.”
“What do I get out of it?” I asked.
Richard held out his arms. “The safety of my embrace,” he deadpanned. “Now, let’s go.”
I groaned. This was not how I planned to learn how to dance.
Forty-five minutes later, I shook my head. “Forget it, Richard. Obviously, this is not my thing.”
He furrowed his brow. “You literally have no coordination. Or rhythm.”
“This doesn’t bode well for punching your V-card, Reid,” Aiden sang from the desk. “You need lots of rhythm for that.” He kicked up his feet on my desk and made a lewd gesture with his hips. “Becca is gonna expect some moves in the bedroom.”
Richard’s eyes grew round. “You’ve never? Really, I mean, no offense, but how can t
hat even be possible?”
“It just is,” I said, feeling defensive. “Becca’s good with it. In fact, she finds it hot.”
He grimaced. “I don’t want to think of Becca and you . . . yeah, never mind.” He laid his hand on my shoulder, suddenly serious. “Treat her right, or you’ll deal with me.”
“Understood.”
“Do you need any, ah, pointers, in that direction?”
I held up my hands. “No. Just no.”
“Okay, simply asking. Back to business.” Richard huffed a sigh. “You got any ideas, Mad Dog? The kid has the rhythm of a block of cement.”
Maddox stood, draining his beer. He’d gone out, grabbed some pizza and a case of beer, and brought it back. He had returned to the office full time after his accident, and he was almost back to his old self. He and Aiden had been eating, drinking, and critiquing, while Richard did his best to teach me to dance. As with Aiden, it was a total failure.
“One,” Maddox drawled, and handed Richard and me each a beer. “You keep telling him, but does he even know what he’s trying to do? What it’s supposed to look like? It’s Reid, our computer boy. Graphics, games, code. He’s all about seeing. He needs a visual.” He indicated the monitors behind me. “And not like that. Live.”
Richard took a long swallow. “You’re right.”
Maddox chuckled. “You willing to take one for the team?”
Richard drained his beer and wiped his mouth. “Let’s go.” He tilted his chin. “Music.”
I hit the play button and grabbed my beer. The bottle froze partway to my mouth as Richard and Maddox began to dance. Richard took the lead, with Maddox following his steps. They were loose and relaxed, their bodies swaying, feet moving to the beat. I watched, actually seeing how they simply allowed the music to move them. I studied their feet, wondering how they didn’t trip over each other, but neither seemed to have that issue.
“You two look beautiful together,” Aiden mocked. “So in sync.”
Maddox flipped him the bird and kept going. “Do you see?” he asked me. “Concentrate on your partner, not your feet. Stop thinking. That’s not how it works. Feel the music. Guide her by pressing on her back, gently urging her in the right direction.”
Reid: Vested Interest #4 Page 11
