“Are you sure? Because I don’t want you to feel I’m taking advantage of you.”
“I would never feel that way.”
“Hmmm.” Delilah took a sip of her tea. “One of his teammates is having a birthday party Friday night. I told him I probably couldn’t go.”
“Well, now you can.”
But I don’t want to! Delilah thought. Just imagining herself at a party made her feel nauseous.
“I have an idea,” Marcus continued, his old enthusiasm returning. “Why don’t you surprise him? Think of the look on his face when you walk in and he realizes you made the effort just for him?”
Delilah felt her eyes bug out of her head. “You want me to walk into a party alone?!”
“I’ll give you a Xanax. You’ll be fine.”
“You might have to give me one now.”
Surprise Jason; it was a thought. He’d liked it when he came home to find her in his apartment. And it would show that she’d made a special effort to spend time. Still . . . a party . . .
“I don’t know where it’s being held,” Delilah pointed out.
Marcus’s gaze was withering. “Nice try. You’ll be seeing him before that, right?”
“Probably.”
“Then casually ask him about it. Or find out from the brother. Aren’t they thick as thieves?”
“I would describe it as more of a love/hate relationship.”
“Well, appeal to the love side of him and get the details.” Marcus turned up his palms, mimicking the two sides of a scale. “Think about it, Delilah: Relationship with Jason”—he lifted his left hand—“or winding up the crazy old dog woman of the Upper West Side.” He raised his right hand. “You decide.”
CHAPTER 19
“When am I gonna get to meet your girlfriend?”
Jason looked up from his plate of spaghetti to see Michael Dante standing beside him. Like all Blades affairs, the surprise party for David Hewson was being held at Dante’s. Michael, who had organized the party as part of an ongoing effort to build team camaraderie, had been making the rounds since the festivities began, making sure everyone had enough to eat and drink. It was obvious he was very proud of the restaurant, even though his brother Anthony looked like he wanted to kill him every time he emerged from the kitchen with new dishes for the banquet table.
Jason blotted his mouth with a napkin. “She’s working.”
He started to rise, but Michael patted his shoulder, urging him to remain in his seat. “Sit, eat.” Michael grabbed an empty chair from another table and sat down. “What does she do?”
“She has her own business. She’s a dog trainer. She walks them and boards them, too.”
“Yeah? Can she train little kids? I’ll pay her beaucoup bucks to whip little Anthony into shape. Four years old, and already he’s busting my horns.”
Jason smiled. “I’ll find out.” He figured since Michael asked something personal about him, maybe he should do the same. “Your wife should be giving birth any day now, right?”
“Any minute now,” Michael amended with a chuckle. “That’s why she’s not here. She’s bone tired.”
Jason nodded sympathetically as if he understood the way it was with pregnant women, though he hadn’t a clue.
Michael grabbed a piece of foccacia from the basket on the table and popped it into his mouth. “Everything okay between you and O’Malley?”
“Fine.” Jason pushed his plate away. “Look, I meant to thank you—”
Michael made a zipping motion across his lips. “Over. Finished. No need.”
Jason flushed. “Okay.”
“Good.” Michael rose, patting him again on the back. “Give me a shout when you’re ready to leave. I’ll have Anthony fix up a plate to bring home to your girlfriend.”
“Thanks,” said Jason, impressed by Michael’s generosity.
Michael took his leave, leaving Jason to finish his appetizer. Some people were eating, others standing in small groups, talking. Jason had arrived at the party ravenous, having forgotten once again to grocery shop. He could hear Delilah’s voice in his head, teasing him about impulsively buying a second digital camera when he didn’t even have any food in the house. She was right, of course.
Jason turned to talk to Barry Fontaine, sitting on his right, then refrained: Barry was having what sounded like an argument with his wife over her excessive spending. It embarrassed Jason to be able to hear them. Still, at least Barry had someone to argue with.
“Hey, look who I found.”
Jason turned. Birthday boy David Hewson stood behind Jason’s chair, beaming. Beside him was Delilah.
In the split second it took her to register Jason’s delighted smile, Delilah knew the anxious buildup to this moment had all been worth it: worth her hands trembling on the steering wheel as she drove to Bensonhurst; worth the nausea that almost kept her pinned to the driver’s seat as she turned a little too sharply into Dante’s parking lot; worth it all.
“Hey, you.” Jason jumped up to give her a kiss. “This is the best surprise I’ve had in a long time! I’m really glad you came.”
“Me, too,” David chimed in, giving Delilah a quick peck on the cheek. “Unfortunately, our esteemed captain is motioning for me to join him. I’ll catch you guys later.”
“Bye,” said Delilah.
“This is really, really great,” Jason marveled in amazement. That she was the one responsible for his happiness made Delilah feel terrific. She still felt a little anxious, but if Jason kept looking at her the way he was now, as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world, then she was sure it was only a matter of time before her nervousness disappeared altogether.
Delilah smiled up at him. “I’m glad you’re happy.” Jason looked fantastic; he was a man born to wear tight, faded jeans. His rolled-up shirtsleeves revealed strong, muscled forearms, and there was something about the way the soft light of the restaurant bathed his face that made him look especially striking. Delilah let her gaze linger appreciatively on her boyfriend’s body, then remembered she was in public.
“Are you hungry?” Jason asked solicitously.
“Not really.” Delilah pointed to the half-eaten plate of pasta before him. “Finish your food.”
“In a minute.”
Jason put his arms around her, drawing her close. Instantly there was heat, along with a pleasant jolt of shock: Delilah had never had a boyfriend embrace her so lovingly in public. Perhaps her mother had been right when she’d characterized all Delilah’s previous boyfriends as “losers.”
“I’m sorry about the other night,” Jason murmured, looking contrite. “It was wrong of me to try to get you to leave your friend’s play early.”
“It’s okay. The play sucked.”
Jason winced but looked mildly vindicated. “It really did, didn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Is Marcus okay?”
“He’s upset, but he’s a trooper,” said Delilah, touched by Jason’s concern.
“Is he staying with your dogs tonight?” Jason asked tentatively.
Delilah could tell he was nervous of sending the conversation in a direction he didn’t want it to go. She nodded.
“I’ll have to thank him.”
“He would like that, I think.”
“Consider it done.” Jason’s lips pressed against her forehead. “You okay? With being here?”
“I’m fine,” Delilah assured him. She’d come up with a little mantra to help her cope: Think before you speak. She’d chanted it to herself in the car all the way over to the restaurant, and was, in fact, repeating it even now in the back of her mind. She would not embarrass herself or Jason.
Jason’s lips brushed the tip of her ear. “It means a lot to me that you’re here.”
Think before you speak. “It means a lot to me that you want me here.”
Jason broke their embrace to take her hand. “C’mon, let’s get you something to drink.”
Hand in his, De
lilah followed where Jason led. Maybe her insecurity was insisting on reasserting itself, but it seemed to Delilah as if Jason’s teammates were turning to look at them. At her. She supposed it made sense; most of them didn’t know her, so of course they’d be curious. Normally, her impulse would be to try to shrink somehow or pray to blend in with scenery, but she held her head high and even smiled. Before she knew it, they had reached the bar.
“What can I get you?” Jason asked.
“A Diet Coke would be fine.” Delilah didn’t want to drink. Drink loosened her tongue.
“Hello, Delilah!” The voice of David’s Hewson’s girlfriend Tierney felt like a ray of sunshine beaming down directly on Delilah. It was friendly and warm. Delilah smiled in greeting.
“Hi, Tierney. How are you?”
“Great! It’s so nice to see you here. Jason said you were working.”
“I was. I mean I should be. Someone else is. I mean—” Think before you speak! “My coworker managed to fill in for me tonight,” Delilah managed to finish smoothly.
“Well, I’m still working on David about getting a puppy. If we do, I promise we’ll give you a call to talk about training him. Or her.”
“My pleasure,” said Delilah.
Tierney rolled her eyes heavenward as she gave the wrapped present in her hand a small shake. “More treasures for the birthday boy. Can you guys excuse me a minute? This thing, whatever it is, weighs a ton.”
“Go ahead,” said Jason.
“She’s really nice,” Delilah observed as Tierney headed toward a table piled high with gifts.
“She is,” Jason agreed, handing her a Coke.
“Did you get David anything?” Delilah asked delicately.
Jason looked insulted. “What do you think I am?”
“Someone who ran out to buy a Bowflex before he even had a bed?” Delilah teased.
“Hey, I’m getting better.” He stole a sip of Delilah’s drink. “I got him a couple of DVDs he wanted.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but a sudden frown overtook him instead. “Fuck.”
“What?” Delilah responded with alarm.
Jason handed her drink back to her, pointing to a large blond man with a piercing gaze gesturing Jason join him. “My coach wants to see me. I wonder what I’ve done wrong now.”
“Relax,” said Delilah. “It might be nothing.”
“You’re right.” Jason gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “I’ll just be a minute.”
Delilah watched him go, taking a big chunk of her self-confidence with him. Here she was, standing alone at the bar in a hot, noisy room full of strangers. She had two choices: she could keep standing here while her jitters returned with a vengeance, or she could venture into new territory and force herself to make human contact. Terrifying though it was, she determined to do the latter. Jason would be proud of her, and she would have proved to herself that she wasn’t a completely inept loser when it came to certain social situations.
Delilah scouted the room. Denny O’Malley stood at a nearby buffet table, heaping a small mountain of food onto his plate. Perfect. At least she vaguely knew him, which was better than going up and introducing herself to a total stranger. Delilah took a deep breath and walked over to the table.
“Hi, Denny,” she said brightly.
Denny glanced up and seemed to register she was there, but said nothing. Delilah blinked, confused. Maybe he hadn’t heard her?
“It’s Delilah, Jason’s girlfriend,” she continued in a slightly louder voice. “How are you?”
Denny remained silent as he continued loading his plate. Delilah felt herself slowly sliding into panic. Was it possible he didn’t remember her? She swallowed hard, determined to give it one more try.
“Maybe you don’t remember me? I—”
“I remember you.” Denny’s gaze was hostile. “Excuse me.”
He walked away, leaving Delilah burning with humiliation and confusion. She looked around wildly. Jason was in deep conversation with his coach. It seemed unlikely he’d be “back in a minute.” Delilah’s pulse pounded her ears, a bitter taste filling her mouth. Why had she even bothered to try? She was inept. She was a loser. Tears already beginning to blur her vision, Delilah deposited her drink back at the bar and fled the party.
What the hell happened? Jason’s mind hadn’t stopped racing from the time he discovered Delilah left the party right up until now, as the cab deposited him in front of her building. One minute, Ty was talking to him about mixing up the lines to beef up the offense; the next, Delilah had disappeared. Alarmed, Jason asked Tierney and David if she’d said anything to either of them or if they’d seen her go, but neither had. Something must have happened to her mother. Or her father. Or worse still, one of her dogs. Knowing Delilah, she didn’t want to interrupt him while he was talking to Ty. His worry increased the longer he tried to come up with reasons for her abrupt disappearance. Jason left the party, cabbing from Bensonhurst back to Manhattan. If she needed him, he wanted to be there for her as soon as he could.
He was granted a small reprieve from the mad, unchecked thoughts in his head when he presented himself to the night doorman, and Delilah buzzed him up right away. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, he flew up the stairs two at a time. He knew from past experience that she would have unlocked the door for him, so he plunged right inside. Delilah sat on the couch, wrapped tightly in the oversized fleece blanket she liked to snuggle beneath when watching TV. Her eyes were red-rimmed, the lids puffy from crying.
“Delilah.” Jason rushed to her side. “What happened?” He did a quick scan of the room; all three of her dogs were safe and sound, sleeping on the floor. That took care of that possibility. Perhaps Marcus had had an emergency?
“I’m sorry,” Delilah apologized quietly. “I should have let you know I was going. But I couldn’t think.”
“Honey, what happened?” Jason searched her eyes; all he saw was pain. “Are you sick? Is everything all right?”
“No, I’m not sick. But I don’t know if everything’s all right.” Delilah looked distraught. “If I ask you a question, do you promise you’ll answer me honestly?”
“Of course.” Jason was completely mystified.
“The night of our date—when we went to dinner with your friends?” Her eyes began filling up. “Did I say or do anything offensive?”
“No. Why would you even think that?”
“Because tonight”—Delilah seemed on the verge of completely breaking down—“when you went off to talk to your coach, I thought I’d make myself be sociable. I went to say hello to Denny, and he wouldn’t even talk to me. In fact, he looked like he hated me. So I thought I must have done something—”
“You didn’t,” Jason interrupted fiercely. “Believe me.”
Delilah blinked in bewilderment. “But—”
“Listen to me, Delilah. It’s him, not you.”
“I don’t understand.”
Agonized, Jason glanced away. “I don’t know how to say this.”
Delilah’s eyes clamped shut. “I know I’m a loser. I know I suck when I’m in big groups of people and I bleat and blurt and—”
“Stop. I told you: it’s not you.” He hated seeing her rip herself to shreds like this because of that asshole, Denny.
“Then what?” she asked plaintively. “Do I smell? Have bad breath?”
“Nothing like that,” Jason scoffed.
“Then what?”
Jason grimaced. “Denny’s anti-Semitic.”
Delilah looked stunned as she drew the blanket around her shoulders tighter. “He is?”
Jason frowned. “Yeah.”
“How do you know?”
“He said some things,” Jason replied evasively, leaning over to pet Shiloh, who had just settled at his feet. He wondered how Stan was doing.
“What things?” Delilah asked.
How much should he tell? All of it? Some of it? Didn’t she have a right to know?
“He made
a crack that he was surprised I would go out with someone with the last name Gould. That’s how it started. We got into it on the road.”
Delilah looked like she was sinking in a quicksand of confusion. “What do you mean, ‘Got into it on the road’?”
Jason rubbed a weary hand across the back of his neck. “He started saying some really offensive things, and I basically beat the crap out of him.”
Delilah looked away. “Oh, God.”
Jason put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed tight.
“I’m so sorry, babe.”
“I’m sorry, too. I hate the thought of being a source of trouble between you and your teammates.”
“You’re not. It’s one teammate, and he’s an asshole.”
“Are you sure he’s the only one who feels that way?” She shed the blanket, revealing hands clasped so tightly her fingertips were turning red. “What if the others feel that way?”
“They don’t.”
Comprehension flickered in Delilah’s eyes. “Is that why you were so aloof when you called from the road? Because all this was going on?”
“Yeah,” said Jason, hating to admit it.
“God,” Delilah repeated, disgusted. “Some people are so ignorant.” She laughed bitterly. “Guess I won’t be inviting him to my mother’s for Hanukkah.”
Jason’s interest was piqued. “Your mom’s having a Hanukkah party?”
“Less a party than dinner for a few people.” Delilah brightened a bit. “I can’t wait for her to meet you.”
“She already did, remember?”
“Shoot.” She’d spaced on her adventure with Eric. “I’ll explain it all to her when we get there.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.”
Delilah sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Jason liked it; it made him feel as though he were her protector, the person she relied on to buffer her from the storms of self-doubt that seemed to besiege her. She was so vulnerable. If only he could figure out some way to bring out the self-confidence she displayed when it came to dogs. She’d be unstoppable!
He kissed the top of her head. “I was so proud of you tonight. I know how hard it must have been for you to come to that party, especially all alone.”
Chasing Stanley Page 22
