Turning on her signal, she turned left and then made another quick left into the almost-empty parking lot. With so many options, she still chose to park along the side of the large structure, her car almost completely out of view. Turning the car off, she sat back and waited for Matt to say something.
“I…I don’t understand,” he finally said.
“C’mon,” she said, climbing from the car. “Let’s do it.” By the time Matt met her on the sidewalk, Vivienne was grinning from ear to ear. “I think you remember this place, right?”
He looked up at the side of the brick building and swallowed hard before nodding.
Grabbing his hand, she tugged him around to the front of the building. At the window, she greeted the clerk as she stepped forward. “Two for Star Wars please.” In the reflection on the glass, she could see Matt had his back to her as he was looking up and down the street. After she grabbed their tickets and thanked the clerk, she reached for his hand again.
They went inside and handed their tickets to the next clerk and then made their way across the lobby to the concession stand. “Star Wars?” Matt asked. “From before we were born?”
She nodded. “They turned this into one of those theaters that shows classics during the day. And they have a great menu, and they have more comfortable seating inside the theaters.”
The look on his face showed just how confused he was, and Vivienne giggled.
“There are sofas, recliners, and tables and chairs, so you can eat a little easier, plus the usual rows of seats closer to the back. It’s kind of funky and different from when we were kids but it makes for a fun movie experience.” By now they were standing in front of the large menu board. “And lunch is on me.”
“Viv, I can’t let you do that,” he protested. “I can pay—”
“Nope,” she cut him off. “This is my show and the correct response was ‘Thanks, Viv. You’re the best!’” She winked at him. “Now you try it.”
He laughed and repeated her words back to her and then returned his attention to the selection of food. “This is impressive. Mom and I just used to get hot dogs, but that was pretty much all they offered. This is…”
“It’s junk food nirvana,” she finished for him and was happy to see him smile and hear him laugh. Maybe by the time they sat down in the theater, he’d let go of all the tension and be able to enjoy himself.
“I can’t believe you like this stuff. I’ve been eating with you for weeks, and I have yet to see you indulge in any junk food.”
“Moderation. Everything in moderation.”
Stepping up to the counter, they ordered two hot dogs, nachos, an order of chicken wings, a large salted pretzel, popcorn, Twizzlers, and the big box of M&Ms. The kid behind the counter looked at them expectantly. “Anything else?”
“Oh, right…drinks,” Vivienne said. “We’ll take two sweet teas and…hmm…I’m thinking about a milk shake.”
“For crying out loud, Viv! You can’t possibly eat all of that,” Matt said, unable to stop laughing.
“It’s not like I’m eating it all on my own. We’re sharing it. And, as you pointed out, I’ve been eating with you for weeks, and I know if I weren’t here, you would be able to eat all of it on your own.” With a smug smile, she turned back to the clerk. “Two chocolate milk shakes. Please.”
“Man, when you go off the wagon, you go all the way,” Matt murmured.
“And I won’t eat dinner tonight. Trust me. This will give me my junk-food fix for the next three months and then I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
They paid for their food and told the attendant which theater they’d be in, and he promised to be in shortly with their order. Together, they walked into their designated theater and discussed their seating options.
“Just remember, we can move after we eat if we want to. We’re not locked into this for the entire movie.”
“How do you know? What if there’s no place left to sit?”
She looked at him as if he were crazy. “You’re joking, right?” She looked around the room. “It’s twelve thirty in the afternoon on a Tuesday. It’s a school day. We’re pretty much it in here.”
And then, it was like all the pieces of the puzzle came together for him and that pleased Vivienne to no end. She wouldn’t take him out to a crowded place. She wouldn’t overwhelm him by taking him someplace out of his comfort zone. Vivienne had specifically chosen this as his first outing for two reasons—first, it got him out of the house so she could ease him back into public life. And second, it was a place that held good memories from his childhood. Although they’d never finished their conversation the other night about his family life, he realized she knew there weren’t too many good memories for him.
Matt led her over to two recliners with a table between them. He took off the hoodie and his sunglasses and made himself comfortable in the chair. “Wow. This is…pretty damn cool. What a great idea.”
She nodded. “I know, right? It’s a fun place to come with friends because it’s comfortable and not nearly as crowded as the multiplex. I come here maybe once every couple of months with some girlfriends for a night out, and we always have fun. Plus, I don’t feel like I ever get to see movies when they first come out, but this way I’m still getting to see them on the big screen. To me, it’s a win-win.”
“A girl with simple tastes,” he murmured approvingly. “Color me impressed.”
“What? That surprises you?”
He reached for her hand before bringing it to his lips to kiss it. “Everything about you surprises me. You’re not like any woman I’ve ever met, and I have to admit, I’m liking that fact more and more.”
Her heart did a funny little kick in her chest at his admission.
Before she could say anything, there was a waitress placing an overflowing tray of food between them. Vivienne didn’t miss the fact that Matt looked away and pretended to be adjusting his seat while they were being served. “It looks like you’ll have the theater to yourselves,” she said, placing the last of the food on the table and picking up the tray. “Enjoy!”
Vivienne watched the young girl leave before twisting in her seat to look at all their food. “Wow. I mean I know we ordered it all, but now that it’s here…”
“Are you saying your eyes were bigger than your stomach?” he teased.
“It’s a long movie,” she countered. “And I have a feeling there will be nothing left on this table but crumbs.”
The room darkened, and the previews started to play.
Vivienne was just about to reach for her hot dog when Matt’s hand on top of hers stopped her. “What? Is everything okay?”
A slow smile was her first response from him, and then his eyes welled with emotion. “Thank you.”
No other words were necessary. Those two simple ones said it all.
* * *
“I didn’t remember that part!”
“I can’t believe those special effects!”
“I can’t wait until the next one is out!”
“I would see it again!”
They bantered back and forth the entire way home, offering up their opinions, praise, and critiques of the movie—just like Matt and his mom used to do.
It was one of the most perfect days he could recall in recent memory.
And it was all thanks to Vivienne.
“So, were you serious about not eating dinner?” he asked. “I mean, you still have leftovers somewhere, right?”
Beside him, she chuckled. He loved the sound of it, loved the way her entire face seemed to light up with it. It made him content to sit and look at her all day.
“You cannot tell me you’re even a little bit hungry,” she was saying. “You ate your hot dog, all the wings, more than half of the nachos, half a bucket of popcorn, the pretzel, the Twizzle
rs and the M&Ms, the tea, and the milk shake! How could you possibly even want to think about food?”
He shrugged. “I’m full right now, sure. But later on I’m going to be hungry again. It’s a simple fact of life.”
Her only response was to shake her head.
“I mean I guess I can heat up something on my own.” He sighed. Loudly. Dramatically. “There’re some frozen pizzas in Aaron’s freezer. I suppose it will have to do.”
“Glad to hear you have a plan.”
“Maybe I’ll even have some ice cream for dessert.”
She made a noncommittal sound.
“Hot fudge, whipped cream…hmmm, maybe you’ll be ready for some dessert yourself by that time.”
When he turned to look at her, she was grinning. Hopefully, it was a grin because she was interested in what he was saying and not just because she thought he was an idiot or something. He decided to test his theory.
“I think I would love to paint your body with hot fudge,” he began, his voice low and sultry. “A couple of dollops of whipped cream, placed strategically, of course, would be quite nice too. But the hot fudge on your naked skin?” He hissed. “I can’t think of a better dessert than that.”
Beside him, Vivienne squirmed in her seat, and Matt was happy to see they were turning into their driveway. She parked the car and calmly climbed out without saying a word. Had he offended her? Shocked her? By the time he looked up, she was already opening the door to her house. He jumped out of the car and went after her, certain he was going to have to apologize or at least backpedal a little bit.
He stepped into the house and heard her footsteps going up the stairs. Pausing, he shut the door and contemplated his next move. Maybe she had eaten too much at the theater and wasn’t feeling well. Although, he thought, she probably would have mentioned it sooner.
“Viv?” he called out.
Silence.
Stepping farther into the living room, he slowly made his way to the bottom of the stairs. “Vivienne? Are you okay?” In the distance, he heard her murmur something, but for the life of him, he couldn’t tell what she was saying.
Taking a slight detour, he went into the kitchen, pulled open the refrigerator, and found a can of ginger ale. They had made a chicken recipe with the beverage the other night, and he remembered she had purchased a six-pack. He also remembered it was a great drink to have on hand if you were sick.
Climbing the stairs, he silently prayed she was all right. He hated to think that the great memory they made today would be marred by Vivienne getting sick.
He turned into the bedroom and said, “I grabbed some ginger ale so…” And then he couldn’t speak.
Could barely breathe.
Vivienne was on the bed, lying on her side, wearing nothing but two little scraps of purple lace.
And holding a can of chocolate sauce.
Carefully, he put the can of soda down on the nearest surface while kicking his shoes off. Matt had no idea what he’d done to get this lucky. To have found a woman who cared about him enough to make him happy—in both sweet and sexy ways. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she got him because she was his soul mate.
And that thought didn’t scare him nearly as much as it should have.
Because if Vivienne Forrester was his soul mate, he would consider himself the luckiest man alive.
* * *
“Hey, Viv! How are you doing?”
Vivienne smiled at the sound of her brother’s voice. She was used to talking to him almost every day when he was home, but when he was away on business, it tended to be only once a week. “I’m doing good. How about you? How’s London?”
“Crowded,” he said with a chuckle. “And a little bit rainy. I had hoped for better weather, so I could walk around a little bit and play tourist, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”
“Wait. You have spare time to play tourist?” she teased.
“Some days I get to leave early because of good behavior.”
“Nice.” Sitting down on her sofa, Vivienne curled her legs up under her and got comfortable. “So, other than the rain and the crowds, how is your trip going? Are you getting things done that you have to?”
“For the most part. This weekend I’m going over to Paris to see Mom and Dad.”
For a second she wanted to ask why. Then she remembered how Aaron had come to grips with their parents’ odd take on parenting a long time ago and he saw visiting with them as a pleasant way to spend the time.
As long as that time was brief.
Vivienne had yet to see it that way. In her mind, parents should be kind and loving and nurturing. Jack and Claudine Forrester were none of those things. Or, rather, they lacked those basic skills. They provided for their children in the most basic of ways—food, shelter, clothing—but beyond that, they left them in the care of nannies as babies, overscheduled them in activities to keep them well-rounded while they were in school, and then completely walked away from them as adults.
“Viv?”
Oh, right. Aaron. “Hopefully the weather will be slightly more agreeable for you in Paris,” she said pleasantly. “Are you just going for a day trip, or are you staying the entire weekend?”
“Well, considering it’s only a two-and-half hour train ride, I could easily do it in a day, but I’m thinking of spending the weekend.”
“With them?” Yikes. A weekend sounded way too long to her.
Aaron chuckled. “Yes, Viv. With them. Our parents. They asked me to stay with them, so I figured I’d jump on the rare invite and see how it goes.”
“Oh. Well…good for you. I hope you have a good time.”
“Really? That didn’t sound even the tiniest bit sincere.”
“Aaron…” she sighed.
“I know, I know. I’m sure there’s a part of you that really does hope I have fun, but your first thought is how you hope they do something stupid and insensitive, completely keeping in character for them, so you can say I told you so.”
“That’s not true,” she protested. Weakly.
“It’s okay. Really. Believe it or not, I’m not holding out hope of this being some grand weekend love fest. Dad wants to hear about my work, Mom will fuss a little bit—at least in front of her friends—and then I’ll leave. More than anything, I think it’s a chance for them to show me off.”
“Wait…friends? They’re having a party while you’re there?”
Aaron was silent for a moment.
“Aaron?”
“They’ve invited some friends for dinner Saturday night while I’m there. It’s not a big deal. Trust me, it’s more of a buffer so dinner won’t be as quiet and painfully stiff as it normally is.”
“Oh.” She wished they would show her the same courtesy when she went to visit. For all Vivienne knew, her parents had no friends or acquaintances. They never introduced her to anyone on her trips to Paris. “Anyway, at the very least, you know it’s a short trip, and you’ll get to eat some amazing food. Of that I definitely am jealous.”
“I know you are. And if there were a way for me to bring some of it home to you, I would.”
“There is nothing like a freshly made croissant,” she said, sighing at the memory.
“I promise to eat one for you.”
“Such a good brother.”
“I know, I know.” He paused. “So how is the new job going? How does it feel to be the boss?”
She laughed. “I’m not quite the boss, Aaron. But it has been a little bit freeing not to have to come up with so much content on my own.”
He laughed out loud at her comment.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“Vivienne—and I say this with love—I don’t believe that you have cut back on your writing. I think you’re still writing just as much but are filing it away in
case anyone else flakes.”
Okay, so clearly she was a lot more transparent than she had ever realized. Why deny it? “Yes, I have been creating backup posts, but that’s just being smart! Plus, I’ve been able to try some great new recipes and Matt has been my willing guinea pig.”
For a moment she wished she could take that part back. There was no way to know how her brother was going to react to her spending time with Matt. Maybe he would be against it? Maybe he would warn her to stay away from him? Maybe—
“I cannot thank you enough for including him in your life, Viv.”
“Wait. What?”
“I was really worried about him staying alone in the house and having a pity party. I’ve been talking to him as much as I can, and I can tell he’s feeling better about his situation. It was rough that it was Dylan who took the headlines away and how the band seems to be under this black cloud. So I am thankful you got over your initial dislike of him being there and reached out to him as a friend. You’re amazing.”
Right. If only he knew exactly how she was reaching out for Matt these days.
Naked in the shower.
Naked on her living room floor.
And let’s not forget naked and covered in chocolate sauce.
“…now if he would only go out on his own a bit and socialize, I think it would be good for him.”
Vivienne missed the first part of that statement and simply answered with “Mm-hmm.”
“He told me you guys went to the movies last week. Great idea. Ease him out slowly. Have you gone anywhere else?”
“I haven’t tried again. I didn’t want to push. After what happened to Dylan, he seemed willing to meet up with Riley and talk to the press and do whatever was needed, but for some reason, he just doesn’t want to do anything here in town. I mean, I get it. It’s not the most exciting place to be, but still.”
“Well, I’m sure he doesn’t have a lot of great memories of growing up here, and I kind of think he’s afraid of running into his dad.”
“What?” Vivienne asked incredulously. “What are you talking about?”
Aaron cursed softly. “It’s not a big deal. I’m sure when Matt’s ready, he’ll—”
One More Kiss Page 16
