Hers By Request

by Karen Ann Dell

  “Yes, yes, I’m up,” Zoe answered. “You didn’t have to worry about me oversleeping, even after you kept me up until midnight going over every last detail for today.”

  Amanda could hear her yawn and responded with one of her own. “I wasn’t worried about you sleeping in this morning, partner. I’m sure we both have enough adrenaline circulating in our bloodstreams to kick-start Rip Van Winkle.”

  “I’m heading to Mrs. Wyndham’s place as soon as I get a cup of coffee in me. Jeff’s recruits will be arriving early to move furniture and set up the tables.”

  “Yes and I’ll be right behind you to finish steaming the chair covers. The flower arrangements need to be carried from the little house up to the deck as soon as we have the tents set up.”

  “Yeah, Mandy, we’ve got it all covered, I think. You excited?”

  “Terrified, more likely,” she said with a chuckle. “I hope the singer Dev said he got gets here in time. That’s the only little glitch we can’t control, and the one Mrs. W will be the most pissed off about if we don’t come through.”

  “Oh pooh on her. She should be so wowed with this party she should give us a big fat bonus. I refuse to worry about it anymore. Listen, I’ve got to go, I hear Jeff’s bike out back and I haven’t gotten dressed yet.”

  “That ought to make Jeff a happy camper.”

  “Humpf,” Zoe snorted. “Which is why I haven’t gotten dressed yet.”

  “Of course.” Amanda laughed. “Okay, Zo. See you soon.”

  Amanda heard Jeff’s wolf whistle before the connection was cut and smiled. How long had Zoe refused to see Jeff’s attentions as anything other than sexual overtures? She hadn’t wanted to believe his interest was fueled by admiration and true affection for her as a person, not simply a sexual partner.

  Zoe had been saying essentially the same thing about her relationship with Dev but there was no comparison.

  Was there?

  Since she’d laid down the rules at the beginning of their affair, she had continued blithely along, not really examining her feelings. She liked Dev—a lot. True. She certainly was sexually attracted to him. Admittedly. But now that she studied her emotions more closely, she realized they had deepened into something much more than friendship. Every good thing that happened she wanted to share with him. Every distressing event had her seeking him out for solace. If she didn’t see him for twenty-four hours, she missed him. Everything she used to want to share with Danny, she now shared with Dev.

  She glanced across the room at Danny’s photograph. The familiar heartache blossomed at the thought that she would never see his smile or hear his laughter again. That pain would never go away. But it was beginning to hurt a tiny bit less every day.

  She set her coffee cup down carefully. Her hands were shaking as the full force of the truth hit her. She was in love with Dev. She wasn’t sure how that had happened exactly, but there was no denying it. She loved that man.

  A tiny bubble of happiness that had been lurking unnoticed in a hidden corner of her heart expanded, pushing aside her sorrow over Danny as it grew. At first she smiled a little, then she sat back and grinned like a fool. Finally she laughed out loud.

  Spook came over at the sound and twined about her feet. She scooped her up and giggled like a schoolgirl. “I’m in love with Dev, Spook. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  The cat licked her nose then squirmed to get down, not sure what all this fuss was about.

  Amanda could hardly wait to tell Zoe. She wouldn’t even mind all the “I told you so’s” she’d hear from her. She’d—

  Abruptly her rosy little bubble turned to lead and plummeted to her stomach.

  What if Dev didn’t love her back?

  He said he was fine with their ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement.

  She’d made him promise not to fall in love with her, hadn’t she? She could hardly blame him for keeping to his promise.

  Contemplating Dev’s behavior the last couple of weeks, he had seemed different. She’d not been able to put her finger on the change in his attitude. They still made love frequently and with passion, though often his caresses were more lingering, more tender than ever before—as though he was memorizing her body, imprinting her face in his heart and mind. He’d said several times that he’d never get enough of her. That certainly sounded like he loved her.

  Or did it sound like he knew their time together was finite? That someday he would leave her—or she, him?

  She would have to let him know how she felt. Tonight, after this party that had been occupying every spare moment of her time was over, after they had made love, as she knew they would, she would tell Dev she loved him. She was ninety-percent sure he would say he loved her too.

  It was that other ten-percent that would add an extra little fillip to tonight’s stress level.

  “This is it,” Zoe said.

  The little house that had been a hotbed of activity all afternoon was quiet now. The main room held only empty boxes and a few pieces of furniture they moved down from the “big house”. The hired staff had changed into their uniforms and left to take their assigned places before the guests began to arrive.

  Amanda slipped into her dress, a deceptively plain black matte jersey number with a high neck, long sleeves, and a bodice that hugged her curves then fell to her feet in a soft drape of fabric that allowed her legs the freedom to move quickly should she need to attend to any emergency. Prim and proper from the front, the dress turned seductive when viewed from behind, where her back was bare almost to her waist. She hoped she wouldn’t be too chilly later tonight. Her hair was up in a neat French twist, a la Grace Kelly, with a few tendrils left free to float around her face. Her only jewelry was the pair of diamond studs her stepfather had given her at graduation.

  “My nerves are strung so tight I think I may twang if anyone brushes up against me,” Amanda said.

  She made a circling motion with her finger for Zoe to turn around so she could zip up her dress. The strapless black sheath with an empire waist added inches to Zoe’s petite frame and the bolero jacket she wore over it was studded with tiny jet beads that didn’t sparkle so much as shimmer where they caught the light.

  “You look wonderful, Zoe. Wait until Jeff sees you in this. I’m not sure he’ll be able to keep his mind on his duties tonight.”

  Jeff was their “outside man”, in charge of the valet service, emergency supplies, and overall security. They doubted that anyone would try to crash the party but Amanda felt safer knowing someone was on the lookout just in case. He’d also made an ice sculpture for the main buffet table.

  Commissioned by Mrs. Wyndham, it was a miniature replica of the new boat she was giving her husband as a birthday gift. Once she saw it, Amanda no longer felt the slightest concern over the amount they would make from this party. By now she realized they had not charged nearly enough for their services. Although she doubted they would ever manage another event as large as this one, the experience would be invaluable for future jobs.

  The band was here, finally. One member had taken a wrong turn and wound up in Salisbury before he realized his mistake, but they were all here now, setting up in the white tent at the opposite end of the deck from the bar.

  Amanda’s only worry was Dev’s job. He’d come by early in the afternoon to set up his equipment then left to drive to BWI airport to pick up THE SINGER. She thought of the man in capital letters because he was the one person she had not personally hired and the one person Mrs. Wyndham was so insistent about. Until Dev arrived with the mystery man safely in tow, she would be one isotope short of a total nuclear meltdown.

  Jeff came back to report that all the outside staff were at their assigned places.

  “Okay, Beautiful, we’re all set. You look like a million bucks.” He winked. “Better watch out for g
ropers. You don’t want to be stealing the show from Mrs. W. She’ll be expecting the major portion of attention from the male half of this shindig.”

  “She can have all the attention as far as I’m concerned. Most of these men are too old and too elite to hit on the hired help,” Amanda replied. Besides, there’s only one man I’m longing to see. Please, God, let him get here soon.

  “Don’t count them safe because of their age, Beautiful. That puts them right into the dirty old man category. They’ll think feeling up the hired help is not only allowed, but expected. If you—” Jeff stopped mid-sentence, mouth open. He clutched his chest, then fell to his knees.

  Amanda rushed over to him. “What’s wrong? Don’t you feel well?” Please don’t let him be having a heart attack. “Zoe get Jeff some water. We may need to call a doctor.”

  Jeff brushed her aside, his eyes fixed on Zoe. “My sea goddess,” he said with reverence bordering on awe.

  When Zoe realized she was the cause of all the commotion, her cheeks pinked up and she gave Amanda a surprised shrug of her shoulders. She marched across the few feet that separated them. “Get up from there, you idiot. You scared me to death.”

  “No more than you do to me,” he said. “Promise to marry me and be my muse forever, my beautiful sea nymph.” He clasped his hands in supplication.

  Grinning from ear-to-ear, Amanda turned to go somewhere, anywhere, that would give the two of them some privacy. She’d never heard Jeff so eloquent.

  Zoe reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her exit. “No need for you to go, Mandy. Jeff has obviously been sampling the champagne fountain up at the big house. It’s not water he needs, it’s coffee.”

  Amanda saw the flash of defeat cross Jeff’s face, before his usual flippant mask slid into place and he bounced up off the floor.

  “No need for coffee, ladies. I’m fine. I’ll just go back to my duties. Call me if you need me.” He directed his last comment to Amanda and without another glance at Zoe, he left.

  “He was being so sweet.” Amanda threw up her arms in exasperation. “Did you have to crush him so completely?”

  “What do you mean, crush him? He was just kidding around like he always does. And I’m too nervous to put up with his little games tonight.”

  “That wasn’t a game, girl. That man’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw you. It was his way of telling you how beautiful he thinks you are. And I’m not so sure that proposal was just a throwaway line either.”

  “There was no proposal,” Zoe scoffed. “You were standing right here the whole time.”

  “Oh, I see. The whole ‘marry me and be my muse forever’ thing didn’t count because I was standing here to hear it?” Amanda crossed her arms to keep from giving her friend a good shake. “Let me give you a little bulletin, my dear. That man is in love with you. Has been in love with you for as long as I’ve known you. I would think proposing to you in front of a witness would make you take it more seriously rather than less.”

  Amanda wasn’t sure if the surprise on Zoe’s face was for the content of her little bulletin or the forcefulness of the delivery, but she was on a roll and couldn’t seem to stop.

  “You know how you’ve been telling me for weeks that Dev’s in love with me? Well, it took me a while, I agree, to see the light. But now that I know I’m in love with him, I sure hope you’re right, because I don’t think I could stand it if he walked away from me now. So take a good look in the mirror, Zoe, and realize you’re in the same boat as I am. Don’t let Jeff get away, he’s—”

  The strange expression on Zoe’s face finally penetrated. Amanda glanced over her shoulder to see what she was staring at. Dev and another man dressed in jeans and polo shirt stood in the doorway. Amanda could feel the heat of her blush all the way to her hairline.

  There were twenty seconds of dead silence, then the stranger stepped forward and put out his hand.

  “Hi. I’m Arnold Katzenbaum. It’s nice to meet you. I hear you’re in need of a singer.”

  Only the good manners her mother had drilled into her growing up allowed Amanda to respond in a reasonably normal voice.

  “Hello, Arnold, I’m Amanda. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

  Another brief silence followed before Zoe stepped up beside Amanda and offered her hand to the newcomer. “Hi, I’m Zoe, Amanda’s partner. We are sooo glad you could make it tonight.”

  “Thanks. Glad I could help you out. Sorry to cut it so tight but I had a wedding reception this afternoon.” He slipped the garment bag from his shoulder. “Is there someplace I could change?”

  “Oh, of course. I’m so sorry. I’m . . . a little . . . tense, tonight.” Amanda heard Zoe snort a laugh, and closed her eyes briefly. “You can use the bedroom to the right. Can I get you something to drink? Soda, coffee, water?” I’m getting a cup of hemlock for myself. Or a shot of tequila. Whatever’s handiest.

  She debated apologizing for her rant but that would only magnify the mortification she was doing her best to ignore. Talk about making declarations of love in front of bystanders! This was not exactly the way she had planned on telling Dev her feelings. If only The Road Runner would zip by with one of those portable holes, she could sink right through the floor.

  “Cold water would be great, thanks.”

  Arnold did his best to keep a straight face, but Amanda could see his lips twitching up at the corners. No doubt he thought she was hilarious. Or a ditz. Or both. Meanwhile, Dev had not said a word since they’d walked through the door. Was he totally dismayed by what he overheard? Oh God.

  Arnold looked back and forth between the two of them, then said to Dev, “Yeah, I understand where you’re coming from now, buddy. No wonder you were so persuasive. Come on, let’s get these monkey suits on. It’s almost show time.”

  Dev followed him toward the bedroom saying, “I have it on good authority that these monkey suits are very attractive to the opposite sex.” He winked at Amanda.

  “No kidding, pal. Why do you think I went into this line of work? Weddings, bar mitzvahs—the dames practically stuff their phone numbers in my pockets. It’s a gold—” The bedroom door shut, cutting off the rest of Arnold’s sentence.

  Amanda and Zoe stared wordlessly at each other. There had been too much information and too little time to process it. For either of them.

  “You could have told me they were here,” Amanda groused.

  “I, I couldn’t seem to get a word in.” Zoe sounded apologetic but the mischievous sparkle was back in her eyes. She started to laugh. “You were just tooo good. I had to let you run with it.”

  Amanda tried to maintain her cool, but in seconds she broke, joining in the laughter as they went into the kitchen and hunted for glasses and ice. They had brought a bag of ice earlier and stashed it in the freezer. The old fridge was so small it barely held the water and soda bottles. Amanda rummaged through the drawers to find an implement capable of cracking the now-solid bag of cubes. She found a wooden crab mallet, a few paring knives, and a tea strainer in a drawer. Way in the back was a solitary key on a chain with a plastic fob designed to float, usually used for boat keys.

  “Hey, look, Zoe. This key chain is from my junior high school. We sold a ton of these to raise money for band uniforms. Nice to know Mrs. Wyndham supported my school way back then. It was designed for boats, but since we didn’t have one, my dad used ours for the key to The Last Call.” She rubbed it fondly, remembering the way she’d had to “talk” her dad into buying one. She tossed the key back in the drawer and began to attack the bag of ice with the crab mallet. A few good whacks and she had enough broken off to use for their drinks.

  It was only water but instinctively she and Zoe turned to each other and clinked glasses.

  “To A to Z Enterprises,” Amanda said.

  “Hear, hear,�
�� Zoe responded with a grin.

  Amanda glanced at the wall clock. “Oh my, look at the time. We’d better get up to the big house before guests begin to arrive. I’ve got a final checklist to run through.”

  “Of course you do.” Zoe laughed. “You are such a Girl Scout.”

  “I try to be prepared.”

  Yet she hadn’t been prepared when she realized she was in love with Dev. That reality was still sending shock waves through her system.

  She called through the bedroom door. “Guys, we’re going on over to the big house. We’ve left your drinks on the kitchen counter. See you over there.”

  Dev’s voice came faintly through the door. “Right. See you there. We won’t be long.”