She froze in his arms. She hadn’t thought of it that way. He was being open, selfless, mature, kind… and it left her feeling small and reckless.
“You’re right,” she said, her eyes widening. She cleared her throat, stood up a little straighter as she stepped out of his embrace. “Thank you for being so considerate, for thinking it through. You’re being so great, and I got caught up, and I didn't even…” She shook her head, gave a self-reproachful snort. “How about this: thank you.”
“You don't have to thank me. I just… it's easy with you.” He watched her carefully and shoved his hands into his pockets again. “So tell me what you want to do now.”
“Now? Rip your clothes off,” she answered with a sultry grin, only half joking.
He threw his head back and laughed. He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it.
“We’ll go back, as you suggested,” she said. “Everything you said—the eating, drinking, and being merry. I mean, we’re here for Melanie and Ryan. I haven’t seen my friends in years, you probably don’t get to see your whole family like this very often… so let’s go back inside. And we'll see where the night takes us.”
He leaned in and kissed her again. Then once more, his lips lingering on hers. “I’m not letting you go far from my sight tonight,” he teased, his voice deep and throaty. “Is that okay?”
“It’s more than okay.” She smiled in return.
* * *
“I think that was one of the best weddings I’ve ever been to.” Kathryn sighed with pleasure. She linked one arm through each of her friends’ arms as the three of them left the ballroom. “To the after party!” she cheered loudly.
“You’ve been drinking a lot, missy,” Lydia noted with a chuckle. “Miss Sassy Kathy.”
“You bet your ass I have,” Kathryn giggled. “Drinking, eating myself into oblivion, hanging out with my girls, dancing like I haven’t danced in years… I had fun!”
“Good, I’m glad,” Lydia smiled. “Me too. And the night’s not over.”
“Where is this bar lounge after party place?” Donna asked as they got to the lobby.
“Up on the fourth floor,” Lydia answered her. The three of them slowly started ascending the grand staircase. They were all varying degrees of drunk, and they giggled together as they weaved a bit.
“I didn’t know there was a fourth floor,” Donna said.
“The only things up there are the bar and lounge, and a huge, magnificent suite,” Lydia said. “This weekend, it’s the bridal suite, where Melanie and Ryan are staying.”
“He really adores her,” Kathryn noted. “Did you see the way he was looking at her, during the ceremony, all night long? And how happy she was? I’m sooo happy for them.”
“We are too.” Donna glanced at Kathryn and laughed. “Wow, we’ve gotta get you drunk more often, you’re entertaining.”
“Well, that’d mean you’d have to see me more than once every decade or so,” Kathryn quipped with an arched brow.
“Ouch!” Lydia laughed. “Sad but true. We can’t let it go so long between seeing each other again.”
“I agree,” Donna said. “When Melanie gets back from her honeymoon, we’ll start an email chain and figure out when we can all get together. And we’ll do it soon.”
“With families, or without?” Kathryn asked.
“Without,” Donna said quickly. “Come on, it’ll be a girls’ weekend. We can go to a spa or something. Even if it’s just an overnight. We have to do it.”
“Girlie spa weekend? I’m totally in,” Lydia said. “It sounds great, if we could actually work it out.”
“Well, we’ll have to make it work out!” Donna insisted.
“Maybe in the spring?” Kathryn suggested.
“Maybe even sooner,” Donna said. “February and March are always such boring months, maybe we could do something then.” She was almost panting. “God, how many more stairs do we have to climb? I’m out of shape, overweight, and I’ve been drinking. This is insane! Holy crap!”
Lydia laughed. She was enjoying being with her old friends so much, but had to admit to herself that her mind was elsewhere. Her mind was on the sweet, handsome guy in the black suit with the killer smile, who had charmed and delighted her all evening. The one who, during the reception, had pulled her into the hallway twice to steal some kisses when nobody could see them. The one who had danced with her, held her close, had her talking, made her laugh, had her whole body humming with need, with fire. What to do, what to do? She kept wondering to herself. She smiled softly as she again went over the possibilities in her head.
“I bet I know what you’re smiling about,” Kathryn cooed.
Lydia felt a touch of blood rush to her face. “I bet you do.”
They reached the fourth floor. “Here, it’s right here, see?” Lydia said to her friends, spreading her arms wide at the entrance to the lounge. “We made it.”
“C’mere,” Donna said, and pulled her friends to the corner of the hallway. “Quick powwow.”
“Oh boy,” Lydia groaned, knowing what was coming.
Kathryn giggled like a schoolgirl. “What’s up, Captain?” she smiled at Donna.
Donna looked at Lydia pointedly. “Safe to assume you and Sam are going to disappear at some point?”
Lydia gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment, then admitted, “Yes, it’s likely.”
“Ha! Fabulous!” Kathryn shrieked.
“Shut up!” Lydia fixed her friends with a sharp look. “Let’s all pretend we’re mature, grown adults. Just for a few minutes. And not somewhat wasted. Okay?”
“Do you have a condom?” Donna asked in a low voice.
Lydia turned to glare at Donna. “You did not just ask me that.”
“Oh yes I did.” Donna smirked. “Do you?”
“No, of course not!” Lydia hissed in an indignant whisper. “Why would I have one? I wasn’t planning on sleeping with any strangers this weekend. And I’m still not.”
“Sam isn’t a stranger anymore,” Donna said. “Not really.”
“I met him yesterday,” Lydia pointed out.
“So?” Kathryn said airily. “I slept with Frank on our second date. We’re married for ten years now.”
“You slept with him on your second date?” Lydia laughed in spite of herself. “I never knew that.”
“I didn’t think you had it in you!” Donna crowed in delight. “You dirty slut! I love it!”
Kathryn gave a playful, exaggerated shrug. “It’s true. I was a big whore, threw caution to the wind. And we both loved every minute of it.”
The three women laughed in unison. “Like I said, we really have to get you drunk more often,” Donna said. “I forgot how much fun you are when your repressed wild side comes out. And you spill secrets, too! Golden.”
“Lydia.” Kathryn turned to her friend, put both hands on her shoulders, and looked into her eyes. “Sweet, beautiful Lydia. That man has been doing a full court press all night. He is obviously very, very into you. There is no sleaze vibe coming off that man. I say go for it.”
“Ditto, what she said.” Donna nodded. “And hopefully, he will have a condom. Or two. Or even three.”
“I can’t,” Lydia said, her voice calm but firm. “That’s just… that’s not who I am.”
“Who you are these days is a sometimes unhappy, lonely, overwhelmed divorcée,” Donna said flatly. “Maybe, for tonight, be someone else. Let go and enjoy yourself. I love you to death, you know that. But go have some fun, for God's sake. You're an adult. Adults get to have sex for fun. Go have some sexy fun.”
“Gee, don’t sugarcoat it, say what you really think,” Lydia drawled sarcastically. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then exhaled it in a harried gust. “You know what? You have a point. I would love to be someone else for a night.”
“Then go be a dirty slut.” Kathryn giggled. “God knows Sam is hot enough that it’ll probably be worth your while. He is yummy.”
“Can you get over her?” Lydia asked Donna, jerking a thumb in Kathryn’s direction.
“She’s killing me!” Donna laughed.
“Look,” Kathryn said. “Just know that if you do want to disappear with him, don’t feel like you have to say good night to us, just go.”
“But promise us we’ll see you at the brunch tomorrow morning,” Donna demanded.
Lydia chuckled in surrender. “Fine. Fine. Can we just go inside now?”
“More drinks!” Kathryn cried.
“You’re not gonna get sloppy drunk, are you?” Donna moaned. “Silly drunk is fun. Sloppy drunk is not. Especially at our age. Especially if I'm rooming with you tonight.”
“If I do, you’ll just drag me back to our room, 'kay?” Kathryn shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m good like that,” Donna cracked.
The three of them entered the bar and lounge and looked around.
“This is really nice,” Donna said approvingly. “This is a party!”
There were already over thirty people there, all mostly their age; a few were younger, a few were older. Lydia saw Joann and her husband sitting on a loveseat by the fireplace and waved hello. The assorted cousins that she had met the night before were all there, scattered around various parts of the room. The jukebox was blaring “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by the Temptations.
“I like it,” Kathryn said.
“Hello, ladies.” The bartender smiled as they sat down before him at the bar.
“Hi John.” Lydia smiled back.
“Hey!” His smile widened. “Lydia from last night. I remember you well.”
“I’m sure you do,” Lydia said with a smirk.
He chuckled. “How was the wedding?” he asked.
“Absolutely wonderful,” Kathryn said with a dreamy smile.
“These are my very close friends, Donna and Kathryn,” Lydia said, introducing them to the bartender with a small flourish. “And they are already half drunk, so take it easy on their drinks, no matter what they ask for.”
He chuckled again. “Very nice to meet you,” he said, shaking each of their hands. “I’m John. What can I get for you?”
“Cosmo for me, please,” Kathryn requested.
“Apple martini, please,” Donna said.
“A vodka gimlet, thank you,” Lydia said.
“And a scotch for me, please,” came Sam’s deep voice from behind her. He moved in so closely to her that the front of his body lightly pressed against the length of her back. His arms came up by her waist to rest his hands on the bar, one on either side of her. He had encircled her. She smiled shyly, her gaze sliding down to the bar, and bit her bottom lip.
“That is just hot,” Kathryn said to Donna, louder than she intended.
Sam couldn't help but laugh. “Hello again,” he said to the two women. He bent his head and murmured “Hi” into Lydia’s ear. He kissed the lobe, then nipped at it gently with his teeth.
A shiver ran through her. “Stop that,” she whispered with a grin, blushing.
He smiled, satisfied, and pulled back, but let his right hand stay on her hip. He’d kept a respectful distance in front of everyone throughout the reception; but now they were at the after-party, where it was a looser vibe and a much smaller group. The amount of scotch he’d consumed over the course of the evening was catching up with him, making him both more laidback emotionally and more lustful physically. And, most of all, he simply didn’t feel like hiding how he felt. Lydia was with him tonight; they liked each other, he wanted her, and he knew she wanted him. Let the whole room know it, he thought. I don’t care. This is good.
“Hello, everyone!” Alec crowed as he entered the room with his arm around Paige. “We are free of children and ready to party!”
A cheer rose from the assembled guests.
Alec and Paige spotted Sam and went to join him at the bar. “Good evening, all,” Alec said with a woozy smile. He was obviously drunk.
“Good evening,” Donna said in return. “Care to join us for some drinks?”
“Absolutely,” Alec said. Paige quickly took in Sam’s proximity to Lydia, and her eyebrows shot up for the briefest second. Then she merely gave them a cool smile.
Lydia’s eyes went to the bottles behind the bar, then down to her drink. Sam, so close up against her, could feel her entire body stiffen slightly. He realized she'd caught Paige's haughty glance, and she felt uncomfortable with them. Several emotions shot through Sam in an instant: regret for Lydia’s discomfort, fiery resentment towards Alec and Paige, and a strong desire to put Lydia at ease. He moved his right hand up from her hip; her right hand was resting on the bar, and he placed his hand on top to intertwine his fingers with hers. He bent slightly to look down at her face and saw her features warm a bit, saw a soft smile lift the corners of her mouth. She squeezed his fingers with hers. He squeezed hers back.
Satisfied, not releasing her hand, Sam turned to his brother and sister-in-law and asked, “So where are the kids, that you’re free again tonight?”
“Thank you again, Grandma and Grandpa,” Paige said. “They’ve been so helpful this weekend, honestly.” She looked up at her husband and informed him, “I’m sending them a huge bouquet of flowers when we get home.”
“Sounds good to me.” Alec nodded. “Mom'll like that.”
Another cheer broke out in the room, and some applause, as Melanie and Ryan finally entered. They looked a little tired, but were still radiating happiness and smiling brightly. They made their way through the room, saying hello to each friend and relative as they passed, until they got to the bar.
“Here’s the fun crowd,” Ryan noted, clapping a hand on his best friend’s back in greeting.
“Hey, it’s the King and Queen of the prom!” Alec smiled. “About time you joined us.”
Melanie sidled up to Lydia and murmured, “My, don’t you two look cozy.”
Lydia just rolled her eyes. “How’s it going, Bridezilla?”
“You know, after tonight, you don’t get to call me that anymore,” Melanie reminded her.
“Mmm, we’ll see about that,” Lydia joked.
Melanie surveyed the group. “You are all either already drunk, or at least halfway there. We’ve got catching up to do.”
“Well, now you can,” Donna said. “The reception’s over. The people here are your nearest and dearest. Go for it!”
“A round of shots, please,” Ryan called to John. He glanced at Lydia. “Oops, actually, make that one less. Sorry, Lydia, I forgot.”
“Not a problem,” she said amiably.
When the shots were lined up on the bar, Ryan picked his up and said, “A toast. To this wonderful day, my wonderful wife, and our wonderful friends.”
Melanie smiled and gave Ryan a loving kiss. “I’ll drink to that.”
“L’Chaim!” Alec cried. They all cheered, clinked their glasses, and threw back their shots.
“Lydia, could you come with me for a minute?” Melanie asked. “I really have to pee, and this dress makes it hard to fit in the damn stall.”
Lydia laughed. “Um, there’s a visual for you! Sure, come on, Bridey Girl.”
“Back in a few,” Melanie said, giving her new husband another quick kiss before they walked away.
Sam watched as they exited, waited until they’d gone out the door and down the hallway, before he turned back to Donna, leaned in, and said into her ear, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Donna looked at him, mystified, but got up off her bar stool. “Will you excuse us?” she said to the others. “We'll be right back.” Ignoring the curious looks of the others, she and Sam went to the far corner of the lounge, by the fireplace, the only place they could hold a somewhat private conversation and be able to hear each other without having to shout to be heard over the music.
“What can I do for you?” Donna asked, eyeing him.
“I want a little bit of information, and I figured you might be willing to give it to me,” Sam said plainly, wasti
ng no time.
“Depends on what it is,” she replied in a shrewd tone.
Sam nodded, mulling over how to phrase what he wanted to ask. He rubbed his jaw distractedly, a restless, absentminded gesture. “Look, cards on the table here. I’m interested in Lydia. It’s got to be obvious by now. And, well, you seem to be on board.”
“I am,” Donna said brazenly. “You seem like a good guy, and there’s obviously some serious chemistry there. You're both consenting adults, so why not?”
“Thanks.” He chuckled.
“Well, it’s true. That’s what I think. I tell it like it is.”
“I picked up on that early on,” he assured her. “So can you tell me… well…” He rubbed his jaw again, hesitating. “What am I up against here? Can you clue me in?”
Donna studied Sam’s face carefully as she decided how to respond. “Look, I’m not going to tell you anything that breaks any of her confidences. But there are still things I can tell you, just because they’re facts, and if you asked her directly, she’d probably tell you herself.”
Sam nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Okay.” Donna smirked. “The good news is, the divorce was Lydia’s idea. She wanted it. They haven’t loved each other in a while, but Matt never would’ve left; he wanted to live with his son, and he would’ve had no problem putting Lydia through passive-aggressive hell for the rest of her life. He’s a real prize. Whatever; she’d had enough, she ended the marriage. It got ugly at first, and that kicked her around a bit. But I think she’s doing okay, considering it’s all pretty fresh. She went back to work just last month, and she's just learning how to balance everything it takes to be a single full-time working mother, much less of a kid who’s speech impaired. But Lydia’s braver and stronger than she gives herself credit for.”
Sam nodded in appreciation of Donna’s assessment, turning her words over in his mind.
“And I’ll tell you something else: you’ll have a hard time finding a kinder, bigger heart than hers.” Donna smiled softly. “She’s a very, very good friend to have. She’s loyal, caring, smart as a whip, and funny as hell.”
“You don’t have to sell me on how great she is,” Sam said, smiling back at her. “I figured that out already, trust me.”
Autumn Getaway (Seasons of Love) Page 19
