by V. Vaughn
“Me too,” says Sophie as a door clicks open. “I’ll be at the checkout.”
As I change, I take a moment to berate myself once again for my actions last night. I spent months wishing Paul would call, and then when I get the chance to be with him again, I spend the evening pushing my sister on the man instead.
I shake my head at myself as I leave the dressing room. Maybe I’m emotionally stunted since I haven’t dated in over a decade. I stop at a jewelry display, and the chains jingle as I lift them to look closer. It’s time to fix that. A necklace made of silver catches my attention, and I remove it.
Sophie has finished checking out, and I place my things on the counter. The register beeps as the girl rings me up. I say to my sister, “Outfits are done. Makeup next?”
“Yes. I bet you don’t even have eyeliner, do you?”
I shrug. “It’s not like I’ve needed it.”
“Well, you do now, missy. I might even make you sit in the chair and get a makeover.”
I roll my eyes at her, and the plastic of my credit card is slick in my hand when I swipe it. “You’re kind of pushy.”
The salesgirl hands me my bag as Sophie says, “In the best kind of way.”
After a lesson on how to make my eyes say come hither, my sister and I go over to Trixie’s house. She and her husband, Parker, live on Silver Lake with her twin baby boys. Parker greets us when we get there. He’s a former NFL football player, and his frame fills the unusually tall doorway. When he sees us, he breaks into a smile that makes him appear to be a gentle giant. “Caroline and Sophie, come on in.”
Sophie frowns at him as we walk by and says, “You look too well rested. You’re not making Trixie get up with the babies each time they cry, are you?”
“Of course not,” says Parker. “Don’t you worry. She has me on a strict schedule.”
The aroma of coffee fills the air, and I say, “I bet caffeine is your trick.”
“You’re on to me.” Parker grins and asks, “Want some?”
“Yes, please.” I glance around the room to find it empty. “Now, where’s my daughter?”
“Upstairs getting Dylan and Drake dressed for their guests.” When I raise my eyebrows at him, he shrugs. “I know. I told her you didn’t care, but you know Trixie.”
I do. My daughter was born to be a mother. She started taking care of me by the time she was five, and when she was in high school, I think we had almost switched roles. Sophie says, “I’ll go help her. I can’t wait to get my hands on those babies.”
I let my sister go without me since I get to see my grandchildren as often as I wish. It’s only been in the last week that I haven’t been here every day. And that’s because I thought my daughter’s marriage could do without me constantly around.
The leather of a bar chair is cool on my bottom when I climb on to sit at the counter. Parker places a steaming mug in front of me. I say, “You really do look good. Are the boys sleeping longer now?”
“The last two nights, we’ve only gotten up once to feed.”
“That’s great. They’ll be sleeping through the night before you know it.”
Parker lowers his voice and leans across the counter toward me as he says, “I think I may have offended you. Whatever I did, I’m sorry, and I want you to know you’re welcome here any time.”
“Oh, no. I’m not upset at all. I just thought you and Trixie could use some time without me underfoot, telling you what to do.”
Parker stands as footsteps thumping on the stairs carry to us. “We like having you here, and if it weren’t for your help, Trixie and I would be lost. Don’t be a stranger.”
I smile at my son-in-law. “You’re one of the good ones. Thanks.” The truth is, I do miss my daily grandchild fix. The babies have awakened my nurturing side, and I even find myself longing for another child of my own.
I turn my attention to my daughter and reach out for Dylan. “Come here, little man. I’ve missed you.”
Trixie hands him to me and says, “I’m so happy to see you, Mom.” She grabs my coffee and walks with me over to the couch, where Sophie has already seated herself with Drake.
Sophie says, “Caro, I’ve changed my mind. Let’s just get pregnant and have babies instead of finding a man.”
“Been there, done that.” I smile at Trixie.
Sophie asks, “And see how well that turned out?”
Trixie shakes her head at us as Parker hands her a cup of coffee. “You two need men in your lives.” She gives Sophie a serious stare as she leans against her husband, and he puts an arm around her shoulders. “You promised you’d get Mom dating again. We had a deal.”
“Hey. What kind of deal?” I ask.
“I told Aunt Sophie I’d make sure she got to plan your wedding if she found you a husband.”
“Seriously? You two are plotting a way to get me married?”
The couch sinks as Trixie sits next to me. “Mom, you said it yourself. If you live alone too long, you’re going to become a crazy cat lady. You need companionship now that I’m gone.”
“No need to worry. Sophie and I have plans to wow them all at Pete’s tonight.” I whisper as if I’m revealing something scandalous, “You should see what I’m going to wear.”
Trixie frowns. “A bar?”
Parker says, “I think I’m going to bow out of this conversation now. Trixie, I’m going to run to the store.”
“Okay. Don’t forget milk,” she says. Parker nods before he leaves.
Sophie says, “Yes. A bar. We have to start her off somewhere.” She glares at me. “And no way are you pushing anyone off on me tonight, sister.”
Trixie scoots to the end of the couch to gaze past me at Sophie. “What?”
Sophie says, “So last night we go to the country club for dinner and run into a guy your mother likes, and what does she do? She freaks out that he might like her too and somehow forces the guy to take me out tomorrow night.”
“That’s not what happened,” I say. “He’s interested in you.”
Trixie asks, “Who are we talking about?”
“Paul Ryan,” says Sophie. “And he is so not into me. He just agreed because you gave him no choice. I have half a mind to make you come with me.”
Trixie says, “Mom. What’s wrong with you?” She knows that I was upset when he didn’t call me after her party last summer.
“He clearly decided he didn’t want to be with me last summer, so I thought he might like Sophie better.”
Trixie’s brows knit, and she asks, “And you’re okay with that?”
“Yes.” No. I’m green with envy that Paul might hit it off with Sophie, but what’s done is done.
My sister says to Trixie, “Don’t you worry. I’m going to get to the bottom of this tomorrow night. Your mother’s not done with Paul; she just doesn’t know it yet.”
I stand up and hand Dylan to Trixie. “I need more coffee.” But what I really need is to figure out if I’m stuck on Paul because he’s the only man that’s paid me any attention in years, or if it’s something more. Maybe tonight will give me a clue.
Chapter 6
My stomach flips as Sophie and I walk across the parking lot toward the door of Pete’s. Music carries to us and intensifies for a moment when a guy pushes his way out. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I’m just out with my sister for a night of fun, and I really do need to relax.
Sophie is the kind of person that gets recharged by people and activity. A grin covers her face as she yanks the door open for us and says, “The band is good. I can’t wait to dance.”
We enter into the restaurant portion of Pete’s. High tables make way to a bar, and I follow my sister to it. I glance around to discover pool tables and a dance floor set in front of the band. Sophie wiggles her way in between two men to order us drinks, and money is warm from my pocket when I hand it to her. While I wait, I take the time to check out the guys. A large number of them are big in the way werewolves are, and I wonder i
f this is one of their hangouts.
A guy notices me, and his gaze travels up my body slowly before he smiles. I decide to be bold and check him out too. His jeans are snug, and his T-shirt strains to contain a pair of thick arms. Most definitely werewolf. Sophie presses a beer bottle into my hand, and it’s cold on my palm as I lift it for a sip. I don’t break our gaze and swallow slowly as he watches.
Sophie hits my arm lightly as the guy starts to walk toward us. “You don’t waste any time,” she says.
“He started it.”
A deep voice that seems to wrap around me comes from the man as he asks, “Feel like dancing?”
I shrug. “Sure.”
The man takes my free hand, and I let him lead me to the dance floor. He takes us to a crowded area, and we place our beers on a small shelf that lines the wall. He says, “I’m Derek.”
“Caroline.”
Derek tugs me to a section of the dance floor that is packed, and I think it’s so we have to be close in order to move. I don’t mind, though, because he smells good, and when his hands land on my hips, I place mine on his chest and let the music dictate my motions. After a few songs, we retrieve our beers and move away from the noise.
Derek asks, “Do you live in Winter Valley?”
“Yeah. But I’ve never been here before. It’s fun.”
Derek takes a swig of his beer and says, “Good bands play here.”
I have nothing to add to our conversation and can feel a stupid smile cover my face like I’ve got nothing but air in my head. There’s a long silence, and it’s clear Derek isn’t a conversationalist either. He finally nods at someone behind me, and I turn to a couple guys headed our way.
“Caroline, these are my buddies.” He introduces me to the guys, and they get into a conversation about some game. My mind wanders to Paul, and I wonder what he and his friends talk about. I recall how he was at Trixie’s barbecue. We did talk to his friends, and I was included in every conversation.
I search for Sophie. I notice her talking to a blond, and by the way she’s shifting from foot to foot, I guess she’d like to be saved. I touch Derek’s arm. “Hey, thanks for the dance. I’m going to go see my sister.”
He turns to me and places his hand on my lower back. “Can I come find you for more?”
His touch is nice, and I say, “Sure.” I might need another test to make sure Paul’s isn’t better.
When Sophie sees me, she waves madly, and I grin as I approach her. I say to the guy that’s monopolizing her time, “Hey, I’m going to steal my sister for the ladies room,” and I pull her away before he can object.
When we get out of earshot, Sophie says, “Thank you. Poor guy was dumped, and he needs a shoulder. Not what I had in mind.”
“Yeah, well, while my guy was hot, we couldn’t carry a conversation. Apparently he’s as bad at this dating thing as I am.”
“So?” Sophie waggles her eyebrows at me. “Sometimes when they don’t talk, it’s best.”
“Stop.” I brush by another hard male body. “One-night stands are so last century.”
“Damn it. Someone forgot to tell me.” Sophie’s grip is firm when she grabs my arm and changes our direction. “Let’s try the bar and see if we have better luck.”
The farther we get from the dance floor, the better I feel as the noise level lessens. I spy a couple leaving a table, and we quickly grab it. Once I’m sitting, I sigh. “This is better.”
A waitress comes over and places two napkins down before us. “What can I get you?”
I say, “Two cosmos please.” When Trixie was a toddler, Sophie would visit and turn me on to the latest drink. We’d stay up late drinking too much, and I’d live vicariously through her stories of sexual adventure. I turn to Sophie. “Don’t say a word.”
“What? It sounds awesome to me.” She lets out a small laugh before she controls herself. “I’m fine with embracing the fact that we’re getting too old for this.”
“Good.” I notice two men headed our way, and I groan. “Incoming.”
Sophie tilts her head and says, “Leave it to me.”
“Ladies, is there room at this table for us?” asks a dark-haired guy with a close-cut beard.
Sophie makes a show of checking them out and asks, “How old are you?”
The guy says, “I’m thirty-two, and Josh is pushing forty.” Josh frowns, and I guess he’s probably not that old, but he stays quiet.
“Hmm,” says my sister. She looks at me. “The age is good. What do you think?”
These guys are average sized, and I think they’re human. Right now, that’s appealing to me. I ask, “Do you have entertaining stories we might like to hear?”
Josh says, “Definitely.” He hits his friend lightly in the chest with the back of his hand. “And Evan will even buy your drinks.”
I shrug as I glance at Sophie and say, “Okay by me.”
“Have a seat, boys,” says my sister.
We discover that they both work as consultants and travel for work. Sophie tells them about her new job, and then the conversation turns to golf. The guys convince us we have to try it.
We continue to talk, and I find I’m actually enjoying myself, even though we have to speak loudly to be heard. But when our drinks are gone, I’ve had enough and decline Evan’s offer to get me another.
Sophie says to me, “It’s too noisy in here for you, isn’t it?”
I nod, and she turns to the guys. “Gentlemen, thank you for the conversation, but we’re going to go.”
Evan stands to pull out my chair, and when our hands brush, I miss the zing I feel with Paul. I sigh.
The moment we get out the door, the quiet is like a soothing blanket. Sophie and I don’t speak as we walk to the car. The lot is now so full that our spot a few rows from the door has become coveted, and a truck that has just pulled in stops to wait when they notice the lights flash from me unlocking the door by remote.
When we get in the car, I ask, “When did going out dancing stop being fun?”
Sophie’s seat belt snaps shut. “When we became the oldest ones in the bar.”
“Right. I guess we can cross Pete’s off our list.” I think about how tonight was supposed to help me figure out if my crush on Paul is valid. I did discover I’m attractive, but none of the men in the bar made my heart skip a beat. I think it’s safe to say my crush on Paul is real. Now I have to figure out what to do about it.
Chapter 7
As I drive Sophie and myself home from Pete’s, I glance at the clock to discover it’s not even eleven yet. I say, “We can’t go home. It would be too pathetic to quit before midnight.”
“Okay. Where to?”
I recall a dinner I had a while back with one of my editors that was passing through town. We went to the Winter Valley Inn, and it has a wonderful bar in a large room with leather couches, thick carpet, and a fireplace. I say, “I know just the place. There’s a lovely hotel bar downtown, and I bet it’s quiet.”
We drive past dark storefront windows and an occasional car parked along the main street before we get to the inn. The horseshoe drive glows in yellow light, and I move past it to park in the guest lot. I tug my coat around me to ward off the chill as we walk to the door. The bellman greets us as he holds it open, and we enter into a spacious lobby that is lit by an enormous crystal chandelier. Sophie says, “Wow. This place is spectacular.”
Our feet barely thump on the thick carpet as we stroll over to the lounge. A man is playing the piano, and the music is soft as we move past him toward the sofas. Businessmen in suits are at the bar, and a woman in a cocktail dress walks by us. I whisper, “I didn’t think about what we’re wearing.”
Sophie says, “We’ll just sit tall and pretend we’re chic anyway.”
The cotton of my shirt is soft in my hand as I yank the neckline up higher. “Right.”
A baritone laugh carries as we sit, and it makes me smile before I realize why. It’s Paul.
How is it
I go months without seeing the man and now he seems to be everywhere? I turn toward the sexy werewolf’s laughter and discover Paul’s sitting a few couches over with a man that is almost as attractive as he is. I turn away quickly and notice Sophie is already engrossed in the drink menu. She didn’t see him.
My sister says, “All these drinks sound so good. I’m not sure I can choose.”
My fingers shake when I take the small leather book she offers me. “What are you leaning toward?” The fire across from us radiates heat, and shadows dance around us as the flames flicker.
“The coconut one looks yummy.”
“It does,” I say. “Let’s get those.”
After the waitress takes our order, I say to Sophie, “Sorry Pete’s wasn’t our kind of place. I think my research was faulty.”
“I wouldn’t call it a total waste. Derek and Evan were nice.”
“They were, but you’ll notice nobody got any numbers.”
“True.” Sophie glances past me to scan the area as if she’s just remembered we’re supposed to be looking for men. Her gaze hones in on something as her lips turn up in a smile. She’s seen Paul.
“Well, well, well,” she says. “I believe we might have found our place.”
Martini glasses rimmed with sugar thump down on the coffee table before us as the waitress serves them. I ignore my sister’s comment and reach for my drink. “This looks decadent.”
“You saw him already, didn’t you?”
I sip my drink and savor the sweet flavor on my tongue before I answer. “Yup.”
Sophie squints her eyes at me. “Ten bucks says he’s going to come over, and you’ll be the one he notices first.”
I never apologized for my actions last night, so I say, “Look I’m sorry I pushed you into a date, okay?”
Sophie bites her lower lip as she gazes at me, and I recognize her expression as the one she gets when she’s up to no good. “Oh, no,” I say. “Whatever you’re thinking right now, stop.”
She shrugs. “Fine. I’ll give you a choice. I can go over there and set you up with Paul’s friend, or I can cancel tomorrow night.”
