He put Lucky in a little carrier and grabbed Monster’s leash. I helped him manage the doors and kept smiling. I couldn’t stop if I’d tried.
“What are you smiling for?” the old man asked. What he was doing at the front desk I had no idea.
“I have a dinner date.”
“You’re on until nine,” the tech reminded me.
“Actually Dr. Percy is going to cover for me.” I looked him and winked. “One of the perks, right?”
He nodded at me. “Right.”
Being the boss wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.
Chapter Seventeen
Lori’s Family Face Off
Today was the day. The Eve of Christmas Eve. My parents’ annual holiday party, so pretentious they named it and that day was strictly for their party with their circle of friends, was tonight. I’d warned Nick it was black tie over a week ago and he’d insisted I not get involved. He wanted to handle his wardrobe.
I checked my watch. He’d be here any minute. I couldn’t wait. Why hadn’t he agreed to just move in with me now? I knew it was stupid to move his stuff just to move it again, but I hated being without him.
A quick turn in the full-length mirror reassured me. I’d gone with a silvery blue gown that showed off my eyes and didn’t wash me out too much.
Time for a last minute check. Earrings, necklace, and a tasteful bracelet—check. Hair done by my favorite stylist—check. Shoes that matched the dress and were elegant yet danceably comfortable—check. Makeup done—check. Perfume! I knew I’d forgotten something.
At the vanity, I had five scents to choose from. I could go with the one my mother had bought me for my birthday, try to flatter her indirectly. No, I had to go with Nick’s favorite. If he only knew it ran one hundred dollars an ounce. He had expensive taste, and he didn’t even know it. In perfume and women.
I dabbed the perfume strategically on my body in anticipation of the after party activities. I’d just added another layer of glossy lipstick when the doorbell rang. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the bedroom and opened the front door.
I stared at Nick, stunned. For the first time ever, he wasn't in work overalls or jeans and a t-shirt. He was in a tux. A very nice looking tux that did great things for his already good build. I wasn’t about to check the collar. I knew it wasn’t a rental and it wasn’t cheap.
“Hi, Nick.” I knew I sounded like an idiot. It didn’t matter. I could be a fool for him. He did look good.
If only I had the time to take it off of him, have my way with him, and get him back in this perfect state in time for the party. I wasn't going to be late, not for this holiday party. There was time for fun stuff later.
"Ready?" Nick asked.
I checked my appearance one last time in the hallway mirror and nodded. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"No sweat." He took my hand and grabbed my coat for me. I hadn't realized how much I missed him until he was back doing those little things again.
We took my car, with him driving through the icy and slushy Chicago streets. I grinned at him like a silly schoolgirl. There was a flutter of fear in the pit of my stomach. I was happy, but about to make my family very frantic. I wanted it to be over with.
Nick parked the car and we went up. I put a smile on my face, my game face, for dealing with mom. Nick's hand was on my back and it felt reassuring.
I opened the familiar door with tense fingers and a knot in my stomach. I refused to hesitate. The room was already filling in, thankfully. We handed over our coats and grabbed champagne.
"Okay?" Nick asked.
I nodded a little too quickly and took a slow breath. As long as Nick was there, I’d be fine.
"Are Marina and Jen coming too?" He filled the silence.
"Yes, thank God." I looked around for them. "Jen's bringing Tim."
"And you think I'd fly solo." Marina appeared behind us with a man in tow.
"Hi." I hugged her and felt instantly better.
"Nick." Marina nodded at him. "Nick, Lori, this is Seth Lauden. Seth, my friend Lori Craig and her boyfriend, Nick Jared."
The men exchanged handshakes while I nodded in approval at Seth to Marina. I’d heard a lot about him and picture a stuffy geek. A little stuffy looking, maybe, but good-looking and social. This would be a topic of conversation later. The more friendly faces, the better.
"Sorry we're late." Jen rushed up to the group, dragging Tim by the hand.
"You're not late." Marina tapped her neck and looked at Jen. I checked out the spot. Yep, Jen had a hickey. They really were like kids.
Marina and I exchanged a smile and then she introduced Seth to Tim and Jen and then Tim to Nick. I loved how she made it look simple. I'd been lectured by my mother on etiquette and protocol all my life as though I was going to be the next First Lady. When the moments came, I always forgot.
"We should meet the parents," Nick whispered in my ear. “Let’s get it over with.”
I nodded. "We’ll be right back. We're going to say hello to my parents."
"We'll join you." Jen nodded and started to follow pulling Tim by the arm. I could tell she was eager to show off her new boyfriend.
"Later," Marina added and shook her head at Jen. Finally, Jen took the hint and stopped.
I took a deep breath and held onto Nick's hand. I spotted my mother and we made our way. Relief washed over me when I saw Dad standing next to her. He was less likely to go after me and Mom wouldn’t be too unbearable with Dad there. But his reaction was unpredictable.
"Lori, I'm glad you're here." Mother pecked my cheek and Dad did the same.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like you meet Nick Jared. Nick, these are my parents."
The men shook hands, my mother made no attempt to extend her hand. "Nick?" she repeated.
"My boyfriend," I added.
Her eyes glazed. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I know your family, Mr. Jared. Where are you from?"
"Southside," Nick replied proudly.
Her jaw clenched and she nodded stiffly. "And what do you do?" she squeaked.
"I own a car repair shop. I'll be opening another soon." Nick's voice didn't waiver. I was so glad he was doing the talking.
"I'm glad you could join us," Dad piped up. His small talk wasn’t so good.
"Are the two of you...serious?" Mother asked. Her hands held her chin as though she were trying to hold it up and yet act casual.
I could tell she was carefully watching her words. Maybe she feared I’d brought more of them. Her party would be overrun with blue-collar men.
"We're moving in together. We found a new place." I smiled. It was over and I hadn't vaporized under her gaze. What was it about parents? They could always make you feel like you were five. Not this time.
“Why would you do that princess?” Dad asked. “What’s wrong with your apartment?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it. I’m just not taking any more handouts or deals or whatever you call them. I appreciate it, but I don’t need them. We don’t need them.” I stepped closer to Nick.
"I see." Mother looked around to be rescued from a scene and spotted Marina, Jen, and their men getting drinks. "Marina, dear. Have you met Nick?"
Marina tossed me a supportive nod. "Yes, Mrs. Craig. Nick and I have met. His shop did some excellent work on my mother’s car."
"I see." Mother's vocabulary had shrunk quickly. "Won't you play something for us?"
"Play?" Jen looked totally confused.
"Marina is an accomplished piano player. We paid for Lori to take lessons, of course she never had the patience to practice." Mother got her dig in at me even if it didn't have anything to do with Nick.
"You should've done what my parents did. Hire a nun with a big ruler and Lori would’ve learned real fast." Marina had the last word and everyone laughed, even my mother. In her polite and sophisticated way, of course. She’d never give a real laugh, but she wouldn’t be rude to Marina either.
At least not when she was trying to
get Marina on her side, against Nick. Mother had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Marina wouldn’t fall for any of them.
"Please play," I encouraged.
"I want to see this," Seth agreed.
"I'll play," Marina relented. "First, I want to make a toast."
I felt my face drain. Too much Marina. Too far. Please don't. I know you’re proud of yourself, but save it for later, when they’re drunk.
Everyone in our little circle had glasses of champagne and Marina got the center of attention. "To Lori and Nick. We should all be so lucky."
The circle was quiet at first, looking at my parent’s for their reaction on the proper thing to do. They looked frozen. They didn’t drink.
No one drank. I felt myself start to panic, then Seth jumped in. "To Nick and Lori." Seth lifted his glass and drank, which triggered Jen and Tim that it was okay. It also guilted my parents into behaving well.
Freaky, Seth seemed in tune with Marina’s plans. Either she’d found a man who understood her or she’d trained him really well in a very short time.
"What'll you play?" Mother asked Marina. Glossing over any reference to me and Nick, naturally, she had to have it her way with the conversation.
"I'll make it a surprise." Marina handed her glass of champagne to Seth and headed for the grand piano and winked at me.
I followed her. "What were you thinking? That was too much," I said.
"They'll get over it." She sat down with a shrug.
"The sheet music is in the bench you just sat on," I pointed out.
"I don't need sheet music. I know what I’m going to play. Go dance with Nick." She poised her fingers over the keys and waited.
"I'm not dancing to Christmas carols." I laughed. “Just play.”
"I never said I was going to play a Christmas carol. Go." Her posture made it clear she wouldn't start until I went back to Nick so I did. She could be so stubborn when she wanted to be.
I noticed my parents had moved to talk to a group of their friends as I got back to Nick, Jen, Tim , and Seth. Then I heard the familiar first notes and turned back in the direction of the piano.
Marina just grinned and pretended to look focused on her playing. She could play that with her eyes closed and we both knew it.
"She's good." Nick hugged me.
“Marina’s played harder pieces than that.” Jen looked confused. “Not very Christmasy.”
“Nick meant the song choice not her performance.” I looked up at him and wanted the world to disappear so we could be alone.
"What is the song?" Jen asked.
"The theme from Arthur," I supplied. "It was our first date at a retro movie theatre and our song." I sighed and rested my head on Nick’s shoulder. My parents had no clue that song had any special meaning. They’d just think Marina was a little strange and they already knew that.
"Excuse us. I think we're going to dance now." Nick tugged me away from the group and we started to slow dance. Nothing ever felt so good.
~* * *~
After eating way too much at the traditional lobster and pheasant feast, I wandered away from Nick and found the girls. Marina and Jen were returning from the powder room and covering the evidence of Jen and Tim’s necking.
"I'm proud of you." I gave Marina a nod.
"For remembering your and Nick's song? Nothing impressive about that. You wore out the soundtrack twice. It's burned on a section of my brain. I’ve tried to kill it with vodka, but it never works." She grabbed another drink from a passing waiter’s tray.
"No, I mean you asked out Seth," I clarified. “That’s huge for you.”
"He's cute." Jen nodded.
"It's only the second date. He said he would’ve asked me out. He thought we had some policy against dating customers." Marina poked Jen in the shoulder. “Just so you know, you can’t have this one.”
“No thanks. I’m still breaking in the one I have.” Jen sipped her drink and grinned at Tim. “Relationships are a lot of work.”
“That’s the truth.” I looked over to see Nick, Tim, and Seth in an animated conversation. Nick appeared comfortable. He was actually enjoying himself. I never expected that. He was with the boyfriends of my friends, while my family showed little interest in him.
"I'm sure Tim and Nick are warning Seth what he's in for," I teased.
"Tim wouldn't," Jen defended. "If he does, I'll dump ice on him tonight."
"Careful, he might like it." I laughed.
Jen blushed. She was clearly comfortable doing it, but she’d have to get used to talking about it. I wanted some details.
I looked over at Nick and exhaled. The men appeared to be getting along fine. I could only hope it was a good sign for the future of things.
"My turn to make a toast," I said. "To Marina, whose bossy attitude and crazy idea brought us here tonight with these cute guys."
Jen and I toasted as Marina rolled her eyes and drank too. “Just don’t blame me when you guys have your first big fight,” Marina warned.
Over Marina’s shoulder, I spotted my mother and cringed. She was heading for me and I knew I was about to be cornered for the talk.
“Excuse me, girls,” Mom said. “Lori, I’d like to have a word with you?”
I nodded and slipped away with sympathetic looks from Marina and Jen. “Yes, Mom?” I smiled. She was not going to ruin this.
“How could you do this to me?” Mother sounded offended and angry with me.
“I didn’t do anything to you, Mother,” I insisted.
“You brought that man to my party. An uneducated mechanic.” She talked as though he was a homeless rapist who stepped on puppies for fun. I wanted to point out her time at finishing school hardly qualified as an education. She was qualified to plan parties and give courses in snobbery and nothing else. Those words didn’t come out of my mouth. I wasn’t going to go to her level.
“He isn’t uneducated. Not that it matters. I love him. You don’t have to like him, but I’m not hiding him.” I folded my arms.
“Is this how I raised you? To fall in love with a man who changes oil for a living.” She shook her head. “You should be ashamed of yourself for subjecting my party guests to such a person. At least Marina and Jen’s young men are respectable, professional men.”
I toyed with the idea of pointing out Nick owned the shop. No point really, Mom had already set her mind on this. “The only person I’m ashamed of is you, Mother. Nick has behaved perfectly tonight. He’s been nothing but polite to you and all of your guests plus very attentive to me. And he’s even dressed the part with an expensive tux to fit your snobby party. All you’ve done is belittle him and look down your nose at him. At least Daddy’s dropped it for now.”
“Your father isn’t happy about this either. Nick’s hardly appropriate. It’s not as though you don’t meet decent young men. Your Aunt Gilda told me how she introduced you to a proper man at the last party and you ran off. Rudely, I might add.” Mother wasn’t going to give up, just change tactics whenever she was backed into a corner.
“Did Aunt Gilda also tell you Freddie tried to molest me on her terrace? I had to defend myself, Mother. Ask Daddy if you don’t believe me. And if Nick found out about it, Freddie would be over that terrace in pieces.” I grinned at the thought of Nick defending me.
“Just as I thought, a man prone to violence and stuck in a manual labor job.” She rolled her eyes. “Not what I dreamed of for my only daughter.”
“At least he keeps me safe from the creeps you and Aunt Gilda throw at me. I won’t be scolded or criticized and I won’t hear a word against him. If you don’t want Nick here, we’ll leave,” I offered. I wanted it clear I wouldn’t stay without him.
“No,” she said quickly. Her eyes bugged out in horror. Her daughter walking out on her party. Never! “Fine, I’ll be nice to Nick. As nice as I can be. We can discuss this in more detail later. It’s better in private anyway. Try to keep him away from me, please.”
“No, Mother, we w
on’t discuss this later. No more conversations. Nick is in my life and it’s not negotiable.” I turned and walked away.
Marina and Jen were lurking at a respectable distance and I needed the friendly faces. I took a deep breath. “That was fun,” I lied.
They smiled sympathetically.
“You survived.” Marina handed me a drink.
“Thanks.” I downed it and felt a bit better. I could do this. I could survive it. I nodded and forced a smile. The earth had not opened up and swallowed me. When I was a little girl, I always avoided my mother’s wrath like I’d go directly to hell if she had to yell. I’d faced her and the solar system hadn’t exploded.
The men approached and any beginnings of conversation were put on pause. Girl talk was not for their ears. Not that I wanted to discuss my mother’s behavior at the moment. I wanted details about Seth and if Marina thought he was worth it. Later, would have to do.
"So, did you really dump a pitcher of frozen drinks in Tim's lap?" Seth asked Marina.
"He deserved it." She shrugged unapologetically. “He impersonated an ex-boyfriend of mine to get Jen to keep seeing him.”
“If I apologize, will you promise not to hurt me anymore?” Tim teased.
Marina shrugged with a smile. “It’s not for me to punish you anymore. That’s Jen’s prerogative now. You’re her problem.”
Seth looked more confused than before. Not that we could blame him. Our little game had some strange results. Luckily, none of them was tragic.
"It’s true. Be afraid," Jen warned. Then she tugged Tim out to dance.
"Good luck." Nick slapped Seth on the back in a male bonding fashion.
"Be very afraid." I smiled.
"She's not that scary." Seth shrugged it off. “I do want to hear this ex-boyfriend impersonation story. I know you guys are close, but exactly what sort of group am I getting mixed up with?”
“Maybe I’ll tell you one of these days. If you last long enough.” Marina seemed unphased. "At least you can’t say you weren’t warned." She pulled him out to dance.
“We’re fairly harmless.” Nick held me close and we started to dance too.
I kissed his neck softly. "I'm so glad I turned thirty,” I whispered in his ear.
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