by Cat Johnson
Her gut told her Troy was nothing like Whitney, or any other guy she’d dated for that matter. Maybe he had run because he was afraid. Maybe men were just as frightened and insecure as women. It would explain a lot, like why they pulled away the minute things got too serious. But it didn’t make up for the fact that he had made love to her then dumped her in absentia. She was still hurt and angry, but she had to admit, she was hopeful too.
She came back into the living room to find him standing by the table reading the proposal she’d dumped there when she got home yesterday.
He held up the first chapter. “Aimee’ Henri. This is you, isn’t it?”
“Yes. How did you know?” She blushed.
“Well, as far as the fake name, the code wasn’t so hard to break. But besides that, it sounds like you. The uncle, he’s Henri, isn’t he?”
She nodded, suspecting what was coming next.
“So the knight, is he…?” He trailed off.
“You? Yup.” She walked over.
“I haven’t acted very knightly lately. Amy, there’s something else I have to tell you. I really hope it doesn’t make you mad, or madder, but I want us to start fresh with a clean slate and nothing but honesty.”
Her heart pounded with dread. Amy nodded and decided to sit down in a chair for the revelation.
“I really did pull away from you yesterday because I was afraid of my feelings for you. But before that, when I ran away after we had dinner together—”
“After you kissed me after dinner,” she corrected.
“Yeah. That was because I…please don’t be mad at me…but I thought you were a lesbian and you were just kissing me because you were drunk.”
What the hell? This was the last thing Amy expected to hear from Troy. She would have been less surprised if he’d told her he had a wife and child stashed somewhere. “You thought what? I couldn’t have thrown myself at you any harder if I tried.”
“I know now it was stupid. And I really was interested in you from the very beginning. I was trying not to be attracted to you because I was afraid I was going to fall for you and we could never be together.”
Amy shook her head and let out a bitter laugh.
Troy continued. “In my defense there was a lot of evidence that made me think that you might not be so into men.”
“What evidence?” She tried not to let her ego be bruised that she had flirted her butt off with this guy and the whole time he thought she liked women. Her flirting skills must be severely rusty.
He listed his supposed evidence for her. When he finished, she hated it, but she had to agree. “Okay, I get it. When you put it that way I guess it wasn’t too far of a stretch. But really, my attacking you on the couch should have been a clue. And you could have just asked.”
“I know. Just add it to my list of things to feel sorry for. But if it helps any, Antonio thought I was crazy from the beginning.”
“You told him you thought I was a lesbian?” Her voice squeaked, embarrassed that they’d discussed her.
“He’s my best friend.” Troy held his hands up helplessly. “You told Henri we slept together.”
“I didn’t tell him. He guessed. And, sadly, Henri’s my best friend too.”
“Well if it makes you feel better, he did threaten to beat me up if I hurt you again.”
Henri being able to take Troy in a fight was a ridiculous notion, but his offer still warmed her heart. “Really? That’s so sweet.”
Troy laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
“So even after we slept together, you still thought I was?” She couldn’t get past this.
“Yeah I know I’m stupid. But then today I decided that it didn’t matter and we would somehow make it work. I was on my way to tell you that when I ran into Maria, so I asked her if you were.”
“Maria too? Troy. Why did you talk to everyone in the world except for me?”
“I’m a man?” He shrugged.
She thought about what he had said before, about being afraid. “So, did you?”
“Did I what?”
“You said before you were afraid of falling for me. Did you? Fall for me?”
He stepped forward and lifted her out of the chair. “Oh, yeah. Hard.”
She reached up and touched his face. “Are you sure you’re not going to get scared and run away from me again? I don’t think I could take it.”
“Oh, baby. You’re not going to be able to get rid of me even if you try.” He raised her chin with one finger and gently kissed her mouth. It was soft, chaste and full of promises for the future. “Do you forgive me?” He spoke so close she felt his breath on her cheek.
“Yes,” she whispered.
The kiss he gave her next wasn’t quite so chaste. One hand tangled in her hair and the other one stroked the bare skin beneath her pajama top. She was glad she hadn’t bothered to change out of her pajamas, because from the look in his eyes, she didn’t think she’d be wearing them for much longer anyway.
“So, does this place have a bedroom? We’ve got a bit of making up to do.”
Amy smiled. “Yeah and I’m up to writing the first sex scene in my book and I could use some material for Sir Thomas. You are my muse, you know.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? And exactly what does being a muse entitle me to?”
“Carry me into that bedroom and I’ll show you.” She gave him a wicked smile.
He laughed. “I think I’m going to like this muse gig. And believe me, I’ve got a lot of material for you.”
She certainly hoped he did.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Chapter 1
“Troy and Amy invite you to join them for New Year’s Eve. Their place, 10 p.m. Festive Attire.”
Antonio Sanchez leaned against the wall of the elevator and reread the colorful party invitation in his hand. He wasn’t quite sure what the hell festive attire was, but the vision of people wrapped in Christmas tree garland crossed his mind. He glanced down at his black dress pants and the red button-down shirt beneath his black leather jacket. He was a firefighter, not a dancer in Vegas. This was about as festive as his attire got. It would just have to do.
He shook his head. This time last year, his best friend Troy wouldn’t have used the word festive even if you tied him up and shoved bamboo shoots under his fingernails. In fact, this time last year, before Troy met Amy, the only invitation for this party would have been a handwritten note on the back of a take-out menu tacked on the bulletin board at the firehouse. And attire for one of Troy’s parties would have been your cleanest jeans and a Ladder Co. #3 sweatshirt.
Boy, had things changed since then. Troy, the ultimate commitment-phobic bachelor, was now living with his girlfriend and sending out attire-specific invitations and Antonio, the once happily married man, was attending their New Year’s Eve party festively attired, late and alone.
Yup, you never knew what life would throw at you next. With that the elevator doors opened and deposited him in the middle of party central.
The door to Troy and Amy’s apartment was wide open and so was the door to their neighbor Maria’s apartment directly across the hall, making for a kind of dual zone fiesta. Colorfully dressed people streamed back and forth between the two apartments where just as colorful streamers decorated the walls.
“Hey, buddy.” Troy came out of his door wearing an actual apron. Not just any apron either, but one that read Kiss the Cook across the front.
Antonio tapped Troy’s chest and laughed. “Kiss the Cook, huh? Aren’t you the picture of domesticity.”
Troy’s head narrowly dodged a balloon and sent it bobbing along the hall ceiling. He looked down at the apron and mumbled, “Gift from Amy.”
Antonio commiserated but couldn’t help nudging a bit. He held up the invitation he still held in his hand. “Well, at least it’s ‘festive’.”
Troy laughed. “That was Amy too. So anyway, let me familiarize you with the party layout. Amy and Maria have this th
ing planned like a damn military operation. The bar is over at Maria’s. Her cat is locked in her bedroom so do not open that door over there. The food is laid out here on the kitchen island and coats go in my,” Troy winced, “I mean our bedroom.”
Antonio tried to absorb all the party instructions as he smiled at Troy’s slip of the tongue. “Not quite used to the cohabitation yet?”
Troy shook his head. “Don’t even get me started. How many drawers does one women need? I’m lucky she left me one for my socks and underwear. And the other day, I had to go out to the store and buy her,” he looked around, “tampons.”
Antonio outright laughed at that image. “Now I know you’re in love.”
Troy leaned in closer. “Yeah I am and I’ve got two months salary in a tiny blue box in my pocket to prove it.”
Antonio’s eyes opened wide. “Holy cow, you’re proposing? And you didn’t even tell me, your best friend?”
“Shh. Not so loud. I want to surprise Amy and ask her at midnight. And I didn’t bring it up because you’re going through your own shit right now.”
Antonio grabbed Troy in a bear hug and blinked a mysterious mist from his eyes. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for you, man. Congratulations.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, because I was kind of hoping you’d be my best man.” Troy looked expectantly at him.
“Of course I will. You’re like a brother to me.” He took a deep breath to steady himself. “But right now, can we go find that bar over at Maria’s? I think I could use a beer.”
“You and me both.” Troy patted the pocket of his pants.
Amy’s assistant from work, Henri, was currently manning the bar set up on Maria’s kitchen counter. Decked out in gold pants and a practically transparent shirt, Henri hadn’t actually worn tree garland but at the moment he resembled it. He sure was festive though as he clapped his hands when they arrived at his makeshift bar.
“This must be my lucky day, two hunky firemen.” Henri lowered his voice an octave and asked in a tone disturbingly reminiscent of Mae West, “So what can I get for you two big boys?”
Good thing Antonio was used to Henri by now, having encountered him a few times over the past ten months since Troy had started dating Amy. “Bottle of beer, thanks.”
“Same for me,” Troy added.
“I just love a manly man who enjoys sucking on a long neck bottle. Mmm, mmm.” Henri handed over the two beers with a shiver.
“Um, thanks.” A blush rose on Troy’s cheeks as he took the bottle from Henri.
“This should be an interesting night.” Antonio bit the side of his mouth to keep from laughing. He raised his bottle and clinked it with Troy’s before taking a swig, just as he spied three more people arrive, the last being an absolute babe with short blond curls and legs up to her armpits. Now, that was interesting.
Phew. If he was a single man… That thought begged the question of what exactly he was. He definitely wasn’t single, but he sure didn’t feel married after the five-month separation from his wife either. He wasn’t quite sure what category he fell into at the moment.
Antonio watched the blond and her two friends move across the crowded party, took another sip of beer and decided that what he was, was in marriage limbo. He wasn’t able to go back to the way things used to be with his wife, but he wasn’t free to move on with his life either.
He came out of his contemplation to find Troy watching him with interest. Embarrassed at being caught looking at a woman who wasn’t his wife, Antonio felt defensive. “What?”
“You know what. Don’t play dumb. So, do you want to meet her? I’ll find out who she is and introduce you. I’m one of the hosts of this party, you know. It’s my job to do stuff like that.” Troy ran his thumb up and down the apron string tied around his neck.
Antonio snorted at Troy suddenly embracing his job as party co-host. “You just stick to the cooking. I’ll introduce myself if I decide I want to meet anyone.”
His gaze traveled back to the leggy blond. He spied Amy walking across the room to greet the new arrivals just as Maria rushed over and hugged the guy and girl that had come in with the blonde.
He watched the whole production as introductions were made, coats taken and drinks offered. All the while Blondie, as he now thought of her, looked like she would rather be anywhere else but here.
“Troy, my stud.” Both Troy and Antonio turned as Henri called out from his post at the bar. “Do you have more ice at your place, sweetie? We’re almost out here.”
Antonio laughed as Troy dropped his head and closed his eyes briefly, gathered his composure and then answered. “Yes, Henri. I’ll get it for you.”
“Thanks, I owe you a big one.” Henri wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Shaking his head, Troy turned back to Antonio and pointed to the bar with his thumb. “I gotta—”
“Don’t worry, man. Go do what you gotta do. I know you have a lot of responsibilities being host and head stud for the party and all.”
Troy scowled. “Yeah, thanks.”
Antonio watched as Troy made a quick detour to Amy on his way out of the apartment. Troy took the coats she was still holding and whispered something to her. They both glanced over at him, then quickly looked away when they saw him watching. Troy and the coats high-tailed it across the hall to the other apartment while Antonio got a sinking feeling he was about to be on the receiving end of a setup.
He downed some more beer to steel his nerves as Amy came straight toward him. Leaning down, he received the welcoming kiss on the cheek she reached up to give him. “Hey, Amy. Nice party. Thanks for inviting me.”
She smacked his arm playfully. “Don’t be silly. You know you’re always welcome. And the guest room is all ready if you want to spend the night.”
Antonio thought about the surprise waiting in Troy’s pocket for Amy and decided sleeping over tonight would probably be a very bad idea. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
He watched over Amy’s head as Maria led Blondie, the guy and the other girl to the bar where Henri greeted them boisterously.
“That’s Maria’s friend Bradley and his new wife Alyssa over at the bar. They got married last spring and just opened a computer tech support company together. And the blonde woman is Brad’s sister, Maddie.” Amy had definitely noticed his gaze following Blondie, because she jumped right on it. “Maddie just got divorced. This is her first New Year’s Eve alone, so Brad called to ask if he could bring her along.”
Amy added that last sentence about the divorce a little too casually and Antonio’s suspicion that Troy had quickly arranged a setup was confirmed. He tried to casually ignore the obvious.
“Oh? That was nice of him.” He watched Troy reenter the apartment carrying a bag of ice and wind his way to the bar where Blondie, or rather Maddie, took a glass of champagne from Henri and wandered across the room with her brother and his wife.
“Yeah, Brad’s a sweetheart. He’s the one that fixed Maria’s computer after her cat spilled coffee in it. She’d just finished her first book and didn’t have a back-up copy, but Brad rescued it for her. Maddie seems really nice too, just a bit quiet. They kind of look alike, don’t you think? They both have that gorgeous curly hair and those beautiful blue eyes.”
Antonio was extremely relieved when Troy joined them and interrupted Amy’s matchmaking before he was forced to comment on the siblings’ hair or anything else.
Troy draped an arm around Amy’s shoulder. “Hey, baby. You might want to get over there and rein in your assistant. Henri is trying to figure out how to catch a computer virus at your company so Brad the Cutie, his words not mine, will have to come and fix it.”
Amy’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, I bet Henri’s had a few other kinds of viruses in his life, but he better not catch any that have to do with my computer.” She stalked over to Henri, hands on her hips, as Troy chuckled behind her.
“I’ll remember not to ever piss her off.” Antonio laughed.
“You got that right.” Troy nodded. “So, it looks like your blonde over there is Brad the Cutie’s sister.”
How had she suddenly become his blonde? Antonio held up a hand to stop Troy. “I know, I know. Amy told me, including the fact she’s divorced. Which by the way, I’m not.”
Troy looked at him. “How long is Tina going to take to decide if she wants to be married anymore or not? You’ve been separated for half a year already. It’s not fair to you.”
“Hey man, thanks for worrying but really, I’m fine.” Antonio tugged at the black leather jacket that he hadn’t gotten around to taking off yet. It would provide a good excuse for a quick exit. “It’s getting hot in here. I’m going to ditch this jacket in your bedroom and check out the food at your place.”
Troy nodded. “Go ahead, before the hoards devour all my chili.”
“They better not.” Antonio called over his shoulder and left his friend and all talk of his wife behind him, at least for a little while.
In the apartment across the hall, he grabbed himself a bowl of chili from the buffet set out in the kitchen and headed into Troy’s bedroom for some solitude.
~
In the midst of the growing crowd in Maria’s apartment, Maddie thought that if she had to smile at one more well meaning person, her face would crack. She finally ditched the two chief do-gooders, namely her brother and his wife, and snuck off for a much-needed minute alone. She had to go all the way across the hall to Maria’s neighbors’ place to do it.
Maddie slipped quietly into what looked like a bedroom turned coatroom and closed the door behind her. She leaned back against the door, closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
“I know exactly how you feel.”
Her eyes flew open at the sound of a man’s voice in the room she assumed was vacant. She saw the owner of that voice now, sitting on the end of the bed, eating a bowl of something and watching the countdown to midnight on television with the sound muted.
