by A. C. Mason
The conversation was definitely turning serious. Tim was only about elven years older. Not that anything was happening between them, per se. But she hoped they would.
“You and Daddy have fifteen years between you.”
“True. But I was older when we met.” Mum placed the stuffing in a large container. “Do you like him?”
Okay, no more edging around the topic. “Mum?”
“A simple yes or no will do.”
“Yeah, I like him.” More than liked him but how much was hard to say because Liam still had a hold on her. She wasn’t ready to let go of him yet.
“More than a certain someone you’ve been pining over for years?”
“Mum, we’ve talked about this.” To death. Beating a dead horse didn’t begin to cover it. “Liam doesn’t feel that way about me.”
“It’s not fair to string someone along because of their feelings for you.”
“I’m not.” At least she wasn’t intentionally. She enjoyed being with Tim. “I think he’s put off because I’ve never…you know.”
“So you two haven’t?”
“Mum, no!” Indy poured the gravy into the bowl. “I can’t believe you thought that. We’ve talked about this.”
“Your aunt called here after you left her place to yell at your father.” She sighed. “The two of you vanished and when you came back you needed a shower before dinner. I was young once too.”
“It’s not something I’m going to jump into,” Indy said. “You told me to be picky because once it’s done a lot of women don’t weigh the decision as heavily. From my friends, it seems mostly true.”
Mum smiled. “How does Liam feel about you and Tim hanging out?”
“Oh, he ain’t happy. I expected more from my best friend.”
“Men and woman aren’t friends. You should know this best. Eventually both of you are going to move on and find what you need in the person you settle down with.”
Even she’d pointed this out to Liam. The reminder of how her feelings for Liam had slowly eroded their friendship wounded her. If only he loved her back. But Mum was right. He didn’t. One day they’d both need to face that they couldn’t be best friends anymore. But not today.
“Be sure of what you want, Indy. Tim’s a good man and doesn’t deserve to be a stand in.”
That hurt. Tim was no one’s stand in. “I really like being with him. It’s not all fighting and antagonizing. I can just be me.”
“That’s half the puzzle. The other is the fireworks. If you don’t get all explosive inside when you’re near that special someone, you’ll long for it.”
Lack of heat was definitely not the issue. If anything, the fire burned white hot.
Daddy entered with Tim. “We thought we could help carry the food.”
Dark slacks, a dress shirt and tie never looked so indecent before. Glimpses of his nude, fit body flashed in her mind.
Fire radiated over her as Tim gazed traveled the length of her body. “You look beautiful.”
She blushed. “Thank you.”
Mum and Daddy smiled at each other. What would they make of a relationship with Tim? Daddy definitely liked him over Liam, but would that change if they dated?
Mum loaded them up with plates and sent them into the dining room. Indy carried out the gravy.
Chapter 14
Tim stood from the sofa in the Kent’s living room. As a child he’d played in this space, but the setup was different. It had seemed so big. But then, he’d been small so it made sense.
“Thank you for having me over for dinner,” he said and shook Mr. Kent’s hand.
The dinner had been lovely and Mr. Kent had been very chatty, asking him questions about where he saw himself in ten years.
Mrs. Kent smiled. “It’s our pleasure, really. With Liam away, we were worried Indy would spend most of her time home locked in her room.”
“Mum.” Indy’s cheeks turned pink.
Her family knew she and Liam were close. Though she had other friends, she spent most of her time with his brother.
“I’m just thanking Tim.” The woman smiled.
“It really is my pleasure,” Tim said. Their worlds could fit together. Her friends might need time to come around but it wasn’t something that couldn’t change.
Indy smiled. “I can walk him to the door.”
Her parents waved. Not a single decoration was out of place.
He could see a path with her in front of him and wanted to discover where it would go.
They stood under the mistletoe hanging in front of the door. She glanced up to find it too. Light from the Christmas decorations blinked on her pretty bronze skin. The shade of rum. It warmed him. The fitted black dress she wore hugged her curves but was conservative. She could dress for the audience she was mingling in.
She stepped closer, hesitated and her eyes lingered on his lips. The idea of her mouth touching his made him hard. The image of her getting off in the guest bed and the sounds of her enjoyment echoed in his mind. She leaned forward and offered him her cheek. To say he wasn’t disappointed would have been lying to himself, which he tried never to do.
He kissed her smooth skin. “Merry Christmas, Indy.”
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “Thanks, Tim. You too.”
Leaving him with the impression he wouldn’t see her until Liam had returned and that left him with a sickening ache. Was there anything he could say that would stop her retreat? Though she'd spend the night at his place in less than three days away, feared what her withdrawal meant. She wasn’t interested or Liam had convinced her to stay away. If she could so easily change her mind about him perhaps she didn’t feel as he did.
"Back to the grind tomorrow?” she asked.
Of course his return to work would give her the perfect cover for their schedules not matching up. “Yes.” That didn’t mean he wasn’t available to see her. “I’ve got the early shift.”
“Say hi to everyone at the hospital for me tomorrow.” She gazed downward.
“I’ll do that but you’re welcome to come over and do so yourself. They’d be happy to see you, and so would I.”
“I don’t know, Tim. I don’t want to embarrass you.”
“You don’t. Why on earth would you think such a thing?” It was insane that he had to disprove comments his brother had made. If only she would open up to him and tell him what Liam had said to her he could set her straight.
“Don’t know.” She glanced off to the side.
Time and patience would have to do. “Give me a call and we can try to swing by The Diner sometime soon.” The best he could do was keep showing her he was interested until she told him she wanted him or didn’t.
“Will do.” She nodded and pinched her lower lip. “I’m heading for a ride along the coast tomorrow but I’ll give you a call when I get back.”
Something was definitely going on—she only pinched her lip when something was wrong. He’d always found the habit cute. However, right now it was telling him things weren’t going well for them. For him.
“Are you coming out with us New Year’s Eve?”
“I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Eve. Besides you and Liam haven’t seen each other since September and you should have bonding time. I usually stay in to read.”
“Sounds better than getting hammered until you pick up a woman whose name you don’t remember in the morning.”
“Odd, I know, but that’s never happen to me.” Tim widened his eyes.
“No. I don’t imagine it would.” She chuckled. “Thank you for a day I won’t soon forget.”
He smiled, nodded and left. Whatever had created this distance between them needed to be fixed. Had he shown her more personal weakness than he should have? If she didn’t like him as he was he couldn’t change for her. This was the man he wanted to be. He wanted a woman that would bring more fun into his world.
Chapter 15
Indy went up to her room and closed her door
. A twinkle in Tim’s eyes had hinted he’d been aiming for more than a kiss on the cheek. She’d nearly gone in for it but then remembered that it would forever shut the door between her and Liam. And she wasn’t ready to do that yet. Since the barbeque, she’d sensed a change in Tim—as though he wasn’t going to hold back anymore, which put her in the role of making sure things didn’t get out of hand. She’d enjoyed the other role better. Acting outrageous and counting on him to be the voice of reason. The challenge had been to get him to let her go a little further each time.
The red light blinked on her cell. Probably another message from Liam. Greg had told him about her hanging out with Tim at the barbeque so Liam had left four incoherent messages throughout the day. She flipped open her phone. There three new texts from today. The first one was from Lisa.
The son-of-a-bitch broke up with me not to have to get me a Xmas gift. Call me I’m out of tissues.
If she knew Lisa, Indy would have to lend moral support, which consisted of being the designated driver while her friend found a new boyfriend by picking up a bunch of men, sleeping with them and waiting until one latched on. Indy didn’t subscribe to that school of dating, but Lisa swore by it. The farthest things had ever gone with a guy she’d dated was a little petting but when he’d moved lower she panicked and kind of freaked. She scrolled to the next message, from Liam.
Indy, why aren’t you calling me back? We’ve been friends since 96, you can’t throw that away. I’ve been an ass. Fuck, I know it. Just talk to me, baby girl. Please!!
What on earth was going on with him? Shit, why wasn’t he decking the halls with Brenda and leaving her to figure herself out?
The last message was from Tim. Nervousness fluttered in her gut. What if he was blowing her off? After seeing the ugly side of her family she couldn’t really blame him.
Indy, you made this a Christmas to remember. Thank you. See you soon.
The phone vibrated in her hand and it was L. Boyd. Part of her didn’t want to pick up but it was ridiculous that things had got to this point between them.
She hit the accept button and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
“Indy?” Liam asked.
“Yeah. Why do people act shocked when I pick up? Did you expect someone else to be answering my phone?”
“Eee, no.”
“What do you want?”
“To discuss the Desargues’ theorem.”
“I’m not amused,” she said. “You know I hate geometry.”
“Why were you distant when we talked earlier?”
The world didn’t revolve around him. “I wasn’t.”
“You’re a shitty liar. Why are you suddenly not picking up my calls?”
Not another fight. “I’ve been busy, Liam.”
“Busy doing what?” The pitch of his voice rose.
“Shit. Since when do I need to give you my itinerary? Back the fuck off, Liam.” She was so done with this little tantrum of his.
“Whoa… What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m not telling you what I’ve been up to. Don’t you have stuff to do other than keep tabs on me?”
“Indy, stop! Please calm down. “
She huffed.
“I can’t lose you.”
Was that what this was all about? He was afraid he’d lose the puppy that hung on his every word? “We aren’t as tight as we used to be. That’s just how life works. You’re with Brenda and one day I’ll have someone too.”
There was the sound of movement from the phone, followed by silence.
Had he dropped the phone? “Hello?”
“Give me a minute here.”
Some more noises came from the phone. She waited.
“Listen to me. Brenda isn’t my best friend, Indy. This thing with her it isn’t all that. No one could ever fill your role in my life. Even though you seem to believe I’m replaceable.”
“I never said that.” The man was being a moron. “But we’ll both be busy with our jobs, our significant other and kids. We’re drifting apart. It’s been happening since we went off to school. We say we’re best friends but we barely talk any more. It happens.”
“Not to us it doesn’t. First time I ever saw you, I was staring at you between the wooden fence posts. You were getting out of the pool and stuck your tongue out at me. The first time we played together you let me touch your curls.”
“I thought you were kind of a freak for asking.”
“I’d never seen curls like yours. They were so soft.”
Whenever he got all sentimental it was usually the drink talking. “Are you drunk?”
“Yeah, and fucking hard as a rock and high as kite.”
“Shit, Liam why do you have to be so vulgar all the time?”
“I’m fucked. I did some serious-liquor-mind-fuck. Even mixed in some cannabis. Brenda’s peeps are serious old school hippies. I’m standing outside in the freezing cold to talk to my best friend. I don’t like how I’ve been acting. And you’re right. Things have been off for a while. Rather than have this pull us apart let’s use it to make things between us stronger. Before we meet up with the gang New Year’s Eve, let’s have dinner. Just you and me?”
“Won’t Brenda be put off?” His signals were all over the map.
“This relationship with her is some fun. Nothing more. She isn’t the best in the sack either.”
She got it. The woman was someone to let him stab the box, do the kinky shit he was into and get high out of his mind with. Indy, on the other hand, wouldn’t touch the stuff and didn’t let men use her body. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”
“I’m telling you what’s going on with me. I’m not explaining. It’s the same reason I want to understand why you’re suddenly hanging out with Saint Tim.”
“Can you not call him that? It doesn’t make me want to open up to you when you attack him. He’s been really nice to me.”
“He’s my brother. It’s a bad habit,” he grumbled into the phone.
“Tim and I’ve been hanging out. That’s all.”
“Has he come on to you?”
Maybe. It was hard for her to know if his getting off in the hall was a come on or a convenience. “Liam, that’s none of your business.”
“So you came on to him while you were tipsy and he didn’t even bat an eye?”
“I wasn’t making a move on him. You assumed that’s what happened. I was my usual mouth-with-no-filter self and Tim seemed to take it in stride like he always does.”
“And you wonder why I think he’s a saint. Thankfully, though, he is.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not going to act like I want you to hang with my brother, because I sure as hell don’t.”
“Let’s drop this. I’ve gotta jet. Lisa is having a meltdown man problem and wants me to go over.”
“I think that will be real good for both of you. You know how she gets when she’s dumped,” he said.
Why did she sense there was more to his encouragement than him wanting her to help out poor Lisa? “Right.”
“Are we cool?”
“Coolish…” That wouldn’t go away after one call. She also needed time to figure out things with Tim and her. If there even was a Tim and her. “I’m still annoyed with how you’ve acted.”
“I’m sorry, Indy. You know I care about you. It would kill me if you got hurt.”
Brenda’s voice came from the background.
The only thing was he’d already hurt her. “See you in a few. Night.”
“I can’t wait to hold you… Later.”
The line went dead. Had he just said what she thought he’d said? That didn’t seem like the kind of comment friends made to one another. She was probably reading too much into it.
A few days of space between her and men in general would be good for her.
She texted Lisa. I’m packing then heading over.
Chapter 16
As Tim had pred
icted, there’d been no further outings with Indy. She’d spent every night at her best friend Lisa’s since Christmas day. More questions than answers were swirling in his mind.
There was a knock on the front door as he finished up his coffee. It was nearly time to head out to the airport so he knew who it was. He opened the door.
Indy set down a bag and hugged him, letting go much quicker than usual. On his side, he had to struggle to release her. It was official. He was a bastard. In that moment, he knew he loved Indy. Not only was he sure of it but he wanted to make her his wife.
“Are you ready to jet, Santa?” She giggled.
No long time no see. Nothing. “Hi, Indy.”
“Hello, Tim.” She had the prettiest brown eyes he’d ever seen but they weren’t looking his way right now.
After the time they’d spent before Christmas he didn’t want to go back to being acquaintances. “How have you been?”
“Huh, you know. Busy.”
“Me too,” he said. “Have I done something to upset you?”
“No. I was with Lisa, lending moral support. She got dumped and she was dragging me out. Why would you say that?”
“I got the impression you were avoiding me.”
She pinched her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I figured you’d be grateful for the reprieve.”
“Seeing you again is the reprieve, Indy.” With any luck he’d made himself clear. Now it was up to her.
“Thank you.” The tops of her cheeks turned pink.
“Are you ready to go?”
She nodded, her curls bouncing. “I’ll be staying here until my parents get back. I’m sorry you’re on babysitting duty again. Daddy can make me feel like such a child at times.”
“I don’t think he meant it like that. You’re an attractive woman, Indy, and he’s just looking out for you.” He grabbed his keys from the table by the door.
“You have the information about the stop at the Santa Monica Boulevard BreadBar?”
“Yes, I do.” He closed the door behind them. “It’s why we’re leaving so early.”
