by Niles, Naomi
I smiled. “Kind of.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Winnie said happily as she walked away from me without any explanation.
That night, while we were eating dinner around the table, the phone started to ring. Instinctively, I got up to get it, but Dad gestured for me to sit back down. “We’re eating, Jessica. Whoever is calling can call back later if it’s urgent.”
I sat down, but the phone continued to ring. After what seemed like forever, the person who was trying to call gave up. We had three seconds of silence before the phone started ringing again.
“This person’s sounds persistent,” I said. “Maybe we should just answer it?”
Dad sighed. “You’re right… then maybe we can enjoy our dinner in silence.”
He got to his feet and went to answer the phone. I heard his muffled voice carry through from the hall and three minutes later he walked back into the kitchen.
“Who was that?” Mom asked before I could.
“That was Jessica’s coach,” Dad replied to my surprise.
Luckily, I was able to keep my face free from expression. “Coach Hopkins,” I offered, pretending to be unsurprised that she had called.
Dad turned to me. “You didn’t mention that there was going to be a team-building exercise this coming Friday.”
It was hard to keep my expression straight, but I managed. “Oops. I guess I forgot,” I said sheepishly.
“You forgot?” Dad repeated.
“I meant to mention it to you today,” I said, slightly surprised by how quickly and convincingly the lies were slipping out of my mouth. “But I was so drained from practice that I completely forgot.”
“That’s understandable, dear,” Mom said.
Dad looked back at me. “Well, I think a team-building exercise sounds like a good idea. You’ll be back by Saturday morning?”
“Of course,” I said quickly.
“Hmm,” Dad replied, taking a bite of lasagna.
It was hard to keep the smile from my face, but I managed it until I got to my room. Then I jumped up and down a few times before dialing in Winnie’s number.
“Winnie,” I said excitedly when she answered. “It worked. You are a freaking genius!”
Chapter Fifteen
Alan
I was staring at my miniscule closet, trying to figure out what to wear for the party tonight when I heard my phone ring. I turned my back on the thankless task and picked up the phone.
“Hi, JJ!” I greeted my oldest brother. “It’s been ages.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” John replied. “Work’s been hectic. I’ve been running around like a headless chicken, and I haven’t had time to be a good brother.”
I laughed, collapsing onto my bed. “I can forgive you,” I said graciously. “How are things?”
“I was going to ask you the same question,” John replied.
“You first,” I said.
“Okay, well… I have this new patient,” John started. “Her name’s Abigail Crowley, she’s twenty-six, and she was mauled by a bear during a camping trip with her friends.”
“Fuck,” I breathed. “How badly was she mauled?”
“The bear almost took her whole face off,” John replied. “He managed to get the left side of her face and part of her nose… it could have been worse.”
“Worse?” I repeated. “Worse than losing your nose?”
“She’s alive,” John pointed out. “Anyway… her surgery has been scheduled two days from now, and I’ve been preparing.”
“You’ve done this procedure before, haven’t you?”
“Never one as complex as this,” John sighed. “I’m a little nervous.”
“Don’t be,” I said in an assuring voice. “You’re an excellent surgeon. Seriously.”
John sighed. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m determined to save her face. She’s a beautiful girl… and she’s so young and fearless. She doesn’t deserve to go through the rest of her life with a broken face. She’s been an avid camper since she was fifteen… and she’s not going to let this experience stop her. She wants to get back on the trails as soon as she’s recovered from the surgery.”
“Well, you’ll fix her,” I said confidently. “I’m sure of it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“What else is happening in your life?” I asked with interest.
“My second patient is—”
“Ah, John?” I said, interrupting him.
“Yes?”
“You know I love hearing about your patients,” I told him. “But I was kind of hoping to hear about you and your life. Anything happening there?”
John laughed. “You know there’s not. I go from work to home and then back to work again. I don’t have a life outside of the hospital.”
“Well, you should work on that,” I said firmly. “Don’t you ever get tired of talking about your patients’ lives instead of your own? Don’t you want some experiences of your own?”
“I have experiences,” John said in a slightly defensive voice.
“Didn’t you just tell me that you go from work to home, then back to work?”
John sighed. “I’m comfortable with my life. And I’m happy in my little bubble.”
I thought of all my brothers. None of us had ever had really serious relationships. None of us had ever lived with a woman or been engaged or even been close to getting engaged. I wondered if maybe that had something to do with our childhood.
“Alan?”
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I got caught up in a thought.”
“Care to share that thought with me?” John asked.
I smiled. “Have you ever had a serious girlfriend, John?”
He seemed taken back by my question. “Umm… well, there was Erica in high school. And Monica in medical school. And Susan during my residency.”
“Erica? You guys were hardly serious,” I pointed out. “You and she had an on again, off again relationship that was probably more off than it was on. And Susan was never your girlfriend. She was just someone you banged in the nap rooms between shifts in the hospital. I’ll give you Monica though… she was nice. What happened there again?”
“She dumped me for someone else,” John replied.
“Oh, right,” I said, remembering. “Sorry.”
“Why are you so interested in my love life all of a sudden?” John asked.
“I was just wondering is all,” I said innocently. “I guess I just realized that none of us have had any long-term relationships with women.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” John said.
I was surprised by his answer. “Why would that be a good thing?”
“Keeps you from getting hurt,” he replied simply.
It took me a moment to wrap my head around that statement and when I did, I felt unbelievably sad. I felt sad for John, for myself, for my brothers, and for that one event that had shaped our futures and messed with our heads.
“Anyway,” John said, cutting through my thoughts. “What’s happening in your life?”
I glanced at the time instinctively. “Actually, the team and I are throwing a party. We needed to blow some steam after that first month of training.”
“Stressful, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“When does the party start?” John asked.
“We should be ready to go in the next half hour,” I said. “I better go get ready now.”
“Okay, I won’t keep you,” John said. “Have fun.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You know… you should try hitting a party or two yourself.”
John laughed as though he thought the idea was ridiculous. “You know I hate parties.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But do it anyway.”
“Party hard, little brother,” John said, ignoring my advice.
“I’ll speak to you soon,” I replied before I hung up.
I didn’t have time to reflect on our conversat
ion because I still had to decide what to wear. When Langdon walked into our room fifteen minutes later, I was dressed in dark pants, a crisp white shirt, and a navy-blue tie. Langdon stopped in his tracks and stared at me with raised eyebrows. He was wearing a bright red Speedo and nothing else.
“What do you think?” I asked, turning to him. “Too much?”
Langdon stared at me in shock for a moment longer. Then he looked down at his own ridiculous attire. When he looked back up, he was smiling. “Take the tie off. This is a party not an interview for biggest Olympic douchebag.”
“Well, if it was… you’d certainly have this in the bag,” I said, pointing to his tiny Speedo. “Couldn’t you have picked one that was less… tight?"
“Hey, if she wants to see the goods, I’m going to show them to her,” Langdon said with a wink. “I have nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve worked hard for this body.”
I laughed as I removed my tie and shoved it back into my closet. I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to tame my dark hair. “Do you think I should run a brush through my hair, or is that a little try-hard?”
“Relax, man,” Langdon said, rolling his eyes. “I don’t know why you’re stressing this hard. She likes you. This is a sure thing.”
“I’m not talking about sex, Langdon,” I said seriously. “I don’t see Jessica as some conquest.”
“I’ve noticed,” Langdon said thoughtfully. “What is that about?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I honestly don’t. I think it’s just that Jessica is different. She’s not like other girls. She makes me nervous somehow. In fact, she’s the first girl who’s ever made me nervous.”
“Roughly how many women have you slept with?” Langdon asked bluntly.
I rolled my eyes. “Does it matter?”
“Sure,” Langdon said. “Answer the question.”
“I don’t keep count,” I replied honestly. “Unlike some people.”
Langdon ignored the jab. “Ballpark then?”
“More than fifteen,” I said, calculating quickly in my head. “Less than twenty-five.”
“And none of those women ever affected you the way Jessica does?” Langdon asked in a clinical voice.
“Nope.”
“Hmm… interesting.”
“What’s interesting about that?” I asked.
“I’m just saying… be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Be careful,” Langdon repeated again.
I sighed. “Of what?”
“Of falling.”
I rolled my eyes. “I barely know the girl, Langdon. I’m certainly in no danger of falling in love with her.”
“If you say so,” Langdon said with a shrug. “Now let’s talk about the really important details.”
“Which are?”
“I think you should have the room first and then I’ll go after you.”
I smirked at him and fell back onto my bed. “I’m probably going to regret asking this but… why?”
“Well, given your particular interest in this girl and the fact that it has been a while since you’ve had sex, I figure you won’t take too long,” Langdon said happily. “Then I’ll have the room free to fuck the living hell out of Winnie. I have a feeling she’s a screamer.”
“Yup,” I said. “Totally regretting it.”
Langdon and I left the room and walked downstairs. The house had been transformed in a matter of hours, and I could recognized it anymore. There were lights everywhere, a keg in the center of the hall, and chairs and sofas had been pushed to the corners of every room so that we had open space. A large table set up on one side was filled with bottles of every alcohol imaginable.
“Man, you really went all out,” I whistled. “I feel like we’re back in college.”
“I know,” Langdon said, looking around at his handiwork. “Isn’t it great?”
The girls hadn’t arrived yet, but the party had officially started. I could tell how much the team had been looking forward to this night. Several of them already had drinks in hand and sporadic dancing broke out as the alcohol flowed freely.
The only person apart from myself who didn’t seem to be interesting in drinking was Patrick. He stayed in the corner of the room, observing everything and everyone. He had a glass of something in his hand, but I noticed he never drank from it. At around nine, a few girls started trickling in and they were given loud and boisterous welcomes from the guys.
I watched the girls walk in, but Jessica and Winnie were not among them. I knew enough about Winnie to know that she would want to arrive late just to make an entrance. Jessica would have little choice in the matter. I was so wrapped up in thoughts of Jessica that I didn’t even notice Patrick walk up to me.
“Looking for someone?” he asked snidely.
His blue eyes looked watery tonight, and his white-blond hair in combination with the pale t-shirt he wore washed him out completely.
“Nope,” I replied.
“Huh?” Patrick said with interest. “It certainly seems like you’re waiting for someone in particular.”
“Well, I’m not,” I replied with forced politeness. “You’re mistaken.”
“You’re not drinking,” Patrick pointed out.
“Neither are you.”
“I never drink during training season,” Patrick replied.
“Good call,” I said dismissively.
“I have found, however, that a good fuck every now and again does help with training,” Patrick went on, and I knew he was leading up to something.
I turned to him. “I’m flattered, Patrick,” I replied seriously. “But you’re just not my type.”
Patrick’s expression soured as I laughed at his expense, but he held his ground. “You’re funny. But you have nothing to worry about. You’re not the one I have my eye on. She’s this tall, sexy piece of ass… dirty-blonde hair, feline-green eyes… I think her name is Jessica. She looks like a—”
Before Patrick could even finish his sentence, I took a threatening step toward him until our noses were almost touching. My eyes were flints of steel and my tone conveyed all the menace necessary to convey my sincerity. “If you even think of coming on to Jessica, I’ll kill you in your sleep.”
I surprised myself by the force of my reaction, but more importantly, I’d surprised Patrick, too. He looked at me in shock, and for the first time, I saw fear flit through his carefully composed mask of confidence. I turned and walked away from him, satisfied that my message had gone through loud and clear.
Chapter Sixteen
Jessica
I had left home in old jeans and a hoodie so that my parents wouldn’t suspect anything. I stood outside for nearly a minute before Stacy answered the door in lacy red underwear that put her athletic body on full display.
“Oh, hi, Jess,” she greeted me, opening the door wider for me to walk through. “Dressed a little casually, aren’t you?”
I smiled, trying not to look too uncomfortable with her near nakedness, especially considering she didn’t seem aware of it. “I’m changing here,” I told her.
“Oh, good,” Stacey said. “Some of the others are upstairs getting ready. I think a few may have already left for the party.”
“Is Winnie upstairs?”
“In her room,” Stacey said.
I followed Stacey upstairs, and she pointed me in the direction of Winnie’s room. I knocked twice and immediately I heard Winnie reply, “Come on in.”
I walked in to a whirlwind of strewn clothes and an explosion of cosmetic products spread out across the bed. Winnie was standing in front of her bed, looking down at the clothes. She wore nothing but her towel and a frown.
“Hi,” I greeted her.
Winnie gave me a cursory glance. “Please tell me that’s not what you’re wearing.”
“Of course not,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Why does everyone just assume that? I have a change in my bag.”
“Excellent. The ba
throom’s down the hall, or you could change here if you prefer.” She pitched forward and grabbed a sequined blue dress with thin straps. Then she held it against her body and stared at her reflection. “What do you think?” she asked, looking at me over her shoulder.
“It’s… definitely eye catching,” I said.
“I want to be noticed,” Winnie said decisively.
“It would be impossible not to notice you in that dress.” I smiled.
“Excellent,” Winnie replied. “We have a winner. You should get changed, too.”
While Winnie was putting on her dress, I followed suit, undressed, and proceeded to change. I slipped on the black pants I had brought and paired them with a silky, black blouse that I had been told suited me.
“Jessica?”
I turned to Winnie. She was standing before me in her sequined dress. Her curly black hair hung around her head like a halo and her blue eyes shone. She looked amazing.
“Yes?”
“Is that seriously what you’re wearing?”
“Umm… yeah,” I said uncertainly.
“And you’re not joking?” she asked incredulously.
I looked down at my outfit. “What? What’s wrong with it?”
“I wasn’t aware we were going to a wake.”
“Black is flattering,” I said defensively.
“It can be,” Winnie agreed. “When it’s worn correctly. You’re not going to the party dressed like that.”
I recognized the authority in Winnie’s voice and knew she was going to get her way. In this particular case, I conceded to her superior knowledge and decided to let this go without a fight. “What do I do then?” I asked desperately.
“Strip.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” Winnie said commandingly. “Strip. I think I have just the right kind of black for you.” She rummaged through the pile of clothes on her bed and pulled out a black sheath that looked far too small for me. “There you go,” she said triumphantly. “This will suit you perfectly.”
“There’s no way I’m going to be able to fit into that,” I said.
“Just put it on,” Winnie said impatiently. “And take off your bra.”
Having little choice in the matter, I was forced to undress again. Then I slipped my legs into the little black dress and pulled it on. “You’ll need to zip me up,” I told Winnie.
