by Mary Calmes
"Great," I said lamely, pivoting around.
"Jory."
I didn't stop walking but looked at him over my shoulder.
"Take care."
"Yessir, Detective Kage," I said softly, opening the door, feeling the warm air envelop me as I went back inside the restaurant. I was so proud of myself for not breaking down but I was exhausted from all the energy it took. Who knew pretending to be nonchalant could be so draining?
I insisted that Dylan and Chris stay and eat and drink.
They could turn the evening into a date night. For me it was a bust, between Ray being a jerk and Sam having become a stranger. And even though it was freezing out I decided to walk home to clear my head. I was surprised when my phone rang.
"What?" I asked irritably, reading the number on my display before I answered.
"I just got off the phone with Ray," Nick began. "He accused me of making you turn him down to get back at him.
I told him I didn't have that kind of power over you."
"And you don't."
"I know I don't," he said quickly. "Like I said, that's what I told him."
I was silent.
"So, for the record, why did you turn him down?"
"'Cause the guy's a dick, Nicky," I told him. "Why would you, with all you've got going for you, even let a guy like that close to you? He's a conceited asshole."
"I know."
"So? Why?"
"He comes on really strong, J. He acted like he was really into me and I—"
I made a noise. "He's a total tool. I'd have to be lobotomized before I'd let him close to me."
He chuckled. "You know, I like you, I really do. You wanna come and have pie with me?"
"Pie?" I smiled into the phone. "I haven't decided if I even like you anymore."
"You like me. I'm likable. I'm an idiot, but I'm likable."
"And so, what? We're gonna be friends now?"
"Could we please?"
He'd screwed up, I'd screwed up—we really were very compatible. "Fine. Should I come now?"
"That'd be good."
So at one o'clock in the morning I went to the county hospital, picked up my friend, and went and had peach pie and coffee. He told me all about Ray Alvarez and we laughed like idiots. He ended up snorting milk out of his nose. You could never have too many friends.
Chapter Six
Sometimes there is nothing better than zoning out over a task. Just doing something mindless can be more relaxing than almost anything. So I didn't mind that I had been nominated to do the dishes after dinner while everyone else sat around and vegged. Besides, my friend Richard told me that his kitchen never looked better than after I cleaned it up.
He had just left me, telling me to hurry up because they were about to start playing board games. I wasn't surprised when my phone beeped and I saw Dane's number on the display.
This was inevitable.
"Remind me to kill you," he said instead of hello.
"Hi." I tried not to even smile. "How are you?"
"You did this on purpose."
"Whatever do you mean?" I cackled.
"Payback is hell."
"How's the date?"
"You're such an ass," Dane assured me.
"What? Art walk no good?"
Long silence. "You knew it was this big romantic deal."
I was so glad he couldn't see me. "Did I?"
He was on the date I had set him up on with one of my co-workers, and I'd assured him that I would take care of everything. All he had to do was show up. True to my word, I had set up the date from heaven. I had wanted to show him something off the beaten track since he was getting a little jaded with dating, and had ended up really outdoing myself.
They were on an art walk in Oak Park, through some Frank Lloyd Wright homes but also other private residences, where they were looking at personal collections. There were strolling musicians, a silent estate sale where trunks could be purchased that were possibly filled with treasures, or at least really old books that would look cool in a bookcase. There were different courses of meals in each home, starting with wine and cheese and ending with champagne or spiced cider.
It had sounded wonderful and I had guessed at, but not asked about, the romantic component.
"I can hear you smiling," he accused me, his voice flat.
"You can't hear a smile." I chuckled. "Besides, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud. It sounded wonderful on the Web site."
"Oh did it?"
"I've got hot-air ballooning for you to do next."
He hung up on me and I was still laughing when I heard the quiet cough behind me. I turned and a guy had slipped into the kitchen, hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking at me.
"Hey." I smiled at him.
Slight smile, like he was uncertain. "Rich said to come in here and you'd feed me even though I'm super late and it was really rude of me not to call."
I chuckled. "Rich's words."
His grin was crooked and he had dimples. "Yeah, Rich's words."
"Don't let him make you feel bad. It's not like he's the poster boy for etiquette himself."
He moved further into the room, closer to me. "I know, right. And it's not like I could've called anyway. I mean I was in the bug room and—"
My brows furrowed. "Bug room?"
He chuckled, leaning on the counter. "You should see your face."
"Sorry."
The smile I was getting made his dark eyes glow. I had never actually seen chocolate brown eyes before, I was certain now that I had. His straight, shoulder-length hair, long lashes, and eyebrows were all that same raven-wing black.
"So can I eat?" he asked because I was staring and not moving.
"Oh yeah—sorry."
"No-no," he said gently, reaching out to touch my shoulder to stop me from opening the refrigerator. "You can stand there and look at me all night if you want."
I nodded, arching one eyebrow as I turned to get out the food I had just put away.
He laughed softly behind me. "What's your name?"
"Jory," I said as I put bowls on the counter. "You?"
"Kai."
"And what do you do, Kai, that takes you to a bug room?"
His smile was wide as he passed me a plate from the cabinet next to his head. He obviously knew his way around Richard's kitchen. They had to be close friends. "I work at the Field Museum and I was in the bug room where we keep these beetles that basically eat the flesh off stuff."
"Are you sure you can eat?" I asked, squinting at him.
His laughter came from way down deep. "Yeah. Maybe you'd like to come with me sometime and see it?"
My eyes widened. "Go with you to the bug room?"
"Yeah. What do you say?"
"Okay." I grinned at him. "Sure."
"When?"
"I dunno. When do you want me?"
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow's Sunday."
"I know."
I shrugged. "What time?"
"How 'bout we get lunch? I know this great little Italian place, we can have—"
"Actually, I gotta have brunch with my brother, then I can meet you."
"You have Sunday brunch with your brother?" he asked skeptically, one brow raised.
"Yeah. Why?"
"No reason. That's awesome."
"Why is it awesome?" I chuckled because of the way he was smiling.
"It's just nice. I like it."
"Whatever, man." I smiled at him. "So we can go another—"
"I'll meet you after lunch," he said quickly, brushing past my attempt to reschedule. "Do you know where the Field Museum is?"
"Yeah, I've been there lots of times. The dinosaur is really cool."
"Uh," he groaned. "You so don't wanna get me started on the damn dinosaur. All that money could have been directed into other research programs that—"
I put up my hands. "I'll meet you by the store inside?"
His eyes twinkled. "Don't wanna hear
my usual rant?"
"No thanks."
"Okay so... by the store at say, one?"
"One's good."
He sighed. "Good. Can I get your number in case I get hit by a bus or something?"
"And how're you calling if you get hit by a bus?"
"I'll gasp out that somebody needs to call you before I die." He smiled, his eyes locking on my mouth. "Is that okay?"
I stared into all that darkness. "It's okay."
He leaned on the counter, pulling out his cell phone. "Give it to me."
We stood in the kitchen, me leaning against the sink while he ate standing up. I told him to go sit down in the living room, but he preferred to stay where he was and talk to me.
I asked more questions about the museum and he explained that, with his doctorate in biology, he worked in the Division of Mammals in the Zoology department. He had me laughing over the phone calls that came in from people in the city.
"This lady called the other day and described this animal to me over the phone and when I asked her what she thought it was she said she thought it was a yeti."
"As in the Yeti. The Abominable Snowman."
"Yeah."
I smiled at him. "And you said?"
"I explained that it probably wasn't but that maybe she should call animal control."
"Why?"
"I dunno. Maybe she's got a rabid Samoyed in her back yard for all I know."
I nodded. "I see."
"You have a great smile, Jory."
I looked up at him. "Thanks. You too."
He took a shaky breath. "So tell me more about working at a PR firm."
I shrugged. "It's not that exciting."
"Okay. Tell me how old you are."
"Twenty-three. You?"
"Thirty-one."
I tilted my head as I looked at him. "I'm too old for you, right? You like eighteen-year-olds?"
His jaw clenched. "No. Age doesn't mean anything. I've dated guys in their forties and fifties and guys younger than me. I go where my interest draws me."
I nodded.
"And you?"
"Same."
"Good."
I coughed softly. "So these beetles that eat flesh—what kind do that? Not like ladybugs, right?"
He smiled at me. "No, they're called Dermestid beetles."
"Okay."
"Like you care."
"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't interested. I have all sorts of odd pieces of knowledge in my head."
He reached out and touched the hem of my shirt. "If you have time tomorrow, maybe after I show you the museum, we could take a walk."
"That sounds nice."
His eyes flicked up to mine and locked there. "I wish it was tomorrow."
"Yeah, me too."
"J!"
We both turned as Richard came into the kitchen.
"Carey's here and he wants to go dancing instead of sitting around playing board games. Everybody else is in. What do you say?"
I looked at Kai. "Do you wanna go?"
"I don't care as long as I get to hang with you." He smiled quickly.
"Aww, that's so sweet," Richard said, giving me a look before he walked back out.
"That was very nice," I assured him.
"Well, thanks, but so you know—I am a crappy dancer.
You're gonna cry."
"You think?"
"Oh yeah," he assured me, chuckling. "My sister Grace wouldn't let me dance at her wedding because she was so scared I'd freak people out."
I laughed at him as he sighed deeply and touched the collar of my shirt. "You look really good. Maybe you can take a look at my wardrobe and give me some pointers."
"You look fine to me," I said, my eyes sliding over his long, lean frame. He looked good in his pocket T-shirt clinging tightly to the sinewy muscles in his biceps, chest, and abdomen. His faded 501 jeans fit well, his beat-up hiking boots had seen better days—all of it giving the impression of a man that was both solid and strong. He wasn't strikingly beautiful or the kind of guy you noticed instantly, he was the kind of guy that grew on you, because in the two hours that we had been talking in the kitchen I had become a great admirer of his eyes, his shoulders, the veins in his hands, the way he smiled, and the soft, gentle tone of his voice. He radiated a sort of soothing quiet that was comforting, like he was comfortable in his own skin.
"Yeah? I look okay?"
"You do." I smiled at him. "What kind of music do you like?"
"Why?"
"There's a jazz club by my apartment that's really good if you maybe wanted to go listen to some instead of going dancing."
"I'll be honest, I haven't had the opportunity to hear a lot of jazz, but I would much rather listen to music with you then show you how poorly my body moves."
"I'm sure your body moves just fine."
He stared at me. "Why don't we go now?"
He helped me clean Richard's kitchen back up and when we left together there were a lot of catcalls and comments and Carey's final "Be careful, you two!" was probably the most obvious. Out on the street, he pointed at an ancient Volkswagen van.
"Is that yours?"
"Yeah, I know, it's—"
"It's awesome," I breathed out, walking over to it, peering in the windows. "What is this, like a sixty-five? Sixty-seven?"
He chuckled behind me and I turned to look at him.
"Big aficionado of VW vans, are you?"
"I just love old stuff period."
He smiled at me. "You know, you are not at all what I expected."
"How'dya mean?"
"Jory, you must know... I mean, I go in the kitchen and there you are and you're so... beautiful... and the smile and—
and you just... and you like my old, ugly van. It's amazing."
"Why?"
"You look like you'd be the kind of guy that needs a guy with money."
I snorted out the laugh. "I have my own money and what I don't have my brother has. I'm good."
He looked into my eyes. "Would you like to drive my piece of junk?"
"Really?" I was so excited.
He laughed out loud. "God you sound so excited. Hell yes.
Come get the keys."
I drove us to the jazz club across the street from my apartment and we talked and laughed and listened and he gave me a nod that let me know he liked both the music and the company. I offered him a cup of tea after the last set and he draped an arm around my neck as he crossed the street with me.
He liked my apartment, the wooden framed windows, exposed beams, and the ceiling fans that looked like they were as old as the building itself. Content to sit on the counter and watch me make tea, I asked when his last long-term relationship was. He explained about the two-year love affair that had ended six months ago, with a veterinarian.
"What happened?" I prodded as I poured the water into the teapot so it could steep.
"He didn't want to move in with me." He sighed heavily. "I asked him to after three months and he said it was too soon, but when we hit two years and he was still saying no... it became painfully obvious that he was waiting for someone better to come along."
"Sorry."
He shrugged. "It's okay. He didn't get that my love was a gift and if somebody doesn't appreciate the value of being loved... not a lot you can do."
"True."
"And your last love affair, as you put it?"
"It was three months ago, but it wasn't anything long-term like yours. I thought it was gonna be, but the guy... it turned out he wasn't as into me as I thought he was."
"No?"
"No."
"How come?"
"I think it was hard for him since he wasn't out, ya know?"
"Oh yeah, I do know. I've been there."
"Tell me."
"I dated this guy for six months and his family had no idea he was gay. His friends all thought he was this big ladies' man and—shit... what a mess."
"Bad, right?"
He laughed
at me. "So much worse than bad. I mean, he still calls sometimes and asks me if I can see me and can I just give him some time and... it'll never change but he seems to have deluded himself into thinking that one of these days he's gonna come out of the closet."
"My guy's a cop."
"Oh shit! You know that's so never gonna happen, right?"
"I know." I nodded, exhaling slowly. "It was just tough to let go of."
"I'm sorry," he said, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder.
I shrugged. "What're ya gonna do."
"All I wanna do is meet somebody and settle down and just be done with this whole dating mess." He smiled at me.
And for whatever reason my libido turned off and my brain turned on.
"Jory?"
I stepped back and looked at him.
"What?"
"This is gonna sound really weird like crazy woo-woo weird but you gotta go with it, and don't get mad, just open up your mind to the possibility that I'm not the end of your journey, but merely a signpost along the way."
He scowled at me. "I knew you were too pretty to be sane."
"I'm a big believer in signs."
"I bet you do Ouija boards and Tarot cards too, don'tcha?"
"Make fun if you like, but I have the perfect guy for you."
He grinned wide. "Actually, Jory, I think you're the guy for me."
But I wasn't. We were in different places in our lives, which had nothing at all to do with our ages. I wasn't ready to settle down with anyone else but Sam Kage, and since that wasn't happening... but I knew somebody who was. I knew the exact man he needed to meet. "Will you just do me a favor and let me set you up on a blind date?"
"You're seriously disturbed."
"Please. You won't be sorry and I think I—"
"If you wanna get rid of me, just—"
"No-no-no, it's not like that. Just c'mon, Kai. If it doesn't work out I'll go wherever you want—do whatever—just—just—"
"Deal." He smiled at me, holding out his hand. "Shake on it. You're mine if it goes badly."
I clasped the hand tight because there was no way in hell I didn't have the greatest matchmaking skills in the history of the world. I would stake my life on it. I was Cupid in the flesh.
Chapter Seven
I was at Navy Pier with binoculars and a trench coat the following night. I was limping, because I had twisted my ankle playing racquetball with Dane that morning, but I was not going to let a little pain get in the way of my spy mission.
