by Debra Holt
It was hard to describe it, but it was as if a truce had been declared, and they were trying to chart a new territory… one unfamiliar to either of them. They had a shared history... laughter, love, tragedy. She just wanted to enjoy the evening with her friends and not try to dissect everything. She was determined to do just that.
****
“This looks good enough to eat.” Tyler looked pleased with himself as he slid the hefty turkey onto the platter which sat on the tabletop next to the deep fryer.
“Not bad. Who knew you could cook?” J.D. grinned as he stood beside the other two men, cold longnecks in their hands, giving their host support by staying out of his way. Tyler’s uncle and Davis McKenna, another longtime friend, nodded in agreement.
“I’m an expert in deep-frying turkeys.”
“Oh yeah, a real expert.” The tongue-in-cheek remark came from Darcy McKenna, Davis’s sister and owner of The Diner on the Square in town. She'd come around the corner of the patio at that moment and had heard Tyler’s comment. There was a knowing smile on her face. “I suggest you better empty those trashcans at the side of the garage before your wife sees the other two turkeys that won’t be on the dinner table tonight.” She didn’t pause but threw them all a smug grin and continued through the back door where the other ladies were working.
The men looked at Tyler, whose smile had turned into a sheepish grimace. “Didn’t think about that one.”
“Looks like your secret is out,” Davis spoke up. He might be a Texas Ranger, but it hadn't taken much to put two and two together and figure out the fact that Tyler’s cooking abilities might not be on the up and up. “Confession is good for the soul.”
“What I’m about to say is in strict confidence in the brotherhood of men… agreed?” He eyed each one of them.
“This should be good,” his uncle, Thomas Harrell, remarked, before taking a long draw on his drink.
“The first turkey got a little well done... guess I didn’t read the directions close enough that came with the new deep fryer. However, I knew we had another one in the freezer in the garage for the office Christmas party in a couple of weeks. I pulled it out, defrosted it as best as I could, and put it in the pot. But I guess the mixture of grease and water from the still-melting ice and all… well, it kinda just blew up.”
The hoots of laughter from the other three men were loud and spontaneous, and Tyler immediately waved his hands, trying to get them to quiet down before his wife heard them and came to see what was going on. “Hold it down, guys! I don’t need Tracy to melt down too.”
“So this third turkey came out pretty good... imagine that.” J.D. sobered his expression and commented on the perfectly golden-brown turkey.
“You know… there is something familiar about that bird.” Davis eyed the turkey more closely.
“Okay, Mr. Ranger. You got me,” Tyler confessed. “I called Darcy and put myself at her mercy. She brought this one from the café right before you guys got here. It’s one of the birds she'd cooked for the diner for tomorrow. I just put it in the grease long enough to warm it up and be able to say it was in the cooker.”
“Wow,” J.D. observed. “You must have had to bribe her a lot for this one.”
“You don’t know the half of it. She’s got free veterinarian services for that cat of hers for the entire next year.”
“Oh, gentlemen,” Darcy’s voice hailed them from the doorway, “could you possibly bring that beautifully prepared bird in to the dining room?” She threw them another knowing smile before she disappeared into the kitchen again.
“Yep… my sister owns your soul for the next year.” Davis chuckled, and the others joined in. He held the door open and allowed Tyler, the chef supreme, to enter ahead of them with the bird on its platter. Tonight they would dine on turkey. Tomorrow, Tyler would begin his diet of crow.
Chapter Ten
Good food and good friends made the holiday dinner a festive occasion, along with the spirited laughter of the two young boys… each of whom had obligatory photos snapped by their mom with the huge drumsticks on their plates. Amanda found herself seated between Davis and his sister, Darcy, and directly across the table from J.D. Even though the conversation was animated and didn’t have very many lulls in it, she found herself aware of the fact their gazes did manage to intercept each other’s, more often than not, throughout the meal. It didn’t feel deliberate but almost natural. A time or two, J.D. had flashed that devastating half grin/half smile at her, and she had lost her train of thought in the conversation she had been in the midst of with Darcy… much to her chagrin.
During dessert, she couldn’t help but notice how J.D. interacted with Tyler and Tracy’s two little boys. It was pretty clear they found him fascinating, especially when he did a couple of magic tricks for them with a napkin and a couple of silver dollars. He had an easy way with the pair, and Amanda felt a little melancholy as she watched along with the rest of the group. J.D. Sterling would make a good father one day.
He looked up at that moment and caught her expression. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes asked the unspoken question. She quickly turned her attention to the dessert before her and kept her gaze away from the man across the table.
After dinner, everyone pitched in, with the men clearing the table while the ladies cleaned the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher. The larger pots and pans were done by hand.
“I’ve had my fill of football already this season,” Tracy remarked. “We can adjourn to the front porch if you ladies want, and the men can have the den and the football game all to themselves.” The women soon settled in comfortable chairs on the wide porch and the conversation covered a myriad of topics from the latest installments of favorite television shows to the best recipes for guacamole. Amanda found herself relaxing and enjoying the banter.
After the first quarter, Tyler’s aunt retrieved his napping uncle from one of the recliners. Saying their goodbyes to everyone, they headed back to their home in Austin before it got too dark. Tracy rounded up the two youngsters and shepherded them upstairs to the bathtub. That left Amanda and Darcy as the sole occupants of the porch.
“How much still needs to be done on the decorating of J.D.’s place?” Darcy ventured.
“Just some finishing touches on the dining room and the maid’s quarters… shouldn’t be more than a week’s work left.”
“Do I detect a note of sadness? Maybe you really enjoyed the job more than you thought you would…” Darcy’s voice trailed off, her eyes watchful of her companion’s expression.
“Of course not. I’m just thinking how much I need to catch up on back in my real office. Whether it’s good or bad, with the holidays here, business will slow at the office, so I guess that’s good on one front. I’ll be able to catch up before the New Year begins.”
“Is this a ladies only party, or can a male venture to join you?” J.D.’s voice materialized with the rest of him from the shadows of the front entrance.
Amanda was keenly aware how the mere sound of his voice put her pulses on alert. She straightened against the corner of the porch swing, glad that Darcy chose to respond for the both of them, but not so glad when she heard her words.
“You can certainly join us. I’ll even give you the seat I kept warm just for you. I’ve got to visit the ladies’ room and then see how soon I can tear my brother away from that game. Some of us have a long day tomorrow.” She abdicated the spot next to Amanda in the swing.
Surely, J.D. would choose to take a seat in one of the other chairs on their end of the porch. It would certainly afford him more room. Amanda hoped for that, but J.D. seemed quite happy to take the open spot in the porch swing. Her fingers tightened on the links of the chain beside her, which suspended the swing from the ceiling. Darcy’s knowing smile as she departed the porch was not lost on Amanda either. She really did need to have a word with both of her well-meaning friends the next time she saw them alone.
Silence stretched for a few minut
es, and neither one of them seemed inclined to be the first to break it. The night deepened from dusk to darkness, and the chill crept in from the shadows. The soft glow of lamps from the interior of the house was the only illumination on the porch. Amanda was glad she had chosen to wear the thicker, cream turtleneck sweater in cable stitching and had added the burnt-sienna knit wrap at the last minute. She drew her wrap closer around her shoulders.
“Is it too cold out here? I can get you a jacket if you need one.” J.D. made the offer, his eyes indicating a genuine concern.
“No, this is fine. Thanks anyway,” Amanda responded with a slight smile.
“I’m glad we have this chance to talk. I wanted to speak with you about tomorrow and the house items we still need.”
She turned her attention to him. He was much closer than she’d anticipated and the faint scent of his cologne and the way his shoulder briefly touched against hers as he shifted his weight slightly in the swing made her very much aware once again of what a virile, sexy man he had grown into. The boy she’d known had had a wild, unbridled heat about him that had spun her senses into a maelstrom of hormones and feelings new to a young girl. The man beside her had aged like a fine bottle of champagne and leashed an even more lethal potency in his every movement and glance. At that moment, she felt as if she had come to the edge of a very high cliff, and one more step would be dangerous. It was hard to maintain control and an even rate to her breathing.
“What’s on your mind?” She was surprised to hear her voice seem to sound normal. “I think the house is just about complete.”
“Not quite. It just doesn’t feel right yet. It needs some added touches.”
“Such as?”
“Some nice paintings perhaps… over the fireplace and in other rooms. Maybe some statues and other things along those lines.”
“Well, you can certainly add those over time as you come across items you like.”
“No. I want it all complete.” He had his mind made up; she could see that.
“I can get some catalogues for you to…”
“No,” he stopped her. “We’ll go into San Antonio and look in some of the galleries there. There are a couple of local artists who interest me also. We’ll fly out tomorrow and do a couple of days’ worth of shopping.”
“Shopping? San Antonio?” Her eyes widened at his announcement of his plans… for both of them. “I do have a life here and another job…”
“Which is slow at this time of season, and this is the best time to get this done.” He reminded her of the words she had spoken just a few minutes ago herself. “You need to complete this job.”
“Right.” Then we can go our separate ways. A chill went through her body with the advent of that thought. The evening grew darker.
****
Next morning, Amanda found herself seated across from J.D. inside the Gulf Stream jet as it lifted from the local airport bound for San Antonio. She was ensconced in a deep, leather chair as soft as buttercream and almost the same shade. Polished mahogany tables and trim work gleamed throughout the craft as the shaft of sunlight filtered in through the windows. Footsteps of the flight attendant were muffled by thick carpeting in a swirling mixture of creams and light browns. The male attendant sat the glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the table next to her chair. Amanda murmured a polite word of thanks.
Her eyes lit on the man seated in a matching chair just across the aisle from her. When she had stepped out of the car earlier at the airport, her heart had done a quick rollover at the sight of him standing at the top of the stairs to the plane. Dressed in a dark chocolate, western-cut suit jacket, white dress shirt open at the throat, matching slacks and dress boots, he looked like he’d stepped out of the ad in a men’s magazine for the well-dressed multi-millionaire with his toy… a private jet. The irony was not lost on her.
“Penny for those thoughts,” J.D.’s voice was low and broke into her thoughts, bringing her eyes to focus on the present and the man who looked at her with a soft green gleam in his eyes.
“Excuse me?”
“Whatever your thoughts, they must be amusing by the hint of grin on your face.”
“It’s nothing. Just something remembered from years ago.”
He was quiet for a moment or two. “Would it have anything to do with a picnic on Lookout Hill? And a know-it-all teenage kid with his head in the clouds?” A soft laugh came from him at that point.
“You saw a jet trail high up in the sky and that’s when you said…” She didn’t finish. He did it for her.
“’That’ll be us someday, Mandy… you and me off to see the world.’” His gaze became solemn as it rested upon her. J.D. uncrossed his leg from the other and leaned forward in his chair, his voice moving over her. “Well, San Antonio is close to home, but we’re on our way. We can go anywhere you’d like. How about we head to New York? Or maybe we go west to San Francisco? There are great art galleries in both places. You name it. I’ll take you anywhere in the world you want to go.”
Amanda had to fight to ignore the bittersweet pain in her middle the memory had evoked and the fresh arrow sent into her by his words.
“Tempting as that might be, I’m a working girl and have appointments to keep, and responsibilities. San Antonio is as far as I go.” She tore her gaze from his and went to the view outside the plane.
J.D. didn’t pursue the topic. For that, she was grateful.
A little over a half-hour later, the jet landed in the city and taxied to a private hangar at the edge of the airport. Amanda was surprised to see a black luxury SUV with darkened windows and a driver, in a dark suit, waiting beside it. As they came off the plane, J.D. laid a light hand at her elbow and steered her toward the vehicle.
“Amanda, this is Alex Danvers. He’ll be driving for us… among other things.”
She liked the large man’s easygoing smile. His firm handshake resembled a vice, and she reminded herself to remember not to shake his hand again. He looked like he might have played football. He was certainly built for it. She imagined that not too many people would ever disagree with the man. There was a quiet, watchful strength banked under his cool outer demeanor. She certainly didn’t intend to get on his bad side.
Once their luggage was stowed in the trunk, she and J.D. slid into the back seat of the vehicle. They took care to buckle their seatbelts. Alex slid behind the wheel, and they were soon joining the traffic headed toward the center of the city. The holiday season had spread its colorful blanket over San Antonio. They passed the huge, live tree that stood in the middle of the square outside the Alamo, due to be lit the very next evening. Then the holiday season would officially be in full swing.
Alex pulled the car into an underground garage. If the hotel personnel recognized their celebrity guest, they gave no indication. They were courteous and very professional. The general manager met them as soon as they exited their vehicle. He escorted them to the private elevator that whisked them to the top floor of the high-rise hotel, only accessed by a code which he punched into the keypad. The doors slid open, and Amanda stepped out first into the carpeted foyer to find two doorways… one to her left and one to her right.
The gold plate on the door they were led to announced the fact that they stood in front of the Hidalgo Suite. Once their host had inserted the key into the lock and had stood aside for them to enter, their bags went in different directions. J.D. stepped forward to shake the man’s hand.
“If there is anything else that you require during your stay, your concierge, Julio, will be just a phone call away on the phones in the suite. Please do not hesitate to call me if I can be of any service to either of you.” He gave a brief nod of his head to both of them and retired discreetly.
“Where is my room?” Amanda asked, her eyes moving over the sumptuous décor of the large suite’s living room. One side of the room were solid floor-to-ceiling windows, and the view had to be spectacular, but Amanda needed to get the basics settled first.
“Your bags went into that room.” J.D. nodded his head in the direction the bellman was returning from at that moment. Amanda took her key from him slowly, not sure she was comfortable with this particular arrangement.
“This is a two-bedroom suite. My room is across the living room and at the opposite end of this floor. And all doors have locks.” J.D. smiled while making the reassurance to her.
She was saved from replying by Alex’s arrival into the suite.
“Are you happy with the schedule?”
“Yes, there are no changes… yet,” J.D. responded, turning toward the man.
“You have my number, and I’m across the hall. I’ve checked the access cards, and all is in order.”
“Thanks, Alex. We’ll be ready to go downstairs at four-thirty.”
Alex left them alone.
“I thought we would visit one gallery this afternoon. We have an appointment at five.”
“I see. We have an itinerary?” Amanda responded.
“Just an outline, more or less,” he explained, removing his jacket as he moved across the room. The jacket went along the back of one of the leather armchairs. “We have appointments, but they’re subject to flexibility, in case we change our minds or you want to shop longer in any one place.”
He retraced his steps and withdrew a silver card from his shirt’s front pocket. “This is what you can use if you want to leave the suite and go downstairs for whatever reason. The elevator doesn’t work without it. And the elevator you use is strictly for service to and from this floor only.”
“I see,” she replied as she took the offered card. Her eyes must have portrayed the rest of her thoughts.
“It’s just security precautions. It goes with the territory.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“If I don’t, then Alex will.” J.D. went toward the door to his bedroom but hesitated and turned back to her. “He likes you.”
