by Haley Travis
James looked so hopeful that I would have said yes even if he hadn’t been saving my weekend. “That…that would be amazing. Thank you.”
He pulled out his phone. “Can I get your number? I’ll text you tomorrow for your address and pick you up whenever you like.”
I recited it while he quickly typed. “James, I really…I mean, this is a huge favor. Thank you.”
“We’ll have fun,” he said, flooring me with a wink. “We’ll put your aunt in her place, and I’ll talk you up to whatever relatives you like. See you tomorrow.”
His gait was a little smoother as he got into his huge pickup, and I swore he looked even taller. I gave him a quick wave then rushed back into the clinic to catch up on paperwork and prep for the next patient. I wanted to get ahead of everything so that I could leave on time and research dress shops.
Even if it wasn’t a real date, exactly, the dress I had planned to wear tomorrow wasn’t nearly cute enough.
CHAPTER FIVE
* James *
Saturday morning I did all of my stretches and exercises while I had my morning coffee so that if Molly asked me, I could answer her honestly.
I couldn’t believe that she agreed to go on a date with me. Even though I was probably just doing her a favor, and she might not even think of tonight as a date, it certainly felt like one to me.
Half of my mind kept telling me to not get my hopes up. The other half was so excited it couldn’t even think in words, flinging around a tornado of hope, lust, and strangely deep feelings for a girl I barely knew.
Somehow I managed to wait until noon to send Molly a text asking how formal the occasion was, and for the address and time I should pick her up.
She assured me that it was “medium level wedding fancy” so any dark suit would do. My custom cut jet-black Italian suit had been hanging on the bedroom door all day, and I combined it with a crisp white shirt, silver cufflinks, and a rather flashy yet still tasteful titanium watch.
Ten minutes before I had to leave, I sent her another text.
Me: Sorry to bother you, just one more thing – what color dress are you wearing?
Molly: It’s sort of a dark teal.
Me: Perfect. I’ll see you in about 25 minutes.
I forced myself to sit on the couch completely still for a few minutes before I left. I didn’t want to be so early that she didn’t have time to finish preparing, and I wanted to make sure that I was calm. Of all the healing crap the doctors had told me about pain management, the one thing that really had helped was taking slow, deep breaths.
Somehow I was going to have to play the part of her attentive date, with no expectations.
Digging out my dark teal silk tie, I tied it in a perfect double Windsor knot, then left the house.
Molly was already standing in front of her apartment building when I pulled up, and for a second, she didn’t realize it was me. Hurrying out of the car, I rushed to take her arm.
“Hi,” she said, grinning ear to ear. “I was looking for your truck.”
“These are the weekend wheels,” I said, opening the glossy black door of my sports car for her.
As she turned toward me, she began to laugh. “You wore a tie to match my dress?”
“Of course. If we’re supposed to be a couple, we would’ve coordinated such a thing, right?”
I took the opportunity to stare at her from head to toe, taking in her sexy but demure wrap dress that showed off her ample breasts to perfection. Her delicate silver necklace and few bangles made her look dressy but elegant, and her heels were low enough that she wouldn’t be in pain after a few hours.
Molly’s eyes were so pretty that I couldn’t tear myself away. “You look incredible,” I said softly, taking her hand and bringing it to my lips.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She was ogling me as well. “That suit makes you look even taller.” Then she flashed me that saucy smile. “Or maybe you were a good boy who did his exercises.”
Nodding and chuckling, I tucked her into the car then walked around to the other side. As soon as I got in, Molly raised her eyebrow to me. “Where is your cane?”
“Relax,” I said, smoothly driving away and heading uptown. “It’s in the back seat. The last time I saw the doctor, he said it was okay to walk around without it a bit now and then.”
“But you’ll be using it tonight, right?” she said quickly. “James, I can’t let you hurt yourself on my account.”
“I knew you were going to say that,” I said, flashing her a sideways glance. “I did all of my exercises this morning, then rested my leg all day. I’ll be fine on my own for a few hours, then if I get tired, I’ll come out and get it. Okay?”
“Or you’ll send me out to your car to get it for you,” she said sternly. “I’m serious. I really appreciate you coming out with me tonight, but if you end up in pain, I won’t forgive myself.”
My right hand darted out to pick hers up from her thigh, giving her it a squeeze. “I will listen to my body, and not get hurt. All right?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Now, this isn’t a very long drive, so we’re going to have to cram as if it’s a final exam. Who is it that you most need to impress, and tell me what they want to hear.”
Her light laughter made something deep within me start to relax. “Well, my sisters and my mom will mostly be fussing with wedding things.”
“Do you have any specific responsibilities today?” I asked.
“No, I got off easy. I did my time helping Janice with wedding dress shopping, and making all of the centerpieces two weeks ago. So today I just have to smile and be friendly.”
“Check. Will your father be there?”
“Yes, but he’s a pretty quiet guy. He’ll probably be hiding in the corner with my uncles. Family functions are really the only time they drink.” She looked at me sharply. “They don’t get drunk or anything, they just bring a bottle or two of really good Scotch and then nerd out about it for hours.”
I nodded. “Scotch men. Got it. What else?”
“There are a bunch of aunts and cousins who will be asking me about work, and gushing about my sisters, so that should be easy.”
“Okay. And who is the pushy aunt?”
I looked over to see Molly staring up at the ceiling of the car. “Aunt Madison.”
“She’s the one who thinks every woman should marry a rich guy to make herself worthy?”
“Yes.” Molly’s hands fiddled with the strap of her little purse. “I think years ago one of her sisters married a loser who embarrassed the family or something . It happened before I was even born , so I’ve never really heard the full story.”
“What does Madison do for a living?”
Again, that sparkling little laugh. “She is the wife of my Uncle Harold. He’s loaded, so she pretends to keep busy by going to charity luncheons now and then, when she’s not redecorating the next room of their huge house.”
We pulled into the parking lot of the banquet hall, and I managed to find a spot fairly close to the main doors. As soon as I slipped off our seat belts, Molly turned to me. “Everyone’s going to wonder whose car this is,” she said.
“Yes, we haven’t discussed that,” I said, trying to sound as calm and agreeable as possible. “I’m here to help you, Molly. I will play absolutely any role you want tonight to impress your family. If you want to tell them that we just met, or that we’ve been dating a month – whatever you think will make your evening go smoothly, I’m in.”
Good grief, the way her eyes shone at me. The rest of the world didn’t exist, just the two of us in the front seat of this car, as I realized I was holding her hand gently in mine.
“It will probably help if you didn’t mind saying that we were already dating,” she nearly whispered.
“Sure. So, shall we say that we’ve been dating for several weeks? That would make us officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but would cover for anything we didn’t know about each other yet
.”
Her luscious lips curled into a sassy smile. “You’re really good at this instant dating thing,” she said. “That’s perfect.” Then she grew serious. “At least tell me how we met, and what you do for a living?”
“You can just tell people that I’m some sort of computer engineering nerd,” I said with a chuckle. “Is there a pub near your apartment? Probably a something and firkin?”
“The Pheasant and the Firkin,” she grinned.
“All of those pubs are practically the same. We met there about four weeks ago, when I was there for my friend Stephen’s birthday party, and you were there for your friend’s…something.”
“My work friend Carlie had a promotion party six weeks ago. Close enough.”
“I will agree with everything you say,” I said, looking out the back windshield to see people filing into the hall. “If you start a story, I’ll be enthusiastic about it, and add in what I can. What do you normally drink at these things?”
“I alternate a glass of white wine with a glass of water.”
“Perfect.”
“Wait.” She sounded slightly nervous. “If we’ve been dating a while, um…”
My thumb caressed the back of her hand as I held it. “Most couples aren’t big on public displays of affection at a family event,” I said softly. “Take my hand whenever you feel it’s right. I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek now and then, and I’ll hold you close when we dance. You can feel free to guide that part, okay?”
She nodded, “Thank you so much, James. You’re absolutely amazing.”
It was startling how deeply I felt her words. Not long ago, I wasn’t sure whether I would be broken forever. Both my body and spirit took a massive hit when I...when certain things happened...and I honestly didn’t know whether I’d make it through.
Now Molly and her sweet energy seemed to be healing me from the inside out.
I also felt something in the way she held my hand as if she didn’t want to let go, but we had to get going. Getting out of the car, I was careful to limp as little as possible as I came around to open her door.
Taking her hand as I helped her out, I could see an older couple about to walk into the hall, but the woman stopped dead in her tracks. She was dressed very stylishly, wearing just a bit too much makeup, and was a little heavy on the jewelry as well.
“Is that Aunt Madison?” I asked without looking again.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Closing the car door, I used the movement to swing my arm around her waist, shifting my weight to my right leg and lifting her lightly over the curb and onto the sidewalk while she giggled.
Leaning down, I kissed along her cheekbone to her ear. “You’re so beautiful, Molly. This is already the best date I’ve ever been on in my life.”
Her sweet smile told me that she was definitely feeling something similar.
CHAPTER SIX
* Molly *
I thought that Janice was going to blow out my ear through the phone when I called her last night to tell her I had a gorgeous, incredible man as a date.
Now her squeal rang through the hall as she came rushing over to greet us. “Molly!” She shrieked, hugging the daylights out of me. I likely hugged her back for a bit too long, but this was one of the rare occasions that my family was affectionate, and I couldn’t help needing it.
She lowered her voice as she whispered in my ear, “Jesus – your guy is hot.”
Laughing, I untangled us as I held her hands and pushed her away a bit so I could see the entire ensemble. “Janice, you’re gorgeous,” I squeaked, try not to let tears come to my eyes.
“You picked the dress,” she grinned. Then she turned to James. “Thanks so much for coming.”
“James Little,” he said, shaking her hand warmly. “You look absolutely lovely, Janice. Congratulations.”
He turned slightly to me, asking in a loud stage whisper, “I thought we weren’t supposed to see the bride until the ceremony?”
Janice laughed with me. “This is pretty informal,” she explained. “I didn’t want to sneak off to a hidden room. That would make me nervous.”
“Do you need help with anything?” I asked.
She shook her head emphatically, then stopped as the lilies holding up her hair in a side clip waved slightly. “I’ve got to stop doing that. No, thanks, I’m good. The ceremony is in ten minutes, and it’s so short that Dad won’t even have time to get bored.”
I looked up to see James positively grinning as he said, “That was thoughtful of you, to design the ceremony with your dad in mind.”
“Have fun, you guys,” Janice said quickly, looking over her shoulder. “Cocktails are right after the ceremony, and dinner is at eight. Let’s get this shindig on the road!” She fluttered off in a swirl of white lace.
The feeling of his arm sliding around my waist was probably meant to be comforting, yet played havoc with my pulse rate. Every time James touched me it felt like things deep inside me were clicking into place. Being touched always made me feel more comfortable, but this was much more.
“Where would you like to sit?” he asked.
I had to choke back a smirk as I realized the only place I wanted to sit was in his lap, with both of his arms around me. “Let’s go take a look,” I said, taking his hand as we walked over to the area set up with chairs and a flowered arch.
Luckily everyone seemed to be busy with their own conversations, and left us alone for a bit.
The ceremony itself was indeed short and sweet, with Janice and Michael each reciting song lyrics to each other during their vows. They had taken their photos several hours ago, so the ceremony blended into the cocktail hour seamlessly.
James led me to our table so that we knew where it was and I could stash my purse on my chair. Then he seemed to be looking around the room for something. “So – where’s the gift table?” he asked.
“You didn’t have to get a gift,” I gasped.
“Of course I did,” he said, looking at me strangely. “Is it alright that I made the card out from both of us?”
I’m not sure why that made my heart tingle. “Sure, thank you. What is it?”
“We got them a thousand-dollar gift card to that huge new hardware store. I know a lot of people give fancy glassware and everything, but after the dust settles, they’re going to need practical things, like tools to bolt bookcases to the wall. Plus that place has lamps, patio furniture, all of the little things they’ll need.”
My mouth actually fell open, and I had to force it to close. “That’s unbelievably thoughtful.”
James leaned down to kiss the top of my hair, then walked over to the table, taking an envelope from his suit jacket and sliding it under a silver-wrapped box.
The physical therapist in me couldn’t help noticing that he was favoring his right leg, but fighting to keep himself as straight as possible. His limp was very slight, but I would be keeping an eye on him to see if it got worse.
The woman in me couldn’t help noticing that the way he moved was sexy as hell. There was no way to miss the way my cousins, the servers, and even a few of my aunts were openly ogling him.
James came back and took my hand. “Drink?”
“Sure.” Stretching over to whisper in his ear, I murmured, “There are a lot of women staring at the giant hunk in the room.”
“That’s nice. Who is he?” he asked, looking around.
I gave his bicep a playful smack. “You’ve got to be kidding. Did you not look in a mirror before you left your house?”
He smiled and shook his head as we reached the counter. It was an open bar, but I noticed that he slipped a twenty into the tip jar.
Once I had a glass of wine, and James had a whiskey, we began to circulate. He was an absolute genius for tossing out detailed compliments that honestly sounded like simple observations about people’s jewelry, watches, or something they said. He raved about my job, and how important it was that I was helping people.
&nbs
p; When it was clearly time for James to meet my father, I saw Aunt Madison swooping in to join us. After the round of formal handshakes and introductions, my dad asked, “So, James, what do you do?”
His confidence was incredible as he smiled widely. “Well, sir, I was in the military until I got blown up a little bit. Just enough that they kicked me out, because I slowed them down on their morning jogs.”
