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“It’s all good. They’re serving dinner in a half-hour. My sister’s family and her brother in law will be, along with his fiancé. I think our friend Matty will be there too.”
“We should stop so I can get a dessert or a bottle of wine. It’s rude to walk into someone’s home empty-handed.”
“It’s not necessary,” I dismiss.
“Please, let me do this.”
“Fine, there’s a bakery not far from my apartment. We can stop there before we go.”
The ride to my apartment is awkward. I don’t know what to say to Chase, and it’s obvious he doesn’t know what to say to me either. Looking out the cab window, I try to distract myself while he goes through his emails. While I’m not wholly paying attention to him, I can hear the tapping of his nails against his phone. When we get out of the cab, I take a deep breath and tell him I’d like to go upstairs and change before we go as I’d prefer not to have a casual dinner in dressy slacks. I want the comfort of my jeans. Once inside, I offer Chase one of the beers I have in my refrigerator while he waits for me to change, but he declines. He tells me he prefers either wine or hard liquor if he has a choice.
I’m now standing in my closet, in my jeans and bra, deciding what I should wear, hyperaware of his presence. I could annoy Chase by putting on a sweater that showed cleavage or keep the one I had worn all day already. In a teasing mood, I select a green V-neck sweater that almost matches the color of my eyes. Slipping it on, I adjust it with a smirk because it shows more than a hint of cleavage.
When I come out, I pay close attention to Chase’s eyes fixating on my chest. He sighs loudly before his eyes meet mine.
“Ready to go?” I ask innocently.
“Sure. Where’s the bakery you mentioned?”
“A few blocks from here. The aroma of that place could send you to heaven.”
As we walk down the sidewalk, I can see that Chase is attracting a fair amount of attention. Women we pass stare as if he’s a piece of meat. I’m aware of how very handsome he is, and I don’t blame them. I almost feel jealous, but know I have no claim to him. He can do whatever he wants; I remind myself.
The bakery smells fantastic, pulling me from thinking about the women around us. Freshly baked bread fills my nose, soothing me. A few people are waiting in line as we take our place. In the tight space, my hand brushes against Chase’s, and I pull it back quickly. He doesn’t seem to notice because he’s examining at the display case.
“Do you think a pie would do? Maybe I should get two pies. You said there are going to be several people. Or how about assorted cookies?”
“Chase, just get whatever you like.”
When it’s his turn, he chooses a large apple pie with a crumb crust and a box of thirty assorted cookies. Gathering everything, we leave. A few doors down, we pass a florist.
“I should buy you something,” he comments, stopping. “You said you hadn’t received roses in a while.”
I’m a bit taken aback by that because there wasn’t any obligation to. Why get someone you’re not dating roses? I shake my head and feel the familiar creep of embarrassment climb up my cheeks, not knowing what to do. He seems to be doing that a lot to me lately.
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary. I’m sure someone will eventually buy me some roses. I’m not much for red ones anyway; I prefer white.”
He doesn’t move away from the storefront, and I watch his face. His calculating gaze seems as if he’s filing away what I said. I wait for him, and when he moves, I notice that his legs seem much sturdier than when I saw him a week ago, or it might just be my imagination. He walks well with just the cane. We chat about trivial things as we head to my sister’s. Chase tells me that he loves baseball, especially the Yankees. I love them too, which I mention, and again, the look as if he’s filing away that little tidbit captures my attention.
We get to JC and Lexi’s just before six, and I lead Chase into the building and to the elevator. We’re quiet as it ascends. Getting out first, I hold the door for him because he had the cane in one hand and bag of dessert in the other. When I knock, I hear my nephew, Johnny, yelling that someone has arrived. As soon as JC opens the door, Johnny’s short arms encircle my leg in a hug. I’m surprised he remembers me since its been a while since I visited.
“Hello, sweetie,” I coo, “I see that you missed me.”
“Aunt Megan, did you bring me somethin’?
“Oh, so you only want to hug me if I brought you something?”
He sticks his small index finger in his mouth, and I can see he’s thinking, but I don’t wait for an answer. I swing him up in my arms and kiss him.
“This is my friend, Dr. Pearce.” I motion towards Chase.
Johnny buries his head in my shoulder while JC takes the bag from Chase and shakes his hand, then leads us to the kitchen. Everyone is gathered around the large island, so I take the opportunity to introduce Chase to Lexi, Hunter, Rory, and Matty. I put Johnny down, and he runs to his room. Lexi calls after him not to wake his sister, Bella, who she just put to sleep.
Matty excitedly picks me up in a big hug and kisses me on the mouth. He winks his green eye at me, then his blue one. From my periphery, I can see Chase appraising Matty, and I know why. He thinks I fucked Matty. The jokes on him, I haven’t, but it didn’t mean I never fooled around with him before, nothing serious though.
After introductions are made, Lexi pours us glasses of red wine and chases us out of the kitchen. We spread across the living room where I watch the interaction between Hunter and Rory that reminds me of how it’s something; I once thought I had with Jeremy. They’re nestled close together, and their eyes reflect how much they love each other. I’m envious in a way. Before I met Rory, Hunter and I had sex several times—a fact I hope he has never revealed to his fiancé.
He looks just like JC, but with brown eyes and darker colored hair. Rory is beautiful. Her long blonde hair, a shade lighter than mine, compliments her sapphire eyes, which are the same shade as her father, Noah, my sister’s former fiancé.
