Basketball must be her game. She wore a jersey with the team name Waves and a number 10 on the front. “Is it from both of you?” She flashed a smile at Brad. “Or did you get me something too?”
I got it then. She was like Veda, with the same aura of mischief about her. Brad was nuts for Lisa, no doubt about it, but Stacey drew him to this house in equal measure. She made him feel like a big brother again.
The dude was just your basic good guy. He didn’t feel right unless he had someone to take care of. Who better than an avatar of his dead little sister?
“Don’t worry, there’s more,” he said. “My present is too big to bring in the house.”
“Yeah?” Stacey smiled at me and wiggled her eyebrows, then her gaze shifted behind me. “Hey, Aunt Nor. Brad got me a car for my birthday!”
Aunt Nor. Everybody laughed at the joke as Nora joined us, but Stacey’s words hit me in the gut. I’m attracted to someone’s aunt. I knew Stacey’s father had been a lot older than Nora, but still. Life was clicking along, whether I joined in or not. Somebody’s aunt was five years younger than me.
And it drove me crazy to be near her.
She walked by to give the kid a hug, and the fragrance of rosemary and mint caught me. She had her hair up in a ponytail, showing her perfect shoulders and arms. Her tank top had flower-shaped holes all over it, exposing more skin, and her little flower earrings bounced when she moved, enticing a guy to come nibble.
I want to be Nora Deven’s man. Desire swarmed over me like a wave. I wanted the right to grab her right there in front of everyone, wrap my arms around her and pull her close, kiss her neck and whisper something—anything—in her ear.
Finally I’d found someone who made me feel at ease in the world. I felt great—and I felt like shit. How could she ever trust me? I’d begun with a lie.
The sliding door opened again. “Burgers are ready.” Frank brought in a plate of patties and buns from the grill and set them on the counter. “Dive in.”
“No fries. Chips.” Nora mimicked John Belushi from the classic Saturday Night Live skit as she tore open a bag of crinkly potato chips and poured them into a bowl.
“And no martinis,” Lisa said.
Thank god.
“Beer and iced tea tonight. Nothing fancy.” She pointed her Teavana toward the refrigerator and smiled at Brad. “There’s Pale Ale.”
No one else would notice, but I knew Brad. I saw the wistful longing pass over his face and his quick effort to suppress it. Poor bastard. I handed him a beer from the fridge and fixed myself a burger.
I followed Nora out to the deck and sat in a chair beside her. “Is it just us? No big party tonight, huh?”
“Stacey’s friends are coming by in a while to take her to the new Star Trek movie.” She smiled. “To my relief.” Again I wrestled with the urge to touch her.
“So we’ve set the date.” Frank sat down next to Lisa and casually knocked his leg against her thigh, a small sign of possession. “The third Saturday in July. We’ll have time for a honeymoon and a week at home before I start my new position at the center. My brother’s coming from Africa to be my best man. He’s with MSF. Doctors Without Borders is the American name.”
“ Médecins Sans Frontières, ” I said. BlueMagick was high on their donors list. “That’s awesome, dude. They do real good in the world.”
I regretted the dude part. Frank wasn’t really the dude type.
“I assume Nora’s your best lady,” Brad said to Lisa. “Or what’s that called?”
“Maid of honor, silly,” Stacey said. “And I’m a bridesmaid. My first time. I agreed on the condition our dresses don’t suck.”
“They won’t suck,” Lisa said. “I’ll give you veto power. How’s that?”
“Excellent.”
“Where are you having it?” Brad said. “The ceremony.”
“Here,” Nora said. “In the backyard. It’ll be great.”
“This yard would be great for anything,” I
I got it then. She was like Veda, with the same aura of mischief about her. Brad was nuts for Lisa, no doubt about it, but Stacey drew him to this house in equal measure. She made him feel like a big brother again.
The dude was just your basic good guy. He didn’t feel right unless he had someone to take care of. Who better than an avatar of his dead little sister?
“Don’t worry, there’s more,” he said. “My present is too big to bring in the house.”
“Yeah?” Stacey smiled at me and wiggled her eyebrows, then her gaze shifted behind me. “Hey, Aunt Nor. Brad got me a car for my birthday!”
Aunt Nor. Everybody laughed at the joke as Nora joined us, but Stacey’s words hit me in the gut. I’m attracted to someone’s aunt. I knew Stacey’s father had been a lot older than Nora, but still. Life was clicking along, whether I joined in or not. Somebody’s aunt was five years younger than me.
And it drove me crazy to be near her.
She walked by to give the kid a hug, and the fragrance of rosemary and mint caught me. She had her hair up in a ponytail, showing her perfect shoulders and arms. Her tank top had flower-shaped holes all over it, exposing more skin, and her little flower earrings bounced when she moved, enticing a guy to come nibble.
I want to be Nora Deven’s man. Desire swarmed over me like a wave. I wanted the right to grab her right there in front of everyone, wrap my arms around her and pull her close, kiss her neck and whisper something—anything—in her ear.
Finally I’d found someone who made me feel at ease in the world. I felt great—and I felt like shit. How could she ever trust me? I’d begun with a lie.
The sliding door opened again. “Burgers are ready.” Frank brought in a plate of patties and buns from the grill and set them on the counter. “Dive in.”
“No fries. Chips.” Nora mimicked John Belushi from the classic Saturday Night Live skit as she tore open a bag of crinkly potato chips and poured them into a bowl.
“And no martinis,” Lisa said.
Thank god.
“Beer and iced tea tonight. Nothing fancy.” She pointed her Teavana toward the refrigerator and smiled at Brad. “There’s Pale Ale.”
No one else would notice, but I knew Brad. I saw the wistful longing pass over his face and his quick effort to suppress it. Poor bastard. I handed him a beer from the fridge and fixed myself a burger.
I followed Nora out to the deck and sat in a chair beside her. “Is it just us? No big party tonight, huh?”
“Stacey’s friends are coming by in a while to take her to the new Star Trek movie.” She smiled. “To my relief.” Again I wrestled with the urge to touch her.
“So we’ve set the date.” Frank sat down next to Lisa and casually knocked his leg against her thigh, a small sign of possession. “The third Saturday in July. We’ll have time for a honeymoon and a week at home before I start my new position at the center. My brother’s coming from Africa to be my best man. He’s with MSF. Doctors Without Borders is the American name.”
“ Médecins Sans Frontières, ” I said. BlueMagick was high on their donors list. “That’s awesome, dude. They do real good in the world.”
I regretted the dude part. Frank wasn’t really the dude type.
“I assume Nora’s your best lady,” Brad said to Lisa. “Or what’s that called?”
“Maid of honor, silly,” Stacey said. “And I’m a bridesmaid. My first time. I agreed on the condition our dresses don’t suck.”
“They won’t suck,” Lisa said. “I’ll give you veto power. How’s that?”
“Excellent.”
“Where are you having it?” Brad said. “The ceremony.”
“Here,” Nora said. “In the backyard. It’ll be great.”
“This yard would be great for anything,” I
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