Page 21 of The Bright Side of Brooding
Chapter Ten
Summer
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the shirt. I’d peeked out of the kitchen just as he shrugged out of his black wool jacket to reveal a gray shirt rolled at the wrists, and my brain decided to go on a vacation.
It hopped on a jet plane with the man in the shirt, destination somewhere tropical where we wouldn’t even need shirts. Me and the man sans shirt would spend days running around in the sand and nights doing… well, other things.
See? What had happened to me? I was a medical professional. Bodies were bodies, and yes he had a fine one, but that stupid gray shirt shouldn’t have fried my brain.
Normally, I’d greet my guests and be charming while helping them find seats. I’d ask for a few volunteers to serve the food to the table and everyone would sit to a spread already in place. Normally, I wouldn’t hide this completely.
But the letter.The letter. I hadn’t been able to put it out of my mind for the last ten days. Not to pulverize a cutlet too thoroughly, but his words made me butter-in-a-hot-pan melty.
I also hadn’t seen him. He’d been on rotation, not even home most of the time. I’d seen his car pull into the driveway yesterday, and I’d stood watching him gather bags of groceries like a creeper until I got worried he’d see me spying on him.
I am hungry for it—for a night at your table.
Sigh. I’d read the letter no fewer than twenty times. I’d reread all of his letters at this point and could happily say he’d effectively wooed me, whether he wanted to or not. That was only mildly pathetic considering his first two were mostly full of entreaties to stop feeding him.
Poor fool. Didn’t he know that now that I’d started, I wouldn’t be able to stop?
But this evening, he was quiet. Of course, that seemed to be his very nature, and yet tonight, he felt closed up. I wondered if it was the group dynamic, though I’d done my best to include people he’d know so it wouldn’t be a bunch of strangers. Not that he needed me to baby him, but I understood that group settings were unlikely to be his preference.
What he did do? Eat. Since he and Rob had RSVP’d yes, I’d designed a healthful menu that hopefully wouldn’t throw them off their eating plan or schedule or whatever it was. I’d gathered Rob’s was far more strict, but when I looked at his plate, he’d taken some of everything. In fact, they both had, and now both plates were empty.
Nick—yes,Nick, as I’d started calling him in my head thanks to his request—wasn’t the only person I needed to keep an eye on, though. I watched Nate Reynolds like a hawk—like I would a soufflé in the last five minutes of cooking. Well, like a one-eyed hawk who tried not to be too obvious.
And honestly? So far, the jury was out. He was friendly and solicitous. He held plates and bowls for her so she could serve herself. He refilled her water when it got low without asking. I’d seen him help her out of her jacket when they came in. My girl lookedgreattonight, so if he needed a nudge,voilà, sir, feast your eyes.
I didn’t know what Ariel thought of Nate other than she cared for him a great deal. They’d been friends a long time, though I gathered they’d lost touch while she was married. As a bit of an introvert herself, it’d taken her a while to warm up to me, but we’d had some fun nights together around the new year that pushed us into real, true friendship zone. Once a level of comfort developed, she’d opened up a bit about her past.
By the end of the meal, I was exhausted. I’d been on alert for any comments from Nick, chatting with Rob which had been fairly nonstop, enjoying Reynolds’ charm and watching every little move he made next to Ariel, and also trying to engage with the Farrells and Hanovers at the other end.
Ten was just a touch too big. If I had my way, I’d make it eight. But ten allowed for me to invite Mr. Meier, and he could be my date, and then we’d have four more couples or a nice handful of singles. I’d been doing this for the better part of a year and had only had one or two where the group fizzled and the night dragged. With Rob and Nate Reynolds at the table, everyone seemed happy and entertained. Oh, and if I did say so myself, stuffed with good food.
Once everyone had surrendered their forks to the sides of their plates, I began collecting dishes. “Thank you so much for coming. I know everyone has busy weeks coming up, so please go on home safely, and come back again sometime soon.”
With my back to the entrance, I couldn’t tell who approached until Ariel spoke.
“What can I do?”
“No, no, didn’t I tell you before? You just go. That way, everyone can get home, especially with the snow piling up outside.”
I always mentioned this to people ahead, but every few times, someone would balk. I appreciated that, and I understood it, but I didn’t budge on this. A Sunday night dinner was only fun if you didn’t have to spend an hour helping the hostess clean up. I never wanted to be a burden to the people who came, and I refused every time, even my friend.
“That’s crazy. There’s a ton to do. I can stay ten minutes and help clear, at least.” She smiled, her bright blue eyes sparkling. Good food, a handsome man, and a glass or two of pinot noir could do that for you.
“Seriously, no. Plus, I’m pretty sure Reynolds over there is more than ready to get you home.”
An unexpected furious blush brightened her cheeks.
“He’s a friend,” she said in a low voice.
I studied her, wondering if that was all she wanted, or… what. Maybe she still wasn’t ready for a relationship. I didn’t know what it was like to be divorced, and I definitely didn’t know how it felt coming out of something that, from what I gathered, had been abusive on at least one level. If I had the timeline in my head right, she’d been divorced about two and a half years. Who knew what the healing process was like?
“Okay. But you’remyfriend, and I say that tonight, you go home. I’ll have just you over for dinner sometime and you can do all the cleanup.”Over my dead body.
She smiled, then squeezed my arm since my hands were scraping plates in the sink. “All right, stubborn. I’ll see you soon. Thank you for a glorious meal.”
