Page 74 of Mr. Frosty Pants
Casey sighed. “Walker, you’re right. I need to clear something up. There’s been a mis—”
“Casey!” Aunt Courtney’s head thrust through the door from the house, her eyes wide. “You need to come inside. Now.”
Casey’s heart jolted at the wild seriousness in his aunt’s eyes. “What’s going on?” She didn’t wait to tell him, leaving the door open behind her. “Excuse me. Sorry,” he said to Walker, pushing through into the house. He heard raised voices coming from the entryway as soon as he crossed the threshold. The words were indistinct, muffled by the ongoing chatter and still-playing guitar trio, who were, yes, still doing rounds of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
Casey pushed through the guests, following Courtney’s strawberry-blond head weaving through the crowd. Walker Ronson was at his heels, and as he drew closer to the front entrance, his heart started to race.
“I was invited. By your son.” Joel’s dark eyes burned in his pale face. His hair was carefully combed and held back with some sort of product. His crooked mouth was set in a frown, and he clutched a bottle of wine. The one Casey had bought for him.
“Courtney’s trying to find Casey now,” his father said uncomfortably, glaring around the room and not inviting Joel in. Finally, his gaze landed on Casey. “Son, your friend is here.”
“Why didn’t you tell us you invited him, honey?” his mother asked. It sounded like she was trying to be lighthearted, but her voice was tense around the edges in a way that caught the attention of the other guests around them.
Casey slid in beside his mother, feeling flushed and breathless. Irritated and excited all at once. “Joel. You came.”
“And I shouldn’t have, according to your old man.”
“Young man, that’s not what I said. I simply didn’t realize an invitation had been issued. That’s all. Casey should have told us. Your mother asked for RSVPs, son.”
“So did the guy who ran the inn where Mary and Joseph dropped by,” Joel said tightly. “He was big into RSVPs apparently.”
“Come in, Joel,” Casey’s mother said brightly, glancing at the guests who were going quiet to listen in all around them. “Don’t be silly, Jonathan. RSVPs aren’t that important in this day and age. We have plenty of food and drink. I’m sure Casey knew that, and of course you’re welcome here.” She took the bottle of wine from Joel and said overly sweetly, “Oh, this is lovely. Thank you for bringing it. I’ll just go put it with the rest to be served out tonight.”
Joel stepped over the threshold slowly, as though it might be a test and a steel trap might snap around him at any second.
Casey’s father clapped Joel on the shoulder and shook his hand, but somehow it came across as a warning more than a welcome. Casey glared at his dad, but Jonathan Stevens had already turned his attention to another guest, and he moved across the room with single-minded focus.
The rest of the guests went back to their regularly scheduled conversations, and Courtney engaged Walker Ronson, taking him by the elbow and moving him away from Casey and Joel.
“Hey,” Casey said softly in the dubious privacy of his parents’ suddenly empty entryway. He wrapped an arm around Joel’s shoulder and pulled him into an awkward hug. Joel was stiff in his arms and pushed his hands firmly against Casey’s chest, keeping them about half a foot apart.
“Hey.” Joel moved out of Casey’s grasp. “You should have seen their faces when they opened the door and saw me instead of one of their hoity-toity rich pals.”
“You look amazing.”
Joel glanced down at his black jeans and tugged the cuffs of his pressed shirt from beneath the sleeves of his sports jacket. He adjusted his silk, paisley-patterned tie.
Casey kept his arm around Joel’s shoulders and steered him away from the main rooms and toward the side stairs that led up to the bedrooms. He wanted to get Joel alone, kiss him, and check him over for damage before sharing him with anyone else.
“Oh, sohegets to go upstairs. I see how it is now,” Walker said from where he leaned in the doorway to the dining room. He’d apparently gotten away from Courtney, and he smirked at them, his wine refilled and his eyes amused. He stepped forward with his hand out to Joel. “Walker Ronson, and it looks like you’re stealing my date.”
“Joel Vreeland.” Joel’s eyes narrowed as he shook Walker’s hand. “And are you sure he’s you’re your date? I thought he was mine.”
“Just a misunderstanding,” Casey said, smiling at Walker. “I’m really sorry. My mom wasn’t aware that I already had a date for the night.”
“It’s a shame. For me, of course. A stroke of luck for you,” Walker said to Joel with a smirk.
“I’m the lucky one,” Casey said, putting his hand on Joel’s lower back. He was relieved when Joel didn’t move away from it but instead scooted closer to Casey’s side.
“I’ll manage.” Walker winked, lifting his glass their way. “Guess I’ll get back to working the room. Nice to meet you, Joel.”
Casey sighed in relief as Walker headed back into the living area to join the people mingling there. He herded Joel up the stairs to the guest room serving as his room and shut the door behind them. “Oh God, I’m so glad you’re here.” He pulled Joel close, burying his face in Joel’s hair. “You smell so good.”
Joel chuckled in his arms. “You smell pretty okay too.”
“Why did you come?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t going to, but then Angel’s insanely hot stepbrother asked me to go a party with him, and all I could think was that if I was going to any party, it was going to be this one, with you.”
