Business and Pleasure (18 page)

“Yes, it does, but not with Bob. At least, I
don’t think he’s got that in him. He’s more coward than criminal,
so I really don’t think he’s going to show up to my office. He’s
not going to be hiding in a car, waiting on me to climb inside, and
he’s not going to be lurking around in my apartment. Cowards run.
Cowards hide. Especially when they know they’re being hunted. He’d
be an idiot to stick around. I mean, seriously…Bob is a smart man.
He knows better.”

Despite what I believe is my rational
explanation and reasoning, Mark still looks pissed.

“He may be smart, but his aim sucks. You
should not only be grateful for that, but you also shouldn’t push
your luck. Coward or not, if you’re wrong, and he’s still hanging
around waiting for an opportunity to take another shot at you, next
time, he might not miss.”

Becca walks up to Mark and puts her arm
around his waist. “Maybe you should go, so Lizzy and I can talk,
okay?”

Mark places a kiss on her cheek, and then
the two of them look into one another’s eyes. For a moment, I get
the impression they’ve forgotten I’m in the room, but then Mark
looks toward me and smiles.

“This isn’t what you think, Lizzy. Talk to
Becca.” He gives Becca one last kiss on the cheek, nods at me, and
then walks out the door, leaving Becca and I alone, at last.

Overcome by a wave of dizziness, I place my
hand to my forehead and sink down on the bed.

“Lizzy? Are you okay?” Becca crosses the
room to put a hand on my shoulder.

The fogginess passes, and I feel a little
steadier, so I look up and smile. “Yes, I’m fine. I think I’ve
overdone it a little today, that’s all. I’ve been on my feet more
today than I was over the last four days, combined. I’m sure I’ll
feel better, once I get some rest.”

“Are you sure?” Becca asks, a frown marring
her beautiful face.

“Yes. I’m sure. But Lord, what a day.” I
sigh, and then pull myself together and get to my feet. “Okay…why
don’t you find some clothes, and I’ll go downstairs and make sure
Bryan hasn’t been traumatized by what he saw when he opened your
bedroom door. Then, once you’re dressed, you can come downstairs,
and we can talk.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Becca heads into her closet, and I leave the
room, shutting the door behind me. For a moment, I stand there in
the hallway. My mind is still racing with what I just discovered
going on under my very own roof. Becca and Mark. Who would have
thought the two of them would hook up? Ah, well…I’ll hear the whole
story soon enough, I suppose.

I walk downstairs to find Bryan sitting on
the couch. He’s got his head back and his eyes closed. I try to
enter the room without making any noise, but something must have
notified him of my presence, because he lifts his head and looks in
my direction. Damn…he really
is
good at his job.

“I am so sorry, Ms. Hamilton. The thought of
someone else being here didn’t even cross my mind. Please let her
know I’m sorry.”

Poor guy. My heart goes out to him.

“Its okay, Bryan. No worries. It’s my fault,
really; I should have mentioned that she would be home. You were
just doing your job, which I thoroughly appreciate.” I hurry to
reassure him.

He bows his head as he lets out a sigh,
making me wonder if I succeeded at making him feel any better.

“Thank you, Ms. Hamilton. I checked the rest
of apartment, and everything is fine. I’m going to take up a
position out in the hallway. If you need me, just give a shout, and
I’ll come running.”

“Thank you, Bryan.” I wish I could convince
him to just go on home, but I know he won’t listen. He has a job to
do, and he’s obviously very conscientious, but damn…the thought of
him sitting out there—or, God forbid,
standing
—in the
hallway all night long makes me crazy. It’s my turn to sigh, and I
shake my head at the ridiculousness of it all. Stupid Bob…he sure
has caused a lot of problems for everyone. “I guess I’ll say
good-night, then. Have a good evening.”

As Bryan walks out the door, Becca comes
down the stairs. She has her hair up into a ponytail, and she’s
wearing a pair of NYU sweatpants and t-shirt. She looks very
comfortable…and very young. Too young to be doing what she and Mark
were doing up there in her bedroom earlier.

“So, did your Kevin Costner wannabe
leave?”

“Be nice, Becca. He was just doing his
job.”

“Yeah, okay. Whatever. So, how are you? I’ve
missed having you around here.”

A laugh bubbles up, and before I can stop
myself, a giggle escapes my lips. “Yeah. I can tell.”

Becca wrinkles her nose at me, and then
turns and goes into the dining room. “Before we talk about Mark,
you might want to check out the package that came for you. It’s
right there on the table. I’m going to fix some drinks,
non-alcoholic for you, and then we can have a nice little
chat.”

Becca continues on into the kitchen, and I
walk over to the large package sitting on my dining room table.
There’s a note attached to the box, and I pry it loose so I can
read the message.

My love,

I thought you might like some of this for
your first night back home with Becca. Enjoy.

Love, Alex.

P.S. Don’t forget to be thinking about
things. ;-)

I open the huge package and look inside.
There, folded neatly, are the sweats I wore while at his place, a
box containing a Crème De La Crème Cream Cheese Cake, along with
some strawberries and cream from
Serendipity
3
. Talk
about buttering me up…or, should I say
sweetening
me up?
This is like getting a little piece of heaven in a box. I dip into
the powder room to change real fast, and the minute I put on the
sweats I feel more relaxed. No wonder people like to wear this
stuff. I come out of the bathroom and find Becca sitting on the
couch. She’s got one of her pink throw pillows in her lap, and
she’s holding a pink martini. I walk over and sit down on the couch
next to her, and she hands me a wine glass.

“It’s just soda, don’t worry,” she says in
answer to my inquiring look. “But I figured the glass might make
you feel like you were having a real drink with me.”

We both giggle, and I realize how much I’ve
missed our nights like this, which makes me think about how much
I’d miss nights like this if I decide to move in with Alex.

“I love seeing you dressed like a normal
person,” she says, interrupting my depressing thoughts.

“Excuse me?” A normal person? What’s that
supposed to mean?

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. You know
what I’m saying. You always dress to the nines, even when you’re at
home. It’s a little hard to get comfortable and lounge around when
you’re wearing a designer dress or pantsuit.” Becca makes a
sweeping gesture, indicating my current outfit. “You look relaxed
and at ease, for a change. I like it.”

I look down at my sweats, then back up to
her, and realize I agree with her. Completely. So much has changed
in such a short amount of time, in large part thanks to Alex. But
enough about my clothes, already. Becca and I have something to
discuss.

“So, sis, tell me about you and Mark.”

She lets out a sigh, takes a quick sip of
her martini, and then draws in a deep breath. Sheesh…all this, just
to tell me she’s been getting it on with my best friend?

“First of all, it’s not what you think.
I—”

“That’s exactly what Mark said, if you’ll
recall, but how do either one of you know what I’m thinking?” I
have to fight to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

“Well, I guess we don’t, but
anyway
,
I was hanging out at the club not too long ago, when Mark comes
walking in. I didn’t know what to think at first, since I rarely
see him clubbing, so I walked up to him and asked him to come sit
with me. This other guy had been hitting on me all night, so I
figured if Mark sat with me, the guy would stop—”

“And did he?”

“Yes, thank God, now stop interrupting me,
would you? Anyway,
as
I was
saying
, Mark had just
found out about you and Alex and didn’t really know what to make of
the situation. I mean, he wasn’t sure if you two were just messing
around or if it was something serious. We got to talking, and I
think he realized whatever you and him had was over. He wasn’t mad
or anything…in fact, he acted just the opposite, like, he seemed so
happy you had finally found someone.”

If we were talking about any other man, I’d
think he’d managed to pull the wool over my little sister’s eyes,
just so he could sleep with her. But this is Mark, and he is,
without a doubt, the most honest, caring, trustworthy man I’ve ever
met. If he tells you something, you know it’s the truth. I don’t
believe he has it in him to lie…and I definitely can’t imagine him
lying just so he could sleep with a woman.

“Okay,” I say, “go on.”

Becca takes another sip of her martini,
which makes me realize I haven’t even touched my own drink yet.
Probably because the idea of sipping on a soda pop while my sister
downs a pink martini doesn’t exactly thrill me. I’ve also been a
little distracted by the conversation. I keep waiting for the anger
or jealousy to kick in, but I feel nothing along those lines. If
anything, I’m happy…happy for Becca and Mark. I mean, he could be
great for her. She needs a strong, good man in her life, and he
needs someone who’s a little free spirited and outgoing, someone
who can draw him out of his shell now and then…and that’s my little
sister, to a T.

“Don’t you think?”

I blink and return my attention to Becca.
Lost in thought, I missed her last question. “Um…”

“For heaven’s sake, Lizzy, pay attention.”
Becca shakes her head. “Anyway, one thing led to another, and we
ended up sleeping together, but…sex with Mark isn’t just sex; being
with him is different. He isn’t like the guys I usually go home
with. We’ve been seeing a lot of each other, gone out on dates,
texting and talking to each other whenever we can. I really like
him. I mean, I
really
like him.”

I gaze down at my drink, trying to think of
what to say. “Do you think he feels the same way about you?” I can
tell this is a sensitive subject for Becca. Wow, she really does
like him. I’ve never seen her like this before, and I try to put
myself in her shoes and imagine what she must be feeling. Happy, of
course. Excited. But I’ll bet she’s a little confused, too, and
maybe even scared. Like me.

“Actually I do. And I know you and he have
this big, long history, but I can’t help how I feel. He’s
awesome.”

I’m still waiting for some sense of jealousy
to come over me, but it doesn’t, despite, as Becca pointed out, the
‘big, long history’ between Mark and me. The only thing I feel is
happiness…I’m
truly
happy
for my sister and my best
friend.

“Becca, Mark and I do have a history, but if
that doesn’t bother either of you, then it’s cool with me. Don’t
let whatever Mark and I had come between whatever it is you’re
building with Mark. He and I tried the relationship thing back in
college, but it never worked out. Sex was always something that
helped me get through the tough times, you know? We were always
better friends than we were lovers, not to say the sex isn’t
awesome. But if he makes you happy, then I’m happy for the both of
you. I think you two are actually pretty perfect for each
other.”

The smile on Becca’s face is priceless. My
sister is in love, whether she’s ready to admit it yet or not…
Hell, she might not even realize how she feels right now, but
that’s okay. She’ll figure it out—
they’ll
figure it
out—sooner or later.

“I’m so happy to hear you say that. You have
no idea how relieved I am. Mark wasn’t worried, but I was.”

“No worries, sweetie. I’m with Alex, anyway,
and I’m happy. In fact, I don’t know how to tell you this, but he
asked me to move in with him, and I’m thinking about saying
yes.”

Becca’s eyes grew large, and she squealed.
“
Oh my God
! No freaking
way
! What did you tell
him?”

I laugh; she sounds more excited about the
prospect of Alex and me shacking up than I am.

“Honestly, I don’t
know
what to tell
him. I did say I need some time to think about it. He wants to
start off slow, like one week he and I would stay here, and the
next week we’d stay at his place. I’m just nervous, you know? I’ve
never lived with a guy. I’ve only ever lived with you.”

Becca leans forward, sets her martini glass
on the coffee table, and then throws her arms around me. “Oh my
God! I am
so
happy for you. You know you’re going to cave in
and say yes, though, right? I mean, the guy is amazing, and he
loves you so much. You would be an
idiot
not to say
yes.”

Before I can respond, my phone goes off,
vibrating its way across the coffee table. Becca picks it up,
glances at the display, and then hands it to me.

“It’s your hottie boyfriend.” She teases
me.

I laugh and press the button to connect the
call. “Hello, Alex.”

“Ah, Elizabeth. It’s good to hear your
voice. Is everything okay? Bryan said he heard screaming but said
it sounded like excited screaming, so he wasn’t coming in. I think
you two have scarred my main security guy for life.”

I can’t help but laugh. Poor Bryan. “We’re
okay. The screaming he heard was me telling Becca about your
moving-in-together idea.”

I can’t see him, but I know he’s smiling.
“Oh, and what does she say? Is she for or against?”

Becca leans in as close to me and the phone
as she possibly can. “She says
yes
! She’s definitely
for
the idea.”

“Becca!”

“Oh, come on, Lizzy; you know you and him
are going to shack up together. Just end the crazy, dramatic pause,
say yes, and be done with it.”