Friends and Lovers (24 page)

The surprisingly large room had an enormous space for dancing, a place to the side for a live band, and enough room to comfortably place at least seventy-five tables, with ten guests to a table. Tom noted that there didn’t seem to be an empty seat.

They found their table. “I’m surprised it’s so far from the bride and groom!” Theodore was displeased at the insult to his boyfriend.

“That would be Mother’s doing. She really doesn’t trust me not to embarrass the family, and so she’d want me as far from their friends as she can safely put me without having them question her. You all agreeing to come with me made it easy for her. She’ll just tell anyone who asks there wasn’t room for us all at a closer table.” He looked resigned. “And she’ll tell them even if they don’t ask.”

The cocktail hour began, and while one tuxedo-clad waiter took their drinks order, others offered them so many different hors d’ oeuvres that Tom lost track.

“Barbecued shrimp with rosemary biscuits, sir?” A pretty waitress extended the platter to him.

“No, thank you.”

“They’re very good.”

“I’m sure they are, but I’m saving room for dinner.” It wasn’t solely the dietary restrictions of his religion that kept him from eating crustaceans – he’d never cared for them – but he wasn’t going to tell her that. After all, who heard of a Jewish mobster?

“A very wise decision, sir. It’s fabulous!” She smiled and moved to another table, to be replaced by another young lady.

“Prosciutto wrapped figs and blue cheese, sir?”

Once again, Tom had to refuse, but he was interested to note that Josh helped himself to some of everything, and encouraged Theodore to sample the various delicacies as well. Once again he thought how cute they were together.

“It’s a good thing Catherine is sitting between them,” he said to Jack, “or the game would be up.”

Josh heard him and looked over at him, stricken. “I’m sorry! You all’re trying to help, and I’m…”

Catherine squeezed his arm. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! You’re supposed to be my girlfriend, Cath, and – ”

“And that’s exactly what everyone will think. Don’t worry so much, Josh!”

“It’s just that I hate having to pretend.”

Theodore whispered something they couldn’t hear, causing Josh to blush and Catherine to give an unladylike yelp of laughter. She reached for her napkin and covered her mouth.

“I’m sorry.” Her eyes were brimming with merriment. “They’re so much fun! I love having them for brothers.”

“I’m not your brother, Cath, but thank you.” Josh looked around, missing the look on Theodore’s face. “By the way, where’s Kira?”

“She said something about going to the ladies room.”

“And you didn’t go with her?” Theodore teased.

She swatted her brother’s arm. “I told her I’d go, but she said she was a big girl and didn’t need me to hold her hand.”

“Well, she’d better get back soon. I think John and Suellen are about to make their entrance.”

Just then Kira rushed up. Her satin dress was wrinkled and her lipstick was smudged. “Sorry,” she whispered, taking a small mirror from her purse. “The ladies room was a zoo!” She smoothed a finger over her lips, then put the mirror away and fluffed her hair. “I don’t understand why you don’t like your brother, Josh. He’s a cutie! Did I miss anything?”

Tom sighed, but before he could say anything – unsure if he
should
say anything, the master of ceremonies crossed the floor to where the band had been warming up and tapped the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together to welcome Dr. and Mrs. John Harden III!”

Everyone rose to their feet, and there was a polite round of applause.

“And now they will dance together for the first time as husband and wife!”

The band began to play a lovely song that Tom recognized as something by Charles Aznavour. Josh leaned close to him. “That was John and Candy’s song!”

“Oh?”

Josh glanced around, then lowered his voice, even though no one nearby was paying any attention to them. “Father apparently didn’t think Candy would make a suitable wife for a head surgeon.”

“Your brother isn’t a head surgeon, though.”

“He will be one day. I liked Candy. She was always nice to me. She wrote me a couple of months after the engagement was announced and asked if I could do something, get John to talk to her. How could I? He hadn’t even talked to me.” Josh looked so unhappy. Theodore reached across his sister and squeezed his shoulder.

“Don’t they make a lovely couple?” Kira was completely oblivious to what Josh had said.

After the bride and groom had circled the dance floor a few times, the MC encouraged everyone else to join them. “And remember, the more couples who join them, the more years of happiness they’ll have!”

“I’d rather be dancing with you, Teddy-my-Ted,” Josh whispered as he took Catherine’s hand. “No offence, Cath.”

She smiled at him and murmured something that was lost as they moved away.

Theodore’s face was flushed. “He would say something like that when I can’t do anything about it!” he muttered as he took Kira’s hand and led her onto the floor.

“I don’t suppose we could get away with dancing together, could we, Tommy?”

“Not in this lifetime, Jack!” But he would have loved to. He sighed.

Jack sighed as well. “Okay.”

“Come on, let’s sit back down. We can look just as menacing sitting as standing.”

“You’re doing a pretty good job of it.”

“It’s my shoes. They’re killing me!”

Jack smiled at him, and if they hadn’t been in such a staunch bastion of rednecks and Republicans, Tom would have said ‘Damn the torpedoes,’ and kissed him senseless.

The food was good – well, considering it was the country club staff, that didn’t surprise Josh – and in spite of the occasional cold glances from his mother, he was having a good time. He danced mostly with Cath, since she was supposed to be his date, although Kira consented to a few fast dances. She saved the slow ones for the young men who crowded around her, sons of his parents’ friends, who had rarely met someone like her. Even his brother Wesley, who was engaged and should have known better, was sniffing around.

He wanted to dance with Teddy. His boyfriend looked so sexy in that outfit he wore, and pretending he was a gangster was definitely a turn on. However, he knew that would go over like a lead balloon.

Suddenly the band’s singer leaned into the microphone and sang, “It’s
electric
!”

“How was
that
included?” he asked, surprised.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s the law. You have to play
The Electric Slide
at every wedding.” Teddy smiled innocently. “All I know is that I’m not letting this opportunity to dance with you slip through my fingers!” He tugged lightly on Josh’s sleeve. “Please?”

“Okay.” It never failed to amaze Josh that this handsome young man was his boyfriend.

“Cool. I want you to stand on my left.”

“Why does Josh have to stand there?” Cath and Kira were both getting to their feet, having long since kicked off their shoes.

Teddy lowered his voice. “So I can watch my boyfriend’s butt!”

“But I still get to watch your butt too, Teddy!”

“Yeah.” Teddy grinned and winked at him. “It’s all good.”

He blushed and laughed and tried not to look as if he wanted to find a room and drag Teddy off to it. Mindful of the people around them, they pulled the girls onto the dance floor with them.

Teddy had taught him how to dance. Oh, he’d done the whole ballroom dancing thing when he’d been in his early teens. Mother had insisted on it. But Teddy and BT had shown him how much joy there could be in the simple movement of hips and shoulders.

Now, although they weren’t touching each other, Josh felt as if Teddy was making love to him on the dance floor. He flushed, wondering if the people sitting it out had any idea of what was going on. But he realized it didn’t matter to him. All that mattered was the man who was his first – his only – lover.

Josh did a little move and was pleased to see Teddy flushing.

“You’re really asking for it, Joshboy!” he said when a movement brought them close together.

“What’re you gonna do about it?”

“Just you wait!”

Not many of the older guests joined in the line dance. BT and Mr. Jack flanked the girls, sliding and dipping and clapping their hands, and it was so nice to know that they really did care about what happened to him and Kira, even if they weren’t blood kin.

All of them had danced in gay bars, and they included moves that most of the other dancers were unfamiliar with, and it wasn’t long before the six of them were the focus of all eyes.

They were laughing and breathless when the music ended with one last, “It’s
electric
!”

“Um…” Josh stopped smiling. They were also the sole occupants of the dance floor.

“Thanks, guys!” The M.C. took over the mic. “That’s the way we like to see people have a good time!”

“Josh? What’s wrong?”

He cast a glance toward his parents’ table, feeling himself turn pale. His stomach roiled, and just as quickly he looked away. “Please, let’s just sit down, okay?”

Mother was pointedly talking to the man who sat on her left, while Father wore a scowl that didn’t bode well for the evening having a happy conclusion.

BT matched him scowl for scowl, something Josh knew Father wasn’t accustomed to.

“Please?”

“All right,” BT growled, and Josh breathed a sigh of relief. Not that he didn’t think BT couldn’t handle anything Father threw at him, but this was supposed to be John and Suellen’s day, and he didn’t want to be the cause of dissention.

“And now, if you’ll take your seats,” the M.C. was saying, “the bride is about to cut the cake!”

The band began playing, and to the tune of
‘Three Blind Mice,
’ the singer sang, “
The bride cuts the cake, the bride cuts the cake…”

“I didn’t expect to hear that here.” Kira frowned at him as if it was his fault. He shrugged helplessly. More and more lately she seemed ready to blame him for anything and everything that went wrong, even implying that he’d only let Teddy take him to bed so he’d have a cushy position at the ranch.

Shortly after the bride and groom finished feeding each other miniscule bites of cake, the waiters once again circulated, making sure everyone had a piece of cake.

Beyond cutting into his cake with the side of his fork and moving it around his plate, Josh barely touched it. BT was watching him with concern in his eyes, but Josh pretended not to see.

However, BT wasn’t the only one to notice.

“What’s wrong?” Teddy leaned across Cath to whisper.

“I –” Josh was ready to lie and say he was too full, but a reprieve came from an unexpected source.

“Josh, I need to talk to you.” His oldest brother stood with a hand on his shoulder.

“What is it, John?” He worried his lower lip.

“Father isn’t happy.”

All evening he’d been expecting to hear those words. “Has he ever been happy where I’m concerned?”

“Of course he has!”

“I won’t put you on the spot and ask you to name one; I know you’ll want to rejoin your bride. What have I done now?”

“Father feels you made an exhibition of yourself just now.”

“And that is something Hardens don’t do.” He sighed. He’d had such fun doing the silly dance, but deep down he’d known there would be a price to pay for that enjoyment.

Teddy rose from his seat and stepped into John’s space, making the most of his greater height by looming. “He wasn’t making an exhibition of himself. He was dancing.”

Josh felt his chest swell with pride that Teddy would defend him like that.

“I’m not going to quarrel with you. You’re my brother’s guest.” John moistened his lips. Josh knew him well enough to recognize that as a sign of how uncomfortable John was with the situation, and that gave him a measure of hope that perhaps his brother still had some fondness for him. “I’m just warning you, Josh. Father thinks that kind of dancing is…”

“Is what?” Teddy demanded. He took off his sunglasses, and the flush on his cheeks made his blue eyes stand out in startling contrast to the brown he had dyed his hair. Josh felt a quiver of excitement flash through him. For a long time after they broke up – because no matter what anyone might think, he was a realist and knew that one day Teddy would want to find someone more exciting than ordinary Josh Harden – he would keep the memories of Teddy making love to him as both a blond and a brunet.

John shook his head, not answering Teddy, but leaned close to whisper something in Josh’s ear.

Josh’s jaw dropped. “Gay? Father thinks the way I was dancing was
gay
?” And what would he think if he knew his youngest son actually
was
gay? “What about you, John?”

“What I think has nothing to do with it. Father is the head of the family, and he doesn’t want Suellen’s family to get the wrong impression of us.”