London Harmony: Squid Hugs (6 page)

I grinned and gave Mrs. Harrison a little wave.  She shot a smile back at me then laid the coat on the arm of a chair and walked over to join her husband.  She sat on the arm of the chair he was in and he put an arm around her.

I cocked an eyebrow in a challenge to Jen and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Harrison.”

Jen just crinkled her nose to parry my jab.  Then I bit my lower lip as I looked at her in a knee length satin black dress.

Mrs. H interjected, “I convinced her to wear the black to match you tonight.”

Her hair was pulled back in an elegant ponytail, and she looked like beauty and grace had a competition to give her the presence of an angel.  She wore some black kitten heels instead of the taller ones she favored.  I'd actually be about the same height as her for once, with the high heels of my boots.

I looked at my feet and said in a little voice as she stepped up to me, “You look beautiful tonight...”  Then added with a barely contained smirk, “Theodora.”

She made an exasperated sound as she playfully slapped my arm and warned, “If that gets out, I will personally flay you alive, woman.”

I grawled and hugged her as I assured, “It won't.  I'll use it as my own tease anytime you get out of line.”

She chuckled and then said, “Right, we should be off then, Sally.  Punctuality and all.”

The elder Harrisons stood and walked us out to the main door.  I snagged the long coat as we went.  Then I helped her into her coat and put on my wrap then wiggled my eyebrows as I shouldered my parasol and popped it open.  That got a little explosive laugh from Jen.  She shook her head in amusement at me.

Mrs. H gave us hugs.  Mmmm hugz.  She whispered to me, “Take care of our girl.”

I nodded, then I surprised Mr. H and gave him his very first Zilrita special.

We headed out the door and hustled to my car.  Why did it feel like prom night to me?  Her parents waved and we were off to the hotel where the banquet was taking place.

Jen looked nervous as she fidgeted in the seat and looked intently at the pearls in the watch band on her wrist as she asked, “He didn't talk your ear off did he?”

I reached down to the console, grabbed her hand, and gave it a squeeze as I assured her, “Not at all, but that is probably the most he has ever said to me since you first introduced us.”

She didn't let go when I started to release her hand.

Jen was silent for a few seconds before smiling at me and saying, “He's warming up to you.  I don't think he knew what to think of you the first time you were over.  Well, not many people do.”  She smirked.

I grinned and said as if it were obvious, “I'm good with parents.  This only took, what?  Five years?”  That elicited a giggle from her and I crinkled my nose in response.

I drove for a bit as we listened and bopped to some music I pilfered from the talent scouts.

Then she asked out of the blue, “Do you want children Zil?”

I blinked as my mind caught up to the non-sequitur.  “Ummm... some day, I love kids.”  Then I paused and exhaled.  “But I'm thirty next year, time is sort of running out.”

She nodded and admitted, “I feel the same way.  But the only way I can have one is to adopt.”  Then she smiled. “You have plenty of time, lady.  You just need to actually start dating first.  I swear I don't understand why you haven't had a single date since I've met you.  You're a fit bird and any bloke would be lucky to have you.”

I blushed at that and kept my eyes on the road as I shrugged and countered, “Maybe the right person just hasn't asked me out yet.  Besides, can't a single woman adopt too?  And there are other options for single women.  Turkey basters and such.”  She blurted out a surprised bark of laughter.

I could feel her eyes on me as we were pulling up to the hotel. Then she postulated, “I guess, but I'm sure the agencies frown upon single parent adoption.”

I stopped at the valet and they opened the door and helped Jen out with an offered hand, I swear the poor boy was in drool mode.  She graciously thanked him with a smile that had him blushing and he ran around to my side and opened my door and blinked.  I loved that sort of reaction, I'm never quite what people expect.  He helped me out with an offered hand.  I winked at the boy as he gave me my valet ticket.

Then I popped my parasol open and twirled it as I walked around the car to Jen.  I could feel the young man's eyes on me.  Then he finally got in and drove off when I joined Jen, closed my parasol, and took her proffered elbow.  She chuckled at me as we walked past the doormen who I swear were staring at her.  I understood.  I was walking next to the epitome of feminine grace.

I had to smile.  Jen didn't seem to realize just how pretty she really was.  Hell, she could wear a burlap sack and still outclass me.  I think all the harassment of her youth and even a little now when people realize who she is, keeps her thinking she isn't attractive.

We made our way to the banquet room and I had to blink.  When I was told it was for Josie's pharmaceutical sales company, I expected a small room with maybe twenty or thirty people in attendance.  This was one of those huge rooms with fold away wall dividers to partition the room into smaller venues, only they were all pulled back into their pockets.  There had to be around two thousand people in the room!

I whispered in Jen's ear, “Just how big is Josie's company?”

She gave me a crooked smile. “Big pharma is one of the most profitable industries in the world.  So, pretty big.”

I squished my nose off to one side and spoke out of the side of my mouth, “Thank you for the astute observation, oh wise ass... I mean, wise one.”

She parried off my snark with, “Daddy told you to be nice.”

I countered as I cocked an eyebrow at her, “And you weren't supposed to be listening.”

She gave a cute embarrassed smile and hugged my arm and then we looked around as we stepped up to the greeters at a table by the door.  Jen produced an invitation and the woman there looked it over then said absently as she looked at a seating chart, “Yes Miss Harrison, Table B3.  Have a nice evening.”

We gave the woman a head tilt in thanks and then looked at the crowded hall.  It was very noisy with people milling about everywhere.  Some looked a little too tipsy, indicating the open bar.  I grinned at the irony of pharmaceutical salespeople self-medicating.

There were a couple hands too many touching things they ought not as we made our way through the growing crowd to our seats.  We arrived at a large circular table that was like the dozens of others.  Each had twelve chairs around them.

There was a little placard in front of one placemat that reads “Jennifer Harrison” and one beside it “Jennifer Harrison Plus One.”

I grinned at her as I held her seat for her to sit. “Hi, I'm Plus One.”

She snickered as I sat down beside her.  There were a few empty seats, no doubt people hobnobbing and networking.  Then we introduced ourselves around to the others.

A server came around and offered us some white wine.  Jen accepted one and took an experimental sip, then smiled.  I declined since I would be driving later, and the man said he could bring me some coffee instead.

We scanned the crowd looking for Josie, to no avail.  Then a silver-haired man in an expensive looking black suit stood at the microphone at the small little raised stage and podium that were set up at the end of the room.

“Ladies, gentlemen, distinguished guests, thank you for coming to the Parker Pharmaceutical Awards Banquet tonight.  I'm sure you all know me, I'm the president of  Parker Pharmaceutical, Grant Parker.  We will be celebrating the best year the company has enjoyed, and awarding the employees and associates who put forth extraordinary effort this year.”

We all clapped.

Then he said, “First let's wine and dine before we start the proceedings.  So please take your seats and the servers should be delivering your meal shortly.”

We all applauded again and the whole room was in motion until everyone found their seats.

With everyone seated we finally caught a glance at Josie, she was at one of the tables up front.  She saw us and gave a little excited wave and we waved back.  The family resemblance between her and Jen always surprised me, they looked like siblings instead of cousins to me.  But Josie was more petite and compact, a tiny woman sort of like Amarissa.  I grinned at the apt comparison, both were very headstrong.

The servers arrived with silver trays full of plates.  I cocked an eyebrow at the steak and lobster, surf and turf, the company must be very well off to afford such fare.  I guess the medical field is a profit industry after all.

We spent the meal chitchatting with the people around us.  With Jen picking the broccoli off my plate and me stealing her dinner roll.  She wasn't a fan of starches.

One woman, Mrs. Cliven, was watching us, she looked to be in her fifties and her brow furrowed each time Jen or I would fuss about each other or share our meal.  She spoke to us in a tone meant to be falsely hushed,  “So you're lesbian then?  A couple?”

Before I could reply, Jen smiled demurely at the woman and asked, “Why?  Are you?”

The woman blustered and looked at her husband and said dryly, “Certainly not.”

Jen was smiling as she took a bite from her fork and I, and the rest of the table, chuckled.  Jen and I exchanged amused glances, why did everyone always assume we were a couple?  On the plus side, that was the last we heard from the Cliven's the rest of the night.

After the plates had been cleared away, a sinful dessert was presented to us.  A chocolate souffle.  We looked longingly at the tray and when the server tried to give us ours.  Jen said weakly as she placed a hand lightly on her stomach, “Sorry, we shouldn't.”

I nodded in agreement as I salivated.

Then Jen put on her puppy dog eyes and looked at me.  I looked between her and the woman holding the evil offering, then caved as I asked nobody in particular, “Maybe we share one?”

Jen blurted, “Brill!”  Then nodded enthusiastically at the server.

The smiling woman sat one between us with two forks.  It smelled heavenly.  We each took a small bite and closed our eyes to savor it.  It was just as good as its sweet, rich aroma had advertised.  And only half the calories since we were sharing... that's good, right?

I sighed and opened my eyes and looked to at the young couple to our left, the Tysons, then said to Patty, “This really is the work of the devil.”

She lowered her own fork and nodded with a smile, “I know right?”

Then she brightened, “And Neil here can't abide by chocolate.” She cutely snagged the rim of the ceramic bowl of his dessert with her fork, and pulled it to her as she said to us with a mischievous grin, “More for me.”

I shook my head, it was just unfair.  I had to ask, “How do you keep your figure?”

She sighed heavily and said, “Lots and lots of personal training.  So I get to be naughty like this at times.”

Neil looked overly amused at us all as he slowly shook his head.

We saluted Patty with bites of chocolaty goodness, and the microphone popped.  We all looked over to see Grant Parker as he announced with a champagne flute in his hand.

“We'll give everyone a chance to finish and stretch their legs, then we will begin the awards ceremony in fifteen minutes.”  He saluted with the glass then took a sip and stepped down from the stage.

The sound level doubled as people started getting up and stretching and moving around while others, like us, dutifully finished our desserts first.

We were just finishing up when Josie placed her hands on our shoulders and said in her bubbly voice, “There you two are.  I tried to find you before the meal.”

We patted our lips with our napkins as we stood and passed around hugs like they were trading cards. Grawl.

Josie stood one step back and shook her head with a bemused smiled on her face ad she said, “Jen, you look phenomenal.”  She turned to me with a mischievous smirk. “And Zil, you always make a fashion statement.”  Her eyes fell to my chair and asked, “Is that a parasol?”

I wiggled my eyebrows and grabbed my parasol and opened it, then made a show of spinning it on my shoulder.  Josie barked out a chirp of laughter as she exclaimed, “It's perfect Zil.”

Jen rolled her eyes, shoved my shoulder playfully, and I closed the parasol and hung it on my chair.  Then Jennifer asked with genuine interest, “So where's this new beau of yours?  You never bring him around.”

Josie lifted her chin as if she could see over the crowd from way down there at sea level and said, “Jeff is over by the bar.”  Then she added in a slightly annoyed tone, “Again.”  Then she brightened again. “I'm still a little undecided on the bloke.”  Then she changed the topic as she brightened. “Thank you so much for being here, both of you.  It means a lot to me.”

We gave her a smile and she looked toward the bar.  “I better go find Jeff before everything begins.”  She grabbed each of our hands and gave them a little squeeze before heading off into the crowd.

Jen looked at the tragedy of the empty cup with chocolate crumbs in it on out table and she said with a sigh, “We best freshen up.”

I nodded and Patty bounced up like she was on springs, or more likely, hopped up on chocolate and sugar, and blurted, “I'll join you.”