Читать книгу The Gypsy Ribbon - Shannon MacLeod - Страница 10

3

The rehearsal dinner went by in a blur for Beth. As far as she knew the food was good, even if she didn’t have a clue what she ate. Whenever someone spoke to her she responded politely, but all of her senses were laser-sighted on the magnetic man seated by her side. Any other time she would have been engrossed in the happenings around her. The conversation was warm, spirited and at times hysterically funny as the Kelly siblings teased and tormented each other without mercy, reservation or hesitation.

As the after-dinner coffee was being served, some of the party began saying their good nights while others made further plans for the evening. Beth stared into her cup, not knowing what to expect next. You’re being totally stupid if you think for one moment you’ve got a snowball’s chance in summer with this man. Shouldn’t even bother getting your hopes up, her inner voice advised. You should leave now before it gets worse. When James excused himself from the table for a moment, she made her decision to cut her losses and run.

With a furtive look around, she shot to her feet and grabbed her purse. She walked up to the head of the table and leaned over to whisper in Lily’s ear, “This has been wonderful, but I think I’m ready to call it a night.”

At once, Lily’s brows knit together with concern. “Are you feeling okay?”

Beth gave her a weak smile. “I’m fine, m’dear. Just a little tired.” And a lot allergic to getting her hopes up only to have her heart broken. She waved good night and continued quickly past the lingering partygoers toward the door, not looking back.

The late April night was balmy and the beautiful moon almost full, brightly illuminating the parking lot as she streaked across it. She made it all the way to her car and was fumbling in her purse for her keys when a low, teasing voice from directly behind her said, “Leaving without even saying good night? I am devastated.”

Startled out of her wits she whirled abruptly, a gasp on her lips. He leaned casually on the car next to hers, legs crossed at the ankles while he regarded her with a bemused expression. “James! I’m sorry, I just…I mean, I didn’t see…Um…good night.”

He closed the distance between them. “The night’s only just beginning,” he purred. “Why don’t you join me for a drink back at my hotel? They’ve got a nice bar there from what I understand…”

Beth shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Maybe another time.”

James moved in even closer and with one long finger traced her flushed cheek. “Perhaps we could just skip the drink,” he whispered.

Beth inhaled sharply at the electrifying contact. Apparently encouraged by her reaction, he slipped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her close. With the other hand he cupped her chin and tilted her face to meet his. He lowered slowly and the instant before their lips made contact, Beth shook her head frantically and stammered, “I…I…have to…to go. Right now.”

Pulling free from his embrace, she yanked the car door open and piled inside. Before he could utter a single word of protest to stop her, she started the car and peeled out of the parking lot into the night.

* * * *

James stared after the receding brake lights in complete and utter confusion. He had been drawn to Beth the moment he laid eyes on her and when he found out just who she was, his delight had doubled. There was something different about her, something he knew without a doubt he wanted to know better. While seated beside her in the restaurant, a faint vision flickered before him. Instead of heading for the bar as he had told her, he went straight out the front door of the restaurant to wait by her car as his intuition pressed him to do.

It was all so confusing. She was interested in him, he knew she was, then to turn around and try to sneak away was almost more than he could get his head around. It’s almost like…he scratched his head in consternation until a conversation he had a month or so before came creeping back. As funny as it sounds, it would be nice to hear no from a woman once in a while.

With a vicious curse on his lips he stalked back into the restaurant. Bursting through the doors of the banquet room, he found Ian and Lily in animated conversation with Dan, Meg, and Lily’s father Robert Evans. James strode directly to Ian and without ceremony cuffed him hard on the shoulder. “You, I want to talk to. Now.” Within moments, the two men were facing off in the hallway again.

“What kind of bur do you have up your ass?” Ian sighed wearily.

“What the hell did you say to her?” James demanded. “She just up and left all of a sudden like. She wasn’t even going to say good night or anything. I asked her back to my hotel for a drink and she lit out of here like she was running for her feckin’ life.”

It was an obvious struggle for Ian to keep his face neutral. “Are you meaning Beth? I didn’t say anything to her. I do remember telling you that comment about wanting to be told no by a woman was going to bite you in the ass, though. Shut you down cold, did she?” James growled but Ian blissfully ignored the warning. “And how long has it been since a woman turned down the grand and mighty James Kelly?” he teased, but then relented and spoke more kindly. “Did you ever stop to think just maybe she’d be worth a little extra effort?”

James frowned as he regarded his brother. “I find it hard to believe you didn’t have those big mitts of yours in this.” He snorted. “But I reckon I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. What do you suggest I do?”

“Just talk to her. Take her out. Ask her about her. Christ, have you forgotten how to do this?” Ian grabbed him by the arm, dragged him back into the banquet room and directly over to Lily. “Lily my sweetheart, would you please talk some sense into this wee fool? He is treading heavily upon my last intact nerve.”

Lily smiled sweetly, pulled a chair next to her and patted it. “Come sit by me, James,” she said.

* * * *

By the time Beth pulled into her apartment complex, her breathing and pulse rate were almost normal again. She knew it wasn’t her he was attracted to. She just happened to be the only unattached female there. He just wanted someone for the night. She turned that truth over and over and over until the truth of it finally started to sink in.

“Damnation!” Growling because someone had taken her parking space–again–she hiked across the large parking lot in stiletto heels. She let herself in the front door and relaxed as the feeling of comfort and familiarity swept over her. Her small second floor apartment was just like her, a little odd and eclectic, decorated with things she found attractive, even if they didn’t always quite fit together.

She flopped down on the couch, kicked off her shoes and pulled the Tarot cards back out of the wooden box, giving them a quick shuffle. Spreading the deck out face down on the table, she asked her question aloud. “What should I know about James Kelly?”

She pulled one card. “The Knight of Wands. Well, now I know who that is.”

Sighing, she pulled out another card, the Seven of Wands. “Persistence, okay, he’s persistent. What is he after, though?”

She glared at the third card and directed her next question to the deck itself. “I’m sorry, didn’t you hear my question?”

Beth looked at the card again, and shook her head in confusion. “The King of Cups? Now what the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

She jerked in surprise when her cell phone rang, but answered it immediately when she recognized the number. “Hey chickadee, is the party over already?”

Lily laughed. “Almost. I’ve got a special request,” she said, “but I wanted to call and ask you about it first.”

“What kind of request?” Beth asked cautiously.

Lily’s next words came out in one long sentence. “James wants your phone number because he was really disappointed you left as suddenly as you did but I didn’t want to give it to him without asking you first.”

Disappointed? The sudden blood rush roared in her ears and Beth was certain she had not heard Lily correctly. “I’m sorry. He wants my number? For what?”

“What else would he want it for? He wants to ask you out,” Lily whispered impatiently. “Can I give it to him?”

Beth sighed. “He’s not interested in me, Lily. I’m not even close to his type. I’ve seen the girls he’s been photographed with and they’re all like supermodels or something.”

Lily gave an unladylike snort. “Do you hear yourself? More importantly, are you hearing me? He wants your number. May I give it to him?” She waited for the response and added quietly, “Maybe he wants to hang out with somebody real for a change.” She paused. “He really liked you.”

Beth mumbled, “I don’t know what to do. I liked him too, I thought he was really nice, you know, and funny…”

“Soooo… C’mon, he’s giving me the sad puppy face here,” Lily groaned.

“Fine,” Beth rolled her eyes. “Give it to him. Between you and me, though, I’m not expecting anything to come out of it, so I’m not even going to start getting my hopes up.” Changing the subject, she said, “Who is the King of Cups?” but remembered as soon as the words were spoken aloud. “Duh–forget I asked that. Just…give James my number, okay?”

“Thank you,” Lily sang, “Talk to you tomorrow!”

After the call ended, Beth studied the cards she had drawn again, this time with more understanding. Lily had always been the Queen of Cups, and when Ian came into the picture, the cards had presented him fittingly as her King, their respective signs being Cancer and Scorpio.

“King of Cups…what does Ian have to do with this? The question was what does James want, and the answer was Ian. Maybe Ian has something James doesn’t have.” She scooped her cards up and shuffled again, thinking about the next question.

“What does Ian have that James wants?” She fanned the deck across the tabletop, closed her eyes and selected a card. As she pulled it out, another came out with it and fluttered to the floor. She laid the first card down and turned it over. The Ten of Cups, the card of lasting happiness, joy and contentment, happy family. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. Ian was happy and James wanted to be too. Made perfect sense. She picked up the card that popped out of the deck, and dropped it again as if she had been burned. The Queen of Wands. Her card.

Beth sat and stared at the Queen for a long moment then mechanically put all the cards away. I’m done thinking about this, she decided, nothing’s going to come of it. Been there, did that, bought the shirt, thank you very much. She thought back to a time when she lived and breathed for the moment that Victor Tarucci the third–a.k.a. Shithead or He Whose Name Cannot Be Mentioned–would ask her out. An up and coming financial planner with a nearby bank, he dropped in for lunch several times a week at the sports bar where she waited tables, usually with other suit-clad professionals. He chatted her up quite a bit, finally–she thought–working up the nerve to ask her out. Handsome, witty, charming. Everything she thought she was looking for in a knight in shining armor, come to rescue her from a life of sore feet and going home at night smelling like french fries.

After their casual dinner, he drove her back to his apartment on the pretense of getting his ID to go out to a local nightclub. Beth never saw him coming. He was all over her the moment his door closed. She put him off, telling him that she thought they should get to know each other better before falling madly into bed. With a cool smile, he apologized and assured her he understood, but took her home anyway with the promise to call her again really soon.

The next day while at Walmart picking out a birthday card for Lily’s mother, Beth’s cell phone rang. She snatched it out of her back jeans pocket. “Hello?” There was no response, but she heard noise in the background. She tried again. “Is anyone there?” She listened for a moment and heard a man’s muffled voice.

“Jesus, Tarucci. Watch the speed bumps. I almost spilled my beer,” the man complained.

Victor laughed. “Then drink faster,” he said, “or you’re paying to get my interior cleaned.”

“Victor?” Beth said loudly. “Can you hear me? Victor, it’s Beth. Hello?”

She was about to hang up when the second man spoke again. “So you went out with that red-haired waitress from the Finish Line last night. She’s got great tits. Are they real?” He laughed.

“Who the fuck knows?” Victor retorted. “She wouldn’t give it up.”

“No way.” The other man gasped. “Not even a blow job?”

“Hell no.” Victor laughed. “I had to buy her dinner and didn’t get shit for it. I’m not making that mistake twice. She’s a waitress, for chrissakes. I like my pussy with a higher personal standard of achievement, if you know what I mean.” Both men barked with coarse laughter.

Beth felt sick, the bile rising up in her throat choking her. The card so carefully picked out fell forgotten to the floor. Turning off the phone, she ran for the exit with hot tears of shame burning her eyes.

“He just wasn’t that much fun close up, it was better to admire him from afar,” she told Lily later, not wanting to admit the truth. Not wanting anyone to know the truth.

Beth had a secret.

Back when she and Lily were in grade school, they had both gotten silver abstinence rings, promising to wait until they were truly in love before they had sex. Beth had stopped wearing hers because the sports bar patrons reacted to the ring like a bull with a red flag–a challenge too great to be ignored. Numerous offers of assistance ridding her of her pesky virginity were made, but she turned them all down. Although she never came right out and asked, Lily assumed Beth had already done the deed when the ring went noticeably missing. Beth hadn’t disabused her friend of that notion.

Not that I wouldn’t know how if I wanted to, she thought. Very well read on the subject of sex, she could cite such unimpeachable sources as her favorite romance novels and the magazines in the checkout line. In spite of not having any practical experience, she knew she’d be good in bed. Cheered by her potential prowess, she wove her hair into a loose braid and slipped into an oversized sleep shirt that read Don’t Make Me Call the Flying Monkeys. With a wide yawn, she headed for bed and sweet dreams she hoped wouldn’t feature smiling Irish eyes.

* * * *

With a broad smile, Lily turned to James. “She said I can give it to you. Give me your phone.”

James handed it over obediently. While she entered in Beth’s contact information he asked, “What’s she like? I mean, really like.”

“We’ve been best friends for yea–”

James sat back and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “We just met this evening, but I have to tell you I think I would have been able to pick her out of a screaming crowd. She’s got something. It’s hard to describe, exactly.” He glanced around for his drink, and unable to locate it waved at the waitress to bring him another. “She is quite the beauty, but I don’t think she thinks she is. She’s funny too. Talks non-stop. I love that. She has a running narrative going all the time.”

“She sounds a lot lik–”

“And her car. Ah, it’s a great car. I told her so and I could tell by the look on her face she thought I was giving her a hard time about it. It’s got a lot of personality, that car, just like her.”

“She’s always been pra–”

“And that dress.” He rolled his eyes with a blissful sigh. “I mean, pardon my saying, you being a right proper unmarried lady and all, but she is a luscious bit of woman. The women I see are like sticks most of the time, rail thin and naught but hard edges to hold on to. Beth is soft and curvy and…” The server arrived with his wine, and he downed half of it in one gulp. “…Christ almighty, listen to me. I’m going on like a teenage boy. Yeah, I liked her.”

“So are you pla–”

“I asked her to go back to my hotel and have a drink, and that’s when she took off running. I thought maybe I offended her or something. I guess I’m used to having to move quickly. I’m never in one place for too long.”

“What if you were to–”

James opened his mouth to speak again, but Lily raised a warning hand and laughed. “Shut it, James.”

He laughed too. “I get that a lot.” He raised his glass in mock toast and said, “So now you tell me about her.”

Lily smiled. “Beth been my best friend since…well, forever…and I love her dearly. She lost both her parents when she was very little, and she lived with her aunt until she passed away a couple of years ago. She’s been on her own since that. She’s a little rough around the edges sometimes, and her mouth tends to get her in all kinds of trouble, but a lot of that is just self-preservation. She’s as tenderhearted and sweet as they come.” Her voice lowered conspiratorially. “I’ll tell you a secret and if you ever tell her I told you this, I’ll kick you into the middle of next week.”

James flinched and raised his hand. “I solemnly swear. Jaysus, do you threaten Ian like this? No wonder he’s toeing the line now.”

Lily giggled. “Stay on point, James. Beth has been crushing on you for years, and she was completely floored–as was I, I must say–to find out you are Ian’s brother. Now she’s coming face to face with one of her fantasies, and I think she finds you more than a little intimidating.” She took a sip from her own glass and smiled when Ian winked at her from across the room. “If you’re really interested, you’re going to need to convince her that you’re sincere. I mean, your reputation isn’t exactly spotless, you know.”

He sighed and his shoulders sagged a little. “Years ago, a tiny bit might have been deserved, but a lot has been exaggerated to the point that even I’m shocked at what I’ve supposedly done. Most of it is just rumor and publicity, I swear.”

“I already knew that, James,” Lily smiled. “You were raised in a good family and I know you’re a true gentleman at heart.”

His cheeks burned at the unexpected compliment. “Gentleman, I don’t know, but one thing you’re right about is that I do come from a good family.” His gaze swept the room, lingering on Ian, Meg and Heather laughing at a shared joke. “The old man never approved of my leaving school for the band. He wanted me to finish my studies first and find a good woman to settle down with.” He looked down at his hands and for the briefest moment his eyes misted over, the pain of losing their father in a car accident two years ago still fresh. “He would have wanted to be here for this,” he mumbled.

She leaned over and gently patted his hand. “I have no doubts he’ll be watching over us.”

He nodded once and straightening up smiled back at her. “So how do I go about convincing Beth I’m sincere?”

Lily rubbed her hands together. “Well…” she began slowly, “I just might have a few ideas…”