by Cee, DW
“Never mind.” She drank her beer and we comfortably watched the game. Jane Sydney Reid was a beautiful girl. With her dark hair, pale complexion and deep blue eyes, she was one of those women you had to look at twice, or even thrice. She was beautiful, full of personality, and from the best family next to my own, but she didn’t stir my soul as I knew Emily did for Jake. Maybe those kinds of feelings took time, or maybe it was only meant to be for some and not others. I’d wait and see if anything changed for me in the next few months while I quietly “dated” her.
“Have you dated much since you got here? I thought I heard Jake say you were seeing someone.” Jane broke up my thoughts again.
“Naw. I was waiting for you to grow up and notice me.” Shit. I was too slick for my own good—or anyone else’s good. That wasn’t the smartest thing to say when I wasn’t sure I could commit.
“You know I had the biggest crush on you when I was like, seven years old.”
“Who didn’t? The entire female Reid population under the age of ten had a crush on me.” The kidding earned me a slap on the arm.
“You and my brother are both egomaniacs.”
“We are!” I agreed. “Back to your statement—you crushed on me as a seven-year-old, but not now as a twenty-seven-year-old?”
Her cheeks turned bright red. I’d embarrassed her. As an apology, I kissed her on top of her head and moved on to other topics.
Compared to any other dates, tonight wasn’t hot, it wasn’t soul (or other body part) stirring, but it was entertaining. If nothing came of this, we’d always be great friends.
After our evening together, we didn’t even have time to say good-bye as I got pulled into an all-night work session. It was only in the wee hours of the morning that I ran into Jane, who had also worked through the night. We took the company car, with her house as the first drop-off.
“Shit!” Jane popped up from her sleepy state when we arrived at her place. She ran out of the car and so many things happened at once, it was hard to keep track. Jane ran, Max pulled away on his bike, Emily fell, everyone ran toward Emily, and Jane and Max were about to start World War III.
At first I didn’t know what to do, who to help, or who to stay away from. The closer I got to Jane to see if she needed my help, the more freaked out she looked. Her eyes got wider, and they kept begging me not to get any closer. Rather than upsetting me, it made me laugh. “You need a ride back to work? You want me to pick you up in a few hours?”
“No!” Max all but bit my head off when he spit this word out.
All righty...I had no idea why he was so pissed, but I enjoyed this unnecessary showdown. “If you need me, don’t hesitate to call, OK?” And just to piss him off even more, I kissed Jane on her head, and went across the way to make sure Emily was not too badly hurt. Max told me to fuck off without uttering a sound. For now, I’d get out of his face.
“How are you doing, mama of twins?”
“It’s nothing, Donovan. Come in and have a cup of coffee?” she offered. Jake, who looked like he was leaving for the day, walked back into the house with us.
“Hello, darling children!” I kissed both kids, and ended up carrying Ellie around. Actually, Ellie wouldn’t let go of me so I had no choice but to be attached to her. Jake picked up James, and we both sat and chatted over breakfast. Emily used this time to run upstairs and clean up.
“Everything work out with the apartment?” I whispered so Emily’s Christmas present would stay a surprise.
“Yep! Thanks to you, I found the perfect gift for her. You want to join us for Christmas in New York?”
“I’d love to, but the entire family is gathering at Ma’s this year. Ma and Pa have both warned me that there’d be severe consequences if I left town.”
“I’d love to see your sisters and for them to meet Emi. We’ll have to get together after we return.”
“Who’s going to New York with you?”
“My parents, Nick, Jane, Uncle Henry’s family, and maybe Max. I’ll call over there in a few minutes and ask if Max wants to go.”
“It’s that serious between them?” Should this have upset me?
“I think it is. What was the deal with you and my sister getting out of a car together at sunrise?”
“We had dinner, watched a Laker game, and...” I drew out this sentence to watch Jake’s reaction. Surprisingly, he didn’t react. “We both ended up working all night, and I was dropping her off.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Don’t bullshit me. What are your intentions?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. You know I’ve always wondered if Jane and I could work. I might want to wonder no more.”
“I think you’re a tad late. Max is serious about making this work.”
“I say better late than never. If she wants Max, that’s her choice and at the end of the day, it won’t bother me.”
“Isn’t it telling when you say you don’t care if the woman you’re interested in is interested in another guy? Let her go, Donovan. She’s not the girl for you.”
“I haven’t done a thing to hold onto her...yet.” The displeasure in my buddy’s face was as clear as a sunny day in LA. “I’m at an age now where I’d like to find a good woman, settle down and pop out kids. Is that so wrong?”
“Everything you say is right. I agree and wish the same for you.”
“I know, I know! Jane’s not it. I tell you what,” I promised Jake, “I won’t ask Jane out again, but if I see a rift between her and Max, I’m coming in for the swoop and I may never let go.”
“Think about this. There’s a woman out there, living her life, waiting for that moment when your relationship with her will begin. As long as you’re paying attention to Jane, that woman won’t get her fair share of you. Don’t you want to start your forever, now?”
I was dumbfounded at his lame-ass profundity! “Seriously, Jake?” I howled. My laughing body shook so badly, Ellie felt alarmed enough to crawl onto me from her upright-seated position. “What are you—a Swami with a crystal ball? How about a name to go with this woman, ‘who’s out there, living her life, waiting for that moment when our relationship will begin?’”
“Laney.” Jake whispered and waved. I turned my head to the direction he was waving, and out of the large bay window, I caught a glimpse of a knockout blonde. She was getting into her car wearing a body-hugging dress, sexy heels, and long wavy hair. Wow! That was a sight to remember.
“Was that...”
Jake smirked and answered, “Laney.”
“Wow.” I couldn’t quite believe what I’d just witnessed.
“Yep.”
“Why’s she so dressed up?”
“Who knows? Maybe she has a date later tonight. It’s not unusual for her to look that good. She doesn’t have to try very hard.” That was for sure!
“How’s she doing? I haven’t seen her since your wedding, and the time before that was when she was coming down the slide in what’s now your backyard swimming pool.”
“As you saw, she’s beautiful, she’s happy, and she’s a tremendous help to my wife and me. During her free moments, she comes by and helps Emily with the twins, runs any errands, and even performs menial housework. She’ll watch the kids by herself when we go out on date nights, and she refuses to take anything from us. We’ve tried paying her but to no avail. That’s one of the reasons why I’m treating her to New York. She deserves much more, but for now, I’ll start with this.” She had always been a sweet girl.
“She must have boys chasing after her from sunrise to sunset.”
“I believe she does. I get requests all the time from university students asking for an introduction. But, I don’t believe she dates much.”
“Why not?” She could have the pick of the litter. What was wrong with her?
“Next time you see her, why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“Who knows
when I’ll see her again?”
“Why don’t you give her a call and take her to dinner. She’s not seeing anyone.”
“Are you out of your mind? She’s a little girl!”
“Did she look anything like a little girl to you?”
Damn it all to hell. I couldn’t get Jake’s last question and the vision of Delaney out of my mind! Several days passed, but that image of her was etched into my periphery vision. It wasn’t forefront, but it was always there. I couldn’t get over how much she had grown up. Though she still had that angelic face, her body was nothing short of the work of the devil. Her curves were a combination of sweet and sinful temptation. The fact that I got semi-hard each time I pictured her made me sick. She was no different from a little sister to me. No matter how much she had grown up, that fact wouldn’t change. I needed to get a life and stop being a perverted asshole!
“Time for lunch...” As promised, I picked up Jane from her cubicle to take her to lunch. “An egg-salad sandwich?” That was her perennial favorite lunch item.
“Yes!” She picked up her phone as we got going and informed me that we needed to make a pit stop. “Laney is here with my Kindle that I left in New York. She’s downstairs.”
Shit, I really didn’t need to see her right now, but the pervert in me wanted one more view. “Well then let’s go.”
We walked out to a very cold LA winter, and I was glad as hell I had on my long coat that covered all of me. I felt the boner coming on the second I laid eyes on her never-ending legs in thigh-high boots and a fashionable short dress that screamed classic Chanel. To add to the look, a small winter hat and scarf accessorized the outfit. She looked like a model.
“Isn’t that Emily’s Chanel outfit from Paris? Why are you wearing it?” Jane and Delaney had always had a love-hate relationship.
“Yeah. Emily let me borrow it since I have a date tonight.” Another one?
“How’d you get it past Jake?”
“Jake said I looked good in this outfit—though never as good as his wife.”
I tried to make eye contact and say hello, but she didn’t give me a chance. I had to make myself known. “Hello, Miss Delaney Reid. My, you’ve grown up. How old are you, now?”
“Old enough...” That was not the answer I was expecting. “Do I know you?” What the fuck? Did this girl just ask if she knew me??? Was she playing with me? She had to have been. I was her favorite older man. She had a crush on me as a little girl. This had to have been a joke.
“Laney, this is Donovan Taylor. He’s Jake’s best friend, and he used to hang out at our house a lot when we were younger. You might be too young to remember.” Was Jane really re-introducing me to my favorite Reid girl? Something was not right with this picture!
“I don’t remember, but hello Mr. Taylor. It’s nice to meet you again.” This girl had to have been fucking with my mind. “Here.” Delaney handed the Kindle to Jane and started walking off.
“Would you like to have lunch with us, Miss Delaney?” Please say yes. She and I needed to have a come-to-Jesus about her memory loss.
“No thank you, Mr. Taylor. Bye Jane.”
“Bye!” The girl who'd been on my mind since lunch a few days ago almost bumped into me while saying her parting words to Jake's family. It was as though she’d stepped out of my dream and into Jake’s living room.
“Hello there!” I should've let her bump into me. Instead, I held her briefly and attempted a friendly hug. She froze and didn't return the affection.
“Hello.” She was still treating me like a stranger and it bothered me. “Good-bye,” she called out and stepped around me.
“Do you really not remember me?”
She gave the identical non-committal shrug I liked to give.
“Have a great time, tonight. You're going to give William heart palpitations with the way you look.”
Emily was not wrong. Delaney was breathtaking! She had always preferred dresses when she was younger, and that had not changed one bit. She was in another dress but this one didn't hug her body as alluringly as the first one I saw, or screamed haute couture like the last one. It was a more modest dress, but flirty all the same. Her hair was straightened which made it even longer and her makeup was innocently done. A girl with her figure could entice a man without even trying. She seemed to understand this and did her best to make her appearance understated tonight.
“Excuse me.” She tried to leave me, again.
“You look…beautiful tonight…” I had no idea what came over me. That was not what I was going to say, and the way I said it was even worse. I made myself sound like a star-struck boy. I probably sounded like the boys she dated.
She finally smiled, albeit a shy one, and answered, “Thank you.”
“Are you going out on a date tonight?”
“Yes.” A whisper escaped her beautiful red lips. “I have to go, or I'll be late.”
“When is he picking you up?” Jake asked. “Why don't you bring him over and introduce him to us.”
“You know I don't like guys picking me up at the house. I'm meeting him at the sushi bar.” She had no problems speaking to Jake. However, with me, she treated me like a complete passer-byer, stranger-in-the-night.
“Do you still not eat live shrimp?” Why I asked that random question, I did not know. I was behaving like a lunatic tonight. I didn't want to let this girl go.
She was on the verge of laughing, but she stopped herself and walked away for good.
“You coming in or going on the date with Laney and William?”
“What?”
“She's gone. Close the door and stop letting in the cold draft. I have big news for you.”
“Can you believe she doesn’t remember me? The other day when she stopped by the office, she had no idea who I was. How could she forget me? How the hell does anyone forget me?”
Jake and Emily laughed. “Buddy, you’re sounding like a broken record. You called me and gave me your I’ve-been-forgotten saga several times now. Do you want to hear our news or not?”
“Huh?” I still couldn’t get over her not remembering me, and her looking so indescribably gorgeous tonight.
“Emi is pregnant again!”
“What the hell? Again? Seriously?” I was happy for my friends, but damn surprised.
“That’s exactly what I thought when I got the news, Donovan.” Emily said bashfully.
“Congratulations!” I went over and hugged the happy couple. “I guess you’re almost at the finish line, huh?” At age thirty-two, my best friend had a wife he adored and almost three kids. Where was I? I was between lost and nowhere.
“Open your eyes and you might find yourself right next to me in this race called life.”
“What?” I didn’t hear what Jake had said.
“Is it Emi’s pregnancy that’s put you in a daze or are you still thinking of our Laney?”
“Is it not weird to you that she’d forget me after all the time we spent together when she was younger?”
“Why would she remember you? When was the last time you saw her?”
“A couple of years ago at your wedding.”
“Did you talk to her like I suggested?”
“No...” I wasn’t talking so big now.
“Then what reason does she have to remember you?”
“Dammit! I’m a memorable guy!” I complained. “How could she forget me.?” This would bug the hell out of me for a very long time.
“Our Laney looked gorgeous tonight, huh?” Emily changed the subject—kind of.
“Yeah, Emily. She looked...gorgeous.”
“Look who’s here!” Jane walked in with all four of my sisters and their husbands.
I had to bring myself back to the moment at hand.
Overtly conspicuous and unashamedly coy, Jake and Emily invited me over for dinner and let it accidentally slip that Delaney had been invited too.
“You two are not
playing matchmaker, are you? You know that she’s a child and her father would not welcome someone who was double her age, not too long ago.”
Jake put me on speakerphone from his kitchen and Emily answered. “You should be so lucky that we’d set you up with Laney.”
“You promise you’re not putting either of us on the spot? Delaney barely remembers me. I don’t want her to think I’m some old man perving on her.”
Emily laughed so hard I heard the twins in the background laughing with her. “Just come over. We might end up putting you on the spot, but it’ll have nothing to do with Laney.”
Stupidly happy to see Delaney again, I picked up some flowers for...Emily? Delaney? Emily? Delaney? Damn! What was happening to me? I was beginning to feel like a stalker fixated on a young girl.
I was grateful for the phone call to distract me from these useless thoughts. “Hello?”
“Donovan. This is Mark.”
“What’s up?”
“You know how my wife and I are expecting a baby next month?”
The foreboding was telling and I didn’t like what it was saying. “Yeah…”
“My wife’s water broke. We’re on our way to the hospital right now. Do you think you can go up North and handle the meeting for me? I have all the documents and notes in a file. I’ll transfer them over to you.” Could I say no to Mark? I didn’t want to go up North. I wanted to be at Jake’s.
Once Mark asked, there wasn’t really a choice. For the good of the company, I had to attend. “Sure. Send me all you have. What time is your flight?”
“In a couple of hours. I apologize.”
“If you have a son, I expect him to be named after me.”
“Um...yeah...I’ll bring it up with the wife once labor pains are gone.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks. I owe you a big one.”
Well, so much for hanging out with Jake and Emily...and Delaney. I turned the car around and packed my bags for a weekend trip.
“Donovan. Where are you?” I called Jake as soon as I got back in the car.
“I just got called to San Francisco. I’m headed to the airport now. Sorry.”
“Shoot!” Emily wasn’t pleased. “I made your favorite dinner tonight,” she complained.