“Please don’t say anything to my mother.”
“I promise,” Henry replied, opening the passenger door and helping Tess into the front seat. “I have a feeling you’ve learned your lesson tonight.”
Sebastian returned with Jordan and Courtney. Tess was sitting the front seat. He hoped that she had completely emptied her stomach, not thrilled with the idea of her vomiting in the car. He ushered Jordan and Courtney into the backseat and buckled their seat belts for them.
“I can drive Tess’ car back. You take the Town Car. I’ll follow to make sure everyone gets home safely,” Henry said.
“Thank you.”
“No speeding.”
“No speeding,” Sebastian agreed.
Sebastian got behind the wheel. Turning out of the parking lot and navigating the jug handle turn, they headed back toward the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. “What the hell were you three thinking!” he finally blurted out, letting his anger take over.
“Don’t yell at us. She was the designated driver,” Jordan fired back. “What the hell did you do to Tess? She’s really mad at you.”
“Where’s my car?” Tess asked out of nowhere.
“Henry’s bringing it back,” he clipped out. “What the three of you did was really irresponsible. You could have been hurt or killed if you tried to drive home,” he admonished them.
“We can’t all have a driver,” Tess sarcastically chimed in.
“Well, obviously, you have one right now,” he shot back, stopping at the toll plaza before the bridge. He rolled down the window and threw some change into the coin basket with disgust. “Whose house are we going to?”
“Mine.” Courtney answered very quietly to avoid any further wrath from Sebastian. No one spoke another word for the rest of the drive home.
Sebastian pulled up in front of Courtney’s house and turned off the engine. He opened the back door and helped both Courtney and Jordan out of the car. “Do you have your house keys?” Sebastian asked.
Courtney reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a purple rabbit’s foot keychain. He took the keys and walked the girls to the front door and unlocked it. “What about Tess? She’s supposed to sleep over tonight. You can’t take her home like this,” Courtney said.
Sebastian looked from one girl to the other. They reeked of beer and cigarettes. Their makeup was smeared and they were unsteady on their feet. “You two are in no shape to nurse her back to health. I’ll see that she gets home safely,” he informed Courtney as he ushered them through the front door of the house. He handed the keys back to Courtney and turned the lock on the doorknob before he closed the door behind him.
Sebastian walked over to Henry, who rolled down the window of the Chevette. “I’m taking Tess back to Edgewood. She was supposed to stay with Courtney tonight, but she’s in no shape to take care of Tess.”
Henry nodded. “I’ll follow you home.”
Tess moaned in pain as Sebastian slammed the car door. “You can’t take me home,” she pleaded. “My mom will kill me.”
“You’re not going home. I don’t intend to show up at your house and hand you over to your mother when you smell like alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. I’m taking you to Edgewood. You’re damned lucky you have a cover story for tonight.”
It was nearly 1:00 a.m. when they finally pulled into his drive. He parked the car in the garage and helped Tess out of the passenger seat. “Do you think you can walk alone?”
She shook her head no, so Sebastian gently placed his arm around her waist and guided her toward the back door of the house. They entered through the kitchen. Alice was awake, in her nightgown and robe, awaiting their return. She walked over and helped Tess to the table. “Can I make you something to eat?”
“No,” Tess muttered and laid her head on the table.
Sebastian grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and found some crackers in the pantry. He sat down next to Tess. “Here—drink this and eat this,” Sebastian ordered, placing the items on a napkin in front of her.
“I don’t want anything,” she whispered, pushing it away.
“Trust me—if you don’t do this, you’re going to feel ten times worse in the morning.” He unscrewed the cap to the water bottle and lifted it to her mouth. She must have been too tired to fight, because she let him feed her. She ate all the saltines and emptied the bottle of water.
Tess looked at Sebastian and asked, “Can I please go to sleep now?”
“Yes,” he agreed.
“I can find something for Tess to sleep in and wash those clothes for her,” Alice offered.
“I’ll take care of her.” He felt as if it were his fault that Tess was in this position; he needed to be the one to see this through.
Sebastian escorted her upstairs to his room and walked her into the bathroom. Looking through the medicine cabinet, he found a new toothbrush. He opened it and placed it in her hands. “Brush your teeth.”
When he left the room, she squeezed the blue-and-white swirled toothpaste onto the brush, placed it in her mouth, and began brushing in an up and down motion. Tess spat out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth with water. She avoided looking at herself in the mirror.
Sebastian returned with a well-worn Smiths concert T-shirt and a pair of neatly folded boxers. “You can sleep in these,” he said flatly. “Can you undress yourself?”
Tess nodded. She reached for her left boot and promptly fell onto the hard tile floor, cursing under her breath. Sebastian sighed and knelt down next to her. He proceeded to remove her boots and jacket. He pulled her T-shirt over her head and began to unbutton her jeans, but Tess pushed him away.
When I make love to you, you will be a very willing participant, he thought to himself, but instead he said, “Tess, do you really think I would try to take advantage of you in this state?”
“No,” she said softly, nearly in tears.
“Then please let me take these filthy jeans off.”
Tess relented. With practiced hands, he removed her jeans, trying to ignore the fact that she was now sitting in front of him in only her panties and a bra. He slipped on the T-shirt. She shifted her weight so he could pull the boxers up to her waist. Then he wet a wash cloth and gently removed the smudged makeup from her face.
Sebastian lifted Tess off the floor and carried her to his bed. After tucking her under the down comforter, he placed Charles the teddy bear in her arms. “Goodnight, Tess.”
She fell asleep quickly, soft snores emanating from her within minutes. Sebastian pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed, watching her sleep. The soft light of the lamp on the bedside table caressed her pale skin. A few wild curls fell over her eyes. He leaned in and gently brushed them away before kissing her on the forehead.
Henry softly knocked on the door and then opened it. “I just wanted to make sure everything is okay.” He glanced at Tess, who was sleeping peacefully.
“She’ll be okay. I’m going stay here and watch over her.”
“Leave the bedroom door open.”
Sebastian chuckled. Did everyone think he would take sexual advantage of Tess in her drunken state? He was too tired to be angry. “Yes, Henry.”
“Alice wanted me to fetch Tess’ dirty clothes.”
“They’re in the bathroom.”
Henry collected the clothes and bid Sebastian goodnight.
Sebastian couldn’t stop thinking about what might have happened to Tess if Courtney hadn’t called him. What if a guy had tried to take advantage of her? What if she was in an accident, or killed? His body shuddered. He didn’t realize until this moment how much he cared about her—until he was faced with the possibility of losing her. That terrified him even more than admitting to himself that he had fallen in love with Tess Hamilton.
Sebastian spent the night awkwardly trying to sleep on the chair with his feet propped on the bed while Tess slept soundly. When morning arrived, Sebastian decided he would let Tess sleep as long as she needed. He headed toward the
kitchen to get something to eat.
“Good morning,” Alice greeted him. “Can I get you some breakfast?”
“Good morning. I’ll get it—you stay seated,” he replied, pouring himself a cup of hot coffee. He grabbed a sesame seed bagel and smeared it with cream cheese.
“How’s Tess doing?” Henry asked.
“She’s still sleeping.” Sebastian took a bite of his bagel and swallowed.
“You look a little worse for wear.”
Sebastian looked down at himself. He was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, only now they were a rumpled mess. When his hand came up to touch his face, he could feel stubble on his chin. He realized he didn’t smell particularly good either. A yawn escaped him as he placed the palm of his hand on his lower back to relive the pain. “Trying to sleep in a chair isn’t very comfortable.”
“I’ve washed Tess’ clothes,” Alice replied, pointing to the neatly folded pile on the edge of the kitchen table.
“Thank you. I’ll take them up to her.” He finished his breakfast and gathered the clean pile of clothes. With his free hand, he took a glass from the overhead cabinet and filled it with water. Alice placed a bottle of aspirin on the pile of clothing and he nodded his head in thanks.
He made his way through the foyer and up the stairs, heading to his room. Gently opening his bedroom door, he peeked inside. Tess was stirring under the covers.
“Hi,” he gently greeted.
“Hey,” she said, stretching her arms over her head.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like someone hit me over the head with a pipe,” she groaned, holding her forehead.
“Cheap liquor will have that effect.” He handed her the glass of water and dropped two aspirin into her other hand.
“Thank you for last night,” she said, taking a gulp of water to wash down the aspirin. She closed her eyes and leaned her back against the wooden headboard.
“You’re welcome. Just promise me you won’t ever do that again.”
“Believe me, I promise,” she vowed, opening her eyes. “How can anyone find this fun?”
Sebastian sat down on the bed next to her. “It’s not about fun, Tess. It’s about forgetting. I understand why you did it. I’m sorry I was the cause,” he apologized.
“Stop it. I have no one to blame but myself. I appreciate you taking care of me. My mom would have killed me if I came home drunk last night.” She trembled. “You really saved my ass.”
“Your mom seems so understanding. I doubt she’d kill you,” Sebastian reasoned.
“When you’re the perfect good girl who never does anything wrong—I don’t think I could stand her disappointment in me.”
“No one’s perfect, Tess,” he sighed. “It just comes down to whether you can forgive and move on. I really want to move on with you.” He held out his hand, hoping she would be ready to reconcile after their argument. She turned to face him but remained silent. After a prolonged moment, she placed her hand in his palm.
“What is this? What are we doing?” she asked, looking at their fingers intertwined.
“It can be whatever you want it to be. There’s no pressure,” he responded.
“I don’t want a boyfriend. I don’t want a relationship.”
“It’s too late for that,” he informed her. “Romantic or not, we have a relationship. I’ll always have your back, Tess.”
“I know,” she admitted with a feeble smile. Tess looked down at the Smiths T-shirt she was wearing. “What happened to my clothes? Did I undress myself?”
“No, I undressed you.” He sensed her horror and quickly added, “Your modesty is still intact. You had vomit on your shirt, so Alice washed your clothes for you. They are over on the chair.” He pointed with a nod of his head. “She’s also bringing up some food for you.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat and get hydrated. Trust me—I’ve cured many hangovers in my time.” He tried to make light of the situation to ease her embarrassment.
“I do trust you, Sebastian,” Tess replied in all seriousness.
He squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”
Chapter 11 - Head Over Heels
Sebastian knocked on the Hamilton’s door at 8:00 a.m. sharp. Mrs. Hamilton greeted him. “Hello, Sebastian.”
“Good morning,” he replied, slipping into their cozy living room. He handed her a bouquet of flowers. “These are for you. Thank you for having Nanny Jones and I for Thanksgiving dinner. It was very kind of you.”
“It was my pleasure. Ever since my husband passed away, Tess and I have always celebrated alone. It was wonderful to have laughter in the house again. Mrs. Jones was very lovely. Now I see where you get your good manners.”
Tess’ mother turned and opened the door to the hallway coat closet. She pulled out a small overnight bag and handed it to him.
“Thank you for trusting me to take Tess away for the weekend. You have my sister’s number if you need to reach us.”
“Yes, I called her last night. She assured me you’ll take good care of Tess. I really am happy that Tess gets to take this trip. She always works so hard, and with my schedule at the hospital, we don’t have any time to get away.”
He dashed out of the house to place the bag in the car. How he had ever persuaded Mrs. Hamilton to let him take Tess away for the weekend, he’d never know. English charm, he supposed. When he returned to the Hamilton’s front hall, Tess was at the bottom of the stairs to greet him.
She was wearing a new pair of jeans and a green crew neck sweater. Her hair was blown out straight and gently fell over her shoulders. Tess frowned when she caught sight of him. He was impeccably dressed in a bespoke navy suit with a white shirt and narrow yellow paisley tie. “I’m underdressed. Give me a few minutes to get changed.” She turned on her heel to rush back up the steps, but his words stopped her before the first step.
“You look great,” he retorted honestly. “Now let’s get on the road.”
Tess looked at her jeans and back at his suit, and then at her mother for support. “You heard him. Get going,” her mother agreed, patting Tess on the shoulder.
Sebastian helped Tess put on her gray wool peacoat. He stepped forward and then opened the door for her to exit.
“Take good care of my girl, Sebastian,” her mother warned him.
“You have my word, Mrs. Hamilton.”
They hopped in the Jaguar and were on their way. “Will you please tell me where we’re going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he announced.
Sebastian caught the frown on her face as she turned to stare out the window at the housing developments and strip malls they passed. They rode in a comfortable silence for nearly thirty-five minutes until Tess spoke again.
“Sebastian, against my better judgment, I agreed to your day of fun to celebrate your hard work and accomplishments. The least you can do is tell me where we are going.”
“How about we test your geography skills?” he teased, knowing full well her local geography knowledge was far better than his.
“Fine,” she agreed with an exasperated sigh. “What do you want to know?” As soon as she asked, she noticed they had already exited the Pennsylvania Turnpike and entered New Jersey. “What are we going to do—drive around traffic circles all day?”
“Tess, why are you so impatient?”
“I don’t like surprises.”
They drove over the bridge into Trenton, the large sign reading Trenton Makes the World Takes ushering them into the depressed city. “Where do you end up if you take I-95 north over the George Washington Bridge?”
“New York City,” she replied absentmindedly. “Oh my god, we’re going to New York City!” she repeated, practically jumping up in her seat.
“See, not all surprises are bad.”
“What will we do when we get there?”
“You’ll have to just wait and see.”
“You’re taking me to New York City.”
<
br /> Sebastian glanced over at her sheer joy and smiled. Now she was happy and relaxed. He was going to show her a weekend in New York that she would never forget.
The drive was quick for a Saturday morning. They breezed right across the George Washington Bridge and Sebastian turned onto the Henry Hudson Parkway and headed toward midtown Manhattan. He got lucky and found a prime parking space right in front of the historic brownstone.
“We’re here.” Sebastian grabbed the two overnight bags from the trunk. “After you,” he said as he pointed to the brownstone. “This is my sister’s house.”
Sebastian opened the front door and let Tess step inside first. He followed, put down the bags, and closed the door behind them. With some gentle nudging, Tess walked further inside. The foyer was narrow with a gray and white marble floor. There was a set of mahogany doors to the right of the foyer, while a straight marble staircase reached up to the second level on the left side.
Three flights above, a young woman’s head peeked over the railing. “Welcome to the Upper East Side,” she called out with a wave.
“Sigourney,” he bellowed, “get your arse down here immediately. I have someone I want you to meet.”
Sigourney glided down the stairs, smoothly and effortlessly, as if she were a skater on ice. She reached the landing and promptly gave Tess a hug and an air kiss on each cheek. “Tess, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” His sister was tall, about five-foot eight, with the same blue eyes and chestnut brown hair as Sebastian. She was dressed in black wide-leg trousers and a slim-fitted, ivory silk blouse. She could have been a model. Instead, she was a student at Juilliard.
Sebastian gave her a hug. “How’s New York been treating you, my wonderful sister?”
“Brilliant—although I am disappointed it took you so long to come back and visit me.”
“I’ve been hard at work. I’ve been hitting the books, as the Americans would say.” Sigourney laughed, not believing him in the slightest.
“It’s true,” Tess chimed in. “He even made the honor roll this quarter.”
His sister stood back with one hand on her hip, eyeing Tess with great curiosity. “You are quite the miracle worker, Tess.” Then she turned to her brother. “Take whatever room you like. I suggest the master on the second floor. Mummy just had a Hastens king mattress custom made and delivered. It’s like sleeping on air.” She winked.
Life's What You Make It: Love's Great Adventure Book 1 Page 13