by Debra Holt
He smiled and stepped aside for the couple. “Have a good evening.”
The pair moved away, and Dev focused his gaze on the dance floor to keep the level of irritation down that threatened to go sky high as the man’s hand left the elbow and went back to the skin at her waist.
“Now, the Dev I knew never frowned. He was the life of the party. And he’d have already been on the dance floor.”
Dev came back to the present and found a familiar face in a white evening gown looking at him with a tease in her smile. “Kyla Martin. It’s been a while.”
“I’m thinking the natural color and length of hair gives you more the Bradley Cooper look and makes you even sexier than you were as a blond. I’ve changed my hair color, too. How do you like redheads?”
“I think the better question is how your husband, Gabe, likes your red hair?”
“You always were a quick study. So how about a dance for old times’ sake?”
“Now, that is something I can do.” And he stayed on the dance floor, with no shortage of partners for the better part of the next half hour, until the band took a break and dinner was served at their table. He sank down in his chair with a thankful sigh. His knee was telling him he had pushed it a bit too much on the dance floor. To be truthful, Dev was grateful for the respite. Even while dancing, a certain figure had remained on the periphery of his eyesight. Even in that moment, it was hard to ignore the female in the sparkling red gown moving about the room, greeting and talking to people, enjoying the dance floor. The time came when she appeared at their table having been invited over by Josie and Dee.
She was minus Mark and with both girls pushing, she gave in and took the offered seat… next to Dev. Being a polite gentleman, he stood and held the chair for her, remembering his party manners. He didn’t miss the smug smiles that Josie and Dee shared with each other. Between matchmaking family members and predatory females, married and not, he was beginning to feel… as the saying went… like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. It seemed his attempt to create the playboy aura for himself over the years had succeeded in spades in his hometown, among the eligible female population. And a couple he discovered while on the dance floor who were married but they made their willingness known to being up for some extracurricular activities. He had left the dance floor on that note.
Dev resumed his seat at the table. But stayed a silent observer as conversation flowed between the other occupants. It was a sense of relief when his sisters-in-law finally gave up and agreed to another round of dancing with their spouses. He owed Chance and Rio for rescuing him from their machinations.
That left an awkward silence after their departure. “Where’s your date? He seems to be missing.”
Rissa took a sip of her drink before she replied. “He and his father are on a conference call with a client in Jamaica. It couldn’t wait. Besides, it isn’t so much a date. We were both coming tonight and neither of us is seeing anyone, so we just agreed to come together.”
Dev’s eyebrow rose as he shot her a glance. “That might be the long of it on your part, but I wouldn’t be too sure that’s the short of it on his. I’d say he’s got a little more invested.”
She frowned. “And that is why I don’t do these things that much. It’s too much of a hassle. Why does everyone think a person can’t function unless they’re involved in a relationship or headed down the aisle to one?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “You’re preaching to the choir on that one. I totally agree with you. If I might like to have someone’s company for lunch or maybe a movie now and then, right away the gossips are working overtime. My female family members are ordering the wedding invitations right now as they try to pretend not to be watching us talk.”
“And your female relatives, my best friends, react the same way with me.”
“We have a mutual problem.” They took another sip of their drinks, each seeming to be considering that statement.
“We’re two fairly intelligent people. You’ve made it clear what your feelings are toward me and what you perceive are my playboy inclinations. And while I hope to prove you wrong on that score and others, I can respect where you’re coming from. So, say if I asked you out for a simple dinner or movie now and then… when we’re both bored of our own company, but don’t want any serious entanglements… then maybe you’d know there’s no harm in that. It might even help keep some of the more unwanted invitations at bay.”
Rissa fixed him with a steady gaze. “It should be so easy. But then again, you might have the beginnings of something there… an idea worth more contemplation.”
Another few moments clicked by. “We both know the score on there being next to none when it comes to either of us being remotely ready for a serious relationship… given how you feel about me. And it does get lonely eating pizza for one… those pitying glances tossed one’s way over at the Pizzeria. Or standing in line and buying one movie ticket to a matinee… because you don’t want to go in the evening when others are there in couples… on dates.”
“Was there a question in there?” Rissa turned to him. “Thanks for making my life sound really lame. You’re quite a comedian.”
“Who knew I had such a sense of humor. Who knows… you might find out that you were a whole lot of wrong about me.”
“Or I might prove I was a whole lot of right. That’s an intriguing challenge in an oddball sort of way. What’s worse is that I think it has merit.” She took another sip from her glass.
“I do have my moments of clarity. So how about it, Doc? Think you’d be up to sharing a cheap pizza and movie sometime with a scoundrel like me? I could be one of your pet projects… every pun intended. But it was pretty cute, right?” He managed a wink through the slit on his mask.
He matched it with a hint of a smug smile of triumph after his dare. For a few long moments, they sat in silence. Then, to his surprise, Rissa stood… after emptying her glass of the last of the bubbly. Did she need fortifying for some reason? She squared her shoulders and held out her hand to him. He was taken aback for a moment.
Her long red-tipped nails wiggled in his direction. “Come on, cowboy. There’s no moment like the present to seal this deal.”
He stood. “Are we going to have a dual or…” Her hand latched onto his and she turned, leading them to the center of the dance floor.
She stepped up against him and he forgot what he was doing for a moment. Rissa placed his hand on her hip and took control of his other hand.
She arched a fine brow at him. “For now, we dance. Smile like you’re having a good time,” she prompted.
And he did so… because he was having a very good time now that he held her in his arms. “This is your sealing a deal? Far be it from me to comment on your negotiating skills. Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for it. But maybe…”
“Why are men so dense?” She said the words with a slow grin and a flutter of her eyelashes as she gazed upward into his eyes.
He dropped his train of thought. To all looking on, it would seem she might be falling for her partner’s charming conversation. Only Dev knew her real words weren’t exactly of the romantic sort.
He kept smiling. “Dense?”
“If I am seriously considering your idea of us not dating and not being serious about spending time with you for anything but keeping us both from looking like social outcasts and safeguarding against dating pariahs, then we need to at least act like we have a passing bit of friendship… as much as it might pain us to do so.”
“Hold on a minute while my feeble male brain tries to decipher what you just said.”
“We dance. We smile. We go our separate ways… friendly like. So it won’t seem like such a news flash when we are seen at the Pizzeria or the Movie House Theatre. We’ll just blend into the background of Braxton. You can blend, can’t you?”
“Thanks for the simplification. But I don’t think you could blend into any background as easily as you seem to think. You’re far
too beautiful to be a blender.”
Rissa missed a step and he tightened his hold on her. He did make an effort to stifle his grin.
“That’s outside the friends-only barrier. Already, you’re breaking the rules.”
“Sorry. I’ll do better. I won’t say you’re beautiful. You’re just okay. Is that better?”
“You’re hopeless. It was a stupid idea.” She left him on the dance floor as the music ended in that moment.
“Wait, hold on.” He caught up with her at the edge of the floor and managed to get her attention. “I’m a guy. I’m going to say stupid things at times. We both know that. But I promise to not do it on purpose. If you’ll promise to cut me some slack when I do. Because I agree with your idea’s premise. I know where you stand on relationships. And you said you know where I stand… even though that might be based on an earlier version of me.
“I just want to say that I’m sorry for whatever heartbreak you went through. The guy should be drawn and quartered who would hurt you. I mean that. But you survived and you are amazing. That’s my way of an apology… in case you missed it. I’m doing my best in the apology department. Friends?”
She considered it. “We’ll see.”
Chapter Six
“Good… you got my message. I wasn’t sure what time you woke up in the morning or how early you’d find the text.” Rissa uttered the words as she stepped out of her vehicle the next morning in the church’s parking lot.
There was a slight breeze and the full skirt of her multicolored sundress swirled around her knees, showing off the tanned and spectacular length of legs in the bright fuchsia, high-heeled sandals to perfection. So much so, that Dev had to reassess his preference for red sparkles versus long legs and stilettos.
Eyes back in head. You’re in church. Even though it was just the parking lot, Dev felt it counted. Any moment he might be struck down by lightning for thinking the rest of the thoughts thundering through his brain… and his body. Rissa Flanagan presented yet another side to him. She looked like an ice-cream sundae with brightly colored candy confetti and swirls, a fuchsia headband held her mass of hair back from her forehead, and it fell down her back in cascades. His fingers curled inside his palms in order to keep them from reaching out and touching the strands to see if they did indeed feel like soft satin.
He kept his hands inside his pockets. “I’m intrigued. You said meet you at church. And you’d bring food?”
She shook her head. “Meet you at church. Food afterward.”
“So, I’m taking you out to lunch afterward?”
“No, silly. I have a picnic basket and cooler for us already in my car. What better place to make another public appearance after last night’s almost debacle on the dance floor, than at church? And then we’ll join in the church picnic at the city park afterward. I join your family once in a while but now I won’t feel like a fifth wheel and neither will you. Consider this a trial run to see if you can hack it or not.”
“If I can hack going to a picnic?”
“If you can hack being a male friend of mine. You’re on a trial basis.”
Dev couldn’t help but frown. “What about you? You’re on a trial basis, also. You might not be suited to be just a female friend of mine. I do have certain standards, too.”
Rissa’s single raised brow told him what she thought of his words. However, she looped her arm through his and turned them both toward the church doorway. Dee and Rio were on the front steps waiting. “Aren’t you funny? We’ll discuss this later.”
*
“Fried chicken, potato salad, fruit salad… and apple pie for dessert. Did you actually cook all of this after you got home from the ball? Or did you pick it up at the diner on your way to church?” He eyed the woman as she emptied the contents of the basket onto the soft blanket he had spread for them on the side of the grassy hilltop. The others had their blankets scattered a few feet in either direction.
“I did the salads last night. And the chicken and pie this morning. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I got up earlier than normal and got busy. You don’t think I can cook or what?” She eyed him as she settled into a spot on the edge of the blanket, her shoes kicked to the side and legs tucked under her.
Dev had left his coat, tie, and hat inside the vehicle when they had arrived. He would have considered taking off his boots, but he wasn’t ready to explain to anyone, let alone Rissa, about the scarring on his right foot. It was enough to find a comfortable way to stretch out his legs to keep them from cramping up on him.
“I never thought that. I’m just totally amazed at your skills and energy level. You’re truly a woman of many talents. I have a feeling you can do anything you set your mind to doing.”
She handed him a cold drink from the small cooler. “Once I commit to something, I stick it out. The question is, can I count on you to do the same?” Rissa took a sip of her drink, her gaze watchful.
“Why do I get the feeling that is a loaded question? It’s not the first time I’ve had a sense of something you’re holding me guilty of. I keep hoping to figure it out. Did I do something in my previous life here that I’m not aware of? I would appreciate your honesty. I believe that’s the first tenet of being a good friend, right?”
“Honesty? Be careful what you ask for on that score. But since you’ve asked, perhaps we should take a walk down memory lane and get some things out of the way.” She cast a look around at the others who were in other conversations or already eating, settling into a nap here and there. They wouldn’t be overheard if they kept their voices lowered.
“Let’s go back to our college days… biology class to be more precise. I trusted in you then, too. And you cost me a lot when you let me down. Ring any bells?”
Dev was totally confused. His mind was in fast reverse over memories of those days. Had they actually been in school together? Why didn’t he remember that?
“I’m drawing a blank. I have to apologize because I’m flying a bit blind here. We were in class together?”
“Worse than that… we were lab partners for three weeks… four class periods… until you jumped ship and left me literally holding the bag. You disappeared one day, and I never heard from or saw you again.”
Dev slowly shook his head. “I remember the class only vaguely… my mind was on other things going on in my life at that time. I recall a girl with short hair, round glasses and always in a hurry in and out of the room… was that you? I don’t remember you saying much at all… always so quiet and your head buried in a book.”
“Yes. A blah description for a blah person. I had much shorter hair. And I did wear glasses until I had eye surgery to correct a problem I had, but that was after graduation. My appearance wasn’t much of a concern to me. But my education was.”
“Don’t tell me we… you… got a bad grade because of me?”
“Yes, I will tell you that. I did get a much lower grade because there was no way I could complete all of the research and write it up in the time allotted without the help of my partner. So, I got dinged for it all. But, that wasn’t the worst of it.”
She straightened up, moving her gaze away from him and instead looking across the valley in front of them and watching the distant hills. It was obvious to Dev that the time was not a pleasant memory for her. And he had played a part in it. He didn’t care for the feeling rolling his stomach.
“I was up for a major scholarship… one that I really needed to complete my final semester and graduate. I lost it to the student just below me on the list. That forced me to having to sit out a semester, work a couple of jobs, and then go back and complete school later.” She swung her steady gaze back on him.
He noted the lack of any warmth in their depths.
“They may be just words now and they can’t undo the past, but I am truly sorry, Rissa. My actions were not meant to hurt you. If I could have helped it, I would not have disappeared like that. I never would have wanted to do anything so unfeeling. I had no idea.
But, I can promise you here and now, that person isn’t me… not any longer.”
Their gazes met and held. Dev could see that there was still a fair amount of distrust in the amber-laced depths. And before, for a moment, he had seen a sheen of pain triggered by the memories she was recounting. Once again, it was brought home to him how much his secret life and lies had leveraged their own toll on the people around him. In that moment, he knew he would do anything to show this woman he wasn’t the loser she had to have thought him in those days. Dev was shocked at how much he wanted to be worthy of her trust and prove she could depend on him.
“As I understand how friendship works, we need to be honest with each other. From this point forward, that’s what you’ll get from me. I will do my best to learn how to be a good friend… someone that is deserving of your friendship.”
“So you think we can pull off convincing people we’re just friends and leave us alone in their romantic shenanigans? I didn’t have such a silly idea?”
Dev smiled. “I would never call an idea of yours silly. I’ve just learned to be cautious and not jump in blindly… nothing personal.”
“And you’ve learned to be quite a diplomat. Of course, you always were a smooth talker.”
The smile left his face. He replaced it with a slow shake of his head. “Guilty as charged. But I like to think that’s a trait that might still come in handy in this plan of yours.”
“I apologize,” she said. “But it has to be our plan in order for it to really work. We both have to be in it all or nothing. Think you can manage to be convincing? It should be easy as no way would anyone confuse me with the usual Devlin Braxton arm candy.”
“Don’t do that… don’t sell yourself short,” he replied in quiet tones. “You’ve got a lot more going for you than mere arm candy. You have beauty, but you also have brains and tenacity and probably more inner strength than most people in this town. I know you have a huge heart because of your choice of profession. Any man would be lucky to have someone like you in their life… in any capacity.” He caught himself and clamped down on any other words before they could come out.