“Likewise.” She smiled.
“Happy birthday, brother,” Alec said, and, realizing he didn’t have a free hand, leaned in quickly and gave Sam a loud smack of a kiss on his forehead. Sam wiped his forehead and laughed as Alec sauntered off.
“He’s a character,” Lydia noted with a smile.
“Always has been,” Sam said.
“And quite drunk, yes?”
“Oh yeah, he’ll be hurting tomorrow,” Sam agreed.
“I bet.” Lydia lifted her wine glass to her lips.
“But he was right.” Sam said it so quietly that she almost didn’t hear him.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“About your being strikingly beautiful,” he said, looking directly into her eyes. “You are. I sure think you are.”
She took a long sip of her wine, raised her eyebrows, and pressed her lips together to squelch a bashful smile.
“I should’ve been the one to tell you that first,” he said. He grinned, but his voice was still quiet and his gaze intense. “He beat me to it, what can I say?”
She felt her stomach do the teenager-like flip again and ignored it. A slow flush crept into her cheeks.
His grin became slightly repentant. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I am.”
“You’re apologizing for paying me a lovely compliment? Don’t,” she said, regaining herself. “What I should have said was ‘thank you’.”
The song changed on the jukebox; “Mercy Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye came streaming out of the speakers.
“Ah, your second selection!” Sam said, grateful for the timing. “Marvin was a master. Good choice.”
“Glad you approve,” Lydia said, equally glad for the distraction.
“That’s two for two so far,” Sam said. “So far, so good, Ms. Powell.”
She grinned. “You really love music, huh?”
“I sure do. I kind of live on it.” Sam said. “When I’m running, when I’m working—especially when I’m working—I’m pretty much plugged into my iPod a lot of the time that I’m awake. I have so much music on there, and I’ve grown so attached to it, that I actually have a backup iPod, at the ready, just in case something ever happened to the main one.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.” He grinned sheepishly. “It’s one of my little quirks. Or indulgences, depending on how you choose to look at it.”
“I love music too, but two iPods, just because? That’s pretty hardcore,” she said. “Wait. If you have all your music already burned onto your computer, isn’t it all safely stored there? I mean, you could buy a new iPod after something actually happened to it, right? And then download everything you have onto a new one?”
“Sure. But I couldn’t just plug into something immediately.” Sam said. The sheepish grin turned into a slightly embarrassed one. “I know, I know. What can I say—when it comes to my tunes, I need instant gratification. Hence, the virtually untouched but always at the ready backup iPod in my desk. It’s like a security blanket.”
She chuckled and asked, “So who do you like, what do you listen to?”
“An easier question might be, what don’t I listen to?” Sam replied jovially. He named some bands he liked from different genres; she hadn’t heard of some of the groups, but knew and loved others he mentioned, classic rock and 90s rock. They became so deeply involved in their lengthy conversation about bands that they didn’t notice Melanie and Paige until they were standing right in front of them.
“Hello, you two.” Melanie smiled, a glimmer in her eye.
Lydia shot her friend a sideways look; Melanie understood the subtle warning it was meant to be.
“Your brother is having a fabulous time,” Paige said to Sam. She gestured to where Alec and Ryan were playing at the foosball table, laughing and shouting boisterously. “But he’s gonna pay for it in the morning.”
“A slightly green, hung over Best Man: every bride’s fantasy,” Melanie joked.
“It’ll be okay,” Sam assured her. “The ceremony isn’t until five o’clock, he’ll have all day to recoup if need be.”
“Great, and I’ll have three kids to entertain by myself all day,” Paige said with a groan.
“I’ll help you if you need me to, don’t worry about that,” Sam said. “You’ll let me know, we’ll see how tomorrow goes, okay? So. Can I get either of you a drink?”
“Just water for me,” Melanie said. “I want to try to be my best tomorrow. I know, so horribly vain of me.”
Lydia chuckled. “Yes, you vain witch. Imagine, wanting to be bright and beautiful on your wedding day instead of puffy, bloated, and hung over. How dare you!”
They all laughed together.
“I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay, thanks,” Paige said. Sam caught John’s eye and waved him over.
“Don’t we look cozy,” Melanie managed to murmur in Lydia’s ear.
“Shush!” Lydia hissed from between her teeth.
“He’s adorable,” Melanie purred. “He has an amazing smile.”
“I noticed. Now shut up. I’m begging you.”
Melanie smirked and pulled back.
Three men entered the bar together, all in their mid to late thirties. They wore dress slacks and button down shirts; they were likely at the Manor for a business meeting or conference, and probably there to unwind after a long day. They smiled politely at the others, then took the remaining open seats at the bar beside Sam.
“Be right with you, gentlemen,” John said to them before placing a glass of water and a glass of Chardonnay down in front of Sam and Lydia. Sam gave John another twenty dollar bill.
“Thanks, little bro-in-law.” Paige smiled.
Sam grinned and winked at her in response.
“Ohhh!” Ryan cried from the foosball table. “Oh my GOD!”
“Take THAT, my brother!” Alec crowed.
“Jeez, will you listen to them?” Paige laughed. “Like they're back in college.” She glanced at the men at the other end of the bar. “Looks like it’s filling up in here,” she commented.
“Well, it’s—” Lydia checked her watch. “Nine forty-five on a Friday night, why wouldn’t the bar fill up?”
“Is it getting that late already?” Melanie asked. “I’m only staying a little while longer, then I’m gonna head back to my room to attempt to sleep.”
“Attempt?” Sam asked. “As in, too excited for tomorrow to sleep?”
“Yes,” Melanie admitted with a shy grin.
“I think that’s sweet,” Paige said. She raised her glass of wine. “Yet another toast. To a good night’s sleep, and to tomorrow. It’ll be a wonderful day.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Melanie smiled, and the four of them clinked glasses.
“Sam!” Alec called to him from the foosball table. “You’re taking whoever loses here.”
Sam called back with an easy grin, “Fine. I'll be more than happy to demolish either of you.”
“Them's fightin' words!” Alec cried. “Get over here, little brother. Spend some time with the big boys.”
“The ‘big boys’,” Paige scoffed. She leaned on Sam’s shoulder and said to him, “First of all, you’re taller than both of them. Second, you’re the only one not drunk and acting like a college kid right now. I'd say you're the only big boy.”
“Ah, leave ‘em be, they’re having fun.” Sam smiled. He glanced at Lydia and said, “I’ll be listening for the songs. And I'll be back in a bit.”
Lydia nodded, smiled back. “Okay. Have fun.”
“If you’ll excuse me then, ladies,” Sam said, stretching his long legs and standing. He took his drink with him and headed towards the foosball table.
“Oh my goodness, is he smitten,” Paige murmured. She looked pointedly at Lydia. “He’s barely taken his eyes off you all night. What’d you do, cast a spell?”
Lydia blushed furiously. “Come on,” she stammered.
“Just please tell me y
ou’re not married,” Paige said in a dry tone.
“She’s not.” Melanie answered for her friend with a bright smile. “She’s single. In fact, she’s got the shiny new divorce papers to prove it.”
Lydia could only stare at Melanie in surprise with her mouth hanging open.
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Paige said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Lydia.
“Why does everyone apologize when they hear I just got divorced?” Lydia wondered aloud. “I’m glad it’s done. I wanted it.”
“Oh. Okay… well then, good for you,” Paige replied.
“Back to Sam,” Melanie said. “I gotta say, he’s hot as hell. He’s single, right?”
“Very,” Paige answered. “He needs to find someone nice.”
“Lydia is very nice,” Melanie remarked.
“Oh good.” Paige smiled.
“Um, hello? Can you stop talking about me like I’m not right here?” Lydia said. “Better still, can you stop talking about me altogether?”
Melanie smiled indulgently. “Oh, Lyddie. You never did like to be the center of attention.”
“So remember that and shut up,” Lydia groused, grasping her glass.
The three men at the other end of the bar erupted in noise, cheering as they downed shots. They slammed their empty shot glasses on the bar in unison.
“What is with everyone doing shots tonight?” Lydia asked.
“Everyone's in a festive mood, I guess,” Melanie said. She sipped her water and turned to look at Ryan. He was still involved in a raucous game of foosball with Alec. Sam stood at the side of the table, midway between the two men, acting as referee.
“When’s your best friend getting here?” Paige asked Melanie. “Your matron of honor?”
“Joann? She’ll be here in the morning,” Melanie said. “She has two kids, had to leave them with her parents, so she couldn’t make a whole weekend of it. She and her husband should be here around eleven.”
“Hey, I meant to tell you—I was texting with Donna and Kathryn this afternoon,” Lydia said. “We worked out that we're going to have lunch tomorrow in the main dining room at twelve. I know you won’t be able to join us, but I’m just telling you so you don’t feel left out.”
“If I can get over to you guys to say a quick hello, I will,” Melanie said. “But yeah, everyone else will be coming tomorrow—relatives, friends, all of them—and I have to make the rounds, and I think my hair and makeup get started at three o’clock, so… might be tight for time. We’ll see.”
“Let’s go sit on the couches,” Paige suggested. “So much more comfortable.”
“Okay. Come, Lyddie,” Melanie said, linking her free arm through Lydia’s. “I know you wanted to go home early, but you’re not allowed.”
“Yes, Bridey Girl,” Lydia said on a laugh.
The three women went to sit on the couches with the other female cousins who’d come along: Ryan’s cousin, Jeanette, and Melanie’s cousins, Anne and MaryBeth.
“Got room for a few more girls?” Melanie smiled.
“For you girls?” MaryBeth asked. “Absolutely.”
But before Lydia could sit down, her third song selection started playing from the jukebox. She looked over her shoulder to where Sam stood. He caught her glance and raised an eyebrow in question. Lydia grinned and gave a short nod.
“Oh my God, how I love this song!” Melanie cried.
Sam turned from the foosball table and sauntered over.
“Well, I gotta say…” He shook his head and gave a mock grimace, feigning pity and disappointment. “I love Eric Clapton—what’s not to love? He's a god. But ‘Wonderful Tonight’? You lose points, I’m afraid. So overplayed, so cliché.”
“But it’s one of my favorite songs!” Melanie said, looking up at him from her seat.
“I know it is,” Lydia said to her. She turned back to Sam with a pointed gaze. “That’s why I picked it. You’re right, Sam, it’s horribly overplayed—to the point where I’d be fine if I never heard it again. But Melanie loves it, and she’s the bride.”
Sam narrowed his eyes at her. “Threw me a curveball.”
Lydia smiled brightly. “Yes, I did.”
Sam laughed and nodded in approval. “Then you get some points back. Well done, Lydia.”
“Sammyyyyy!!” Alec yelled. “Come play me! I kicked Ryan’s ass!”
“Did not!” Ryan cried. “It was by one friggin’ point, dude!”
“Kicked. Your. Ass.” Alec grinned wildly at his best friend.
“Gotta go.” Sam smiled down at Lydia, then strolled back to the foosball table.
“What’s that all about?” Paige asked Lydia from the cushy loveseat between the two couches.
“Um… forget it,” Lydia said, releasing a chuckle. “It’s just a little game. It's nothing, really.”
“Ah, evasive maneuvers,” Melanie said. “Fine, be that way.”
The lounge was lively as the women sat and talked by the fire, the three businessmen enjoyed several rounds of drinks, and the other groups of men enjoyed their games. After the fourth song Lydia chose started—“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears, for which Sam had thrown Lydia a smile, nod, and a high thumbs-up from across the lounge—Joseph and Mark traded the billiard table for the foosball table, leaving the billiard table open for Alec and Sam. Ryan made his way over to Melanie.
“Hi, babe.” He leaned down to kiss her sweetly.
“Hello, almost husband,” Melanie cooed.
“We should get going,” he said to her. “If I stay, Alec will keep plying me with drinks, and I really shouldn’t have any more than what I’ve already had.”
“Say no more,” Melanie said, and stood up. She looked at the group of women. “Thank you all for coming to hang with us tonight. It was great.”
“Doing it again tomorrow night,” Ryan said. “An after-party, after the wedding. We’re gonna close this place down in the wee hours of the morning.”
“Big talker,” Jeanette cracked at her cousin with a wink.
“We’ll be here for that too,” Anne said.
“There’ll probably be about fifty people here for that,” Melanie said. “It’ll be just as much fun as the wedding.”
“Nah, more,” Ryan said. He made the rounds and dropped a kiss on each woman’s cheek. “Thank you all for keeping Mel company while I played with the boys.”
“Our pleasure,” Lydia smiled.
Melanie eyed her friend. “You staying after all, Lyddie?”
Lydia held up her half full glass of Merlot. “At least until this is empty. No need to waste good wine.”
“Uh huh.” Melanie smirked. She leaned down to give Lydia a hug and whispered in her ear, “I know why you’re really staying. Good for you. Good luck.”
“Shut up,” Lydia groaned with a smile. She kissed Melanie’s cheek. “I love you.”
“Love you more.” Melanie smiled, and straightened up. She intertwined her fingers through Ryan’s, gave him a quick kiss, and said, “Let’s go, sweetie.”
Lydia sipped more wine as she heard Ryan and Melanie say their goodbyes to the men at the game tables before heading out. She could feel her buzz turning into borderline drunkenness; she felt warm, fuzzy, almost like her movements were getting slower and heavier. She snuggled back into the softness of the armchair and it felt heavenly, but she resolved to nurse the rest of her glass.
“I’m staying for a little while longer,” Paige said to the others. “Alec or no Alec, I don’t get to go out very often, much less enjoy the company of adults. You girls up for staying a bit?”
“Sure.” MaryBeth nodded.
“Me too,” Jeanette said.
“Me three.” Lydia smiled, a bit woozily. “But not for much longer, I’m getting tired.”
“Actually, I’m exhausted,” Anne admitted. “I’m going to go to bed. Sorry.”
“Don’t be, I have company,” Paige smiled. “Go get some sleep, we’ll see you tomorr
ow.”
Anne stood, stretched, and made her round of goodnights before leaving.
“And then there were four,” Jeanette laughed.
When the fifth song Lydia had selected began—“Alison” by Elvis Costello—and Sam got the signal from Lydia, he immediately strode to her. He leaned down over the back of the chair and over her shoulders, to tell her, “You just gained a ton of points. I love Elvis Costello. A bit of an easy choice of songs, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s Elvis, so it’s all good.”
She tipped her chin up to grin at him. “In total agreement. EC is the man.”
“Damn, you’re good at this,” he said softly, and smiled. He looked at her a moment longer, appreciation radiating from his gaze as his eyes swept over her face. She felt the pull of how close he was, could feel heat radiating from his body and smell the faintest hint of his cologne, and it took everything she had not to kiss him right there, right then, in front of everybody.
He straightened up. “Gotta get back to shooting pool.” He slanted a glance at Paige. “I’m kicking your husband’s sorry ass over there.”
“You’re just taking advantage of a drunken man,” Paige quipped. “At the rate he’s going, soon he won’t even be able to hold the damn stick.”
Sam laughed and walked away.
Lydia took the last few sips of her wine, finishing the glass. Okay, that’s the cutoff, she thought to herself, feeling outright drunk. She closed her eyes for a minute to steady herself. When she looked up, Paige was examining her with a cool stare.
“What?” Lydia asked, instantly on alert.
“Nothing,” Paige offered a light smile. “You alright?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just feeling a little intoxicated. No more for me tonight.”
“Ah, okay.” Paige ran her fingers through her fine blonde hair for a moment before she asked, “So where do you live, Lydia?”
“I’m on Long Island,” Lydia said. “You’d think with Melanie in the city, we’d get together more often, but we actually don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like. We speak weekly, email almost daily, all of that, so we’ve stayed close since college.”
Paige nodded, smiled politely, and finished her wine as well. “So how long were you married?” she finally asked.
Autumn Getaway (Seasons of Love) Page 7