Also, when he’d moved in with Marc back in January, his friend had sold him his home, which Justin had designed, so they could put away the equity from the house for Haley’s future, while still keeping her in the home she’d grown up in.
“I’ll talk to my buddy,” Matt said. “If he and his wife and son are interested, I’ll have them give you a call.”
Justin pulled two business cards from his wallet, and handed one to Matt and the other to Luke. “If this deal is viable, I’d be very interested in designing and building the school.”
“I’m sure a potential multi-million-dollar contract will sweeten the deal for Matt’s friends.” Luke gave him his cell phone number as well as BJ and Tyler’s. “If you can’t get me while I’m away on my honeymoon, either Beej or Ty can handle any decisions that need to be made. Tyler will have power of attorney for the project while I’m gone.”
Justin shook both men’s hands. “Thank you. I look forward to talking to you both.”
When he returned to his table, the waiter had already served the next course, Italian wedding soup, which he supposed was one of the concessions to the meat lovers in the crowd.
Trisha and BJ arrived back at the table right after him, and they all resumed their meal. Justin scanned the tent searching for Frankie’s dark head and found her at Andy’s table.
A younger version of Frankie appeared at his side. “Hi, Justin, I’m Crissy. My sister sent me to apologize for abandoning you. She stole my seat, so do you mind if I take hers?”
“Not at all. Are she and her husband working things out?”
“Everyone hopes so. Andy’s crazy about her. But Frankie has a little more trouble forgiving and forgetting than some of us.”
The waiter brought a fresh napkin and place setting for Crissy, as Tyler and Annie returned from the dance floor.
“Crissy, what’re you doing here?” Annie glanced around to the bridesmaid’s former table. “Ahh. A game of musical chairs? Let’s hope this ends Frankie’s plans for divorce.”
A few minutes later, the fourth course arrived—a green salad accompanied by a crostini topped with smoked salmon pate. A mother of pearl spoon filled with black caviar balanced on the rim of each plate.
Judging from the quality of the rest of the food at the wedding and Ben’s bank balance, Justin suspected it was the really good stuff.
Annie promptly dumped the inky dollop from her salad on the side of her husband’s dish.
“Sweetheart,”—Tyler heaved a sigh—“how will you ever cultivate a taste for caviar if you never even try it?”
Annie wrinkled her nose. “I have absolutely no intention of learning to like those disgusting fish eggs.”
“But you have no problem eating chickens’ eggs?”
“They’re totally different.”
“True. But how do you know you won’t like it if you’ve never even tasted caviar? Do you realize you just threw about twenty bucks on my plate?”
“That’s why I put it there—so you could enjoy it, and I won’t feel bad about wasting it.”
Trisha placed her caviar spoon on Ben’s plate. “I’m with you, Annie. No, thank you.”
Ben shook his head at Trisha. “Don’t get in the middle of their game. They’ve been bickering about this for over a year, now, and probably will continue the argument until one of them buries the other.”
“Not gonna happen, pal.” Tyler took his wife’s hand and kissed it. “We made a pact to go together in our sleep.”
“Just like in The Notebook,” Annie smiled.
“Oh, I loved that movie.” Crissy sighed.
Through the next two courses—fried calamari with spicy marinara, followed by a minty sorbet as a palate cleanser—Cal and Darlene asked Ben and Tyler leading questions that were clearly subtle requests for investment advice. It quickly became evident that BJ Elliott had made the fortune he had because he and his trusted advisor both knew how to take full advantage of any kind of economic turn.
The look of admiration in Trisha’s eyes nauseated him. If anyone at this table got some nooky tonight, it would be BJ Elliott. But not if Justin had anything to say about it.
As the wait staff cleared the sixth course, the band took a break and Santa stepped up to the microphone again. “Ho-ho-ho! Has everyone been good this year? He dragged a bulging sack to the younger kids’ table and pulled out a wrapped box. “How about you, Noah? Have you been a good boy this year?”
“Don’t you already know?” Noah asked.
“Yeah,” Mandy, the flower girl, chimed in. “Didn’t you check your list twice to see if we’ve been naughty or nice?”
Tyler buried his face in his hand. “Leave it to our kids to bust St. Nick’s chops.”
Santa laughed. “Okay, kids, you all get presents just for being smarter than me.” He emptied the sack, handing each child at the table a personally tagged package, while costumed elves transported the piles of presents from under the trees to each table and distributed them.
When Justin tore the paper from his gift, he expected something generic like a pen and pencil set or a tie, but instead he received a beautiful monogrammed leather case containing a top-of-the-line drafting kit. Unbelievable. He’d actually been planning to buy a new compass.
“Ben, you’ve only known for a week that Haley and I were attending the wedding. How did you—”
“I have very good people working for me. Santa has spent every spare moment for the last month researching and shopping. I can’t take any credit except for paying the bills.”
“Well, thank you. This is beautiful.”
Cal received a new holster and a gift certificate to a gun shop. When Darlene unwrapped an apron and two tickets to a taping of The Iron Chef in New York, she squealed, “Oh, my gosh. I love this show, Ben! You have to know someone to get tickets for it.”
“Well, Beej knows a lot of people.” Tyler chuckled.
Crissy jumped up to exchange gifts, distributed according to the seating chart, with Frankie. When Annie opened a five-pound box of imported Swiss chocolates and Tyler received a thirty-year-old bottle of scotch, Ben said, “You two will get the rest of your gifts later tonight.” He turned to Trisha and smiled. “Aren’t you gonna open yours?”
She merely nodded and tore the gold foil from a slender jeweler’s box. She pulled out a long strand of perfectly matched pearls and gasped. “Oh, Ben, they’re beautiful. It’s way too much.”
“Frankie told me you had the kind of flawless complexion that would compliment a pearl necklace. I think she misstated it. It’s more like the pearls compliment you.”
“Thank you. Would you put them on me?”
Justin’s fists clenched beneath the table as she turned to let BJ fasten the clasp. When the man laid a kiss on her bare shoulder, he wanted to strangle the overly generous sonovabitch.
~*~
Trisha tried to eat only half of each course, but the fettuccini Alfredo with grilled shrimp and the perfectly cooked filet and lobster tail with asparagus and glazed baby carrots were so delicious, she practically licked her plate clean.
Throughout the entire meal, Justin watched every bite she took, making her so self-conscious she dropped her fork twice. By the end of ninth course, she was so on edge and full, she could barely breathe.
“You’re looking a little green around the gills, Trisha.” Justin popped the last bite of his assorted fruit and cheese plate into his mouth. “You okay?”
“I’ve just eaten too much. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle dessert.”
He rose and strolled around to her side of the table, extending his hand. “Why don’t we go work off some of our dinner?” he suggested.
She’d already danced with Cal and Tyler, so to refuse Justin would be a real slap in the face. “Okay. It’ll probably help to get up and move a little. But no fast dancing, or my seams may split wide open.”
“Mmm, I can’t wait.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he led her to the center of the danc
e floor and pulled her close. “As a betting man, I’d wager you aren’t wearing much under that dress since it fits like shrink-wrap. I didn’t see a single panty line.”
Great. So he’d actually been studying her butt while she’d been foxtrotting with BJ.
After a few moments silently dancing to a soft Johnny Mathis song, he said, “I guess it was a big adjustment living on a waitress’s pay after you left home.”
“It wasn’t too bad. I worked at a greasy spoon for a few months to get experience, and then I landed a position at a swanky, four-star restaurant. I made pretty good money.”
“It takes more than pretty good money to live in Manhattan.”
“Not if you share a one-bedroom efficiency in a not-so-glamorous neighborhood.”
“Precisely—a big adjustment from Philly’s Mainline. Seriously,” he said as he dipped her, “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? I would’ve understood. You knew I couldn’t stand your father.”
And he had excellent reasons to hate her old man even more than she had. “I simply needed a clean break. You had no interest in getting serious, so there—”
“Whoa. What do you call sleeping together every night if not serious? We were planning on renting an apartment together in January since Marc and Lindsey had gotten hitched.”
“Exactly. I’m referring to marriage. All you talked about was how Sam had ruined your brother’s life and career by getting pregnant, and how no woman was ever going to do that to you.”
“Well, obviously I was wrong about Nick’s life being ruined.” He glanced over at his brother and sister-in-law snuggled together on the dance floor. “He’ll tell you Sam, Dani, and little Chris were the best things that ever happened to him.”
“Still, you were so anti-marriage I knew there was no future for us. So why should I have told you?”
He cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes. “Because I thought we meant something to each other.”
“But not enough to spend a lifetime together, right?”
“I was eighteen, for crying out loud. You wanted me to think about marriage when I still had five years of school and three interning before I could begin making any real money?”
“You’re thirty-four now, and you’re still single. So I don’t imagine anything would’ve changed. Otherwise, I’d be dancing with a married man.”
“Cut me a break. I just haven’t found the right woman.”
“In all these years?”
The muscles in his throat visibly convulsed. “Have you considered maybe you were the right one?”
“Now, why would I think that when, according to you, the only thing you care about is if a woman is beautiful in the dark.”
“What?” He did a double take. “When did I ever say anything like that to you?”
“Not to me. I overheard you talking to your friends right before I left. It’s what made me decide you didn’t deserve to be told. Be honest. The only reason you kept seeing me was because you were getting laid regularly.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you’d heard my entire conversation.”
“I heard enough to know you were using me.”
“How do you figure?”
“One of the guys was busting your chops and claimed I was a bit chubby for his taste and, maybe if I got contact lenses, I’d be worth looking at. You told him he was an idiot, and all you care about is if a woman is beautiful in the dark. Then you said, ‘When you find a girl who worries less about her looks and more about pleasing you, then you’ll know you’ve found the right one.’”
“That must have been when you left. Because you obviously didn’t hear what I said after that.”
She hadn’t wanted to hear anymore. “Why don’t you fill me in now?”
“You misinterpreted what I said, cariño. What I was unsuccessfully trying to tell that jerk was that he placed too much importance on how a woman looks and not enough on the things he can’t see when the lights are out.”
“You can’t see anything in the dark.”
“Exactly. I told him he should care if she makes him laugh and can hold an intelligent conversation, or if she challenges him and makes him a better person.”
“Oh.” Put that way, it was a pretty nice sentiment.
“I also explained to those guys that you couldn’t tolerate wearing contacts, but you still had the most gorgeous bright blue eyes I’d ever seen.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m assuming you had LASIK surgery since you’re no longer wearing glasses.”
“About ten years ago.”
He tipped her chin up and stared into her eyes. “I don’t know if it’s just because you’re pissed at me or it’s your purple dress, but your irises look almost violet right now.” His hand slid lower to her hip. “I also told that idiot that I like a few curves on a woman, and that he could keep all the anorexic two-by-fours he dated.”
“So if you weren’t only interested in me for sex, then what was all that crap about me pleasing you?”
“You did! In every possible way you could. I wasn’t just referring to in bed. You baked me cookies, did my laundry on the weekends, and proofread and corrected the grammar on all my papers. And, yes, you were amazing in bed!”
“Shhh!” She glanced around at the couples dancing near them. The smirk on his brother’s face said he’d probably heard the comment.
“But you were,” Justin insisted, lowering his voice and holding her tighter. “Despite that you were a virgin, you were still eager and responsive. Damn, it makes me hard just thinking about how easily I could make you come.”
Over and over. But only with him. He’d been a master at arousing her, and kept her constantly so ready she had to change her panty liner three and four times a day. And now was no different, especially with his erection pressed against her.
“You were beautiful. And you still are. Those assholes were just jealous because they could see how much you loved me.”
“So, then, I suppose you have no objections to marriage now?” When he didn’t answer right away, she shook her head. “Just as I expected. Still commitment-phobic.”
“No, you don’t understand, Trisha. A year ago, I would’ve dropped to one knee right here on the dance floor. But when Marc became sick, I gave up dating and any thought of settling down. I have Haley to think about, now. She’s grieving and needs my undivided attention.”
“You’re right.” She spun in a circle under his arm. “It’s admirable that you recognize how emotionally fragile she is.”
“I do. That’s why I can’t devote a lot of time to a serious relationship or bring anyone else into our lives. As it is, I’m so busy with my business I barely have time to shower each day.”
Unfortunately, she could understand his limitations.
“But just because I have an obligation to Haley doesn’t mean we can’t date now and then,” he added.
“Don’t you mean sleep together?”
“That, too, if you’d like.” He brushed an errant hair from her face. “But I meant going to dinner and a movie.”
If they dated, their relationship would last exactly how long it took Justin to realize she would soon be a mother. “I have personal commitments, too. So why don’t we just enjoy each other’s company for the next few days and not worry about the future?”
He pulled her tighter against him, allowing her to feel how much he wanted her. “Sounds good to me. Maybe we can finally go skiing tomorrow,” he suggested, reminding her of the ski trip he’d promised to take her on during their Christmas break from school. “I told Haley I would teach her tomorrow.”
“If she doesn’t mind, I’d love to join you.” She’d done quite a bit of skiing since college, so when Frankie invited her on the vacation, she’d called Paul Brennan, her obstetrician, to make sure skiing was safe. He said as long as she had experience and stayed on the beginner slope he didn’t see a problem at her early stage of pregnancy. “After this dinner tonight, I’ll ne
ed to burn some serious calories.”
“Don’t forget we have a Christmas brunch buffet at the hotel at ten tomorrow morning.”
She groaned as the song ended and Santa took the stage. “I understand we have lots of single ladies here tonight who would love to catch the bride’s beautiful bouquet.”
“I guess that’s my cue to leave.” Justin smiled and left her in the middle of the dance floor as more than thirty other women crowded around her. After a lot of fanfare, Sabrina glanced over her shoulder a moment and flung her flowers overhead.
Despite being in the back of the group with a lot of taller women in front of her, the bouquet hit Trisha square in her right breast, made extra sensitive by her pregnancy. She winced and instinctively hugged the flowers to her chest.
“Woo-hoo!” Frankie pumped her hand over her head, standing beside her husband. “There’s no question fate meant for you to catch it, Trisha!” Her friend winked at her. “Now we just have to find you a groom.”
CHAPTER 4
Justin laughed at the caught with her pants down look on Trisha’s face and settled into his seat.
“Don’t sit down, pal.” Tyler motioned for him to stand back up. “You’re next.”
“What do you mean?”
“All the single guys have to try to catch the garter. You and BJ are obligated to go.”
“I may be required to stand up there, but I don’t have to try.”
The crowd laughed at the groom’s antics as he tried to crawl under Sabrina’s straight skirt, which had absolutely no room for more than just his head. Luke finally hitched her hem above her knees and slid her powder blue garter off. He walked over to Ben and tried to stuff it in his tuxedo pocket, but Ben anticipated his friend’s intention and ran. He ducked behind Santa, using him as a human shield.
Everyone cheered for Luke until the groom finally tossed up his hands in defeat and winged the garter into the crowd of men, right into Justin’s face. The two fellows next to him lifted him on their shoulders and carried him to the chair, where the women had seated Trisha, and set him down before her.
Don't Break My Heart (Return to Redemption, Book 6) Page 5