by Jillian Dodd
“He offered to take me to Paris today,” she says dreamily. “When he found out my mom had bailed on me.”
“We’d probably have a much better time at the spa if you apologized to him first. Why don’t I clean up while you go over there?”
“Okay,” she says, rushing toward the door. She stops, turns around, and flashes a smile in my direction. “Thanks, Jennifer.”
Danny
I was pissed off when I left for work, mostly because I knew Jadyn was right. And I hate that.
On the way home from practice, I call Marcus, a former offensive lineman who retired after we won our second ring together, to get a second opinion.
“What’s up, my man?” he asks. “My wife and I are dressing as superheroes for the party at the Mackenzies’ tomorrow. I’m the Incredible Hulk. How about you?”
“I’m going as a professional football player,” I say dryly. “That’s not why I called though. I need some advice.”
“Lord have mercy, tell me it’s about a woman,” he practically squeals. “Who is she?”
“Lori and I have agreed verbally on everything. Wednesday, we meet to sign those documents and submit them to the court.”
“Thank goodness. Knowing this secret for months has been killing me.”
“Whatever. Anyway, there’s this girl I asked out for dinner tonight. But Jadyn told me I shouldn’t take her down to the Plaza because, if people saw us together, rumors would start. People would think I was cheating on my wife. It’d be a mess. Plus, she’s kind of famous, too.”
“Is it Jennifer Edwards? Holy shit, dude. I heard she was staying at the Mackenzies’.”
“Yes, it is. Now, I don’t know what to do. I promised to take her out.”
“If I were dating that fine woman, all I’d want to do is stay in—her,” he says, with a laugh.
“So, you think Jadyn is right?” I ask, ignoring the sexual comment.
“Yeah. Order food. Set it all up pretty in the dining room. Serve her dinner, naked.”
“I was thinking maybe a picnic in front of the fireplace. There’s a chance of snow tonight.”
“That’d be good, too. As long as you’re naked.”
“You don’t think Jennifer will think it’s lame? We haven't seen each other for years. I can’t meet her at the door, naked. I just don’t want her to think staying in is boring.”
“I would hope, if you’re naked, boredom wouldn’t be an issue,” he says with a laugh. “But I get what you’re saying. So, definitely set it up pretty in the dining room. Make it feel special, and it will be. Get her some flowers. Remember all that stuff you used to have to do in order to get laid?”
“Like buy diamonds?” I quip.
“I’m not referring to your soon-to-be ex-wife. I’m talking about before you were married.”
“I’m pretty sure I just smiled in a girl’s direction back then.”
“Figures. You’ve always been a pretty boy.” He starts talking in a singsong voice, “I have your underwear ads taped up in my gym. Hashtag goals.”
“Very funny.”
“You want to see funny? If you aren’t careful, I might just steal that Jennifer away from you.”
“Somehow, I don’t think Madison, your wife, will allow that.” I chuckle.
“No, you’re right. That woman still has me wrapped around her little finger. Not to mention, she looks damn fine dressed as Wonder Woman. Hoping to get her to wear the costume to bed. See you tomorrow.”
I hang up and immediately call the restaurant where I wanted to take Jennifer. It’s a barbecue joint, but it’s a nice place. Plus, they have cheesy corn worth splurging on. I order food and then stop to pick up flowers and champagne. When I’m at the floral shop, I realize the last time I was here was the day Lori told me she wanted a divorce.
“It’s good to see you, Mr. Diamond. Usually, your wife comes to pick up your order. It’s so sweet that you buy her flowers every week.”
The florist goes back to a cooler and brings me a container full of the flowers I always got for Lori, and I realize that Lori has been sending herself the same flowers every week since then, probably to keep up appearances.
No freaking way will I be taking those flowers home.
“What do you have that’s a little different?” I ask.
“Well, with Halloween parties and homecoming tonight, we’ve been mostly focused on that. Lots of mums and fall colors. Your wife prefers more exotic blooms.”
“Can I see what my options are?”
“Sure,” she says, leading me into a huge cooler. “Take your pick.”
“These,” I say, pointing to a container of roses. “A couple dozen.” I walk back out and see all sorts of fun Halloween decorations lying on a worktable. “Can you include some of this stuff, too? I want it fun and gaudy. Something my wife wouldn’t like.”
“Uh, sure,” she says, looking perplexed. “Give me a few minutes.”
About twenty minutes later, she comes back out with a large container. “I covered it all up. You’ll have to wait to see it until you give it to her. If your wife hates it, please don’t mention where you got it.”
“It’s not for my wife,” I say, causing her to look aghast. “Uh, they are for my neighbor, Jadyn Mackenzie. She and Phillip are having a Halloween party.”
“Oh! You should have told me that. Wait! I’ll be right back.” Ten minutes later, she comes back with an even bigger wrapped vase with orange and black balloons filled with glitter trailing behind it.
“It’s a masterpiece,” she says. “Have you picked out your costume yet?”
“No. Any ideas?”
“It’s funny really. So many kids in Kansas City want to be you for Halloween. What did you want to be when you were growing up?” she asks.
“A football player," I reply without hesitation as we finish our transaction.
But as I'm driving home with the vase buckled into the front seat next to me, what she said is on my mind. What did I want to be when I was growing up? Always a football player. But I wanted more than that. I wanted a big life. A fun life. I wanted to live a rap video. Popping bottles, tossing hundreds at the strip club. Driving a Ferrari. Or even better, a jacked-up custom pickup truck. I wanted a girl who loved me. Who wanted to go on adventures with me.
I remember, years ago, seeing the viral video of Jennifer Edward’s stripper fail. I loved that she was wild and crazy but that she seemed really grounded. She’s changed though. I guess I have, too. Both of us morphed into different versions of ourselves because of our relationships. The crazy thing is, I didn’t realize it was happening.
Last year, when Lori’s family came for Christmas, her younger sister said that she was having trouble meeting a good man. She wondered why she couldn’t find one like me.
Lori laughed haughtily and said, Honey, they don’t come this way. What you see took years of training.
Now, I feel lost. Stuck between what I’ve become and what I once was.
I run the rest of my errands, go home, and get everything prepped.
I take the arrangement, removing the balloons, and sneak them over to Jennifer’s room. Thankfully, she’s not there. I use a scrap of paper from Jadyn’s desk to make a card and write Jennifer a note.
I’m not sure where Jennifer is, but I need to talk to Jadyn, so I give her a quick call. “Hey, you home?”
“Not yet. The Nebraska game is on soon, so I ran to the store to get some stuff for snacks. I just pulled into the subdivision.”
“Is Jennifer with you?”
“No, she went to the spa with Devaney.”
“How did that happen?” I ask in shock.
“Why don’t I tell you when I get there?”
A few moments later, she’s pulling into the driveway. Instead of going into the garage like usual, she turns off the engine and pops out.
“You leaving again?” I ask.
“No, Chase is turning the garage into his own private dance room.”
�
��What for?”
“A lot has happened since you left this morning. Jennifer went over to your house to check on Dani. They apparently had a really good breakfast and a really good talk. While Jenn was cleaning up, Dani came over and apologized to Chase. They made up—thank goodness—and even though you told her she could still go to the dance, she decided not to. Chase and Damon were supposed to go to a birthday party tonight. Chase can’t go because he is grounded, but he would have bailed anyway. He’s creating a dance for Dani; he even bought her flowers.”
I scratch my head. The thought of someone doing something like that for my baby makes me crazy. Because I know exactly why boys do romantic shit. The same reason my car is full of champagne and flowers.
“Would you rather she be with Dalton?” she asks, seeing my distress. “Two things: I saw his father at the grocery store. His throwing hand is broken, meaning he’s out for the season. He didn’t get grounded, but his date for the dance did, so Dalton asked Dani to go with him instead. That means, your daughter turned down going to the dance with arguably the most popular senior boy. And I’d be willing to bet that you can thank Jennifer for that. What are the balloons for?”
I swallow back the lump I feel in my throat and give my best friend a hug. “They are for you. I’m sorry I was a jerk this morning. You were completely right.”
“Can you say that again? I’d like to record it,” she says with an easy laugh.
“This is definitely an off-the-record apology,” I say, laughing, too.
“So, are you taking her out in public?”
“Not until after Wednesday. Then I don’t care what anyone thinks.”
“Good for you,” she says. “Wanna help me carry the groceries in?”
“I would, but I have to get home. Do me a favor. Make sure Jennifer goes up to her room before I come pick her up.”
“Like, she’s not just walking over to your house?”
“No, I’ll be picking her up.”
“Uh, okay,” she says.
I load groceries into her arms and then go open the door for her.
“You’ll see,” I say.
Jennifer
“I’m surprised you didn’t invite Danny over to watch the game,” I say to Jadyn, who is effortlessly throwing together a huge spread of food.
If I had this many people over all the time, I’d have a catering company on speed dial. But then I think of how wonderful it was to make breakfast for Dani this morning, and I realize that, to Jadyn, food is part of the way she shows her love for her friends and family.
“He knows he’s always invited,” she tells me. “He has other plans tonight. With you.”
“Is it because he didn’t want me to hang out with you all?”
“I think it’s more that he doesn’t want us all hanging out with you.”
“What do you think I should wear?”
“Remember the dress I told you to keep covered up until you needed it? I think you need it.”
“Oh gosh, the pressure. Is he taking me somewhere all fancy?”
“I’m not sure,” she says noncommittally.
And I know she’s not going to say anything more on the subject.
“Danny came over before he left for work this morning to invite me out for dinner tonight. After he left, I was being all girlie and watched him walk away. It seemed like you two had a disagreement.”
“Yeah, well, Danny and I tend to butt heads sometimes on certain subjects.”
“And am I one of those subjects?”
She drops the cheese on the counter and looks me directly in the eye. “Not at all. Obviously. Things are just complicated with him not yet being divorced.”
“That makes sense,” I say, still wondering what they disagreed about when a bunch of kids come barreling in from the garage.
“Mom, Jennifer, come see what we did!” Haley yells. “Maddie, Kassie, and I have been helping Chase all day!”
I get off the barstool while Jadyn wipes her hands on a towel.
The garage is completely transformed. There is black plastic sheeting hanging around the room, hiding the normal garage contents. Four disco lights dangle from the ceiling along with multiple strands of colored Christmas lights. There’s a massive banner spelling out Homecoming in blue glitter. They even laid down carpet. And not just any carpet. This carpet appears to glow in the dark. Off to the side, there is a dining room table elaborately and colorfully set for two. I’m talking napkins, wine glasses, and a tablecloth made out of pink sequins. Angel, the dog, is decked out in a matching pink boa and doesn’t seem to mind.
“Wow. This is something,” Jadyn says. She wanders around the room, inspecting all their work and beaming with pride. “Devaney is going to love it. Good job. And, because it was so sweet of you girls to help Chase, why don’t you call your parents and see if you can sleep over tonight?”
“Really, Mom?” Haley asks, running up and giving her mother a hug. “That’s perfect. They can help me serve dinner. Did you get everything?”
“Of course I did,” Jadyn says with a grin.
“It will be Dani’s first time,” Chase says proudly, causing my mind to immediately go to sex.
Are they really setting this all up so that he can have sex with Danny’s daughter?
“Um, first time for what?” I blurt out, suddenly feeling very protective of her.
“Oh.” Chase immediately blushes. “Our family has a tradition. When something good happens, we get a bucket of chicken, all the fixings, and a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”
“The kids get sparkling cider,” Jadyn clarifies.
“And Dani doesn’t know about this? I thought you guys were all so close?” I ask.
The kids’ eyes get that deer-in-the-headlights look.
“You guys did great,” Jadyn says. “Chase, go get dressed. I picked up the wrist corsage, and it’s in the fridge. Everything else is in the kitchen. Why don’t you girls go put it on my good china?”
The kids and the dog all go running off.
“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.
“No, it’s just that …” She sighs heavily. “How can I put this? Um, Lori pretty much didn’t approve of anything that wasn’t top notch. She thought fried chicken and champagne were the ultimate in tacky. And I know this because, when I told her it was kind of a thing with me and Phillip, she told me so. We never invited the Diamonds to celebrate with us in that way. I didn’t want her to taint my children. I never wanted them thinking they were too good for a bucket of chicken. Sure, Phillip and I earn more money now, and the champagne we buy is a lot nicer quality than it used to be, but it’s always got to be passed around and drunk straight from the bottle.”
My heart swells in admiration. “If it wasn’t for Danny, you wouldn’t have stayed friends with Lori, would you?”
“Absolutely not. I always tell my kids to be careful when choosing their words because words can hurt as much as physical pain. That if you say something, even out of anger, if it’s hurtful enough, the other person might never be able to forget it. That’s where I’ve been with her since. I’ve forgiven her. I’m polite and friendly to her out of respect for Danny and the kids. Otherwise, I would have put her out of my life a very long time ago. Because life is too short.”
“Here, here,” I say, raising my empty hand in the air.
“We can’t have that,” she says, sneaking behind the black plastic and coming back with two bottles of beer. She clinks them together and says, “Here’s to true friends.” She takes a drink and glances at her watch. “What time is your date?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“You’d better go get ready!”
I give her a quick hug and then run out the side door and up the stairs. When I get to the door to my bedroom, I find a large vase wrapped in orange tissue paper and covered with silly Halloween stickers, a note poking out from underneath it.
I carry it into the bedroom, set it on the dresser, and then peel off
the tissue, being careful not to rip it. What I find is a crazy floral arrangement that makes my heart sing. There are about a million orange roses. Mixed in between is an assortment of sparkling, twisting neon-green sticks, glittered hot-pink skulls, shimmering black bats, and sugared orange pumpkins.
The result is both extravagant and completely tacky—much like the homecoming dance in the garage below me—yet it feels utterly romantic.
I rush into the bathroom, touch up my makeup, and then unzip the dress bag. The first thing I notice is that the dress is orange. I close my eyes, remembering the last time I wore an orange dress. It’s always been my favorite color, and it looks pretty with my skin tone, but after I won an Academy Award and was labeled best dressed of the night, my stylist said we had to retire the color in honor.
Part of me wants to start crying. The other part wants to see the rest of this dress. I pull it all the way out of the bag and discover a ruffled mini made of silk satin. It feels so soft against my skin, and when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I let out a little squeal and then jump up and down. Imagine a basic, fitted V-neck shift and sew some ruffles around the hem. Add more ruffles to drape across your shoulders and arms, and you have the amazingness of this adorable dress. It’s both sexy and casual.
I don’t know where Danny is taking me tonight, but it doesn’t matter. I feel beautiful.
I noticed there was a shoebox nestled in the bottom of the dress bag, so I get it out. I let out a laugh when I find a pair of strappy hot-pink suede sandals and a Bordeaux-colored mini handbag. I’m still laughing as I finish getting dressed. I look a little like my flowers.
I quickly put the shoes on and run into the bathroom to add a bright lip color. I realize I’ve yet to read the note. I rush over and pick it up, just as there’s a knock on the door.
You make me feel young and reckless.
—Danny
There’s another knock.
I take a moment to savor the sentiment before I open the door.