“Listen, I have watched you in action at roughly 117 parties since you hit puberty. At each and every one of those events, you managed to find some female to hook up with.” She was about to continue, but he interrupted.
“One hundred and seventeen? I’d like to know where you get these numbers. That can’t possibly be right.” He started counting on his hands while she smirked at him. It was obvious that he was serious. She had hit a nerve. Ah, but she was serious, too.
“You know, if I’m off at all…it’s by maybe three.” She sighed. He counted. A hand waved from the end of the bar. “I’ll be back. You know, chances are your smart phone has a calculator if you think that would speed up the process.”
It only took her a few moments to pass the gentleman at the end of the bar a few bottles of an imported beer. For some reason, there was always some jerk who wanted to know if they carried Heineken and hinted, if not said outright, that he’d like to grab her heiney. And this guy…was one of those so she wasted no time getting back to Adam. He had taken her advice. He had his calculator out and was talking to himself. Every once in a while, he would smile, suggesting that the memory of the moment wasn’t so bad.
“What number are you on now, champ?” She teased him as she washed a couple of glasses and put them away.
“Eighty-seven,” he said seriously.
“And how many years to still factor in?” She poured some shots of Goldschlager and passed them to the server who requested them. Too many of those and this party would get completely out of hand.
“Just six…” He tapped a few more numbers into the phone. “Well, this can’t be right.”
Laughing, she nodded, “Oh, it can be.” She leaned toward him. “Let me see.”
Thirty was supposed to be this banner year. Now it was looking like a huge wake up call. He had discovered earlier in the day he had no meaningful relationships, as evidenced by the fact that this was his party and other than Sam, Haley, and now the bartender, no one had even spoken to him. They were enjoying the free food, the free booze, the nice music. The loft had never looked better…except maybe for that time with the one girl who came home with him from. Well, crap. One more name he had forgotten. There was something about this bartender.
“So, do we know each other? Have we ever been properly introduced?” He was really starting to feel badly about his life. On the bright side, at least he had over half his life to be better. This woman was better.
“No,” she said, biting on the inside of her cheek. “We’ve never really met.” She was laughing at him. He could tell. That’s what the cheek biting was about.
“Are you sure? There is something very familiar about you. We never…?” He decided to use his tried and true method of recognition. He squinted at her. Then he looked at her with one eye open.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t believe you. You have just a hint of bitter that usually only comes from a one night stand with me…in my experience.” He gave her a challenging look.
“Don’t you mean your vast experience? Seriously. What’s the tally?” She wiped the counter, walked a few feet away, passed out a couple of sodas and then returned to him.
“I don’t think the tally matters,” he said straightening. “I think that you have made your point.” He wanted to stay and talk to her, but he was already feeling low enough. He decided instead to walk away. Walk away now before he had anything else to regret. In some ways, he was sorry he had never noticed her before. He’d show her. He wouldn’t hook up with anyone tonight. And if he did, it would only be with her.
The rest of the party was spent mingling. Haley really knew how to plan a party. She had thought of everything. Instead of having a huge birthday cake, she had opted instead to have cupcakes. They were perfect. They came in a variety of flavors. They were low maintenance. And since they were on the dessert table, they were serve-yourself. He rather envied his brother. How in the hell had Sam managed to snag her? She was beautiful and smart and talented. He could see it all. Maybe now he was ready to find someone special to settle down with, too.
Looking around the room, he saw a woman here or there waiting for him to make a move, watching for him to make eye contact. He smiled and was polite, but he didn’t attempt to move beyond that. Mostly what he noticed as he walked around the room was that he had nothing in common with these people. He had been in the hospital for a month before convalescing at his brother’s home. Not one of them stopped by. Nobody here really cared. And he wished that they would all just go. If they weren’t going to go, he would rather just leave.
That’s when Haley came over to sit with him on the black leather living room sofa. “Happy birthday, Adam. I hope this is your best year yet.” She squeezed his arm and then leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. Sam walked over almost instantly.
“Hey now, you just giving kisses away?” He bent low. “If so, I’m next.” And that comment earned him a kiss and a giggle. “Did you tell him?”
Shaking her head, she said, “Not yet. You want to do the honors, since you seem so excited?”
Sam looked at Adam. And the first thing Adam noticed was that his brother looked like he was absolutely beaming. Still, he was suddenly filled with a sense of foreboding. “We figured you were probably missing your own place and all your things, so we hired a nurse to come stay with you until you are back to par.”
From the look on their faces, he could tell he was supposed to be really excited. This was clearly meant to be a really nice gesture, thoughtful, considerate, a real solution to the problem. Clearly, he was the problem. Only they hadn’t even mentioned it to him. They just…kicked him out. Packed him up and dumped him at his place. Really. All alone.
“Um, maybe it would help if we introduced him to his nurse?” Haley was looking up at Sam with those big green eyes of hers. She wanted the best for him. She was genuine. That he believed.
He looked at Sam. That rat bastard…he just wanted Haley to himself. That was obvious. And no doubt they had found him some huge, hairy nurse who could pick him up if he fell or something.
Nodding, Sam gestured to the woman who had been standing over near the window. It was the same woman he had made eye contact with previously, the one he didn’t recognize, the woman he hadn’t encouraged to talk with him.
“Hello,” she said sensually.
His eyes narrowed. “You are my nurse?” He openly looked her up and down. After assessing the situation, he spoke the first words that came to mind. No sense in censoring now while all the cards were on the table. “You look more like Ferris Bueller’s nurse.” He crossed his arms across his chest to show he wasn’t at all pleased with that idea.
Haley looked confused. “Ferris Bueller’s nurse?”
“Haven’t you ever seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?” He spat. He was getting more frustrated by the moment. Clearly, they saw him as superficial as he had been feeling. He was the family joke. He could see it now. He was the playboy, the black sheep, the one not to be taken seriously. And really, it was his fault. His chin dropped to his chest and he sighed. Suddenly, more than anything, he wanted to be taken seriously.
He looked at Sam. It wasn’t that long ago that Sam had needed to lighten up and that’s when he found Haley. Maybe he could find the woman to shape him, make him a better man. He was ready. This was what he wanted. He looked at the nurse again.
“My name is Kiki. I am more of a medical assistant. I’m working on my nursing degree. And they told me that really, you needed help more than you needed a genuine nurse.” She glanced back and forth between the brothers. “I’m confused.”
Adam stood. “I bet you are. It was nice meeting you, Kiki. I won’t be in need of your services. You are free to go. Here, have a cupcake.” He passed her a cupcake from the stand next to the table. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek because it seemed like the polite thing to do and it always seemed to make the breakups go
more smoothly. Then he walked off, walked to his bedroom to collect himself. Once inside the room, he shut the door. He leaned heavily against it.
He didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t the destructive kind. He didn’t break things. He wasn’t a girl so he wouldn’t be crying. It finally came to him. He needed a drive. A nice drive would clear his head. He could never be wholly rude. He wouldn’t storm out of his own party. He would bide his time. He would wait. And when they were all gone…it would be time for a nice long drive.
From her vantage point behind the bar, Cammie could see everything. She saw the discussion. She saw the introduction. And somehow, after watching him in action for years, her only surprise was that he went to his bedroom alone. Maybe the girl was going to meet him in there at a predetermined time. Yet, when he turned to close the doors, she realized that he looked upset, had been ever since he walked away from her. She couldn’t help but feel responsible. It seemed she had hurt his feelings. Sighing she made a mental note to remedy that after the party. Though she had no desire to be a part of her parents’ birthday party business any longer, she wasn’t going to ruin it for them, either.
After splashing water on his face and pasting on his charming Adam face, he left the room to rejoin the party. He made a huge effort to be nice to everyone, to mingle to greet everyone. The only thought that kept him focused and helped him through the remainder of the party was the excitement of driving into dawn. He would drive to the Hamptons. They had a summer home there. Well, his parents did. Neither of them had spent much time there of late, but he somehow figured that as soon as the weather turned, Sam and Haley would. He imagined a morning spent walking the coast and sniffing the crisp ocean air. That helped.
It also helped that the booze ran out an hour later. When that handy bit of information was passed around, soon enough people started clearing out and heading to the nearest club. They were already dressed for it. Once the domino effect had begun people would come over, shake his hand and say their goodbyes. They would half-heartedly ask him to join them, but he would simply pat his leg and claim he didn’t want to slow them down. “No, you go. Some other time.” And he would clap them on the shoulder, shake their hands, plant a kiss on every woman’s cheek, until at last, the only people remaining were Sam, Haley, Kiki, and the party staff.
After Kiki had gone into the guest bedroom to unpack, he looked at Sam, seated next to Haley on the couch, channeling his inner Cheshire cat. “You are pretty pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” He asked Sam. And though his brother was quick to wipe that self-satisfied look from his face, he wasn’t quick enough.
Even Haley had caught it. “Samuel Davenport,” she said with an annoyed edge to her voice. “What’s going on?” She studied Adam. “Are you ready to be back on your own, Adam? You can come home with us. We have plenty of room for you. I don’t want you to feel rushed…” Her voice trailed off. She looked at Sam who wore a horrified look and jabbed him hard in the ribs with her boney elbow.
“Yes, yes,” Sam began. “Come home with us, bring Kiki! The more the merrier.” He looked down at Haley, “Is that better? Is that what you wanted me to say?” He stood. “The more is not the merrier. He needs his place, and we need ours. He has a nurse. He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine!” And to show that he had spoken, that his word was law, he started to walk away.
“I fired her. You watched me do it.” He stood without the use of his cane. “See?”
“I’m not convinced. And you can’t fire her. I hired her. Only I can fire her.” He reached out his hand for Haley and when she took it, he yanked her hard and fast against him. “Are you ready?”
It seemed like an innocuous question, but the way that they smiled at one another, he knew they were going to go home and get all wild and crazy now that they had the house to themselves. Once again, he was being reminded that he was the one with the issues. He sighed and walked them out to redeem himself. He was fine, a little lonely but otherwise the picture of perfect health. Maybe he could use this as a bargaining tool. “I’ll stay. I’m fine. I’m perfectly capable of staying here…by myself. Fire Kiki. Take her with you.”
Sam studied him for a moment. “As I said, I will need some convincing on that last point before I release her from service. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a good in home health nurse?”
“I’m beginning to get an idea,” Adam responded angrily. “After all, you didn’t do it. So, the real question becomes…how hard is it to find a hot chick who wants to get paid to live with me in my fancy loft overlooking Central Park? And I already know the answer to that. I’ve had women volunteering to do that for years for free!” He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, refusing to back down on this one sticking point.
“Give it a week,” Sam suggested. “We’ll re-evaluate then.” Adam was about to open his mouth once more, but Sam played the big brother card. “That’s it. That is the plan. Like it or lump it, but this is the way it is going to be.”
“I’m thirty years old,” Adam said in a low voice. “I should be able to make my own decisions.”
“True, but in this case, I think you are blinded by pride. We’ll talk next Sunday. We’ll do brunch.” And with that, he and Haley walked away.
Still sporting that self-satisfied look, Sam left taking Haley with him. It seemed like she was torn, but Adam assured her that he’d be fine. After all, he had Kiki. He shut the door behind them. And better than Kiki, he had a plan. They had been gone only a few minutes when he wandered into his room and pulled out a bag. He had grabbed some clean boxer briefs, he had socks, and he threw in some fresh shirts and a few sweaters. He went to his closet and selected a couple pairs of khakis and a few pairs of jeans. He yanked some running pants from the shelf and added them to the bag, too. Confidently, he zipped the bag shut and shoved it under the bed.
Now he just had to wait. Adam wanted to stay hidden in his room, but he figured that his absence, given his reputation, would draw more attention than his presence. That’s why he made his way back out to the living room. He sprawled on the sofa and waited. He had one hand over his eyes, one arm stretched across the back of the leather couch. He was surprisingly relaxed, until she came over.
“I need to apologize,” Cammie began quietly.
Slowly, he lifted his hand from over his eyes. Crap. It really was that bartender. And now she wanted to apologize. “Not necessary,” he said evenly. “Everything is fine. I’m not going to raise hell, report you, try to get to you fired, or ruin the business. You can tell your boss that I will tell all my friends what a lovely party this was.” Then he laid his hand back over his eyes. In his experience, he had said all the magic words, everything that would encourage her to get back to work, to leave him alone, to hurry up and get the hell out of his loft so that he could, too.
At the moment, he was busy imagining Kiki’s reaction when she woke in the morning and discovered that he was long gone. He had even made preparations to ensure that he could stay gone for the week that his brother had forced him to agree to. He smiled. Damn. It was too easy. His brother was gone. And there was no way Kiki was going to be able to stop him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it really was too simple. Sam hadn’t asked him for his keys to the Mercedes. He hadn’t threatened to cut off his money if he was difficult. Sam must really think him weak and fragile.
As he sat there considering everything, his grin faded. In its place was a look of doubt bordering on fear. Sam was a businessman. He was accustomed to looking at every situation from multiple angles to mad problem solving to ensure the outcome that he desired. It just didn’t seem like he fought very hard this time. It should have been so much more intense; clear-the-room intense, make-strangers-and-staff-flee intense. Instead, as he ranked their arguments through the years, this one barely qualified as a spat. There was only one reason for that.
One horrifying thought gripped him. Sam wouldn’t have. He couldn’t have. Adam flew off the couch an
d rushed to his side table at the entrance, and peeked into the large glass bowl that always held his keys, and sometimes his phone and wallet ever since that one fateful laundry day. He wasn’t built for manual labor. Dammit. He peered into the bowl. There was no reason for him to stare so long. It was obvious that his keys, wallet, and phone were missing. He might as well have been kidnapped. He glanced at the wooden cane that he had left leaned against the table. Sure. That was still there. He picked it up and hit the concrete dividing wall with it as hard as he could. He heard the sound of it splintering, but it didn’t break, instead becoming just one more disappointment for him to contend with. Apparently he was already getting weaker with his advanced years. Thirty was a miserable bitch.
His left eye started twitching. He pushed on it with the palm of his left hand, hoping that might stop it. This was certainly shaping up to be quite the night. As he stood there trying to calm down, he remembered that he kept a set of spare keys in his top drawer. He laughed as he scurried off to his room. The minute he opened the drawer, he knew Sam had thought of that, too. His clothes were disheveled, as if someone had rummaged through looking for something…like his spare keys. Sure enough, they were all gone.
Finally Found Page 2