Dinner First, Me Later?

by Candy Halliday

  “You’re wrong about the girlfriend,” Tish said. “Jake doesn’t have a current girlfriend.”

  “Jake also doesn’t intend to hire a housekeeper,” Jen said. “He told us his daughter has been raised by housekeepers and nannies her whole life. He wants to change that.”

  Alicia rolled her eyes.

  Jen said, “Look, Alicia, you know I was skeptical about Jake at first. But you do have to admire him for changing his whole life around for his daughter.”

  Alicia was stunned. “Admire him? He’s the child’s father, Jen. How can you call doing the right thing by your own child admirable?”

  Tish said, “In this case, I’d call Jake admirable. His ex-mother-in-law has been trying to destroy him since the day he married her daughter. Ranatta Harper disowned Carla the minute she married Jake and told Carla never to contact her again unless she was ready for a divorce. Carla left Jake shortly after Danielle was born. And from that moment forward, Ranatta has fought Jake at every turn where Danielle is concerned.”

  “And that’s what our legal system is for,” Alicia said stubbornly.

  Tish said, “Oh, Jake spent his share of time in the courtroom. He filed for joint custody the second he got his divorce papers. But Ranatta’s high-powered attorneys were successful in postponing the hearing year after year. Danielle was six when Jake finally got word that he was going to get his day in court. And that’s when Carla took an overdose of sleeping pills.”

  Alicia looked at Tish and said, “But if Carla was that unstable, how did Jake lose the custody case?”

  Tish said, “Ranatta was the one who found Carla. She paid her personal physician big bucks to keep the suicide attempt quiet. But she made sure Jake knew about it. And rather than risk Carla trying suicide again, Jake dropped his joint custody suit.”

  “A huge mistake, if you ask me,” Zada said. “That put Ranatta in complete control. She gave Jake visitation rights, but they were only limited visitation rights.”

  Alicia frowned. “And Jake told you all of this?”

  “Of course not,” Zada said, nodding toward Tish. “We got all of this information from our self-appointed neighborhood authority on Jake Sims.”

  Jen said, “And Tish got all of her information during the afternoon she spent with Jake’s longtime agent, Buddy Vance.”

  Tish shrugged. “Hey? Can I help it if Jake wasn’t home when his agent stopped by? When I noticed the poor man sitting in his car in Jake’s driveway, I merely did the neighborly thing and asked Buddy if he’d like something cool to drink while he waited for Jake.”

  Zada said, “And several sodas and a few slices of pie later, Tish had Jake’s entire life story.”

  Tish smiled at Alicia and said, “Care to hear more?”

  “No,” Alicia said.

  Tish told her anyway. “This is the best part. Buddy said Jake really struggled with the decision to fight Ranatta for custody again. He knew how hard it would be on Danielle to uproot her and force her to live with him.”

  Zada broke in and said, “Jake’s own childhood was nothing short of a nightmare.”

  Tish nodded and said, “From the time he was ten, Jake was bounced around from one foster home to another, and . . .”

  “Enough, already!” Alicia broke in. “I get it, okay? You’re all convinced that Jake Sims deserves the Man of the Year Award. Just don’t come complaining to me when it turns out he’s not so deserving.”

  Zada raised an eyebrow. “We’ve obviously had a recent visit from the all-men-suck fairy, haven’t we?”

  “A recent visit?” Tish laughed. “The all-men-suck fairy moved in with Alicia the same day she threw Edward out.”

  “Not funny,” Alicia assured Tish.

  “No pun intended, of course,” Tish said and grinned. “About Edward’s sexual orientation, I mean.”

  “Liar,” Zada teased.

  “Stop it, you two!” Alicia frowned at both of them. She sighed and said, “Look. I’m just trying to keep all of you from being disappointed. Jake’s a famous person. And it’s only human nature for us to make famous people into the types of heroes we all want them to be. But the sad fact is, men rarely change. I give Jake one month, tops. Playing superdad to a teenage daughter who hardly knows him isn’t going to be easy. He’ll either send the girl back to LA, or he’ll hire that housekeeper. Either way, he’ll go right back to his old routine.”

  Zada smiled one of her she-devil smiles. “Care to wager a bet on that?”

  “Absolutely,” Alicia said with confidence. “Name your price.”

  “Dinner,” Zada said. “If Jake doesn’t hire a housekeeper or send his daughter back to LA in one month, you have to ask him out to dinner. Just the two of you.”

  Zada might as well have slapped her.

  But Alicia forced a laugh and said, “But isn’t that only proving my point? If Jake agrees to go out with me, he’s right back to business as usual.”

  “I disagree,” Zada said. “Going out to dinner with a neighbor is a long stretch from his previous lifestyle. Even you have to agree with that, Alicia, if you’re willing to be truthful about it.”

  “May I say something?” Jen broke in.

  “No,” Zada said.

  “Yes,” said Alicia, looking over at Jen with a bright thank-you-for-asking smile. “You’re always the voice of reason, Jen. I’d love to hear what you have to say.”

  The smile Jen sent back was sheepish at best. “I was going to say that if Jake does prove you’re wrong, Alicia, I think asking him out to dinner would be a nice gesture on your part.”

  Alicia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Jen? Actually siding with Zada? For the first time ever?

  Unbelievable!

  “Not because you’re interested in Jake personally,” Jen was quick to add. “We all know that you aren’t. And from what Jake said, the feeling is mutual. But it would be an excellent way to clear the air, so to speak. And I’m thinking of all of us when I say that. We all live right on top of each other. I say the more harmony we can promote in this cul-de-sac, the better.”

  Alicia was tempted to mention that the three women sitting around the table hadn’t been concerned about promoting harmony in the cul-de-sac after her divorce. Nor had they rushed over to make sure she was settled in after Edward moved out. But she wasn’t going to throw the past back in their faces. She wasn’t that petty.

  Instead, Alicia said, “Fine. If Jake proves me wrong, I’ll ask him out to dinner. But only in the interest of promoting cul-de-sac harmony.”

  “Shake on it,” Zada challenged.

  Alicia bit down hard on her lower lip.

  But she finally gave in and shook Zada’s hand.

  Chapter 3

  Alicia had been too busy during the week to think much about Jake Sims, or about Zada’s dreaded dinner party. Her business was growing so fast she’d hired another real estate agent on Tuesday—bringing the total to four real estate agents working for her now. She’d also listed three new residential properties during the week. Happily, all of the listings were hovering around the million-dollar range.

  Yes, it had been a productive week.

  But as she dressed for the party on Friday night, Alicia realized she was more nervous about seeing Jake again than she wanted to admit. She had a little secret she hadn’t shared with her Fantasy Club friends.

  It was a silly secret, but a secret nonetheless.

  It was also the type of real-life fantasy secret that Zada, Jen, and Tish would have eaten up with a spoon at first. Then they would have laughed her into next week, and definitely held the secret over her head for the rest of her freaking life.

  Jake Sims had been her first celebrity fantasy crush. And yes, it was silly. But every woman had a celebrity fantasy crush whether she’d ever admit it or not. Some were famous movie stars, television celebrities, band members, and music idols. Others were professional sports players, hunky race car drivers, big business icons, and rodeo champions.
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  They were the men you always kept track of in the news. The men for whom you made it a point to read every little detail about their famous lives. The same famous men you knew it was perfectly safe to fantasize about, because your paths would never cross.

  She’d been only eighteen when she’d seen Rookie of the Year Jake Sims’s picture on the cover of Alfie’s monthly subscription of Sports Illustrated. She still wasn’t sure why she’d been so entranced by that cover picture. Maybe because Jake hadn’t been much older than herself at the time. Plus, he’d been a hometown Chicago boy—rah, rah for the home team, and all that.

  But mainly it had been his eyes. Those same gray eyes that had unnerved her so much at coffee on Monday had been staring out at her from the cover photo with a flirty I’m-the-fantasy-for-you look in them.

  To put it simply, it was fantasy love at first sight.

  She’d dragged Alfie to every home game during Jake’s second season with the Cubs, even though neither she nor Alfie were big baseball fans. She’d cheered like a crazy person every time Jake stepped onto the field. She’d cursed with disappointment every time the Cubs lost the game. And she’d punched Alfie soundly on the arm every time he teased her about what he called her imaginary boyfriend.

  At nineteen Jake had broken her heart when he’d married his supermodel wife. But she’d forgiven him at twenty, thoroughly outraged when the media had such a heyday over Carla walking out on him.

  After the divorce, however, was when Jake lost his appeal.

  “The Famous Barbara Walters Interview” was what Alfie called the end of what Alfie also called her unhealthy obsession with Jake Sims. During the interview, Jake had come off as a cocky, smug I-can-have-any-woman-I-want jerk. Alicia had politely placed him into her drop dead file before Miss Walters paused for her first commercial break.

  And then, just as luck would have it, fast-forward fourteen years and Jake was living right across the street!

  She’d been in such a panic the day of the closing on Jake’s house, when his attorney finally revealed the name of his mystery client. She’d even called Alfie and begged for two of the Xanax tablets his nutty new-age therapist had him taking for his quasi-depression over another affair gone bad. After she’d admitted what had her so upset, Alfie had doubled his own dosage, fully convinced Jake living right across the street meant Alicia would be stalking him within a week.

  She’d assured Alfie her stalking Jake Sims days were over, even though she had been a bit nervous about that possibility herself. But Jake’s long battle in court had taken care of that problem. She’d had plenty of time to pull herself back together before Jake actually moved into the house.

  Besides, she was an adult now who was far beyond any silly teenage crush. Not to mention a divorce that had left her so bruised and battered she’d never be a sucker for a too-handsome face again. She also had a new business to run. And that meant the only commitment she had time for at this point in her life was a work commitment.

  Zada’s “Jake is perfect for you” idea was laughable.

  A perfect disaster maybe, Alicia thought as she looked around at another perfect disaster she’d just created in her bedroom. She’d spent the last two hours going through her closet like a madwoman, not wanting to dress up and call attention to herself, yet not wanting to dress down and make it obvious she was trying not to call attention to herself. If Zada weren’t being so manic about what she called her “last days of freedom” before baby Lizzie arrived, Alicia would have pulled on a pair of slacks and a simple summer top and been done with it.

  But not tonight.

  Tonight, Zada insisted she was having a semiformal sit-down dinner, and everyone would just have to humor her. What Zada wanted, Zada usually got—one way or the other.

  Alicia gulped at that disturbing thought, and reached for her final choice. What else? Her favorite little black summer dress.

  Strapless.

  Not too short.

  Not too memorable.

  Just like the evening will be.

  And how could it not be a less than memorable evening for her? The conversation would inevitably turn to children. Jake’s teenage daughter was finally coming to live with him. Zada and Rick were happily awaiting baby Lizzie’s arrival. Tish and Joe would share one of their nine-year-old twins’ latest escapades—Mike and Mark always had one. Jen and Charlie would brag as usual over eight-year-old Sonya’s perfect performance at her latest whatever recital.

  Bor-ing.

  For her—the outcast in suburban land.

  She had no spouse. No children. Not even a beloved pet story to bring up in an attempt to add at least a little something to the conversation. As Alfie had so aptly pointed out earlier in the week, dogs had never liked her. Was there really any reason to think cats wouldn’t feel the same way?

  The last few days, she’d even begun to wonder if maybe Alfie was right about something else. If maybe she should have moved back to the city after the divorce. She’d refused to sell the house at first, mainly to keep from splitting the proceeds with Edward. Handing over even one lousy dime to someone who had betrayed her so badly hadn’t been an option.

  But later she’d begun to realize that staying in Woodberry Park had little to do with trying to spite Edward.

  She simply loved her home. She’d chosen every piece of tile, the marble flooring, and all of the expensive woodwork with care. She’d also designed every aspect of the house herself, including the vintage archways and the elaborate vaulted ceilings that showcased every room in the house. Even the furniture had been handpicked, piece by piece, until she had the entire house furnished exactly the way she wanted it.

  This was her dream house.

  Her dream life had been shattered, sure.

  But dammit, I still have my dream house!

  Dream life, Alicia thought and almost laughed.

  She should have known Edward was too perfect in every way. Too handsome. Too brilliant. Too successful. Too sincere to be real.

  Alfie had joked the only reason she’d fallen in love with Edward was because he made it through dinner without trying to grope her under the table—which wasn’t far from the truth. All of her pre-Edward relationships, starting with her first date at sixteen, could best be described as nothing but a long series of wrestling matches.

  She’d fought off the advances. She’d ignored the open leers. And she’d suffered through the sexual innuendoes her entire life. By the time she’d reached her early twenties, dating had more or less become a contact sport for her.

  Keeping men at an arm’s length had been the only way she’d ever had any control over the initial let’s-get-nekkid reaction most men had to her. So, the quicker she turned a guy on, the quicker he turned her off. One unwanted touch, a sleazy leer, or a suggestive comment, and she was done.

  And then, just after she’d turned thirty and had given up all hope of finding a man who could carry on a conversation without once looking at her chest, Edward had walked into her life. God, but she’d been such a pushover. She’d been ready for love. Ready for marriage to a well-respected man she thought was honorable. Ready for a life all women dream about and fear they’ll never have.

  And where was she now?

  She was walking across the street to attend a dinner party she didn’t want to attend. And she was wishing that she had taken a chance on getting a cat. Mainly so she could pass herself off as some crazy, spinster cat woman—just in case Alfie’s prediction came true and Jake did try to feel her up before the main course was served.

  Alicia came to an abrupt stop.

  Oh, dear God! What if Jake really did make a pass at her? She imagined Jake’s hand on her knee for a second and the shiver that ran up her leg confirmed that the last thing she needed was any kind of test to shake her belief that her idiotic crush on him was over.

  I’ll sit as far away from him as possible, Alicia decided as she walked up onto Zada and Rick’s front porch. She’d be polite and say
hello, sure, but that was all. After hello, she’d never look his way again the entire night.

  Mantastic as Jake was, one thing was certain.

  Alicia’s groped-under-the-dinner-table days were over!

  So much for being groped under the table, Alicia thought and looked around the room. Whether the seating arrangement had been planned or not, the girls had ended up at one end of Zada’s dining-room table, the guys at the other. Even if she had a cat, Alicia knew it was highly doubtful she could have worked a pet story into the conversation going on at her end of the table about useful breast-feeding tips.

  Please shoot me now!

  Unfortunately, breaking into the conversation at the other end of the table wouldn’t have been any easier. Baseball and only baseball had been the guys’ topic even before Zada announced that her catered (complete with a serving staff) semiformal dinner was about to be served.

  Only Zada would cater a semiformal dinner, Alicia thought with a frown. It crossed her mind that it was a good thing poor baby Lizzie would be able to rely on breast milk for nourishment for the first few months of her life. Known for her fine culinary talents, Zada Clark wasn’t. In fact, had junk-food junkie Zada been responsible for putting the dinner together, they would have been dining on semiformal Big Macs with fries—instead of the delicious rack of lamb they’d just finished devouring.

  So who am I to complain Zada had the dinner catered?

  Alicia thought this as she sneaked another peek at her watch. She groaned inwardly when she saw it was only 8:00 P.M., exactly two minutes since her last time check.

  Flip it!

  She’d only been there an hour, but it seemed like decades. As soon as the blasted caterer served dessert, she was out of there!

  When the girl talk switched from breast-feeding tips to the right choice in disposable diapers, Alicia reached for her wineglass and glanced at the other end of the table. Whether Jake was filed in her drop dead file or not, she couldn’t deny that he looked absolutely fabulous tonight.