Hooked

by Christine Manzari

  “Who lives here?” I asked instead.

  “My family. Just not the one I was born into.”

  There was only one other car parked in the driveway—a large SUV. Even though the house was big, it looked like we were headed for a small gathering which was both a relief and a concern. Why was he being so secretive?

  “This is going to be awesome,” he said gleefully, looking at me briefly before grabbing the handle to the front door. He didn’t knock or even wait for someone to come answer the door, he merely pushed it open and walked inside. “The party can start!” he yelled. “We’re here!”

  There was a girlish squeal, accompanied by the sound of running footsteps.

  “I can’t wait to meet your new—” the voice yelled as the body that belonged to it came careening around the corner and straight into me.

  It was Cat.

  I stumbled backwards as she fell into my arms, somehow managing to keep both of us upright. When she noticed the body she crashed into was me, she immediately stopped squealing and just stared. And she didn’t exactly look happy to see me. In fact, she looked slightly terrified to find me in the foyer. Her foyer? Shit. This had to be her mom’s house.

  I was going to kill Jay.

  As Cat wriggled out of my grip, I noticed that although she looked tired, she also looked beautiful and completely kissable. On second thought, maybe I was going to owe Jay for this one—an entire night with Cat where she couldn’t run away from me? A gift.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked me angrily. Before I could answer she turned to Jay and shoved him. “What is he doing here? You said you were bringing a date.”

  Jay slung his arm over my shoulder. “This is my date, Cat. Meet Huck Stone.”

  Cat glanced at me again and I smiled, holding out the bottle of wine I’d brought. She took one look at it and rolled her eyes before turning on her heel and stalking back down the hall. Right. She didn’t drink. I was going to have a talk with Jay for letting me bring the stupid wine.

  “You’re both in big trouble, but you might as well come eat before I’m forced to kill you,” she called over her shoulder. “Hope you wanted turkey and stuffing for your last meal,” she snapped, rounding the corner and disappearing.

  “This is going to be awesome,” Jay repeated, grabbing the bottle out of my hand and following Cat.

  The kitchen was huge, but it seemed everyone was hanging out in the living room off to the side. Jay headed straight for the island and began the task of opening the bottle of wine I’d brought. Cat was bustling around the kitchen taking bowls and platters into the adjoining dining room.

  “Do you need any help?” I asked, coming up behind her.

  She jumped in surprise, but composed herself quickly before turning to hand me a casserole dish of green beans.

  “You can take this in there,” she said, nodding her head toward the dining room. She followed me with a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes. After we’d set the food down, I followed her back into the kitchen.

  “So, this is your house?” I asked.

  “It’s my mom’s house. I live with Jay, remember?”

  “Then why are you staying here?”

  She spun around angrily to glare at me. “Is that why you’re here? To find out all my secrets?”

  I put my hands in front of me in defense. “Calm down. Of course not. I didn’t even know whose house I was coming to. Jay invited me to Thanksgiving and I said yes because I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “How convenient.”

  “If it bothers you that much, I can leave.”

  She stared at the platter of carved turkey. “But you came with Jay and if you leave, so will he.”

  “I can call a cab,” I offered. “I don’t want to ruin your holiday.”

  “No . . . shit. Now I really do sound like a bitch.” Cat sighed. “I can’t very well kick you out on Thanksgiving. Jay’s probably already in there telling my mom you’re here. You can stay,” she said, picking up the platter and stalking back into the dining room.

  Before I could follow her, Jay returned to the kitchen and grabbed my elbow, leading me into the living room.

  “I want you to meet someone,” he said pulling me toward a woman who was curled up in an armchair under piles of blankets. The woman’s face was gaunt, but she was still beautiful. Although her hair was now blonde and not chestnut, I recognized her from the photo I’d seen in Cat’s room. This was clearly her mom, but she looked different. More tired and a little older. She looked up as we approached and her lips formed a thin smile.

  “Anita, this is Huck,” Jay said.

  “Huck?” she repeated, her smile lifting higher into something a little more warm and genuine. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “No, you haven’t, Mom,” Cat interrupted as she came up behind me. “And it’s not Huck. This is Will, my boss. You have heard a lot about him.”

  “Technically, I’m not her boss,” I clarified. “We work together. And you can call me Huck.” I could feel Cat’s scowl burrowing into my back.

  Anita looked between me and Cat in confusion and then her smile reappeared. “I see. Well, Huck,” she stressed the name choice, “you look like a strong, young man. Would you mind helping me to the dining room?” She held her hand out to me.

  “Mom, I can help you,” Cat said, pushing me aside.

  Anita slapped her hand away. “No, you won’t. Not with a good looking man like Huck around.”

  “Hey,” Jay protested. “If you want good looking, I’m right here.”

  “Yes, dear,” Anita agreed. “But it’s not every day I get to meet a good looking man with two names.” She reached for my hand again and I took it, helping her to her feet and then supporting her with one arm on her elbow, and the other around her waist.

  Cat merely rolled her eyes and started gathering the blankets, following us into the dining room. There were six other people there, already seated. A portly woman with dark hair who was probably Anita’s age, a man with salt and pepper hair and a matching mustache who was likely her husband, an elderly version of the portly woman, and three younger girls who looked like they ranged from fifteen to twenty years old, or so. I didn’t know any of the other guests and all six of them were already seated at the far end of the table. Anita motioned to the seat at the head of the table and I lowered her into it. As Cat went about fixing the blankets over her mother’s lap, Jay took a seat on one side of the table so that the two remaining seats for me and Cat were right next to each other on her mother’s right side.

  “Oh, Huck, please do me the honor of sitting here,” Anita said patting the seat closest to her. Jay was sitting on her other side.

  “Mom,” Cat objected, “that’s my seat.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Cate. I just want to get to know your friend better.”

  “He’s not my friend, he’s my boss. He’s also Jay’s date,” Cat clarified. “They should be sitting next to each other,” she complained.

  When Anita turned questioning eyes on Jay, he merely downed the rest of his wine and waggled his eyebrows.

  “Sit,” Anita ordered me. I did as she asked. “Let me make introductions,” she offered. She started with the portly woman seated next to Jay. “This is Nadine. She is my friend and caretaker. Next to her is her husband Glenn, her mother Adele, and her daughters Nadja, Alana, and Lacy,” she said, finishing with the youngest girl who was seated on Cat’s right. “Everyone, this is Huck.”

  After the introductions, the food was passed around and I piled my plate high. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a home-cooked meal.

  “Did you cook all of this?” I asked Cat as I leaned over to whisper in her ear.

  She pulled back to look at me like I’d just announced that aliens had taken over. “Are you crazy? I couldn’t make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for this many people, let alone an entire meal. Nadine and Adele cooked,” she admitted, nodding to the two women in question
who just happened to have found the both of us very fascinating.

  “Why is everyone staring?” I whispered back.

  “Probably because you keep whispering in my ear like a psycho,” she hissed back, pushing me away with her elbow.

  “So, Huck,” Anita said, catching my attention. “You just recently moved here, correct?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I moved here right before Labor Day.”

  “How are you enjoying the west coast so far?”

  “I like it here. Things are a lot different than I thought they’d be,” I answered.

  “Different? Like what?”

  “Mostly the people,” I said, casting a significant look at Cat who was finding her green beans highly interesting. She was also twirling her fork in a menacing way that made me think she just might use it as a weapon on me. To be honest, I couldn’t put anything past her.

  “I see,” Anita replied as she passed a bowl of vegetables to me without putting anything on her plate. “Do you enjoy working with my daughter?”

  “Which one? Cat or Cate?” I asked, keeping an eye on Cat’s fork.

  Anita laughed loud and long and I could feel Cat tense beside me. I was pretty sure she wanted to take a swing at me. I kind of hated myself for doing it to her, but she’d started it. So far she’d been nothing but rude to me. And the sad thing was, there was a part of me that enjoyed it, because I knew in reality, she was doing it because she was attracted to me. It was all part of some sort of demented defense mechanism.

  “Oh, I bet you have your hands full,” Anita said, still laughing. “My girl has a strong personality that can leave a powerful aftertaste.”

  “Mom,” Cat admonished. “Whose side are you on?”

  “Yours, Honey.” Anita smiled at Cat before winking at me. “Always. Even when you don’t realize it.”

  Cat huffed and looked around the table as if desperate to escape. “Anyone need a refill?”

  Everyone shook their heads, clearly enthralled with the conversation going on at our end of the table.

  “All teasing aside, Cat is very talented,” I said, sneaking a peek at her before glancing back at Anita. “I’m happy to have the opportunity to work with her. The things she’s doing with the Legend Records account are beyond amazing. The clients love her and I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to steal her away. They’ve already contacted me to make sure she’ll be coming to their Christmas party so they can introduce her around some more. There are quite a few artists in their client list that are vying for her to work on their projects.”

  “That’s fabulous, Cate. You didn’t tell me about that,” Anita exclaimed, genuinely impressed. “Legend Records? You must be so excited for the Christmas party.”

  Cat shrugged.

  “Well, obviously we’ll have to go get you a dress.” Anita looked almost revitalized with the thought of shopping. From what I could tell about the decor of the house, she was probably a professional at buying things.

  “Not necessary, Mom. I’m not going to the party,” Cat said, surprising us both.

  “What? Why not?” Anita asked.

  “Because it’s on the weekend and it’s right before Christmas. I’m not going to leave you here alone.”

  “I’m not a child and I don’t need a babysitter.” Anita’s voice was sharp and harsh.

  “I know that,” Cat said as she tried to placate her mother.

  “What night is the party?” Anita asked me.

  “The Saturday before Christmas,” I answered. Cat kicked me under the table.

  “Oh. Well. Problem solved,” Anita said with a wave of her hand. “I have plans that night anyway, so unless you want to sit around here alone, you may as well go.” Anita smiled at her daughter.

  “You don’t have plans, Mom.”

  “I will,” Anita promised. “And, Huck, you’ll be at the Legend Records party, too, right? I wouldn’t want my little girl at a wild party alone.” Anita’s eyes were big and innocent looking, but the smirk on her face was anything but.

  “Of course.”

  “Excellent. Thank you, Huck. Can you pass me the sweet potatoes?”

  When I reached to get the bowl Anita requested, I could have sworn Cat was going to rip a hole in my outstretched arm with her teeth. She was fuming.

  I barely heard Jay mumble, “Anita one, Cat zero,” before he emptied his wine glass again.

  — CAT —

  21. JUNKIE

  Dinner got significantly easier to endure once the attention was off of me and Huck, although being forced to sit next to him was almost physically painful. There was definitely a part of me that wanted to do him bodily harm for showing up unannounced at the one place that I still had that was Huck-free. But then, there was that other part, the one that I hated. It was the part that indulged in his closeness and the brief, yet innocent, touches or random glances he gave me. No matter what my mind had decided, my body betrayed me. I felt like a junkie in need of a fix, and what my body wanted was Huck. I knew I shouldn’t want him, and I definitely shouldn’t fantasize about him, but that didn’t stop either from happening.

  I’d been so good at work in keeping our relationship at arm’s length. But here, in my mother’s house, side by side, I was no better than an addict. My body remembered Huck in every conceivable way and it wanted him. Badly.

  I was relieved when everyone was finished with dinner so I could start carrying the platters and casserole dishes out of the dining room. I needed some distance from him.

  The first thing I noticed when I entered the kitchen was that there were several empty bottles of wine on the island—a lot more than I would have expected for the number of guests we had. Nadine, Glenn, Adele, and Jay had been the only ones drinking wine, but there were almost six empty bottles. I picked them up and tossed them into the recycling bin a little more forcefully than was necessary. Alcohol in any form reminded me of my dad and none of those memories were good. Funny thing how alcohol always made him forget things, all it ever did was make me remember things I’d rather forget.

  The second thing I noticed when I entered the kitchen was that Huck had followed me and was carrying the platter of turkey. I both loved and hated that he was being helpful.

  “I apologize for teasing you out there,” he said. “You know I was just kidding, right?”

  “I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

  He set the tray down and leaned against the island, crossing his arms over his chest, his muscles straining against the fabric of his shirt.

  Don’t look, don’t look. Damn. Too late.

  I glanced up and he was watching me with a mixture of amusement and concern.

  Double damn. He saw me gawking.

  “Cat, I hate to probe . . .“

  Laughter bubbled up through my chest and I could do nothing to keep it from escaping past my lips. “Did you just say ‘probe?’”

  “What?” He smiled.

  “I can’t believe you actually used the word ‘probe.’ Who talks like that?”

  He tilted his head and looked at me in confusion while I continued to giggle like a maniac.

  “The only way that could have been more ridiculous,” I continued, “is if you’d said the word ‘penetrate.’”

  His eyes darkened and his gaze seemed to root me in place as he slowly stalked toward me. “Careful,” he warned as he backed me against the island, caging me in as his hands rested on either side of me. “I can’t be responsible for what happens if you keep talking like that.”

  “Talking like what?” I challenged. It was too easy, falling into easy banter with Huck.

  “Talking like you want to be dessert,” he said, leaning in close without actually touching me. His head dipped into the empty space between my neck and shoulder and he paused, taunting me.

  I tried to ignore the way my body was responding to him, but it was useless. There was never a problem with Cat and Huck, the problem was with Cate and Will. And as much as I wanted to be Cat tonight, I h
ad to remind myself I needed to be Cate. I took a few precious seconds to get my breathing under control as I turned around to face the counter behind me. My backside brushed against the front of his body.

  “Sweet Jesus,” Huck murmured, his breath stirring my hair as he ever so slightly leaned into me. “Is this an offer? Because if so, the answer is yes. Hell yes.”

  I wanted the answer to be yes, too. The press of his body against mine made me want to agree to whatever he wanted. I spun back around with the apple pie in my hand and pushed it between us. “Stone, this is me giving you that dessert you wanted. Can you take it out to the dining room for me?” I smiled as sweetly as I could, but knowing me, it was probably more along the lines of menacing. I didn’t do anything sweetly.

  He groaned, but took the pie anyway, muttering under his breath as he left the kitchen. I heard the words “wicked” and “cruel” and I had to admit, I felt a bit of pride in that.

  ***

  Later, when the dessert plates and silverware had been cleared, I was beginning the mountainous job of doing the dishes as everyone else moved to the living room to relax. Adele and Nadine were great at cooking and baking, but they did both by using just about every pot and pan my mother owned. The kitchen looked nothing like it had the night my mom had broken her cancer news to me. That night it had been spotless, a complete opposite of the mess that was going on inside her. Tonight, it was the kitchen that was a mess.

  Although, to be honest, my insides weren’t any less cluttered and chaotic than the kitchen. And it was all Huck’s fault. I couldn’t even find the clarity to call him Will anymore. I’d slipped at least half a dozen times at dinner and each time I had, a tiny smile had stolen across his lips and stirred up the confusion in my head even worse than before.

  And if things weren’t confusing enough, when Huck brought the last of the dishes into the kitchen, he began to roll the sleeves of his dress shirt back to his elbows. I paused, leaning over the sink with soap dripping from my hands as I watched him.

  “What are you doing, Stone?” Score. Although I hadn’t said it as harshly as I meant to, I at least managed to say Stone instead of Huck.