Nobody's Fool

by Barbara Meyers

  “She probably won’t go. She’s training. Her coach is very strict.”

  “Then we’ll go by ourselves. Unless you want to invite Court. Watching him eat his heart out might be amusing.”

  “Give it a rest, Val. Go to sleep. Don’t hog the sheets.”

  “All right. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  The next morning Jolie made Val breakfast, pointedly not offering Court any when he joined them to pour some coffee into his travel mug. “Have a good day,” he said politely before he left.

  “Oh, he hates me,” Val said gleefully. “Hates me. Hates me. Hates me. I love it.”

  “For heaven’s sake, Val. That’s ridiculous. You’re no threat to him.” Jolie began loading the dishwasher.

  Val giggled. “Right you are, but does he know that?”

  Jolie frowned. It hadn’t occurred to her before, but it was entirely possible Court had no idea that Val was gay. She thought back to Court’s reaction to him in New York. He must have had the impression that she and Val were a couple. At that time she hadn’t cared what Court thought. Nor did she now.

  Liar.

  Had she subconsciously been using Val to make Court jealous?

  “I don’t know what he knows or doesn’t know,” Jolie said, not bothering to hide her irritation.

  “Oh, shut up,” she said when she caught Val’s smug look. She slammed the door of the dishwasher. “Let’s go.”

  “Melina, this is my dear friend, Val. Val, Melina.”

  “Enchante,” Val said, laying it on extra thick. He took Melina’s hand in his and bowed, kissing the back of it. “I’m a huge fan.”

  “Oh, dahlink,” Melina said to Jolie. “I like him.”

  Melina and Val laughed as if they had shared some inside joke. Jolie fought not to gag. “I’m going to give him a quick tour and then he’s leaving. Aren’t you, Val?”

  “Yes, but I’ll be back to take you out tonight. Melina, please say you’ll join us.”

  “I cannot. Hans would have my head. Perhaps another time. Val, you must come to our show. It is going to be spectacular.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. Lovely meeting you.”

  Melina kissed Val on both cheeks and left. “The pleasure is mine.”

  Val watched her leave. “Wow. She has got it going on. Beauty, charm, style. An impressive package.”

  “Careful, darling. I’m getting jealous,” Jolie said with a hint of Melina in her voice.

  He turned back to her. “Never. You’re always my number one.”

  “Uh huh.” She steered him toward the workroom. “Come have a look at what we’ve done so far. Feel free to offer opinions. Just remember the only ones that count around here are Melina’s.”

  They stopped just inside the workspace. “Oh. Hello, Krystian. Val, this is Melina’s cousin, Krystian. Krystian, this is my friend Val who’s visiting for a few days.”

  Krystian made himself invaluable to Melina by fetching and carrying and running errands. He also kept the workroom neat and organized, picking up after Jolie, Melina and Sophina. He was young, handsome, with a dancer’s lithe body and charisma in spades. Jolie was certain he’d be following in his famous cousin’s footsteps soon, just not on the tennis circuit.

  The two men shook hands. “A pleasure,” Val said, giving Krystian a once over and eating him up.

  “Likewise,” Krystian replied. Their hands stayed together long past the handshake. Jolie looked from one man to the other and stepped back as sparks flew between the pair. Oh.

  “Val was going to give himself a tour of Atlanta today. Krystian, if you’re not too busy, maybe you could go with him. Show him some of the sights. I can handle things here.”

  Krystian had been in Atlanta long enough to know his way around. In spite of his youth, or perhaps because of it, he’d be the perfect companion for Val.

  “I would enjoy this,” he said, “if you would as well.”

  “Delighted,” Val said, his smile never wavering. “Jolie, you’re a genius,” he added without looking at her.

  “If you will wait a few minutes while I prepare,” Krystian said.

  “Of course.”

  Once he was gone, Val pretended to swoon. “And it’s not even Christmas. Why didn’t you tell me about him? I wouldn’t have waited so long to visit.”

  “I’m sure I mentioned him. You don’t think he’s too young for you?”

  “Honey, once they’re over eighteen, there’s no such thing. I’d say he’s definitely over eighteen.”

  “Twenty-something, certainly. Hurry. Come have a look at what we’ve done before he gets back.”

  Val oohed and aahed in all the right places while Jolie rattled on about Belgian lace and the clever placement of zippers, but she wasn’t fooled for a moment. Val kept one eye on the doorway and the second he heard Krystian in the hallway he interrupted her spiel about their marketing plan aimed at price-conscious twenty-somethings.

  “All right, I’ll get out of your way and let you work. Maybe Krystian knows someplace fun we can go tonight. In fact, maybe he can join us.” He bussed Jolie’s cheek absentmindedly. “We’ll figure out the details and call you later,” he called out just before the front door closed behind them.

  Jolie smiled. She hadn’t seen Val with a crush in almost a year. She’d been worried he was becoming jaded and perhaps too picky, finding fault with nearly every guy he dated and moving on.

  Maybe he was looking to settle down and didn’t want to settle for anyone he couldn’t see himself with long-term?

  Even if Krystian was destined to be just another of Val’s flings, she was grateful to him for getting Val out of the way and entertaining him in the process. She had work to do.

  Minutes later Sophina joined her, a cup of coffee in a sealed travel mug. She sipped while Jolie reviewed the day’s agenda.

  Court arrived home that evening to discover Jolie and Val out on the pool deck. He’d been brooding to the point that even he was sick of himself. He’d counseled plenty of clients over the years that if what they were doing with their careers wasn’t working it might be time to try something else. He decided to take his own advice, to stop berating himself for the mistakes he’d made with Jolie and confront his dilemma head-on.

  He retrieved a wineglass and when he stepped outside he made himself smile at the pair of them. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all,” Val said. “The more the merrier. Jolie’s always happy to be surrounded by adoring males, aren’t you dar—oof!”

  Val made a show of rubbing his shin.

  “Sorry, Val. My foot must have slipped.”

  “How are you enjoying Atlanta, Val?” Court asked. He settled back in his chair, playing the part of the relaxed, interested host.

  “I wasn’t keen on it at first, truth be told. But I’ve seen a different side of the city today. There are parts of it I’ve already grown quite fond of.”

  Court couldn’t miss the secretive look Val sent Jolie. He wondered if Val was planning to be a permanent fixture in his home because Jolie was here. A couple of days was one thing. But if Val planned to stick around for a couple of months Court might have to move out of his own house.

  “Surely you’d never leave New York,” Court said, testing the waters.

  “Oh, I don’t know. If the opportunity were enticing enough.”

  Jolie laughed. “Please, Val. You know you’d never leave the big city. Although I could see you rearranging a few things for that enticing opportunity.”

  “Definitely. What about you, Court? Ever consider leaving Atlanta?” Val asked.

  “Not really. I can work from most anywhere. But I suppose if something I couldn’t say no to came along, I’d relocate.”

  “What if it was a woman you couldn’t say no to?”

  Jo
lie pushed her chair back, the metal scraping across the interlocking brick. “I think I’ll go shower and change. If you’ll excuse me.”

  Val grinned. “See you in a bit, darling.” He returned his attention to Court.

  “She’s something, isn’t she? I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  Court swallowed some wine, silently agreeing with Val.

  “What do you mean you invited him?” Jolie exploded at Val an hour later from the privacy of her bedroom. “Are you insane?”

  “I didn’t think he would say yes, but it seemed petty not to ask him. He surprised me as well. Besides, Krystian will be there. I don’t want you to feel like a third wheel.”

  Jolie punched Val in the arm. “Ow! What’d you do that for?”

  “Because you’re supposed to distract me from Court, not force me to spend more time with him.”

  “There’s definitely going to be a bruise here,” Val informed her, examining his upper arm in the mirror.

  “Keep it up and you might end up with a concussion. It was one thing when you decided to include Krystian.” She held up a hand when Val started to object. “He’s hot and you’re interested. That’s not a problem. I was prepared to bow out after an appropriate length of time, like after you finished paying for dinner, and leave you two lovebirds alone. But you had to go and open your big mouth and set up this, this—” She waved her arms in the air when words failed her.

  Val grinned. “Double date?”

  She glowered back. “You better wipe that smirk off your face if you know what’s good for you.” She rummaged through her jewelry drawer.

  “Oh, come on, sweetheart.” Val sidled up behind her and hugged her. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m happy. I want everybody to be as happy as I am. I want to spend the evening with you, but I also want to spend time with Krystian. Fine, I admit inviting Court to join us was a slight faux pas.”

  “Slight?”

  “Major,” he corrected. “Can you suck it up for a couple of hours? For me? Please?”

  She stared at their reflections. “Will there be wine?”

  “Bottles of it.” He squeezed her waist.

  “And dessert?”

  “Something chocolate. Decadent. Sinful. You’ll hate yourself for a week.”

  Jolie sighed. “All right. I’ll go. For you.”

  “You’ll behave yourself?”

  She stared at him wide-eyed. “When have I ever not behaved myself?”

  Val came up with a story about his love of staying out late, especially since it was his last night in town, and suggested taking separate cars because both Jolie and Court would need to be up early tomorrow.

  Somehow he’d maneuvered Jolie into riding with Court to the restaurant.

  “Why Gregor’s?” Court asked once they were on their way. “Did you suggest it?”

  “No. Is there a problem?”

  “Have you been there?”

  “No.”

  “Neither have I.”

  “Does it have a bad reputation?”

  “No. The food’s supposed to be pretty good from what I’ve heard.”

  “But?”

  “It’s gay.”

  “Gay? The restaurant is gay?” Jolie pretended to be clueless on the matter.

  “The clientele.”

  “Is gay?”

  “Mostly. From what I’ve heard. There’s a bar, nightclub sort of thing attached to it. Music and dancing.”

  “From what you’ve heard.”

  “From what I’ve heard.”

  “Are you worried?”

  Court took his gaze from the traffic for a second and glanced at Jolie. “Worried about what?”

  “That some guy will hit on you? Ask you to dance or something?”

  “No. I’m not worried.”

  “Why? Don’t think you’re attractive enough?” Jolie began to think she might enjoy the evening after all. At least she wouldn’t be bored.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you’ll be crushed if no one asks you to dance.”

  Court’s lips twitched. “I’m sure I’ll get over it. What about Val?”

  “What about him?”

  “What if he gets hit on or asked to dance?”

  “Oh, gay guys hit on Val all the time.”

  “It doesn’t bother him?”

  Jolie shrugged. “Doesn’t seem to.”

  “What does he do?”

  “It depends. Sometimes he simply explains he’s not interested.”

  “And other times?”

  “He dances with them.”

  Court’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? He dances with gay guys?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “That doesn’t bother you?”

  “Why should it?” Oh yes. She was definitely going to enjoy herself this evening. For a bright guy he sure was being a dim bulb right now.

  “Because, because…” Words failed Court. “He shouldn’t dance with someone else if you’re there.”

  “He usually asks my opinion first.” It was true. She and Val had developed their own games for those times she allowed him to drag her to a gay club. Sometimes she was the indulgent wife, complete with a costume jewelry wedding ring, allowing her husband to have his fun. Sometimes they made bets on who would approach Val first. They made top ten pickup line lists and had a points system to determine who won.

  “He asks you?” Court appeared flabbergasted. “And you’re okay with it?”

  “I don’t see the harm. He’s a very attractive man.”

  “Well, yeah, but…”

  “Do you find him attractive?”

  “I think we should talk about something else.”

  “Val and I have a very special relationship,” Jolie said. Truthful yet misleading— what a wonderful combination.

  “Obviously,” Court muttered under his breath.

  He pushed a button on the stereo system and turned up the volume, shelving further conversation until they reached Gregor’s.

  They were perusing the wine list when Val caught up, looking uncharacteristically flustered. Jolie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The server came and while the three of them discussed the wine list Krystian slid into the seat next to Val.

  The server went off to see to their order. “Court, you’ve met Krystian.”

  “Of course.” Court reached across the table and shook hands with the younger man. “I didn’t realize he’d be joining us.”

  “He and Val met earlier today, isn’t that right, Val?”

  “Why yes. Krys was kind enough to show me around the city today so it was the least I could do to buy him dinner as a thank you. Luckily, he wasn’t otherwise engaged.” Val and Krys grinned at each other.

  They were really quite cute together, Jolie decided. The server appeared with their wine. He uncorked it and poured some for them to taste and approve. Once their glasses were full he promised to return after they’d perused the menus.

  Jolie took a moment to check out the other patrons. It was quite possible she and Court were the only two heterosexuals in the dining room. In spite of the fact she was sharing space with Court she decided to enjoy the evening, drink wine and relax while she watched her best friend fall in love.

  After dinner they moved to the nightclub where the DJ played techno, rock and dance mixes. The dance floor wasn’t overly crowded, but even on a weeknight the place did a good business.

  Val leaned close to Krys’s ear and seconds later they excused themselves to dance.

  Court gave Jolie a sly look, as if acknowledging he’d been bested. “You could have told me, you know.”

  Her gaze followed his to where Val and Krys were showing each other their dance moves. “The penny drops at last. I knew you’d figure it
out eventually.”

  “About two seconds after Krys sat down. But before that, when I saw you with Val and I assumed…”

  “Assumed what?”

  “That you were together.”

  “He’s my best friend and I love him dearly. Val’s one of the few people I can trust to be straight with me.”

  “He’s never said or done anything to make you angry?”

  “On the contrary. He exasperates me on a regular basis.”

  “But you forgive him.”

  “Always.”

  “He’s never hurt you?”

  “Not intentionally.”

  “Let’s dance.”

  Jolie turned away from the dance floor and looked at Court. “No.”

  “Why? Are you afraid?”

  She laughed but she knew it sounded forced and hollow. “No.”

  “Afraid to be that close to me? Because you’re attracted to me and you won’t be able to hide it?”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m not a liar.”

  “Prove it.” He waited expectantly for a moment, then relaxed back in his seat. “I knew you wouldn’t.”

  Jolie shot out of her chair, frustrated by his high-handed attitude and determined to prove him wrong.

  She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet. They found a few feet of space on the dance floor and Jolie molded herself to him, moving her body in time to the music, even though the music wasn’t slow enough for them to be this close.

  Court grasped her right hand in his and pressed his other hand low on her back, holding her while she moved against him. That chemistry that had always been there between them couldn’t be denied.

  “You drive me crazy,” Court said in her ear.

  Jolie’s bravado faltered. His warm breath made her dizzy.

  “I think about you all the time.”

  His words made her long for something she wouldn’t let herself have.

  “How can I make it up to you?”

  Jolie froze. He’d asked a question she didn’t have an answer for. Until they found one, nothing was going to change.

  The song ended. The DJ took a break and the noise level dropped several decibels. She stared into Court’s eyes and wondered what he saw in hers. Confusion? Desire? The hurt he’d caused that wouldn’t go away?