by Stella James
“Ready?”
He looks up at me and tosses his phone onto the couch cushion beside him. “Let’s do it,” he says.
As we make our way down to the hotel restaurant, we decide we should get some facts straight so that we seem like a legit couple.
“Where did we meet?” he asks.
“I think we should just tell the truth, it’s less confusing that way. We met when I was finished cleaning your neighbour’s apartment one day only, instead of you hiring me, we go for coffee and you realize you simply cannot live without me?”
“Perfect,” he grins.
We step out of the elevator and into the lobby. “Do we live together? How long have we been dating?” he asks.
“When was the last time you saw your family?”
“Three months ago,” he says.
“Okay, we’ve been together for two months and no we don’t live together but I stay at your place often.”
“Are you sure you’re up to this? I feel like this is a lot,” he says.
“It’ll be fine, next month just tell your mom we broke up but stayed friends,” I suggest. “Then it won’t be weird if you accidentally mention me in the future.”
“Okay, yeah, we can do this,” he says. “So, my dad isn’t friendly but he’s cordial, while my mother will be polite because it would be uncivilized to be rude. My Mimi is great; you’ll love her,” he smiles. “My brother just arrived last night and you probably won’t even meet him today anyway. He’s likely to hide in his suite the entire time and work, so he shouldn’t be a problem.”
“You aren’t even a little bit close with your brother?” I ask. I couldn’t imagine not being tight with my sisters. Sometimes we drive each other crazy but they’re my best friends.
“Not really. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the guy. But he’s crazy uptight and all he does is work. There’s also a nine year age gap so we don’t have much in common,” he explains.
He pauses at the hostess station and tells the young woman that we are meeting his family. She points us in the direction of the patio.
I tug gently on Kyle’s hand just before we walk through the busy restaurant. “It’s going to be fine. But Kyle, when this is all over and we get back to Chicago, you’ve got to figure something out,” I say. “You can’t keep living in secrecy. It isn’t fair to you, or George.”
“I know. I promise I’ll deal with everything as soon as we make it through this,” he says. “Trust me, I didn’t plan on being twenty-five and still in the closet.”
The smell of pancakes and bacon fills my nose and makes my mouth water as we pass the overflowing buffet. I smile and lace my fingers with Kyle’s as we walk through the open doors and Kyle spots his family sitting at a large table in the corner. As we approach, I see an elderly woman who I assume is Kyle’s Mimi. An older man with dark salt and pepper hair wearing a crisp checkered shirt sits at the head of the table and beside him sits Kyle’s mother. She’s probably close to my mother’s age. Her light brown hair is pulled back in a tidy chignon and she’s wearing a pastel green silk top. It’s clear that Kyle takes after her in the gene department. I take a deep breath when we reach the table and exhale quietly.
“Good morning, everyone, this is Poppy Kramer, my girlfriend,” Kyle says, pulling me closely to his side.
Kyle’s grandmother offers me a smile, while Kyle’s parents regard me warmly. But not too warmly.
“Poppy, this is my grandmother, Rose. And these are my parents, Byron and Maureen.”
“Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say.
Kyle’s dad smiles tightly before standing and extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Kramer,” he says.
Maureen remains seated but smiles as Byron sits back down. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says. “I can’t remember the last time Kyle brought a girl around.”
Wonder why.
“He’s told me so much about all of you,” I say.
“Isn’t that nice, dear. Come sit next to me,” Rose says with a wink.
I’m about to step forward when a deep voice stops me in my tracks.
“Nice of you to finally join us,” he says.
No.
“Relax, we’re only ten minutes late,” Kyle says.
Please no.
Kyle tugs on my hand gently and as I turn around slowly, I try my absolute best not to throw up.
“I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Poppy Kramer,” he says. “Poppy, this is my older brother, Will.”
Gone is the rumpled suit. In its place is a pair of nicely fitted tan canvas shorts and a snug white T-shirt. My eyes travel up the broad chest that was pressed against me last night, all the way up to the same clean shaven, masculine — but not too masculine — jaw that I was practically salivating over. There is only one word in the English language that adequately describes the pickle I now find myself in.
Fuck.
Chapter Eight
Fuck
When I was eight years old, I was jumping in a bouncy house at Barbie Scott’s birthday party and I peed my pants. I literally never thought I’d want to die more than I did at that moment. Eight year old Poppy knew nothing.
As my eyes meet Will’s, his expression remains neutral. No flicker of recognition, no indication that he’s wondering what exactly the fuck is going on. Nothing.
“I realize we’re not within the confines of your office, but surely you remember how to talk to humans that are not lawyers or white collar criminals, don’t you?” Kyle says.
Will glances at Kyle and then back to me. He holds his hand out and when I slip my fingers into his, I am certain that my distress is written all over my face.
“It’s nice to meet you, Poppy,” he says, gently squeezing my hand with his.
“Likewise,” I manage to reply.
“Will, let go of Ms. Kramer’s hand and sit down so we can eat,” Byron says.
I remove my hand from his and turn to take a seat beside Rose. I feel his eyes burning what I assume is a scarlet letter into my back the entire time until I sit down.
“Are you feeling okay, dear, you look a bit flushed,” Rose says.
“I’m fine, just hungry,” I say, reaching out and taking a croissant from the basket sitting in the center of the table.
I slice it open and smear butter on both halves before taking a large bite. I don’t know what to do. I need to occupy my mouth so I don’t blurt out something stupid. Kyle and Will finally sit down. Kyle beside me and Will across from me. I swallow the chunk of flaky pastry in my mouth and take another bite. I look everywhere but at the blue eyes I am certain are watching me decimate my pre-breakfast, breakfast. I chew slowly in an effort to keep my mouth busy as Byron asks Will about some kind of corporate merger. Their conversation filters in and out of my overactive brain as I think about how in the hell I am going to explain myself. Kyle leans back and rests his arm on the back of my chair as he stares at the menu.
“I’m just going for the buffet,” he says eventually. “You coming, Pop?”
“Yes!”
My enthusiastic reply startles the entire table as well as the elderly couple sitting at the table next to us. My nerves are shot. I would give anything to be in a bouncy house right now, pissing my pants.
“Be a sweetheart and bring me bowl of fruit and some bacon, will you?” Rose says to Kyle.
“Of course, Mimi. Your wish is my command,” he replies, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek.
“Mother, you really shouldn’t be eating any bacon. Doctor Gr- “
“Oh, Doctor Green can shove it,” Rose says. “I’m on vacation and if I want to eat bacon, I’m going to eat some damn bacon.”
“Very well,” Maureen sighs. “What would a doctor know about cholesterol anyways,” she adds, under her breath.
As I push my chair back, it screeches obnoxiously against the cement floor of the patio, earning me several glances and even more unwanted attention. Byron and Will pau
se their conversation and look up at me. Byron seems to be annoyed at my offensively loud presence while Will is still wearing his mask of indifference. I feel Kyle’s hand wrap around mine as he pulls me away from the table. He leads me to the buffet and hands me a plate as we take our place in line. I briefly ponder if I should tell him that Will is my almost-one-nightstand. Although I don’t know what good it would do. He’s stressed about his relationship with George and the tension surrounding him is obvious when he’s around his family. He clearly has enough on his mind. I should keep this to myself. For now, anyways.
“I almost didn’t recognize him,” he mumbles as we wait.
“Recognize who?”
“My brother. I don’t think I’ve seen him wear anything besides a suit in at least ten years,” he says, shaking his head slightly. “Seeing him in cargo shorts and without a tie strangling his neck is like entering the twilight zone.”
“People change. Maybe he’s not really who you think he is,” I say. I have an immediate knee jerk reaction to defend Will. Probably because less than twenty-four hours ago I was climbing his impressively toned body like a spider monkey. “Maybe you should make an effort to get to know your brother a bit better and he could get to know you too,” I offer.
He seems to consider what I’m saying but doesn’t respond as we follow the line of hungry guests along the perfectly arranged set up. Kyle opts for oatmeal and other healthy options that will keep his body looking finely sculpted. Whereas I, despite my churning guts, pile my plate high with fluffy pancakes and an assortment of salty breakfast meats. I have always been an emotional eater.
On our way back to the table I spot Will at the end of the buffet line. He’s distracted and for a brief moment I am able to survey him without his knowledge. He looks just as handsome as he did last night in the hotel lounge. Obviously I hardly know him but it felt like he was being genuine last night, he didn’t seem like a snob to me, or uptight in any way. Granted we were in a bar and I offered him sex, but still, I think there might be more to him than Kyle cares to see. I need to get a minute alone with him and at least come up with something half ass believable as to why I would be in a bar looking for sex when I’m in fact here with my boyfriend. Fuck, what a mess.
When we get back to the table, a waitress is just leaving with the menus from the table and a notepad in her hand.
“Mom, Dad, you really should take advantage of the spread they have over there. I’m sure it’s just as good as what’s in the menu,” Kyle says, as he sets Rose’s food down in front of her.
“Thank you dear,” she says, patting his cheek lightly.
“I’d rather order my food fresh and hot,” Byron says, not looking up from the newspaper in front of him.
Kyle opens his mouth again to speak but takes a bite of fruit instead. I look down at my stack of pancakes and begin coating them with butter. I drizzle a thick layer of syrup on next and when I’m done, I glance up to see Maureen watching me.
“Do you want a bite?”
“Oh, no thank you, I was just lost in thought,” she says quickly.
“Are you sure? I have enough here to feed an entire family of four. I’m happy to share,” I say before cutting into the pile and popping a syrup soaked bite into my mouth. “So good,” I groan.
“Oh, well, maybe just a small bite. If you don’t mind?”
“Absolutely,” I reply, reaching for the small saucer in front of me. I slice off a decent bite and plop it onto the plate before leaning across the table and passing it to her.
She looks down at the plate as if I’ve just given her a diamond ring. Maureen needs to eat pancakes more often.
Byron glimpses at her as she takes a bite and licks her lips. She groans with nearly the same amount of appreciation as I did.
“Told ya,” I say, smiling.
“For heaven sakes, Maureen, go and get some pancakes before you start licking the plate. No one here cares if you eat sugar,” Rose says.
Maureen looks embarrassed for a moment but then flags the waitress over and adds a side of pancakes to her order.
“Thatta girl,” Rose chuckles.
Kyle leans over and speaks quietly in my ear, “Well done, Pop, you’ve known Maureen Edwards for a matter of minutes and you’ve managed to get her to break her perpetual diet,” he grins.
“Just doing my part,” I say around a mouthful of bacon.
“Your part?” Will asks as he sits down.
I cover my mouth as a piece of meat gets lodged in my throat. Kyle rubs my back as I cough and eventually manage to swallow it down, my eyes brimming with tears. I glance at Will and see a spark of amusement in his eyes.
“Poppy let Mom try some of her pancakes and now she’s ordered her own,” Kyle says casually.
“Is that so?”
“Not a big deal,” I say.
“Poppy is such an interesting name,” Will says. “How did you get it?”
“What do you mean how did she get it?” Kyle says, annoyed. “Obviously her parents. And why do you care?”
“Just curious, that’s all. Kyle, why don’t you tell us how Poppy got her name,” Will says.
Mother fucker. Kyle doesn’t know. Is he testing us? What the hell?
Maureen and Rose look at Kyle while Byron continues to be fascinated by his newspaper.
“It is a rather unique name,” Maureen says.
Kyle wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close, kissing my cheek. “Poppy’s parents met at a greenhouse,” he says. “Her dad bought her mother three different potted arrangements that day and when the time came to name their daughters, he wanted to name them after the flowers he had chosen.”
That is one romantic slice of bullshit. Bravo, Kyle.
“Oh you have sisters, how lovely,” Maureen says. “And what are their names?”
“Tulip is my older sister and Bluebell is my younger sister,” I reply. “Tully and Bell for short.”
I glance at Will as he takes a sip of orange juice and tilts his head to the side slightly, as if he’s challenging me to correct Kyle. I hold my breath and wait for him to tell everyone at the table about how I practically threw myself at him last night, but he doesn’t. The waitress comes by and soon everyone is eating in blissful silence. When the meal is finished, Rose mentions a waterfall walk that she saw in one of the brochures.
“Do you think you’re up for that?” Maureen asks.
“Of course,” Rose says. “It’s my birthday isn’t it? I want to see some waterfalls.”
“Very well. I’ll call the front desk and see if they can recommend a tour guide,” says Byron.
“No need, I already booked it. We leave at ten. Don’t be late or I’m going without you,” Rose says, pushing her chair back and standing. She doesn’t bother waiting for anyone as she heads back through the restaurant.
The rest of us part ways to get ready with the intention of meeting back in the lobby in thirty minutes. I see Will duck into the hotel gift shop and tug gently on Kyle’s hand.
“I’m just going to run into the gift shop and grab some lip balm,” I say. “I’ll meet you upstairs.”
“Okay, I’m going to try and phone George,” he says.
I turn around and head into the small store, doing a quick scan until my eyes land on Will. I make my way over to him in the aisle between the sunscreen and the pool noodles.
“What the hell?!” I whisper. “You said you were here on business and that you only had one night.”
He pins me with a look of scepticism. “You’re going to lecture me on lying? Really?”
“Okay, fine. I know it looks bad, but trust me it’s not what you think,” I say. “Kyle and I are just friends.”
“You don’t say?” he whispers back. “My brother hasn’t had a steady girlfriend since he was in high school. Obviously he’s using you as a decoy to keep my parents off his back, which I must say is more than I’d expect from Fabio. Not to mention that you’re definitely not his type.�
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“You knew. You knew but you pulled that bullshit about my name anyways? Why? And don’t call him Fabio. Your brother’s extremely talented and very successful.”
“Curiosity,” he shrugs with a smirk. “Does posing in front of a camera half naked require talent?” he asks sarcastically.
I follow him as he makes his way up and down the aisles of the small canteen. I watch with lustful fascination as he plucks random items from the shelves. His forearms flexing with each movement. Focus, Poppy.
“I’m also curious to know how much you charge, to provide a service like this,” he says casually, picking up a bottle of insect repellant.
“I’m not a hooker,” I scold him loudly, gaining the attention of the cashier, who raises her eyebrows at us. “And he’s not paying me anything, well, aside from my trip, but that’s none of your business. Kyle and I are friends. I’m happy to be here,” I say.
“So, which is it?”
“Which is what?”
“How did you get your name, Poppy?” he says, turning to face me.
“My mom has a thing for gardening. My dad let her name us after flowers as long as he got to choose our middle names,” I say softly. “I wasn’t lying to you, Will. About anything.”
He continues to study me, his eyes searching for something in mine. Perhaps an indication that I’m not entirely full of shit. He slowly turns and continues down the aisle.
“So…what happens now?” I ask awkwardly. “Maybe you don’t care, but Kyle’s going through some personal stuff right now. I’m here as a friend and I’d rather keep him out of this,” I say, gesturing between the two of us.
We approach the cashier and Will pays for his stuff, along with the tube of lip balm I have in my hand.
“Trust me, I have enough to worry about besides this little charade you’ve got going on with my brother,” he says. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He heads out into the lobby, not bothering to wait for me. I watch him go and scold my overactive imagination for the parade of images that cross my mind as I allow myself to briefly recall every detail about last night.