by C. J. Lake
And yet, Mick found himself replying, “Probably have to pass. I've got this family thing I've got to do.” Christ, why had he even said that? The Killorens were not his family, no matter how hard his mom tried to force the idea. And why the hell did he feel compelled to go to this damn party? “When are you guys heading out?”
“Soon. We want to hit at least four bars.” Terrence pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. “I've got to get ready.” To Terrence that meant more than showering and tossing on some clothes. It meant spending an hour in his room, perfecting his hair and his whole look. His roommates made fun of him for it, but Terrence just dismissed the comments as jealousy and went back to his mirror. Despite his vanity, Terrence was a good guy and girls seemed to love him.
“All right, see ya later,” Mick said and continued walking to his room.
“Whenever you're done with your family thing, you should come meet us out,” Terrence suggested. Turning to go, he said, “By the way, have you seen my green Henley?”
Before Mick could guess as to the whereabouts of Terrence's shirt, Quinn appeared in the hall wearing it. Oblivious to Terrence's appalled look of recognition, Quinn nodded at Mick. “Hey, Croft—bar crawl tonight.”
“That's my shirt,” Terrence interrupted, his tone flat.
Quinn glanced down as though oblivious to the clothes on his back. “Oh, sorry, I just grabbed it from the laundry room.”
“I wanted to wear that tonight,” Terrence said, annoyed.
“Dude, you sound like such a girl right now.”
Unfazed by such criticism, Terrence warned Quinn simply, “Just don't spill anything on it.”
Quinn rolled his eyes. “Lighten up, bro, it's just a shirt.” The irony was that Quinn was just as vain as Terrence, but instead of putting his time into clothes and a car, he spent hours at the gym. Yet, for all of Quinn's audacity, even he knew there was a line. For instance, he wouldn't dare borrow Terrence's silver Audi without asking. Terrence was actually very generous with his car, but for him it was all about showing respect.
Their fourth roommate, Walker, was MIA these days—always with his girlfriend—though Walker was the one who had brought the rest of them together. He had been freshman roommates with Terrence, and then became friends with Mick in their sophomore Italian class. This year, the three of them had needed a fourth roommate for this apartment, and as it happened, Walker's cousin, Quinn, had transferred to BU. Overall they got along, but not without the interruption of stupid nonsense like this.
Now Terrence assumed the almost-bored tone he used whenever sparring with Quinn. “It's the principle,” he stated, as though it should be obvious. “Just as not eating raw meat on my suede couch should be a matter of principle.”
“Rare, bro,” Quinn corrected. “Not raw.”
“I'm outta here,” Mick said with a brusque laugh. Just as he didn't want to get stuck refereeing a fight about a shirt, he also didn't want to relive the Quinn's-bloody-cheeseburger-on-the-sofa incident. “I've got to shower. See you later,” he said, and entered his bedroom.
As their voices disappeared behind his closed door, Mick's phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Hey, dad,” Mick said and pulled off his fleece. He tossed that along with his keys onto his bed, which was still rumpled and unmade.
“Hey, son,” Tony said cheerfully. “Staying out of trouble?”
Mick humored him. “Trying, Dad.” He stripped off his tee shirt next, which was still sweaty from the gym, and chucked it in the direction of the hamper. Then, conversationally, he asked, “So, where are you these days?”
“Sales conference in Dallas. Listen, what are you doing next weekend?” Before Mick could answer, his dad supplied, “Going to Key West with me, that's what.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have to go down there for work,” Tony explained. “I figured you could come with me.”
Mick paused, giving it only a moment's thought. “Nah, I can't, Dad.”
“Why not? I'm sure you can blow off classes for a week. I remember college,” he laughed.
“I’ve got mid-terms coming up.”
His dad's voice was breezy. “So? Just study on the plane.”
“It's—”
“C'mon it'll be fun,” Tony stated, and actually seemed to believe it. No, it would not be fun to watch his dad trying to pick up girls half his age. Emphasis on trying. Though Mick had only witnessed this spectacle a couple of times, that was plenty. Sometimes Mick cringed at the way his dad tried to act like he and Mick were buddies instead of father and son. Maybe it would've been okay if Tony had been like that throughout Mick's life, but when Mick was growing up, Tony was often absent. He'd never acted particularly into being a dad.
Now Mick felt a stab of guilt thinking that—because hey, his father was making an effort here—but it just seemed like Tony's mindset was stuck in his twenties, and now that Mick had caught up to that, his dad was finally interested in hanging out with him.
“We'll hit the beach, the bars,” Tony was saying. “I can even show you a few tricks where the ladies are concerned.”
“Tricks?” Mick said with a dry laugh. “Nah, I'm good, Dad, thanks. By the way, have you heard about Mom?”
“What about her? Is she all right?” Tony asked with a sudden tinge of concern.
“Yeah, she's good. Actually, she's engaged,” Mick said, dropping it down just like that.
After an uncertain pause, Tony said, “You're joking. Wait—you mean engaged to be married?”
“Yes, of course to be married. She didn't tell you?” Mick said, surprised that his mom hadn't found some passive-aggressive reason to contact Tony and smugly slip in the information. Then again, maybe she thought he'd be happy about the news, because her remarriage would ultimately save him alimony, and she didn't want to give him that satisfaction yet. Man, divorce sucked, Mick couldn't help but think. It could turn people. Take his mom. Normally a sweet lady—but everything with Mick's dad had brought out a spiteful, hateful side to her that Mick had never seen when he was a kid.
“We don't speak that much, you know that,” Tony said now. For a moment he seemed quiet on the other end, thoughtful. Finally he asked: “So who's the guy?”
Just then Mick got a text alert on his phone. It was from Juliana.
Want to meet 2nite + get this done?
Reflexively, Mick hit “ignore,” figuring he'd reply to her later. There was no way he could meet up with her if he was going to Rex Killoren's party, which he probably was—maybe.
“Mick? The guy?” Tony repeated.
“A physicist she met online,” Mick said, refocusing.
“Physicist?” Tony echoed, sounding shocked and maybe a bit confused (surely he was wondering what physicists actually did, and more importantly to Tony, how much money they made).
“Yep. I met him; he seems like a nice guy,” Mick admitted, then felt obligated to admit one more thing: “Mom seems really happy.”
“Well...good for her,” his dad managed, still sounding uncertain. “Uh, that's great. How long has she known him?”
“Not long,” Mick replied. “Two months, maybe.”
“Shit,” Tony exclaimed. “Engaged already? Are they planning to pull the trigger any time soon?”
“No—I mean, it just happened,” Mick reasoned. “I assume they'll be engaged for a while.”
“Wow. I didn't even know your mom was interested in dating.”
With a sigh, Mick said, “Look, the guy seems okay, but I wish the whole thing wasn't happening so fast. For Mom's sake.”
“Hmm,” Tony mused noncommittally. “I just hope she knows what she's doing.”
“Yeah,” Mick agreed, concerned. Would his mom be happy with this guy for the long term? Or was she setting herself up for a second ugly divorce?
“There's nothing worse than wasting your time,” Tony mentioned.
For some reason, those words resonated with Mick and lingered in his min
d. Wasting time was exactly what Mick would be doing if he went to Rex's party tonight. Hell, the only reason to go would be to see Cady. And what was the point of that? She'd made it clear she was uninterested and backing off anything with Mick. Why torment himself, constantly being in her company when he didn't have to be?
Instead, he should spend tonight with his friends. Not wasting his time, standing around with a bunch of entomologists he didn't know, just so he could catch a glimpse of a girl he was ridiculously attracted to—who wanted him to act like he wasn't.
In fact...forget the bar crawl with his roommates, Mick decided, realizing abruptly that he had a third option tonight.
As soon as Mick hung up with his dad, he texted back Juliana: Yes, let's get together.
She replied back almost immediately: Come to my dorm.
Chapter Twenty-two
Cady spent much of Rex's party dreading the possibility that Mick would show up with a girl—and then feeling kind of let down when he didn't show up at all.
Now, things were winding down. Most of the guests had said their goodbyes, and the only ones still remaining in Rex's living room were a few family members. Soon all that would be left to mark the occasion were the abandoned Glow-sticks and the banner that hung over the breakfast bar—which was a photographic tribute to the Fluorescent Cave Spider, filled with “exciting” action shots.
As Cady rose from her seat on the couch, she had to stretch a little—making her realize, a bit self-consciously, how long she'd been planted in that spot with her plate of spider-shaped blinis and other hors d'oeuvres.
She saw Preeti across the room, tidying up a little, before setting down her dish towel to stand beside Rex. Automatically, he slipped his arm around her and she leaned into to him a little. Cady couldn't help envying what they had. Their love seemed so solid, so guaranteed.
For a moment, Cady watched them. Preeti was statuesque, standing about half an inch taller than Rex. She always exuded sophistication, and her natural elegance made her very attractive. Rex was sort of good-looking himself, except he made no effort to maximize it. Instead, he insisted on keeping the same dorky haircut for the last decade and of course the thick glasses weren't helping.
“Ahem—um, excuse me,” Brandall spoke up suddenly. “Uh...excuse me everyone,” he said again, a bit more loudly.
Following his voice, Cady turned and saw Brandall and Linda standing in front of the sliding glass doors. A light drift of snow was falling behind them; there was already a thin white layer covering the patio. Thankfully, Cady had a brand-new tire put on her car this week, and was not still driving around on the spare.
“I'd like to make an announcement,” Brandall continued, casting a gleeful smile first to Linda, then to the rest of the room. Cady wandered closer, figuring her dad was going to tell Preeti's family about the engagement. Apparently they already knew, however, because Brandall said, “I know some of you have asked when Linda and I think we'll get married. Well, I'm happy to say that we have an answer for you.” As he chuckled a bit nervously, Cady went on high-alert. Please say never, she thought hopefully, please say never...
“November 28th,” Brandall declared.
“Ah. So about a year from now,” Preeti's father said, then with a debonair smile, raised his wine glass. “Best of luck to you both—”
“No, no,” Brandall interrupted. “I wasn't clear. I meant this November 28th.”
“What!” someone blurted incredulously. Rudely. Oh, wait, that was Cady. Sorry, but she couldn't manage to contain the outburst. Was her dad officially insane now? Or was Linda just pregnant or something? Granted, that scenario seemed pretty remote, but Cady's mind was scrambling to explain the shared lunacy. For pete's sake, what the hell was going on here?
After her outburst, all eyes were on Cady—who had enough self-awareness to blush. “I mean...come on, that's...”
“Dad, that's two weeks away,” Rex intervened. Even though his demeanor was unemotional, the concern in Rex’s voice was clear. Good, so it wasn't just Cady! (Yet, somehow coming from Rex, the sentiment sounded more mature and less shrill.)
“We know it's completely impulsive!” Linda jumped in, smiling widely. “But we talked about it and...it just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Okay, where was she getting that? Cady thought angrily. Maybe her mom's suspicion had been correct; maybe this woman was some sort of operator, manipulating Brandall and worming her way into his family for a sinister purpose, or simply out of greed. There was no way Brandall could have come up with this ludicrous idea...could he?
“What's the rush?” Cady said.
Unabashedly, Brandall replied, “We've decided to follow our hearts.”
Gag. Sorry she asked.
This was insanity—her father was a scientist, to a fault. His closet was filled with drab clothes that spanned decades. His guilty pleasure was quantum mechanics. His favorite number was i. Since when did he ever blindly “follow his heart”?
“Well...” Preeti's father said, then looked to his wife—whose stunned expression deftly transformed into a pleasant facade of civility.
“Congratulations!” she said warmly. “We're so thrilled for you.”
“Thanks so much,” Linda replied, her tone bubbly. “And you're all invited, of course.”
“But, Dad, Thanksgiving is on the 30th,” Rex pointed out, his brow furrowed. “Preeti and I are hosting it this year.”
“I know,” Brandall began, “sorry about that, but...well, you won't miss us, will you?”
“What do you mean?” Cady butted in. “You're not going to Thanksgiving now?”
Still smiling cluelessly, Brandall explained, “We're thinking of taking a little honeymoon. Not sure where—”
“Though we'll have to decide soon, so we can book it,” Linda jumped in cheerfully.
“I see,” Rex said tightly. When he held back further questioning, Cady decided to follow his lead. Badgering their dad in front of everyone wouldn't accomplish anything. He had obviously made up his mind, or had simply lost it completely.
“Wow, planning a honeymoon on impulse? That's adventurous of you!” Preeti's mom said with fake admiration. “How romantic—but how will you organize a wedding so quickly?”
“Oh, believe me, I love throwing parties,” Linda assured her with a laugh. “Or at least I used to…I haven’t planned anything in a while, but I’ve already been busy...”
As Linda began sharing her wedding ideas, Cady's eyes drifted over to her brother's. He returned her look with equal apprehension, but kept silent.
Then Cady noticed that, while everyone else had appeared caught off-guard by the wedding date, Preeti's expression had remained serene. Hmm...she knew something.
Cady managed to corner her over by the fish tank. “So, this whole thing is pretty crazy, huh, Preeti?”
“It’s certainly a surprise,” Preeti agreed diplomatically, clearing away a tray with one uneaten “cave” a.k.a. mini bundt cake.
“You didn't seem that surprised by it,” Cady ventured and helped her by gathering up some empty cups on the sideboard.
“Well...” Preeti lowered her voice, leaning in a bit. “To be honest, Linda confided this to me earlier tonight, but she asked me to keep it quiet so she and your dad could make an announcement.”
“You didn't even tell Rex?” Cady said, surprised. What the hell? Preeti had known Linda Croft for practically five minutes. Now she was keeping her confidences?
“A secret is a secret,” Preeti stated primly.
“I can tell Rex isn't too thrilled about the news,” Cady observed.
“Yes, well...you know Rex, he's just the cautious type.”
“I just don't understand why they're hurrying to the altar. I'm sorry, but... something seems off here. I'm worried about my dad.”
Preeti gave her a soft look of understanding and patted Cady's arm. “No, it's not that serious, honestly.”
Curiously, Cady tilted her head. “What
do you know about it?”
Now Preeti made a discreet glance over her shoulder, lowering her voice even more, as she replied, “The truth is, Linda's birthday is December 1st. She's turning fifty and...” Preeti shrugged. “I suppose she's feeling a bit vain about it. She said that she really wanted to be married before her birthday.”
“Why? I don't get it.”
“She said she really did not want to be a fifty-year-old bride.”
“Are you being serious?” Cady said incredulously. “That's ridiculous!” Not to mention, annoying as hell. If Linda wanted to plan her major life commitments around her vanity, that was her call, but dragging Cady's dad along with her?
Then again...
One look at Brandall's jubilantly dazed smile right now reminded Cady that her dad was not being dragged anywhere. He was obviously crazy about Linda, and also couldn't race down the aisle fast enough.
Figuring eye-rolling and cynicism were not acceptable etiquette, Cady was grateful that this party was over. After saying goodnight to everyone, she hurried to her car. Snow was still falling, now less powdery and ethereal. Instead, it pelted and splashed against her car the whole ride back to Boston.
Chapter Twenty-three
When Cady got home, she found a note taped to her bedroom door:
Went w/Ember + her roommates to check out that new bar Polar. Hope the party was fun and nobody bugged you. Ha, just came up with that insect pun on the fly. Bam, did it again. Yes, I'm awesome... ok latr! xoxTorie
Hesitating, Cady stood in front of her bedroom door contemplating her next move. Normally she'd never think to go to a bar herself, much less after arriving home from a forty-minute drive in the snow and sleet. All smart instincts were pointing her straight to bed. Yet, she’d really like to see Torie and to vent—she was too wired to sleep anyway—and her roommate always made her feel better about whatever was bothering her.