Page 10 of Lucas & Melissa Falling in Love
Chapter 4
“I’ll have Walt put your bags in the guest room,” George said. The familiar way he referred to the family butler sent another kind of sensation cutting through my nerve endings, putting me on edge. It was the sound of privilege. Even if George was far from snobby or condescending, he was privileged and it sounded off-key to me tonight.
I nodded and followed George and Margo to the bar that had been set up in the oversize living room. It was dressed out in holiday gear and filled to capacity with merry-making beverages of all kinds.
“What’s your pleasure?” George asked while I watched Walt whisk my bags away. He looked kind of old to be carrying all those bags, but maybe all the bag lifting kept him young and strong. There was no room in me now to give rein to feelings of guilt. Besides, I was sure the guilt was misplaced. I hadn’t done anything wrong to Walt. So what if I didn’t carry my own bags to the guest room?
“Melissa?” Margo put an arm around me and I remembered I was ordering a drink.
Normally I drank wine or champagne at these shindigs, but tonight was special.
“I’m having a candy cane martini,” she said holding up her drink.
“I’ll have a scotch on the rocks.”
Both of George’s eyebrows went up, but he dutifully—and without comment because he was a decent man with impeccable manners—pulled out the best bottle of scotch from the top row of bottles and poured the golden liquid over ice in an old-fashioned glass.Baccarat crystal.He handed it to me and I might have snapped the glass up from him as if I’d arrived from the Mojave desert dying of thirst.
“Suppose you tell me what’s going on—over here.” Margo pulled me by the arm away from the hustling caterers and staff they’d brought in for the night—and away from George. He suddenly got busy supervising the stacking of glassware.
Once she’d dragged me into the den, a spacious room made cozy by the fireplace and the Christmas tree, Margo slid the pocket doors closed behind us. It was the real tree, the one Margo and George put their gifts under. I knew this because my best friend had told me all about it and about how it would be where she and George drank eggnog in the evenings and where they’d have coffee and open their gifts on Christmas morning.
It hit me then that they didn’t need the rest of the penthouse. They’d be happy with this room, this relatively small space, and I wondered if I’d ever find that kind of happiness—the kind that made money come in a distant second on the importance meter.
“Spill it. What’s up with you? Why are you going home?”
“It’s the holidays, for cripes’ sake, Margo. I go home for the holidays every year.”
“Sure, but you usually don’t bring all those bags and I noticed you didn’t mention when you were coming back.”
“I know.” I didn’t know what to tell Margo that wouldn’t ruin the evening. So, I decided to evade the question as I had been doing. Luckily tonight I had an excellent topic sure to distract Margo from her concern.
“Listen, I have to apologize—or warn you or something.”
“What is it?” Margo leaned on the arm of George’s overstuffed chair as if she was afraid of fainting at my news.
“I met a man and I invited him to the party tonight.” No need for the tawdry details about when and how we met.
She popped up and her face went into that surprised and happy glow the way it did whenever any of her friends met men, as if at any time any one of these men could bethe onefor them. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Who is he? Tell me all about him.” She grabbed my arms as if I was trying to escape when I wouldn’t dream of escaping.
“His name is Lucas and he’s delicious A big hunk of a man with an angel’s face who kisses like a devil.”
“Ooh. Sounds very promising, Lissy. I’m so glad you invited him. I can’t wait to meet him.”
I could tell she was trying to hold back her giddiness, but I felt the vibrations in her and damn if it wasn’t catching. My smile turned into a foolish grin to match hers.
“He’ll be here in less than an hour.”
“Is it anyone I know? Anyone George knows?”
I shook my head and then she frowned.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. It’s just that Willie will be here tonight and I hope he’s not too disappointed. I know he was looking forward to seeing you.” She paused and plopped down onto the arm of the chair again. “And Burton will be here too.”
I knew that. I knew she was fixing me up with Willie, unnecessarily since I knew I could go out with George’s cousin any time I said the word. And I should have known Burton would, of course, be at their Christmas party since he’d become one of George’s good friends. But somehow the knowledge had gone hiding in the recesses of my mind and wasn’t anywhere to be found while I was busy inviting Lucas to the party.
