Alicia's Folly (18 page)

“Stop. Please just stop. You’ve made your point. I’ll – contact her. Monday. When all of the assorted festivities are over and we’re all back to our daily grinds. Will that make you happy?” he asked. Even now, his voice thickened with emotion. How in the hell could one person have so much control over him? He was a self-made businessman, for crying out loud. One didn’t get to where he was by being emotional and weak.
 

“Yes, Nate. That would make me very happy. I would be even happier if you would give her hell from me too. Oh and do it before you hear her voice, because we all know how big a softie you are. The moment you hear her voice, you’ll be all ‘I forgive you!’ and –
Aaaack! Nate! Put me down!
”
 

Nate didn’t do as he’d been ordered until he reached Dimitri’s hotel room door. Having heard her wails and pleas, his new business partner was standing just inside it, a look of consternation on his face.
 

“Are you making fun of him again?” Dimitri asked is soon-to-be-wife. Completely devastated over having her fiance see her in her wedding dress, Liz stomped her foot and spat the string of Russian curses she’d learned from her almost-mother-in-law. Dimitri threw back his head and roared with laughter. Then, when she turned her anger in his direction, he snagged her hand by the pinky finger and slowly reeled her in for a kiss. Nate took that as his cue to get the hell gone.
 

It was and wasn’t difficult to see the woman he would have married be so ecstatically happy with someone else. On the one hand, he and Liz had worked everything out and managed to stay really good friends. On the other, she was moving on with her life at lightning speed, or so it seemed, and doing all of the things he wanted to be doing. Who knew if he and Alicia would
have worked out? He didn’t. But there was still that part of him, deep down, that knew it likely would have. And because of that, it stung to see Liz and Dimitri so
together
.
 

While he waited for Dimitri to finish soothing Liz’ ruffled feathers, he fished his cell phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. Though her first name started with “A” and her last name with “D”, Alicia was listed under “Z” in his phone book. It was his way to avoid seeing her name whenever he had to go searching for a number.
 

Several times since being back from Trinidad, he’d scrolled to her digits and looked at them. Normally he backed  out to the main screen and pocketed his phone when he was done, but there were a few times he’d actually swiped his thumb across her name to activate the call. Out of those times, she only answered once. The pain of that time washed over him, still managing to pierce his heart after several months.
 

… ‘Hello?’ she panted. It was more than a pant, actually. It was a gasp. Images of some faceless man bringing her pleasure filled his mind and made his cock shrivel into almost nothing. ‘Hello?’ she said again. This time there was a slight whimper to her tone. He hurled his phone across his office and heard it smash.
 

“Hello?” a thin, far-away voice said. With a jerk, Nate realized he’d dialled a number. His stomach dropped as he checked the screen to find out whose. It was Alicia’s, of course and all of a sudden, his throat clogged up, probably with his heart. “Please, I don’t have time for this. Who’s calling?”
 

She sounded stressed out. He thought he might have even heard her mutter the word “ouchie” our “owwie”. Was she hurt? He opened his mouth to ask but no sound came out. Even farther than her voice was the sound of a car horn, honking long and insistent. She was on her way out and he was making her late. Feeling both guilty and angry, all he could do was press the phone to his ear as she swore then made one last attempt to get him to speak.
 

“Look, I have to get going. If you’re not going to talk to me, I’m hanging up.” To the continued sound of the horn, she yelled, “I’m coming. Keep your freaking pants on. Geez!” Then the line went dead and she was gone.
 

Nate forced himself to loosen the death-grip he had on his phone. Next, he worked on evening out his breathing and slowing the erratic hammering of his heart. He’d barely just managed this when Liz appeared, looking even more radiant than before. He didn’t doubt Dimitri’s attentions had played a very large part in that.
 

“Let’s get you married,” he said, plastering a grin on his face.
 

“Yes, let’s,” she answered. Then she had to remind him of his earlier acquiescence and add, “You’ll call her on Monday, right?” Nate felt his jaw clench. He worked to release it so he could answer her.
 

“I will,” he said. The insistent car horn and Alicia’s tense voice played through his head over and over again as they walked. It sounded like she was going on with her life without him. Like his own, it was filled with impatient yet well-meaning friends. Did he really want to disrupt that? No, he didn’t. And so, he silently added the word ‘
not
’ to his would-be promise and continued to lead Liz to the elevator and the banquet hall on the third floor.
 

Tristan & Ryan First Birthday
 

“Hey, can you grab those napkins for me?” Alicia asked Nancy, one of her friends from Mom & Me play group. Unfortunately, Nancy was so completely absorbed in telling her nine month old son Aidan how wonderful he and his latest bowel movement were, she didn’t hear the request.
 

“I’ve got them,” Justin offered, coming up behind her. He stepped in close and reached around her for them, one hand just barely resting on her opposite hip. Alicia froze like she always did whenever he became a little too intimate. It seemed to be happening more and more lately and she was getting worried. She wasn’t interested in him in any kind of romantic way, but he wasn’t getting the message.
 

“Hey you two, the birthday boys are getting crabby. I thought you said they had a long nap,” Becky scolded. She was another mom from the play group and was obsessive about schedules, cleanliness and behavior. Whenever they were at group, the other moms had to keep her distracted so her daughter Alexa would have a chance to play. Otherwise the poor mite ended up stuck in her car seat the whole time.
 

“They don’t really like crowds,” Alicia answered as Justin moved gracefully away from her. He acted as though it was the most natural thing in the world to share intimate moments with her in the kitchen. It wasn’t though, and she resented the fact he would behave that way. Perhaps it was time to tell him outright to back the hell off.
 

She made a mental note to talk to him before he left then picked up the two plastic saucers with the boy’s cupcakes on them in one hand and the tray with the cupcakes for the rest of the group in the other. Like a seasoned server at a fine restaurant, she made her way to the back yard where everyone was waiting to sing Happy Birthday.
 

* *
 

“I’m telling you, Mager. You’re pushing your luck,” Herman warned quietly. He didn’t need the busy-body mommies overhearing him, especially the little redhead who kept looking at Justin like she could eat him for lunch. It galled him the woman would do that with her husband looking on.
 

“I’m not ‘pushing’ anything. I’m testing the waters. Would it make you happy to know there hasn’t been a single damn spark of response from her in the entire month and a half I’ve been doing it?” Mager countered. He sounded angry, more so than he should be. Herman decided then and there to stay for the whole party after all. He wouldn’t put it past Mager to brow-beat her into a “test relationship”. The lawyer was too damn smooth for his liking.  
 

“I’m not the one affected, obviously,” he said, arching an eyebrow at the younger man. “What has you so bent out of shape? Alicia’s not the type of girl to just throw herself at a man. You’ve known her for longer than I have. Surely you realized this about her a long time ago.”
 

“I’m not just some random guy. She knows me. She knows I can take care of her, of her boys. Obviously their father doesn’t want to. Would it kill her to react to me, just a little? She just - freezes, - becomes a damn statue, whenever I get close.” Mager huffed and snorted, trying to get his temper under control. It was a good thing too, because the two mothers closest to them were eavesdropping. Herman almost told them to mind their own damn business.
 

“She’s still hoping their father will get in touch. You know that, right?” he asked, keeping his voice low. “She even started a separate bank account to save for the trip. Talks to the boys
about their daddy as if he’s some wonderful, incredible man who loves them and can’t wait to meet them.”
 

The plastic cup in Mager’s hand splintered as his anger got the better of him. What little of the fruit punch there was left in it spilled onto the front of his white shirt, infuriating him further. Surprisingly, he didn’t go into a rant, something he seemed inclined to do more and more lately. It took several more grunts and snufflings than usual, but he did manage to get himself under control, just as the group started to sing.
 

In Herman’s opinion, the younger man needed to get himself a woman, and Alicia wasn’t the one. She had her heart set on her babies’ father. Everyone knew it, no matter how vehemently she denied it. It infuriated him the man wasn’t interested. The babies were just too damn cute and precocious for words and Mr. Nate Langston was missing out.
 

He turned his attention to the two cherubs in their identical highchairs. Their odd eyes – each had one brown, one blue-green – were lit up like Christmas lights as their mother approached. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d seen them perk up and become excited at the sight of her, even when they were already happily playing with their rattles and teethers. He’d even watched the interactions of the other mothers and their babies surreptitiously, to see if all infants reacted similarly and was almost proud to realize none of them ever got quite so excited as Tristan and Ryan did.
 

Herman started to think about how his Alicia was special and stopped himself. She wasn’t “his” anything. Though he often attributed her grace, humor and beauty to the tiny, perfect baby girl his Maggie died trying to deliver – the baby would have been around Alicia’s age had she survived – he knew Alicia wasn’t his. Thinking this way did help him find peace and a much more fulfilling reason for being though. She and her boys made him feel needed. He was actually considering retiring finally so he could spend more time with them.
 

“Do you want one of Alicia’s cupcakes? Apparently she’s been taking baking lessons and doing well. They should actually be edible,” Mager said, standing. He’d soaked up most of the punch and seemed to be in a better mood.
 

Herman would have wondered at that were he not so tired all of a sudden. He was thinking he might have overdone it by spending all day at the park with Alicia and the boys yesterday, then coming over to help her set up for the party this morning.
 

“Not much for sweets,” he answered. “You go. I’m just going to sit here and watch the little ones play.”
 

“All right then. If you need anything, just let someone know.” Mager sounded worried so Herman waved him off. Then he did exactly what he said he was going to do. He watched Tristan and Ryan make a right mess of themselves with their birthday cupcakes. He didn’t think he’d seen a more adorable sight.
 

* *
 

“Hey Alicia. Do you have a blanket? Herman’s falling asleep in his chair,” Justin said, pulling her aside. She looked over at Judge Michaels – it still felt disrespectful to call him Herman, even after all this time – and saw he was nodding off. He looked so old and frail, hardly the robust man she remembered from her days in court. Feeling guilty for taking up so much of his time yesterday and today, she handed Justin the boys’ bottles and absently asked him to deliver them.
 

The judge mumbled an almost-silent “Thank you” and smiled at her beatifically as she gently propped his head with a pillow and covered him with a blanket. Suddenly, he grasped her hand and held it firmly.
 

Startled, she looked him right in the eyes. His tone was heartfelt when he repeated himself and Alicia couldn’t help feeling he was talking about more than the blanket and pillow. It felt as though he was thanking her for anything and everything she’d ever done for him, and then some. Apprehension skittered up and down her spine.
 

As she tucked the blanket around him, she was struck by the sudden urge to return the sentiment. She brushed a soft kiss at the top of his forehead and told him how she felt about his involvement in Tristan’s, Ryan’s and her lives.
 

“I should be thanking you, Judge,” she whispered. “You saved my boys and me by forcing me to come to terms with their existence. Then you gave me a job and pestered me to take care of myself. Most importantly, you’re an invaluable friend. In short, for a “crochety old man”, you’re a pretty great guy. Thank you. Sleep now, sir, and Justin will drive you home when the party is over.” Judge Michaels’ eyes watered as he looked up at her. He gave a little nod as he squeezed her hand then settled in for his nap.
 

Feeling a little unsteady, Alicia returned to the party. Every now and again, she took a moment to check on the judge and make sure he was resting comfortably. He slept deeply, a small, content smile on his face. As the party wound down, she was constantly distracted by one person or another. When the last person was gone, she realized it had been more than an hour since she last went to check on him.
 

“Not now, Justin,” she snapped as he waylaid her with an arm around her waist. He froze this time, the expression on his face inscrutable. For a moment, she thought he would give her hell and they would have their confrontation about his touchy-feeliness right then and there. Instead, he stepped aside. With a wide, exaggerated flourish, he bowed deep. She wanted to punch him in the face.