Invitation to Love (11 page)

Thirty
minutes later, Michael sauntered in, looking refreshed dressed in a gray tunic
shirt and matching pants. She stood at the table pretending to wipe at the
water goblets, casting furtive glances at him as he walked over to the stove and
lifted the foil to inspect the Cornish hens waiting to go in the oven.
Afterwards, he peered into the refrigerator at the salads wrapped and ready to
eat before grabbing a bottle of water.

“Is
everything okay?” she couldn’t keep silent one more minute.

He
walked over to stand with her at the table, his brows drawn, and then he
remembered. “Oh, you mean the vase?”

She
dropped the dishtowel on the table and faced him squarely. “Michael, I know
that vase was expensive. But, I’ll make it up to you.”

“Five
thousand isn’t that much,” he laughed softly, then sipped a good portion of
water.

“Five…Well,
I know Remi had no business being in the library. And, I
will
punish
her.”

“You
don’t have to punish her, Taryn”

“I
don’t?  Aren’t you mad at her for breaking it?”

“No,”
he replied with a simple shake of his head.

“So,
let me understand this. You
don’t
want me to punish her?”

“Why?”
he asked then finished his water. Afterwards, he went over to the trash can and
dropped the bottle inside. “Accidents happen. We talked. And, she promised to
be more careful from now on. Are those the glasses we’re using tonight?” He
came back to the table and pointed to the water goblets standing in a neat row.

Taryn
stood stunned until his question finally registered. “Uh—yeah.”

“Are
you okay?” his head tilted, a bit of concern etched in his features.

She
nodded, baffled by his calm.

“Then
I’ll take these glasses to the dining room.”

She
stared at his departing figure, a fusion of relief and wonderment sailing
through her—Then the smile from her heart manifested across her face.

Chris
and his date were at the door promptly at six. While Michael answered it, Taryn
and the girls stood attentively in the living room. When Chris entered first,
Taryn was quite surprised at how much he and Michael could almost pass for
twins. The only real difference was the stark auburn hue to Chris’ hair, and
the lighter color of his eyes. The shadow of a beard traced along his jaw line.
She concluded that good looks ran all the way through that family. When his
date followed in behind him dressed in a very tight, black, sequined dress, she
recognized her instantly.

“Taryn,
this is Chris and our good friend Raven,” Michael offered when they all
streamed into the living room.

Grey
eyes and a cool smile darted over Taryn.

“It’s
nice to meet you, Taryn,” Chris’ voice was deep and charming. “Now, I know why
you’ve been on cloud nine since coming back from Florida,” he said to Michael
as his eyes studied her intently.  “He’s right, you’re fine.”

Taryn
blushed, and was somewhat surprised by Michael’s description of her. “Thanks.
It’s nice to meet you, Chris.”

“Well,
hello,” he turned his handsome attention to a speechless, yet watchful Remi and
Rachel anchored to their mother. “Carbon copies. And, such beautiful ones at
that. Which one of you is the prettiest? I can’t decide.”

The
girls giggled and hid back behind their mother.

“Which
one is Remi?”

She
peeked around at him. “Me.”

“So,
where’s Rachel?”

She
stepped all the way in full view. “I’m Rachel, and I’m the prettiest.”

He
couldn’t help laughing at the way Remi jumped out and glared at her sister.

“It’s
nice to meet the prettiest girls this side of the Pacific.  You can call me
Uncle Chris.”

“Are
you really our uncle?” Rachel’s eyes widened with glee.

“Well,
technically, we’re cousins. But, that’ll be our little secret, o.k.?”

“Yaaay.”

“There’s
some presents in the back of my car if you want to get them.”

“For
us?” Remi almost gasped.

“For
you,” he waved his arm toward the front door. “Off you go.”

“Thanks,
Chris,” Taryn said when they lit out. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“What
are uncles for,” he responded with a captivating wink.

As
everyone took their seats, and Michael prepared drinks, the girls hurried back
inside, tearing at the wrappings on their gifts before they could completely
settle to the floor. Rachel wowed and thanked him for her Barbie doll, ballroom
gowns with high-heels included. Remi was equally thankful for her View-Master
and reels of her favorite cartoon characters in 3-D. Taryn could see that what
Michael had said about his cousin was true: He’s quite a charmer. Any female
would be his with just one look. He’s already won over Remi and Rachel.

As
for Raven—well, it was clear to Taryn that she didn’t care for her, or the girls,
one bit. All through the evening, her abrasive glances held them with such
haughty contempt. Taryn had to hand it to her, though. She made an effort at
being pleasant with her now and then as conversation flowed through the
evening. Michael’s presence seemed the only force able to soften her snobbish
features and reveal what little human feelings she possessed. Taryn even took a
chance and graciously congratulated her on her role in Michael’s movie
investment. A clipped thank-you was all she received in return, followed by an
adoring smile toward Michael. The longest thirty minutes passed before dinner
was ready to be served.

“So,
how do you like California?” Raven asked from her seat next to Michael at the
dining table. She turned her nose up at the crab salad Chris passed to her,
discharging it to Michael, instead.

Taryn
almost slid from her chair from the honor of finally being addressed. “I’ve
only been here for almost a week. So far, I really like it.”

“Maybe,
you and I can get together one day, so I can show you all the fabulous places
to spend as much of Michael’s money as possible,” she eyed him wickedly and
laughed.

Taryn
knew she didn’t mean one word of that; She was just trying to impress Michael.
Never on God’s green earth will they spend any girlfriend togetherness of any
kind—not that it’s breaking
her
heart. There’s just some people it’s
best to keep your distance from, and she’s definitely one of them. She displays
her nastiness like a badge of honor.

“You
know, Michael, I’m still reeling from the news of your sudden marriage,” Raven
said after they had exhausted the topic of her successful role in Charming.

“That
long, huh?” Chris replied before sipping from his glass of Chardonnay.

“Don’t
start, Chris,” she pointed her fork at him. “Now, be honest with me, Michael.
We’re all friends here.”

“What
do you want me to be honest about?”

“Well,
yesterday you were an eligible bachelor. Today, you’re a married man with a
ready-made family. Did this have anything to do with those nasty, nasty rumors
about your being gay?”

Taryn
paused from placing another portion of salad on Remi’s plate. She and Michael
exchanged glances while a smug Raven waited.

“If
I told you that I don’t care about those rumors, and that I married Taryn
because I love her, would you believe me?”

Taryn
thought she heard a humph under her breath as she focused on putting seconds on
Remi’s plate.

“Of
course, she wouldn’t believe that,” Chris spoke up. “All that’s good and pure
is too boring for Raven. She’s more into scandals and backbiting.”

Raven
shot Chris an indignant eye causing him to chuckle. Taryn just wished the topic
would go away.

“If
that’s what Michael’s says, then I believe him,” she stuck her fork into a
lettuce leaf and swirled it around in the air to inspect.

“Momma,
what’s gay?” Remi’s whisper could still be heard around the table.

Taryn
quieted her and urged her to eat.

“Have
you heard anything from Karen?”

“For
heaven’s sakes,” Chris leaned back in his chair and grunted.

“What?”
her thin shoulders lifted as if baffled by that reaction. “What did I say?
Surely, Taryn isn’t put off by that harmless question. After all, she already
has Michael. You don’t mind, do you, Taryn?”

Taryn
simply smiled and signaled for her to continue.

“See,
Chris? Well, Michael?”

“No,
I haven’t heard anything, Raven,” he fixed his apparent frustration on
refilling his glass with wine.

“I
got an email from her the other day. Want me to fill you in on what she’s been
up to in the land of fog and boiled food?”

“Sure,
Raven,” that frustration was now targeted on her. “Why don’t you tell us what
she’s been up to. I’d love to sit here while you go on about it.”

Raven
gulped softly, turned straight in her seat, and filled her wine glass to the
brim. To Taryn’s relief, the rest of dinner was spent on topics of business, a
new restaurant, and which direction the wind blew today.

“Help
me clear the table, girls,” she said when dinner was over, and everyone stood
to return to the living room.

“You
and Raven go ahead, Michael,” Chris rose from his seat and began piling empty
dishes together. “I’ll help Taryn.”

Raven
slid her arm through Michael’s before he could object, and promptly led him
from the room. Taryn and Chris loaded the trolley with dishes and followed the
girls as they wheeled it away to the kitchen.

“Don’t
mind her,” Chris said when Remi and Rachel went back to the dining room to wipe
the table clean. “She’s just being herself tonight.”

Taryn
took a dish from him and placed it in the dishwasher. “Who? Raven?” she said
matter-of-factly. “She’s not bothering me.”

“That’s
good, because you’ll probably be seeing a lot of her.”

She
stood upright from those words, then caught herself and resumed loading the
dishes. “That’s fine with me.”

“Liar,”
he teased, causing laughter to burst out.

After
adding the detergent, she snapped the door close then pushed the button that
sent the machine into motion.

“Since
you possess such a high threshold of tolerance, then I’d better prepare you for
the rest of the night.”

“Prepare?”
Taryn thought what an odd thing to say.

“Yeah.
You see, she and Michael have been friends since high-school. She used to
double-date with him and Karen. When they called their engagement off, she up’d
her periscope and set her target right on him; With Karen out of the picture,
her field was clear. Of course, Michael never noticed her. So, you can imagine
her shock when news hit that he’d fallen for someone he met in Florida, and
married her within a month. To be sure, she has her fangs out tonight, so
beware. She’s going to be all over him just to spite you.”

Taryn
was amused by the sinister way he delivered those last two words. “Thanks for
the warning. I can tell she’s not interested in being my friend.”

“You’re
the wrong gender,” one side of his mouth lifted quizzically.

“Well,
that explains it.”

When
they returned to the living room, Michael and Raven were seated together on the
couch. Taryn and Chris crossed over Remi and Rachel, who were sprawled on the
floor playing with their gifts, to get to the chairs. True to Chris’ prophecy, Raven
began cozying up to Michael as if on cue. So, Taryn was prepared when she
crossed her legs close to him, and shot her one of those vainglorious stares.

Of
course, it didn‘t seem to bother Michael that she was practically buried in his
side, beaming and chattering in his face as if he couldn’t hear her if she sat
to the other end of the couch; Nor did he oppose the touch of her head on his
shoulder when she felt the need to laugh out. After an hour of it, Taryn
decided she’d had enough. Thankfully, it was time to put the girls to bed. She
stood and excused herself.

“I’ll
help,” Chris jumped up and tagged along.

“Thank
you for the gift, Uncle Chris,” Rachel said as Taryn tucked her covers around
her.

“You’re
welcome, Petal,” he ruffled her hair.

“Now,
come and put me to bed,” Remi pulled at his hand.

Taryn
kissed Rachel good-night, and turned her night-light on as she left.

“You’re
nice, Uncle Chris,” Remi said as she hopped onto her bed and scooted under her
covers. “You’re handsome, too; But, not as handsome as Michael.”

“I
guess I shouldn’t be too offended then,” he tickled her under her chin.

“I
can’t wait until school starts so I can show you off to my new classmate; Why
they’ll just beg to be my friends when they see I have a handsome daddy and
uncle; I even bet my teacher will give me good grades when…”

“Remi,
sweetheart, what a mouthful,” Taryn straightened her pillow. “I think you’ve
said quite enough for the entire day.”