Something Wonderful (11 page)

“
S
ORRY
I
’M LATE.”
K
ATE
heaved an exhausted sigh as she slid into the booth next to Nicole, and shoved a shopping bag under the table. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she had no makeup on. Her attire wasn’t what she would normally wear to our gathering. She wore jeans and a plain sweater. “Kristen had a fever last night. I’m so exhausted, but knowing we were exchanging Christmas gifts today, I wanted to be here. And besides, I really need this.”

“Sorry to hear about Kristen,” Nicole said.

“How is she now?” Becky asked.

“Her fever went down after I gave her Tylenol and the doctor gave her antibiotics today, so she’s much better. Hopefully, she’ll feel better soon.”

None of us knew what it felt like to take care of a sick child, but seeing Kate look so tired and worn, it clearly took a toll on her.

“Sorry,” Kate continued. “I can’t stay long. She finally took a nap so Keith is okay to watch her for now, but if she wakes up cranky, he won’t be able to handle it.”

“That’s okay,” I sympathized. “We understand.”

Nicole raised her hand to catch the waitress’s attention. “Sorry, but could we order now? She needs to get home to a sick baby.”

“Sure,” the waitress said. “I’ll tell them to do your order first.”

“Thanks so much,” Nicole said sweetly.

The waitress left after taking our orders. We all ordered the Thai chicken salad.

“We should use this excuse whenever we’re in a hurry,” Becky laughed.

“To save time, let’s exchange gifts now,” Kate suggested, grabbing her bag. Then she paused. “But before we do, I want to hear how it went with Max meeting your parents.”

Everyone listened intently, laughing and smiling at the details of our conversations. I told them about how I spilled water on Max and what he said, and how sweet he was to my parents. “And you want to know what he did after we got home?” I asked, feeling heat rise to my face.

As if I was reliving what Max had done, my body quivered and I swear I felt a burst of energy between my legs, and a jolt to my clit. Oh my God! It felt so real. Running my hand down my face, I got ready to tell them. I couldn’t believe I was going to share this intimate detail with my friends. In a way I felt like I was exposing him…exposing us.

“So what happened?” Nicole blurted, leaning closer, as if she could get it out of me faster.

“Okay…okay.” I swallowed. Then the waitress came with our food. Wow, that was fast. We looked at each other in surprise. Stabbing a chicken slice, Kate stared at me as the waitress left.

“Don’t leave us hanging.”

“Okay,” I giggled again, stalling to reveal the can of worms I opened up. I’d never been open about the topic of sex before. I was the one with open ears most of the time while they did the talking. “After we got home, we went upstairs. Max took off everything but his shirt. Before I could undress, he picked me up and took me into the shower.

“I screamed, getting all wet with my clothes on. Then he said all seductively, ‘You spilled the cup of water on me. You want me wet, Jenna?’ We were both completely soaked and he looked hot under the running water while his white dress shirt clung to every curve of his muscles. Then we…well… you know what happened after that.”

“Oh my God, you have a better sex life than I do. How did that happen?” Kate swallowed.

“I need a cold drink just thinking about it, but I don’t want to think about you and Max,” Nicole laughed, placing her cold drink on her cheeks. “I need to cool down.”

“I wonder if Matthew is like Max,” Becky snorted, but stopped when I looked at her with questioning eyes. “I didn’t mean anything by that…you know…cause they’re brothers,” she explained.

When it looked like I didn’t buy her story, she nudged me and I understood that as “no need to explain further.”

“Enough about my sex life. Let’s exchange gifts so Kate can get home,” I suggested, taking a bite of my salad, since I had barely eaten. Pulling out my shopping bag, I handed out their presents. “Let’s open mine first.”

With the ripping sound, they peeled the thin layers of the wrapping that covered each small box.

“Awww…Jenna. This is so beautiful,” Becky raved, putting on the bracelet I got for her.

“This is beautiful,” Kate smiled. “Look. It even has our names on each heart charm.”

“This is so sweet of you. I totally love it,” Nicole squealed.

“I bought one for myself, too. Now we all have something sentimental that bonds the four of us.”

“You’re so cute and sweet. That’s why we love you,” Becky said, giving me a sideways hug.

I couldn’t have been happier. They loved the engraved bracelets I got for them. Then it was Becky’s turn. She got a scarf for everyone, but she said she left mine at home. No big deal, but I wondered what she was up to. It was a tradition to open our gifts together before Christmas. Kate bought each of us a cashmere sweater from Banana Republic. Mine was red, Nicole’s was purple, and Becky’s was black.

Nicole bought us each a Swarovski clear heart, hand-made necklace. She explained one of her co-workers made jewelry during the holidays. Not only was it beautiful, it sparkled like a real diamond. When it caught the candlelight, it gave off the hues of the surrounding colors.

After dinner, we hugged tightly, wishing each other the best Christmas. Secretly, I slipped an envelope attached to a small box in Kate’s purse. It was a baby’s first Christmas card and baby’s first Christmas ornament I bought at Things to Remember. Since Becky and I drove in separate cars, I told her that I would meet her at home.

“
Y
OU HAVE A MINUTE?”
Becky asked, as we entered our apartment.

“Sure, let me call Max to let him know I’m home.” After I took off my coat and placed it on the sofa, I took my phone out of my purse and leaned against the dining table.

“What’s wrong?” Becky asked.

I didn’t know she was watching me. “It’s Luke. He’s stopped texting me
every
day, but it’s still annoying.”

“Does Max know?” Becky sauntered to the Christmas tree and lit it up, then picked up a box.

The Christmas tree brightened up the room. I couldn’t help but smile from the sight. The meaning of Christmas filled my heart and peace flowed through me. It reminded me to be forgiving and to have more patience, especially with people like Luke.

“No, I don’t want him to worry or do something crazy. I’d figured Luke would eventually get the message. Why is it when you’re not available, you’re wanted more? I don’t get it.” I let out a short laugh. “He had his chance.”

“Maybe you should change your phone number,” Becky suggested, handing me a gift box she was holding. “This is for you. I didn’t want you to open it in front of Nicole and Kate because I knew how embarrassed you’d be. Plus, I don’t think it’s appropriate to display this in front of people at a restaurant.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What did you get me?”

“It’s not a big deal. Well…maybe for some of us,” she laughed and sat on the sofa.

“Seriously, you were embarrassed for me to open this in public?” My tone rose. “What is it?” Curious, I placed the box on the dining table, ripped the wrapping off, and opened the box in record time. “Oh my God!” I lifted the black lingerie out of the box.

“Max is going to love you in it.” She beamed a mischievous smile.

Now I understood why I had to open this gift at home. As blood rushed to my face, I quickly placed it back in the box. “Thank you. It’s beautiful and sexy and I’ll wear it after Christmas.” Sitting on the sofa next to her, I gave her a tight squeeze.

“You’re welcome,” she said as I let go. “You don’t have to wait until after Christmas, you know.”

“Okay, I’ll wear it on Christmas Eve.”

“Confession time. Have you ever worn one before?” Becky asked.

My lips curled into an innocent smile. “Nope.”

“Wait till you put it on. It will change you,” Becky laughed a good hardy laugh, finding humor in this situation.

How will it change me? Seeing Becky’s expression, I knew she wasn’t going to tell, but somehow, I knew she was right.

“
M
R.
K
NIGHT, WELCOME,”
S
HAWN
greeted in his strong French accent. The store manager extended his hand and offered a firm handshake. His jewelry was pricey, but knowing he sold only the best quality diamonds was worth it. Not only that, he accommodated his clients by making appointments while the store remained closed to the general public.

His store wasn’t very big, but being in the heart of Rodeo Drive, he catered to many famous people and wealthy businessmen.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has.” Releasing his hand, I went to the first glass case. I knew exactly what I wanted.

“What can I get for you?”

“I’m not sure.” I said, so he wouldn’t know I was going to purchase a piece or two today.

“This is a gift for your special lady, yes?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t help but smile when my thoughts were of Jenna. Everything about her made me feel alive, though it was hard to put it into words. She brought joy, laughter, and dreams of the future into my life the way no other woman had ever done before. What could I say? She captured me, locked the door, and threw away the key.

“Ah, I know that smile. It is the smile that says you are in love. Are we looking for a diamond ring, sir?”

“No, not yet. She’d probably freak out,” I snorted and wondered why I thought that was funny. No, not funny at all. When the time came for me to propose, I would hate for her to react that way. It would break my heart. It was the reason I hadn’t done it yet. I’m usually the kick-back and relaxed type of guy, but when you know you’ve found the one, you don’t let go.

“Oh.” Shawn looked surprised. “Then this must be a Christmas gift.” Shawn walked to the other side, opened a case, placed a few items on a black velvet tray, and headed back to me. “How about these, sir?”

The diamonds sparkled magnificently, catching the colors nearby. “They’re beautiful, but they’re too small.”

Shawn went back to the same case. Instead of waiting, I followed behind him. “How about these, Mr. Knight?”

“They’re too big.” Jenna was not the flashy type and I could picture her wearing it only for me and not for her. “But these…” I pointed. “These are perfect. I’ll take the matching set.”

“Very nice. Simple and elegant. I’ll ring you up right over here.”

Shawn took the words out of my mouth. That perfectly described Jenna…she was classy and elegant in every way. “Please have it sent to my office and make sure it’s handed to my secretary.

“Of course, Mr. Knight. As always, it has been a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Same here,” I nodded.

On my way out, a lady walked through the door with keys in her hand. She had to have been one of the employees, since the door was locked from the outside. Giving me a warm, yet seductive smile, I finally recalled who she was. The last time I had seen her was at one of Crystal’s parties.

“Maxwell Knight. It’s been a while. How have you been?” She stopped in front of me, blocking my exit. First thing I noticed was her makeup; she had too much on. I didn’t understand why an attractive woman felt the need to put on that much makeup.

“I’ve been very well, thank you. And you?” I tried to sound businesslike. I didn’t want to give her the impression that I was flirting with her, as I had done at our last encounter. In fact, ever since Jenna, I’ve considered all women off limits. No matter how beautiful they looked, or what they tried to offer, I was not interested at all. I had become a new man.

Darcy started to gently stroke my arm, giving me a heated look. “You know, Crystal and I aren’t friends anymore,” she announced in her most seductive tone.

I had to laugh at her comment. A good friend would never flirt with their friend’s ex, although Darcy and Crystal were never really friends anyway. They were too busy competing with each other. I looked over my shoulder to see if Shawn was listening, but he had slipped into the back room without a word. That left me vulnerable to whatever Darcy had in mind, but I wasn’t worried. I was in control.