Cancelled (9 page)

“My mom is already here.” Kellie glanced at her cell phone and tossed it back into her bag. She pulled off the paper sheet giving her modesty, and pulled her underwear and jeans back on in front of Johnathan. He turned away in embarrassment.

“I don't want you to come anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Why? Why? You accused me of drug use! I'd have to change doctors if Dr. Harper wasn't cool.”

“I will come to the appointments.”

“You don't want to be here. No one is forcing you do anything but write a check. And I'm not even forcing that!”

Johnathan spun around and stared hard at her. She wouldn't understand. Her parents were still married. “As long as this baby is mine biologically, I will be here to be its father. If that changes with the results from the testing, trust me, you'll never have to see me again. Email me the ultrasound date.”

Johnathan left her to finish dressing and found his way back through the waiting room. Once outside, he squinted and wrinkled his nose at the late afternoon sunlight and smell of damp asphalt. The quick rain shower had also dropped the air temperature by a few degrees. Walking to his car, he kept his arms telescoped as close to his body as he could.

A knock on the apartment door at 7:37 PM made Johnathan smile. Alexis shimmied into the apartment underneath Johnathan's arm and dispatched her coat, duffel bag, and brief case into the nearest chair. Johnathan expertly poured a glass of Guinness and handed it to her.

“Beer?”

“It's Saint Patty's Day. Drinking anything else is sacrilege!” He grinned. Using tongs, he placed the corned beef brisket onto a platter to let it rest. The cabbage and potatoes continued somersaulting in a large stock pot on high heat. In two minutes, the timer would go off and he could drain.

“You can smell the cabbage from the elevator.” Alex glided over to Johnathan and hugged him from behind, trying to get a good look at dinner. He shooed her back.

“Wait 'til you taste everything. I still can't believe you never had corned beef.”

Alex flopped into the kitchen chair and sipped her beer. “I've had corned beef hash.”

“Not remotely the same.”

“It's not my fault there isn't any Irish in me.”

Johnathan spun around and gave a devilish grin. “Would you like some?”

Alex laughed. “You aren't really Irish!”

“On St. Patty's, everyone is Irish.” He rushed to kiss her and only broke away when the timer beeped.

“How long until dinner?”

“Now.”

Johnathan plated the Irish fare and brought his hard work to the table. Vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper were already in place. Double-checking that all of the burners and oven were turned off, he grabbed utensils for each of them. Just as Alex was about to take a tentative first bite, Johnathan hopped up from the table, again.

“Napkins.” He placed a hastily ripped paper towel next to both plates.

“Can I eat now?”

“Bon appetite.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Isn't there a more fitting Gaelic phrase for the evening?”

Johnathan looked at his plate. He couldn't think of one. So, he just shrugged and took a man-sized bite of his corned beef.

“You don't know one? Maybe because you aren't actually Irish.” Alex chuckled at Johnathan noisily squirting a large pool of mustard onto his plate.

After a few bites, Johnathan asked her how she like the meal.

“The meat's good. I haven't tasted anything like it before, are you sure it's just brisket?” She poked at the limp cabbage and snow white potatoes chunks with her fork. “This stuff is a little bland.”

Johnathan nudged the vinegar towards her and nodded his head. His mouth was full of food. Fleeting memories of drinking a beer with his Dad when he was only 16 and eating a St. Patrick's Day meal made him smile before devouring the rest of his own cooking.

After dinner, the couple found their way to the familiar black sofa. Instead of playing another movie, Johnathan tuned in a big band music station and disappeared into his bedroom. He returned with a bottle of lotion. Sinking into the far end of the couch away from Alex, he completely baffled his girlfriend.

“Come on, put them up here.” He patted his right thigh. Alex stared at him blankly. “Your feet. You worked overtime today meeting with Simms. I'm sure they're killing you.” He gave her devilish smile.

Alex stood up and hesitated, or so Johnathan thought, until he saw she was taking off her pantyhose in the most lady-like fashion she could. He still got a good glimpse of her upper thigh just before it transformed into a round mound. He swayed back into place before she turned around. He was such a sucker for a woman's ass.

“I won't ever turn down a foot massage.” She placed her feet on his thigh and wiggled her toes.

Johnathan lubed his hands and grabbed her left foot. He slathered on the lotion before repeatedly pulling his hand over the narrow part of her foot. Readjusting his hands, he ground his thumbs into her heel. She sucked in a deep breath.

“Hurt?”

“Nn-no.” Her mouth broke into a wide smile and her eyes brightened. Johnathan refocused his attention on her arches. He didn't want to move things into a sexual direction too early and have her shut everything down. But that didn't stop him from making brief glances up the graceful line of her leg to the hidden cove under her skirt.

“So how did the meeting go over the incorporation papers?”

Alexis' tone returned to business. “Simms recommends a few changes, nothing major. The biggest suggestion is changing our buyout provisions. Given the current economy, he suggested we change it to a 2-to-1 vote for both partner removal and offers for selling the company.”

Johnathan frowned.

“I don't understand why we can't just keep it unanimous. Why would we vote someone out who didn't want to leave the company?”

“Be serious, Johnathan. We can't subsidize Eric forever. I'm not saying let's vote him out tomorrow, but what about two years from now when we still can't count on him to play ball?” Johnathan's face held a stony expression, forcing Alex to change her tactics. “Besides, one of his pet projects might take off. You never know.”

Johnathan pumped more lotion into his hand and moved to Alex's other foot. He marveled at how small her last toes were on each foot. Perfectly feminine.

“What size shoe do you wear? Two?”

Alex crossed her arms in front of her. “Seven. Which is always very hard to find.”

Feeling sufficiently relaxed, Alexis bent her knees and tucked her feet closer to her body, simultaneously raising her upper body. She leaned forward and met Johnathan half way. They shared a chaste kiss.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

“Will you think about Article Nineteen?”

“What?” he asked, his mind already on moving things along.

“The buyout provisions in the charter.”

“Oh, that.” Johnathan pulled away and turned the music off. It was after nine already. “Only if you're ready to go to bed.” He gave her a challenging look, but Alexis wasn't easy to play.

She rose from the couch and smoothed her skirt. Delicately bending her knees to lift her stockings off the floor, she walked to the kitchen to grab her overnight bag. “I thought you'd never ask.”

Johnathan opened his mouth in shock. Wasn't it just three weeks ago that she wouldn't have sex with him? He knew going forward without telling Alex about Kellie's baby was risky. But he wasn't positive he was even the father. Surely, she will understand when the time came. If it ever did.

“Are you coming?” She leaned out of the bedroom in nothing but her skirt and the camisole she had worn that day under her jacket. Spying her slightly bronzed shoulders and following the lacy strap to her breasts, he didn't need any further encouragement.

“Not yet. But we can fix that.” Johnathan quick-stepped to his bedroom, and turned off lights on his way. Closing the door silenced her giggles and his growls as they spent their first night together in his apartment.

7

“D
idn't you wear that same tie yesterday?” Eric gestured to the slate blue accessory with a satin geometric design around Johnathan's neck. Johnathan grabbed the tail and looked at it.

“No, I wore a gray one like it, I think.” He tried to control his blush. Of course it was the same tie. He forgot to pack a different tie in his overnight bag; yesterday's became today's recycling after he and Alex woke up at her place that morning. The last two weeks were a blur of hot sex, dinners out, and alternating who packed an overnight bag.

“No, I don't believe so. I believe that is
exactly
the same tie you wore yesterday.” Eric thumbed screens on his smart phone and showed the impromptu pictures from yesterday with the Claw, the mechanical hand at the end of the Hedis armature. It wasn't operational yet. There was Johnathan, struggling against the inactive Claw around his neck, and a slate blue tie with a satin geometric design dangling underneath.

Johnathan hung his head. No arguing with picture evidence. The cement floor of the work cave was a piece of abstract art. Various oil and lubrication stains made a random pattern of darkened splotches. Rainbow bits of electrical wire hid here and there, temporary visitors until their heavily modified Roomba was released.

“And I also believe...” Eric held his pointer finger in the air, as if testing the wind, then brought it down and pointed it back to his best friend. “You are in love with Alex.”

No shock. No shame. Johnathan faced his oldest friend with a sheepish smile and eyes fierce with confidence.

“I wanted to tell you, but she had all of these stupid rules at the beginning and I just tried...it was a miracle I didn't screw things up.”

Eric played with an actuator on the work bench in front of them. He flicked the toggle switch back and forth. Click. Click. Click. Johnathan waited.

“I'm not stupid. You two sucked at hiding.”

Johnathan pretended to scrutinize the drawing in front of him. More than forty drawings made up the circuitry alone for the Claw. Today's goal was to start on drawing one and hope the software would match up with the schematic. If it didn't, Johnathan didn't want to contemplate the amount of work they would need to redo. It'd be more than a month's worth.

“I didn't want to hide,” Johnathan finally said. Anna's words about Eric also loving Alex echoed in his mind. “You going to tell me you wouldn't have done anything, given her whatever she wanted, to be with her?” Johnathan raised his eyebrows and changed tactics. The awkwardness might dissipate quicker if Eric could admit his own crush.

Eric pressed his mouth into a firm line and made one final click on the switch. He exhaled. “Alright. I would. Okay? But if the two of you are happy, then I am, too. I'm not ready to settle down, so more power to you for jumping on that grenade.”

“And what grenade would that be?”

Eric laughed, stopped, looked at Johnathan's expression, and then continued to laugh. He clapped Johnathan on the shoulder and in between chuckles imparted sage advice. “There's only two ways for this to go, man: wedded bliss or company apocalypse.”

Johnathan's face paled and he gulped. Sure, he wanted a life with Alex, but hearing the two outcomes from the mouth of another exponentially increased the sobering effect of both thoughts. His feelings didn't match his reaction to Madeline's posturing for an engagement ring. Instead of heart attack symptoms, his heart felt lighter. Free. It wasn't just that he could settle down with Alex.

“I want to.”

Eric hefted an electronics kit to the work bench and ignored him.

“I said I want to. I want to settle down with her.” Johnathan grinned and twirled his pencil between his fingertips.

“You never thought about it 'til now?”

“Yes, I mean no. Abstractly. One day. But why wait for one day?” Johnathan wanted an answer but Eric assumed the question was rhetorical. “Do you think she'd marry me?”

Eric rolled his eyes. “How about this, I'll have lunch with her and casually bring up the subject and then tell you what she says.” Eric continued to pile up the tools and instruments they would need today. “Or you could write a note that I'll pass back and forth with a check box?”

Johnathan frowned at Eric's sarcasm. Maybe being open with all of this wasn't a good idea; maybe Eric still liked Alex too much. “But you're cool?”

Eric snatched the first schematic from in front of Johnathan. He plugged in the soldering iron and began searching for transformers from the clear set of small drawers that organized all of the company's small electronics. “Yeah, I'm cool.”

Rolling up his shirt sleeves, Johnathan wished he had remembered they were starting the electronics work today. He would have worn a polo like Eric. Instead, he'd just sweat it out. He mulled keeping changes of clothes in his office. Wondering about prices of a small closet, he pulled the knotted tell-tale tie off and stuffed it in his pocket. It needed dry cleaning, anyway. He wasn't meeting any clients today, Eric wouldn't mind his casual attire.

“Can we work now?”

Johnathan smirked at the uncharacteristic phrase coming from Eric. “Absolutely.” Turning his mind back to the Claw, he couldn't wait for the “It's ALIIIVVE” moment all of their creations received. Johnathan sighed. They still had so many weeks to go. Hedis was becoming more synonymous with headache.

After lunch with Alex, Johnathan stopped back in his office before meeting with his attorney to go over his taxes. Only two weeks left to pay Uncle Sam and the Hedis project schedule would keep him busy until then. As he made his way out to the car, he popped into her office for farewells.

“I'm leaving to meet with Simms. You sure you're okay riding home with Eric?”

Alex glowed. The thrill of their new relationship lifted her spirits and very little punctured her happy-go-lucky attitude towards life. “Yep, we're even having dinner, which we haven't done in forever.”

“You're going out to dinner with Eric?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?” Her eyes narrowed, daring a jealous response to their mutual best friend.