Face the Music (7 page)

Cynthia.  I had a vague recollection of her on the dance floor but couldn’t quite put all the pieces together.  “Yeah, was she amazing or what?”

Emily
’s face pulled
into a grimace.  “I’ll go with the ‘or what.’  She looked like a hooker.”

I nodded as fragmented memories came to surface.  “She was a total bitch, wasn’t she?” 

“
I
t’s true,”
Emily
said, spreading butter across her hot toast.

I swallowed the last of my juice and
sat down at the table
. 
“I don’t remember coming home.
”
 
Or getting undressed
.
 

She laughed and then
groaned
.  “Oh,
you’re killing me
.”  She
closed her eyes and
rubbed a spot
in the middle of her forehead
. 
She then looked at me with a grin that would rival that of the Cheshire cat. 
“That doesn’t surprise me.  You passed out in his car.”

His
?  “What car?”

I didn’t think it was possible, but her grin got even bigger.  “Chris’s.  He
carried y
ou up here and put you in bed.”

Holy
s
hit
.

I studied her expression, hoping
to
find some trace of ridicule, but h
er cheesy ass smile gave nothing away. 
“Oh my God!  Are you kidding
me
?”

She bit into her toast and chewed. 
“
’Fraid not, sister!”

I picked at
a thread on the hem of
my
shirt
. 
She
seemed to read my mind.  “Don’t worry. 
He was a total gentleman. 
He put you in bed and left. 
I undressed you.
”

I dropped my forehead to the tabletop
,
partly from relief
.  If
only I could remember
.  “Oh, Em!” I whined, turning to look at her.  “How could you let me do that?” 

She covered her smi
le with a napkin.  “Don’t worry about it.  I
think he
enjoyed himself
.  I
think he kind of
enjoyed
you
, too
.”

Her eyes followed me as I got up and headed for the bathroom.  A wave of nausea had my insides doin
g
somersaults
.  “You’re insane,
”
I called over my shoulder.
 

A few minutes later she came in and found me lying on the
soft grey rug next to the toilet.  “You gonna be okay?”

“I’m fine,” I groaned
without opening my eyes. 
I was afraid if I moved something else might find its way back up.

“Are you sure?”

With much effort,
I eased up to a sitting position and leaned against the tub. 
The porcelain was cool through the thin material of my shirt. 
“Yes.  G
o. 
I have a lot of work to do.”

She twisted the cap off a bottle of Listerine.  “I’m taking Molly with me
,
so the place
should
be quiet
for you
.
”

“Okay.” 
I took a swig of mouthwash. 
It burned against the inside of my mouth
, and I spit it in the toilet
.

Emily
dampened a washcloth and tossed it to me
. 
“
I’ll see you later.
  Get some rest.
” 

“
I will.
”
 
I wiped my face but made no attempt to get up off the floor. 

Emily and Molly headed out,
and I was grateful for the peace and quiet
.  I decided to take a bath to try and clear m
y head.  The hot water was soothing, and I felt myself start to relax.

Something startled me awake.  I don’t know how long I’d been sitting in the tub, but when I opened
my eyes, the water had cooled. 
There was a faint knock on the
front
door.

“Just a minute, I’m coming,” I yelled, jumping out of the tub.  I pulled
on
my
short,
fuzzy pink robe
and found Jake in the hall outside my apartment.

“Hi!  What are you doing here?”  I
held the
front of my robe
shut as
he followed me into the kitchen.  My stomach was still churning, and I hoped a cup of hot peppermint tea would help settle it.

“Good morning to you, too.”  He
shook off
a
charcoal colored
coat
and hung it
over the back of a chair
.
  “Geez, babe, you’re a mess.”

“Em and I went out last night.  We got home late.”  I filled
a tarnished
copper kettle with water. 
It had belonged to my mom
.

“You went out without me?  Where’d you go?”

“Maury’s.  Ever been there?”

“Nope, but I’ve heard good things.”  His eyes lingered on
the bare skin of my chest
.
  My stupid robe wouldn’t stay
closed
, and I felt naked
.  His gawking didn’t help. 

“Will you give me a minute?  I’m gonna
get dressed
.”

He stepped in front of me, blocking my way.  “Why?  I don’t mind.  You look good in nothing.”
  His voice was suggestive.

I
ignored the comment
and walked
past him
to my room
.

“W
hat’s
the occasion
?” I shouted from down the hall as I dried off and pulled on a pair of yoga pants.

“I was hoping we could eat hot dogs and watch a princess movie.”  He laughed at his own joke.  “I
brought you something
.”

“What for?”  I poked my head out the door and
glanced
at him.

He held up a red, heart-shaped
box.  “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh…” 

“You forgot, didn’t you?  Geez, Allie.  It’s only the
most romantic day of the year.  Candy, flowers,
lov
e
…
” 
H
e drug out the syllable of the last word.

My stomached flipped. 
No wonder I felt like crap.  This was the most sickening day of the year.  “More like cavities, allergies, and
heartache
,” I mumbled as I dug a t-shirt out of my drawer.

“What?”
  He was standing in my doorway.

“Hey!” I shrieked, holding the shirt against my bare chest.  “A little privacy, please!”

He didn’t go.  Instead, he came into my room, wrapped his arms around my naked shoulders, and nuzzled my neck.  “You smell good. 
Coconut
?”

I wiggled free of his grip. 
“Jake,
this is
n’t
a good idea.”  Aside from the fact that my stomach felt like an off-balance washing machine, I didn’t want to be with
him
this way.  It was uncomfortable.

He ran his fingertips up and down the bare skin of my arms.  “Why not?  I think it’s a great idea.”

I
turned
away from him and
pulled
the t-shirt
down
over my head.  I then folded my arms across my chest.  “Jake,” I said, my voice stern.

He shushed me.  “Don’t say anything.  I have to tell you something first.”

Shit
. 
Ignoring his attempts at seduction wasn’t working.

We both jumped when the doorbell rang.
  I was never more grateful for an interruption in
all
my life.

“You expecting someone?”

“No.”  I shook my head
.  “Would you mind getting it?”  The kettle whistled in the background.
“I should turn off the stove.”

I l
istened from the kitchen as Jake opened the door, but
I couldn’t tell who he was talking to.

When I saw who followed him in, I
was so surprised that I
backed into the coun
ter and almost
scalded myself with
my
hot
tea. 
“Chris!  Um, hi.”  I reached up and touched my damp hair, trying to smooth it out.  I hadn’t gotten a chance to run a brush through it yet.

Jake flashed me a wondrous look from the other side of the room.  I shook my head, silently begging him not to say anything.

Chris’s eyes darted between me and Jake.  “How are you?”

“Um, fine.  You?”

“I’m alright.”  He held up a coat.  My coat.  “You left this in the car last ni
ght. 
Y
ou might need it
; it’s chilly
.”

“Oh, thanks.
”
 
I glanced at Jake.  He was leaning against the cou
nter, listening to every word.  “
And thanks for
bringing us home, by the way.
  I owe you one.
”