Kiss in the Dark (18 page)

“He said, ‘Dude…you should bring, like, three bags of chips,’” Vance said. “Those were his exact words.”

Boston smiled, shaking her head at Vance’s perfect impersonation of Dempsey.

“Then I think you should bring three bags of, like, potato chips,” Danielle told him. She shook her head, still smiling. Leaning toward Boston, she said, “Guys totally crack me up.”

“Danielle, ‘bring chips’ doesn’t mean what it used to thirty years ago,” Vance explained. “Bring chips used to mean bring chips—potato chips. But now days, it can mean bring unflavored tortilla chips in case there’s salsa, nacho-cheese-flavored or ranch flavored tortilla chips, corn chips, baked chips, fried chips. It’s totally a new world where chips are concerned. So quit making fun of me for being confused.”

Danielle bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Okay, Vance. I’m sorry.”

“That’s right,” Vance said, cutting a piece of applesauce-slathered pork chop and putting it into his mouth. He looked to Boston, grinned, and winked. “Dempsey could’ve meant to bring buffalo chips for all I know.”

“Oh, yeah, Vance,” Danielle said, rolling her eyes with exasperation. “I’m sure Dempsey would’ve asked someone to bring buffalo manure.”

Danielle smiled. “’Cause if Boston doesn’t mind, you can stay awhile longer…because they’ve started running
Mr. Bean
reruns on the BBC channel at six thirty.”

Boston giggled as Vance’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I love that dude!” he exclaimed. He looked to Boston. “Do you mind, Boston? If I stay a little longer and check it out?”

“Why would I mind?” Boston said, watching Vance slather more applesauce on his pork chop. “When a hottie with a naughty body brings me a barrel of my favorite candy…it’s the least I can do. Right?”

Vance’s eyebrows arched with astonishment, and he choked a little on the bite of food he was swallowing.

“Am I a hottie with a naughty body?” he asked.

Boston smiled—delighted, yet simultaneously surprised, by her own brazen flirting. “Well, I’m sure Sandy Sorenson must’ve thought so…or else you never would’ve gotten out of her store with two hundred and eighty-two chocolate Tootsie Pops.”

“Two hundred and eighty-
three
,” Vance corrected, pointing his fork at her for dramatic effect. “And you’re forgetting the barrel.”

Danielle watched, determined not to say a word—not one word that might break the flow of Boston and Vance’s flirtatious exchange. Oh, Boston could say all she wanted—go on and on and on (as she often did) about how Vance hadn’t turned her head from Logan West. In truth, Danielle was surprised Boston wasn’t wearing a neck brace—the result of the whiplash she must’ve endured when Vance caught her attention.

And what about Vance? Danielle could not remember a time—not in all their lives—when her brother had dropped so much money on something as frivolous as a barrel full of suckers. Nope, they were both stupid—blind to what was happening—but Danielle wasn’t, and she was hopeful. She couldn’t think of two people with the potential to be happier together than Vance and Boston. Still, things could interfere—the past—and she knew it. But she would try to be hopeful, patient, and as nurturing as she could of the potential romance she saw blossoming before her.

Danielle sighed, wishing Dempsey would show as much individual interest in her as Vance was showing to Boston. Yet she buried her own broken heart—tried to ignore her own unrequited love. Vance was on the brink of true happiness, she was certain of it. And that was all that mattered—for now.

Chapter Nine

As always, Dempsey’s party was beyond compare when it came to fun. Food, music, conversation—everything at Dempsey’s party Saturday night was incredible. Nearly twenty people had joined Dempsey for the evening, and it was obvious everyone was having a good time. Best of all, Dempsey was so unusually attentive to Danielle that Danielle fairly beamed the whole night.

“Maybe he’s finally decided to just man up and go for it,” Vance whispered as he and Boston sat on one of Dempsey’s sofas watching Dempsey and Danielle sitting on the floor in front of the massive fireplace, laughing together over pictures in a photo album.

“Maybe,” Boston said. Dempsey pointed to one photo, and he and Danielle both broke into pealing laughter. “It’s the photos of when we were all working at the North Pole…that first summer we met.”

“Well, whatever it is, they’re loving it,” Vance chuckled. Vance looked around the room. “Looks like your pal Dempsey has done well enough financially.”

“Yeah,” Boston said. “But…but Dempsey’s not usually so into stuff. It surprised us all when he bought this big house…all the furniture. It was almost as if he was trying to…”

“Fill a void?” Vance finished.

Boston looked to him, frowning and smiling at the same time. “Yes…Mr. Mind Reader.”

Vance nodded. “He wants my sister,” he whispered. “He’s wanted her for a long time. For whatever reason, he thinks, or thought, she was unobtainable…so he bought a big house and filled it with stuff. A lot of people do that.”

“Is your house big?” Boston asked. She’d been curious all week—curious as to why Vance seemed to put off Danielle every time she offered to come over and help him settle in.

“Nothing like this one…and it’s older,” Vance said. “I kind of like older homes. They seem more…more…”

“Cozy? Lived in? Inviting?” Boston suggested.

Vance smiled, and Boston’s heart swelled at knowing she was the cause of it. “All of the above, Miss Mind Reader.” He smiled, adding, “And more. It’s almost like you can feel the history in an older house, sense a time when things were more defined, when people’s priorities were better organized.”

Boston smiled, even though inside she was beginning to feel nervous once more. Vance was too attractive—so tuned to what was important! She shouldn’t have sat down next to him. She should’ve known it would mess with her mind. Still, what woman in her right mind could’ve resisted settling into a free space next to him? What woman out of her right mind? Certainly every woman at the party was affected by him. She’d never seen so many flirtatious, giddy girls in one place. Well, maybe at the Backstreet Boys concert she’d gone to when she was twelve, but certainly never under normal circumstances. Vance, however, seemed completely unaware of the fact. Whether he was truly unaware of his affect on the women at the party or whether he only pretended to be unaware of it, he was all the more attractive for it.

Boston was rattled from her contemplation of the fabulous man next to her when Dempsey stood up and cleared his throat.

“Okay, everybody, settle down,” he said. “Now…those of you who’ve been to a Dempsey Mattice party before know exactly why my parties are like nobody else’s, right?”

“You’ll see,” Boston said. She smiled as she watched Dempsey get ready to make his big announcement. It was all in good fun, after all—all in good fun.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Dempsey began, “it’s time for the highlight of the evening. Get ready for Dempsey Mattice’s kissing games!”

“Kissing games?” Vance exclaimed. Boston giggled at the mortified, nearly terrified expression on his face. “What is he talking about?”

“It’s fairly harmless,” Boston said, patting him on the knee with reassurance. “Dempsey always has to have his kissing games, but I’m pretty good at them all…so I do all right in avoiding. The trick in Kissing Rugby is to pay attention and try to learn everyone’s letter or number. That way you can sort of pad your competition. If not…you just have to be wiry.”

“Wiry?” Vance exclaimed. “Do I look wiry to you?”

Boston studied him for a moment, giggled, and said, “No. You look more like fresh meat…chick bait.” She laughed when the color drained from his face, and he swore under his breath. “Oh, come on, Vance Romance. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Vance looked at her, one eyebrow arching daringly.

“Are you calling me a chicken, Boston Rhodes?” he asked.

Almost instantly, Boston regretted egging him on. What had she done? Opened the door for any woman in the room to kiss the man she…the man she wanted! It was Boston’s first conscious moment of admitting to herself that she wanted Vance Nathaniel—wanted to kiss him, wanted to date him, wanted to win him over for good!

Boston felt sick. She wanted to throw up. She didn’t want anyone else kissing Vance! Especially if Dempsey decided to throw Spin the Bottle or I Love You, Baby—Smile in the mix. Kissing Rugby wasn’t so bad; it usually only resulted in kisses on the face, not the lips. Even Dempsey’s version of Post Office was endurable. Yet Boston didn’t even like the idea of another woman’s lips touching Vance’s cheek.

“Then form a circle, girls and boys!” Dempsey announced. “We’ll play Kissing Rugby first.”

Everyone was excited and delighted by the prospect of the silly game. Everyone save Boston—and Danielle. When Boston glanced across the room to Danielle, it was to see her friend gazing regretfully at Dempsey the same way Boston felt like gazing at Vance.

“Max and Kara!” Dempsey shouted as everyone nosily formed a circle. “You guys are officially engaged—thereby off the market—so you can be the referees. Okay?”

Max and Kara wholeheartedly agreed.

“Well, let’s go,” Vance said, standing up from the couch and heading toward the circle. Boston watched all the women watch him approach. With her luck, every girl in the circle would have their number called with Vance—every girl but her.

“How do you play?” Vance asked Dempsey as he sat down.

“Oh, that’s right! You’re new to this, Vance,” Dempsey said. Dempsey hunkered down in front of Vance. “It’s easy. The girls count off in numbers, the guys in letters. Then one person starts…stands in the middle and calls out a number and a letter. Pretend you’re in the middle and you call out B-5. The girl who is 5 will race into the circle and try to kiss you somewhere on the face…or lips,” Dempsey added with a wink, “and the guy who is B will try to kiss her before she can kiss you. You have to chase around in the circle. Whoever gets kissed first loses and has to stand in the middle and start the next round. I broke Kara’s arm once a couple of years ago…so we try not to get too rough. Got it?”

And he did. Boston tried to bury her jealousy every time Vance would get called into the ring to try and kiss whatever girl was in the middle. Every time his letter was called, he managed to kiss whomever was in the middle before the girl whose number was called had the chance to kiss him. Even though Vance only kissed the girls on the cheeks, Boston was nearly wrathful inside. She played the game, put on a happy face, and had as much fun as she could, but watching Vance chase other girls nearly caused her to explode! She was relieved when the game finally ended—delighted by the way it ended. Halle was in the middle and called Dempsey’s letter and Danielle’s number. Max yelled go, and Dempsey leapt into the ring. Instead of trying to chase Halle, however, he simply turned around and spread his arms, taunting Danielle to try and catch him. Danielle lunged at Dempsey, and when she did, he didn’t move out of her way—simply caught her in his arms and took her mouth with his in what Boston suspected was the most voracious, ravenous kiss Danielle had ever known.

Everyone clapped and cheered, delighted at the display. Vance whistled and clapped, and Boston could almost forgive him for kissing so many female cheeks—not one of which was hers.

The games continued. Boston managed to make it through the games on wit or skill without taking too many pecks on the cheek. Even the times she did lose, it was to guys she’d known for years—friends.

Vance likewise showed amazing intellect and quickness. He made it through both rounds of Kissing Clue and Kiss Your Neighbor without once being kissed. Boston’s temper and jealousy settled after a while, once she realized Vance was quite dexterous at winning kissing games—or losing them, whichever way one looked at it.



“You want me to rig it?” Dempsey asked in a whisper.

“Heck yeah!” Danielle exclaimed in a lowered voice. “There’s no way Vance will break a smile for anybody else. He knows this game, and he’s, like, unbeatable at it. Even Boston might not crack him,” she said. “But if any girl in this room can do it…it’s her. You’re offering a hundred bucks to the winner. That’s motivation for anybody. So I figure she’ll give it her best.” Danielle shrugged. “If she can’t crack him…they end up in the pantry making out. So either way, it works out. It’s a win-win.”