Reye's Gold (19 page)

“I am so glad you’ve come by early. Isn’t that nice,
Reye?” her mom asked as she returned Sam’s hug.

Reye rolled her eyes and mouthed ‘thank you’ to Sam.
She turned back to the sink and concentrated on the
greens. Would it hurt for her mom to say “great job, Reye”
just once, she wondered as she worked on the veggies. Let
her grill Sam for a while, she thought, let her prod and
probe him about the state of his life and loves for a while. And as far as meeting young men, she’d met one, all right. She just chose not to share that info with her mother yet.
First, he wasn’t serious, and second, he wasn’t serious.
Meeting her mom came with questions that only a man
serious in his pursuit of her would be open to answering.
She knew race wasn’t an issue. She was secure in that
knowledge. She and her brother had friends and girl
friends of every hue, of all ethnicities and backgrounds.
Her parents had treated anyone who came over with
warmth and friendliness. She suspected they would treat
Stephen the same way. Her dad and brothers would be
tough, but for reasons other than race. They would be
hard on any of her beaus because she was the baby girl.

* * *

Dinner that evening at the Stuarts’ was a quiet affair.
His dad had arrived home earlier in response to Stephen’s
homecoming and they’d eaten in the main dining room,
which was large enough to accommodate twenty-four of
his parents’ closest friends. His dad and mom hosted
many dinner parties related to the family’s law practice or his mom’s volunteer commitments.

Stephen had gotten his height and looks from his
dad, who wore his age well.

“How are your classes?” His dad didn’t wait for a
response. “I spoke with Professor Laycock last week. He
was in Dallas for a seminar at the office and he reported
that you were doing quite well in his class. He was
impressed by your range of knowledge.”

“Classes are fine. It’s amazing how much I picked up
from clerking for you in the summers.”

“How is Henri?” asked his mother.

“Fine.”

“Your mother tells me that Beth and her family are
coming over for drinks after dinner tonight.”

“So I heard.”

His dad liked Beth, but knew that he couldn’t press
Stephen. Men needed to make their own choices con
cerning women. “Your mother tells me that Beth is com
pleting her degree in the spring.”

“I guess so. I haven’t spoken to her much this
semester. I’ve been tied up with classes, and I’m sure she
has been, too.” His mother turned the conversation to
some upcoming charity event and they finished dinner to
the sound of her voice, a familiar occurrence.

A young Hispanic girl walked in and began to remove
their dishes from the table.

“Stephen, would you mind helping me in the
kitchen? While Maria cleans up dinner, you could help
me prepare dessert and coffee.”

“Sure,” he said as he stood and followed his mother
into the kitchen. She pulled a tray containing several
types of desserts from the refrigerator and set them on the
counter.

“Are you looking forward to seeing Beth?”

“I guess,” he responded.

Stephen gathered the dishes and utensils that had
been set aside earlier and placed them on the tray his mother had set before him. He lifted it, trailing her into
a smaller room reserved for more intimate gatherings.

“Are you seeing anyone in Austin?” she asked.

He was surprised by the question. “No one in partic
ular,” he said.

“Well, that’s not what I hear.” He didn’t respond. “I
hear you’re rarely at home these days,” she continued.

“
Is that so,” he said, neither confirming nor denying
her comment.

The doorbell rang, ending his mother’s line of ques
tioning. “I’ll get the door,” he said and walked to the
foyer. The Barnes family, all three of them, stood on the
porch. They fit perfectly with the three members of his family, a partner for each of them, and they’d always been a part of his life. He and Beth had played together when
they were young and attended the same school from ele
mentary through high school. Henri with his girlfriend
and he and Beth were a regular foursome, hanging out
together most of their senior year.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” said Beth’s dad, extending his
hand to shake.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, glad you could make
it,” Stephen replied. Behind them trailed Beth. She was a
petite girl, gorgeous, with long black hair and striking
green eyes, and as always dressed to perfection, show
room ready.

“Hi, Stephen,” she said, brushing against him as she
entered through the door.

“Hi, Beth.” He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, but
she moved her head towards his and he caught the outer
part of her lips. She smiled, her eyes filled with mischief.

“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day,” she
said, turning as his parents entered. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs.
Stuart,” she said, giving them a beautiful smile. His dad engulfed her in a warm hug and his mother followed suit.

“You look more gorgeous every time I see you,” his
mom said.

“
Thank you, Mrs. Stuart, so do you. I was hoping to
steal Stephen away for a while this evening, if you don’t
mind,” Beth said before they went further into the house.
“Some of our friends from school are having a party and
we do have some catching up to do,” she said, gazing into
Stephen’s eyes as she spoke.

A chorus of “no, we don’t mind” came from all of the
parents in the room. “Young people prefer to be with
other young people,” said Stephen’s father.

Stephen had been manipulated. Manipulation was
Beth’s forte, but it had never irritated him before. He’d
even found it cute and amusing at times. He’d play along
this time. “Let me get my keys and a jacket,” he said,
leaving the room. A minute later he returned with both
items in his hands. “Let’s go.”

“Goodbye, everyone,” Beth said. She gave all of the parents a kiss and then proceeded Stephen out the front
door.

“Where is this party?” he asked as he walked around
to the driver’s side of his car.

“I’ll drive,” she said, snatching the keys from his
hand. “We are going to a friend’s party. I met her in
school, you don’t know her.”

Beth had driven his car before, so he changed direc
tion and went around to the passenger side. She slid in and adjusted the seat.

“How long are you going to be in town?” she asked as
she started the car and pulled onto the street.

“Until Sunday morning, I think.”

“
Well, you look good, as I’m sure you know,” she
said, giving him a thorough once-over. He wore jeans
that hugged his frame, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a leather
jacket.

“Do you want to hang out Friday, maybe go see a movie?”

“Sure,” he said. He was here to test out his feeling for
her anyway, and what better way then to spend some
time together with her. He wasn’t feeling that over
whelming sexual thing that he felt with Reye, but he still
found her attractive.

They pulled up to one of the more exclusive apart
ments in an exclusive area of Dallas and parked. The
apartment they entered was huge, and there were people
everywhere. Beth introduced him around to her friends. They were all well coifed and on the prowl, giving him
second and third looks. He’d stick with Beth tonight,
ignoring the other glances thrown his way. Beth took his
jacket, and what she did with it he didn’t know.

He tagged along behind her from one room to
another before they entered a large room with a dance
floor, or what passed for a dance floor tonight. Slow
music played from a hidden sound system somewhere
within the apartment. She stopped and put her arms
around his waist. Her head came up to the top of his
chest. He’d gotten used to Reye’s height, and it was a little
disconcerting to adjust to Beth’s. Strange that he used to
prefer short girls, imagining himself as some sort of pro
tector, apparently another preference shot to hell by
Reye.

B
eth pushed herself closer to him and he put his arms
around her. Most of the others on the makeshift dance floor seemed to be coupled up as well. All were busy in
their own personal embraces. It was dark in the room,
save for a lamp or two. Beth put her arms around
Stephen’s neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. He
complied reluctantly at first. He had to remind himself that he was there to test his feelings. He lightly put his
lips to hers and she opened her mouth, seeking his
tongue. After a few seconds, Beth broke off the kiss and
looked up at him. “Is everything okay with you?”

“No, I’m all right, I’m just getting used to being
home. I’m a little distracted is all,” he said.

“Okay,” she said, pulling back from him, for which
he was grateful. They continued to hold each other and
dance. After the song ended, Beth left him alone while
she went in search of something for them to drink. He
stood with his back to the wall and looked at the other
beautiful people in attendance. They were dancing,
talking, and all having a good time. Most of the people
present seemed to be his age or younger, probably home
from college like him, looking to have fun. He wasn’t
having much fun, and he was more than ready to get
back to his place in Austin.

“Here is a beer.” He turned to see her holding two Fat
Tires in her hand. He took one from her.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Are you good here for a while? I wanted to talk to some of my girlfriends. Do you mind?”

“No, I’m good.”

“
I’ll be back to check on you,” she said, turning to
leave. He nursed his beer, relaxing, listening to the music.
He moved on to the next room where a pro basketball
game played on TV. He noticed two men seated on a
couch and joined them, managing to get through an hour’s worth of the game before he checked his watch. He’d had
enough and went in search of Beth, whom he found in the
kitchen, surrounded by five other women, seated around a
very large table. They all looked up when he entered, and,
judging from the guilt and surprise he saw on their faces,
they must have been talking about him.

“I’m ready to go. Are you?”

“Sure, let me get our jackets,” Beth said. He stood
there in the doorway as she walked by him. He looked
over at the girls left in her wake. All of them returned his
look with interest. Some friends, he thought, turning
away. Beth returned quickly with their jackets and they
walked out the door to his car.

“Do you want me to take you home or drive you back
to my parents? Yours are probably still at my house,” he
said.

“Take me home,” she answered. As they both got into
the car, she gave him directions to her apartment. It was
a quiet return trip. She gazed out of the window while he
focused on driving, lost in thought, his mind two hun
dred miles away.

He pulled up to the curb of her apartment and shut
off the engine. He reached for his door handle to open it,
intending to walk her to her door. Beth interrupted his
movement.

“Don’t walk me in,” she said.

“I don’t mind.”

“No, really, it’s not necessary.” She turned to face
him. “Has something changed? You seem distant,” she
said.

“No.”