Payback (Firsts and Forever Stories Book 10), page 7
I called ahead and got us a table at the window at the Top of the Mark. The restaurant was bright and airy, with great food and panoramic views of the city. But I’d selected it for a more sentimental reason.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Cheers, Mal.” Ginny raised her glass of sparkling water in a toast. I’d told her for years that I really didn’t care if she drank a glass of wine in front of me, but she insisted on refraining when we were together, as a show of support for my sobriety.
After I clinked my glass to hers and took a sip of iced tea, I asked, “Do you remember the first time we came here?”
“Like I could forget. It was our junior prom—two little baby gays, deep in the closet, pretending to be each other’s dates.”
“You wore that hideous satin dress, with a huge bow across the chest.” I included a hand gesture to show the way it had wrapped around her cleavage.
“And you had a mullet and were trying to grow the saddest little mustache! Don’t make it sound like I was the train wreck.”
“Let’s face it, we both were. That was a fun night, though.”
“Yeah, it was, because I made out with Susan Meyer in the ladies’ room.” She took a sip of water and gestured with her glass. “Of course, good ol’ Sue tried to act like it never happened after that, but whatever. We both knew the truth.”
“It was fun for other reasons, too. I remember driving around in the limo later that night, belting out the lyrics to ‘I Wanna Sex You Up,’ and laughing our asses off.”
She chuckled at that and told me, “I still have my Color Me Badd T-shirt somewhere.”
“Dork.”
“You had the same shirt.”
“I know.”
As I started to spread butter on a roll, Ginny asked, “So, what’s the plan with the boy toy?” She held up her hand and added, “Sorry, I only meant to think that boy toy bit, not say it out loud.”
“Plan?”
“Yeah, you know. Tomorrow, you’re heading off to bone in the woods for a week. Then there’s the wedding, where we may or may not discover he’s a nut job after all. If it turns out he isn’t, what happens next? I’m curious, because you don’t usually spend all day, every day with men you’ve just met. And I know you said it’s because you’ve both been treating this past week like a writers’ retreat, but there’s obviously more to it than that.”
“Is that a round-about way of asking me if I like him?”
“I know you like him,” Ginny said. “I’m curious what’s going to happen after you two return to San Francisco.”
“I have no idea. We’re still getting to know each other, and while these last few days have been incredible, we’ve basically been living in a bubble. I think taking this trip together will end up revealing a lot about our compatibility, and our chances of starting to build something.”
“You know, I heard you swear you were done with relationships, once and for all.”
“I did say that, but only because it was getting exhausting. Aren’t you exhausted, Gin? You’ve been out there trying to find the love of your life for the last three decades, same as me. I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve had our hearts broken, how many relationships have failed over years, how many times we swore we were done with this shit.
“But that’s the thing about Daniel—he gives me hope. I didn’t think I had any left. And I’m happy when we’re together. He makes me feel good, and he makes me think maybe I have it in me to give it a shot, just one more time.”
“Damn it, Mal, now you’ve actually got me rooting for him.” She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “And hell yes, I’m exhausted. Are you kidding me? Sometimes I think if I have to go on one more first date and have the same boring conversation about my job, and what I do for fun, and what I’m looking for in a partner, I’m going to completely lose it. But hell, if you can scrape together a tiny shred of optimism after all these years, then I guess I can, too.”
I grinned at her. “Maybe you need to find yourself a twenty-something cutie, like I did.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Please. What did we just say about being tired? You may have the energy to babysit, but I sure as hell don’t.”
When our lunch arrived, she shifted the topic to complaining about one of her clients, who she was scheduled to meet with that afternoon. She’d shown this guy almost a hundred properties over the last two years, and he’d found fault with every single one of them.
After we finished our main course, I asked, “Do you have time for coffee and dessert?”
“I’d better not. If I’m late, I’ll never hear the end of it.” When her phone buzzed, she muttered, “I swear to god, that better not be him, pre-complaining about something.”
Ginny looked surprised as she read the text message, so I asked, “Is something wrong?”
She raised her index finger to indicate ‘one minute,’ as she placed a call. It turned out she was calling her assistant, and when he answered, she said, “I need you to reschedule my two o’clock appointment. In fact, clear my schedule for the rest of the day.” He asked a question, and she frowned and told him, “Just make up some excuse. You know, like when I asked you to work on a Saturday, and you told me your grandmother died. Again.”
She ended the call and placed her phone face-down on the tabletop as I asked, “What’s going on?”
Ginny chewed her lower lip for a moment before meeting my gaze and telling me, “You know I love you, Mal. I’ve always thought of you like a little brother.”
“I’m two months older than you, and three inches taller.”
“Whatever. My point is, I did something you’re probably going to object to, but you need to know it came from a place of love and concern.”
“What did you do?”
“As you know, I tried to find out what I could about Daniel on my own, but who the hell am I, Columbo?”
“That reference makes you sound like you’re ninety years old.”
She shot me a look. “My point is, I could only do so much, so I decided to hire a professional.”
“A professional what?”
“Detective.”
“Wait. You hired a detective to dig into Daniel’s private affairs?”
“Yes, and it’s a damn good thing I did, because he found something big.”
“What the hell, Ginny!”
“Love and concern, remember?”
“But isn’t that a bit extreme?”
She shrugged. “Maybe, but like I said, I couldn’t do it on my own. And do you remember what you said to me after that first night with him? You said you thought he had a secret, and we needed to find out what it was. Well, I just did that, so you’re welcome.”
I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face. Then I muttered, “Fine. So, what did the detective find?”
“Daniel didn’t crash that party because he saw a picture of you online, or whatever he told you.” She picked up her phone and tapped the screen. “He knew who you were because he spent the last year dating your son.” She held up the phone to show me a photo, and I took it from her and studied it closely.
It looked like it was taken at a party. Daniel had his arms wrapped around Brad, and he was beaming at the camera. Meanwhile, Brad looked bored. He was raising a drink to his lips as he stared across the room. There was such a mismatch in their emotions that I actually felt bad for Daniel.
Ginny continued, “It seems they were pretty serious, but they broke up about four weeks ago. Shortly after that, Daniel quit his job of six years without notice.”
“I don’t understand. What do I have to do with any of that?”
“Did Daniel ever mention why his last relationship ended?”
“He said he caught his boyfriend cheating on him. He didn’t say much more than that, but I could tell it really hurt and upset him.”
“I’ll bet this is all about revenge. Brad’s going to be at that wedding, right?”
“I think so.”
“Daniel must have decided the best way to get back at his cheating ex-boyfriend was by showing up at a family event on your arm. Hell, maybe that was just the start. Maybe he was planning to marry you, become Brad’s step-daddy, and spend his inheritance.”
I frowned at her and exclaimed, “Come on! Who would do that?”
“An angry drama queen with a broken heart. Tell me you couldn’t see Daniel coming up with a plan like this.”
“Not the part about marrying me for Brad’s inheritance. Nobody would take it that far.” After a pause, I admitted, “But he has a temper and a flair for the dramatic, so I could see him wanting to make a big entrance at that wedding, just to watch his ex’s reaction.”
“I could see that, too.”
I put down Ginny’s phone and took mine from my pocket as I said, “I’m going to check and see if Brad had been planning to bring him to the wedding. That might help explain why Daniel was focused on it.”
As I tapped my screen, Ginny asked, “Are you texting Brad to ask him?”
“No. We’re still not on good terms, after that big fight we had about a year ago. I’m going to see what it says on my sister’s guest list.”
“Why do you have access to the list?”
As I pulled up the spreadsheet, I explained, “It was included with the information the wedding planner forwarded to me yesterday. Since I’m arriving in Vancouver a few days ahead of both her and my sister, they wanted me to be ready to troubleshoot any emergencies that might come up.” I scrolled through the document before saying, “Yup, here it is. Brad sent back his RSVP five months ago and indicated he was bringing a plus-one—Daniel Larson. I guess he forgot to update his information after they broke up.”
“Not to say I told you so, but can we take a moment to appreciate the fact that I was right all along? I knew he was up to something, and that it had to do with the wedding. It just never occurred to me it might be related to Brad.” Ginny took a sip of water, then gestured with the glass and added, “Thank god we discovered what Daniel was up to before you flew his ass to Canada! Now you can cash in his first class plane ticket and cut that scheming little troublemaker out of your life.”
“No, I’m still bringing him with me.”
“Are you serious?” When I nodded, she blurted, “Now why in the hell would you do that, Mal?”
“Because I like him, and this isn’t a deal-breaker.” I paused, and after a moment I added, “I guess I’m also trying to buy him some time. The wedding is still a week away. Maybe he’ll come clean and let me in on his plan. It would mean a lot to me if he did that.”
“Whether or not Daniel confesses, Brad’s going to see you two together at the wedding. Are you worried about how that’s going to make him feel?”
“No. That sounds harsh, but I can’t help but think Brad deserves a little payback, after cheating on his boyfriend. Maybe he’ll feel some regret when he sees Daniel, and he’ll think twice before he cheats again.”
“He’s always been a selfish little jerk,” Ginny muttered. Then she glanced at me and said, “Sorry. I know he’s your son and all, but it’s not like you had much of a say in how he was raised. I mean, your girlfriend broke up with you and married someone else while she was pregnant with your kid, so what could you do? I’ve always thought she and Brad’s stepdad spoiled him rotten, so maybe that’s why he’s so inconsiderate and entitled.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Ginny leaned back and took a sip of water before saying, “I should probably hate this plan of yours, and I should tell you to dump this guy and be done with it. But I get it. You want to give him a chance. Plus, I like the fact that Daniel thinks he’s running the show, but you’re now the one holding all the cards. Maybe he’ll learn a lesson here. If Brad does too, all the better.”
After a few moments, I grinned at my best friend. “I’m looking forward to seeing Daniel in action. I’m picturing him striding into that wedding like a spurned heroine in a telenovela, looking devastatingly handsome and saying, ‘eat your heart out, Brad.’ I think it’s going to be spectacular.”
“Either that, or the whole thing’s going to blow up in his face. It could go either way.”
8
Daniel
On Thursday, I brought lunch to my friends. Timothy and I had worked together for years, and we’d quit our restaurant jobs around the same time. We were also housemates briefly at the pink Victorian, before he moved in with his boyfriend Aleksei.
Now Timothy was recovering from a skateboarding accident that had left him with a broken arm and a broken leg, and Aleksei was on an extended leave of absence from his company, so he could take care of him. I hadn’t been a hundred percent sold on Aleksei at first, but after the accident, he’d totally stepped up. I appreciated the way he doted on my friend and barely left his side, at a time when Timothy needed him most.
Also, I thought it was interesting that the difference in their ages was almost the same as mine and Malcolm’s. It had surprised me at first that Malcolm and I got along as well as we did, and that we had so much in common. But here was another couple with a huge age gap, and they were totally making it work.
Not that Malcolm and I were a couple…
I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on lunch, which had come from a fantastic Italian deli. We ate in the living room, so Timothy could sit sideways on the couch with his leg up. They’d recently furnished the room together, and it was sophisticated and modern, with more artistic flair than I’d have expected buttoned-down CEO Aleksei to go for.
While we ate, I told them about all that had happened over the past week. Timothy hadn’t been totally on board with my plan for seeking revenge on my ex by pursuing Malcolm, and I could tell he still had some concerns. But they both tried to be supportive as I rambled on.
Then I told them, “By the way, I may be hard to reach for the next week. We’re flying to Vancouver in the morning, and from there we’re taking a boat to a private island. That’s where the lodge and the cabin Malcolm rented are located. I’m not sure how the internet and phone service will be.”
Timothy looked concerned as he pushed his dark curls out of his eyes. “It’s pretty obvious you like this guy. So, are you really willing to blow up your relationship by using him to get back at his son? The whole reason you wanted to go to that wedding was to torture your ex and make him miserable. I can’t imagine Malcolm’s going to be thrilled about his role in that.”
“This isn’t a relationship. It’s a two-week fling that was always meant to go down in flames. Why would a man as gorgeous, talented, and successful as Malcolm Sterling think, ‘hey, you know who I want to end up with? An unemployed waiter from Bellflower.’ Seriously, in what universe would that happen?”
Timothy frowned at that. “You’re really selling yourself short.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I doomed us from the start by not being up front with him about dating his son. It’s a built-in deal breaker, because I intentionally lied to him. So, why not go ahead with my original plan and Thelma and Louise us right off a cliff? In the meantime, I fully intend to enjoy every minute of this for what it is—a quick, high-speed joyride that can only end in disaster.”
“I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” my friend muttered.
A little while later, when Aleksei went to take the dishes to the kitchen, I said, “For someone who’s broken fifty percent of your limbs, you seem awfully happy. I take it living together is agreeing with you.”
His blue eyes lit up when he smiled. “It is. Aleksei’s been such an angel. He was a total workaholic before, and I used to wonder if he’d ever change. But since my accident, he’s been right here, taking care of me around the clock. He checks in with the office once in a while since he couldn’t abandon his staff and clients, but he’s completely made me his priority. I can’t tell you how good that feels.”
“So, speaking of stuff that feels good…” That was a super awkward transition, but I really wanted to discuss this with him while his boyfriend was out of the room. “Now I get why you’ve always been into older guys. Why didn’t you tell me they’re incredible in the sack? I should have guessed, though. A guy in his forties would have had two more decades to hone his skills, versus a guy in his twenties.”
Timothy looked amused. “In other words, you’re having sex with Malcolm, and it’s good.”
“No, it’s not good. It’s phenomenal. Not to sound like the whore of Babylon or anything, but I’ve slept with a hell of a lot of guys over the years, and it was never like this. Turns out I should have been hanging out at the AARP offices, instead of the clubs.”
That made my friend chuckle. “I hate to break it to you, but not all men over forty are incredible in bed. The fact is, if they suck at twenty-five, they’ll probably still suck at forty-five. If sex with Malcolm is that exceptional, it’s because of your chemistry.”
“I still think it’s years of practice.”
“But I’m having the best sex of my life with Aleksei, and he’d never been with a man until we got together. That’s not experience, that’s just the way we click. It might be the same with you and Malcolm.”
I sighed and muttered, “I wish it was mediocre.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s just one more thing to miss about him when this is over.”
“Are you developing feelings for him? You are, aren’t you?”
“No. I refuse to do that. Remember what I just said about this being doomed from the start? When it inevitably ends, I don’t want to end up devastated—again. I’m still getting over the last disaster.”
He looked skeptical. “You refuse?”
“That’s right. My mind and body might be in this, but I’m keeping my heart totally sealed off. I’ve buried it under the floorboards, like in that Edgar Allan Poe story.”
Timothy shot me a look. “You know, things didn’t exactly work out for that character in The Tell-Tale Heart.”
