Timing (260 page)

hugging me in the dark.

Inside, I took Charlotte’s keys to Rand’s mother and told her that

Rand was driving me back to the house to collect my stuff because he

was going with me to see a client in the morning. I was surprised when

her face lit up and she took hold of my arm.

“Oh thank God,” her breath rushed out. “You keep that girl away

from him, Stef. I can’t stand the doubt and self-loathing she plants in

him.”

“I thought she was a nice girl,” I reminded her of her words

earlier in the day. “You said that she was sweet and a homemaker

and—”

“I know what I said,” she slapped my arm, “but it’s crap. She

broke the man’s spirit with whatever she did or said, and I don’t want

her back, you hear?”

“Yes ma’am.” I grinned at her. “I’ll protect him.”

“See that you do.”

I hugged her tight, and she gasped at the sudden movement. “She

told Rand she’s getting remarried. She just wanted to tell him.”

“She’s full of crap—she came to tell him she’s gettin’ hitched to

see what his reaction would be, and that’s all.”

I eased her out to arm’s length. “You’re so distrusting.”

Her head snapped up so she could look up into my eyes. “Stef, I

know my children well, and if you think I don’t know what’s good for

them and bad for them… you’re a fool.”

I nodded, my hands dropping away from her.

“When I first met you, I didn’t understand about being gay. I was

certain that given enough time, Charlotte would wear you down and

you two would be married.”

I was going to say something, but she lifted her hand to stop me.

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145

“I understand more now. I’ve gone to meetings and such.”

Why?
What would prompt her to attend meetings about being

gay?

“Don’t look at me like that,” she warned me. “I need to be… I

know what’s fixin’ to happen, so just don’t you be so sassy.”

Me? “What’d I—”

“I love you,” she said suddenly, hand on my cheek as she stared

up at me, daring me to say even a word. “You are a good boy, Stefan,

contrary as all get out, but still… very good. Whatever happens, I

approve.”

Air. I needed air. “You—”

Her hand fell off me, and she turned and walked away without

another word. I really was in
The
Twilight Zone
, I just knew it. Before I

had a chance to recover, Rand walked by, grabbed my bicep, dragged

me over to a table, and shoved me down into a chair before taking a

seat beside me. Looking around at the group, there was no one I knew

except Jenny, and we had never been properly introduced.

“This here is Stefan Joss, Char’s best friend,” Rand grunted, his

thigh plastered against mine under the table. “Stef, this is my ex, Jenny

Stover, and her cousin Kim, and my cousin Travis, and his wife

Donna.”

“Nice to meet you all,” I greeted them.

“Your speech was the best one,” Kim assured me.

“Thank you.” I accepted the compliment because I was hoping it

was true.

“And you look amazing,” Jenny said, her voice smooth and

lovely. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tan tuxedo before.”

I arched an eyebrow for her. “Gotta be different.”

Her smile was warmer than I expected, genuine. “Absolutely.”

She sighed before turning to Rand, her hands closing on his bicep.

“Come dance with me.”

He had no choice: she was tugging on his arm, and everyone else

at the table was urging them on. As he started standing up, though, the

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music died, and the DJ apologized before he said that the bride needed

her best friend out on the dance floor.

“That would be you,” Rand said to me, tipping his head toward

the floor.

Standing up, I made my way through the crowd of people to find

Charlotte on the dance floor with her hand out to me. I heard the first

chords of “Crusin’”
as she grabbed me.

“You’re insane,” I assured her.

Her arms lifted, locking behind my neck as she stared up into my

eyes. “And you will always be my first love.”

I took her into my arms as the song began, my eyes locked on

hers. It had to be confusing for some people, the way she looked at me,

the way I held her, since the love was there, a tangible thing that

anyone could plainly see.

When the song ended, I bent and kissed her forehead, and there

was cheering.

“One of these days,” she said wickedly, “before I die, I will get a

real kiss from you, Stefan Joss, and I will know what the big deal is all

about.”

I arched an eyebrow for her, and she giggled before the DJ

announced that the car had arrived to take the bride and groom away to

their honeymoon. Being ready to call it a night myself, the novelty of

her wedding having worn off hours ago, I gave her a tight squeeze

before turning her toward Ben as he jogged across the dance floor to us.

I was surprised that he had to hug me before he left, and I watched

them as the crowd surged around them to see them off.

Outside on the gravel driveway, everyone clustered around as

they climbed into the limousine, and Charlotte blew kisses before the

door was finally closed and the car rolled away. When I turned to go

back inside, I was suddenly face to face with Ben’s father.

“She’s Charlotte Cantwell now, sir… she’s a member of your

family.”

“Yes, she is, and I’m very proud.”

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147

I smiled and went to move by him, but he stopped me with a hand

on my arm.

“You let me know if you ever think about leaving that big fancy

firm you’re with now, Stef. I could use a man who knows people and

the value of things.”

It was really a very generous offer, as Ben’s father owned a very

large, very financially sound real estate development company. “Thank

you, sir,” I said, taking his offered hand.

He tightened his grip when I tried to let go. “What you think you

know about me is not the case, Stef. I realize what I said the other day

left you thinking a certain way about me, and I am sorry about that. I

was upset and spoke out of turn; those were not my true feelings on the

Holloways. Furthermore, you being gay does not concern me in the

least, and for the record, the insurance at my company covers domestic

partners as well as spouses.”

I was stunned. I had thought poorly of him after his comment

about Charlotte’s family, but he loved Charlotte. Clearly he liked her

immediate family, as evidenced by his interaction with May and Rand,

and apparently he really liked me and didn’t care who slept in my bed.

“So you call me if things change with you, Stefan. I would love to

talk to you about what you want your future to be.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t confuse this conversation with me being nice. I am very

serious about making money and truly believe you would be an asset.”

“Thank you again, sir.”

“No, thank you, Stef,” he said, patting my arm. “You’ve been a

good friend to Ben, and I value that more than you know.”

I was watching him walk away when Rand stepped up beside me.

“What was that about?”

“He just offered me a job.” I turned my head to look at him.

“Weird, huh?”

The bemused expression on his face made me smile.

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“That Mr. Cantwell is a smart man. He sees Char, he sees you…

very smart man.” He exhaled, reaching out to fiddle with my collar.

“So,” I teased him, “you ready to go, cowboy?”

“Yessir,” he said, nodding, tucking a long piece of hair behind my

ear, his fingers sliding down the side of my neck.

We went to say goodnight to his mother and Uncle Tyler, and

they said they would see us for breakfast in the morning. May was

going to spend the night at the house where the wedding party had been

staying and then drive over to the ranch in the morning. I told her that

she should just follow us back and we could get our things and drive

over to the ranch together. Tyler thought that sounded logical. The look

Rand shot me would have killed me, but I waggled my eyebrows at

him, and he couldn’t hold the scowl.

On the way out, Jenny and her cousin asked Rand for a ride, but

May said that neither of us, neither car, was going back toward

Lubbock. We were all headed back out to the ranch.

“And we all know how much you hate the ranch, dear,” May said,

patting her arm as she walked by.

I looked at Rand as he succumbed to a coughing fit.

“God, your mother just hates me now,” Jenny said sadly, looking

at both of us.

“Can’t rightly blame her,” Tyler said as he walked by.

She gasped, and Rand grabbed my arm to yank me after him.

I heard her gasp for the second time and snorted out a laugh.

“You’re making her think bad things when you manhandle me.”

“So what?” he sighed. “She didn’t want me, she don’t get no

say.”

As I walked out with him, I wondered about the story of Rand

and Jenny and whether I even had the right to ask.