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LATER THAT NIGHT, FOR dinner, we decided to go to the Shipyard Brewhaus restaurant, which was located inside the lodge. It was a bit rustic for Blackwell’s taste, but it actually turned out to be surprisingly good—the service was terrific, the drinks were on point, and in the end, everyone was happy.
But what came after dinner was questionable at best.
When all of us moved into the Widowmaker Lounge, which was packed with a mixed group of people, it quickly became clear to me and to all of the women in our group that we were completely overdressed.
As I looked around the space, I saw that most people were wearing jeans and casual sweaters—both men and women. Some of the older women had made an effort to step it up a notch, but only a few of them. So, if it didn’t look as if we had hailed straight from the city before, it certainly did now.
“Why are there garish neon signs on the walls hawking something called ‘Bud Light’?” Blackwell said. “And why do they call this place the ‘Widowmaker Lounge,’ of all things? Are husbands about to die in front of me, leaving stricken widows in their wake? Where are we? Who am I? How did I get here? What in the hell kind of a bar is this?”
“Just relax,” I said. “I’m sure they’ll pour you a perfect martini. This might not be what you’re used to in New York, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t let down your bob and have some fun for one night. So, buck up, Babs—because we are going to have some fun.”
“Don’t ever call me ‘Babs’ again.”
“How about if I get the first round?” Cutter asked. “It would be my pleasure.”
“Why are you so nice?” Daniella asked. “Why do you continue to drop your lure in front of me in ways that make me want to take a bite?”
This time, without flinching, Cutter just looked at her. “Let me see if I’ve got this right?” he said. “Martini? No olives, but with a twist?”
“You see? You even know my drink.”
“It’s not as if I don’t pay attention to you, Daniella,” he said to her with a smile. Then, he took everyone else’s order, and turned away from us and went to the bar.
“And what am I to make of that?!” Daniella said.
“Zip,” Blackwell said. “Trust me. He’s off-limits.”
“And trust me when I say that somebody has just spotted you,” I said in a low voice to Blackwell.
“Oh, Christ. Hell has apparently come to roost in Christmastown. I’m assuming you mean Marcus? That is the reason all of you dragged me here. Where is he?”
“At the other end of the room, coming our way. And, oh my—does he ever look good. You couldn’t really see his physique in his ski suit, but you can pretty much see all of him now. And holy shit. He’s got to be a total fitness freak. Look at that body of his. And how well he’s dressed. You’ve got to give it to him, Barbara—that has to impress even you.”
“Fine,” she said as she looked over at him. “He is handsome. As for what he’s wearing, I approve—especially for this joint. Prada jeans. A fitted, black Dior Homme cashmere turtleneck sweater. And black boots—also by Prada. And then there’s his watch, which I have to say is the real standout. I recognize it immediately. Impressive.”
“You can see his watch from here?”
“I can see everything from here.”
“What is it?”
“A Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Grand Tourbillon surrounded by sapphires and twenty carats of beveled diamonds, which might sound feminine—but not when you see it in person. It’s absolutely masculine. And just so you know, it costs five hundred grand. The fund he hedges must be successful.”
“Well, that should perk up your nips,” Daniella said. “Or moisten your panties. Either way, if you don’t want him, I’ll totally take him. He’s totes working that hot daddy look. Just look at that strong jawline of his, not to mention his thick head of dark hair, which is just starting to gray at the temples. If you don’t want to get into the sack with that piece of man meat, Mom, I sure as hell will.”
“Like hell you will—he’s practically your father’s age.”
“Your point? That just means that he’s likely been through enough women to have mad skills in the bedroom. Think about that for a moment, Mommie Dearest—and what it could mean for you...”
“Quiet—he’s almost upon us.”
“Hello,” Marcus said as he approached us. He was holding in his left hand what looked like a glass of Scotch on the rocks, and he looked directly at Blackwell when he said, “I’m glad that you decided to come.”
“Well,” she said. “It’s not as if I had a choice. I was practically abducted.”
“No other reason?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Doesn’t matter. You look beautiful, Barbara. You’ve brought Manhattan to Maine.”
“It needed to be done,” she said. “Just look around us—so many sordid tales of Wal-Mart woe. Though I do have to admit that you’re also lifting the room, Mr. Koch—”
“Marcus,” he said.
“All right,” she said. “Marcus. I’m fairly certain that a space like this doesn’t see a watch like that very often. Did you wear it for show?”
“I wear this watch every day. I don’t do anything for show,” he said.
When he said that, Cutter turned and started to hand us our drinks. It was pretty much martinis in various forms for all of us. The only exception was the tall glass of Guinness Cutter had ordered himself, but only because Alex had told him on the drive over that he was off duty tonight—and that he fully expected Cutter to join in the festivities. Otherwise, Alex and I both knew that Cutter would have chosen something non-alcoholic. We wanted him to be a part of the evening, not removed from it. It wasn’t as if something was going to happen to us here.
“I have a table just over there, if you’d like to join me,” Marcus said to Blackwell. “I’d be honored if you would.”
“But I’m here with my friends,” she said in a last-ditch effort to deflect. “And with my daughters. Leaving them would be rude, don’t you think?”
“As one of her daughters, I have zero problem with that,” Alexa said.
“And as her more stylish daughter, neither do I,” Daniella said. She extended her hand to him, which he shook. “It’s nice to meet you again, Marcus,” she said. “I’m Daniella. The other one is my poor sodden sister, Alexa. So, please—sweep Mother away from us so the rest of us can play. Believe me, you’ll be doing all of us a favor.”
“OK,” he said, shrugging at Blackwell. “So, what do you say?”
“She’d love to join you,” Alex said as he pressed his hand against Blackwell’s back and urged her toward him. “We’ll just be here at the bar. Whenever both of you would like to join us again, please do. I’m Alex, by the way. And this is my wife, Jennifer, whom I believe you’ve already met, along with my cousin Brock, his girlfriend Madison, and our good friend Cutter.”
“It’s nice to see all of you again,” Marcus said. “Especially under less dire circumstances. Though I am happy those circumstances happened, especially since nobody got hurt.”
“Speak for yourself,” Blackwell said. “My pride was hurt.”
“And yet somehow, you rose above it to become one of the room’s stars.”
“One of the room’s stars? You mean that there are others here? Have you even looked around?”
“I have. The others would be your daughters, Jennifer, and Madison.”
“Well, how quick of you,” she said.
“You’d be surprised by how quick I am.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to surprise me.”
Did Blackwell just flirt with him...?
Whatever it was, I needed to urge her on. “So, we’ll see you both whenever,” I said as Blackwell approached him. “We’ll be here all night, so take your time.”
And with that, I saw Blackwell’s shoulders stiffen a little as she followed Marcus into the crowd and toward the table he had reserved for them.
“I’m transfixed!” Daniella said.
“He seems like a nice man,” Alexa said. “He might be rich as hell, but you wouldn’t know it—he didn’t come off as arrogant, and I sensed zero pretension in him. And the way he breezed through Mother’s ridiculous banter proves that he has a sense of humor and that he’s a gentleman. It’s time for Mom to give someone else a chance—especially after what Dad did to her. She thinks she’s too old to find love again, which is ridiculous. What do you think, Daniella?”
“That you’re a full-on lesbian in sheep’s clothing.”
Alexa sighed. “Beyond that?”
“I’m just joking, Alexa. And of course, I agree. And I’m encouraged. So, let’s see how this turns out. Because I’m with you. I also think that Mom deserves a second chance. Even if this comes to nothing, it’s something, right? She has put up a good front since she and Dad divorced, but through it all, having someone as hot and as successful as Marcus come after her can’t exactly hurt her self-esteem. I think that everyone sees our mother as somebody who’s above it all and invincible, which is exactly how she wants to be seen. But there are other layers beyond the mask that only those close to her can sense. Maybe that Marcus guy can get her back into the game again. And hell,” Daniella said. “Maybe he’ll even be the one—who knows? Time will tell, I guess. Now—let’s all get into position so that we can spy on them! Because there’s no way in hell that I’m going to miss this shit.”
