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“YOU are going to miss this shit,” Alex said. “Your mother feels self-conscious enough as it is. She doesn’t need us hovering over her just so we can watch whatever transpires between them. Would you want that kind of scrutiny?”
“No,” Daniella said. “But you have to know that it’s going to kill me not to watch. I want to see if they really do have a connection. Because I want that for Mom. I want her to find love again.”
“And I get that,” Alex said. “I know that’s important to you and to Alexa. After they spend some time together and join us again, I think we’ll all have a fairly good idea whether or not a connection was made. So, why don’t we all step over here—at the corner of the bar? It’s less-crowded there.”
“And there are boys over there,” Daniella said as we moved to the end of the bar. “Lot’s of them. I was so focused on Mom and Marcus, I didn’t realize just how many presumably single men are here tonight. And a lot of them are hot.”
“I thought that you were off men,” I said.
“For like five minutes, I was. But looking around right now? I’m all in again.” She glanced over at Cutter. “Unless Cutter wants to do something about that,” she said.
“Leave Cutter alone,” I said. “In fact, if you were focused and paying attention, I believe you would have noticed that there’s a young man right over there who’s checking you out right now.”
“What man? Over where?”
“Are you able to be discreet? Because I’m not sure that’s even possible for you.”
“Of course I can be discreet.”
“I guess we’ll see, so at least try to be.” I gave a slight nod directly in front of me while I sipped my martini. “Do you see the group of five guys at that table over there?”
Daniella raked her hair away from her face, turned so she could glance around the room, and then turned back to me.
“I see them,” she said.
“Actually, that was discreet. Well done. Did you see the dark-haired young man in the navy-blue sweater? Because he’s the one who I caught checking you out.”
“I didn’t get that close of a look.”
“Then give it a minute, and look again.”
Once she had, she turned back to me, and said, “He’s totally hot!”
“Are we talking about the same guy?” Alexa said. “The one with the dimples? Yes? I thought so. Because I actually think that he’s checking me out. In fact, I’m sure of it.”
“No one is looking at you, Alexa,” Daniella said. “Sure, you’ve whipped yourself into shape for another night and I’ve already admitted that you look good in your ridiculously expensive sleeveless Mugler top. But here’s what you don’t have that the boys want—sexual experience, which I totes have with an exclamation point.”
“Because you’re a slut.”
“Because I’m no prude. And that boy over there? He can smell my experience like a rose held to his nose. Sorry, but I win this one. He’s looking at me.”
“I don’t think so,” Alexa said. “And I’m not being catty. Your back is to him—mine isn’t. He keeps smiling at me. And now he’s just lifted his beer to me.”
“The hell he did.”
“Actually, he did,” I said. “I saw it.”
“How can this even be?” Daniella said.
“There are plenty of other men here, Daniella,” Alex said. “So what if he likes Alexa? Look around. You’re a beautiful girl. I get that you want to flirt. So find someone else to flirt with.”
“Don’t you get it?” she said. “I can’t lose him to her. That would be the end of me. It would be an injustice!”
“Then that’s what’s coming your way,” Brock said. “Because he is coming this way—and he’s looking straight at Alexa.”
“Daniella, you’re going to lose this one,” Cutter said. “So why don’t you come over here and enjoy your drink with me?”
“Excuse me?” she said.
“Come and enjoy your drink with me.”
“Why are you suddenly sounding all alpha right now?”
“Maybe because that’s what you need. As wild and as reckless as you come off, I’m beginning to think that most of it is an act. The more that I come to know you—especially from our time on the island, where you showed everyone the person you really are at heart, and when you never left my side when things became dire for me —the more I get the feeling that you act up because you’ve been hurt too many times, and because you haven’t been treated properly by a real man. So, maybe you’re due for one.”
“What are you saying? Are you talking about you?”
He shrugged and sipped his beer. “I don’t know—who knows? But how about if you drop the façade and show me who you really are? I’ve seen that person a few times, but not often enough. So, why don’t you remind me who she is—and maybe even remind yourself in the process?”
“Now I’m feeling weirdly claustrophobic,” she said. “As if everyone is just holding their breath, wondering what’s going to fly out of my mouth.”
When no one responded to her, Daniella looked absolutely stripped bare and vulnerable. Her features softened, and then she bit her lower lip and clearly became tense.
“You know how I feel about you, Cutter. I’ve certainly laid that bare to the world in ways that will forever haunt me. If you’re just trying to be nice—don’t. I’ve been disappointed enough this year. I don’t think that I could take another hit—especially if it came from you.”
“I don’t plan on delivering one,” he said. “I’d just finally like to get to know the real Daniella. So, why don’t we make that happen? A table just opened up right over there. Let’s go sit down and talk.”
He put his hand on her shoulder, causing Daniella’s cheeks to flush in ways that made her look downright terrified to me. And I knew why—she was in love with Cutter. She always had been. The way he was reaching out to her now was likely surprising and overwhelming her on a whole host of levels—fear of putting her heart on the line for the man she truly loved and terror at the thought of having it crushed if nothing came of whatever was happening between them now.
I didn’t know why Cutter was doing this, but I did know him well enough to know that he wasn’t insensitive and that he certainly was no fool—when it came to Daniella, he knew for a fact that he was dealing with a sensitive situation. And I knew that he’d never intentionally hurt her.
So, I had to wonder if he was indeed interested in her. Did he see another side of her that was worth getting to know? At first, I wondered how anyone could—on the surface, that girl was nothing short of a terror. But he had just evoked within me a memory, and that was of our time on the island, when Daniella had stayed at Cutter’s side from the moment he was brought back to us, just a whisper away from death. For hours on end, she’d sat next to him and held his hand, she’d assisted in cleaning his wound, she’d gone looking with her sister for natural antibiotics for him, and I’d witnessed myself her praying for him and trying to communicate with him even as he became more delirious as time wore on.
Clearly, there was a part of Cutter that remembered her commitment to him and all that she’d done for him during that time. Maybe that’s why he’d asked her to drop her façade and to show him the real Daniella again.
As they walked away from us, I took Alex’s hand.
“Can you believe this?” I asked.
“Not at all.”
“What in the hell is going on?”
“No clue.”
“Cutter knows that he can’t cross that kind of line with her without good reason. He’s a good man—he just wouldn’t do that. He must feel that there might be something there. You remember how she cared for him on the island. When we got him back, she always was there for him. Is that the root of this?”
“I don’t know. Because what I also remember is how she threw herself at his feet and pleaded for him to marry her in our apartment.”
“But she does love him,” I said. “You have to admit that.”
“I think it’s clear to all of us that she does love him. The question is whether she can grow up, rein it in, and be worthy of him. Because Cutter is a good man. He’s a catch.”
“How old is he again? Twenty-seven?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“And Daniella just turned twenty-three. A four-year age gap isn’t that big of a deal, as you and I know. We’re nearly four years apart in age. And she’s a stunning girl—I’m sure that, despite her theatrics, on some level Cutter must find her physically attractive.”
“There’s no question about that. Daniella’s a knock-out.”
“Who in the hell saw this coming?” I said as I sipped my martini.
Alex touched his glass against mine. “Or what will come of it?”
I nodded over at Alexa. “Look at Alexa. She now has three young men talking to her. And all of them are perfectly cute. She needs something like this, if only because Daniella always is the one who seems to get the attention.”
“Alexa is certainly getting her share of it now. She’s probably lecturing them on world peace. Or the importance of free-range chickens. Global warming. You know—the gambit. But at least they seem interested. I mean, look at them, for God’s sake. All eyes on her.”
“And good for her. But just wait until Blackwell hears about all of this.”
“Yeah, about that one,” he said. “I wonder how that’s going?”
“Well, she hasn’t come back yet. So, that’s telling. Because God only knows that woman suffers no fools, and she would have been back here in a hot second if she thought that she was dealing with one.”
“True dat.”
“Really?” I said.
He winked at me, and then leaned over and kissed me. “Just keeping it fresh.”
“You’ve been especially fresh lately, especially in the bedroom.”
“Just trying to keep the wife happy.”
“And you’re succeeding like a type-A overachieving all-star.”
I looked over at Brock and Madison, who at this point only had eyes for each other. Brock was leaning with his back against the bar, Madison had her back pressed against his chest, and they were clearly flirting with each other.
“Look at those two,” I said. “Unaware of anything but themselves.”
“As it should be.”
I turned to Alex. “We’ve built one hell of a family, you know?”
“In fact, I do know. What we have now is something neither of us had when we were growing up. We deserve this. Both of us were cheated of it for most of our lives. And yet now we finally have a real family. Friends who are far more than mere friends. And I’m grateful for it.”
“Do you even know how much I love you?” I said.
“I think I do, but I never tire of hearing it, Mrs. Wenn.”
“With all of my heart,” I said as I kissed him on the lips. “You are my Christmas miracle. The best thing that has ever happened to me. How did a girl like me ever get so lucky to find a man like you?”
“I could ask a similar question,” Alex said. “Because you, Jennifer, are not only the love of my life, but you’ve changed my life in ways that you’ll never know or even fathom. But at the very least, I hope that you feel at your core what you do mean to me. Because it’s beyond substantial. To me, it’s the world. I love you, Jennifer. Deeper than I think you’ll ever know.”
* * *
IT WAS NEARLY CLOSING time when Blackwell and Marcus rejoined the group. Daniella and Cutter were off somewhere chatting, which had to be a good sign since they’d been gone for two solid hours now. As for Alexa, she now was with Alex, Brock, Madison, and me—and she was glowing.
“What’s happened to you?” Blackwell said to Alexa as she approached us with Marcus at her side. “You look as if you’ve been turned into a furnace.”
“I’ve just had a wonderful night, that’s all,” she said.
“And why is that?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Well, whatever it is, I’m glad to hear it. I want you to be happy, my dear. Sometimes, I worry that you aren’t.”
“Tonight, I was.”
“Then perfect.” She hesitated for a moment before she said, “And I have to say that so was I. Marcus has been an excellent companion. I think we’d still be talking now if these horrid people weren’t about to close the doors on us.”
Marcus laughed when she said that, and then he concurred. “In fact, I know we would,” he said.
Oh, my God! They did make a connection! And he totally gets her sense of humor!
“Where is Daniella?” Blackwell asked. “And Cutter? This place has already taken to the bullhorns and given last call, so we should probably leave before they toss us out into the snow.”
“They actually took to one of the tables and have been hanging out together for a couple of hours,” I said as casually as I could. “Alexa, would you mind telling them that we’re about to go?”
“Not at all.”
When she walked away from us, Blackwell skewered me with her eyes. “Since when do those two ‘hang out’ for a couple of hours?”
“We’ll talk more about it later, OK? As in tomorrow morning. Not now.”
“You’re nothing short of a shrill of secrets,” she said.
“I am not. Right now isn’t the best time...because here they come. Hi, you two!” I said as Daniella and Cutter approached us with Alexa.
“What in the fresh hell is this?” Blackwell said beneath her breath to me.
If only so as not to embarrass them, I ignored her.
“They’ve given last call, so we should leave,” I said.
“Maine,” Daniella said. “If we were in Manhattan, we’d still have hours ahead of us. But I’ve had a great time,” she said. “Thanks for bringing all of us here, Alex and Jennifer. I appreciate it.”
“You’re perfectly welcome, Daniella,” Alex said.
“One thing,” Blackwell said. “Marcus is here on vacation alone. I hope that I haven’t stepped on anyone’s toes, but I’ve invited him to our little cocktail party tomorrow night for Christmas Eve. Is that OK?”
And when she said that, I felt my heart jump.
“Of course it is,” I said as calmly as I could. “We’d love to have you join us, Marcus. But just to warn you, it’s going to be a dressy affair. We’re also not going to have a formal dinner—that will happen on Christmas Day, which you certainly are invited to, as well. As for tomorrow night, we’re just going to gorge ourselves on a whole host of hors d’oeuvres, which will take the place of dinner itself.”
“Well, thank you,” he said. “And here I thought that I was going to spend Christmas Eve alone. This trip is turning out to be the bright spot of my year.”
“We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night. Eightish?”
“Works for me. Barbara already has given me the address.”
Has she? Well, then...
“Perfect,” I said. “Then we’ll see you tomorrow!”
