Chapter 9

Connor

I was shocked that Alice was so surprised to see Hunter. And more than a little amused. Thankfully, she handled meeting him well, and they even seemed to hit it off. Part of me felt as though I should’ve made certain earlier that she knew that I had a son, but I suppose I figured that this was something she would’ve come across during her preliminary research.

“So!” said Lionel as he settled into his seat and took his wine into his hand. “Tell us how you two met!”

Now was the real test. Alice and I had our shared history, but this little fib we were telling was going to require a bit of improvisation. I decided to take the lead and not risk our stories getting tangled up.

“You mean the first time or the second?”

“How about we start from the start?” asked Wendy, clasping her hands together in anticipation of an epic tale of romance.

Hopefully, I’d be able to give her what she was looking for.

“Well,” I said, taking a quick dash of my wine and settling the glass on the table. “Alice and I met back in high school. We were from totally different social scenes, of course—I was one of those ‘too-cool-for-school’ types with a motorcycle and a bad attitude, and Alice was, well, ah—”

“You can say it,” she said, giving me a warm, showy smile. “A total nerd.”

Light laughter sounded from the table.

“Hey, she said it—not me.”

I took another sip of my wine and bought myself another few seconds of getting my story straight.

“So,” said Earl. “You two were the ideal high school sweethearts, I take it?”

I opened my mouth to speak, ready to weave a tale of young love that would’ve surely warmed the hearts of everyone at that table—even Richter.

But Alice beat me to the punch.

“I wouldn’t exactly put it that way.”

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Oh, really?” asked Wendy.

“Connor was a bit of a ladies’ man in high school, if you can believe it,” said Alice.

“And in med school, let’s not forget,” said Richter, his tone slightly dour.

At this, I saw a strange tinge of something appear on Alice’s face. Jealousy?

She went on.

“We called him ‘the king’ in high school,” said Alice. “‘Rex,’ ‘king,’—get it? And he was about as big of a player as you could imagine. Went through girls like it was nothing.”

Careful now, Alice, I thought.

“And even though all us girls knew just what was in store if we got to be the lucky one on his arm, that didn’t stop us. By the time he and I met he’d just treated my good friend Jamie to a week-long thing before unceremoniously dumping her.”

I thought back to that period of time. I couldn’t even remember a girl named Jamie. Damn, I was worse than I thought.

“So,” said Alice, “despite spending the better part of the next week drying Jamie’s tears after getting dumped by Connor, agreeing with her that he had to be just the worst guy ever, when he turned those baby blues at me, I couldn’t say no.”

“Such a cad!” said Wendy, reaching over and giving my hand a playful slap.

Alice went on.

“And I’m thinking, why the hell would a gawky, dorky girl like me be of any interest to a guy like Connor? I mean, he could’ve had any girl on that campus that he wanted, and he picked the assistant editor of the school newspaper who couldn’t put together a flattering outfit to save her life.”

I picked up on a slight tinge of bitterness to her voice. But she must’ve noticed the same thing, as a big broad smile appeared a moment later.

“So, when I bumped into Connor at some party, the first party that I’d been invited to in high school, and he turned those baby blues on me, it was all over. He just had a way of making you feel like you were the only girl in the world, like everyone else just vanished, and that you and he had some sort of instant, special connection.”

The rest of the table listened in rapt attention.

“And that’s how things were for the next three weeks. Just me and Connor and no one else.”

At these words, a warmth filled my heart and spread out through my body. I may not have remembered Jamie, but I sure as hell remembered Alice. There was a reason she got three weeks instead of my customary one or two. And listening to her talk about that time, our relationship so many years ago, made the feelings I’d had for her come back suddenly, without warning. I shifted in my seat and took another sip of wine.

“Then what happened?” asked Wendy, clearly caught up in the story.

“And then one day three or so weeks later, I came to school and walked up to Connor as he stood there with his friends, thinking it was going to be a day like any other. But when I gave him a kiss on the cheek, he looked at me like I was some kind of crazy person. Evidently, he’d decided that the relationship was over. Didn’t bother to tell me, though.”

Now a silence fell on the table. The soft music in the background filled the air, and I watched as the guests shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

As for me, hearing what I’d done in such stark terms didn’t sit well with me, not one bit. I’d felt things for Alice back then that I’d never felt before, but in my memory I’d glossed over just how terrible I’d been toward her. And Richter watched everything carefully.

Still, the mood needed to be lightened. And fast.

“Let’s cut to the good part of the story, babe,” I said, reaching over and placing my hand on Alice’s.

She shook her head as if coming out of some kind of trance.

“Anyway,” she said, the smile returning to her face. “Ancient history. Connor and I bumped into each other a couple of weeks ago, and it was like we picked up right where we left off.”

“Where did you two meet again?” asked Lionel.

“A cocktail party—”

“—Charity event.”

Realizing we’d spoken over each other, our now-wide eyes met.

Shit.

“It was a cocktail mixer thing for a clinic up in Boston,” I said, quickly coming up with something.

“And I was there writing an article for it,” said Alice.

“Really?” asked Lionel. “I figured I would’ve heard of something like that.”

“It’s just a little clinic that a friend of mine in med school set up for underprivileged kids,” I said.

Then my eyes flicked over to Richter as I remembered that he and I went to the same damn med school.

“Really?” asked Richter. “And who was this? I can’t help but feel a little hurt that I didn’t get an invite.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Alice beat me to it, going on with the story as though we hadn’t just fumbled hard.

“And it was like no time had passed at all,” said Alice. “He apologized for being such a jerk to me in high school, and I was more than happy to accept. Then he invited me out for dinner that next day, and it was like we making up for lost time. Things moved so fast, and before I knew it he was proposing to me in Brooklyn.”

“We all saw the video,” said Wendy. “It was so romantic.”

“It was a little sudden,” I said. “But we were both more than happy to let ourselves get carried away with our love.”

“That’s about the most damn heartwarming thing I’ve heard in a while,” said Earl.

“And very convenient,” said Richter, “what with you being in the running for that promotion.”

I resisted the urge to glare at Richter. There was no way that he’d know what Lionel had told me about the “terms” for the promotion, but Lionel’s old-fashioned ways weren’t exactly a secret.

“A wonderful happenstance,” I said. “I think this just might be the universe’s way of telling me it’s time to grow up and get serious.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” said Lionel. “When the time is right, everything finds a way to come into alignment.”

A hard expression formed on Richter’s severe features, and it was clear that he wasn’t happy that the competition had become closer.

I took a sip of my wine and gave him a smile.

The rest of the dinner was far smoother. Thought we chatted about lighter topics, I couldn’t help but feel tension coming from Alice. She’d shared just a hint of how she’d felt after our breakup, and knowing how I’d treated her just didn’t sit right with me.

And on top of everything, Richter’s clear suspicions about everything added another layer of stress to the whole affair. By the time the dinner was over and the doors closed behind the guests, I was ready to collapse in a heap.

Alice, on the other hand, seemed more than a little preoccupied. I had a sneaking suspicion as to what it was all about. Before I could say a word, however, she poured herself another glass of wine and stepped out onto the balcony, leaving me alone.

It was clear that our little recounting of the history between her and me during dinner had stirred up emotions, and I’d be lying if I didn’t feel the same way. As much as I didn’t want to, I knew that the tension between the two of us had to be addressed if this ruse was going to continue.

So, steeling myself with a long sip of wine, I stepped out onto the balcony and into the cool night air.