The Best Man Read online

  Something was tickling my nose. I squeezed my eyes shut more tightly and rubbed my weary hand across my face. The tickling returned almost immediately. I batted at the irritating sensation. When the whisper-soft annoyance returned once more, it was accompanied by a soft chuckle in front of me.

  “Knock it the fuck off,” I growled. Andy laughed louder now, certain I was awake. I opened my eyes with a squint against the sunlight coming through the window and saw Andy sitting on the floor in front of my face, with a long piece of my hair held between his thumb and forefinger. The tickling device and perpetrator of said crime were identified, and I was ready to punch him if he did it again. Andy must have noticed the death-look on my face, and he dropped my hair with a frown.

  “Since when did you ever wake up in such a pissy mood, Em?”

  “Since I didn’t get more than two hours of sleep last night,” I argued and rolled to my back to stretch my arms over my head.

  “Well, your mood matches Samuel’s, then.” Andy continued to sound sullen. The mention of his brother made me cringe.

  I had slept like shit; mostly because I tossed and turned all night, thinking of the man who slept on the uncomfortable pull-out bed beside me. His behavior had been confusing, to say the least. At first, I had blamed myself for seeing signals where there were none, for getting my hopes up over the least little things. But as dawn crept closer to the skyline, I played and replayed my day with Samuel in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that I had not imagined things. Maybe he didn’t mean to, but Samuel had definitely been flirting with me. He had sent me mixed signals and was at least partially responsible for opening the doors on those emotions I had hoped would have stayed securely closeted away. If my feelings were bruised and if my heart was tender, he was at least partly to blame.

  I usually believed that a little harmless flirting would never hurt a soul. And maybe Samuel felt the same. Maybe I clutched his actions a little too tightly to my chest and pretended there was real sentiment behind them with a little too much ease. Now I was left feeling emotionally exposed and raw. Still, I refused to see Samuel as totally innocent in helping me to feel that way.

  “Where is he?” I croaked. My throat was dry, and my head hurt.

  “He’s in the kitchen with Lil. She’s talking his ear off and trying to sweeten his disposition with some of her blueberry muffins and coffee.”

  “Coffee sounds good.” I nodded. Slowly I curled my body up toward a sitting position and looked around the room. Samuel’s bag was already packed neatly, placed beside the door. Andy stood when I did and silently went about helping me to fold the mattress back into the couch. He placed our blankets in a stack on the chair, and I tossed the pillows onto the top.

  “Do you want breakfast?” Andy asked. He looked concerned, but I wasn’t up for discussing the reason for my peculiar mood with him just yet.

  “Maybe a shower first?” I asked. He nodded, and I grabbed my bag before trudging down the hall to Lily’s room. I made a point not to look in the kitchen as I passed. I wasn’t ready to see Samuel just yet. I needed time to steel myself and shake off the dissatisfied and unhappy feelings his careless playing with my emotions had caused. Intentional or not, he had hurt me. I hoped to wash the lingering bitterness away in a hot shower and prepare to face the day with a stronger sense of self-preservation.

  The water did wonders to help clear my mind. By the time I had shampooed, rinsed, and repeated, I felt much better. I wasn’t angry with Samuel, per se. I was merely more resolved than ever to put my feelings for him in their proper place. Samuel had suggested last night that I consider Nick. Well, I planned to take his advice.

  No. Not out of spite. Nick was kind, and handsome...and genuinely interested in me. Samuel was right. Nick was the type of person I should be opening my heart up to. He didn’t play games. He made his interest in me known. I didn’t have to guess what he was thinking or feeling. Now it was up to me to decide what I wanted to do with that. I planned to keep an open mind when I went to his party.

  I combed through my wet hair and left it down my back to dry. After carrying my things into the living room, I finally made my way to the kitchen. “Morning, everyone,” I said, forcing brightness in my voice.

  “Good morning!” Lily watched me, seeing far more than I wanted her to. She placed a mug of coffee in my hand without commentary. Yeah, she pretty much rocked like that.

  “I’d like to leave as soon as you’re ready,” Samuel mentioned in lieu of a greeting. I just nodded while he walked from the room.

  “Told you he woke up with a bear up his ass,” Andy whispered. I giggled a little into the lip of my mug, and Lily landed a playful elbow to his ribs. Andy rubbed the spot and left the room to follow his brother. Lily merely stepped across the small linoleum floor and turned so that we stood side by side, resting against her kitchen counter.

  “So...last night. You and Samuel...?”

  “Didn’t sleep well,” I offered to end her speculation.

  “I thought...I mean, you two seemed to be getting along especially well.”

  The warm brown liquid in my mouth tasted bitter on my tongue, and I swallowed it back with a healthy dose of self-derision. “That’s because we’re friends.”

  “Ah.” Lily nodded and seemed content to drop the subject. I was completely thankful.

  Tossing the last bit of coffee into the sink, I rinsed my cup and took a muffin for the road. Lily and I joined the men in the living room.

  “I was just telling Samuel to go home and get some more sleep,” Andy explained as we entered the room. “I’m going to stay until Lil leaves for work...and then I’ll drive home too. I should only be a couple of hours behind you. Then we can all go to Nick’s party together tonight.”

  “About that...” Samuel reached to grab his overnight bag. I moved to do the same. “I don’t know if I’ll be going to the party. I have things to do.”

  “Like what? Study?” Andy frowned. “You told me you would lay off that for a couple weeks. Come on, man. Are you really trying to say that burying your nose in a book will be more fun than spending some time with your brother? We don’t have much time left this summer.”

  “No. No...of course not.” Samuel shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m just pretty tired.”

  “Well, like I said, take a nap, old man!” Andy laughed, sounding relieved Samuel had a change of heart about attending the party. I tried not to speculate about the reason he wanted to skip out on our plans.

  I hugged Lily tightly, reminding her I would see her in less than a week for Samuel’s graduation party. Samuel thanked her again for her hospitality. Before I knew it, the apartment door was closed behind us, and Samuel and I were walking silently to his car.

  Our trip home began nothing like our drive the day before. Easy conversation was noticeably absent. Even the sun hid behind the clouds to avoid the awkward tension that surrounded us. By the time we left Seattle and were on a stretch of highway that would lead us back home, the quiet had become oppressive. I watched as Samuel’s long fingers touched the buttons on the car stereo. In a moment, soft jazz music filtered from the dash and side speakers to replace the silence that sat like a third passenger between our seats.

  I slumped sideways and let my temple press against the window beside me. Soon the blur of green beyond the glass morphed into peaceful grayish-blue ripples. The sound of the music that filled the car turned into the reassuring crash of waves against the shore. I drifted away to visit three familiar children who laughed and threw rocks into the water and ran with carelessly bare feet down the stretch of beach in my mind; where learning came through play, laughter held no cynicism, and love never hurt.

  I groggily blinked my eyes open when the gentle hum of the engine under my ear silenced. Looking around, I saw Samuel had pulled into a gas station. I straightened in my seat, twisting my slightly sore neck to the left so I could see the man who still sat behind the wheel. Samuel hunched his
shoulders forward and rubbed a hand over his eyes.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I whispered. He turned his head when he heard my voice and looked at me for a moment before offering a slight smile.

  “That’s okay,” Samuel said. “I just needed to stop for some more caffeine before I drive us both off the road.”

  “Oh!” I frowned when I looked more closely at his red eyes and disheveled appearance. He looked like I felt. “Would you like me to take over for a while?”

  “No, but thanks. I’ll be fine once I get a cup of coffee. Would you like one?”

  “Sure.” I smiled. Samuel moved to get out of the car, and I lowered the visor to utilize the small mirror on the underside. My hair had dried in long, ropey tendrils. I caught it all back in a messy twist and wiped the sleep from the corners of my eyes. By the time I finished, Samuel had returned and handed me a paper cup of coffee. I thanked him with a smile before tearing back the perforated triangle on the plastic lid to release the steam.

  Samuel took a long drink of his, wincing at the temperature of the fluid before placing it in the cupholder on his side of the console. Without another word, he turned us out of the parking lot and back out toward the highway.

  The music was turned low, and I felt obligated to try to stay awake. So, I cleared my throat, took a sip of my coffee, and shifted in my seat to better look at Samuel.

  “How long have we been on the road?” I began.

  “We’re about halfway home.”

  “I really am sorry. I should have been trying to help you stay awake.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Emelia.” Samuel sighed tiredly. “To be honest, you’re pretty entertaining while you sleep.”

  “I am?” I wrinkled my forehead in confusion.

  “You made some cute little noises and mumbled a few times.”

  “I dreamt we were kids again,” I admitted. “You and Andy and I were all running down the beach.”

  “We used to have fun, huh?” Samuel smiled. I smiled too.

  “I’m glad you decided to go to the party tonight,” I said. The smile dropped from Samuel’s face, but I continued. “You and your brother don’t get to spend enough time together. And I know you are moving back to the area and all. But you are going to be busy studying for the bar...and Andy is going to be back in Seattle for school. You two really should enjoy every minute you have together...while you can.”

  “You too,” Samuel said. “You’ll be leaving to go back to Florida soon.”

  “I leave in a week.” I nodded. “I decided to stay a couple extra days when I found out your parents were throwing you a graduation party.”

  “Well, thank you.” Samuel nodded. “It wouldn’t feel right if you weren’t there.” I stared through the windshield and reminded myself not to place too much importance on his simple statement. “Why the hurry to get back?” Samuel asked after clearing his throat. “Are you taking summer classes?”

  “Nan and Gramps are going on vacation. They like to travel. I promised I would be home to watch the house.”

  “Ah.” Samuel nodded. “Seems strange, to live in Florida but still go on vacation. Like, aren’t they already living on vacation?”

  “They’re going to visit some friends in Maine.”

  “Maybe you got your traveling bug from them.”

  “You’ll have to make sure I have your phone number before I go.” I smiled and reached over to shove his shoulder playfully. “I mean, I might need help while I’m performing all of my best man duties this year.”

  “You mean I might need help while I’m performing my best man duties this year,” Samuel scoffed with a grin.

  “No way, Dalton,” I laughed. “My plans for the epic adventure are awesome. You’re going down.” I smiled at the truth of that statement, considering the plans I had made.

  “I’m waiting for a phone call to confirm mine,” Samuel said. The playful edge was gone from his voice, and he sounded very serious. “Emelia, there is probably something you should know about the plans I’ve made...”

  “Nope.” I held up my palm toward him to stop his words. “I don’t want to know about it ahead of time. I don’t even want to think about it tonight. I’d like us all to be able to have fun at this party without worrying about the competition.”

  “Fine,” Samuel sighed. “But I already warned you. I won’t lose.”

  “We’ll see.” I shrugged. A part of me was desperately curious to know what he had come up with, but I didn’t want to start second-guessing my own plans.

  The last part of our journey went by quickly since we were once again talking with each other. At our houses, I reminded Samuel to get a nap and promised I would be ready to leave by seven o’clock. I ended up having plenty of time to rest, get dressed, and get in the proper mind-set for a fun night out. Nick had made his intentions quite clear. Without the competition hanging over our heads, I was free to have fun and explore where this new interest might take me.

  With a few minutes to spare, I ran lightly down my stairs. Dad eyed me speculatively from the couch. I knew my short denim skirt wasn’t exactly appropriate for a cool Oregon evening, but I had paired it with a light summer sweater and tennies to make it casual. And, let’s face it. When planning to meet up with a good-looking guy at a party, “cute” kicks “practical’s” ass any day of the week. Still, I self-consciously tugged at the hem of my skirt to make it look longer than it was. Dad noticed but wisely didn’t comment.

  “Where are you off to?” my father asked.

  “Nick’s house. He’s having a backyard barbeque,” I offered.

  “The Smiths’ place?” Dad rubbed his chin. “Well, you be careful up there, kiddo. A couple of jackasses almost got hauled in the last time he threw one of those shindigs. They can get a little rowdy.”

  “I’m going with Andy and Samuel,” I told him with a grin.

  “Ah. They’ll take care of you, then. Have a good time. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Night, Dad.” I kissed him on the forehead and then walked quickly out the front door. I jogged across the space between our two houses, and Andy opened the door before I had a chance to ring the doorbell.

  “Looking good, Em.” Andy smiled.

  “Thanks. You too.” My grin faltered when Samuel stepped out and closed the door behind him. His eyes traveled down my legs, and he frowned.

  “Aren’t you going to be cold?”

  “She’ll be fine,” Andy scoffed. He took my hand and led me out to the car, opening the door for me before he got in the passenger’s-side seat. Samuel was still grumbling, but I could barely hear him. Andy turned up the volume of the stereo to drown out his voice. He grinned at me over his shoulder, and I smiled back. It was good to know that at least one of my friends was looking forward to a fun evening.

  Nick’s house was situated at the end of a long drive. We had to travel about a mile off the main road into a deeply wooded area before his house came into view. Voices and music filtered through the air from behind his home, and the three of us followed the sounds around the side of the house. Clusters of people already dotted the yard, chatting loudly with drinks in hand. I spotted Nick immediately, bending to stoke the large fire that blazed in the fire pit in the center of the patio. He straightened his tall frame and brushed his hands off on the front of his pants before his head turned to find where we stood. A large smile broke across his face when his eyes met mine.

  “Awesome! I’m so glad you guys could come.” Nick closed the gap between us with a fast stride, greeting all three of us while looking directly at me.

  “Hi.” I smiled.

  “Hi,” he returned, stopping to stand in front of us. After a moment, he broke eye contact and stepped into host mode, motioning behind his shoulder with his thumb.

  “The keg is on ice up on the porch if you want beer. We have a pretty full bar set up for mixed drinks on that table right over there.” He pointed again to his right. “And we are going
to fire up the grill for dinner in just a little while.”

  “Great,” Andy said. “Captain and Coke sounds good.” He invited his brother to walk to the bar. Samuel nodded and looked around. I wasn’t in the mood to worry about his sullen attitude. I hoped he would loosen up and enjoy himself, but it was hardly my main concern at the moment.

  Nick stepped to my side and placed his hand against the small of my back before leaning down to speak closer to my ear. “Come on, Emmy,” Nick coaxed. “I have a few people I’d like you to meet.”

  “Okay.” I nodded and smiled up at him. I let him lead me away. With a glance over my shoulder, I saw that Andy was already pouring drinks at the makeshift bar. I recognized a couple of familiar faces from high school standing in that area. I knew the guys wouldn’t have any trouble mingling and finding company.

  I turned my attention back to the smiling man who walked beside me. I wasn’t surprised when Nick dropped his hand and caught mine in his warm grip. The look on his face seemed to be asking permission. I smiled up at him, happy to encourage his attention. His thumb passed softly over the side of my hand, and he grinned before playfully tugging my arm and running me through the grass to meet his bandmates.

  Nick was truly an attentive date. The somewhat scary-looking bass player from his band worked the grill. I found that, despite his tattoos and multiple face-piercings, he was a very quiet sort of guy. When I inquired about the piece of the tattoo on his neck that I could see above his collar, he grinned and explained it was a tribal design that represented something to do with their first album. Each member of the band had a similar design to commemorate their first bout of success in the music business. When I asked Nick about the location of his, I was rewarded as he reached behind his neck to grab the back of his shirt. He pulled it up and over his head to show me the large design which was inked in heavy black lines between his shoulder blades. Good Lord, that boy was built fine. A little thin, but well-defined. He had the body of a swimmer, and I inwardly gave myself a high five as I traced the pattern with my finger.