Foolish Me

Chapter 4

Chapter 4Thanksgiving was just around the corner. Vince had been able to get Wills that day off but not the day after, so we wouldn’t be able to spend the holiday with either of our families.

“Want to invite the ladies from downstairs to join us?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s Thanksgiving?”

I sighed. “Okay, babe.” I didn’t want him to know I was reluctant to have those man-eaters around him. Plus there was Sable, who was French, and a Cordon Bleu-trained cook.

“Cool. I’ll go down and ask them.”

“I’ll go with you.” I followed him out of the apartment.

He gave me an amused smile. “Think I can’t protect myself?”

“It was a good thing you weren’t wearing those 501 jeans of yours when you fixed the drain. I saw the way Gus was looking at you.”

“Oh, yeah? And how was that?”

“Like you were Red Riding Hood and she was the Big Bad Wolf.” Plus she was a redhead.

“I can take care of myself, babe.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

We could hear a good deal of bustle going on in the apartment on the second floor. Wills pressed the doorbell. Unlike our chimes, it was an ordinary “ding dong.”

Gus answered the door. “I’m sorry, didn’t you get the message? We’re not…Oh, hi, guys. Hey, girls, it’s our landlord and his cutie.”

“Well, tell them we said hi and get back here and finish packing!” That was Layla, not that I’d normally have recognized her voice, but it couldn’t have been Sable—no French accent.

“I am finished.” Gus called back, saccharine laced with strychnine. She fluttered her lashes at Wills. “What can we do for you, sugar?”

He smiled at her, and I cleared my throat, folded my arms across my chest, and tapped my foot.

He turned his smile on me and bumped his shoulder against mine before turning back to Gus. “We just wanted to invite you up for dinner on Thursday.” He didn’t notice her blank look, but I did.

“It’s Thanksgiving,” I informed her.

“Already? My, this year has flown.”

“Yeah, it’s really zipped by.”

Wills sent an admonishing look my way, then turned back to her. “Would you like to join us?”

“Thank you; that’s really nice of you, but we’re going up to Killington for the week.”

“I’ve skied there.” Wills skied? In the snow? I shivered at the thought of him flying over moguls and curving around downhill turns. “Beautiful place to spend the holiday.”

“It isn’t a holiday. Not for us anyway. We’ll be working.” She smiled faintly. “We’re supposed to sit by the fireplace in the lodge and look delectable.”

“That shouldn’t be too difficult a job.”

“Oh, well, too bad.” I frowned at Wills. “They have plans, Wills.”

“You’re so sweet. I’d ask you and Sweetcheeks to come in for a…drink…” She fluttered her lashes more. Jesus, she was going to stir up a windstorm! “…but—”

Wills’s easy-going smile vanished. “Theo,” he corrected sharply.

“Of course.” She sighed, and her expression became a combination of wry and wistful. “Well, our ride will be here any minute now.”

“We’ll just be going.” I started to back away.

“Happy Thanksgiving, boys.”

“You too.”

Wills trotted up the stairs, and I took the time following him to admire his ass. He paused at the top of the stairs, glanced over his shoulder, and caught me staring. That grin curled his lips.

“You’re glad we’ll be spending the day alone together, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Busted. Are you disappointed in me?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m selfish when it comes to you?”

“Never. Inviting the ladies downstairs was the right thing to do, Theo, and you were willing to go along with that because I asked you.” He pulled me against him, his hands warm on my back, and rubbed his lips back and forth over mine. “I’ll tell you a secret, babe. Well, maybe not really a secret. I’m glad they had other plans. I’m glad we’ll be alone, too.”

* * * *

Although we wouldn’t be able to see our families, we called them, and while Wills spent more than an hour on the phone, settled on the couch with the phone under his ear, grinning at the ceiling and talking to each member of his family, my call home was relatively brief and stilted.

“Hullo, Teodore.”

“Hi, Poppa. Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Yes, happy Thanksgiving.” A long moment of silence while we both searched for something more to say.

“Uh…how has the fishing been going?”

“Is well. We won’t starve.’

“That’s good. Um…”

“How is weather?”

“It’s the usual for November.”

“That is good.” He didn’t ask what the usual was. “I put your Momma on.”

I sighed in relief.

“Teo. Happy Thanksgiving.”

“The same to you, Ma.”

“I am disappointed you cannot come to spend the weekend with us. Will you be seeing William’s family?”

“No, Wills has work tomorrow. He just called his family.”

“And you have tomorrow off?”

“Yeah, Ma. I’m my own boss. I can make my own holidays.”

“Humph. You have enough food?”

“We have plenty. We won’t starve. Is…uh…Is Casey there? I’d like to—”

“Acacia is spending the afternoon with her boyfriend’s family. They will come back here for dinner.”

“Okay. Well, I’d better go now. I have to baste the turkey. Tell Casey I said hi.”

“One moment, please. I wish to speak to your young man.”

“Uh, Momma…” I sent a panic-stricken look Wills’s way. If I had a hard time talking to her, what would my lover find to say?

“What’s up, babe?”

I covered the receiver. “Ma wants to talk to you.”

He smiled and took the phone. “Hi, Mrs. Bascopolis. Happy Thanksgiving.” He glanced at me and made a shooing motion. “I thought you had to go baste the turkey?”

I scowled, but he knew I wasn’t serious, and he laughed at me. I went into the kitchen, took care of the turkey and found some other things to keep me busy. After about ten minutes, when Wills hadn’t joined me, I went back to the living room.

He was still on the phone. “That’s right,” he was saying. “He was the best looking Zorro I’ve ever seen.”…”Yes, even handsomer than Antonio Banderas.”…”No, no one gave us a hard time, Mrs. B. Don’t you think I can take care of my guy?”

Well, damn. His conversation was going as smoothly as if he were talking to his own family. And then I forgot that as I realized he’d called me his guy. I liked that.

“No, I’m afraid we won’t be able to come down for Christmas. The company I work for is a slave driver, Mrs. B. I only have the day off. When I get my vacation, I promise we’ll fly down. Oh, Theo’s here. Would you like to talk to him again?…Okay. It was nice talking to you too. Have a good day.”…”Hmm?”…”Oh, I can promise you that. Our kitchen looks like Theo’s ready to feed an army! Bye, now.” He handed the phone back to me.

“Ma?”

“Your William is a wonderful boy, Teo. You make sure you treat him well, you hear me?”

“Yes, Ma.”

“I must go now. The turkey is not done, but Poppa wants to sample it. It will give him worms.”

“Okay. Bye—”

“Teo, I love you.”

“I…I love you too, Momma.”

“Goodbye, my son.”

I could barely whisper, “Bye.”

Wills took the phone from me and hung up. “You okay, babe?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” I sniffed hard. Dammit, why was it I cried at the drop of a hat, but Wills never shed a tear? “I…uh…I gotta…Dinner…”

“Come on.” He tipped my chin up and kissed me.

I held onto him for a minute, then ran my fingers down his arm and twined them with his fingers, and we went into the kitchen.

“What can I do to help?”

“Peel and slice the sweet potatoes.”

“How thick do you want the slices?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be putting them through the ricer once I’m done boiling them.”

“Aye, aye, skipper.” He threw me a salute and picked up the peeler and the first sweet potato.

I made a traditional dinner—turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, biscuits, salad, corn, green beans, and three different kinds of pies for dessert, apple crumb, pumpkin, and coconut custard.

Wills had brought home a white zinfandel, and he kept me company while I worked in the kitchen, fetching the ingredients I called for, husking the corn, snapping the ends off the beans, and sipping the wine and stealing occasional kisses.

“Time to set the table, babe.”

“Got it.” He snatched another kiss and strolled out of the room, humming softly under his breath.

He did a great job with the table—the Irish linen tablecloth, the good china and flatware, water goblets and wine glasses, and a centerpiece of autumn leaves, gourds, and mums.

We ate until we were stuffed, then spent the rest of the afternoon nuzzling on the couch and watching football. That evening, instead of having leftovers for dinner, we had each other.