Page 11 of In a Bind

Chapter Nine

Raini

Crisp suitsand neckties weren't normally my thing but the man cleaned up spectacularly. Even his long copper hair didn't take away from the sharp, all-business look he was sporting for the birthday dinner. Something else that wasn't normally my thing was wasting any time on getting ready or dressing for a party. But for this occasion, I had spent a silly amount of time picking out just the right dress, my skin tight, bright blue cocktail dress that was somehow much shorter than I remembered. I'd even taken the time to pin back strands of my hair with glittering rhinestone clips and plaster on an inordinate amount of pink lipstick. Two fussy things I never bothered to do. But my extra effort in getting ready had nothing to do with looking right for the dinner. In fact, I was certain the length of my dress or lack thereof would earn the usual eye roll from Dad and Mindy. My unusual ministrations to my appearance were performed with one goal in mind—drive Zane nuts. And with the way his gaze had whipped my direction the second I walked into the dining room, I was sure my goal had been reached.

Now if I could just untangle my true motives for wanting to make the man squirm.

Mindy had arranged the name cards and made sure to sit Zane at her side. She stuck me on the opposite side of the table, between our Uncle Jack, a man who always smelled so strong of pipe tobacco it made my eyes water and Betty, a woman who had worked for my dad's family for years and had to be closing in on a hundred years old. Well played, sis.

One nice thing about my placement was that I was almost directly across from Zane. So catching his gaze was easy, especially when he was working so hard to avoid looking over the table at me. It was a shame Dad's formal dining room table was too wide to play footsies with the guest sitting across the way.

As the soup was delivered, I noticed the server on my quadrant of the table was carrying a notepad and pen in his pocket. I tugged on the man's sleeve as he lowered the bowl in front of me. His nametag said, Ronald.

"Ronald, would it be possible for me to write a quick note using your pen and paper? This table is so big and I want to ask someone a question without yelling."

The nice server readily handed me his tiny notepad and pen. I placed the notepad on my lap, out of Uncle Jack's view, and hastily scribbled my message. "Did you manage to take care of that hard-on after I left the theater?" I folded the paper several times and handed Ronald back his supplies and the note. "No rush, but when you have time could you deliver this to the man across the way with the long red hair? The one sitting next to Miss Bonneville. Oh, and he might need the pen for a return message."

Ronald finished up with the soup delivery. I sipped mine and waited while he delivered my note to Zane. Zane worked extra hard at not letting on to Mindy that he'd just received a note. He worked equally hard not to look my direction. I peered up at him as I blew on my soup and waited for his reaction. He read the note and then folded it back up and shoved it into his coat pocket. When Ronald offered his pen for a response, he waved his hand no. Then Zane went back to his meal and his dinner conversation with my sister.

I dropped my spoon into the bowl and sat back in disappointment.

---