Page 21 of Meeting Mr. Christmas
“You love it. And it pays your salary.” Noel smiled when Jed laughed
“You’re right, I do. A florist was the last thing I thought I’d end up becoming. I owe it to you, for giving me the push I needed.” Noel could hear the smile in Jed’s voice. “But I ain’t working late this Thursday. And neither are you.”
“What?” Maybe Jed could come over. Maybe they could have that movie night they kept talking about. Maybe they could hunker under his softest, coziest fleece blanket with popcorn and beer and Jed could make his pithy, acerbic comments about the movie, and?—
“… party at Connor’s. Should be fun.”
“Erm, party? Who has a party on a Thursday?”
“I know, but whatever. It’s free food and drinks, right? Anyhow, we’re going. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The party was around fifteen of them, squashed into Connor’s apartment. Any more, and they’d be out in the hallway. Jed knew most of them; hell, had been in high school with them. Yet, there were some he’d not met before, including the woman sitting next to him who was leaning in a little too close, her smile a little too intimate.
Jed stifled a sigh, trying to remember her name… Diana, Denise… No, Dana. That’s right, it was Dana, who wasn’t just pretty but beautiful. So why the hell didn’t he have any intention of returning her interest? He kept his smile in place by sheer willpower alone. Dana, with her big green eyes and red hair piled high on her head, loose tendrils framing her face, could have been talking to him about having been out dancing with Sasquatch for all the attention he was giving her. Jed tried to pull his focus back, tried not to be a dick, but Noel wrenched his attention away as he wandered into the living room clutching a bottled beer. Immediately, Connor’s bubbly girlfriend, Stacey, pulled Noel in for a dance.
Jed followed every one of Noel’s moves. Because he was a good dancer, that was all, so it was impossible for Noel not to draw the eye, not to capture his attention. Sinewy. Yeah, thatwas the word. In a tight pink T-shirt and black skinny jeans sitting low on his hips and held up, just, by a heavy leather belt with a silver buckle, Noel was?—
“You keep looking over at that dark-haired guy, the one you came with. So, am I wasting my time here?”
Dana’s question jerked Jed’s attention back.
“Excuse me?” Jed’s face pulsed with heat. He’d only glanced over once or twice. Hadn’t he?
Dana shifted back, putting some space between them. “He’s cute, the kind of guy you just want to snuggle up with.”
Jed laughed, but to his ears it sounded forced and self-conscious. “I’ll be sure to tell him. Or you can,” he added.
Dana shook her head and got to her feet. Her jade green dress clung in all the right places. She was something else, and he really should be interested…
“No, cute as he is, he’s not my type. But I’m thinking he might just be yours.”
Jed stared after her as she sashayed out of the room.
There were eight of them left. The hard core, Connor said, although as Jed had been drinking sodas all evening, he didn’t think hard core applied to himself. Or to Noel, who, if he had more than a couple of beers, had a habit of falling asleep. Everybody around them, except for him and Noel, had had way more than just a couple.
The music was turned down a little. “Party games!” Connor announced, a rabid grin on his face suggesting that if anybody tried to leave, they’d be dragged back kicking and screaming.
Opposite Jed, wedged on a love seat between Stacey and a friend of Connor’s Jed didn’t know, Noel caught his eye and grinned.
“Charades,” he mouthed, and Jed rolled his eyes. He detested charades as much as Noel loved them, throwing himself in with an enthusiasm that far, far outdid his skill.
Let’s escape while we’re still alive…Jed stared hard at Noel, sending out his thoughts as he nodded towards the door.
Noel’s grin widened as he shook his head.
“I walked here, so if party games mean throwing car keys in a bowl, I call that out as total discrimination!” a guy protested, everybody laughing in response.
“Reckon keys in a bowl is the only way you’ll ever get some.” Connor laughed as his friend flipped him off. “Gather round, girls and boys.”
“What is this, some kind of seance?” a woman asked, the excitement in her voice tinged with nervousness.
“Way more scary, Monique. We are going to be playing — Truth or Dare!”
Jed groaned. It was better than charades, but not much. Opposite him, Noel’s face fell.Can we go?he mouthed. Jed pretended to think, as he tilted his head, before shaking it in an emphatic no. It served Noel right for wanting to subject him to charades.
“Okay, people, buckle up for the ride. Aim of the game, for anybody who needs reminding, is the extraction of maximum embarrassment.” Everyone groaned, and Connor grinned. “You have to answer a question truthfully, or perform a dare instead. That person then gets to select the next victim — I mean player. Don’t forget, everybody gets a go because we want to spread the squirm. But no photos or recordings, because what happens in Truth or Dare stays in Truth or Dare.”
