Page 24 of Thanksgiving with Three Brothers

“I’d be trying not to say yes. And failing,” she said with a soft smile. I kissed her lips and let that warmth wash over me, the closeness of her body, all sweet curves molding against me, and her mouth supple and open beneath mine. I worked my tongue into her mouth slowly, exactly the way I’d move if I were inside her. She whimpered and the sound went straight down my spine like a jolt, making me hard. I gathered her against me and kissed her for so long that I almost forgot where I was or why I had to leave. Our tongues stroked and teased, breath coming in pants as we clutched at each other in a sweaty rush.

Madison tore her mouth from mine, breathing hard, and gasped, “You have a meeting, right?” I nodded, unable to speak yet.

“I know. I have to—” I kissed her again, “go. I have to go.” Then I went back to kissing her. It was like drowning in the best way possible, being consumed by that desire and knowing she was with me all the way. I managed to pull away from her, reluctant and distracted. I made my way to her door, staggering a little. She followed me to let me out and gave me a sweet, brief kiss at the door.

“Don’t tempt me. I’ll stay,” I warned, half serious. She gave a shaky smile.

“You better go,” she said. I took her advice. All afternoon at work, I felt lighter and clearer in my thinking. Happier. I was more than an aspiring partner in the firm. I was more than a man nearly broken down by a jealous ex. I was a Foster man, and I had something special with Madison. I could feel it.

11

ETHAN

“What did you think, Whitney?” I asked the senior partner in the firm after my presentation.

She glanced up at me over her reading glasses.

“No notes, Ethan. We’re presenting it as is. Well done.”

“Thank you,” I said.

Gratified, I shut down the slide deck and carried my laptop back to my corner office. I took off my jacket and loosened my tie, breathing in the satisfaction. I checked my voicemail and found a message from my friend Judy, the lawyer I’d consulted about the electrical problems in Madison’s storefront. She indicated she’d sent an email through with more detail but that the owner was liable for the upgrade and repairs and could be held accountable for lost business revenue to the tenants in an amount up to a year’s lease if he wanted to push back on paying for necessary electrical work.

I messaged her a quick thank you and checked my email. She had copied me on the letter she sent to the landlord, including an estimate for the necessary work as well as projected damages for lost revenue and fines payable to the city, which would be actionable should he attempt to obstruct fair and expedient repairs at his expense. I chuckled to myself. She was a badass, and the firm was lucky to have her.

I picked up my phone to call Madison but thought better of it. I wanted to break this good news in person and celebrate the eminent victory of my building proposal as well. I messaged her and asked if she’d join me for dinner. When she agreed, I told her I’d send around a car for her to meet me at a supper club I wanted to try.

A supper club? Should I dress like it’s an MGM musical from the 1950s?She replied with a laughing emoji.

Of course, I messaged back.

At seven, I sat in a curved velvet booth near the stage as a singer in a sparkling dress crooned old love songs while a pianist in a tux accompanied her. I drank my dry martini and watched as Madison entered the room. True to her word, she’d worn a vintage-looking black dress patterned with red roses, its full skirt cinched at the waist. Her hair was twisted up and her lips were red. She looked like a pin-up from a soldier’s bunk in the last century, and I told her so. She laughed when I kissed her hand.

“I know I’ve usually got flour in my hair, and you’re used to seeing me in an apron with, like, leggings and a t-shirt. But you don’t have to overdo it with the flattery. I just cleaned up because when I Googled this place it looked fancy. I’m glad I looked it up!”

Her head swiveled as she took in the posh surroundings. I liked the soft smile, her eyes shining as she noticed the pianist and singer. She touched my arm and pointed when a waiter emerged with a small birthday cake lit by a sparkler that winked, scattering its glimmer until he placed it on a table and the lady with the birthday clasped her hands in delight. Madison’s excitement was so genuine that anyone would have thought she was the one being celebrated.

Speechless for a moment, I was captivated. More than captivated—I felt a tenderness toward her, something bittersweet with a trace of sadness that I didn’t even know her birthday yet had not been able to make it special for her. It occurred to me that she probably didn’t even do anything—no dinner with friends or night out, no presents or cake. She would’ve treated it as just another day. I had to fight the urge to get maudlin and ask her how she celebrated holidays and birthdays when she was alone. There was no reason to act gloomy in a beautiful place like this. I handed her the menu and asked what she liked.

“I always think I should get oysters. It sounds so sophisticated. But it also sounds disgusting, you know?”

“Order something you like, not something that you think sounds fancy. When I traveled for my fellowship, I started out by ordering hamburgers everywhere I went. It didn’t matter how exotic the menu was or how much it embarrassed my host. I didn’t want to try anything new. Finally, I branched out and found some delicious things I might have missed out on. Except octopus. I got a salad once and it had these curling tentacles with the suckers still on just laying there on top of the greens.”

“That sounds awful. And took an ugly turn. I thought you were going to inspire me to be more adventurous, not make me scared of salads,” she giggled.

“I kept looking at it and then looking at the waiter, back and forth like, do youseethis? This thing here on my plate that was recently part of an octopus—why is it here?”

“Did anyone explain it to you?”

“It was part of the meal. I couldn’t eat it, I couldn't even look at it directly after the way my stomach felt when I saw the suckers in two neat rows,” I shuddered involuntarily.

“I’m ruling out octopus. What’s good here?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve wanted to try this place, and it seemed like the perfect occasion.”

“What’s the occasion? Besides that lady’s birthday obviously.”

“My proposed design for a potential client went well.”

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