An Unexpected Attraction (Love Unexpected Book 3) (2 page)

She placed a hand on his hair-sprinkled forearm to get his attention. Brenda looked away from the sight of them touching, settling her attention on the dueling pianists prepping the stage for their act.

She didn’t hear Jay’s response, but he and Jenna stood at the same time, prompting a round of goodbyes and hugs. Jay walked her out while the rest of them remained at the table. At least fifteen minutes passed before he came back, and when he did, his expression was grim. Brenda briefly wondered what had happened but didn’t dare ask. She steered clear of anything involving Jay and Jenna.

The dueling pianists started their set, part musical and part comedic show. Both musicians sang loud and strong, and at one point one of them played with his toes. Not to be outdone, the other countered by climbing on top of the piano, hanging over the edge, and tapping out his song on the keys, all while upside down and backwards.

Brenda hopped up from the table. “Let’s dance,” she said. There wasn’t a dance floor, but she dragged Sophie from the chair to the front of the stage. Sophie was her partner in crime and could always be counted on to go along with a wild idea, not to mention she came up with many of her own.

Encouraged by whistles and whooping from Jay, Nick, and a table of young professionals, she and Sophie worked up a sweat doing the bump, the mashed potato, and the twist to doo-wop music from the 1960’s. They sang along with the musicians and danced away the pain of loss. When a couple of older men joined them in front of the stage, even more patrons cheered and clapped, turning the quartet into impromptu stars of the restaurant.

Finally, the pianists took a break, and the dancing ended.

“We had a little help with the set tonight,” the pianist on the left said into the microphone. “Another round of applause for these lovely ladies and their very lucky partners.”

Most of the patrons rose to their feet and applauded. Sophie curtsied, Brenda bowed with a flourish, and their dance partners inclined their heads.

Brenda’s partner placed a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for the dance. I’m pretty sure I broke something, but it was worth it to have a dance with a lovely young woman like you.” He winked and followed his friend to their table.

“Did you hear him?” she asked Sophie.

“I did. Consider yourself lucky. The guy I danced with tried to get my phone number. He’s old enough to be my father!”

Out of breath and laughing hysterically, they stumbled back to their table and fell into the chairs.

They all lingered over drinks and picked at the remains of food on their plates, loathed to go their separate ways because times like these—when they could be together and have fun away from the grind of daily life—had become rare over the years.

Jay ordered another round of drinks, and when everyone had taken sips and quiet descended on the table, he held up his glass. “To living life to the fullest, with no regrets. And to Charlie, for teaching us how to live. Cheers.”

“To Charlie,” the others echoed, and they clinked their glasses together in the middle of the table.

Under the weight of memories and nostalgia, Brenda stood, swaying a little with the half empty glass of Long Island Iced Tea in her hand.

“Careful now,” Jay teased.

She placed a hand on her hip. “I’m always careful,” she said tartly.

His mouth smiled, but those eyes of his watched her closely. That assessing expression appeared every so often and always gave her pause. What was he thinking when he looked at her that way?

“Speech, speech, speech,” Nick and Sophie chorused.

She waved them into silence and took a deep breath. “I feel as if I’ve known you guys all my life. We’ve been through a lot together, and if I never told you before, I hope you know how important you are to me. I’m loving this new chapter in my life.” She’d been the east coast editor of
The Entertainment Report,
headquartered in Los Angeles, for a little over six months. She had the ability to craft her edition of the magazine in almost any way she wanted, an editor’s dream. “I love my new job and the opportunities it’s presented. I’m so glad I have good friends like you Sophie, Nick…” Her throat tightened with sentimentality as her gaze landed on each of them. When it moved to Jay, she saw an unidentifiable emotion flicker in the depths of his eyes, one that momentarily stole her breath and sent her heart tripping over itself. “And Jay.” She swallowed and looked away from him or she’d never be able to finish. Her heart beat as fast as when she’d danced in front of the stage. Perhaps she’d had way more to drink than she realized. “Words can’t express how much you all mean to me.”

“Awww,” Sophie said.

Brenda placed a finger over her lips. “Shhh. This is my moment.” There were soft chuckles around the table. “Seriously, though, here’s to good friends. I love you all!”

“Here, here!” her friends yelled.

They clinked their glasses together again, and she took a deep swallow from hers.

“Now sit your butt down.” Sophie pulled her back onto the seat and into a hug. “Love you, too,” she whispered. Charlie’s death had made the word
love
flow freely all day long.

The waitress arrived at the table, a pretty redhead named Gina. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked. Her gaze encompassed the entire group before settling on Jay.

“Unless you’re going to give me your number, I’m fine,” he said with a playful grin. Often the charmer and flirt, his behavior came as no surprise.

Gina blushed. “Would any of you like more to drink? More to eat?”

It was obvious she was interested. She didn’t take her eyes off of him. With his dark Italian looks and short beard, he exuded masculinity. He could have her in the cooler in the back if he tried hard enough. Brenda stared down into her almost empty glass.

“Just the check,” Jay said. “I’m picking up the tab for this bunch of hooligans. Please thank the management for not kicking us out.”

“Awww, isn’t he generous?” Nick hooked his arm around Jay’s neck.

“I’ll pay for everybody but this guy,” Jay added, pointing at his friend with his thumb.

Sophie tossed her cloth napkin across the table and it landed on his empty plate. “You’re terrible,” she said. Her eyes flirted with him, and Jay grinned but didn’t offer further encouragement.

Sophie didn’t lack male attention, but she remained in an on-again-off-again relationship with a man who was no good for her, which tended to limit her dating options. Brenda had never suspected Sophie might be interested in Jay, but the moment that passed between them suggested otherwise. Unease lodged in her chest and warmed the spot right beneath her sternum, making her toss back the watery remnants of the Long Island Iced Tea.

Gina bussed the table and Jay took the black leather checkbook she handed him. He looked inside and immediately glanced up in Gina’s direction, but she had already walked away with their empty plates.
A slow, stealthy smile spread across his face. He looked very much like someone who’d received exactly what he wanted. No doubt Gina had supplied her phone number. Surprise, surprise.

Jay’s gaze collided with Brenda’s and she froze. She hadn’t meant to stare, but that’s exactly what she’d done and quickly looked away, albeit too late.

She’d grown accustomed to seeing women react to Jay. They were often drawn to him.

He wasn’t overly tall, topping out a little over six feet, but when he entered a room he called attention to himself
without
calling attention to himself. He really didn’t
do
anything, except be…Jay. Casually sexy in the way that some men are. Under the right circumstances his smile turned impish, which when paired with his other physical attributes, made him spectacular to look at. Most women could easily be seduced by the slightest bit of interest from a man like him.

Most
.

If things were different…

Brenda dismissed her musing as that of someone who’d clearly had too much to drink. She shouldn’t hypothesize about what could have been. No point in having her thoughts go in that direction.

Years ago that bridge had been crossed, burned, and charred to a brittle crisp.

Chapter
Two

Jay stepped onto the sidewalk with Nick and the women, pulling his jacket closed to protect against the cool, early April air. Cars drove by on the street, and there was a little bit of foot traffic because of the high-end shopping center where they had eaten.

“I’m not looking forward to tomorrow,” Nick said, shoving his fingers through his too-long hair. “My flight leaves at six in the morning.” He groaned.

As the import director of a consumer food products company, he spent a lot of time overseas. He’d come back for a couple of days because of Charlie’s funeral but wouldn’t be back again until July.

Brenda stifled a yawn and swayed. Her shoulder bumped Jay. Reflexively, he caught her around the waist with a steadying arm. “You okay?” he asked.

His gaze slid over her upturned face, taking in the darkness of her skin—deep brown, like his favorite amaretto. The black wrap dress molded to her figure, and he felt her softness under the thin layer of fabric. She wore her hair cut short in a tapered pixie that flattered her oval face, with strands winging over her right eye and touching her eyelash.

She grinned and eased from his arm. “I’m tired and ready for bed.” She yawned again, looking rather sleepy, eyes struggling to stay open. She brushed the bangs of her hair out of her face. “Either that or I’m turning into a lightweight. I can’t believe I let you three force me to drink so much.”

Sophie snorted.

“Forced you?” Nick said, pretending to be insulted. “We couldn’t stop you if we tried.”

“We couldn’t stop the dancing, either,” Jay said.

“I’m ignoring you. All of you.” Brenda pointed at each of them.

Jay pulled out his phone and checked the time. They had been one of Gina’s last tables, and she would be getting off soon. He’d learned her schedule after she left her number in the checkbook. He’d made a trek to the restroom and stopped her on his way there.

“Do you have somewhere to go?” Brenda asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Jay’s always got somewhere to go and some
one
to do,” Nick said.

Oh boy. Now Nick would start his routine where he teased Jay mercilessly about his sexual exploits, and Sophie and Brenda would jump right in.

“Nothing’s changed, has it?” Brenda eyed him with part amusement and something else. Disapproval, maybe?

“Jacopo Santorini, the Italian Stallion,” Nick said. He neighed like a horse.

“That’s enough,” Jay said. When he’d first heard the name, he hadn’t known whether to be flattered or insulted. He happened to enjoy women and enjoyed sex. Lucky for him, he found them both in abundance.

“Well, don’t let us keep you,” Sophie chimed in. “Go do your thing—or that person.”

Jay pointed at Nick. “See what you’ve started?”

They all laughed at his expense, and right then the taxi Brenda had called pulled up at the curb. Brenda pouted, an attempt at playful petulance, but with her full, lush mouth, she came across as tempting and provocative. Jay’s eyes lingered on her lips far longer than they should have, and his breathing suspended, as if someone had cut off his oxygen.

Brenda sighed. “This is it, gentlemen. We need to do a better job of keeping in touch.”

Did she mean it, or was that simply the polite thing to say?

She walked over to Nick and gave him a long hug. “Bye-bye,” she said softly. “Have a safe trip, and tell your mother hello for me.” When he went back to Europe, Nick planned to stop off in Greece first, where his extended family lived.

“I will. She always asks about you.” Nick squeezed her tight and briefly pressed his face into her neck. Feeling as if he was intruding on a private moment, Jay looked away. He and Sophie exchanged hugs then stood silently as Brenda and Nick spoke softly, their heads close together.

Then Brenda walked over to give Jay a hug, too. She smelled sweet and flowery, but he couldn’t place the fragrance. “It was good to see you,” she whispered. Again he wondered if she meant it. She’d lived in Atlanta for six months, but neither of them had made an effort to get together.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close enough to feel the full weight of her soft breasts and have her stiffen against him. The temptation to continue holding her was strong. He yearned to also bury his face in her neck, as Nick had done. But their hug didn’t last nearly as long as the one she gave their friend. They never did. Almost immediately she pulled back, and his hand clenched at the loss of contact.

“It was good to see you, too. Get some sleep, lightweight,” he teased, tweaking the tip of her nose.

Brenda wrinkled it at him. “I will,” she sang as she sashayed to the waiting taxi. Sophie followed behind. From the backseat, they both waved and blew kisses out the window. He and Nick watched until the car disappeared.

His friend sighed deeply. “She’s great, isn’t she?” A wistful note filled his voice.

“Which one?” Jay asked, though he really knew.

“Brenda, of course.”

Of course.

Brenda attracted people no matter where she went. She was quite a character, with a cute little laugh that came easily and often, and was the kind of person who never met a stranger. One of those people who struck up conversations in grocery store lines and made lifelong friends as a result.

“Yeah, she’s great,” he agreed, keeping his tone neutral. Like Nick, he stared down the street where the cab had disappeared, a pain in his jaw from clenching his teeth so hard.

****

The taxicab rolled with a mild flow of traffic, the soothing voice of a talk radio host coming through the speakers. Brenda rested her head against the seat and yawned. She shouldn’t have drunk so much. She’d probably have a terrible headache tomorrow.

“I can’t believe how you have Nick eating out of your hand,” Sophie said from beside her.

They were on the way to Brenda’s house, where Sophie had left her jeep. She was spending the night instead of taking the long drive back to her apartment. As a flight attendant, she did like many airline employees and lived south of the city for an easy commute to the airport.