Imperfections (13 page)

She looks at Matt from across the table smiling. "You remember that? I can't believe you remember that day. I'm impressed."

"I wasn't sure if you were ready to leave home but I was wrong. You're all grown up now; going away was a good thing."

"Yes, it was, I learned how to make my own decisions and to do some things on my own. It was a good experience and I'm glad I made the decision to leave but I'm glad I'm back. I missed New York, my family and my friends." She looks at Ava when she says the last.

"I have no doubt that they missed you as much as you missed them, maybe even more." He reaches over and puts his hand on top of hers with an intense look in his eyes as he says it. She looks back at him and smiles a soft smile that reaches her eyes. What the hell is going on here with all the looks and the touching? I shouldn't be worried about all the men in here looking at her. I should be worried about Matt who can't seem to keep his freaking hands off her.

"Baby girl, do you want a drink?"

What the fuck is up with the "baby girl?" Is that her new name? They knew each other before, but he didn't know her well enough to be calling her baby girl. He even remembers what she was wearing the day she first left home. Why was he even there that day? There is only one fucking reason I can think of. No man is going to remember what a woman is wearing twenty-four hours ago much less four years ago. Wait a minute, is this the fucking so-called friend of her brothers? He better not be.

"Yes, thanks, Long Island iced tea."

"Ava, Nick, can I get you something?"

Ava says she'll have the same as Cat and I knock back my Patrone because I definitely need another drink.

"Scotch on the rocks." When he leaves Ava turns to me.

"Scotch already, I hope you're not planning on driving home?"

"No. My driver's outside."

"Then get your drink on. I won't say another word."

"You have a driver now?" Cat asks me.

"I only use him for business purposes or times like this when I know I'm going to drink and I don't want to drive. I didn't know you and Matt were so close."

"We're friends; you and Chris used to spend a fair amount of time with him."

"Yeah, we did." I look her directly in her eyes and she turns to Ava like she's asking her for help. I look my cousin directly in her beautifully deceiving eyes daring her to say something. She's surprisingly quiet and I know she knows what I'm thinking about Matt and Cat. Chris walks up to the table before I ask my next question.

"What's up, sis, you finally showed up. I thought maybe you changed your mind."

"We couldn't decide what to wear but we figured it out."

"I see. Did you bring a shawl with that dress?"

"Not you too, Chris. I already got an earful from your buddy over here."

"She's not an old lady," Ava says to him.

He turns to Ava like he notices her for the first time. She licks her lips and smiles at him dimple flashing and he returns her smile.

"Ava, I didn't know you were coming, you look…very nice."

Now I know he's tipsy. The way Ava's eyes light up at his compliment I know she's going to take full advantage of it.

"Thank you. I think this is the first time you've ever given me a genuine compliment."

"You sure about that?" He looks at her with a crooked smile like he's trying to remember.

"Trust me, I would have remembered one of those from you."

He stops looking at Ava and turns back to Cat. "Hmm. What were you saying, Cat?"

"Nothing."

Ava and Cat exchange glances. My cousin's practically glowing, this is probably the first time Chris has ever given her a compliment. She's going to be the happiest person in here tonight.

He looks around scanning the room. "Where did Matt go?"

"He went to get us drinks."

"He won't be back for a while, it's packed over there. You practically have to elbow your way through the crowd to get to the bar. Shawn told me to tell you guys hi and bye, he left with some chick he met."

I see a girl in a skin-tight black dress looking in our direction. "Isn't that the girl you were dancing with earlier?"

"Where?" He looks behind him and puts his drink on the table.

"To your right, she's headed this way." Cat and Ava turn to get a look at her.

"You don't look happy to see her." I smile to myself because he looks ready to bolt.

"From a distance her body and her face were rocking. But when I got close up it was all plastic," he says, looking beyond disappointed; he got a Twinkie.

We start laughing and he turns back to us. "I'm not against it or anything, a little nip here, a tuck there, but damn, give me something that's real."

I nod my head at Cat in agreement. "I know exactly what you mean. There can never be a substitute for the real thing." She smiles and looks away. Ava stands up next to Chris and places her hands on his shoulders and with a slight southern drawl she says,

"Don't worry, I'll save you, everything over here is all natural; no fillers or additives necessary, grade A one hundred percent real. Let's go hit the floor so she can see you're taken by a real woman not plastic Barbie."

He sighs before he lets her lead him in the opposite direction of his former dance partner train wreck.

"Fine, but I'm going to need to get another drink from the bar first." Off they go with her swaying her hips to the beat of a Robin Thicke song. Cat and I watch them make their way through the crowd in the same direction of his former dance partner to the bar.

"He just made her entire year, like summer vacation, Christmas and her birthday all rolled into one." She looks at me with a smile on her face and I can't help but stare at her lips. I love her smile.

"I know, this is probably the happiest day of her life," I say, pulling my eyes off her lips and back up to her eyes.

"Do you think those two are ever going to get together?"

"Are we?" She stops smiling and her body tenses. I shouldn't have said that.

"Look, Matt's coming back with our drinks."

Great. "What's with the baby girl?"

"Nothing, he used to call me that sometimes because I was Chris's baby sister."

"You're not his baby or his girl. He sounds like an old pimp about to put you to work."

"He does not."

"Maybe you can have that written across your ass on a pair of sweat pants." I look at her with a smirk on my face. "In big bold letters 'Baby Girl'."

"You need to stop."

"Come on, you have to admit it's a little funny, think about it."

"My dad calls me baby girl sometimes."

"How old is he again? Besides, you actually are his baby girl."

"Jealous much?"

"Never."

"There's a first time for everything."

"I'm sure there is. He's yours?" I point my head in Matt's direction and watch her reaction.

"What?"

"You heard me." I study her while she nervously bites her lower lip. I'm instantly turned on at a time I shouldn't be but that's the effect she's had on me since she came back. If I'm being honest, since she was thirteen. She looks at me with pleading eyes.

"Nick, please don't say anything, don't make a scene. It was a long time ago and we're friends now and he's always treated me with respect and kindness."

"Yeah, right."

"You know if you start this Chris will come over here and side with you. Don't do this, not tonight. If you care about me, let it go."

"You know I care about you, I always will." Sighing, I brush a piece of her hair behind her ears watching her profile as Matt walks toward us.

"Nick, let it go. It was a long time ago. Please. It was fully my choice, he didn't know what was going to happen that night; neither did I, but it was my decision. He was completely respectful."

"Fine. Only the one time?"

"Does it matter?" She looks at me lips parted.

"Yes, it does."

"Only once."

"Okay, I won't say any more about it tonight."

"Good. The last thing I want broadcasted in a crowded club to my brother is that I lost my virginity to one of his friends."

Well, how the hell do you think I feel hearing it?

Three hours, a shot of whiskey, and two beers later, I have one thing on my mind. Cat and her barely-there emerald green dress. She's even cute when she's had too much to drink, giggling after every other sentence that comes out of her incredible sexy, lickable lips. I can think of a lot of things I want to watch those lips do. I should have been her first and only in every way. I let her get away and it won't happen again. She's going to be mine; damn, I know I have to hurt her before I can love her. Then again, she might hate me before I get the chance to show her how much she means to me and I want her in my life.

I go to the bathroom and when I come out I see Ava leaning beside the door.

"What, have you started using the men's bathroom now? Has it come to this, is it so hard for a beautiful girl such as yourself to find a decent man?"

She pokes her lips out at me and flips me the bird. I grin and give her a wink. "I love you too."

"It will never come to that no matter how many assholes I have to endure to get to mister right."

"It better not. Okay, so what do you want? Why are you accosting me by the men's bathroom?"

"Seriously, sister to brother?"

I know she's serious because "sister to brother" is what we used to say to each other when we were younger. We didn't have siblings growing up until when I was ten and my dad remarried. We were more like siblings than cousins. "I'm listening."

"You need to be straight with Cat and tell her the truth about what's going on with you and Kate before it's too late and someone else comes in and gives her what she thinks she wants. You fucked up royally messing around with her bitch of a sister, who I will remind you hates my guts."

"Believe me, I know I fucked up; more than you know." I look down rubbing my hand across my eyes.

"Fix it before it's too late."

"I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Can you get Chris to stay here with you so I can get Cat alone and talk to her?"

"I'm pretty sure I can since he's had too much to drink, he can't drive. So it should be easy enough to take advantage of him for once."

"Thanks. I'll take Cat home."

I watch Ava lead Chris back into the crowd on the dance floor when we get back to the table. I'm about to offer Cat a ride home when Matt calls her name.

"Cat, can I give you a ride home?"

"Back up, play boy, I got this." I stand up and hold my hand out to her.

"Thanks, Nick, but I'm leaving with Chris." She looks at my hand hesitantly and looks back into the crowd where Chris and Ava disappeared.

"No, you're not. Chris is trashed. Ava will take him home."

"You're not too steady yourself, how are you going to get her home, golden boy?" Matt says.

"I'm not driving, wise ass, my driver is."

"That figures, you always come prepared, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." I take Cat's hand and throw three hundred dollar bills on the table. "That's for our drinks. We're even for now." I pull Cat with me from the table not giving her a chance to hug Matt. He's had his damn hands on her enough.

"I forgot to tell Chris I'm leaving."

"Don't worry, Ava will tell him, he won't mind. He seemed to have warmed up to her in his current condition."

"Are you sure she won't try to take advantage of him on the way home?" She giggles and looks back in their direction.

"That I can't guarantee."

It's windy as we walk outside and wait for my driver. I look down at her and see a shiver run through her. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." She doesn't look at me, she keeps looking straight ahead.

"No, you're not, come here." I take her by the hand and pull her to my side. "What, are you afraid I'm going to bite you?"

"Not at all."

"You're cold."

"A little."

"I'll keep you warm." I wrap my arms around her and we stand there for about sixty seconds before the car pulls up in front of us. In those sixty seconds I wanted to tell her all the things I've done wrong and hope that she will forgive me.