The Love Square (2 page)

Dylan shook his head and waved as Clare drove away. “Lusty. Wow,” she said to herself as she left him in her rearview mirror.
Maybe California isn’t as terrible as I thought.

***

Alex

When Pete told Alex to wear a tie and jacket to Pete’s uncle Nino’s eightieth birthday party, Alex thought he might strangle him.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” he said as he rummaged through his closet. “It’s bad enough you blackmailed me into going with you. Now you’re making me dress up?”

Pete paced while Alex pulled out his one decent blazer. “You have to look nice for my family. We’ll stay for an hour or two, tops, then we’ll go play in the Village. I promise.”

“Next time your wife can’t be your date, don’t call me. This is done. Debt paid,” Alex barked. “Is there going to be alcohol at least?”

“Open bar. The family loves to drink.”

Thank God
, Alex thought. He changed clothes, and they hopped into Pete’s SUV to drive to the party hall. Alex knew he owed Pete a huge debt—for the time Pete had convinced the coach not to cut him after Alex showed up to practice too hungover to function. For the time Pete had picked him up from Jersey after a one-night stand gone bad. For the time Pete coached him on the mechanics of his swing, changing Alex’s whole game. If it weren’t for Pete, Alex would probably have been cut years ago. The least he could do was accompany him to this family function.
How bad could it be?

They entered the party hall under a huge banner that read,
‘
Happy Birthday Nino
,’
and Alex fake smiled, then bee-lined for the bar. Pete lagged behind, kissing and hugging long-lost relatives while Alex ordered them whiskey and waters. He rejoined Pete and handed him his drink.

“Uncle Joe says we’re at table five with the cousins,” Pete said, leading Alex through the busy room.

At table five, they stood behind the last two available seats, and Pete introduced everyone to Alex. Alex knew he’d never remember anyone’s name but nodded at various cousins until he focused on the couple nearest him.

Pete said, “And this is my Cousin Scott and his date Jenna Stecco.”

Alex’s eyes froze on Jenna, who grinned up at him. Her big, brown eyes, the color of caramel, sat a little too far apart. Her pink lips, shiny with gloss, smiled a bit too wide. Her dark hair, falling so long and thick down her back, looked as though it weighed a ton. Mesmerized by the perfectly imperfect woman next to him, Alex sat down, suddenly happy to be at Uncle Nino’s birthday party.

“Nice to meet you,” she said and put out her hand. Alex thought it looked a little too small, but he carefully took it and managed to blurt, “Nice to meet you too,” before he forced himself to break his stare.

Although Alex found himself shifting in his seat and glancing over at Jenna occasionally, neither he nor she spoke while the cousins chatted, recounting old stories and catching up on their lives. It wasn’t until the waitstaff served the food that Jenna leaned toward Alex.

“Are you a baseball player too, or just Cousin Pete’s date?” she whispered.

Alex smiled. The cousins’ laughter faded into the background when Jenna focused on him. When he caught a whiff of her perfume, he gulped his whiskey and shook his nerves away, finding his voice. “I’m both tonight. Along those lines, Cousin Scott, huh? Pete told me he was gay,” Alex whispered.

“He’s my best friend,” Jenna said, resting her head on her hand and smiling that big grin again, all for him. “And my dance partner.”

“Huh?” he asked, shifting his gaze from her lips to her eyes. He thought the tiny black mole next to her right eye was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

“My dance partner. You are sitting next to the New York Regional Tango Champions.”

“The tango? No shit.”

“Yes shit,” Jenna said. “Uncle Nino’s a fan. He begged us to dance tonight, so I got to be Scott’s date. Uncle Nino has a bit of a crush on me, according to Scott.”

“He’s not a bad catch,” Alex teased, looking for Uncle Nino. Nino sat at the head table behind a half-full carafe of red wine.

Jenna followed Alex’s gaze and scrunched her nose. “He’s not really my type. Something about the pants pulled up to his armpits doesn’t work for me.”

“It’s not the worst look,” Alex said.

She smiled, hiding her grin with her hand. “So honestly,” she started, “how’d a cool guy like you end up spending your time at an eighty-year-old’s party?”

Alex could think of nowhere he’d rather be than at table five with the cousins. “Pete’s wife is out of town, and he blackmailed me into coming. I think he was afraid to come alone.”

“Blackmail? Interesting,” she said. “What does he have on you?”

“Let’s just say I owed him. Now I don’t.” When Scott tapped Jenna on the shoulder, taking her attention away from Alex, Alex offered to fetch the refills.

As Alex made his way to the bar, he decided he didn’t want to talk to anyone at the party except for Jenna, so when he returned with their drinks, he turned his chair toward her and gave her his full attention.

She told him about her fledgling career in advertising and her part-time job teaching dance. She described herself as “currently homeless” and mentioned checking out Brooklyn, which made Alex happy, as he lived there too. Alex filled her in on the rents in the decent Brooklyn neighborhoods as she typed the information into her phone.

Jenna asked him about playing minor league ball and his gig as a mechanic in the off-season. As soon as the initial nervousness wore off and the alcohol kicked in, Alex relaxed, keeping the conversation going during the entire meal.

Soon, though, it was time to tango, and at Scott’s prompting, Jenna stood for the first time all night. Alex checked her out as Scott dragged her away from the table to prepare for their dance and decided she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“Ready to leave yet?”

Alex jumped out of his seat and glared at Pete, who laughed over his shoulder. “She’s way out of your league,” Pete warned, dropping into Jenna’s empty seat.

“Fuck you,” Alex said instinctively. Then, annoyed by Pete’s comment, he asked, “Why?”

Pete used his fingers to count the ways. “She’s smart. She’s not easy. She has a life.” Then he scavenged the table and grabbed a breadstick.

“So?”

“So that’s not your usual type.”

Pete and Alex watched as Jenna and Scott took the dance floor. Alex didn’t think he had a “type.” He did tend to go for the easy women, but only because they seemed interested in him for the same reasons he was interested in them. Sex. Alex’s two main goals in life were to get to the majors and get laid. One proved a bit more difficult than the other.

A large man with a cigar grabbed the mic. “Here to honor Nino on his eightieth birthday is his nephew Scott and Scott’s dance partner Jenna, performing their award-winning tango!” People clapped as harsh, emotional music piped through the sound system and Jenna and Scott began to move.

Alex knew nothing about ballroom dancing but couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jenna as Scott led her around the dance floor. Her long, lean frame glided across the floor as if she were on ice instead of tile. Scott’s light complexion and blond hair complimented Jenna’s dark, warm tones. When Alex tore his gaze from her body and studied her face, he saw happiness and confidence in her caramel-colored eyes. If he didn’t know better, he would insist they were lovers, given the ease with which they moved as a unit, like pieces of a puzzle perfectly attached. Alex wondered how she remembered all those steps, and how she could balance and spin after drinking three gin and tonics.

Everyone applauded when Scott and Jenna finished their dance. The DJ opened the dance floor, and people stood and moved around the room.

Alex watched Jenna hug Uncle Nino on the dance floor. When he caught her eye, he flashed her his best smile. Her eyes popped, and she removed her hand from Uncle Nino’s back and pointed behind her, directing Alex’s gaze. Alex laughed when he noticed Uncle Nino’s hand square on Jenna’s ass. She smiled at Alex over Uncle Nino’s shoulder, shrugged, and gave the old man a squeeze.
Lucky bastard.

About an hour later, Alex, Jenna, and Scott sat at the table, abandoned by the other cousins, drunk and joking around like old friends. Pete had disappeared, making the rounds and catching up with family, but Alex couldn’t care less, happy to be exactly where he was.

“Alex,” Scott slurred. Jenna sat between them, picking at her dinner plate.

Alex looked around her at Scott and tried to focus. “Hm?”

“I hear you’re a slut.”

Alex nearly choked on his drink. “Wuh?”

“Pete’s told stories about you.”

Alex made a mental note to kill Pete. “I’m not a slut,” he lied. He looked to Jenna, who picked at a roll. “I’m not a slut,” he said again to her.

Jenna shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m a slut too.”

Scott yelped. The people sitting around them turned and shot dirty looks their way. They had become the loud, out-of-control table.

“Hey!” Jenna said, shaking her roll at Scott. “I can have action anytime I want.” She looked to Alex. “I can,” she insisted. Alex had no doubt. “I just chose a celibate lifestyle.”

“I call bullshit,” Scott slurred. “You can’t get laid in a morgue.”

Alex scrunched his face. “Ew.”

“You know what I mean,” he said to Alex. “She’s waiting for the perfect man.”

“Am not,” Jenna protested.

“Are too. If not, why don’t you go get that guy who’s been staring at you? That guy over there—” He pointed across the room.

Alex scanned the room to compare himself to Jenna’s alleged admirer. Sure enough, across the way, a decent-looking dude was watching them.

“Go get some action, hot stuff,” Scott challenged. “I dare you.”

“What is this? Fifth grade?” Alex asked. “Are you gonna double-dog dare her?” He looked toward Jenna. “Stay here.” He didn’t want her going anywhere looking for action.

“I triple-dog dare you,” Scott said, ignoring Alex.

Jenna stared past Alex to Scott, then threw down her roll and stood, brushing crumbs off the front of her black dress. She grabbed Alex’s shoulder to brace herself as she wiggled into her heels and grew another four inches. “Bastard,” she said to Scott. “Which guy?”

Scott pointed him out.

“Watch and learn, boys,” Jenna said. She fluffed her hair and puckered her lips, then walked away toward her target.

Scott giggled uncontrollably as Alex sat back on his chair and crossed his arms. “What are you doing, man? She’s too drunk to be hooking up with strangers.”

“Watch,” Scott said. “That guy is registering a gazillion on my gaydar.” They watched Jenna saunter across the room toward the man. Alex stared at her perfect ass as she walked away.

“You are evil,” Alex said, secretly happy. He watched Jenna flirt. She looked back and forth between Scott and Alex and the man. She tilted her head. She flipped her hair. Laughed. Alex knew the telltale signs of a woman’s flirt-fest, and Jenna was doing some good flirting for sure.

Until she darted a look that could kill toward Scott.

Alex watched her legs as she marched back toward their table.

“I hate you,” Jenna said. She picked up her half-eaten roll and bounced it off Scott’s head.

Alex played dumb. “What happened?”

“He wants me to hook him up with Scott here,” Jenna said.

Scott feigned shock. “No. Really?”

She glared at Alex, who lifted his hands in surrender. “Hey, don’t be mad at me. I told you to stay.”

Jenna’s eyes shot daggers. She grabbed her handbag off the table and marched away.

“Shit,” Alex said, suddenly nervous. “She’s not coming back.”

“She’ll be back,” Scott said. “Oh man, that was too funny.”

By the time Jenna returned, Scott had disappeared to talk to his new admirer, and for the first time that night, Alex had Jenna all to himself.

If what Scott said was true, that Jenna was waiting for the perfect guy, well, that pretty much took him out of the running. The concept of talking with a beautiful woman without the goal of having sex boggled and excited him at the same time. He laughed at her stories and teased her as she devoured her cake. He watched her twist her hair up into a bun and listened when she explained that she hated it touching her face while she was tipsy.

He found her delightful.

And when the dance floor quieted and the DJ played a slow song, she asked him to dance, and he couldn’t say yes fast enough.

When Jenna took Alex’s hand and led him to the dance floor, Alex felt the softness of her skin and rubbed her palm with his thumb. She smiled as she stopped in the middle of the crowd to face him and then arranged his arms, lifting their joined hands and placing his other hand on her waist.

“You’re not going to do any of your crazy tango moves on me, are you?” he asked. His face inches from hers, he studied her eyes, her eyelashes, that cute little mole.