Chuckling, I said, “I’d like to think so.”
Her full skirt didn’t let me rest my hand on her ass the way I wanted to, but it gave me the opportunity to wrap my arm around her waist and hold her close. We mingled for two hours, and it soon became obvious that everyone was more interested in chatting with Tiel than me. Despite her issues with my family, she nailed the small talk, and my colleagues couldn’t get enough of her.
She was the right balance of art for the purists, quirk for the wonks, and kind, babbling charm for the introverts. She possessed a natural quality that put people at ease and drew them out, and I knew that was what she was doing with me, too.
“You make this painless for me,” I whispered to her when the conversation in our circle moved away from us.
“When you get started on hydronic heating and those roof gardens, you’re unstoppable,” she laughed.
Pulling her away from the crowd, I folded her into my arms and kissed her forehead. “How do you feel about Arizona?”
“Dry heat. Grand Canyon. Cactus. I haven’t spent much time formulating opinions,” she said, smirking. “Should I?”
“I’m going to tell you what I’m thinking right now, and I don’t want you to freak on me. Okay?”
Her eyes scanned the room. “If you’re thinking about ripping off my skivvies, you’re going to need somewhere more private.”
“I want you to come to Arizona with me next month,” I said. If I acknowledged that comment about her panties, I’d also want to touch them. It snowballed from there. “There’s a sustainable design conference in Scottsdale, and I’m presenting on something. Think about it—warm weather, nice resort, alone time. I want alone time with you.”
She started to respond, but more people approached us. Everyone was fired up about a waiver approved by the area zoning commission for a high-rise mega-development. That shit was my bread and butter, and no one enjoyed a good ‘Boston likes paving over its history’ circle jerk more than I did, but I was struggling to care.
Turning my head toward Tiel, I whispered, “Arizona?”
She brought her drink to her lips, an attempt to hide her smile from the broader conversation. “That’s who we are now? The people who take fancy winter vacations?”
I tightened my grip on her waist, nodding, and pretended to listen to the discussion about filing injunctions against the development. “Those are good people to be,” I mouthed.
“You’re spoiling me,” she said.
“Just wait until we get to Arizona,” I said under my breath.
After the director of the Back Bay Preservation Commission stepped away and the debate dissolved, I spotted Matt and Lauren at the bar. Tiel followed my gaze, sucking in a breath the moment she recognized them. “You didn’t mention anything about that,” she murmured.
Turning her closer to me, I said, “She’s really nice. She might be one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.” Tiel gave me one of those wiggle-shake-shrugs that were more amusing to observe than interpret. “Trust me on this. She is dying to come over here and apologize, and I’m willing to bet she’ll make you do some tequila shots with her.”
“She doesn’t have to apologize,” Tiel murmured. “I was kind of demonic.”
“Lauren loves everyone.Everyone.” I nodded toward the bar, hoping she’d take the step on her own, but she didn’t move. Lowering my mouth to her ear, I said, “Hurry up. My pocket feels empty without your panties and my hand is actually itching to slap your ass.”
On a squeal, she marched to the bar while Matt headed in my direction.
We watched, side by side, as they talked. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I needed my family to accept Tiel the same way they accepted Lauren and Andy. I’d managed their disdain with my hook-ups for years, and ultimately, it didn’t matter what they thought about those women because I didn’t remember them long enough to form opinions.
But Tiel was different. She never lived in the hook-up category. If I was being painfully honest, I didn’t know where I’d slot Tiel—girlfriend? Lover? The keeper of my existence?—but I knew I needed my siblings with me on this one. It wasn’t about approval so much as it was their willingness to accept my choices without hesitation. We argued and bickered, and sometimes we held long, ugly grudges, but in the end we always had each other’s backs.
Andy and Patrick came up beside me, and he nudged my shoulder. He said, “What’s going on here?”
Tiel was staring at Lauren like she was describing her most recent serial murder spree, and I could tell by her quick, tight nodding that she wasn’t enjoying the conversation yet.
Grabbing Andy’s elbow, I pushed her toward the bar. “Go tell her cute stories about me.”
“I don’thavecute stories about you,” Andy said, shaking off my grip. “I only have smarmy asshole stories and creative tyrant stories.”
“Creative tyrant works,” I said. “That shit’s golden.”
Andy joined them, and I could read Tiel’s tension from thirty thousand feet. She was hating this, and after watching from a distance for several minutes, I knew I had to put a stop to it quickly. Just as I stepped away from Matt and Patrick, Lauren gestured toward us, rolling her eyes, and Tiel laughed. It was an honest, rolling laugh, and I saw her eyes brighten with pleasure.
“Whatever just happened over there,” Patrick said, pointing with his beer bottle, “was at your expense, my friend.”
