“Why not? They all love animals, and she needs the day out. Esther has a nice backyard, and she can play Frisbee with us out there.” Jordan pulled his SUV out into traffic, and they sat in companionable silence as they traveled downtown.
“Tell me, did you let your friends know I was coming with you?”
He shot Lucas a quick glance, then turned his attention back to the traffic entering the Brooklyn Bridge from Chambers Street. “Well, I did say I was bringing a surprise, but I kind of meant Sasha when I said it.” He smirked at Luke’s scowl, then realized the guy was seriously pissed when he didn’t come back with one of his usual smart-ass retorts. “I told you before, it’ll be fine. Esther’s like my own grandmother, and you should meet the guys and Rachel.”
“I don’t like walking into situations I’m not prepared for.” Lucas slid farther down into the leather seat, arms folded across his chest, lines of disapproval etching deep furrows between his brows.
“We can never be prepared for everything in life. The best we can hope for is to be able to handle whatever is thrown in our path without going crazy.” Jordan maneuvered onto the highway after exiting the bridge, and soon they were wending their way through the tree-lined streets in Brooklyn.
“Whoa, man. That was some serious shit you laid down.”
Jordan could feel Lucas’s stare and smirked. “I can be deep.”
For the first time since getting in the car, Lucas smiled. “So I see.” He turned down the radio. “Why don’t you tell me a little about everyone so I have an idea who they are at least before I meet them?”
That made perfect sense. “Well, Drew and Mike are my two best friends. We’ve known one another since our moms became best friends at the playground when we were babies. I’m a few years older than both of them and sort of looked out for them, like a big brother.”
“How old are you, Prep School?” Lucas grinned at him, once again relaxed and at ease.
“Thirty-five, asshole. How old are you?” He was actually curious. He knew Lucas was younger.
“I turned thirty this year.”
They turned off the highway and onto residential streets. This area of Brooklyn boasted old Victorian homes with wide lawns and leafy old oak trees. Jordan had always enjoyed visiting Esther. Suddenly, all he wanted was to hug her and have her tell him everything would be all right again, like she had when he was a little boy.
Blinking back against the burning in his eyes, he made the familiar turn down her block and pulled into her driveway. Only Mike’s car was there. Drew and Ash hadn’t arrived yet. “This is it.” He turned off the engine.
“Yeah, Captain Obvious. I figured you wouldn’t pull into some random person’s driveway for no reason.” Lucas unbuckled his seat belt.
“Asshole.”
Jordan snapped a leash on Sasha before opening the door, as she had a tendency to jump out of the car and take off. “Come on, girl. You too, Lucas.”
But Lucas had already stepped out of the car, his face an unreadable mask. After Jordan let the dog take care of her business at the curb, he approached his friend. Whatever Lucas had said the other day, Jordan did feel as if they’d become friends. Putting aside the strangeness of that shattering kiss they’d experienced in his kitchen, Jordan was ready to admit to himself he enjoyed spending time with this enigmatic man. One minute Lucas could be sarcastic and charming, yet other times, like now, for instance, his defensive walls came up, and he was untouchable.
But no less unforgettable.
Swallowing hard against the firestorm of emotions swirling through him at the sight of Lucas’s remote and guarded face, he returned to the car, where the man remained rooted to the spot. “What’s wrong? You look as though you’re ready to bolt.”
In that hard, almost deadened voice Jordan hadn’t heard in a while, Lucas responded. “It was so easy and perfect for you guys, huh? Growing up like this.” He swept his arm wide, indicating the house and its surroundings. “Intact families who loved and sheltered you from all the big, bad problems of the world. I bet your biggest problem growing up was what to watch on television or which cereal to eat in the morning.”
Jordan had opened his mouth to respond when the front door opened and his friend Mike Levin stuck his head out. “Yo, Jordy, are you gonna stand out there all afternoon? Come inside and say hello.” He walked out onto the porch, Rachel at his side as usual. His eyes widened, and Jordan could see him staring at the dog. “You got a dog?”
Rachel detached herself from Mike and came tripping down the stairs. “Oh, Jordy, she’s beautiful, aren’t you, sweetie.” She put out her hand for Sasha to sniff.
He knelt beside Rachel and kissed her cheek. “Her name’s Sasha, and she adopted me, showed up in my backyard one day.” Sasha was wriggling from all the attention, and both Rachel and now Mike, who’d joined them, were petting and rubbing her belly, to her obvious doggy delight.
When they’d finished with the dog, Jordan stood up and introduced Lucas. “Lucas Conover, this is Rachel Klein and Mike Levin. Rachel is Drew’s sister, and Mike is, well, Mike.” He looked with affection at his old friend, who, as usual, was holding on to Rachel. When Mike had come back from Iraq with a shattered eardrum that left him deaf in his right ear, he’d gone through a wild phase where it seemed to Jordan he’d bedded almost every eligible woman in New York City. Then Rachel came back into his life and centered him so that he could deal with his handicap. The love they shared was strong, and Jordan couldn’t be happier. Both had suffered enough.
They traipsed back into the house, Jordan keeping a tight hold on Sasha’s leash. Luckily, Esther’s backyard was fully fenced in, so he’d be able to let the dog out and keep an eye on her from the kitchen, which was where they always spent their time whenever they came to visit Esther anyway.
They entered the center hall colonial, and Jordan breathed in the familiar scent of sugar, vanilla, and Esther’s sweet rosewater perfume. The house smelled of childhood, comfort, and love. It was as if he’d become ten pounds lighter, the weight lifting from him, freeing his soul, enabling him to breathe for the first time since that horrific night Keith had died.
“Is that my darling boy, Jordan? Where is he?” Esther’s faintly accented voice carried down the hallway as he heard her quick steps tap on the highly polished parquet floors. She might be almost ninety, but nothing could slow her down.
“Esther, happy birthday, my love.” He saw her then, thin and beautifully dressed, her silver hair set in simple waves about her face. Those bright blue eyes snapped with life, but there were deeper lines etched in her fine, pale skin. His heart skipped.She’s gotten older. “Still the loveliest lady in Brooklyn.” He held out his offering. “I know how much you love your chocolate.”
Her radiant smile was all he needed. “Oh, you sweet young man. You shouldn’t have.” Her eyes twinkled as she sneaked a peek into the bag he’d brought her from her favorite chocolate shop in New York—Li-Lac Chocolates. “But I’m glad you did.” She set the bag on a small side table. “Now come here and give me a proper hello.”
