But Tommy was laughing. “Trying to be starting something, Sal,” he said, and Sal smiled too.
But the ladies and Big Daddy were trained on Roz. “It’s so good to see you,” Roz was saying to Kelly. “You didn’t have to come all this way.”
“It’s my leading lady’s birthday,” said Kelly. “I would have walked a hundred miles to get here today.”
Trina and Gemma looked at each other with ano he didn’t say thatlook on their faces. Then they looked back at Kelly and Roz.
“Bet your bottom dollar I was going to wish you a happy birthday face to face.” Then he moved up closer to her. “Happy birthday, Roz,” he said, and they hugged.
Upstairs, on the staircase landing, Mick was looking out over the courtyard through the thirty-foot, floor-to-ceiling window. He saw Roz jump up to greet him. His jaw tightened when he saw Kelly hug her. His anger rose even higher when he saw Roz’s eyes close tightly shut as Kelly held her. As if she was wishing it could go on forever. As if she was wishing she could be free of her baggage and latch onto him.
Mick didn’t delay. He hurried down those stairs.
When Roz and Kelly stopped embracing, Roz placed Kelly’s arm in her arm. “Come and let me introduce you to my family. Some of them anyway,” she added as they walked across the courtyard.
But as Roz was still making the introductions to the family, Mick came out and began heading their way. Everybody, including Kelly and Roz, looked at him.
For Kelly, it was as if he was looking at his rival. He was an impressive-looking man, Kelly wasn’t going to pretend he wasn’t. He was well put together and knew it. He had swag and a sexiness all over him. He was a formidable foe. But so was Kelly, if he had to say so himself.
Casually dressed in jeans and a pullover crew neck shirt he threw on when Roz left him upstairs, Mick was still a sight to behold to every one of the ladies out there.
Trina shook her head as he walked their way. “I don’t care how old that man gets,” she said loud enough for Kelly to hear too, “but he still look better than all of y’all combined.Except for Big Daddy,” she added. “Now Big Daddy got even Mick beat.”
“Come on now, Trina,” said Grace. “I love me some Big Daddy, but he does not look better than Tommy. Come on now girl. Come on.”
“You’re missing the point,” said Trina. “Tommy’s pretty. Yes, you married a very pretty man, Grace.” Tommy and Grace were smiling more at Trina’s state of near-inebriation than what she was actually saying. “But we aren’t talking pretty. We’re talking . . . something else. And Mick the Tick,” she added, as she shook her head at that manly physique. “Whatever that is, he got it.”
Roz knew exactly what Trina meant as she watched Mick head their way. And she knew all those fast-tail girls that wanted themselves a rich and desirable man knew it too. That might have been what was fueling her insecurities when it came to Mick. He was a very sexy man. Her body was still humming from what that sexiness put on her just fifteen minutes ago. Everybody claimed she was glowing when she first came out to the courtyard. “Bullshit,” she said at the time, and they all laughed. But Mick did have what it took to make a woman glow.
So did Kelly, Mick thought as he made his way toward his courtyard. He was sizing Kelly up just as much as Kelly was sizing him up. Kelly was attractive. That was his greatest asset. He could be-still the hearts of many ladies. And he was younger than Mick: he was closer to Roz’s age. Could he be-still her heart too?
But Mick, being Mick, walked up complaining. About that elevator music Tommy had playing over his stereo. “Who’s playing that shitty-ass music on my system?” he asked them. Reno and Sal fell against each other laughing.
“That would be me, Uncle Mick,” said a smiling Tommy.
“Change it.”
“Don’t you dare, Tommy,” said Roz. “It’s my party and I like your music choices.”
“Thank you, Roz,” said Tommy.
Then Roz looked at Mick. “I thought you said you weren’t coming out here.”
Mick didn’t like all eyes on him when it came to dealing with Roz, but he also knew she would appreciate a little show of public affection. But not with Kelly on her arm.
“Aren’t you going to introduce your director to your husband?” Instigator Reno asked.
“We’ve already met,” said Kelly as he removed his arm from Roz and extended his hand. “Hello, Mick. How are you?”
Mick didn’t shake his hand. He knew a rival when he saw one, and he wasn’t playing games with him.
Roz found Mick rude, but that wasn’t news to anybody out there. Even Kelly took his dismissal in stride. He smiled and withdrew his hand.
“Have a seat, Kelly,” Trina said. She wanted more tea. She needed to know where this man stood in Roz’s life since Roz had never even mentioned his name to her before.
“No, I can’t stay,” Kelly replied, although everybody could tell he had planned to stay until Mick showed up. “I just wanted to wish Roz a happy birthday. And give her this gift.”
He had a gift in his hand and handed it to Roz. Mick didn’t like it, but he didn’t show his displeasure either.
