“Yep. I thought he meant he’d stuck it to the wall. But nope, he actually coloured all the pattern in going up the stairs. It was all different colours too. No wonder he was quiet.” A snort escapes as I take another drink.
“Oh no. Did you have to redecorate?”
“Nah, I left it. He was so proud of his work, I couldn’t possibly tell him off or tear it down. It stayed there until we moved house when Alex and I divorced.”
“I love how you still get along. I had thought things might be awkward with having the two of you in the same room at the wedding, even though Finn reassured me that you both talk, he also said you hadn’t seen each other since his graduation.”
“We Zoom occasionally.” I lift the wine to my lips, taking another sip as I remember how our Zoom calls usually go. It was always to discuss travel arrangements and when he was visiting, or school, birthdays, and Christmas gifts. But since Finn became an adult, it’s usually when Finn’s in the papers.
Shelly runs her index finger over the sugary rim of her glass, staring at the syrupy mocktail.
“What’s wrong? Are you not dancing?” I nod towards her mother who’s like a born-again teenager, tearing up the dance floor.
Shelly giggles. “I’m tired. It must be the pregnancy, but I’m ready for bed.”
“It has been a long day. Even though it’s been a relaxing day with the spa and pampering, having to people is exhausting sometimes.”
She nods in agreement. “I’m glad I arranged something low-key. I don’t think I could have handled a full-on weekend away.Finn was happy to skip the whole bachelor party thing, too, but his best man talked him into it. Said if he’s flying in from the UK, he’s making sure Finn gets a good send-off.”
“Ah yes, Sebastian’s been Finn’s best friend since nursery. He’s a little wild, but a good friend.”
Shelly’s friend Natasha tugs on her arm. “Shell, come and dance with us.”
“Enjoy yourself. I’m getting another drink.” I rise from the seat as Shelly’s reluctantly pulled to her feet.
Lifting my empty glass, I make my way to the piano bar. A softer ambience greets me as my heels click across the parquet floor. The musical notes of ivory and ebony keys play crooning Christmas tunes in the distance, making all the tension in my body melt away.
The lights of the bar dazzle over the array of spirits in front of a mirrored wall, and I climb onto a stool, pulling my dress down to my knees.
A very nice young man says from behind the bar, “What can I get you, ma’am?”
“I’ll have a?—”
“She’ll have a Kringle’s Creamy Cocktail, please, Danny, and I’ll have one, too.” Alex perches on the barstool next to me with his long legs. He doesn’t have to climb up ungracefully, like me.
My lips quirk in the corner. “Is that what you’re calling it?”Sounds a lot like what I got last night.I run a finger through my hair, still a little damp after drying off in the changing rooms. I never planned on getting my hair wet today, but thanks to my dear ex-husband gawking at me this afternoon, here we are.
“It’s your favourite, spiked eggnog drink.” He smiles at me now with the same dorky look on his face that he had at the pool, and probably the same dopey grin he woke up with this morning.
“You want to go with the eggnog again after last night?” I raise an eyebrow, wondering what his motives are.
“Hell yes. Whatever it takes to get you in my bed, Merry. I’ll even get another joint from my new dealer, Marley, if I have to.” He chuckles, scraping the stool along the floor, positioning it as close to mine as possible, then he sits, his legs on either side of my knees. “Thanks, Danny,” he says as he takes the two drinks from him, sliding one to me.
“Thank you, but you really don’t need to get me drunk or high.” My walls clench at the reminder of last night.
“Did you enjoy your swim earlier?” He chuckles silently behind the tumbler, swirling the ice around the cocktail.
I swat at his thigh nestled next to mine. “That was all your fault. I wasn’t planning on getting wet today.”
He leans over and whispers in my ear, “I’ve been plotting on how to get you wet all day.”
A shiver shoots down my spine. His warm breath on my neck tingles, causing goose bumps to break out on my skin. This man can make me wet with one look and one word in that deep raspy voice of his.
“You know, all you had to do was ask me.” I shuffle in my seat and rest both palms on his muscular thighs as I lean over to whisper in his ear, “We’re too old to play games, Alex. I’ll happily be your fuck toy while I’m here.”
His chest vibrates with a growl, his pupils dilate, making his eyes appear black as coal and lighting a fire in my belly. Placing the eggnog on the bar with a clink, he says, “Let’s go.”
“We can’t just take off. Everyone will wonder where we’ve gone.”
