Face the Music (20 page)

“It needs salt,” he said, biting back a grin.

“My mom was a really good cook.  She used to make everything from scratch.”

“You must have been a good student,” he teased.

“Hey!  I can cook.”

He raised a doubtful eyebrow.  “Really?”

I glared at him from across the tab
le.  “Oh, it’s on.  You’ll see. 
I’m great in the kitchen.”

He gave me a long look before getting up and going to t
he cabinet.  “Okay, it’s a date
then.  Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.”  He grabbed two small glasses, twisted the cap off the bottle of brandy
I’d brought
, and poured a splash into each cup.  “To goo
d health!”  He raised his glass.

“Cheers to that!”  I clanked my glass against his. 
I
then
swallowed a mouthful and made a face as it burned my insides.  He laughed and was about to pour more into my cup, but I held my hand up to stop him.  “Not too much, I have to work tomorrow.  I’m also still on pain pills, you know.” 

He glanced down at my foot.  “How is it feeling?”

“It’s
alright
.” 
It actually
hurt like hell, but I
wasn’t about to tell him that.

“I stopped by Saturday afternoon, but Emily said you were sleeping.  Good drugs?”

“I guess. 
I slept like a baby all weekend.”

“You must have needed it.” 

His
brown
eyes burned into my
blue
, and I had to force myself to look away.  “I’m so bummed
,
though.  I lost one of the earrings I was wearing at the party.  They were my Grams’s, and I
’m just sick about losing it.  The crazy thing is I never wear them! 
They just looked so nice with the dress.  Emily said I only had one when I got to the hospital.  The other must have fallen off somewhere at the Plaza.”

“That’s too bad.”  He swirled his brandy around in the glass before taking a sip.

After we finished eating, I washed out our bowls.  He grabbed a dishtowel, dried them, and put them in the cupboard.
  The routine felt very natural
.  Just as he put the last spoon away, someone knocked on the door. 

“Chris!  You poor thing, are you feeling okay?  Do you need anything?”  Cynthia
’s shrill voice filled the room as he pulled open the door.

“Hi,” he said.  His tone was amusing; he sounded annoyed.  “I have company, so I’ll have to talk to you later.”  He started to push the door closed, but she stepped in past him.  Her eyes
grew
wide when she saw me.  Definitely not what she was expecting. 

“Allison, right?”  She looked me up and down. 

“Hi, Cynthia.  How are you?”
  I dropped down into a kitchen chair.

Chris
watched her take the seat next to me before closing the door.  He didn’t look too thrilled
.

“I’m fabulous,
” she said.  “B
ut what in the world are
you
doing
here
?”  She made no effort to hide her surprise.  I decided that I didn’t want to stick around for the abuse.

“I was just leaving, a
ctually.”  I started to stand
, but
Chris was
instantly
behind me, pressing h
is heavy hands on my shoulders.  I had no choice but to
sit back down.

“Actually, Allie and I just finished dinner and were getting ready to play a video game.”

We b
oth looked at him in surprise.

“Oh?
”  Cynthia glared at me.  “Sounds like a blast.  What are we playing?”  She looked up at Chris and
flashed him a dazzling smile.

“Sorry, Cyn.”  He didn’t
sound
the least bit
apologetic.  “I only have two controllers.” 

She didn’t budge from her seat.  “I’m sure
Allison
wouldn’t mind
sitting
out one or tw
o games, would you?”

I’d had enough of the tension.  They had a history, and I didn’t want to
get in the middle
or cause problems. 
Not to mention my own sense of
dignity
. 
“Really, Chris.  It’s okay.”  I picked up my scarf and wound it aroun
d my neck.  “Just feel better.
”

Cynthia was smug with satisfaction, but Chris frowned.  “No.  I want you to stay.”  He opened the door and gestured towards the hallway.  “I’ll see you later, Cynthia.” 

She hesitated for a few seconds, glared at me, and then got up.  Before he could shut the door, she whispered, loudly enough for me to hear, “I’ll stop by later tonight, okay honey?” 

Chris
slammed
the door
hard enough that the walls vibrated
.

H
e sat down on his
couch
and picked up the controller to a video game.  “You ever play?”

I shook my head. 
“Nope, never.  We weren’t allowed to play
them
growing up.  I never picked up the habit
.
”

He patted the spot next to him.  “Well
,
then you are missing out.  Come on.  It’s kinda fun.”

“Chris,” I wavered, “maybe I should go.  I don’t want to cause any problems.”

“Problems
with
what?”

“You and Cynthia.”  I glanced at the door
.  “She really wanted to
be here
.  S
he probably hates me now.”  Actually, I was sure there was no ‘probably’ about it.  She had me marked ever since Maury’s.

He laughed.  “Join t
he club.  She hates everyone.”

“She certainly doesn’t hate you.” 

He shook his head.  “Don’t worry about her.  Come on, I’ll show you how to play.” 

I couldn’t resist any longer.  He showed me how to properly hold the controller, explained what the colored buttons did, and broke down the objectives.

He laughed when I ran my little man right off the
first
cliff.  “Here,” I sighed, surrendering the controller.  “I guess you’re the pro.”

“We can both play, I have two.”  He plugged in a second handset and reset the game. 

“So what’s the story with you and
the missus
?” I asked.

“Who?”

I laughed.  “
You know, you and
Cynthia.”

He raised his eyebrows. 
“
She is
not
‘
the missus’.  Why would you think that?
”

“Come on, you two are always together. 
She’s very talented, not to mention
drop-dead gorgeous.  You
’d
make a great couple.”

Chris was laughing.  He sat back against the couch cushions and rubbed a hand over his head.  L
ittle crinkles folded at the corners of his eyes.  “
You’re funny! 
We’re only together because of the show.  Once you get past the make-up she’s actually really scary.”

That didn’t surprise me. 
“I heard you used to go out.
”

“I try to have as li
ttle to do with her as possible,” he said.
 
“
We went out once, during the first week of the show, and it was a disaster.  She just can’t seem to get it through her thick head that I’m not interested.”  He pulled his stare away from the TV and studied my face.  “Why, are you
interested
?” 

“She’s not really my type.”

He looked at me a second longer and then laughed
even harder
.

Staring at the TV for so long
had
made my eyes burn. 
I blinked hard and looke
d at my watch.  “I better go.”

“Already?”

“I have to work in the morning.  You should get some rest too, you know.”

He f
rowned and turned the TV off.

I went to the kitchenette to get my thi
ngs, but he beat me to the door.

“
This was fun,” he said in a throaty voice
.  “You sh
ould come over again sometime
.”  He stood with his back against the door, blocking my way out.

The mood in the room suddenly darkened.  T
he air was thick with tension.
  I was
n’t scared of him in the least, but my thinning resolve to stay detached
was
terrifying. 
Chris seemed to be battling his own internal struggle.

Gathering my composure, I stepped forward so that I was just inches from him.  With my head down, I
whispered
, “Goodnight, Chris.”

He snapped out of his daze and opened the door.  “Goodnight, Allison.” 

Chapter 12

I was more than ready to go back to work.  Aside from the obvious limp my walking boot created and the occasional sharp pain in my side if I moved the wrong way, my accident was all but forgotten.

Sam and Melody were there to greet me first thing. 
“Miss Banks!  You’re back!”
Melody
said,
reaching out for a hug.

“I am!  H
ow are you?”  I awkwardly returned her embrace, doing my best not to drop my books.  “Did you finish
your
essay?”

Sam’s eyes were bright.  His lips twisted into a crooked smile.  “Aww, Miss Banks!  We were too worried about you to do our homework.”

“Vacation’s over,” I laughed, pulling some papers from my tote.  “Time to get serious again.  I can’t let you go back to your regular schools knowing how far behind we’ve gotten.”

“Not likely,” he said.  “You work us harder than any teacher I’ve ever had.  Besides, it’s only been a couple days.  It’s not like we’re
that
behind.  And what makes you think we’re going back anytime soon?  There’s still loads of time before the finale.”