Family Ties

Fresh bottle in the fridge.”

“I need something stronger.” He went to the liquor cupboard. “You want anything?”

“Sure, I guess. Whatever you’re having.”

“Right. Two Jack and Cokes, coming up.” He mixed the drinks and handed one to me. “Need to give you a heads-up,” he said after a long sip.

“Wren wants to talk about New Year’s tonight.”

“Okay,” I said neutrally.

“I’ll save the longer story for dinner, but the short version is that we have a cabin in Lake Tahoe for the week after Christmas. She wants to invite you and Christy. I told her it’s up to you, but you know her.”

“That’d be a big step,” I said.

“I told her what you said, that you’re trying to take things slow, but she’s… well… ‘horny’ isn’t the right word, but it’s close enough.” He took another sip of his drink. “She misses Christy, and I know it isn’t just the sex.”

“It’s the intimacy.”

“Yeah, probably. You’d know better than I would. Oh, that reminds me.

We got together with Mark and Leah over Thanksgiving.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“Anyway,” he continued, “everything turned out okay and we had fun, but I thought you should know.”

“I get the feeling she’s keeping it in reserve to throw in your face if she needs to. So don’t tell her I told you. Okay?”

“This may sound crazy,” he went on, “but she really wants your approval, at least about this. You know how she is. She wants to do everything herself, control everything. Drives me crazy sometimes, but…” He shrugged. “What can I say? I love her.”

“The hot sex doesn’t hurt.”

“No kidding,” he admitted with a grin. “She did fine with our little get-

together with Mark and Leah, but I get the feeling she’s trying to do the same thing with you and Christy.”

“Not even close. So I thought I should give you a heads-up about Lake Tahoe. Give you time to come up with an excuse or something.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Okay. Thanks.”

“So…,” he gestured with his half-empty drink, “what’s for dinner?”

“Lemon-pepper tuna steaks and steamed veggies.”

“Any chance you can get her to start eating meat?”

“Yeah, but I’m dying for a steak. From a cow. But Wren always fixes things that Christy will eat. I’ll be honest, it’s starting to bug me a little.”

“Start a date night,” I said. “Take Wren out to a restaurant. Eat steak.

From a cow. See a movie or concert or something. Have fun.”

“That isn’t a bad idea.”

“Food for thought,” I said with a grin.

He nodded absently and then smiled. “Nice one.”

“Thanks. Now, you wanna help with dinner?”

“Not really. Think I’m gonna top off my drink and watch you.”

“Gee, some friend you are.”

We chatted as I finished the prep work. Then I joined him at the kitchen table to finish my own drink.

The girls were on the verge of tipsy when they came downstairs, but Wren looked a thousand times better, clean and refreshed. Christy avoided my eyes as she took a new bottle of wine out of the fridge. She couldn’t avoid me when I went to kiss her, though, and she realized too late that she smelled like lavender.

“If you aren’t going to help,” I said to Trip, “why don’t you and Wren take the wine and go relax for a while. Christy and I can finish everything here. Dinner in fifteen minutes?”

“Sounds awesome, dude.”

They went through the dining room and headed toward the octagon room.

The stereo started playing a moment later. Christy squeaked in surprise when

I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her to the counter. I kissed her before she could object too loudly.

“Mmm,” I breathed as I pulled back, “you smell nice.”

“Don’t act innocent.”

“All right, you caught me. I was playing matchmaker with you and Wren.”

“I can’t answer the second question,” I said with a laugh, “but I can the first. It’s because I want you to be happy.”

“Why can’t I be happier with just you?”

“You want the truth?”

“Because some people aren’t made to be happy with just one person. I think you’re one of them.”

“Then tell me you don’t have feelings for Wren.”

“I don’t have feelings for Wren,” she parroted.

I gave her the full skeptic stare.

“I hate when you do that!”

“See right through me.”

“Then don’t lie to me.”

“You’re lying to me and to yourself.”

I twitched an eyebrow.

“This above all,” I said, “to thine own self be true.”

“And…?” she said irritably.

“It means you have to be true to who you are. And you have to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with others.” I paused to decide what to say next. “You remember a couple of months ago, when you asked why I

didn’t have a girlfriend?”

She frowned at the non sequitur but eventually nodded.