Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(38)

“Adam is air-brushed good-looking,” I continued. “Tall, well build, gentleman, an extremely good guy—any girl would be lucky to get him.”

William’s blank face was a perfect mask. A see-through one, but perfect none-the-less. “So you would have gone for him?”

I put on a blank face of my own, playing him like a puppet. I shrugged. “Maybe.”

I figured William would get angry, or give me the silent treatment. Instead, he started to laugh. Not the reaction I was going for.

“You would never do as a spy,” he said. “All your emotions are on your face. He is a good-looking dude, though, that is true enough. Girls seem to like him.”

I laughed, too. “No, I wouldn’t have gone for Adam. If he wasn’t your friend and I had never met you I might have, but you trump all. Plus, Adam wasn’t going to go for me. He might have told you that. He might have even thought it at one time, but when it came down to it, he wouldn’t have. I even think he almost did, at Froggy’s actually, but backed down on his own. I’m not what he wants. He’s searching, I can tell, but I’m not it. Interesting that I see this now. I never really noticed it before. Too set on you, maybe.”

William kissed me.

“I was being honest, though,” I continued thoughtfully. “He is a definitely a good-looking guy, but he is a little…I don’t know how to describe it. Pretty, I guess. A little too pretty—don’t tell him I said that! But I like…rugged. He is manly, but doesn’t really come across as rugged. Hard to describe.” I shrugged again. “You trump all.”

William grunted, flexed, and kissed his bicep in a display of “manly.” I amended my description, informing him he was now a clown.

That next week I decided I would take William on a date, Jessica-style. No fancy restaurants, no jewelry, no expensive clothes, and I would pay. With the date in my power, I hoped it would go a little better.

I arrived at William’s house in my new-to-me Beemer wearing jeans, a cute little singlet with an airy top over it, my hair all done and new boots. The door opened and there stood…Adam.

“Um…hi?” I stammered, trying to look past and see what the hell was going on. William better not have forgotten this was my date night! He hadn’t wanted to go, mostly because I planned to drive and pay, so a slip of the mind would be just like him. He would expect the beating, too.

“Ladies ain’t supposed to say ‘um.’” Adam smirked.

“Well, I don’t think ain’t is in the dictionary, so who’s judging, huh?”

Adam laughed. “I hear you is takin’ Willie on a date. I’m the door man. C’mon in.”

I chuckled. William didn’t have Gladis, so he called in Adam. Touché.

I was admitted to the front entryway and led past the kitchen, down a hall to the living room, which Adam called the sittin’ room. I’d been here a million times, so I knew the layout, but I still marveled at the decorating. William had done it up right. He hated interior design, but he liked living in nice places. He was a bachelor raised by his mother—no beer signs for this guy! He had an interior decorator at the top of the trade come in and work the place over. There were a few artistic pieces that were a bit weird, like the goat statue with gold and grass outlays—he called them eclectic—but overall it was a stylish place.

I sat on the modern leather couch, which was not as comfortable as it was stylish, and noticed a bottle of champagne on the glass coffee table.

Adam sat in the adjacent leather recliner. “How’r you doin’?”

“Great. Really good. Thanks for asking. How are you?”

Adam gave me an annoyed look. “I ain’t the one going through a life trial.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Adam,” I said, taking a sip of my champagne, “I bet you go through life trials every day.”

“You know what I mean, Jess.”

I put on an affected southern accent a la Gone with the Wind; “Why, I never! I resent the implications that I am a mind reader, Mr. Dunn, if you please!”

“I meant about… How are your mental facilities?” Adam was talking slowly and clearly, as if we were underwater and he wanted to make himself heard.

“My mental facilities? Adam, are you calling me dense? That isn’t very nice.”

Adam looked at me slightly cross-eyed, “Jessica—“ he shook his head and tried to collect his thoughts, but apparently gave up when he said, “You can try a saint, you know that? You’re as infuriatin’ as all get-up!”

“I’ll take it from here,” William said, walking in with a smile.

“He’s no Gladis.” I laughed and got up. Adam got up, too, still miffed.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have a lot of options. The other guys were out with girls.”

“I bet their women aren’t all pains in the asses, though. Right, Adam?” I nudged Adam.

Adam huffed and walked toward the kitchen.

William stepped forward in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that fit him like a glove. We were going to a BBQ joint that was widely believed to be the best in the city. Coming from people that loved their BBQ, that was saying something. It was also on the other side of the tracks, so to speak, and I didn’t want William looking all rich and suave to eat some ribs.