“This is how it works,” she began as if she was talking to someone with a learning disability.
Rix sucked in breath in an effort to suck in patience.
“I am now an unwitting celebrity,” she continued. “You are now an unwitting celebrity. And you have to represent. And for Alex, you will.”
Shit.
Fuck.
For Alex, he would.
“I have a charity I run,” Chloe carried on. “And through the benevolent hand of God, the natural order of things has twisted, and now department stores, boutiques and designers wish to curry favor with me. I do not deny them that opportunity. So, I made a few calls and told them who I was dressing. They know in the next week you’re going to be photographed, copiously, and you’ll be doing it being all you are. Young, handsome and vital, with a beautiful woman at your side who hails from two of the most aristocratic bloodlines in two countries. They were falling all over themselves to send me free clothes, Rix. I accepted and selected what would suit you the best, and that was difficult, as you’re like Judge. A dream to dress. I wanted to put you in everything.”
He scowled at her.
She got back on target.
“En fin, it didn’t cost me a penny, but the time to make some phone calls.”
Well.
Shit.
Rix said nothing.
“That two thousand dollars,” she sniffed, “is your donation to Fabulous Foot Forward to compensate me for my time, my styling skills and having to put up with this conversation. Because I knew you’d hassle me if you thought I was covering you. Though, since that cat is out of the bag, I’ll note now, the amount of your donation is negotiable.”
“I just dropped eight grand on an upgrade of an engagement ring after Peri’s trade-in, since Alex isn’t gonna wear Peri’s ring.”
Her hair swayed as her head jerked.
“Fake ring, Coco,” he reminded her.
“Right,” she whispered.
“By the way”—he took her left hand and gave it a squeeze before releasing it—“congratulations. I don’t know whether to threaten you to make him happy, or I’ll kill you, or to threaten him to do the same thing.”
“You’re ridiculously wonderful,” she purred.
“Are we done?” he asked. “I have to get back to work.”
“We are.”
He bent and kissed her cheek then he got in his truck.
And it didn’t occur to him from start to finish of all that, she didn’t say happy birthday.
“I’m just running a little late, honey,” Alex spoke to him from his dash.
“It’s a birthday, baby. They happen every year. You don’t have to put much effort into it.”
Rix had learned something new.
A wash-and-go woman was where it was at.
That didn’t mean when Alex put some effort in, he didn’t appreciate it.
He really fucking did.
He just wanted to make sure she knew who she was was what he wanted.
“Five, ten minutes, tops. I’ve already called the restaurant. They know we’re going to be late.”
“It’s okay, take your time. I’m a couple minutes out. See you in a few.”
“See you, honey.”
They hung up.
After those couple of minutes of driving, he saw the globe string lights he’d draped off the side roof of her house as it slanted down the mountain. She had decent lighting, but that way, it was attractive, and every step was illuminated for her.
She could also far more easily see her house and the turn-off from a greater distance, which was something needed with as dark as it got up in those mountains at night without a streetlight for miles.
While he was setting that up for her, he’d gone wild, done her deck, zigzagging the strings from overhang to trees.
It looked the fucking bomb.
She’d loved it.
Since she was a deck girl, he’d loved giving it to her.
His headlights flashed on her Subaru, and he parked behind it, knifed out, went to the steps, and he could tell by what he could see, down Alex’s mountain off the front of the house, the deck lighting was on along with the lights at the steps.
She was outside a lot, and he was there with her. On his deck. Hers. As much of their weekends as she could manage.
Maybe she was late because she’d had a glass of wine under her trees, and she hadn’t turned off the lights.
This didn’t upset him.
He’d wished he’d come earlier.
He hit the door.
Opened it.
Walked in.
“Surprise!”
Streamers streamed from the loft, confetti rained down, and people jumped out of the pantry and powder room, not to mention where they’d been hiding on the deck.
There was a tall stand covered in cupcakes on Alex’s kitchen table, food all around it. More food on her coffee table. Steel tubs filled with ice and bottles and cans on her kitchen counters.
There was more out on the deck, he could see, including two half kegs.
The reason for all of this was she was there. Chloe. Judge. Katie. Gal. Kevin. Genny. Duncan. Chloe’s sister, Sasha. Her father, Tom. Tom’s girlfriend, Paloma. Rix’s mom and dad. Some of his friends from the store…
And the entire fire crew with wives and girlfriends…
Were all there.
Shit.
Alex got to him first.
She was wearing a black slip dress with some meshy, see-through thing over it that had red and yellow shit stitched in, and that overdress ran longer than the one under it. High-heeled red sandals with lots of straps.
He loved his woman wash and go, but it was a fantastic fucking birthday present, her in those heels.
And wearing that smile.
“Okay?” she asked softly.
It was not.
“Yeah,” he replied, forcing his mouth to smile.
Her head cocked.
She read the smile.
To distract her, Rix swept her in his arm and kissed her.
Hoots and hollers and from close a back slap.
He then heard his buddy Jarrod from the crew say, “Jesus, man, let us get a few beers in before we have to give you two the room.”
Rix broke the kiss, and since he’d lifted his hand to her jaw during it, he swept her lip.
Only then did he turn to Jarrod.
“Fuck off, asshole.”
Jarrod smiled huge and came in for a man hug.
Rix let Alex go and gave it to him.
And he felt it open further.
That thing in his chest.
It started oozing.
Infected.
He didn’t have time to do an emergency patch job and stitch it together.
He was dragged into his own party.
He was sitting on Alex’s deck railing, ignoring his mom and dad’s looks, Judge’s, Chloe’s.
Alex’s.
For the first time since he got to the party, he had a second to get his shit tight.
So he was taking it when Gal moseyed up to him.
She swung up beside him and knocked their knees.
“So, the skinny,” she began.
Ah hell.
She laid it on him.
“She didn’t want your fire buds here. Or your store buds. But mostly your fire buds. You know. She’s Alex. She wanted something quiet. You, her, Judge and Chloe, me and Kate. But more, she wanted that for you. Judge insisted. Said it was time. She enlisted Chloe, who sided with Alex, both of them saying you’d decide when it was time. Judge would not stand down. Said you were making strides, they needed to facilitate that. He enlisted Duncan and Chloe’s dad. And to put some gusto into it, from afar, Judge’s dad, and to push their case, your dad. Alex’s next play was to draft your mom, who sided with the dudes. So your fire buds are here.”