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I felt pleased for a moment, then I had a horrible thought, and my stomach clenched. “If you’d gone down first, or with me . . . Moira would have gotten you.”
Martini held me tighter. “No more what ifs. At all. It’s bad enough we almost lost James, but I don’t want you living with that kind of worry, especially since it’s based on nothing. ‘What if’ doesn’t help anything, and it changes less.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best. Jeff?”
“Yeah?”
“How are you reading my mind all the time?”
He sighed. “I’m not. I just pay attention to you—because I love you. And, like I said, you broadcast your emotions.” I could hear evasion in his voice.
“And?” He didn’t say anything. “Jeff, I know there’s got to be an ‘and’ in there.”
“Okay, fine. I just didn’t want you to worry.”
“About what?”
He took a deep breath. “The drugs the Club Fifty-One people gave me?”
“Yes? The ones that could have killed you and pretty much drove you crazy? Hard to forget those drugs.” I tried not to let the dread take over. Failed.
He hugged me more tightly. “They’re out of my system, but . . . they affected me.”
“How?”
“Remember how I told you they enhanced my powers to where I could feel every emotion you had and almost see you?” I nodded. “Well, I still can, but with even more . . . depth. I can’t read your mind, exactly, but pretty close. Only you, though. With everyone else it’s the same as in the past, maybe a little more enhanced than before. So,” he added dryly, “I knew what the football players were up to. I just decided to trust you on it.”
“I call that personal growth.”
“You okay with it?”
I thought about it. “Yeah, I am. I kind of like it, in a weird way.”
“Sums up our entire relationship.”
“Pretty much. What about your healing?” He’d been amazingly active awfully soon after his beat down from Kyrellis.
Martini gri
I hugged him. “It’s in the past. Everyone’s here and fine, and that’s what matters. And as long as the only aftereffects make you more awesome, I’m good with it.” I looked at the clock. “We’d better get going. We’re late.”
“Dad knew we’d be late.”
“I didn’t think you heard anything he said.”
“He knew I was giving you this tonight.” He leaned back. “What do you mean, what he said?”
“You agreed that I was going to be passed around to every man at the restaurant and then go to Australia with Chuckie.”
“I did not!”
“You did. Your dad will confirm it.” I laughed at his expression. “But, under the circumstances, since you really are pla
“Thank God you like the ring.”
CHAPTER 44
WE WERE ONLY ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES LATE to the restaurant, which I thought was doing pretty darned well for us.
Our party did have the entire place, but it was small, and there were a lot more of us than I was prepared for, so it was packed. I looked around. “Oh, my God, Jeff. My entire family is here.”
“I don’t see your dad.”
“Everyone else. And I do mean everyone. Oh, my God . . . Uncle Mort’s here. And so is Richard! What is going on?”
Christopher spotted us and shoved through the crowd. “Took you long enough. My dad was getting worried about you.” He gave Martini a meaningful look.
“Yeah, sorry.” Martini put my hand out toward Christopher.
He gri
Martini shrugged. “Nice to be sure.”
Christopher hugged me. “Congratulations again.”
“Thanks. Why is the world here?”
“Well, on our side, nobody blew up, and we occasionally like to celebrate that kind of success. On your side, they like our side, and the vodka martinis are reputed to be great.” Christopher gri
Martini sighed. “Pity. I’d like to see them.”
“Yeah, me too. Reynolds is dealing with the guys, though. Amazingly enough, they don’t seem to bother him.”
“He spent junior high and high school being attacked by big jocks. He knows what makes them tick. And how to deflect them.”
“Yes, Reynolds walks on water. Got it. Let’s get in and be seen before we get bawled out for being late.” Martini took my hand and led me through to the back. This didn’t go quickly. Every relative of mine we passed had to have an introduction.
My mother’s sister, Karen, spotted us, and the ring, when we were about halfway in. I loved her, but she had a big voice and used it to share with all that Martini was indeed going to make an honest woman out of me.
We were mobbed. Fortunately, my entire family was aware that I liked smaller stones, but even so, I heard some comments about the size of the diamond. “Big stones look fake on my hands.” I repeated that at least a dozen times before I got a glimpse of my mother.
She was way in the back with a woman I took to be Queen Renata, Martini’s parents, and both sets of my grandparents. Mom looked happy, but I knew her, and she was faking it. I pulled Martini’s head down. “Something’s up with Mom. We need to get over there.”
“I could throw you, but otherwise, I think it’s going to take some time. Yes, sorry, we’ve been engaged for almost six months already.” This to my Aunt Ruth, who was reading Martini the riot act for us sending out wedding invitations before I had a ring. “Look, she’s wearing a ring.” He shoved my hand in Aunt Ruth’s face.
“And not much else. Katherine Sarah Katt, what are you doing wearing next to nothing to your engagement party?” So much for Martini’s jacket providing adequate coverage. Oh, well, it’d been worth a shot.
I opened my mouth to give some sort of reply, but Aunt Ruth barreled right on. “Not that I can tell it’s an engagement party . . . no decorations, no gifts, no engagement cake.” She shook her head. “I’ve never been to an engagement party without a lovely cake.”
“Engagement party?” Christopher was on my other side, and he kicked my foot. “Ow!” Aunt Ruth’s eyebrow lifted, and I scrambled to recover. “Um, sorry about the cake, Aunt Ruth.” I’d never known she was an engagement cake aficionado, but the learning never seemed to stop for me.
She rolled her eyes. “Charles explained it was impromptu, and the chef and staff didn’t have time for something proper. Honestly, I’m more upset by your attire or the lack thereof.”
“Jeff bought this outfit for me.”
She sniffed. “I’ll bet.”
“It’s really expensive.”
Aunt Ruth rolled her eyes. “Charles has money, too.” Oh, hell, there it was, out in the open. “Charles wouldn’t have waited six months to give you a ring. And he wouldn’t have dressed you like this.”
“Wow, gotta get to Mom. Love you, Aunt Ruth, thanks for the stress.” I dragged Martini through the crowd.
“What’s with ‘Charles has money, too’? I thought you said you two never dated!”
“One fling for one week, Jeff, okay? But he’s been my friend since we were thirteen.”
“I’ve been friends with a lot of women no one suggests I would be better off marrying.”
“Aunt Ruth has views.”
“What views are those?”
“Chuckie would convert to Judaism if I asked him to.” Great, religion out in the open, too.