Aaron had adjusted to the adoration like it was perfectly natural. He looked comfortable in his suit, now that he had loosened the tie.
He leaned in close. “My aunt, over near the cake table. She wants to take off before the snow starts to fall.”
“Did you smoke?”
“A cigar. I told you that Riley brought cigars. I’ll brush my teeth as soon…”
“It’s okay. It smells nice in a way.”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. They were passing by a table of cousins and someone made a remark that made the whole table laugh.
When they finally reached Aunt Hannah, Jennifer wore a big smile. It was an uncontrollable reflex.
“We’re hitting the road,” Hannah said.
“So soon?” Jennifer asked.
“You know I have an early day tomorrow and Stan wants to rescue Buckley from the kennel. I think Ginger and Veronica would stay longer, but we told them when they asked for a ride that we would…”
She was interrupted by the others coming from the bathroom area. Everyone said their goodbyes at the same time. Jennifer hugged Veronica and shook hands with the rest. Aaron walked them towards the door while Jennifer turned around to survey the room. A few people were picking over the remains of desserts or nursing cocktails. Some of the younger cousins were still dancing. The music was low. Aaron’s grandfather appeared to be asleep.
Riley approached, weaving between discarded chairs.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving too,” she said.
“In a bit,” he said. “I promised Nick that I would get him home at a reasonable hour. I guess we should have consulted beforehand to make sure we had the same definition of reasonable.”
Riley gestured with his chin to the far end of the room. Nick had his arms folded across his chest and looked like he was having a miserable time.
“Thanks for giving him a ride,” Jennifer said.
“Not a problem.”
“I felt bad even inviting him, but it seemed like we had to, you know? If it hadn’t been for him…”
Riley nodded. “I understand. He’s a good guy. He won’t be a pain in the ass forever, you know?”
Jennifer laughed. “I hope not. Hey, did you meet Amber?”
“Amber…” Riley said, scanning the room.
“Across the hall, at the bar. Far end. Talking to that guy.”
“Talking to Ricky Dunn?”
“Yes. We had a few cancellations from the Florida contingent, so I asked Amber if she wanted to come. She has only been around for a few months and she doesn’t know anyone yet.”
“She moved up here in the fall? Does she realize what she’s in for?”
“Actually, I don’t think she really does. She said her uncle lived up here for years, but she never really visited. She inherited the house, I guess, and then just decided that she wanted to move to Maine. She came into the firm to talk with my boss about the estate and had a job offer by the end of the meeting.”
“Amber, you said?”
“Yes. Write it on your hand if you have to. Don’t just ask her name every three minutes like you normally do,” Jennifer said.
“Hey! I have a condition,” Riley said. Then, he added quietly, “As far as you know.”
Riley wandered off in Amber’s direction as Aaron returned.
“Care to dance?” Aaron asked Jennifer.
“I would,” she said.
The music was too fast. Aaron only knew how to dance one way—a slow shuffle while he pulled her so close that she was practically inside his jacket. He didn’t step on her toes though. Jennifer was glad for that.
# # #
“You about ready?” Nick asked.
Riley looked down at his watch and shook his head. “I still have another twenty minutes. I’ll be ready then.”
Nick frowned and sighed. “I’ll be in the lobby, near that fireplace.” He turned and moved towards the door like he was slogging through a marsh.
Riley turned back to Amber.
“Sorry about that.”
“No worries,” she said with a quick smile. “You don’t have to stick around and entertain me. I have cable TV upstairs. You wouldn’t believe how long it has been since I’ve watched TV.”
Riley laughed. “Don’t let me keep you. Cable, though? Seriously? All those commercials and you don’t have any control over what you’re going to watch?”
“Sometimes that’s nice,” Amber said. “Maybe I’m just being nostalgic, but sometimes it feels good to just turn control over to a higher power. The drama unfolds in little manageable chunks and then they tell me what to buy.”
“You make it sound so enticing.”
Riley took another sip of his coffee. Amber had most of a beer in front of her, and she hadn’t sipped it since he sat down. It was a prop—something to discourage anyone from asking if they could buy her a drink.
They both turned at the sound of laughter. The women were walking quickly and they were on a collision course with the bar. Riley jumped up from his seat and maneuvered himself between the frontrunner and the stool that she was about to hit. She was talking over her shoulder.
“Slow down, Mel,” Riley said.
She spun at the sound of his voice and her smile widened.
“Riley! Where did you disappear to? Aaron said you left.”
“Hey, Riley,” the other woman said.
He pulled out stools and introduced them while they got situated.
“Melissa and Stephanie, this is Amber,” Riley said. “Mel is Aaron’s sister, and Stephanie is her partner in crime.”
Stephanie reached up and tilted an imaginary hat at Amber.
“Amber works with Jennifer,” Riley said.
Amber nodded to them and gave them a smile. “We met, actually. I met Stephanie briefly at dinner tonight and Melissa at that leaf party.”
“That’s right!” Melissa said. “You wouldn’t go out with us to the House of Horrors.”
Stephanie was leaning over the bar, calling to the bartender.
Riley waved him off. “I think you guys should take a break from the drinks, yeah?”
Stephanie shot him a look. “For your information, it’s not your job to tell us when we’ve had enough. And, FYI, we’re not drunk
