Wallbanger (Cocktail #1)(21)
Author: Alice Clayton

“Hmm, Wallbanger. Where to start? First of all, you can’t tell me you didn’t know he lived next door. How the hell could you have lived there as long as you did and not know he was the one thumping away every night?” I inquired, looking back at her with my best detective sneer.

“Hey, you know I hardly ever stayed there, especially the last few years. I knew he was in that neighborhood, but I had no idea it was next door to the apartment I was subletting! When I see him, it’s always with Benjamin, and we usually go out for drinks or we have him over to our place. Regardless, it’s the beginnings of a great story, don’t you think?” she tempted, grinning again.

“Oh, you and your matchmaking. Simon said you’d mentioned me to him before. You are so busted.”

She held up her hands in front of her. “Wait, wait, wait, I had no idea he was so, well, active. I never would have suggested you if I’d known he had so many girlfriends. Benjamin must have known…but it’s a guy thing, I guess,” she replied.

I was the one to lean forward now. “So tell me, how does he know Benjamin?”

“Well, Simon isn’t originally from California. He grew up in Philadelphia and only moved out here when he went to Stanford. Benjamin has known him most of his life—he was really close to his dad. He’s kind of watched out for Simon—favorite uncle, big brother, surrogate father, that kind of thing,” she said, her face growing soft.

“Was really close to his dad? Did they have a falling out or something?” I asked.

“Oh, no, no, Benjamin was always great friends with Simon’s dad. He was the one who mentored him early in his career. He was very close with the entire family,” she said, her eyes growing sad.

“But now?” I pressed.

“Simon’s parents were killed when he was a senior in high school,” she said quietly.

My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh no,” I whispered, my heart full of sympathy for someone I barely knew.

“Car accident. Benjamin says they went really quickly, almost instantly,” she replied.

We were quiet for a moment, lost in our own thoughts. I couldn’t even process what that must have been like for him.

“So after the funeral, he stayed in Philadelphia for a while, and he and Simon began to talk about him going to school at Stanford,” she continued after a moment.

I smiled at the image of Benjamin doing everything he could to help.

“I can imagine it was probably a good idea for him to get away from everything,” I said, wondering how I would deal with something like that.

“Mm-hmm. I think Simon saw the chance, and he took it. And knowing that Benjamin was close by if he needed anything? I think that made it easier,” she added.

“When did you meet Simon?” I asked.

“His senior year of college. He’d spent some time in Spain the summer before, and when he came home that August he came into the city to have dinner with us. Benjamin and I had been dating for a while by then, so he knew of me, but hadn’t actually met me,” she said.

Wow, Simon does Spain. Those poor flamenco dancers—they never stood a chance.

“We met for dinner, and he charmed the waitress by ordering in Spanish. Then he told Benjamin that if he was ever stupid enough to leave me that he would be quite happy to—now what was it he said?—ah, yes, he would be quite happy to warm my bed.” She giggled, her face growing pink.

I rolled my eyes. This matched what I knew of him already. Although, as brash as my girls and I were when flirting with Benjamin, it was the pot calling the kettle forward.

“And that’s how I met Simon,” she finished, her eyes far away. “He really is pretty great, Caroline, all banging aside.”

“Yes, banging aside,” I mused, running my fingertips back and forth across the tops of the flowers.

“I hope you get to know him a little better,” she said with a grin, matchmaker once again.

“Settle down there. We’ve called a truce, but that’s all.” I laughed, shaking my finger at her.

She got up and started for the door. “You’re very sassy for someone who’s supposed to be working for me,” she said, trying to look severe.

“Well, I’d get a lot more work done if you’d let me get back to it and stop with your nonsense!” I said, looking severely back at her.

She laughed and looked out to reception.

“Hey, Maggie! When did I lose control of this office?” she called.

“You never actually had it, Jillian!” Maggie yelled back.

“Oh, go make coffee or something! And you,” she said, turning to me and pointing. “Design something brilliant for the Nicholsons’ basement.”

“Again, all things I could’ve been doing while you were yakking away in here…” I murmured, tapping my pencil on my watch.

She sighed. “Seriously, Caroline, he’s really sweet. I think you two could be great friends,” she said, leaning in the doorway.

What’s with everyone leaning in doorways lately?

“Well, I can always use another friend, now, can’t I?” I waved as she disappeared.

Friends. Friends who called a truce.

“Okay, so we know the floors in the bedroom are going to be reclaimed, honey-toned wood, but you for sure want carpet in the closet?” I asked, settling on the couch next to Mimi and starting on my second Bloody Mary. We’d been going through her plans for almost an hour as I tried to get her to see that I was not the only one who would have to compromise on her designs. She would as well. As long as we’d been friends, Mimi had believed she won every argument. Mimi saw herself as a badass that could strong-arm anyone into anything. Little did she know Sophia and I had figured out that we only had to let her think she was getting her way, which made her much more tolerable.

The truth was, I always knew I wanted carpet in the closet—just not for the same reasons she did.

“Yes, yes, yes! It has to be carpet—really thick and luxurious carpet! It will feel so good under cold toes in the morning,” she cried, almost shaking in her excitement. I really hoped Neil would be around long enough to romance her right. She needed to release some of this excess energy.

“Okay, Mimi, I guess you’re right. Carpet in the closet. But for that, you have to give me back those two feet you wanted from the bathroom for the rotating shoe rack that I vetoed.” I spoke carefully, wondering if she would go for it.