Jet was giggling, h*ps leaned against the back counter, arms wrapped around her middle. Ally was grinning like a loon. She grabbed a towel and hustled towards the couch to clean up the grounds.
I was thinking if I had one birthday wish, I would start the day again and miss Fortnum’s (and getting caught by Nick wearing nothing but a sheet though I’d keep the shower with Vance, it was fast but it was nice).
“That’s the best goddamned seat in the house,” Tex explained to Indy, cutting into my thoughts, “and Law’s sittin’ there.”
“Tex –” Indy began.
“No lip!” Tex slammed down Nick’s cappuccino next to my special and the foam sloshed over the sides. Then he looked at me. “Sit!”
“All right, we’re sitting,” I said, smiling at him, hopefully placatingly, “calm down, big man.”
Tex glared at the next customer, the unfortunate who’d opened his mouth. “She’s a badass motherfuckeress. She’d kick your ass soon as look at you. You’ve clapped your eyes on The Law. Count yourself lucky, sucker. Now, what’ll it f**kin’ be?”
I looked at the ceiling. Then I looked at the customer who was now staring at me and shook my head with an apologetic wince.
“I see you’ve given up on keepin’ a low profile,” Nick remarked, walking with me to the couch.
I decided to keep my mouth shut. I heard Vance laugh softly beside me. I threw him a frown. Then his laughter became not-so-soft.
Whatever.
We settled on a couch, me by the arm, Vance on the arm next to me, Nick on the seat on my other side.
Nick took a sip of his cappuccino, his eyes got big and he stared into his paper cup. “Now I understand why they put up with him. This coffee is great.”
I just nodded and took a sip of my own and decided “great” didn’t do it justice.
Nick’s hand went into his jacket and he pulled out a long, thin box, wrapped with pink paper topped with a little pink bow. “Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he said, his eyes warm on my face, handing the box to me.
I slammed my special on the table in front of me and clapped. I couldn’t help it, I loved presents and Nick’s presents were the best.
“What is it?” I asked stupidly.
“Open it,” Nick smiled at me.
I took it and ripped into it like a girlie girl (I did have a reason, seriously, his presents were the best). I tore off the paper and threw open the box.
Then I froze.
In it was a silver bracelet, a beautiful silver bracelet. It was made of hammered, matte silver squares each about an inch wide held together by small links. Each square was different, some had etchings, some pieces of gold or copper soldered on to them. Four of them had stones of varying shapes, sizes and colors.
“I had it made special,” Nick told me and started pointing, “that one’s blue topaz, your mother’s birthstone. That one’s garnet, your father’s. That’s peridot, for Mikey. The last one’s amethyst, for Reba.”
At his words the weight hit me in the chest again so hard my body moved with the force of it. I leaned back and I felt Vance’s warm thigh against my back. My throat closed and my vision got blurry.
“Nick,” I whispered.
Nick looked at me then started talking fast. “Now, Jules, don’t start. If you start, I’ll –”
“Where’s your birthstone?” I asked, my voice soft and it sounded croaky.
“That bracelet represents your family,” Nick explained.
“Yeah. I know,” I replied, my voice still sounding funny. “Where’s your birthstone?”
“Your real family, Jules,” Nick said softly.
I stared at him a beat then I slowly leaned into him, put my hand on his knee and looked in his eyes. “Yeah. I know,” I repeated. “Where’s your stone?”
He just looked at me and the way he did made me start blinking, fast.
I was not going to cry, I wasn’t. Not in front of Nick (who would cry with me, I knew it and I didn’t want that for him) and not in front of Vance (no way in hell) and not in front of everyone at Fortnum’s who thought I was a head crackin’ mamma jamma.
“Here,” I said, pulling the bracelet out of the box and throwing the box on the table, “put it on me.” I handed it to him and then gave him my wrist. I forced brightness into my voice and continued as if the emotional moment had never occurred. “I want to know where you got it. Your stone is emerald, right?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. That’s right,” Nick murmured, his voice sounding funny too.
“You’ll take me there. We’ll get them to put in another square. Okay?”
“Okay,” he whispered.
He fastened it on me and I shook my wrist around.
“Beautiful, Nick. Perfect,” I leaned in and kissed his cheek, “thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Jules.”
I turned to Vance and shook my wrist at him. “See? Isn’t it pretty?”
Vance grabbed my wrist which was shaking too hard for him to see anything and he held it fast. My eyes which were avoiding his moved to look at him.
He was staring down at me. He had that “mine” possessive look on his face but that other look was there too. The look that clawed at my memory and made my heart skip every other beat.
I stared at him, captured by the look, flipping through my memory cabinets to find the memory but before I could the look was gone.
His hand twisted so that his fingers laced in mine. He gave my hand a gentle yank and I came forward. He leaned down and kissed me softly.
“It’s beautiful,” he said when he was done kissing me and I was stuck staring at him again.
“Well!” Nick said from behind us and Vance let me go. That moment was lost too and I turned to Nick. “I gotta get to work. You two goin’ out tonight?” he asked, standing up.
I stood up with him and I felt Vance move to his feet behind me then he got close.
“No. The gang here is having a party for me. I’m not sure when and where but when I find out, will you come?” I asked.
Nick watched me a second not able to hide his surprise at any gang throwing a party for me. I had a slumber party once when I was thirteen. That was it. I wasn’t johnny-no-mates. I had friends and went to their parties but had only ever had that one party for me.
Then Nick’s eyes moved to Vance. He stared at Vance for a few beats, did a slow smile and looked at me.