Playing House

By Eleine Kruez

Part 14

It was past five when they climbed down the fire escape. They headed for the car and Sinjun glanced at Nicki as he started the engine. She had a clearer picture of what he was like as a teenager. He wasn’t Homecoming King, but he was in his own right a track and field star. He was at a comfortable place among the social elite, but he wasn’t among those glorified. She believed she might’ve found him cute had she attended high school with him. Might’ve tried being one of his handful of girlfriends (not all at the same time though). Classic boy-next-door type. With an extra dose of sexiness.

She stopped her line of thought before she started drooling over the leather seats.

“All set for home?”

She had decided earlier that day to scratch the last item off her list, but a devil was surely whispering to her because she turned to him and flashed a mischievous smile. “Just this last stop then the BBQ.”

. . . . . . . . . .

Not surprisingly, as it was the weekend, there were a few cars parked. What was surprising was that they were there when it was still a few hours until dark fell. They gave each other a lot of breadth, of course. And the cars all had the doors and windows closed.

Nicki stared ahead in stony silence. Sinjun just grinned as she stepped out of the car and looked around. The sun was just setting and below her, she could see the entire county bathed in red-orange light. All in all, it was pretty romantic.

One just had to take in the view and ignore the suspicious rocking of the car fifty meters from her.

“Oh, don’t tell me this is the first time you’ve been here,” she rolled her eyes as she slid back to her seat. The car to her left had taken to a more brutal rocking. “Ah, the vitality of youth.”

“You’re no older than those kids,” Nicki replied, still refusing to look at her even after they descended the infamous Look Out Point. It was pretty popular with teenagers in the area, especially those who had just gotten their licenses and eager to baptize their rides.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot, I’m with Old Man Nick. That why you put on the jacket? The air getting too chilly for your bones?” she snickered. “I admit I’m only ahead the children a few years, but I’d like to think I wouldn’t succumb to my baser instincts in a place as crass as Make Out Point.”

“When you’re horny and desperate, a car at the Point equates to a honeymoon suite at the Ritz.”

She laughed. “I’ll have to ask Suzie Knowles to confirm, don’t you think?”

The car lurched to a stop and he stared at her in horror. “How the hell do you know about that!”

“Let’s just say I have my sources,” she replied impishly. Penelope had invited her to lunch a few days ago and Sinjun found out how informative Nicki’s cousin could be after a bottle of red wine.

He just shook his head and they resumed the drive back home. After a few seconds, they laughed. “If you keep liquoring Pen, you’ll know my entire life story in a week!”

Sinjun just smiled. If this atmosphere keeps up, she might start thinking there’s a chance she’ll hear it straight from his lips.

. . . . . . . . . .

It was already dark when they pulled into the Maison’s parking lot. They could hear faint sounds from the back so they assumed the BBQ was well underway. They each carried a platter of a variety of tarts. Since neither was particularly confident in any major culinary feat, they opted to buy something to share with everyone. Sinjun suggested they bring booze, but Nicki, proving he knew the tenants well despite not regularly attending the BBQ, pointed out that beer was something that will undoubtedly be in abundance.

Sinjun inhaled deeply as they neared the lounge. “Oh, wow, I’m already drooling over Mike’s buffalo wings.”

Emi and Jason immediately came to their side when they entered. Sinjun put the picnic basket in a corner, balancing the tray with one hand. “The Newlyweds are here!” Jason exclaimed, taking the tray from Sinjun and leading her toward the side where the buffet was set. “I was wondering whether or not you guys would show up.”

“Detective!”

“Mrs.T!”

Several tenants greeted Nicki and Sinjun with a wave of their beer cans then resumed what they were doing: eating, drinking, chatting. Nicki had been waylaid by the tenants from 3D and she continued without him. Sinjun couldn’t help being pleased at being addressed as “Mrs. T.” She waved to Mike, who was manning the grill. She grabbed a paper plate and scooped some mashed potato onto it. Then she ambled toward Mike and chose what she deemed to be the most fragrant wing, thanked the man then handed Nicki the plate. “I’m having some of Reggie’s pasta. Want some?”

Nicki nodded his thanks then resumed talking about last season’s lacrosse game. Tenants and neighbors were always invited to the monthly BBQ, so high school sport was always hot topic among the men. Especially since some of them were the proud fathers of the athletes. She joined Emi and the other female demographics. The mothers had already banded themselves together to discuss which boys to ban their daughters from seeing.

“I heard you were out with Nicki the whole day,” Jenna commented playfully. She turned to the group composed of four men seated on the terrace’s railing and they followed suit.

“He rarely attends these things and yet there he is, mingling,” Jason added, eyeing the detective appreciatively. “Methinks the detective’s settling down.”

“You think?” Sinjun asked, seeming to glow with each comment. She hoped she wasn’t as obvious to Nicki as she was to these women (and one gay man). She didn’t find it strange that everyone seemed to know about the blonde bombshell he used to date before his marriage, so she wasn’t surprised to know that her crush had been exposed to them. Though she did wonder briefly how they could know practically everything about each and every tenant, but still hasn’t made the connection that “Mrs. T” was the Sinjun Blanco they kept commenting she looked a lot like. So far only Jason had cornered her about it (not at all buying her introduction as Johanna Taggert) and after she swore to introduce him to Colin, he promised to keep it a secret.

“Honey, with all the pheromones you’re releasing, I’m surprised you two haven’t locked yourselves in your room,” Jason smirked. “It might be time to beget Nicki, Jr., eh? Add more beauty to the world—give life to a beautiful, strapping Taggert.”

She flushed. Having a boy with Nicki’s eyes would be wonderful. Having a junior wouldn’t be so bad, would it? And maybe a little girl with her eyes and Nicki’s dark hair, too. And since it was tradition among the Seatons to give their children names beginning with an “M” her daughter could have her maternal grandmother’s name. Marielle Blanco Taggert, sounds good, right? Wait, she needed a second name. Marielle Denise….

“Speaking of beautiful, strapping lads, oh, yum,” Jason purred. He let out a wolf’s whistle and Sinjun followed his line of vision just in time to see a handsome man turn red. He was wearing a sport’s coat and dark pants, his dark brown hair stylishly cut.

Sinjun blinked. Then stared. “Steve?”

He spotted her among the drooling populace and he gave a little wave as he quickly made his way toward her. She raced down the steps and threw her arms around him, giving him a squeeze then stepping back. “Wha—How—”

“I see marriage hasn’t improved your vocabulary,” he said dryly, draping an arm over her shoulders.

“Waitwaitwiat! What are you doing here?”

“I take it you know him?” Nicki asked, stepping next to her.

Sinjun wasn’t sure, but his tone reminded her of the Frozen Tundra. She noticed most of the tenants and neighbors had relocated themselves on the terrace, watching in rapt attention. “Well, yeah, he’s—”

“Dammit, there should be signs saying ‘Visitor’s Parking in China.’ Do you have any idea how hard finding parking space here is?” A familiar voice whined. Sinjun saw Adrienne moodily making her way toward them. “I would’ve parked at the first spot I saw, but it was clearly for residents. The old lady all but threatened to ax my windshield when I tried.” She stared at the two then snorted. “Oh, sure, he gets a hug and I get nothing.”

Sinjun grinned then moved toward her and gave the younger woman a hug. “There? All better?”

“I will be once I get some of whatever it is I smell,” she replied, walking toward the grill, letting her nose lead the way. She ignored most of the people around her and grabbed a paper plate, giving Mike her most winning smile before plucking one of the wings off the cooling rack.

“Mrs. T, how ‘bout an introduction for your handsome friend, eh?” Jason called out to her, making goo-goo eyes at Steve.

“This was supposed to be a surprise, but looks like we were the ones caught off-guard. Having a party?” The thirty-two-year-old CEO asked, looking at the people reluctantly resuming the festivities. They had hoped Detective Taggert and the newcomer might come to blows over Mrs. T, but obviously, they were gonna have to find another source of entertainment. The young lady with him might provide it, though. At that time, Adrienne was seated on one of the tables and was demanding to be served a portion of everything but the salad.

“It’s a monthly thing here at the Maison,” she explained, walking to Nicki’s side, which her husband seemed to appreciate as he draped an arm over her shoulders where Steve’s arm previously was. “You surprised me, that’s for sure.” Then she frowned. “Oh, shit, everyone’s okay, right? Did you fly by the Challenger? Give me a sec to pack a few things then we can go—”

“Sinjun, everyone’s okay. Except maybe Adrienne, who will experience indigestion in a few hours if she doesn’t slow down,” Steve cut in. It was reassuring to see that his cousin hadn’t changed much. He had a moment of doubt when he saw her in the middle of a group of females. She had always been very sociable and she found it easy to adapt to her surroundings, but for a moment she looked so comfortable chatting with working, middle-aged, probably single females. She seemed so at ease that if one replaced her casual clothes with a cocktail dress, transported them to the Met and replaced the women with her with socialites, one would think Sinjun might feel out of place. It had been disconcerting since a scene like that were everyday occurrences for Sinjun only few months ago.

“Oh. Then what are you guys doing here?”

Nicki decided to cut in. “Would you like some time alone?”

Sinjun attributed the growl she heard in Nicki’s voice to her imagination and wishful thinking. “Oh, right, introductions. Nicki, this is Steve Blanco. He may not look like it, but he’s the family patriarch.” She rolled her eyes at the title. “Steve, this is Nicholas Taggert, my hubby, obviously.”

Nicki’s hold on her shoulder loosened and he retrieved his arm to offer it to the older man. “Right. Have you had dinner yet? How ‘bout a beer?”

“Maybe later. Can I borrow Sinjun for a few moments then?”

“You probably have a lot of catching up to do. I’ll be over by the grill.” Nicki seemed flustered. He gave them a quick wave then dashed back to the lounge.

Steve watched him go then turned to Sinjun. “The pool will probably offer more privacy, don’t you think?” He was already walking toward the opening in the hedges. The pool lights were on, but it barely gave them sufficient lighting. They each claimed a lounge and Sinjun wondered what she was being tried for this time. It was actually remarkable that Steve even went all the way to Grayson to lecture her in person. He usually had kittens via satellite.

Shit. She hoped this wasn’t about his Mustang. She borrowed (and wrecked) his man car a week before she went to Vegas with Adrienne and Patty. Al the Mechanic had promised her that Steve would never notice it had even left the garage, much less had its bumper totaled.

“I see at least one of our fears were groundless,” he remarked, inclining his head toward the other side of the hedges. “How are you settling into married life?”

She stared at him. She didn’t understand his earlier comment, but it was becoming clear that he was there to check up on her. So far Al had delivered. Good. “Will you be visiting monthly then? Maybe in time of the BBQ, too?”

“Only if I see you’re not being treated fairly. It doesn’t look that way, but we all know looks can be deceiving, right?” He studied her. Sinjun looked healthier than the last time he saw her. The color in her cheeks wasn’t something from MAC and there was something extra in her smile.

“I’m happy here,” she said. She could be happier, but she had no reason to complain (much).

“That’s good to know. You can just imagine how everyone reacted when Patty broke the news of your sudden marriage. Mother was really worried, you know. She kept thinking whether or not she should’ve done what she did. She would’ve come herself, but I didn’t want her overtaxing her body.”

“You’re her emissary then?”

He moved to sit next to her and pulled her to him. “Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you.” When he had been told what his mother had done, he had been angry at Candice’s rashness, sending Sinjun to another state to stay with a stranger. The brunette was more sister than cousin, and while he agreed that her latest bout of idiocy exceeded what he thought was possible even for her, he wasn’t of the same opinion that her punishment should be exile. However, looking at her now, she seemed more restrained, more self-contained. She was still the vivacious dynamite, but she wasn’t an unpredictable bomb ready to detonate and leave certain chaos around her.

She had grown up a little.

She was still young, he knew, but she was no longer a child and perhaps his mother had been right to send her away to allow her to grow on her own. He didn’t like her being thousands of miles from her family, but they could deal with that. And he regularly flew to New York for business anyway. There was no reason to keep the Manhattan townhouse closed for the season.

“Well, I appreciate you dropping by,” she admitted. “I was kind of nervous how everybody else reacted to my sudden marriage.” She pulled away and looked at him in the eye. “It’s not my ideal marriage, sure, but it’s working out pretty well.”

I appreciate the concern, but don’t meddle, was what she meant, of course.

He nodded. They would see how things turn out. So far things had been working out, but he would not hesitate to step in if necessary. In the meantime, he would let Sinjun handle it. She was spoilt, true, but Sinjun wasn’t raised to be completely incompetent. She was clever and crafty. She always found ways to get what she wanted. And it was becoming apparent to him that she liked being married to the detective and would want it to remain that way.

“I actually have some news for you, but I’ll wait until next time to hit you with it,” he said, standing up and shoving a hand in his pocket to dig for his cigarettes. He put a stick in his mouth and was searching his back pocket for his lighter when Sinjun pulled the cigarette off his mouth and broke it in half.

“Oh, no, you don’t! Tell me what that other thing is right now,” she demanded. It must be pretty bad if Steve needed to smoke.

“We’ll talk about it some other time. For now have dinner with us tomorrow. Let’s have a meal, the five of us. Welcome Nick to the family.” At her raised eyebrow, he explained. “Patrick flew in with us, but got sidetracked when he saw one of the conferences booked at the hotel. Something about preserving part of Morristown National Historical Park or another.”

“I’m surprised he’s back from Wyoming” was all she said to that. “Dinner’s cool, I guess. So you’re staying ‘til…?”

“So eager to get rid of us, Sinjun?”

She colored. “It’s not that I didn’t miss you. I’m just concerned people in Miami are throwing themselves off the windows one by one in countdown ‘til you get back. I’m actually surprised you didn’t bring your entourage with you.”

He simply looked at her. Sinjun and Adrienne were notoriously flip about the family-owned conglomerate and the many people necessary to keep it running smoothly. They called his executive team his entourage. As it happened, his secretary and team were in New York going over the Leednorth contract. They were looking to expand Malcolm & Sharpe, Inc., the publishing house his father bought few years ago. It had been Edward’s pet project before passing and his son thought it was ready for a more aggressive venture into the publishing world. They could’ve reached an agreement with Leednorth back in Miami, but Steve thought he might stay at New York for a few days to keep an eye on things so he flew his people to the Big Apple with him.

“Are you done grilling her?” Adrienne called out as she walked into the pool area, cradling a can of beer and two cans of soda. She handed them their drinks. The beer for Steve and Coke for the older woman. Sinjun noticed that Adrienne was drinking Diet Coke.

“Don’t tell me you’re on a diet,” she rolled her eyes, popping the tab of her Coke. “There is something seriously wrong with Dylan if he so much as hinted a need for you to lose a few pounds.”

Adrienne blew a raspberry. “As if he’d do something like that. Dylan thinks I’m perfect. And I am.” She chugged about half of the can’s contents. “It’s just that I saw English Rose last week. You can’t believe how dainty she looked. Anything stronger than my breath and she just might float away.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not that I think she’s better, of course not, but it can’t hurt to shed a few pounds.”

Neither commented on how she practically annihilated a portion of the buffet. Steve shook his head. “If you’re going to start talking girl, I’m leaving. I’d like some of that wonderful BBQ I smell.”

“The wings are better,” Adrienne recommended. Then she turned to Sinjun, already dismissing their oldest cousin from her mind. “After three years you’d think I’d be immune to English Rose, but no. I wish she stayed in Prague. I can’t see why she can’t finish her degree there. If I were majoring in Art History, I’d study in Europe. That’s where most of the old masters are from anyway.”

“So what did she get you this time?” Sinjun asked. Since Dylan and Lindsay were friends, Adrienne had to grudgingly list her as one, too. And no matter how the Drama major protested otherwise, she actually liked Lindsay. It was simply her ego taking a regular beating when faced with Lindsay’s angelic beauty and genuinely nice personality that prevented her from admitting the fact.

Sinjun listened to her cousin grouse about how sweet and thoughtful Lindsay was and how Adrienne had to hang the painting she got from her at their apartment because it was really nice and it would be a waste to keep it stored, even if it came from Ms. Perfection herself. She wondered how Adrienne managed to unglue herself from Dylan's side. She knew she wasn’t being very charitable to her cousin, but the couple was one of those disgustingly sweet couples who would’ve felt right at home next to Princess Jasmine and Aladdin and Arielle and Eric. They weren’t sweet in the saccharine sense (especially given Dylan’s reticent personality and Adrienne's inherent bitchiness), but one only had to look at them and see how right they were together. She wondered if someday she’d ever claim a spot next to Princess Aurora and Belle.

“OOOH, if only you could’ve seen them!” Adrienne seethed, practically frothing in the mouth. “They flocked all over him like flies to shit.” It didn’t seem to register to her that she was alluding her boyfriend to bodily waste.

“Wait, so you’re telling me Dylan’s with you?”

The raven-haired heiress flashed Sinjun an annoyed look. “Haven’t you been listening? He flew in with us, but had to stop by Princeton where he was subsequently swallowed by the adoring public. They’ve yet to spit him out, which explains why I’m here alone with His Eminence, My Lord Steven.”

She gave the younger woman a consoling pat. “That bad, eh?”

“I don’t know how he found out about my grade in Shakespeare’s Afterlives, he’s been giving me hell for it since take off. I mean, seriously, the class was too freakin’ early. Can you blame me if I miss it ‘cause I overslept?” She crossed her arms over her chest and proceeded to sulk.

That she was sulking instead of breaking something meant she admitted that she was partly (if not completely) at fault. “Did you just tag along Dylan then, that’s why you’re here?”

Adrienne rolled her eyes. “As if I’m that clingy. I wanted to come see how you were, especially after yesterday’s bathroom scare. See the guy who brought out your inner Martha, too.” Her eyes twinkled. “I remember him being hunky, but man! You scored big, Sinjun. The guy’s not a certifiable asshole!”

That, more than Nicki’s good looks, won her cousin over. She had a long history of hooking up with the wrong men. Her past boyfriends had been utter bastards, one way or another. One had a nasty coke habit, another trafficked illegal substance, the next one tended to wander, another turned out to be gay (not that being homosexual was wrong, it just would’ve been better if he had broken up with her before he arranged a guy-exclusive orgy) and there were several short affairs where the other party was taken in more by her looks than herself. Oh, and let’s not forget the last boyfriend who loved Sinjun Blanco’s Bank Account more than he loved Sinjun Blanco.

Being reminded of her past relationships was demoralizing. She tended to fall in and out of love rather frequently, and while she used to believe each beginning relationship was The One, in a few months it would end just as quickly. She had been so sure Nathan was her Mr. Right. Look how that ended. She wasn’t just burned; she had been shoved into an inferno. It had taken her two years and a string of shallow, meaningless affairs to recover from that. And now she’s married to a man who was sincerely a Nice Guy, but was in love with someone else.

And despite vehement protests born from self-preservation, her heart insisted that it was through convalescing. She was just one softly spoken word or tender gesture from falling for Nicki.

There was a rustling from the other side and Steve emerged with Jason following close behind. Sinjun noted how her friend was devouring her cousin with his eyes. She inwardly shook her head. Steve would be flattered, true, but he didn’t swing that way so Jason would have to be content with having Steve as eye candy.

“Are you done talking about how evil I am or how all fans of Dylan’s work should die slow, torturous deaths?” Steve asked. “Bad form, Sinjun, leaving your neighbors merely to gossip with Adrienne.”

As if of one mind, the two youngest of the family blew him a raspberry. They stood up and walked toward the two. “We were just heading back anyway. And for you information, we were talking about how dishy Sinjun’s hubby is.”

He just shook his head at them. “Brats.”

As they joined Nicki and the others on the terrace, Sinjun mentally slapped her forehead. She forgot to grill Adrienne about Steve’s “other news” and now she wouldn’t have the opportunity. Adrienne might push the boundaries with The Elders, but even she would never spill in front of Steve. The consequence of telling (when it could clearly be traced to her) bears no thinking.

Just then Adrienne’s cellphone rang and a cacophony born of guitar strings filled the air. “Dylan’s taking up guitar,” she smiled proudly before answering. “Yellow.” She frowned and the others moved ahead. It didn’t seem beneficial to their health to linger. “You’re what?”

Sinjun joined Nicki and the others while Adrienne continued to hiss into her phone. He motioned her nearer and rubbed her shoulders. She could feel the warmth of his hands despite the cotton separating skin from skin. “You cold? You shouldn’t have stayed too long by the pool.” He shrugged out of his jacket and put it over her shoulders. “Better?”

She nodded mutely, looking at her feet, fully aware of the sparks slowly igniting within her body. Heat flowed from the tip of her toes to the tips of her hair, making her conscious of the man casually talking about baseball next to her.

It was funny, actually. She always imagined that she would fall in love in a fantastic, incredibly romantic manner. Lord knows she’s read enough romance novels to give her ample ideas. Embraced by her beloved while watching the sunset, maybe. Or looking at each other’s eyes over a candle-lit dinner. Or perhaps meeting each other’s eyes over a crowded ballroom and suddenly knowing he was The One. She would be wearing a nice gown, or a dress that accentuated her feminine charms and her make-up, if any (because, really, she was already quite pretty without it) would emphasize her lovely eyes. Instead she was wearing dust both on her face and clothes and her hair looked closer to being road kill than a stylish coiffure. She was nowhere near a seaside sunset, a private dinner or even a fancy ballroom.

She was in a Barbecue surrounded by mothers, teenagers, salary men and women whose topics of conversation ranged from office gossip (Lissie, Mr. Wroth’s secretary, was having an affair with Dina, the company’s chief accountant) to a comparison of this season and last’s baseball innings (it was becoming clear that unless McKay learned to be a team player, the Hounds will be going to hell in a hand basket) to the Who’s Hot List posted on the third floor girl’s bathroom mirror (Eric Harris was currently in the lead as a hotttie—with three t’s, which separates him from the mere hotties).

It had taken a borrowed jacket to seal her fate. She turned and looked outside, looking for the comfort the bright twinkling of stars might offer in the face of such momentous event. However, even that was out of the question, for the sky suddenly let loose a barrage of rain.

She always the assumed that the pre-requisite fireworks would be at the sky, illuminating the night, not within her, filling her whole body with enough warmth to melt at least a decent-sized iceberg. People hastily moved away from the terrace, huddling at the center of the lounge where the water couldn’t reach them. Mike set the BBQs and buffalo wings he managed to save from the grill on the buffet table and joined the tenants and neighbors in commenting about the sudden rain.

Nicki pulled her with him as their group moved away from the terrace, a puddle already forming by their feet. “You okay? Why don’t we move closer to the fire?” He resumed rubbing her shoulders in an effort to keep her warm.

She just followed him, listening with half an ear to what’s being said around her. She really didn’t need to be close to the fireplace. She was surprised she wasn’t giving off enough heat to start grilling steaks and wings on her cheeks. She didn’t really need Nicki to warm her, either. But she wasn’t going to say anything to stop him, nu-uh.

“They say rain brings in blessings,” Steve commented from her other side, watching her closely.

She gave him a weak smile. “Given that sudden deluge, I take it I’m pretty blessed, eh?”

He glanced at Nicki, who was still at her other side, talking animatedly about the Hound’s staggering defeat last season. He also noticed that though he was actively engaged in conversation, he was still rubbing his wife’s shoulders and arms for warmth. “Maybe in time you’ll tell me just how blessed.”

Tbc

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C&C much appreciated. :)