I picked up the other half of the guest list and shoved it at my mother without answering her. "I'll go make us some coffee. I am sure it is going to be a late night," I said, leaving the room and heading out to kitchen.
"Just ask him?" she yelled out as I left the room.
"Mother, please, I am not asking Maddox!" I shouted over my shoulder.
"I'm just saying..." She smiled and lifted her eyebrows in gest. "He's a good-looking guy who would probably love to accompany you to Paris. Just ask him."
I shook my head in disbelief that my own mother would even suggest such a thing. I could hear them giggle from the kitchen, and I shook my head as their suggestion ran through my mind. "Ridiculously crazy," I muttered to myself as I made the coffee for everyone. There was no way I was asking anyone to go on that trip with me, if I were to go at all.
Maddox
The solid red of brake lights in front of me added to my frustration level as I swerved in and out of lanes. I'd been over at Tess's helping her move a piece of furniture when I'd remembered I'd had dinner plans with Derrick in the city, and now I sat in gridlock. I was extremely late.
He had called me earlier through the week, wanting to know if I would be available tonight. He’d been distant and non-social since his split with Tess. I had tried to talk some sense into him the night I helped him move, and I figured that perhaps some of things I had said had sunk in and he had come to his senses. I figured he wanted to get together to work through a plan on ways to repair their relationship and get her back. My cell phone rang just as the traffic light turned red, and I slammed on my brakes to avoid going through it.
"Hey, man, where are you?" Derrick questioned.
"Don't ask. I'm stuck in traffic. It's getting worse every night that passes. I swear the holiday shoppers are already out. This city is literally in gridlock," I uttered as the guy in front of me slammed on his brakes to avoid ramming into the car in front of him. "Fuck you!" I yelled as I swerved just in time to avoid colliding into the backside of his car. "Just order without me. I'll get there when I get there." I groaned, completely frustrated.
"No way. We don't want to do that."
"We?" I asked, making sure I heard him correctly. When Derrick had called, he hadn’t mentioned that anyone else would be joining us.
"Yes, I have someone I want you to meet."
I rolled my eyes; guess I was wrong about what Derrick had wanted. Honestly, I was disgusted with my best friend. He'd been engaged to Tess for two years, and a year ago, he started acting strange. There had been times they were to meet for dinner, and at the last second, he would call me in a panic and ask me to go meet her because he couldn't get there on time. Other times, he'd asked me to cover for him so he could go away on the weekend. The first couple of times I did as he asked, figuring that he was planning a surprise for Tess, but I’d been wrong. Instead, I was unknowingly covering for him every time he wanted to screw around on her.
I'd never forget the night I found out, either. I'd received a call a little after eleven from an extremely panicked Tess, who had been trying for hours to get hold of him. So, I'd done what any decent friend would do and got in my truck and drove to his office.
I'd taken the elevator up to the twentieth floor and made my way down the halls to his office. I could see the soft glow of light through the blinds of his enclosed office, and without any thought, I’d pushed the door open. Only he wasn’t alone. His secretary had her legs wrapped around his neck while his face was buried between them. I could remember the shock on his face as he saw me. We'd had words, and I basically told him to tell Tess or I would.
He'd begged me not to tell her and hung his head in shame, explaining he was going through a rough patch, and this was the one and only time he would do this. He was my best friend, and I trusted him and hoped that after I'd caught him, it would bring him back to reality. I’d heard nothing of it again, until I got a call from him three weeks ago asking me to help him move out.
"I'll be there as soon as I can be."
The second Derrick hung up, I threw my phone down into the console and sat back, staring straight ahead at the traffic. I tapped my thumb on the wheel. I had no desire to meet Lucy. I really had no desire to even sit down and eat dinner with him now, but I was committed, and unlike him, I didn't go back on my word.
I was about to pull into the other lane when my phone vibrated against the dash. Laura's name flashed on my screen. I frowned as I picked up the phone, reading her text.
You busy for Christmas?
I frowned and went to text her back when the traffic began to move, so instead I called her.
"Why do you want to know what I'm doing for Christmas?" I asked the second she picked up her phone.
Laura let out a laugh. "Because Tess is heading to Paris, and she has no one to go with. I have plans with my family. Derrick has plans to screw whomever his dick is buried into this week, and her parents are on their way to Hawaii. I just figured that perhaps you might be free."
"I don't know, Laura. This kind of shit gets guys killed," I answered, chuckling into the phone.
"What? Why?"
"Um, do you not know about the infamous bro code?"
"Oh, please, don't feed me that line. You’re her friend. Besides, does Derrick not know about the don't-screw-around-on-your-future-wife code?" she said in a mocking voice.
I chuckled. "Can I think about it?"
"Sure! I just thought I'd give you the heads up and let you know Tess may call and ask you to go."
"I was just at Tess's place. She mentioned nothing to me," I said, frowning.
"That's because she hasn't gotten the nerve yet, but trust me, I'm working on her." She giggled into the phone.
"All right, thanks for the heads up. I’ve got to go," I said, pulling into a parking spot outside of the restaurant.
"Okay, talk to you soon."
I pocketed my phone and paid for parking, then made my way inside, instantly spotting Derrick with a woman who couldn't even hold a candle to Tess.
"It's about time you got here," Derrick said, standing as I approached the table, holding his hand out for me to shake.
"Hey, man, sorry about that. Traffic was brutal," I said, removing my jacket and hanging it on the back of my chair while glancing to the woman who sat beside Derrick.
"No problem. Glad you could make it. Lucy, I'd like you to meet Maddox, my best friend." He grinned as he turned and placed his hand behind her as she stood up to shake my hand. “Maddox, this is Lucy.”
After all the introductions, we ordered a few appetizers and drinks. I sat there listening to the two of them talking about some trip they were taking over Christmas. He'd apparently booked a ten-day getaway down to the Virgin Islands. Anger boiled in me as I sat there thinking about Tess and how she must be feeling, wondering if she even knew.
"How long have you known Derrick?" Lucy asked.
"Long enough," I muttered, looking to Derrick as he held onto Lucy like he used to hold onto Tess. "We went to school together and then to college.”