All In The Game (Dearly Beloved) Read online

  Swiveling on the stool, Sid rested one elbow on the polished bar and batted Keith’s hand away. “Since you decided to get married again you’re turning all poetic. What happened to the guy who used to go bar hopping with me...go fishing...have bike weekends up in Myrtle Beach? Huh? What happened to him?”

  “He fell in love with a beautiful lady whom he’s going to marry. You can strike him from your list of full-time traveling buddies.”

  “So, you’re going to drop out of life and live happily ever after or some shit like that?”

  Keith happened to look at the mirror over the bar and saw the foursome who’d played behind them enter the room. They all seemed to be having a good laugh—except for one guy who was busy peeling several bills from a roll and handing them to his smiling buddy.

  Maybe if Keith and Sid had played for money, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. Too late now. From the way Sid bulldogged his way through the topic, he was on a roll.

  “Who says I’m going to drop out of life? You’re still my friend. Didn’t I ask you to be my best man?”

  “Yeah, big deal.” Sid took a long pull on his beer. “I still don’t see why you have to get married. You could just have a relationship. You know get all the perks without...”

  Keith set his jaw and held up his hand with the palm out. “Stop right there if you want to remain my friend. Sometimes you don’t know when to butt out, Sid. With that attitude about women, it’s no wonder you never got married.”

  “Don’t get all bent out of shape, man. The only problem I have with women is that they always want a commitment. That can really infringe on a guy’s freedom.”

  “You honestly believe that?”

  “Sure I do.”

  “No wonder you’re still single. As for you, I’ve always thought you weren’t afraid of commitment, you’re afraid of women.”

  Sid held up two fingers, signaling the bartender for another round. “That’s so not true. I love them.”

  “Sure you do,” Keith said with a chuckle. “As for me, I was married a long time and I miss the companionship of a woman. I love being with Amanda, doing things with her. She even hopped on the back of my Harley last Saturday for a ride up to Tarpon Springs and lots of good Greek food.”

  “Bet she made you wear a helmet,” Sid said as Jake, the regular bartender delivered the requested beers.

  “She didn’t make me. You know damn well I always wear a helmet when we ride. I got her one, too. She’s agreed to go with me to the next Daytona meet.”

  “See, there goes another one of things we did together. Guess she’s going to the Sturgis rally as well?”

  “Nope. She said she’d do Daytona but she’d have to give a long road trip some thought. As for North Carolina, I said I wasn’t going to Myrtle Beach, at least not this year. I do plan on hitting the next rally in Sturgis though. I’ve always wanted to ride through South Dakota.”

  Just then a rowdy group came through the door, calling out their order to Jake. Sid leaned in closer to Keith to be heard. “No shit? Sturgis? I’ve been looking forward to that road trip. The last thing we’d need is for you to bring along the little woman.”

  “You’re starting to become a royal pain in the ass, Sid. What would be so terrible if Amanda came with us? Unlike you I don’t pick up a woman at every stop.”

  “Boy you’re really getting riled. I was only making a comment. We’ve done a lot of things together over the years. You getting married will change all that.”

  Keith picked up his cold beer and took a swig. He needed to control his temper. Keeping his tone even, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with change. It’s good for you. Plus, the fact that I like waking up next to a woman rather than being alone in bed.”

  “I guess that’s where we differ, ole buddy, ole pal,” Sid said as he rolled the sweating beer glass in his palms. “I enjoy being with a woman, even being in bed with one, but I don’t want to live with one on a day-to-day basis. Marriage comes with a whole bunch of strings which is how women turn men into puppets.”

  Stunned by the sarcastic tone and choice of words, Keith perceived his friend through different eyes. “Sometimes I wonder what bad experience you had in the past that has made you think this way. It also makes me wonder how we’ve been able to remain friends.”

  Sid finished his beer and slapped his buddy on the back. “I don’t like to talk about the past because it’s over. As for the friendship, sometimes I marvel that we’re friends at all considering you’re a Republican and I’m a Democrat. You like Italian food while I—”

  “I get it. We’re different in a lot of ways so don’t belabor the point.”

  “Good. Now that we have that subject taken care of, you don’t need to be troubled. I’ll behave myself at the wedding.”

  “Maybe one of these days you’ll let me know what happened in your life to make you so anti-marriage.”

  Rather than look his friend in the eye, Sid stared at the ceiling. “There’s not enough liquor in the state of Florida to make me tell that story.”

  “Okay. I won’t pry but I’ll lay you odds that one day you’ll spill your guts. If not to me, to somebody.”

  “Don’t hold your breath,” Sid said over his shoulder as he walked to the exit.

  Keith watched his friend go out the door. In all the years he had known Sid he had never heard his friend speak as seriously as he did these last few minutes. Whatever happened had clearly changed his life.

  Enough worrying about Sid. Keith walked outside, pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Amanda’s number. She answered on the first ring. “Hi, honey.”

  He hesitated for minute until he recalled that she had caller ID. “Hey, babe what do you say we meet for dinner?”

  He heard the smile in her voice when she said, “Name the time and the place and I’ll meet you there.”

  “I thought we could go to The Captain’s Net. I know how much you love their calamari. We can sit out on the lanai.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “I have to go back to the office and do some dictation. I’ll pick you up around five. Love you.”

  As he slipped the phone into his pocket he caught a glimpse of Sid standing by his car a few slots away, rolling his eyes with his hands on his neck in a mock strangle hold and making gagging sounds.

  He gave his friend a wry smile. “One of these days I’ll make you eat your sound effects and I won’t even let you use ketchup to help you swallow them.”

  Chapter 3

  Amanda was waiting by the window when Keith pulled up in front of the house. She watched him walk up the sidewalk and let out a heavy sigh. Yes, indeed. That was how the man made her feel. He took her breath away.

  She met him at the door. “Do you want to have a drink before we head out?”

  “Why don’t I order a couple of martini’s for us when we get there? Then we can sit, sip and talk about the upcoming events.”

  Something was wrong. She could tell by the tone of his voice and the hunch in his shoulders. This was not the man she adored, the one who squared his shoulders then took on the world. Adding to that was the uncertainty in his warm brown eyes. She couldn’t bear it if he got cold feet this close to the wedding. “Is everything all right, darling?”

  “Absolutely. Do you know that you’re the very best thing that has ever happened to me?” he asked before taking her in his arms to waltz her around the living room in time to the ballad playing on the radio. The song ended, he dipped her back and soundly kissed her.

  When he helped her to stand upright she rested her hands on his chest to gain her balance before running them through his dark curly hair. She pulled his head down so it rested against hers. “That takes a load off my mind. Let me get my purse and we can be on our way. Rita and I were so busy shopping today that we ended up skipping lunch because she had go home and get some sleep before going on duty. I went back to my office and finished a few reports for the boss.”

&n
bsp; “I thought lunch was the most important part of shopping for women. It isn’t?”

  Amanda gave him a friendly elbow poke in the ribs. “You’re such a comedian. Come on, let’s go.”

  ****

  When they were first seated on the restaurant’s lanai, the area was almost deserted. By the time they were served their drinks and appetizers the place was full.

  Keith scanned the screened area that featured big paddle fans and Areca palms. Since it faced east, it was peaceful and cool, making the time spent out here comfortable.

  He raised his glass to hers. “To us.” He nodded toward the crowded tables. “This is why I like to get here around four-thirty. By the time we’re ready to leave there will be a crowd waiting for a table.”

  Amanda reached over and patted his hand. “I understand. When you’re hungry you don’t like to wait for anything.”

  With brow furrowed, he asked, “Am I that bad?”

  She gently grazed his arm with the tips of her finger nails. “Of course not. I’ve just observed that you get really antsy when you have to wait. Not to change the subject, but you seem to be very uneasy this evening.”

  “No I’m not,” he said, a shade too defensively.

  “I’m going to ignore the tone of your denial. Now are you going to tell me what’s bugging you or do I have to pull out the dental tools?”

  “That obvious, huh?”

  She nodded. “To me you are. I’m getting to know your body language.” She stifled a laugh when he waggled his eyebrows. “Be serious. Something’s definitely bothering you. I could tell by the way your shoulders slumped when you were walking up my driveway. Now spill it.”

  “Sid and I played golf this morning and he—.”

  He hesitated for a second or two so she finished his sentence. “And he wanted to know why you were dumb enough to get married again.”

  “How did you know?”

  She snickered. “Because I had the same conversation with Rita.”

  He cocked his head to the side and knitted his eyebrows in a questioning look. “Is there something wrong with us, babe?”

  “No way. In my opinion there is something wrong with them. Plus I think there’s a bit of jealousy in play. I imagine you got the ‘why are you giving up your freedom’ lecture.”

  He picked up a piece of calamari and fed it to her. She watched the smile fill his face when he felt the tip of her tongue lick his fingers.

  “It wasn’t quite a lecture, but essentially that was the way it went. I wonder what their problem really is?”

  She chewed slowly, savoring the spicy Cajun coating on the calamari. “Mmmm. That is so good. Like I said, I think they’re jealous that we’re so happy. My other guess would be that they’re afraid that they’re going to lose us as friends. After all you’ve been single for quite a few years. So have I and for that matter—so have they. Also to be considered is that they are our best pals. I think their comments are being made in our best interest.”

  “I agree with you on that point but why in the world would they think we would stop being friends?”

  “Because they’re afraid of change.”

  He had said something similar to Sid this morning. He leaned in and ran his finger down the side of her jaw before tilting her chin with his thumb and planting a kiss on her generous mouth. “How did you get so wise?”

  “I’m not wise. It’s simply knowing how people think. When Ralph left me you would’ve thought I had leprosy. All the couples we had been friends with over the years dropped me like a hot potato, with the exception of Rita. Of course, her husband had just left town with his new lady friend, so we were both in the same boat.”

  “Why would they do that? When my wife died all of our friends were inviting me to dinner to meet people.”

  “Not people, darling, single women.”

  “Come to think of it, you’re absolutely right. Why wouldn’t they do the same for you?”

  She leaned back in the chair, lifted the toothpick out of her drink and took a bite of the olive before answering. “I assume the women were afraid we’d try to steal their husbands.”

  “Really?”

  “That’s the only reason I could come up with. Anyway from that point, since Rita was single again, she and I went everywhere together. Honestly, the way those same friends acted around us, when we were together for a gathering of some sort, I’m sure they assumed that we were a couple,” she said, framing the word 'couple' in air quotes.

  “I must be living in a fog because that thought would never have crossed my mind about the two of you.”

  “That’s because you’re a kind person, love, and you know me more intimately than any of them ever has. Can’t speak for the men but a lot of women out there are vicious, especially if they feel threatened about their mates. What’s up with Sid?”

  They stopped talking for a few minutes while their entrées were delivered. After the server left, Keith said, “It wasn’t just the question that he thought I was crazy for getting married, it was that he seemed so bitter about marriage. When I asked him why, he wouldn’t give me a reason.”

  “My guess would be that whatever it was that happened to him had to be a life changing event. Has he ever been married?” She took a bite of her crab cake and sighed. “Chef Rolf has done it again. His rémoulade sauce is perfect with just the right amount of hot sauce. These are almost orgasmic!”

  “Maybe we should get an order to go.”

  “You don’t need help in that department, love.”

  Keith grabbed the ketchup and squirted some by his fries. “That’s good to know. Back to Sid. To my knowledge, he’s never been married. He keeps stressing that variety is the spice of his existence. That he loves being free and having a different woman in his life every week.”

  Amanda reached over and stole one of the plain fries and dipped it in the rémoulade. “That must be exhausting. How does he keep the names straight?” she asked, trying not to sound unsympathetic.

  “Don’t have a clue. I’d be exhausted just trying to keep up.” He grinned at the expression of horror on her face. “Don’t look at me like that. I wasn’t searching for a wife. When I saw you that was it for me.”

  “I’m still amazed that you think so. That was not exactly an auspicious meeting,” she said, and took another bite of crab. “This is my favorite restaurant. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad dish here. In addition to the service being fantastic, the food fresh, what I really like is that they use real lump crab. Besides that, they don’t serve broccoli. No wonder the place is always bustling.”

  He leaned back in the rattan chair and chuckled. “Yes, I agree the food is great and you know I don’t like broccoli.”

  “I do, but you should eat a better variety of vegetables.”

  “Don’t try to change the subject. You have to admit how we met was different.” He held up his hands, thumbs touching, to make a picture frame. “I can still picture you sitting on your...ah, butt, in the center aisle of Wal-Mart after that wild kid knocked you over while he was trying to ride the cart like a skateboard. The expression on your face was priceless.”

  “If I could’ve gotten up faster the expression on that kid’s face would’ve been priceless. Man, he was quick. He could’ve won a gold medal in the Olympics.”

  “Yes, but the end result was that we met. It was probably fate that sent him our way. Whatever the reason, I count it as one of my lucky days.”

  “Maybe if they’re lucky, fate will send our friends someone their way. In the meantime we have to let them know that we’ll always be their friends.”

  “Agreed,” he said. “So, how are plans progressing for our big day?”

  “So far, everything is going according to plan. I had the final fitting on my dress today.”

  “Okay. Before I forget, I had a call from Rev. Moore. He wants to meet with us four times before the wedding to discuss some issues he feels could arise in the future. The first one we’ll do to
gether, then we’ll each meet separately with him, the last one together. Did I make sense?”

  Amanda scooped out the last of her baked potato. She pushed her plate aside then wiped her mouth with the napkin. “I understood every word. As for the schedule of meetings, I understand that’s pretty standard these days, especially with blended families, I think is the proper term.”

  “That was the very one he used. Anything else we need to address?”

  “I think it would be a very good idea if the four of us, Sid and Rita, you and I, get together. I mean, I’ve discussed plans with you and with Rita which must make Sid feel like he is on the outside looking in. Why don’t I fix dinner on Saturday night and we can talk about our plans with them?”

  He was not about to tell her that he didn’t think Sid gave a rat’s ass about the plans. On the other hand, it might not be a bad idea for him to meet Rita before the rehearsal at the church. Moreover, once Sid got to know Amanda a bit better he would realize why they wanted to do the “death till us part” thing.

  “Sounds like a good idea. I’ll give him a call in the morning. Are you sure that Rita can make it? Doesn’t she work nights at the hospital?”

  “She usually does but it so happens she has this weekend off. It should be a hoot with those two. I’ve never seen two people so against remarriage. At least I assume Sid has been married before.”

  “Like I said before, I don’t know.

  “Well, I’m pretty sure we’re going to find out something come Saturday.”

  Chapter 4

  Amanda was not at all surprised when Rita was the first one to arrive on Saturday evening. Knowing her friend as she did Amanda would need to be working with a high level of awareness. She would have to keep her mental fingers crossed that Rita stayed on her best behavior.

  “I thought I’d come over early and give you a hand. Did I tell you that I love the new highlights in your hair? Makes you look very chic.”