“Try it.”
Outrage surged through her and she glared at him when he lifted his head. His eyes were steady, determined, and when he saw the anger in her eyes, though she remained outwardly calm, he smiled slightly. “There’s my girl.”
Before she could retort, Tim walked up and greeted them. “Hey, Rick. Cherry. Lady, you look hot.” He winked at her.
She smiled at him, forcing her anger down to drag out later and confront Rick at a more suitable time. “Hi, Tim.”
“Saw The Barracuda over here, figured she was stirring some shit, so I thought I better come over and rescue you.” Tim grabbed a passing waiter and grimaced at his tray. “Champagne? Man, can you not do something a little more classy? Get me a can of beer, there’s a good fellow.”
“Very good, Sir.”
“Betcha arse.”
Cherry noticed that Tim was dressed in a good grey suit, but instead of a white shirt and tie, he wore a t-shirt with I’m a Vet and I have a thermometer. Be afraid…very afraid written on it. “Tim, what the…?”
He brushed his hand over his shirt and preened. “You like?”
“I’m flabbergasted. Why aren’t you in a proper shirt?”
“Just trying to add some class to the dinner.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Tim has a love/hate relationship with his mother,” Rick explained. “Fancy dinners like this bring out the bad boy in him.”
Tim grinned. “I’ll tell you all about it one day, honey. Probably when I’m drunk and looking for a shoulder to cry on.”
“So who is your date tonight?” Rick queried, his hand coming again to rest in the small of Cherry’s back.
Suspecting that he’d deliberately riled her up she didn’t step away, but she was still struggling with her emotions, so she focused on Tim’s answer.
“Nancy, my neighbour.”
“Nancy is sixty years old.”
“Yeah. That really pissed Mother off.”
“Your date is sixty years old?” Bewildered, Cherry stared at Tim.
“Nancy’s a good old stick. She’s always up for some good food and a good time. I promised to mow her lawn if she’d come with me tonight. I also had to clip her Chihuahua’s claws for free, which, come to think of it, I do anyway, so I got off lightly.” Tim rubbed his jaw musingly. “I think.”
A sprightly, purple-haired woman with tortoiseshell glasses came bounding up at that moment, a champagne glass in hand, her sparkling silver dress with the dangerously low neckline somehow suiting her perfectly.
“Tim, darling!” she cooed.
Tim leaned down and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek.
“Cheeky boy.” She patted his cheek fondly and turned to Cherry and Rick. “Hello Rick. And you must be Cherry.” She hugged them both at the same time, squashing them together, before releasing them and saying brightly, “Isn’t this just a fab party? Where’s that waiter? The blonde one with the pierced eye brow.” She glanced around. “He’s yummy. I wonder if he’s into older women?”
“I think he might be into men,” Tim informed her. “If his giving me the eyeball was anything to go by.”
“Bet I could change his mind.” She leered, then looked at Cherry. “What a fabulous gown, my dear. Now someone with your figure can wear a gown like this. I saw another woman in the exact same gown, and I tell you, she looked like a stick that needing some padding. You gotta have a big bosom to pop that bodice out, and I have to say, you’ve got a great bosom. You lucky fellow.” She elbowed Rick in the ribs and winked. “Huh? Huh?”
Cherry couldn’t help but guffaw, slapping her hand almost instantly over her mouth and looking around, hoping no one had heard her.
Rick’s hand tightened on her waist. “The luckiest, Nancy, I do agree.”
And just like that, all lingering anger fled. Cherry smiled up at him, and he met her gaze with warmth and a touch of tenderness.
“That is so sweet.” Nancy wiped her eyes.
“How much have you had to drink?” Tim asked in amusement.
“Not near enough. So saying, I’m going to look for that waiter. Come with me, son, if he’s got the hots for you, he’ll come to us like a bee to honey.” Waving a cheery goodbye, Nancy went back into the crowd towing a laughing Tim by the hand.
The rest of the evening went well, Cherry managing not to disgrace herself at the dinner. The amount of silverware was bewildering, but Rick unobtrusively touched his own silverware before every dish, so she knew before it came which spoon, knife or fork to use. Tim and Nancy sat opposite, and so she was able to talk and enjoy the meal.