Not a Chance(47)

He kissed her on the cheek and helped her on with her coat.

Upon entering Sweet Nothings, a wave of warmth greeted them along with the silky tones of Elvis Presley singing Christmas music and a gentle wafting of Shannon's cinnamon rolls. The decor was festive, but not gaudy. The lighting was comfortably dim. She had a table full of beautifully laid out appetizers and pastries, along with some wassail and punch. This table was elegant and no matter how much people ate, it never seemed to go empty. Shannon herself looked like a Druidic princess--either that or a relic from the seventies. She wore a long, green crushed velvet dress and left her long red curls hanging down to the middle of her back. She was the perfect hostess, smiling and greeting everyone who walked in, making each person feel special and wanted.

Arden surveyed the room, telling herself she was looking for Alice. She found Alice before she saw anyone else of interest. Alice was standing in the front corner by the windows next to her husband, Vince, and Shannon's husband, Russell. Arden took Nick by the arm and ignored his groan as she dragged him over to where her friends were chatting. Nick didn't like Alice, but that didn't bother Arden. No one liked Alice.

She broke her grip on Nick's arm and gave her friend a hug. "Merry Christmas!" she said. "You got your husband to come this year?" It was more of an observation than a question.

Alice nodded and glanced back at Vince whose expression was, as usual, stony. He gulped his glass of wine while surveying the crowd. "We had our yearly fight," Alice said. "I didn't think I was going to win, but I guess I got lucky." Alice elbowed Vince gently in the ribs.

"You're falling off your game, old man," Russell said, as he leaned back casually against the wall.

"She promised me sex," Vince said, without so much as cracking a smile.

Alice turned and smacked him in the stomach. Russell laughed.

At forty, Vince was the oldest of the group of friends. There was a fifteen year difference between himself and Alice. Arden thought about the twelve years between herself and Travis and decided that it wasn't so bad. Then she reminded herself that it didn't matter since she was engaged to Nick.

"You should be ashamed, Alice," Arden said. "Mrs. Harris taught us in ladies Bible class that we should never use sex as a tool of manipulation. It's your wifely duty to provide for your husband's needs."

Alice laughed. "Yeah. I bet Mrs. Harris never gets anything she wants, either. A perfectly satisfied man has no incentive to give you anything ever."

"That's nice, Alice," Vince said, still not smiling.

"What are you complaining about?" Alice asked turning to look up at him. "I get to go to a party, you get to have sex. It's a fair trade."

"Maybe if you had just asked me to bring you, I would have said yes."

Alice scoffed. "I did ask, Vince."

"No," Vince said, swallowing down the last of his wine. "You came home and shrieked at me to get dressed and take you to the party."

"Exactly," Alice said. "And you said no. So I bargained with you. What's the big deal?"

"God, you're a bitch," said Russell.

"Nobody asked you, asshole!" Alice shouted.

Arden sighed. Her eyes met Vince's and they reached a silent agreement. Vince put his arm around Russell's shoulders and led him to the bar Shannon had set up towards the front of the restaurant. Arden took Alice by the arm and led her to a nearby table. The feuds between Alice and Russell had become legendary. The two personalities just managed to clash in epic proportions.

Arden sat next to Nick at the round table and Alice sat to her left.

They were shortly joined by Steven and Lacey Wilder and the large round table was then half full. Since they were there, Arden felt free to turn to Alice and chat. "Are you and Vince doing alright?" Arden asked.

Alice smiled sadly. "Other than that he's been cheating on me...we're fine."

"Seriously, Alice," Arden said, dropping her hands and leaning back, "you have to quit with this paranoia. Unless you have some new evidence I haven't heard about yet, Vince is not cheating on you."

"I know," Alice murmured, barely audible. "Maybe I just want him to cheat on me so I can get out with a clear conscience."

"What?" Arden said in shock.

"Nothing. Hey, there's your boy, Travis," Alice said, nodding toward the door.

Dustin and Emma walked in, followed by Travis who had Kristen on his arm. They looked perfect together. She was tall and had a great figure, but she would never be considered a petite woman. A man like Travis complemented her perfectly.

Arden hated her.

Dustin and Emma went to where her parents were sitting and joined them. Travis and Kristen headed toward Arden's table. She felt her heart rate kick up and wondered what in the name of biochemistry was causing such a reaction.