Straight From the Hip(39)
Nick pulled free of Aaron’s grasp. “I’m not the one you should be talking to. Go talk to Izzy.”
“I would because she’s much better at the bondy thing than you are, but she can’t see him. So how can we talk about how cute he is?”
“She’ll figure it out. Seriously? She’s a much better choice.”
Aaron sighed. “Fine. Be that way. But I’ll remember this and when you’re in a world of hurt about something I’m just going to laugh at you.”
“No, you won’t.”
“No, I won’t because I’m a better person than you. Oh, he’s looking. That’s good, right? It’s been so long since I had a boyfriend. What if he’s the one? Wouldn’t that be fabulous? Aren’t you excited?”
“I can barely speak for the thrill of it,” Nick said dryly.
Aaron slapped his arm. “You’re not getting into the spirit of this.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“Then you need to work on your people skills.”
“I’M HAVING A LITTLE trouble finding my table,” a low, male voice said. “Can you help me?”
Izzy turned toward the man. She couldn’t see him very well, but she could tell he was only a few inches taller than her and she thought he might have blond hair. The light was bright, but it was hard to be sure.Under normal circumstances, she would have been in her element. The corporate types were mostly guys and several of them were very into her. It was flattering and kind of funny, she thought. So far no one had figured out she was blind. She wanted to see how long it took them to notice.
“What’s your table number?” she asked, staring directly at his face so he wouldn’t hand her the paper with the information.
“Eight.”
Aaron had explained the seating chart so she knew the layout of the dining room.
“Third row, far right,” she said, pointing in the general direction. “There’s a sign on each table with the number.”
“Want to show me personally?” he asked, putting his hand on the small of her back.
She sidestepped him easily. “I think you can find it all on your own.”
“I’m Jeff,” he said.
“Izzy.”
“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
“Oh, please. Is that the best you can come up with?” Aaron joined them. “Straight guys have the worst pickup lines. Now leave Izzy alone and go get your dinner. Go on. Shoo.”
The guy left.
Izzy grinned. “You crushed him.”
“He deserved it. Tell me you weren’t falling for that horrible line.”
“I wasn’t, but it’s nice to be flattered.”
“I’m sure it is. Now, I have important news. I’ve met someone. His name is Steve, he’s single and too cute for words. We’re meeting for a drink in the main house’s living room after dinner, so when you’re done here, go straight to your room. I don’t want you lurking and spoiling the mood.”
She laughed. “Aaron, you’ve got to stop being shy. If you want to tell me something, then just say it. Don’t hide behind polite euphemisms.”
“Am I being too blunt? I’m sorry. You know how I adore you, but it’s been a long time between boys. This is different. At least I hope it is. I think I really like him.”
“Then you should go for it. I will go directly to my room. I promise. And in the morning, you can tell me everything.”
“Believe me, I will. Oh, Norma needs you to open the wine.”
An easy task, Izzy thought. One she could do completely by touch. “Sure. Point me in the right direction.”
He turned her to the left. “There’s a table against the wall. Wine bottles on the right, corkscrew on the left. We have red and white. The red is a saucy merlot with a yummy finish and the white is crisp and dry. The buffet has opened so they’ll all rush to the food. The servers will deliver the wine to the table. Oooh, Steve’s smiling at me. I’m all quivery. See you later.”
“Young love,” Izzy murmured as she made her way to the table.
The bottles were set up as Aaron had described. She carefully used the foil cutter, then went to work removing corks.
“Hi.”
She pulled out a cork, then turned toward the guy standing next to her. “Hi.”
“I’m Byron.”
“Izzy.”
“This is a great place. You must really like working here.”
It was a better line than “beautiful name for a beautiful woman,” she thought with a smile.
“Yes, it is.”
“Can I have a bottle of red, please?”
“The servers will bring bottles to the table.”