The first authentic grin on Allison’s face since her father’s death was worth the hassle of switching schools. The big hug she gave Ben only sweetened the deal.
__________
Chapter 18
The better part of New Year’s Eve was spent in front of the mirror, where Ben tried on every possible combination of clothing, even dipping into the closet for items he hadn’t worn in years. Jace had invited him to a party, but Ben didn’t know if this was a casual shindig or formal affair. Considering it was New Year’s Eve, everyone there might be decked out in tuxedos. Ben tried to find an outfit suitable for all possible scenarios, but in the end he could only hope his navy blue dress shirt and jeans were passable. Next came an endless battle with his hair, which needed to be cut, followed by cologne that had to be washed off in favor of another scent. Once he felt presentable, Ben drove into downtown Houston and scouted for the address that Jace had given him.
An attractive and transparently drunk woman answered the door, waving him in without even looking at him properly. The party was in full swing, loud music pumping and people swaying to the beat, although instead of dancing, most of them were merely trying to keep their balance. T-shirts mingled with tuxes, assuring Ben that he wasn’t the only one uncertain of the dress code. Ben made his way through the apartment twice, excusing himself more than once for squeezing between conversations and stepping on toes, before he spotted Jace. He was seated on a couch and had his arm around a woman who looked quite a bit like the person who had answered the door. In fact, almost everyone here was of an indeterminate age and thin, with a certain vibe that suggested they were all flight attendants. For a moment Ben felt like he had stepped into some secret underground culture known only to those inside the airline industry.
Jace jumped to his feet when he saw Ben and wasted no time in kissing him deeply, causing a couple of bystanders to “woooo!” in appreciation.
“Well, hello to you, too!” Ben said with a flush.
“I’m glad you made it!” Jace grinned. “Did you have trouble finding the place?”
“A little bit, but--”
“Who’s this, then?” a woman exclaimed, taking a hold of Jace’s arm and ogling Ben.
Jace made the introductions, the first in a seemingly infinite series. Each time was the same--a courteous amount of interest was given to Ben, then Jace and his friends would talk about people and places Ben had no knowledge of. Jace’s popularity signaled good things about his personality, but Ben’s frustration was rising. He wanted to be alone with Jace and get to know him better, not listen to meaningless gossip. The frequent mention of someone named Sam, who was purportedly very cute, didn’t help either. Was this an ex-boyfriend?
“All right, see you later,” Jace said cordially to the latest visitor, his smile dropping once they were out of sight. “We have to get out of here,” he muttered from the corner of his mouth. “Let’s make a run for it.”
Ben didn’t need encouraging and made a beeline for the door. Jace was further behind, choosing a less direct path to avoid other potentially social situations.
“Sorry about that,” Jace said as they spilled out onto the street. “A party full of nosey coworkers wasn’t the best date idea. Where to now? A bar? Or something to eat?”
“Somewhere private.”
Jace forced back a smile. “There’s only one place that I know of. Are you sure?”
“Don’t read into it too much,” Ben said demurely. “I just need some quiet.”
Jace walked him to his car and Ben waited inside while Jace fetched his own. From there they drove to an increasingly unpleasant area of town. The neighborhood beyond the freshly locked car doors was run-down and poorly lit. Several rough-looking people drank and loitered on the sidewalks, some of them setting off fireworks. Ben hoped that this was some bizarre shortcut, but they parked only a few blocks later.
Jace gave him a funny look when Ben stepped out of the car. “You all right?”
“Yeah,” Ben said, slipping on a poker face.
“Hm. Where did you say you were from again?”
“The Woodlands. Why?”
Jace nodded as if that explained everything. “It might not be the prettiest neighborhood, but I’ve never had any trouble here.”
“It’s fine,” Ben insisted. “You should see my place in Chicago.”
A passage through one of the buildings led to a courtyard. Jace unlocked a door to a stairwell and an old-fashioned caged elevator, the sort that Ben had only seen in movies. It rattled loudly as they rode it to the top floor.
“Home sweet home!” Jace unlocked the only door in the tiny corridor. He flipped on a light switch and stepped aside so Ben could enter first.
Lights flickered into life, illuminating a sprawling studio apartment. The floors were hardwood, the walls raw brick. The décor was a mismatch of old furniture and antiques. Vintage advertisements hung on the wall, stewardesses from days gone by beaming above slogans or art deco airplanes. Ben noticed a pinball machine in one corner and a ladder leading up to a loft bed before a grey streak of fur sped across the room.
“Samson!” Jace declared happily as he reached down to pick the cat up. “We have a visitor.”
The cat rubbed its face against Jace’s chin before turning its head to regard Ben with large green eyes.
So this was Sam! That so many people knew of Jace’s cat meant he was one of those crazy cat people who talked about their pets like they were children, but that was preferable to Sam being a hot ex-boyfriend. Ben reached out to pet Samson, but the cat’s head dodged and came back around to smell his hand.
“Security scan initiated,” Jace said in a robotic voice. “Mm-hm. I think you’ve passed. Let’s see about getting you something to eat.”
Samson hopped to the floor and followed Jace to the large kitchen. Ben watched the cat being served a plate of canned food while taking in as many of the other details as possible. There was an inordinate number of paper fortunes lying around, implying that Jace liked Chinese takeout. He also enjoyed cooking, judging from the well-equipped kitchen.
Ben strolled back into the living area and headed for the bookshelf. The selection was almost exclusively biographies without any common theme. Jumbled together were politicians, comedians, historical figures, famous serial killers, and celebrities. The Dalai Lama was neighbors with Hitler, Ben noted with some amusement.
“I love reading about people’s lives,” Jace said from behind. “Do you read?”
“Yeah, but mostly fiction.”
“That’s what some of these are,” Jace said. “If you were writing an autobiography, would you really be able to resist the temptation to doctor the past? Who wants to write about crapping their pants in grade school when it’s more fun to exaggerate success and talk trash on old flames.”
“Good point,” Ben chuckled.
“Biographies are even worse since they are mostly speculation written by adoring fans, spoon fed false information from the celebrity’s agent. Regardless, I can’t help but read them. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine.”
Ben pulled his attention away from the books and noticed that Jace was holding two glasses of champagne. “Oh, wow! I didn’t hear the bottle pop!”
“It didn’t,” Jace confessed. “More freebies from the airlines. They only have the single-serving bottles with the screw top.”
“It’s cool that you get stuff that like for free.”
“Not exactly free.” Jace grimaced. “At least, it’s not supposed to be, but who doesn’t pilfer from their job?”