Asking for It

Page 83

“Which means I get to have a glass of wine,” I interject.

Arturo laughs. “Not a beer? It would match your costume better. ”

“Not unless you’ve got the steins to put it in. ” With that, I lead Jonah into the party.

Already a large crowd has gathered. Arturo and Shay can’t entertain quite as extravagantly as Carmen does, but their friends trust them to provide a good time. (Plus, to judge by the umpteen six-packs and bottles lying around, it looks like at least half the people here contributed to the refreshments. ) Décor is at a minimum—mostly a couple of white drapes in the windows stained with “bloody” handprints and slash marks. But a few candles burn here and there, and the stereo is thumping with a Latin beat. There’s that creep Mack wearing a neon-green “pimp suit,” complete with zebra-striped lapels. The costume is as repulsive as the guy himself. Carmen, on the other hand, looks radiant—a long skirt, peasant blouse, and embroidered shawl in brilliant colors, her thick black hair braided atop her head and pinned with paper flowers, and for the finishing touch, a penciled-in unibrow to make her a perfect Frida Kahlo. I spy Kip in the corner, one of two guys dressed up as punk rockers. To my delight, the other one turns out to be Ryan the bartender from a few weeks ago. Kip must not have wasted any time after getting Ryan’s number.

As Arturo leads us toward the bar area, I catch sight of the person I’ve been most nervous about seeing. At least his getup gives me a ready opening line. “That does not count as a costume. ”

“I beg to differ,” Geordie says. He’s in full Scots regalia: kilt, high socks with ribbon, velvet evening jacket, and even a sporran hanging in front. Like any true Scotsman, he somehow manages to look manlier while wearing a skirt. “Yes, back in Inverness, this would be evening wear appropriate for any wedding or formal function. Here in the U. S. ? It’s a costume. ”

“If you say so. ” Deep breath. “Geordie, I think you might have met Jonah Marks, from the earth sciences department? Jonah, this is Geordie Hilton. He’s getting his LLM here in Austin. ”

“Pleasure,” Geordie says, with enough gusto that it passes for sincerity.

Jonah nods. “Vivienne speaks highly of you. ”

Geordie smiles in surprise. “Does she, now? Then she’s being too kind. ”

With his impeccable sense of timing, Arturo appears with a glass of wine in one hand and a can in the other. “This is for you, and can you take the ginger ale to Shay?”

“We’d love to,” I say, seizing the graceful exit Arturo has provided. “We’ll catch you later, okay, Geordie?”

Geordie smiles, somewhat stiffly, then turns to start pouring himself more wine.

In the town house’s living room, Shay holds court from the sofa. She’s lying there comfortably, while different guests come by to say hi or chat for a while. Her face lights up when she sees Jonah and me. Or maybe it’s the ginger ale. “Tell me honestly,” she says as I hand her the can. “Isn’t this the most boring costume ever?”

“Of course not,” I tell her. “The pregnant nun is a classic. ”

She sighs as she pushes the black wimple back from her face. “I was going to go in drag as Santa, or maybe Homer Simpson if I could find the mask. But in the end Arturo just had to grab something from the costume shop. And hullo there, Jonah. ”

“Hi,” he says, and his smile is easier than it’s been the rest of the night—even with me. “We’ve missed you in the department. ”

“Have you?” Shay’s cheeks pink with pleasure. “Sometimes I think they don’t know what to make of me. ”

“They talk about hiring you full time, when you’re ready for that,” Jonah says. “Don’t tell them I told you. ”

“Really?” Shay beams even more when Jonah nods, and finally I relax a bit. At least one of my friends can get along with Jonah just fine.

I decide to help things along. “Turns out Jonah is a good friend of Dr. Campbell’s. ”

Her eyes widen. “My doctor?”

“Don’t worry. Rosalind would never betray a patient’s confidential information. ” Jonah grins, fierce as ever, but at the moment not intimidating at all. “Now, the same rules don’t apply to me. So if you want to hear any embarrassing stories about her—”

“Spill it!” Shay starts to laugh. “She makes me tell her how I poop. So I need to even the playing field. ”

Jonah makes a face, but a good-natured one. Then they’re deep in an anecdote about the time Rosalind talked Jonah into going on a hike, then sprained her ankle at a point where he had to carry her piggyback about six miles back to the car.