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“Oh, yes,” I said. “I really didn’t believe it was your real name. I thought it was a play on John Hancock. So, as a joke, I named my cat Handcock. He’s kind of a stubborn jerk.”
“Hey,” he said with feigned offense. “Did you really name your cat after me?”
I nodded. “I did. Every damn day I am forced to think about you.”
“That’s not such a bad thing, is it?”
“Maybe,” I teased.
“I hope I can make up for all that stuff,” he said.
“You have.”
I leaned over and kissed him. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me a little closer to him. Unfortunately, any chance of really enjoying each other’s company was cut short when another couple showed up at the falls. Jon waved and greeted them while I packed up our picnic and quickly dressed.
We hiked back to the car and headed back to the penthouse. Thankfully, we were the first to arrive. No one would see us coming in together. We both parted ways and showered before getting dressed in casual attire for the evening.
“It smells amazing,” I said to the chef, who was standing proudly over his entrée.
“Thank you,” he replied in a French accent. “Will you please announce dinner?”
Jon had been working in his office the last hour. I tapped on the door. “Dinner is ready.”
“Shit, we don’t want to keep the chef waiting. When he serves a meal, he has a very small window he will serve it. If we miss it, he won’t serve it. A hissy fit will ensue and it’s just a bad scene altogether.”
“Understood,” I said. “I’ll go up and let everyone know they have to get their asses to the dining room, or it will be takeout for us.”
“Good girl,” he said with a wink.
I took the stairs up to the third floor pretty quickly. The next flight, I was dragging a bit. I got everyone downstairs and into the dining room within four minutes. By the time I slid into my seat next to Jon, I was just a little out of breath.
“I was thinking we could have a Pictionary tournament after dinner,” Jon said. “I think the last time we got together, my team kicked ass. Let’s see if anyone’s drawing skills have improved.”
“I’m game,” I said.
“Trust me, you don’t know how competitive the boss can get,” someone said.
“I am looking forward to beating him,” I said. “Come on, blue team. We beat him once. We can do it again.”
He laughed and held up his glass of wine. “Challenge accepted.”
After dinner and maybe just a little too much wine, we all sat around the massive living area on the main floor. Clearly, the game was something familiar to Jon. He set up large sketchpads on easels and gave out a bunch of markers. He and I were captains of the two teams. We picked teams and got started. The staff was right. Jon really got into the game.
His team won, but I wasn’t about to go down without a fight. “Let’s play Headbandz.”
“What’s that?” Jon asked.
“I saw it in the closet with your Pictionary game,” I said, shrugging. “You didn’t notice it?”
“I don’t think I have,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
The game, combined with some slightly inebriated adults, made for a wild time. Everyone laughed and had a great time trying to guess words. Things were naughty, raunchy, and everything in between.
“I’m beat,” one of the guys said. “I need to pack for tomorrow. I don’t plan on getting up until a minute before we have to walk out that door.”
The party was over, but I felt like I had really gotten to know everyone. Everyone drifted upstairs, including myself and Jon. I went to my room but had no intention of staying there.
After washing my face and sending off a quick text to Trisha, I changed into my pajamas. I sat in the comfy chair in the corner of the room and listened to the sounds overhead. I waited until I didn’t hear any more movement before I quietly opened my door to survey the situation. It was dark downstairs, but just to be sure no one was hiding out in the kitchen, I quietly made my way down there. I checked the kitchen and found it empty.
