“Okay…” Daniel prompted.
“I’m finally relaxed for just a few minutes.” He didn’t want to move. For what felt like the first time in days, he wasn’t uptight, though his heart rate was still fast, but for a much more delightful reason than the fact that his family kept him on edge. Eventually he let his hands fall to his sides, and Daniel moved away.
“You know, this is a really bad idea from every angle I look at it.” He turned away and began getting dressed, pulling on multiple layers of underwear and then the leggings. Slowly, before James’s eyes, Daniel turned from the man he’d held in his arms into the image of a perfect woman. James still saw him as a man, even with the makeup and clothes. The important parts of Daniel were the same, especially the eyes.
James got up and adjusted his clothes, then checked himself in the mirror. “Are you ready?” Daniel asked from behind him, and James nodded. “Then let’s go.”
* * *
“The evening starts at the same bar for the men and the women, and then we go our separate ways,” James explained as he pulled up outside the Irish pub in downtown Missoula. He parked the rental car and got out, opening Daniel’s door.
“You’re learning,” Daniel said gently.
James shrugged. “It’s easy when you want to do nice things for someone.” He closed the car door and held Daniel’s arm as they entered the raucous taproom.
“Daniella,” Margot said as she came over from the restaurant portion of the establishment. “I’m here with Mom and Dad.” She rolled her eyes the way only a teenager could.
“I take it this was how they’d let you be part of the festivities,” James said as he hugged his younger sister.
“This whole wedding thing really sucks. Everything is too old for me.”
James did his best not to chuckle. “Well, how about you and I have lunch tomorrow. Daniel and I want the dirt on the reverend, and I’m sure you have plenty you could tell us.”
She pulled away, truly smiling for the first time this visit. “You bet, big brother. Is this an investigation? Mom would have a fit, but I want to be a police officer like you. She wants me to take home economics classes. Like I want to spend my entire life in the kitchen. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks it’s still the fifties or something.”
“Nope, no poodle skirts,” Daniel quipped.
“You got that right.” She shivered.
“Why don’t you go on back to Mom and Dad before Mom comes unglued, and we’ll all go to lunch tomorrow.” James hugged her again, and Margot returned to the table.
“I thought you didn’t want to get involved?” Daniel teased.
“I don’t. Not really. But she’s felt a little left out, I’m sure, and if nothing comes of it, then she’ll have had a little intrigue.” He really wasn’t going to hold his breath on any of this stuff with the reverend no matter how much he felt the guy felt false. He motioned forward before guiding Daniella into the private room where their parties were supposed to begin.
James had to content himself with drinking soda for now because he intended to drive and had to limit himself to one beer, but he got Daniel the cosmo requested. “Don’t overdo it.”
Daniel lifted the glass before sipping. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of letting my guard down…too much.” With a wink, Daniel was off to join the girls, and James headed toward where the men had congregated.
“It’s not too late, Howard,” Weston was saying, an arm draped over Howard’s shoulder. “You could still call this whole thing off and save yourself from a life of marital servitude.” His words were slightly slurred, and James wondered how much he’d already had to drink. Judging by the way he threw back a shot and reached for another from the nearby table, quite a bit.
“Knock it off,” one of the other guys said. He must have been a friend of Howard’s. James didn’t know him, but they shook hands and he introduced himself as Teddy. “I’ve known these guys since college.”
“I’m Holly’s brother.” He narrowed his gaze at Weston. “We might want to get some food in him or he’ll keel over in the next hour.”
“Wes, go eat something, mate,” Teddy called. “Or you’re cut off.” Thankfully, Teddy seemed to get through to Weston, and even though he grumped, he stopped a server and placed an order. Then he wove his way through the guys, heading toward the group of ladies…and right up to Daniel. James was ready to intercede when Daniel shook his head, jaw set, eyes hard. Then Daniel caught his eye just as Weston made his way back toward them.