50 - I'm Late, I'm Late

“Sheridan, where are you?” Riley demanded.  “You were supposed to be here twenty-five minutes ago.”

“I know, I know.  I’m sorry, I’m on my way.”

 

She ducked between two slow-moving pedestrians on the sidewalk, rushing as much as high, chunky-heeled boots would allow.  Her morning had taken twice as long as it should have, and put her behind schedule.  Being late was one of her biggest pet peeves.  The only person who hated being late more than she did was her sister – who was waiting at the mid-town Manhattan restaurant where they were to have met, as Riley so concisely observed, twenty-five minutes ago. 

“What’s so important that you snub your favorite sister and your favorite nieces?”

She laughed as she dodged a runner, hitching her sliding leopard-print handbag higher onto her shoulder.  “My only sister and my only nieces.”

“Insignificant details.  Hurry up before Mandi ends up inviting herself to eat with the boy that keeps wandering back and forth from his table to the bathroom.  Did I mention we’re standing right next to the bathroom?”

“At least you wouldn’t have to pay for her lunch.”

“Yeah, right,” Riley snorted over the blare of a taxi horn and Sheridan could just imagine the expression of disdain on her older sister’s face.  “With my luck, I’d end up paying for both of them and his family, too.” 

“Drama queen.”  Checking the sign high on the crosswalk post, she took note of her position and consoled, “I’m only a block away and I’m hurrying.  Get a table.  I’ll there by the time you’re opening the menu.”

“You’d better.  And you’d better be prepared to do some ‘splainin’ as to why you’re so late, Lucy.”

Sheridan bit back the temptation to stick out her tongue at the ‘click’ that announced she’d been hung up on.  Stuffing the phone in her coat pocket, she pulled the black leather collar higher around her ears to combat the whipping wind that always seemed more intense in Mid-Town.

Her nose had just begun to get sniffly when she stepped into the enveloping heat of Mustang Harry’s entryway.  Riley and the girls were being seated at a table near the front of the restaurant.  It only took a handful of steps past the vacated hostess stand to reach the table.  She slid into her own chair just in time to accept the fourth menu from the hostess.

“About time,” Riley sniped, more out of habit than anything else. 

“Hello to you too, my loving sister,” Sheridan sniped right back, shucking her leather jacket and fixing the cowl neck of her ruby red sweater.  She turned to her nieces with a wide smile.  “So where’s the boy, Mandi?  Ashley, is he worth all the fuss?”

“See for yourself.  Here he comes again.”  Riley’s head tipped to the right and emerald eyes rolled to the ceiling before she hid her face behind the tall burgundy-covered menu.  Ashley laughed outright and Mandi did her best to ignore both of them, smiling shyly up at the boy who was making his way from the back of the restaurant to the front. 

Sheridan slid her gaze toward him, trying to unobtrusively check him out.  As soon as she lit on his face, her mouth arced into a frown.  The boy with the shaggy brown hair was broad shouldered in his navy blue school sweatshirt, and he was steering a little boy toward the alcove marked ‘Restrooms’.

“But I don’t have to go,” the brown-eyed imp protested, dimples flashing as he spoke. 

“You heard Dad.”  Shaggy Brown Hair had brilliant blue eyes and smiled awkwardly in the direction of their table – Mandi – on their way through.  “Better now than when we’re ice skating.”

The little one huffed, shoving at the heavy wooden door, and the rest of their conversation was lost when the pair disappeared inside.

Those boys look so familiar.  I wonder why?

“So that’s the stalker boy,” Riley announced, dropping the menu and pursing her lips.  “Now, why are you late?  Does it have anything to do with your traveling companion?  Even if it doesn’t, lie and tell me yes.”

Sheridan smirked behind her own menu, glancing at her nieces.  Seventeen-year-old Mandi looked like a younger version of her mother and aunt with her blonde hair and green eyes, while sixteen-year-old Ashley was dark haired with light grey eyes, favoring her father.  Both girls were beautiful, yet completely different in both their appearance and personality. 

The gregarious Ashley had never heard of the word bashful and never hesitated to speak her mind, while Mandi was a little more demure and reserved.  That’s why Sheridan wasn’t surprised when it was her brunette niece who jumped on the more interesting of her mother’s questions with both feet.

“Traveling companion?  Who’s that, Aunt Sheri?”

“Are you ready to order, ladies?” The handsome young waiter arrived with his little tablet and a smile.

Thank you, God.

They placed orders for an assortment of salads, pasta and sandwiches while Ashley flirted with the young man who was obviously gay.  Stifling a grin at the girl’s fixation of his backside when he walked away from the table, Sheridan slid easily into her tardiness excuse and blatantly ignored Riley’s vague question about Jon.

“I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, and the office was packed so they were running behind.  The pharmacy wasn’t much better and took twice as long as it should have.  That’s why I was running behind.  I’m sorry.”

“Doctor?  What’s wrong?”  Her sister’s motherly instincts leapt into overdrive, while her daughters reverted to texting.  They had no interest in the less-than-interesting health conversation of the older set. 

Mandi’s attention was only diverted from her phone when the male duo from a few minutes before exited the restroom and slowly meandered en route to their table.  They again exchanged smiles and Sheridan chuckled, even as she wondered again at the boys’ identities.

“Nothing major,” she assured Riley, hand delving into her purse to come up with a prescription bottle.  “I have a sinus infection.  Mild so far, but they gave me antibiotics to knock it out before it gets worse.” 

“Oh.  Well take one then.”

She rattled the capsule-filled container with an exasperated sigh.  Riley made her feel no older than her teenagers who were tapping away on their electronically-lit telephone screens. “That’s what I’m doing if you’ll give me time to get the cap off the bottle.”

“Just take the thing and tell me about your boyfriend.”

Both teenagers turned their heads in comical unison, eyes wide.  The ‘b-word’ was enough to warrant their attention, particularly when in conjunction with their very stylish, but stodgy, aunt. 

“Nice, Riley,” she chided after swallowing and carefully re-seating her water glass on the table. 

Her sister was oblivious.  “What?  You’re a single woman.  There’s nothing wrong with you having a boyfriend.  There’s certainly no reason to be ashamed of the boyfriend you have.  Lordy be, I’d take out a freaking billboard if I were you.”

“Yeah, well, thank God you’re not me.”

“Is your boyfriend hot?” Mandi asked bluntly, phone relegated to the tabletop in favor of her favorite topic – guys.  “Because hot is good, but most hot guys are jerks.”

“Well, the guy you keep hitting on must be the nicest guy ever,” Ashley countered, already losing interest in Sheridan’s relationship status.  “Because he’s not hot.”

“Shut up!  Didn’t you see those blue eyes and that smile?  He’s definitely hot.  You’re just blinded by the super-jerk, Dustin.  He’s so pretty that he’s not interested in anything but himself and what you can do for him.”

“Oh, whatev,” the younger sibling scoffed, launching into a comparative debate of Dustin’s assets versus those of ‘Bathroom Boy’.

It was an opportunity that Riley seized to prod her about Jon.  “Seriously, how’s it going?”

“It’s… going fine.  We hit a rough spot after we got back, but I think we’re okay now.  I’ll have to tell you about it later, though.”  She darted her eyes meaningfully toward the still-bickering teenagers.

“You better.”

Ashley nudged her sister with a sharp elbow and sing-songed, “There he is, Mandi.  Again.  I hope they don’t all have to pee.”

At her words, the other three females at the table looked up before they could censor their natural inclination to do so.  Mandi’s face immediately went pink and she ducked her head with a shy smile, all the while never taking her eyes off of the teen boy who was now joined by his two brothers, his sister, and… his father. 

Immediately recognizing the eldest male in the group as Jon Bon Jovi, Riley discreetly fanned herself as they traveled closer.  “Holy hell!  I’m so glad I went to church on Sunday.  God is clearly rewarding my faithfulness.”

Sheridan fought a fluttery stomach and an uncontrollable smile even as she kicked Riley under the table.  The family unit was quickly closing in on them, leaving her only a heartbeat to tersely order, “Behave yourself.”

“If I do, promise me that you won’t.”

That earned her another swift tap on the ankle as Sheridan lifted her hand in a modest wave. 

As soon as Jon registered who was wiggling their fingers at him, a slow grin inched up the corners of his mouth.  “Hold up, guys.” 

His oldest son looked like he just won the lottery, blue eyes twinkling with a pleasure that matched that of his old man’s. 

“Hello, ladies,” Jon greeted them all pleasantly, dipping in to dust a kiss over the outside edge of Sheridan’s mouth.  “Ms. King.  Did you make it to the doctor’s office, yet?”

“Mhm.  Sinus infection and I’m already on antibiotics to…  clear it up.”  She barely kept from smirking as she edited his words for their audience.  She didn't think 'clearing that shit up' was appropriate for the underage company they were in.  He was having the same recollection, evidenced by the mischief dancing across his features. 

“Good.  I’d hate for you to be sick over Christmas.”  He stepped back, dipping his chin toward his children.  “Sheridan, these hooligans are my kids.  Stephanie, Jesse, Jake and Romeo.” 

He pointed to each one in turn, and she took a good look at them – especially Stephanie, who was giving her the once-over in a major way.  Sheridan suddenly realized this was the group of children that she’d run into yesterday coming out of the the Schwarz Café. 

What a crazy coincidence.

“Kids, this is Sheridan King, a… very close friend of mine.”

Of course he wouldn’t introduce her as his girlfriend at this kind of accidental meeting.  Heat surfaced into her cheeks, and she scrambled to cover what could easily become an awkward moment. 

“And this is my sister, Riley,” she introduced with a nod.  “And my nieces, Mandi and Ashley.  Girls, this is Jon – and his family.”

Riley wasted no time in sticking her hand out, and he readily accepted it with a wink.  “Riley, it’s a pleasure.”

Sheridan groaned when her older, mature, matronly sister giggled.  “The pleasure is most assuredly mine, Mr. Bon Jovi.”

“Hey.”  Jon waggled a scolding finger at her.  “None of that Mister stuff.  Makes me think my dad is standing behind me.”

They exchanged inane pleasantries until the other patrons delivered looks of peevish annoyance while squeezing by, and the younger Bongiovis danced with bottled energy and impatience.  Jake tugged on his father’s sleeve.  “Dad, can we go now?  Please?”

“Yeah, okay,” he granted with an affectionate grin, ruffling the boy’s hair.  “Ladies, it’s been a pleasure, but we have a date with Rockefeller Center.  Sheridan…”  One blonde brow lifted.  “I’ll call you tonight.”

She nodded.  “Have fun ice skating.”

There was a subdued cacophony of goodbyes as the Bongiovi clan made their way from the restaurant and Sheridan’s crew had their meals delivered.

“So is that your boyfriend, Aunt Sheri?” Ashley asked, leaning in curiously and paying no attention to her sandwich.

Poking at her salad, Sheridan didn’t look at her, but slowly admitted, “Yes.”

Mandi pushed at her sister’s shoulder with a triumphant crow.  “Ha!  If Aunt Sheri’s boyfriend isn’t a jerky hot guy, then neither is his son!” 

Seeking to avoid being a further part of this conversation, Sheridan dug in her coat pocket in search of the distinctive chime of a text message.

[1:37 PM]JON: Seems Jess has a crush on the blonde niece.  I’ve been encouraged to invite you all skating, if you don’t have other plans.  I knew I loved that boy for a reason.

“Jeez, stretch things much?” Ashley taunted with a dramatic eye-roll.  “Next thing ya know, you’ll be asking to go to ice skating.” 

A cloud of blonde hair swirled wildly around Mandi’s shoulders when she swung a hopeful face to her mother.  “Oh, my gosh, can we??”