Mike was at the door, a bottle of sparkling wine in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. "Caroline! As gorgeous and sexy as ever!" He stretched his arms wide open. "Give me some sugar, babe!"
Mike was the kind of good looking charmer that could have sold running shoes to tetrapleagics. Eons ago, while in college, we met while selling overpriced junk for a small computer store. We would compete for clients, and he always got the best commissions, but we went along great, often working as wing-man during some though sales. Once I witnessed him talking an older man into buying an expensive model. Mike told him the cheaper one couldn't draw circles properly because it had square pixels, while the expensive one had banana shaped pixels. He went on to become a rather successful lawyer, while I made a career in sales and marketing.
Caroline chuckled. "Good evening Michael," and gave him her best smile. "As flattering and flirtatious as usual."
A hug and a peck on the cheek, and I winced. Mike dated Caroline first. She dumped him when she found out about his cheating habit, but that was over ten years ago. I swept her off her feet two years later, with Mike's blessings, but I couldn't forget how he used to talk about her.
He turned to me and put the bottle in my arms. "Danny! My man! Got something good for you here!"
"Hey, Mickey." We shook hands. He was flashing his teeth around like shark. "I'll put this away for later."
Caroline looked behind Mike. "Where is Susan?"
"She's running late. She wanted to get her hair done, right at the last moment!" Mike winked at me and smiled. "You know how women are."
"Yeah, women. Can't live with them, can't kill 'em!"
We laughed and Caroline gently rammed her elbow in my side.
She gave a saucy look at Mike. "For a second I thought you'd say that she was not your type, and that it was time to move along, spread your wings, break free, broaden your horizons." Mike grinned, and I gave a deliberate deep sigh while smiling. "Or was that what you said about Cynthia? Or Mariel? Or was it Annette?"
"Wait, wait!" He was laughing again. Was there a time when Mike didn't laugh? "This time is different, she really is the woman of my life, my perfect mate!"
Caroline tilted her head, looked up, put a finger on her face. "Funny, I could swear I heard that before," she hummed for a second. "Oh, right!" She looked at me, like he wasn't there. "He used to say that about me!" And we laughed again, only that this time I didn't feel amused.
"Come on you two," I motioned to follow me as I walked inside. "Get in before we all freeze to death."
Mike and I sat on the sofa around the coffee table, Caroline took Mike's gifts in the kitchen and then she joined us. We spent some time catching up with the latest events in our lives, making small talk and stupid jokes. Mike always laughing a bit too hard. Eventually Caroline got up and asked, "Anyone wants something to drink?"
"Yeah, sweetie!" Mike's smile seemed to grow bigger every time. "Get me a gin and tonic, if you don't mind." He smiled at me. "One for the big boy here as well!"
Caroline's eyes met mine with the kind of look that could pierce two inches of steel armor. I smiled and raised a hand as a peace offering. "I'll have some coffee." Then I looked at Mike and said, with a lower voice, "I got an early start, and I wouldn't want to end under the table already."
That white lie might have worked to keep Mike from asking embarrassing questions, but didn't fare well with Caroline, who didn't show any emotion and went in the kitchen without a word.
Mike and I exchanged questioning glances, I mouthed "Women" and we returned to talk about what interesting cases he had had to defend.
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