Before Lily could form a response, the doorbell rang. She rose to answer it, eager to escape theconversation, and let in Ken, who was carrying a large white shopping bag, and Jack, who was carrying asmall brown paper sack.
“Okay,” Ken said, unpacking his bag on the coffee table. “We have two bottles of champagne,artichoke dip with sliced baguette, smoked salmon with crackers, and fresh fruit with poppy seeddressing.”
“And paper napkins and a bag of potato chips.” Jack grinned. “My elegant contribution.”
When Ken popped the cork of the champagne bottle, Mordecai fled the room in terror. It was niceto have something to laugh at.
“Shouldn’t we have the champagne after the hearing?” Lily asked. “If we win?”
“Well, I thought about that,” Ken said. “But I figured you’d need it more before the hearing.”
The two couples fed each other dainty bits of food and drained the first bottle of champagne farfaster than was probably good for them. By the time they were halfway through the second bottle, Benand Ken were necking on the couch, and Lily was sitting on Jack’s lap in the armchair.
“Well, I guess we know why the French are supposed to be so sexy,” Lily laughed, watching Benand Ken kiss. “It’s the champagne.”
Ben and Ken broke apart. “Sorry,” Ken laughed, “champagne always has that effect on me.”
“I’m not complaining.” Ben’s face was flushed.
Lily knew that Ben had loved Dez, but by the time she met them, they were acting like a bickeringold married couple. Seeing Ben with Ken was completely different. In Ken’s presence, Ben seemedlighthearted and light-headed, giddy with excitement. Lily wondered if that’s what Ben was like in theearly days of his relationship with Dez. Or was each love different?
“The champagne’s got nothing to do with it,” Jack teased. “It’s you city people coming down hereand corrupting the likes of Ken and me. I mean, look at this living room...the empty champagne bottles,the kissing boys...we’re practically having an orgy here!”
Ben and Ken were too busy kissing to respond to Jack’s comment, but Lily laughed. “Why don’tyou boys get a room? Like, Ben’s room, for instance?”
Ken turned to Ben. “What do you say?”
Ben reddened and drained his champagne glass.
“Sure. Why not?” Laughing, they strolled down the hall, hand in hand.
Jack took Lily’s empty glass. “More champagne, milady?”
“Well, it’s a shame to let it go to waste.”
Jack refilled their glasses and motioned for Lily to join her on the couch. They linked their armsand tried to drink champagne out of each other’s glasses, but the alcohol made them clumsy and Jack