Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection
Page 131
Back at her apartment, she undressed and took off her make-up. She changed into her pajamas then got into bed. With any luck she would already be asleep when Jen got home with whichever man she’d decided on for the night.
3
Max was in the middle of pouring a drink when his boss, and the owner of the club, caught his attention.
“I need to have a word with you,” Evangeline said.
He nodded at her, slid the beer he was pouring across the counter and snatched up the money that had been left on the bar.
A ten buck tip. Happy fucking days.
As he walked to the end of the bar, he slid the bill into the jar by the register and followed his boss to her office. Their head barman, Jeremy, was already there.
“What’s up, boss?”
Evangeline was a woman with model good looks and the attitude of a viper. She was a ball-busting bitch of a woman, but she was a damn good boss. She’d also personally seen that he got all the training and mentoring he’d needed to work his way up in the business. Max respected her and her work ethic a lot.
“I’ve got a favor to ask of you both. I’d completely understand if either of you said no, but I thought I’d ask in any case.”
Max and Jeremy looked at each other. “What’s the favor?” Jeremy asked.
“As you know, Temptation has been going well. So well, in fact, that we’ve expanded and we’re opening up a club in New York. We had a head bartender and manager lined up and ready to go for the opening, but something has happened and now neither can do the job.” Evangeline looked both of them in the eye. “I want to know whether you’d both be willing to head over to New York to get the club up and running until I can find replacements. Max, I understand you might want to stay here since your wife and daughter are here, but it’ll only be for a couple of months—four at the most.”
“No, I’d like to go,” he said, clearing his throat. Getting out of LA would actually be a fucking good idea. Maybe his mom would help out with Erin until he could find a babysitter who would work every night.
“Really?” Evangeline asked, her brows rising. “That’s great.” Turning to Jeremy, she asked, “What about you? Are you interested? I can set you both up in great apartments in the same building. One of my business partners owns real estate in the city.”
“Yeah, I’m interested,” Jeremy said. “I’ve never been to New York.”
“Great. It’s settled then. The club opens in three days so I’ll get you on flights leaving tomorrow night. Will that be enough time to finalize things here?”
“Fine by me,” Max said.
“Me, too,” Jeremy replied.
Evangeline gave them a rare smile. “You boys have just made my night. I’ll book some flights tonight and let you know the details before you finish up.”
Out in the hall, Max called his mother.
“How is she?” he asked in lieu of a ‘hello’.
“She’s been sleeping soundly since I put her to bed a few hours ago.” He could practically hear the smile in her voice.
“She hasn’t been any trouble at all?”
“No, Max. She’s been great. How’s work going?”
He ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure how his mother was going to take the news. She’d probably tell him he was being thoughtless to uproot Erin and move across the country, but dammit, he couldn’t stand the thought of staying in LA for another week, or month, and being reminded of what Chelsea had done to them.
“My boss is sending me to New York,” he said. “I’m moving.”
Suddenly there was nothing but the sound of the TV playing in the background. “Say something, Mom.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“What about your daughter?”
“Erin is coming with me.”
“And who is going to look after her while you’re at work?”
He sucked in a breath. “I was kind of hoping you’d come with me and stay for a couple of weeks until I found a sitter.”
“This is very irresponsible of you, Max,” she replied, her disapproval giving her words so much more weight. “You’re unprepared. You may have a job, but you don’t have a place to stay and—”
He cut her off. “I can’t stay here, Mom. It reminds me too much of Chelsea. Besides, Evangeline has an apartment already set up. It’s big enough for Erin and me.” He actually had no idea whether that was true or not. For all he knew, it was a shoebox. “Look, if you don’t want to come, I’ll manage, but I thought I’d ask you. Think about it and we’ll discuss it when I pick Erin up in the morning.”
He hung up and got back to work. The prospect of not having to deal with the same pretentious plastic people anymore was like a drug to Max; the mere idea of it had him hooked.
The next morning, Max turned up on his mother’s doorstep with a bag of pastries in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other. Some might have said he was trying to sweeten up the old lady…and they would have been right. He was going to go to New York regardless, but if he knew his mom would be there looking after Erin, it would reduce the stress of the whole thing.
His mom opened the door in her dressing gown. For a woman in her fifties, she still looked great. His parents had been divorced for a few years, but they still stayed in touch. They probably had a better relationship now than when they were married, and often went out to dinner when the other was in town.
He stepped into the house, pressing the pastries and a bouquet of flowers into her hands. He kissed her cheek and immediately made his way down the hall. She knew he wouldn’t talk to her until he saw his main girl. Nudging open the door of his old bedroom, Max finally laid eyes on Erin. She was lying on her back, her tiny fingers wrapped around the ear of her favorite toy bunny. When he approached the cot, Erin’s eyes opened and she smiled up at him.
Scooping her into his arms, he held her as close to his chest for as long as he could before she started squirming free.
“How are you, baby girl?” he murmured, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
“I didn’t hear a peep out of her all night,” his mom said from the doorway. He turned to find her with two cups of coffee in her hand and a smile on her face. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll rustle up some breakfast.”
With Erin trying to wriggle free from his arms, he took her into the kitchen and sat her on his knee. His mom put one of the coffee cups down in front of him and then took a sip from hers.
“So,” he started, “have you thought about it?”
“I have,” she replied. “I do understand where you’re coming from, Max. But this is a huge change.” He nodded, knowing she wasn’t done yet. “If you think it’s what’s best for you right now, I won’t stop you from going.”
“But you won’t be coming with me,” he surmised from what she’d said so far.
“Oh, no, Max. I’m definitely coming with you. I need to be with my darling Erin for as long as I
can, and if that means tagging along with you then that’s what I’ll do.”
He stood up and moved to the other side of the kitchen bench. He wrapped his free arm around his mother’s shoulders and kissed her on the head. “Thank you.” His words were choked as they came out, but it did mean a lot to him that she’d agreed.
She patted his arm. “You’re welcome.” Pushing him away, she busied herself by getting a plate from the cupboard and putting the pastries onto it. Max repositioned Erin on his hip and sat back down again.
“Last night you said you were getting a flight out this evening. Is that still the plan?”
“Yeah. Evangeline got Erin and me on the eleven o’clock red-eye; we get in a little before six in the morning.”
“Have you packed already?” She picked up a Danish and bit into it.
“I started last night, but I’m nowhere near finished.”
“I’ll have a look at flights this morning. I’ll fly in tomorrow so you’ll have time to
get settled before I arrive.”
After they ate breakfast together and fed Erin, Max stood up. “We should get back. We’ve got a busy day.”
“Of course.” His mom smiled at him. “I’ll call you later and let you know the details of when I’ll be getting in.”
He kissed her goodbye, loaded up Erin in his car and drove home. On the way, he looked at all the palm trees lining the streets, sneered at the rich taking their ridiculously small dogs out onto the lush green lawns to shit. LA was so fake. Moving here had been a mistake, but it was what Chelsea had wanted. She’d been tired of the forests and the rain in Washington State. She’d wanted sunshine and palm trees. It was a toss-up between California and Florida, but Florida was the state you went to in order to retire from life.
Once home, he set Erin on his bed, and brought down a suitcase from the top of his now empty closet. He’d managed to get that cleared out after work last night. Pulling open all the drawers on the tallboy, he emptied the folded shirts and sweats he kept in there, doing one final visual sweep of each drawer before he shut it. While he worked, he kept chatting to Erin, explaining what he was doing and pointing out colors or shapes. She watched, riveted for the most part, but occasionally giggling at him when he did a funny voice. Zipping the suitcase up and leaving it there, he picked up Erin and moved on to her bedroom.
Her things were easier to pack, and he was done twenty minutes later. By that time, Erin was rubbing her eyes and pulling at her ears—a sure sign that she was going to crash out. He put her down for her nap and continued packing up a few other bits and pieces. As he looked around his house, he didn’t feel anything. He supposed he should have been sad because he was leaving. He’d be back in a few months in any case, and his life would still be the same, but at least he could escape the Chelsea clusterfuck for a while. Maybe he’d even forget about her.
By the time they were ready to go to the airport, his mother had called to tell him she was due into New York at six the following evening. A horn sounded and Max looked out the window.
The cab was here.
Taking everything outside, he asked the driver to install Erin’s car seat while he collected his daughter. She was still asleep in her cot, so he carefully picked her up, locked the front door behind him and took her out to the car.
“Where to, buddy?” the guy asked once Max shut the car door.
“LAX – terminal five.”
“You got it.”
Max completely zoned out on the way to the airport. He watched the streetlights fly by the windows, throwing alternate beams of light and shadow on the interior of the car. He didn’t quite know what to expect in New York, and if he was honest, he was more than looking forward to the challenge.
The previous night, Evangeline had given him a more detailed run-down of the club, so he wouldn’t be walking into the complete unknown. The new club was in the famed meatpacking district. All the wait staff had been hired, the bar was stocked and they were ready for the opening in two nights’ time. That gave Max a day to figure everything out with his apartment and with Erin before he had to start work and begin training the staff to the standard Evangeline demanded.
At the airport, he wheeled his loaded trolley to the Delta desk and checked in. Erin was strapped to his chest in a sling, completely dead to the world. Everything went smoothly from then and, before he knew it, they were boarding the plane and on their way to New York City.
4
Gigi was woken the next morning by high-pitched laughter, quickly followed by a masculine groan. She put her hands over her ears in an attempt to block the sound through the adjoining wall. After ten minutes of hearing moaning and furniture banging, she got up; she just couldn’t handle it anymore.
Padding into the kitchen, Gigi started the coffee maker and leaned against the counter, waiting for the rich smell to fill their apartment. It was Friday. She had only one class today, and that wasn’t until the afternoon. Her plans for the remainder of the day were the same as they were every day—study for finals and look for a job, although studying for finals was by far the easier of the two. Job hunting in New York was tough. Hunting for jobs in the anthropological field in New York was even harder.
There was a loud bang, and Gigi looked where the sound had come from; Jen’s bedroom door was still vibrating. She shook her head and returned her attention to the coffee maker. The carafe was two-thirds full, and that was more than enough. Turning off the machine, she poured herself a cup of coffee, adding a bit of sugar to the mix. Still leaning against the counter, she took her first sip and swallowed. The caffeine hit her bloodstream like a very welcome sledgehammer.
“I can’t stay in bed all day,” Jen chastised playfully as she opened up her bedroom door. From across the apartment she watched her roommate, dressed in nothing but her panties and a baggy tee, stumble out into the living space. Jen looked just fucked because, well, she was.
“I thought I smelled coffee.”
Gigi’s eyes darted back to the bedroom door. Declan was leaning against the jamb with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his lips. He, too, was in only his underwear and Gigi found her eyes drifting down of their own accord. Startling when he laughed at her, she felt a blush creep up her cheeks and she got busy taking another sip from her cup and looking for a cereal bowl.
“Is Jen coming back to bed?” another voice asked. Gigi choked on her coffee when she turned around. It turned out Ben the bartender had not been forgotten at all.
Ben looked rumpled and well-used. His dark hair was falling over his forehead, covering his equally dark eyes. He looked over at Gigi and gave her a lopsided smile, which she felt compelled to return.
“Gigi,” Jen called from the bathroom.
She put down her cereal and went to the door. “Yes?”
Jen opened the door and pulled her in. She twisted on the tap, the sound of fast running water drowning out their words. “Can you get rid of them for me?” she asked.
“Get rid… What?”
“You know—tell them I’m sick or something. Just get rid of them.”
Gigi frowned. “I’m not… No. You can do your own dirty work.”
“Please, Gigi?” Jen pleaded. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
One of Gigi’s brows rose. “Anything?”
“Yes, anything.”
The wheels began to turn in her head. “All right. You’re responsible for cleaning the bathroom until we graduate… Do you want me to get rid of them or not?” she snapped when Jen made a face.
Begrudgingly, Jen said, “I’ll do it for the next six months.”
Gigi was triumphant. “I would have taken you doing it for the next two weeks.”
Jen glared at her for a moment before smiling. “Well played, Borello.”
“Thanks. I’ll go and get rid of them now.” She turned off the tap and opened the door. Declan and Ben were in the small kitchen, one holding a cup of coffee, the other eating what Gigi suspected was her breakfast.
“I’m really sorry, guys, but Jen’s just told me that she’s got a raging case of chlamydia and can’t come to see you off.”
Both of their faces drained of color. Declan was the first to head back to the bedroom. Ben wasn’t far behind him, and when they came out they were both dressed and heading for the door.
“Oh, please leave your numbers so Jen can call you,” she called out after them. Neither of them stopped. When the door slammed shut, Jen burst out of the bathroom.
“Why the fuck did you tell them that?”
She smirked. “You told me to get rid of them.”
“Yeah, but not by telling them I have an STD!”
Gigi picked up the half-eaten bowl of cereal and tipped it down the sink. “How do you know? You might after last night.”
“Oh, my god, you’re so jealous of me,” Jen fumed, putting her fisted hands on her hips.
She laughed. “I have to get ready and go to the library. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Have fun,” Gigi said with a smile.
“Have you heard yet?” Alex, one of Gigi’s classmates, whispered in her ear halfway through the lecture.
She turned to him. “Heard what?” she answered just as quietly.
“The AMNH is starting an internship program to run through this summer. One person will be selected at the end of it to secure a permanent position starting after graduation. Applications opened last week and close in two.”
She couldn’t speak for a full minute. Her heart had started pounding too hard and too loud in her chest. The American Museum of Natural History was the finest and most sought after institution when it came to archaeology and anthropology. She had student loans she’d be paying off until she was fifty, and the prospect of having a job waiting for her after graduation was more than a little appealing. “They started taking applications a week ago?” How had she not heard of this before now?
Alex nodded. “I put mine in when they opened up, but I heard other people couldn’t as the website had crashed and hasn’t been fixed yet.” Gigi’s stomach dropped. She was a whole week behind everyone else. It wasn’t just the NYU students who she had to worry about, either. Every anthropology and archaeology student from across the country would be applying, so instead of having to compete against two dozen people, she was now up against about twenty thousand. Gigi looked at the time on her phone; she had to get online and apply and time was dragging just to spite her.
When the lecturer finally wrapped up the day’s discussion, she shoved her notebook into her bag and ran out of the lecture hall, heading in the direction of the library. Finding a free terminal, she sat down and entered the AMNH web address. She followed the links and filled out the form, crossing her fingers that the site didn’t crash when she clicked the submit button.