by E. L. Todd
“Cortland.” Monnique’s voice told him to knock it off.
Cortland had reached his boiling point. He pushed his beer away then walked outside in the backyard. The alarm immediately went off but he didn’t seem to care.
“I’ll talk to him.” I moved Scarlet off my lap then followed him, setting the alarm before I went.
Cortland was sitting in the courtyard. A stone bench was beneath him, and he hunched over with his arms resting on his thighs.
I slowly approached him then took the seat beside him.
Cortland stared at his knuckles. “I’m so worried about Clemy but you’re the one with the real problems…”
I held the beer in my hands and scraped the label off with my finger. “You should be worried about your daughter. What kind of parent would you be if you weren’t?”
“I do care about what’s going on with you…I don’t want you to think I don’t.”
“I know, man. But there really isn’t much to say at this point.” My wife made me feel much better about the situation. I hated to think what my life would be like without her. It would be a drab and miserable existence.
“You’re doing okay?”
“Scarlet is working her magic and keeping me sane.”
“You’re lucky to have her,” he said. “She’s one of the few wives who could handle this. If Monnique were in this situation, we’d be in the witness protection program by now.”
I chuckled because it was true.
“You know, nothing has happened in a while. Maybe they’ve given up.”
“I hope not.”
He turned to me with a quizzical expression.
“Not knowing is the worst part. I don’t want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. I’d rather than come at me and we fight to the death. However it ends…at least it ends.”
He nodded his understanding. “I don’t think anyone else could handle something like this.”
“I’m not really handling it. Just accepting it.”
The crickets made their song while we sat together. And the beach could be heard in the distance.
I decided to discuss Clementine. “I know it’s hard but you need to be supportive. That’s what she needs. Being distant with her isn’t going undo what’s already happened.”
“I know,” he said with a sigh. “But how would you feel if this was Skye?”
I wouldn’t like it at all. I’d be disappointed in her for being so reckless and stupid, and I would be hurt that she was abandoned. “I wouldn’t like it at all.”
“But you never have to worry about that,” he said. “Because if Cayson knocked her up he wouldn’t take off. He would be a man and take responsibility for his actions. That’s how I raised him. But whoever this guy is…didn’t deserve Clementine to begin with.”
I understood his pain. We were equally protective of our children. “Even so, there’s nothing you can do about it. Clementine needs you. Everyone has already been buying her gifts and showing their excitement. But she wants that from you.”
He rubbed his temple. “I know…I just never expected this to happen. She’s always been a good girl. She was so easy to raise.”
“It’s the quiet ones you should watch out for,” I said with a light laugh. “Just remember you have the rest of your life with your daughter and your grandchild. Me…I’m not sure if I’m ever going to see my grandkids.” I gave him a meaningful look. “Don’t take it for granted.”
Emotion came into his eyes and he nodded slightly. “You’re right.”
“I know I’m right,” I said. “I’m always right.”
A slight smile stretched his lips. “No, your wife is always right. Don’t get them mixed up.”
“Well, she’s my other half. So, I am right by default.”
Chapter Six
Clementine
I hated being around Ward so much I seriously considered quitting my job. Seeing him every day was torture. He always stared at me with hatred. His limbs shook with ferocity. To an outside looker who didn’t know about our relationship, they would assume I ran his mom over with a car—and on purpose.
But I didn’t have a choice. I wouldn’t find anything else that paid so well. The hours were great, and I couldn’t beat the benefits. And the job itself was a walk in the park. It was the perfect job for my baby and I. On the days I didn’t see Ward or when he was in London, it was even better.
I knew I needed to find a new place to live as soon as possible. The longer I waited the bigger I would get. Then it would nearly impossible for me to move everything and get settled on my own when I had a huge belly. During my spare time during the workday, I looked up townhouses in the city.
There were a lot to choose from but only a few of them were in the school districts I wanted. I was very picky about that. My child wasn’t going to go to a rundown place where most students didn’t even graduate. Private school would be preferred if I wasn’t poor.
But then I was totally discouraged when I saw the prices.
I’d never be able to afford it.
Even if I used all the money I had, including the money Ward gave me, I was still far below the twenty percent mark. And I would need a sixty-year mortgage to pay it off.
Dammit.
I decided to keep Ward’s money since it would be his child support he didn’t realize he was paying. Honestly, I couldn’t afford to give it back to him at this point. And if I really wanted this house, I would have to start stripping at night to make it happen.
But I couldn’t do that. If my child ever found out, they would never look at me the same. I printed out the listings just to torture myself and motivate myself to find another way of getting the money.
Skye approached my desk. “Hey, you want to get lunch?”
I assumed Ward was involved. “Uh…no thanks.”
“He isn’t coming.” She read my mind.
“Oh…well.” I looked at the house listing. I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford it if I was eating out for lunch every day.
“What’s that?” she asked, examining the paper. “You’re buying a house?” Her eyes lit up in excitement.
“No,” I said quickly. “I wish. I could never afford one of these places.”
She picked up the paper and examined the listings. “These places are pretty nice…and they’re in good areas.”
“Yeah, but I can’t afford any them. I thought if I held onto it I would feel motivated to make extra money on the side.”
She put the paper back down. “Why don’t you just ask my father for an advance?”
I gave her an incredulous look. “I’m not asking him that.”
“Why?” she asked. “You’ll work it off.”
“I haven’t even been working here that long. I could never ask that.”
“He wouldn’t mind,” she said. “I know my father. I could ask him for you.”
“Don’t even think about it.” I threatened her with my eyes.
“Okay.” She raised her hands in surrender. “Sorry.”
I relaxed.
“Why don’t you ask your parents for the money?”
Why didn’t she understand this? “I’m not asking anyone for anything. This is my problem and I can handle it.”
“You know, Cayson would probably—”
“Don’t you dare ask him.”
Skye put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Clemy, I’m just trying to help. You have so many resources around you. Use them.”
“If the resources were a low-mortgage program or a special housing residence for single mothers, yes, I would take advantage of it. But I’m not going to let someone pay for me to have a place to live.”
“Well, you need to get out of your apartment. It’s no place to raise a child.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I said with a growl.
Skye took a deep breath. “Let’s calm down for a second. I’m just trying to help. Remember that.”
I knew I was bei
ng defensive. “You’re right…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said.
“I’m just stressed out…not that it’s an excuse.”
“I don’t blame you for being stressed out.” She sat down in the chair beside me.
I stared at the listings and sighed, knowing I would never get what I wanted.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Skye said. “It’s a long shot but it might work.”
“Robbing a bank?” I said sarcastically.
“No. Why don’t you go to the owner and tell them you’re a single mother trying to find a good place to live? You know, get their sympathy. And then tell them the amount you can actually afford. If they’re really nice, they might help you out.”
“It’s a long shot…but I guess I could try.”
“It wouldn’t hurt, right?”
“No, it wouldn’t.” I didn’t have much of a choice. I needed to get my baby and I out of there. Since I was desperate, I would do anything to make it happen.
Chapter Seven
Skye
Cayson came to my lunch around noon. “Ready for lunch, baby?”
“I’m always ready for lunch.” I was still dieting and I lost fifteen pounds. I was proud of myself and didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it. But thanks to Cayson, I made it happen.
“Mega Shake?” he asked as he leaned over the desk and kissed me.
“No, we know I can’t eat that. There’s a vegan place just down the road.”
He tried not to cringe. “You’ve been dieting long enough, Skye. You’re in great shape.”
“No, I still have at least ten pounds to lose.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “No…you weigh as much as you did before. And that’s what you wanted, right?”
“I want to keep going,” I said. “Maybe I can have the body of a really sporty chick.”
“Skye, you’re perfect the way you are.” He gave me a serious look.
“And when I lose weight, my boobs will get a little smaller,” I said. “If I lose more weight, then maybe they won’t weigh so much.”
A panicked look came into his face.
“They won’t look that much different,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry.”
“I really think you’re fine, Skye.”
“Well, Trinity is getting married in two months and I don’t want to be a fat cow standing up there.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed. He didn’t bother arguing with me this time. “The vegan place it is.”
***
Cayson was quiet most of the time through lunch. He wasn’t as talkative as normal. It seemed like something was on his mind.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He ate his sprouts then ate a few pieces of tofu.
I didn’t believe him but I didn’t press him on it. If Cayson didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t talk. “Glad everything is okay with Slade.”
“Yeah, me too.” He still seemed distant.
I gave up and concentrated on my food.
“I’ve been thinking…”
There we go. “Yeah?”
“Doesn’t it seem ridiculous that I go back and forth between my apartment and yours? Maybe I should just bring some stuff over and stay there. I hate being apart from you anyway.”
I stopped eating and gave him an incredulous look. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
“No,” he said immediately. “Well, yeah. I guess. But temporarily.”
It was the weirdest request I’ve ever heard. “Why?”
He ate more tofu and chewed longer than normal, like he was thinking of what to say next. “My building is going through a renovation and I need somewhere to stay for a while. I could shack up with my parents or Conrad but…wouldn’t it make more sense for me to stay with you?”
Oh, that was why he was asking? “Of course, Cayson. You should have just said that.”
He shrugged. “Not sure what I was thinking.”
“Are they going to make you pay rent for the months it’s being renovated?”
“No, they aren’t.”
“Good. That wouldn’t be fair.” I finished my salad and still felt hungry.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m actually glad they’re renovating.” He gave me an affectionate look.
“Me too. But we can’t tell my father.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I’m not sure how he’ll react.”
“Skye, he knows you’re a grown woman. He used to be really protective of you but I don’t think he’s like that anymore.”
“It’ll still make him uncomfortable.”
A slight smirk came on his lips. “Well, it’s pretty obvious you and I are having sex. So, I don’t see why it would matter.”
“But now that Clementine is pregnant, Dad is probably terrified I’ll be pregnant.”
“Not the same thing, Skye.”
“Yes, it is,” I said.
“No. Because if you were pregnant I would be thrilled. I wouldn’t take off like that asshole. I’d marry you and provide for you. We would be a team. Everyone in our family knows that.”
“Can we just keep it a secret?” I asked.
He sighed. “Fine. Whatever you want.”
***
I was writing an email in my office when Ward walked inside.
“Hey, have you seen my folder? It held the quarter numbers.” He sat down then rested one ankle on the opposite knee.
“Um…” I tried to think. “I’m sure it’s around here somewhere.” I opened my drawers and started to search.
“You’re looking good, Skye,” he said with a whistle. “How much weight have you lost?”
I beamed. “Fifteen pounds, thank you very much.”
He chuckled. “Congratulations. You’re looking more beautiful every day.”
“God, Cayson’s head would explode if he heard you say that to me.” I laughed because it was actually a little funny.
Ward laughed. “I’d love to see that.”
It was pretty clear Ward and Cayson would never get along so I stopped trying to make it work. I opened the last drawer in my desk then riffled through the papers. “I found it.”
“Great.”
I tossed it on the desk.
He grabbed it and flipped through it. “This is it. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I snatched it.”
“It’s okay. You’re the office thief.”
“So, how’s it going?” I asked. I knew he wasn’t handling Clementine’s pregnancy well. He’d been in a sour mood for a long time.
“Fine,” he said with a shrug. He released a deep sigh like he was immensely depressed.
“You want to talk about it…?” Ward and I had a special relationship. We were close friends that told each other personal things. It didn’t seem like we were ever romantically involved. It was a shame because I could see Cayson and him being great friends if Cayson would just put his jealousy aside.
“I was on a date last night and…she was all I could think about.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Am I doomed to feel like this forever? Some guy came inside her and knocked her up and I still feel like this. Fuck, what’s wrong with me?” He closed his eyes for a while.
I felt terrible for my friend. I was one of the few people who knew how much he loved Clementine. Clementine didn’t even know. “She thinks you hate her.”
“I do hate her,” he snarled. “I hate her for what she’s done to me.” He released a growl. “I hate looking at her because it just hurts. I wish she would get out of my life so I could move on. Seeing her at work every day isn’t helping.”
“You don’t even see her.”
“Sometimes I do,” he said sadly. “What the hell did I do to deserve this? All I did was love her and she…ruined my life.”
I didn’t know what to say. I completely understood how Ward felt but there was nothing I could say to change those feelings. Perhaps he was doomed. “She’s trying to
buy a house.” It just came out and I wasn’t thinking.
“What do mean trying?” he asked quietly.
“She needs to get a townhouse, something where she can raise a child. Her apartment is still too small and it’s not close to any good schools. It makes sense to do it now before she’s too big and doesn’t have the energy. But she can’t afford it.” I felt terrible for her. This was only the beginning. “I told her my dad would give her an advance but she refuses to ask him. And she won’t accept money from Cayson and I.”
He rested his chin on his knuckles. “Then what’s she going to do?”
“She’s going to go to the owners to ask if they’d be willing to sell it at a lower price since she’s a single mom and first time house buyer.”
He nodded. “What houses are these?”
I shrugged. “They are right by that new elementary school, Walnut Elementary.”
“Do you remember which houses in particular?”
Why was he so interested? “Why?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Um…” I turned to my computer and tried to look them up. After some searching, I found them. “Here they are.”
He came behind my desk and stared at the screen. He read through the amenities, square footage of the house, and the year it was built. “Can you print this for me?”
“Uh…sure.” I snatched the page when it came out of the printer. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing,” he said. “I was just curious.”
I didn’t believe him but he clearly wouldn’t tell me what he was up to. I knew he hated Clementine, but it would be really low of him to buy the house just so she couldn’t have it. “Don’t do anything stupid, Ward.”
He folded the page and shoved it into his pocket. “I already did something stupid. I fell in love with an ice-cold, heartless woman.”
Chapter Eight
Clementine
I wore a black dress with a gray cardigan and straightened my hair. Pearls were around my neck and I did my best to look as professional as possible. My slight baby bump was showing. Most of the time I tried to hide it. Today, I showed it off.
I arrived at the door and looked at the small yard outside. There was a tall oak tree, and a tire swing was attached to it. A few leaves had fallen on the lawn. I imagined my child swinging on it after school. The non-existent memory played in my mind until I remembered why I was there.