by Sarina Bowen
“That’s some serious bullshit,” I grumble, tugging my trench coat off and wrapping it around her. “Take my coat. Your lips are blue. Jesus.” I pull her hands into mine, and they’re like two popsicles.
“N-no need,” she says with a shiver. “Mine will do. I can punch out now and change.”
“Jason?” My mother comes huffing towards us. “Do we get to meet your friend?”
Heidi peers around my shoulder. “Wait. Are those your—”
“—parents,” I confirm. “They surprised me tonight.” And I’m sorry in advance for all the unwanted attention you’re about to receive.
Heidi steps back and smiles politely, prepared to greet them properly. But then she looks down at her getup—the tiny, tight sports bra and nonexistent skirt. Her smile fades. “Oh Lord,” she says under her breath.
“Mom, Dad,” I say brightly. Because Heidi has nothing to fear from my parents. “This is Heidi. She needs to change out of her work clothes before you can chat her up. But say hello before she freezes solid.”
“It’s l-lovely to m-meet you,” my girl says in her perfect charm-school voice. She pulls my coat more tightly around her. “If you’ll just excuse me for a m-moment…”
“Oh, sweetie!” my mother squeals, lunging for her, and hugging Heidi so tightly I’m a little worried for her spine. “It’s amazing to meet you! Jason is a terrible son, obviously, because he failed to tell us he was dating such a delightful, beautiful girl.”
“Well, um,” Heidi says, her charm-school training failing her as she meets my gaze with nervous eyes. “It’s, uh, new.”
I smile apologetically. No girl should have to meet the parents until a relationship is at least forty-eight hours old. That ought to be a rule.
“This is Matheus, Jason’s father. He’s just as excited to meet you, but I probably won’t let him get a word in edgewise.”
“Not an exaggeration,” my father mumbles, shaking Heidi’s cold hand.
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Heidi says again. “Let me just change out of this. I’m not usually dressed like a member of the Hooters tennis team.”
I bark out a laugh, and wrap an arm around poor Heidi. “You are a great sport, do you know that?” I’m as attracted to her attitude as I am to her rocking body.
My mother watches us, her face in an expression of rapture. “I can’t believe this. It’s been years since I’ve seen him like this.” Jesus, I knew she’d make a big deal out of me being with someone again. “Matheus! Isn’t this amazing?”
“Well—”
“We have to celebrate!” my mother declares.
“Can you let the poor girl put on clothes?” I beg, cuddling Heidi a little closer. Then I release her. “Go on. Make a run for it.”
“Yes!” Mom agrees. “Sorry, honey. Go warm up. Or you’ll catch your death!” My mother takes a breath. Then she realizes what she just said.
Then she bursts into tears.
26
Heidi
Jason shoos me toward the doors and hugs his sobbing mother. “Take a breath, Mom,” he says. “You’re scaring Heidi.”
“But it’s just so wonderful!” Mrs. Castro sobs.
Oh, jeez. I leave them behind and dart for the Ice Girls’ dressing room. I can’t believe I met Jason’s mother in an ill-fitting Ice Girls uniform. Thanks, Daddy. Thanks a whole lot. Could this night get any worse?
It takes me twice as long to get dressed as it should, because my fingers are numb and slow. I have trouble zipping my jeans and buttoning my coat.
“Good job tonight,” Lydia rasps. “Bring food and a thermos of coffee next time, okay?”
“Will do,” I say between shivers. We don’t get a dinner break, and I didn’t know they’d try to freeze me to death. Live and learn. Lydia tried to share her food with me, but I wouldn’t take it from her. I’ll be fine, I kept saying.
Except I thought I could recover from this evening on Jason’s sofa, wrapped in every blanket he owns. But now I have to put on a cheerful face and greet the parents.
He’s worth it, I remind myself. When he spotted me outside the front doors, the look on his face is something I won’t forget for a long time. First joy, followed quickly by concern. He’d wrapped his long arms around me and held me close…
I hurry outside again now, because I want more of those hugs. “Here’s your jacket, sorry for the wait!” I babble when I find all three Castros waiting at the curb.
“No trouble,” Mr. Castro says. “We’ve got a taxi waiting. Hop in, young lady.”
I end up in Jason’s arms on the far side of the back seat, while his mother sighs happily on the other side. “Should we order in some food?” he asks me, then kisses my forehead. “You’re still cold. Did you eat dinner?”
“No. It’s a six-hour shift with no break. I’m starving.”
“Soup!” Jason’s mother shouts. “She needs soup.”
“Is the ramen place still open?” I wonder aloud.
“Matheus! Call the ramen place!” Mrs. Castro demands of her husband in the front seat.
“What’s it called?” he asks with a sigh.
“I got it, dad.” Jason pokes at his Katt phone. “What’s your order, Hot Pepper?”
“Oh! You have nicknames already?” his mother gushes.
He gives me a long-suffering look and smiles.
“I like the sh-shoyu.”
“I’m on it,” he says, pressing the phone to his ear. “Do you happen to know if we have beer in the fridge?”
“Yep,” I say. “Two six-packs.” I lean shamelessly into the warmth of his body.
“Wait—you bought the beer, but not my cookies?” he asks.
“There’s Silas’s needs to consider.”
He laughs, and his mother clasps her hands together. “You’re living together?” she breathes.
“It’s temporary,” I say quickly. Jason only chuckles.
My teeth don’t stop chattering until I finish the giant bowl of steaming soup at Jason’s kitchen table.
“I’m gonna have a word with the asshole that made you stand out there in the cold,” Jason says, his hand holding mine under the table.
“Don’t,” I say quickly. “He’ll retaliate. Rebecca will hear all about it from me eventually.”
“That uniform, though,” Jason growls. “Last year they had pants and sleeves, right? Am I crazy?”
“There was a uniform change,” I say, pushing my empty bowl away. Jason’s mother snatches it up and puts the spoon in the dishwasher. “I think it was the new guy’s idea.”
“A bad idea.”
“It’ll be okay,” I insist. “Let me handle it.”
Jason’s mom pats me on the shoulder. “You’re impressive. She’s a fighter, Jason. Not a spoiled rich girl.”
“Oh, I totally am,” I insist. “And hope to be again very soon.”
She laughs like I’ve said something cute, but of course I’m dead serious. And when I yawn again, she insists that I pack myself off to bed. “You need your rest after that long shift.”
“True,” I say. “Let me sort out the sofa bed for you, though.” I’m the last one who used it, after all.
“No!” she says, scandalized. “I’ll handle everything, honey. Off you go.”
It’s not polite to let Jason’s parents sleep on the sofa bed while I bask with their son in his king-sized bed. And it’s not polite to turn in before everyone else.
But—after grabbing all of my belongings from the living room—I do both those things, anyway. I need my rest, and I need it now.
First I take a nice hot shower in Jason’s luxurious bathroom. Then I blow dry my hair. And finally—finally—I’m truly warm again.
When I emerge from the bathroom wearing only a towel, I’m startled to find Jason sitting up in bed, his bare torso propped against the crisp white pillowcases. He gives me a sexy smile.
Certain parts of me are still conscious enough to tingle in response. But I walk right
over to my suitcase and pull out a purple cotton nightgown and matching robe.
“Yes!” Jason says as I drop the towel. “Noooo,” he counters a second later when I pull the nightgown over my head. “I liked you better naked.”
“Shhh!” I scold him, hurrying over to my side of the bed. “Don’t say ‘naked’ with your mother one room away.” I slip into the bed and tuck myself in.
He shuts off the lamp and then slides down to meet me under the covers. “Do you know the best way to warm someone whose body temperature has slipped below the healthy range?” He pulls me closer. “Skin-on-skin contact.”
“I’m perfectly fine,” I insist.
“Let me just make sure,” he whispers, and then kisses my neck. “Mmm. Okay right here.” His lips take a sensuous journey across my collarbone. The loose neckline of my nightgown allows him to kiss his way across my chest. “Everything is looking good on this side, too.” His whiskers give me goosebumps as his kisses venture toward my cleavage.
As he ministers kisses to all of my available skin, I relax into the warm bed, and the tingles multiply.
“This is gonna be a very thorough once-over,” he whispers. “This is in my way.” He tugs on the nightgown.
Against my better judgement, I lift my hips and let him sweep it off my hips and over my head.
“That’s a good girl.” He chuckles quietly. “Aren’t you warmer now?” He covers me with his muscular body, his erection cradled between my legs.
“Oh.” I sigh under his hardness. “We shouldn’t,” I whisper. “Your mother probably has her ear against the door.”
He snorts and buries his face in my neck. “She’s nosy as heck, but only up to a point,” he promises. “Besides, I still haven’t verified that you’re okay.” He lifts his head and cradles my breasts in his hands. “Let me just see…”
When he begins dropping gentle kisses on my breasts, I know I’m not going to be able to help myself. My nipples tighten and my body cries out for more. “Those are very famous,” I say quietly. “They were on network television tonight.”
“Oh, I know.” His tongue does a slow circle of my nipple, and I feel my body soften and then tighten.
“Does that…bother you?” I ask, distracted by my own arousal.
“No,” he says, stroking a thumb through the slickness he’s created on my breast. “You can show them to whoever you want. Just as long as I’m the guy who gets to do this.” He drops his head and sucks my nipple into his mouth.
“Oh,” I gasp. The pull of his tongue is exquisite.
He lifts a hand to my mouth and settles his palm over my lips, reminding me to be quiet. And then his brown eyes bore into mine as he sucks greedily on my breast.
Oh my. I push his hand off my mouth. “You’re a very bad boy,” I whisper.
“Why?” he mouths.
I crook my finger, and he slides up to put his ear right beside my mouth. “Because,” I say so quietly that it’s almost inaudible. “It’s bad timing. And now I just want to be…” The rudeness of the word describes exactly how I feel. “Fucked.”
Jason presses his face into the pillow and lets out the world’s quietest groan. Then he rolls his face toward my ear. “Now you’ve done it,” he whispers, his mustache tickling the shell of my ear. “I’m calling in my reward. Don’t know if you were watching. But I scored. You know what that means, right?”
“I do.” I wrap my arms around his head and whisper into his ear, “I never go back on my promises. Just do it quietly.”
He lifts his chin to whisper back at me. “Politely?”
“No!” I mouth. “Never.”
He grins. And then his mouth takes mine in a hot kiss. I weave my fingers through his hair and tug until he rolls on top of me again. And everything is right with the world.
We lie drowsing together afterward. “I apologize in advance for every nosy question my mother asks you tomorrow,” he says.
I’m lying on his chest, allowing my fingers to explore the sleek skin on his ribcage. “Why is your mother so excited to meet me?”
“Because you’re awesome?” he tries.
“Jason.”
He sighs. “Moms like that stuff. And I just haven’t dated. They all think it’s because I’m too afraid to get close to anyone.”
“Are they right?”
He snorts. “I’m here with you right now, aren’t I? I’m not afraid of you. Unless you’re driving my car or sorting through my lucky ties.”
“I won’t touch your ties. That was a joke.”
“And the car?”
“I can’t wait to drive it again. How does tomorrow sound?”
He laughs so loudly I have to cover his mouth with my hand.
27
Jason
In the morning, my parents take us out for brunch in Manhattan.
Heidi’s right—my mother is over the moon about me having a girlfriend again. Every time we interact, Mom gets a moony look on her face, as if I’ve just announced our engagement instead of merely pulling out Heidi’s restaurant chair for her.
In fairness, Heidi is spectacular company. Even though she looks a little weary today, she’s charming and bubbly. “It’s true that I dropped out of Bryn Mawr,” she confesses. “I felt really lost for the three years I was there. I couldn’t see a path toward finishing.”
My mother—who has two masters degrees, a PhD, and would skin any of her children alive for dropping out of college—pats her hand. “One day you’ll figure out exactly what you’re meant to do. And everything will fall into place.”
I swear, Heidi’s next words could be, “I’m a cult member and I have an addiction to methamphetamines,” and my mom would smile and offer to help score her next hit. She’s that far gone.
Meanwhile, my dad and I polish off twin plates of eggs Benedict with extra bacon. If my dad has an opinion about Heidi and me, I can’t tell what it is. My dad is a man of few words. Thank the Lord.
“We’d better get to el aeropuerto,” Dad says after we stroll through a few shops in Lower Manhattan. “There could be traffic.” Also, shopping is not his favorite activity.
“I’ll get you a car,” I say quickly. I love my parents, but I’ve had my fill of parental involvement. Plus, practice starts in two hours.
“It was lovely meeting you,” my mother gushes three or four more times before I can tuck them into a taxi. “We always come to the Minnesota game when Jason plays! It’s only fifteen miles from home. Any chance you’ll be coming, too?”
“You never know,” Heidi says lightly. “My work routine is a little unpredictable.”
My mother hugs the poor girl again. “You take care. Jason, I’ll call you when we make it home.”
“Excellent,” I say, wondering whether I’ll be grilled. “Safe travels.”
I close the car door. As the driver pulls away, I let out a gusty breath. “Wow. You are a trooper, Heidi Jo Pepper.”
“She’s awfully nice,” she says, stepping closer to me. “But since my mom is incapable of demonstrating that level of enthusiasm, she took some getting used to.”
I sling an arm around her shoulders as we walk up the street toward the subway station. “Ready to head home?”
Heidi shakes her head. “I have to trek up to Daddy’s place and pick up my birthday gift. My mother keeps asking if I like it.”
“Want company?” I hear myself ask.
“Sure?” she says. “Well, I don’t know if my father is home. He works really weird hours. You might be walking into the lion’s den.”
“I told you I’m not afraid of him.” I raise my hand, hailing a Yellow Cab.
“He might be a dick to you.”
“Heidi, I’m paid to face down enforcers all night. This is just another day at the office for me.”
She giggles as I open the car door for her. “78th and Park,” she tells the driver.
Tobias Pepper’s condo building is a sleek apartment tower, and the doorman’s buttons are so shiny
I almost have to squint.
“Hello, Miss Pepper!” says a beefy guy with one gold tooth. “I do not believe your father is at home.”
“Oh well!” says Heidi happily. “I’ll just have to catch up with him another time.” She squeezes my hand as we step into the elevator together. “Oh snap,” she says as the doors close. “I won’t have to listen to a lecture.”
She’s practically whistling with joy as she opens the door with her key card a few minutes later. “This is Daddy’s place,” she says, holding it open for me. “I was really just a squatter here.”
“Does your mother ever visit?” I ask.
“Barely. She doesn’t like the city.”
“Oh.” Still, that doesn’t make much sense. “But does she like your father?”
“She likes him in Tennessee. I think four months of the year is perfect for her.”
That saddens me, but I don’t say so.
“Now I just need to grab this gift…” She trots toward the rear of the apartment. “One second!”
I’m this close to jokingly calling out my offer to have a nooner in her dad’s condo when I hear another key in the lock.
Uh-oh.
That’s when the front door opens again, and her father walks in. Naturally, I’m the one he spots first. First his eyes widen, and then they narrow.
“Hello,” I say with an awkward chuckle. “I didn’t break in. I swear. Your daughter is back there.” I gesture toward the bedrooms and try to look innocent. Which I’m not. Not really.
He says not a word to me. Just closes the door behind himself and waits for his daughter to appear.
“Daddy? Hey.” Heidi emerges a second later. “I was just stopping by to pick up whatever mom sent me.”
His jaw is rock-hard. No hello kiss for his baby girl? He points at me instead. “Why is he here?”
Ah, straight to the point, then.
“Jason and I were out to brunch together. With his parents.” Heidi puts her hands on her hips and faces him down. “We’re close. But I don’t see why you’d care.”