by Parker, Ali
I slowly shook my head. “No. Not yet. Honestly, I’ve been just as busy. I’m down my righthand man. It’s just me running the show.”
“Hire someone.”
“If only it were that easy.”
“It is. Hire a service to hire someone. It’s that easy. Take it from me. You do not want to spend every minute of your life in that museum.”
“I don’t. That’s part of the problem. I wish I could. I find I’m stuck in my office taking care of paperwork and chasing down new leads. It’s boring. I used to be able to go to dig sites without worrying about what was happening with the business. Alec always had everything well in hand.”
“Hire someone. Hire two people. It isn’t like you can’t afford the staff. Life is too short. Buy a boat.”
I laughed. “Why would I do that? You have a boat. When I want to go out, I’ll call you.”
“Please do,” he replied. “I am a little bored of my own company.”
“Are you and Mae talking yet?”
He shook his head. “Not really. She will answer questions about Hayden and basic stuff, but she’s still pissed. I keep trying to tell her she should be thanking me. She never would have gotten that museum if she was stuck in our old offices.”
“I’m guessing she doesn’t see it that way. Did she tell you about that statue she bought?”
He laughed. “She did. When she told me what she was doing, I was pissed. I couldn’t believe she spent that kind of money on a stupid statue. We never dealt in such expensive goods. It’s a crapshoot. Selling the things are hard. We tried our hand at it a few times and barely made any money and ended up sitting on the damn inventory for far too long.”
“Did she tell you why she bought it?”
“She didn’t say much of anything,” he replied.
“I was supposed to buy it. It was all arranged. She scooped me. She bought the damn thing right out from under my nose.”
Patrick bellowed a deep rumbling laugh. “Holy shit. That girl is ruthless.”
“No shit. That statue was something I wanted. I wanted it badly.”
“And that’s exactly why she spent that kind of money. I did see she’s garnering a lot of press for it too.”
I nodded and downed the beer. “It will definitely be a nice boost for her museum.”
“She seems happy. Really happy. I really only wanted what was best for her.”
He and I both. I just wished I was what was best for her. I wanted to be best for her, but I wasn’t sure I could ever be good enough for her. “I think she has found her niche. She is going to turn that place into a booming enterprise. I’m proud of her.”
Patrick turned to look at me. He gave me an odd look. My little spidey sense was suddenly heightened. “I wish she could find a man like you. She needs someone that can see how smart she is and how driven she is. Someone who will support her and not give her any shit about having a teenage girl living with her.”
I smirked. “I don’t know that there are many men like me. I’m not sure Mae would want someone like me. Then again, any man would be honored to have her. I would. I would cherish her and treat her right. I would make sure she never felt slighted or like she wasn’t worthy.”
His grin scared me a little. Did he know? Was the call to the boat and the twist in the conversation all an attempt to get me to confess my sins? I worried I had just stepped into a big steaming pile of shit. “But thank God it isn’t you.”
“What?” I blinked. “What isn’t me?”
“She will never be with you, but hopefully someone like you.”
I nodded but said nothing. What could I say? Patrick was still the same old Patrick. He had very high standards for his sister. That was the problem with him knowing me too well. My past wasn’t perfect. I was young and dumb right alongside him. I liked to think I had risen above and pulled myself out of the trenches. Hell, I knew I had.
Couldn’t Patrick see I was the right man for her? Did I dare argue with him? Plead my case and tell him how I felt for his sister?
He turned away and looked out at the water. The moment had passed. I didn’t dare bring it up. Not when he could throw me overboard. I was a fair swimmer, but I was not an excellent swimmer.
“What do you have to eat on this thing?” I asked after several minutes. “I’m starving.”
He chuckled and threw his legs over the side of the chair. “I don’t know for sure. Let’s go to the galley and see.”
“Now you are trying to act like you know all the boat language,” I teased.
“I was thinking about joining a boat club. I don’t want to be the dipshit newbie. I need to get in the habit of talking like a sailor. Or a boater. It’s not a yacht so I’m not sure what I can call myself.”
I slapped him on the shoulder. “I have a few suggestions.”
We both laughed and headed down the short flight of stairs. The cabin was clean with the dark wood polished to a high shine. It was a nice boat. A really nice boat. “What do you want?” he asked, opening the refrigerator. “Looks like we have cheese and meat and some fresh fruit.”
“I’m a man, not a bird. Please tell me you have something more filling than that.”
“You could go fishing,” he offered.
I groaned. “Is there bread? Can I make a sandwich?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“How do you not know what’s in your kitchen?”
“Because someone else stocked it for me.”
I shook my head. “You are living like a king.”
“Damn straight I am. For now, anyway. I’m going to soak up every minute of it.”
I didn’t blame the guy. When I started making money, I too had gone a little wild with my spending. After not having money most of my life and then getting a windfall, it was too hard to resist the temptation to shop. I bought all the things I could never have, like name brand clothes, a car, and stupid shit. It felt good to spend money.
Chapter 39
Mae
I grabbed the few ingredients I needed to make the new recipe I was attempting. Cooking was not my strong suit. I wasn’t the typical woman who spent her childhood hanging out in the kitchen with her mom and picking up valuable skills. I was great at using the microwave. I could bake a frozen pizza or lasagna like nobody’s business as well.
But now, I had a kid to think about. I didn’t want to send her into the world as unprepared as I was. I wanted to give her the best chance at making it out on her own without relying on expensive, unhealthy frozen food. I just hoped I didn’t kill her by poisoning her with my cooking skills.
“All right, it says to put the oil in the pan and heat it after we have breaded the chicken,” I read the recipe from my phone.
“How much oil?”
“Two tablespoons.”
I watched as she measured the oil and dumped it into the frying pan. We were both probably being way too cautious with the measuring, but we were inexperienced. We couldn’t eyeball anything. “All right, drag the chicken through the egg and then the breadcrumbs and put it in the pan.”
Hayden looked at the raw chicken and curled her lip. “Gross.”
I laughed. “You can wash your hands when you are done.”
She reached out and daintily grabbed a chicken breast with the tips of her fingers. I watched as she followed my directions and dropped it into the pan. “Is that it?”
“Cook on each side for five minutes, then cover and reduce heat,” I read aloud.
I observed while she did what I said. She put a lid on the pan and turned to look at me with a huge smile on her face. “I did it!”
“Yes, you did. Now, the real test will be eating it. Let’s put that bread in the oven and I’ll open up the bag of salad.”
“Don’t strain yourself,” she teased.
I laughed, reaching for a bowl. “This is me teaching you how to cook. I’m the teacher and you are the student.”
“I think they call this the blind le
ading the blind.”
We both laughed again. It was nice hanging out with her and having fun. The first few weeks she had been with me were tense. She was sad a lot and very nervous. She constantly worried about my parents coming to take her back. She also dealt with a lot of guilt over leaving them. She took care of them a lot and worried no one would be there for them.
Having her laugh and joke in the kitchen was a beautiful sound. She was changing. She was slowly coming out of that shell she was stuck in. I was so happy for her. I was still wrangling with my own guilt for not acting sooner. I reminded myself to keep looking forward and put the past behind us.
“I think it’s done,” I said after stabbing the chicken a couple of times.
“Let’s eat!”
Before we got the chance to dish up, there was a knock on the apartment door. We both looked at each other. “Are you expecting someone?”
“No. You?”
I slowly shook my head. “Nope. Maybe Patrick? He probably smelled food and came running.”
She giggled and followed me to the door. I opened it and strongly considered slamming it shut. My mother, looking pale and unwell, was standing on the other side. “Go home,” I said.
“Mae, I want to talk. I want to see my daughter.”
I didn’t point out we were both her daughters. It was pointless to do so. She always favored Hayden. For whatever reason, I always got the impression my mother never truly liked me. I used to think it was because she was jealous of my relationship with my father, which was really not a relationship at all. After years of reflection, I realized she was incapable of loving anyone except herself.
“Go away,” I said and started to close the door.
“Mae, wait,” Hayden said from behind me in a small voice.
“Please, Mae. I would like to talk to you both.”
I sighed, warring with myself over what was the right thing to do. If it was just me, I would have slammed the door in the woman’s face. But I remembered what it was like to be Hayden’s age. I remembered how desperate I was for my mother’s attention and affection. If I denied Hayden the chance to get that, she might resent me and leave. I didn’t want her to go back to that unhealthy home. I was going to have to bite my tongue. Grin and bear it. It was for Hayden.
I stepped back and opened the door wider, gesturing for her to come inside. “We were just about to have dinner,” Hayden told her. “We have plenty. Would you like to eat with us?”
I wanted to strangle the child. It was bad enough I had to let the woman into my apartment, but now I was supposed to share a meal with her. I hoped like hell it tasted like shit. I didn’t want her to like the food and come back for more. It was exactly why you weren’t supposed to feed stray animals. My mother was a stray. She would stop by for food now and again and then disappear until she decided she was hungry again.
“Thank you, Hayden,” she pleasantly replied. “I would love that. It’s been too long since we’ve talked.”
I kept my back to them both. I didn’t want them to see me grinding my teeth. “I’ll get another plate,” I mumbled.
Hayden was buzzing around the kitchen. She set the table and all but served my mother. She was eager to please the woman who had been mistreating her for years. It made me sick to see my mother smiling and preening, occasionally shooting me a look that said she was winning.
“How have you been, sweetie?” my mother cooed.
Hayden’s smile was the only thing keeping me from throwing the woman out on her ass. “Good. I’m getting all A’s in my classes. I already signed up for classes for next year.”
“Really?” she exclaimed. “That is amazing. Good girl.”
“We’re going on a field trip tomorrow. Mae set it all up.”
My mother shot me a look. “Did she now?” she asked with a tight smile.
It was difficult to look at my mother and see the hatred in her eyes toward me. It was like she really ran hot and cold. When she spoke to Hayden, it was all flowery words and pretty smiles. When she spoke to me, it looked like she was eating glass.
“Yep. I’m really excited for it. It’s the last field trip of the year.”
“That is great,” my mother answered.
We managed to get through the dinner without any bloodshed. It was close at times. I told myself at least a million times I could be cordial to the woman for Hayden’s sake. If Hayden wanted a relationship with her mother, I could not and would not stand in her way. I would encourage her to be friendly from a distance.
Looking at my mother now, I could see she was high. Not as high as she normally was, but she wasn’t stone-cold sober. I wasn’t sure she would ever be completely sober.
“I’ll clear the table,” I said and got to my feet. I had to put some distance between myself and her. She’d just started talking about the new purse she wanted. My parents subsisted off the retirement fund my father had been smart enough to start when he was younger. Between that and the small amount of money they got when Patrick officially bought the business, that was it. I didn’t understand how they survived, and I didn’t care.
“Hayden, sweetie, are you ready to come home?” I heard my mother ask. She was trying to whisper but my apartment was wide open living space.
I dropped the plates into the sink and spun around. Hayden looked at me. I waited to hear her answer.
“I—” she started.
“This isn’t the time, Mom,” I said and stepped toward the table. “One dinner does not make any of this okay.”
“You do not get to tell me when I can see my own daughter,” she spat.
“I can tell you to get out of my apartment,” I said and walked to the couch to grab the purse she dropped.
“Mae!” she shouted. “You can’t treat me like this!”
I yanked the purse and thrust it at her. In her inebriated state, she dropped the damn thing. Pill bottles rolled out of the overturned bag, along with a baggy of something I didn’t even want to begin to guess what was inside.
No one moved. We all stared at the contents dumped on the floor. I dropped to a squat and picked up one of the bottles. It was a prescription in someone else’s name. I grabbed another bottle and found another name. My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure it would bounce out of my chest.
“How dare you?” I seethed. “You brought this shit into my house. This is the last straw. Get out. Don’t you ever come back.”
“I’m not leaving without my daughter,” she argued as she quickly stuffed the spilled contents back into her purse.
“You are leaving. You can walk out of here or I will have the police drag you out of here.”
“You little bitch,” she snapped as she got to her feet. “You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do.”
“In my house, yes, I do. Get out.” I walked to the door and opened it, gesturing for her to get out.
She turned to look at Hayden. “Sweetie, come home with mommy. We can work this out. I need you.”
I grabbed her arm and yanked her backward. “Get out. Don’t you dare say a word to her. You don’t get to need her. She’s a thirteen-year-old girl. You are supposed to be there for her, not the other way around.”
She glared at me. “There is something seriously wrong with you.”
“Yes, there is. It’s called the product of a shitty upbringing and I’m not about to let you do that to another child.”
I shoved her just hard enough to get her out the door before I slammed it shut and threw the deadbolt. I was shaking so badly, I was afraid I was going to vomit. I turned around to look at Hayden. I hoped she didn’t hate me for throwing her out. She had to know I was only looking out for her.
I stepped toward her. She was still standing near the table, unmoving. “Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’m okay.”
“I’m sorry. She is not in any condition to have you back at home.”
“I don’t want to go back,” she whispered. “She’
s still using.”
I slowly nodded. “Yes, she is. I won’t let you go back there. I promise I will fight that woman to keep you out of her clutches. I know you love her, and I know you see her being normal and kind but it’s not the real her.”
“I know.”
“If you want a relationship with her, I understand, but please, don’t go back there without me. It isn’t safe.”
Her lip quivered. “Okay.”
“Are you mad at me?”
She smiled and shook her head. “No. I get it. Thank you for taking care of me. You really are the best big sister in the world.”
I reached for her, pulling her into my arms, and comforted her as she cried. I hated what she was going through. I felt so protective of her. I wished I could move far away. Maybe I would. Maybe I would get that townhouse I was thinking about and not leave a forwarding address. Hayden and I could hide in the city and my parents would never find us.
Chapter 40
Tyson
My driver stopped in front of the coffee shop. I jumped out and ran inside to pick up the order that I called in before we left my house. I was probably acting foolishly, but I didn’t care. I was excited to spend the day with Mae. I didn’t care that a hundred bratty teens would be accompanying us on what I was calling a date.
The driver pulled to a stop in front of Mae’s museum. I immediately noticed the new sign. It was attractive and bold and would certainly call some attention to the place. Before, a person could have easily missed the fact there was a museum tucked into the old brick building at all. She worked fast.
I walked up to the entrance and tried the door. It was locked. I checked the time and saw I was early, but I knew she would be inside. She would be making sure everything was just perfect for the tours. I knocked on the door.
An older woman came to the door, opening it slowly as if she were afraid I would pounce. “We’re closed,” she said in the most unfriendly tone ever.
I smiled. “Yes, I know. I’m here to see Mae.”