by M J Rutter
My Ex’s
Son
M. J. Rutter
© Copyright Author-M.J.Rutter2018
Acknowledgements
As always, I have a list of people who helped to make this book possible. To you it might be getting old after 21 books, but it never will to me.
To my fabulous Beta Readers who have shrunk to a team of two but have been here from the start. You truly are my dynamic duo and I don’t know what I would do without you.
BETA TEAM STARLETTS:
Denise Roberts, your advice and support are incredible, I truly appreciate all of your hard work. A working mum who always has time to read anything I send you. So, thank you, you are more than just a reader of my work, I consider you a friend.
Susan Scott, my lady of the north. I know how tough it’s been for you to spread your time between being a mum, wife, student and a blogger and I know I am speaking for all of us lowly authors who struggle to reach out to the world of readers and believe me, it’s getting harder, so this is not only a thank you for being half of my team, but also a thank you for EVERYTHING you do for me, the networking, sharing and support you give is priceless.
PROOF READERS:
Thank you all so much for proof reading this book, I am glad you enjoyed it and your help is greatly valued. Cathy Burgess, Sarah Rogers, Michelle Robinson, Gaynor Jones and Lisa Sims, you are all stars. I know how busy your lives are and I know it’s not easy, so once again, thank you.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS:
A final thank you to my amazing family, Franie and my monsters, Mackenzie and Brodie for giving me the time to work on this. To my amazing friends and followers, as always, I am indebted to you for your support.
One
“Hello?” I said sleepily into my phone and flicked on my bedside light.
“Jen Lindon?” a male voice asked, one I didn’t recognize.
“Yes, who is this please?” I frowned as my eyes came into focus and looked at my clock, it was almost two in the morning.
“Jen, it’s me, Cain.” He said.
“Cain? Oh, Cain, Jake’s son.” I sat up. Why was my asshole ex’s son calling me?
“Yeah, I am sorry to call you so late an’ all, I just, I have nobody else.” He explained.
“What’s happened?”
“Well, my dad is in Europe and my mom died about three years ago, I just need some help.”
I liked him, he was a nice kid, but a troublesome teen and I remembered Jake complaining about him and his attitude. “Okay, what do you need?”
“Um, can you come down to the police station in town? I got into a brawl tonight with my ex’s new boyfriend and I need to be bailed out.” I was stunned. “I know it’s a lot to ask and I will pay you back. I just have no-one.”
“Sure, Cain, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem, I won’t be long.” I said and ended the call.
Cain Macalister, I hadn’t seen him since he was seventeen and that was almost eight years ago, he must have been at least twenty-five now. It surprized me that he still had my number after all this time. Still, as usual, he had been abandoned by the self-centred, universe should revolve around me, Jake. Seemed nothing had changed there at all. I had heard his mother passed from cancer a few years ago, feeling instantly bad for him. Poor kid.
After throwing on some clothes and loosely tying up my dark, shoulder length hair in a pony-tail. I frowned at my reflection and wondered how much he had changed. I was almost thirty-two now and already had the beginnings of crow’s feet beside my blue eyes. I wondered if he was as tall as his father once was and my insides twisted, I had no idea of how much contact Cain had with Jake, though hoped their relationship was as strained as it was back then, not for any sick reason, just so that I didn’t have to deal with Jake drama again.
I drove my black Escape across my small hometown of Everglen on the outskirts of Seattle. The rain lashed at my windshield and the roads lit up white when the lightning flashed in the sky above. So relieved that I didn’t give in to the wine bottle singing out my name in my refrigerator.
I hadn’t seen Jake in years, he cheated on me just like he cheated on every woman he had ever claimed to love. Everyone I knew warned me about him, but me being an unsure, insecure, bright-eyed student in college and Jake Macalister, my then English Literature lecturer, I was dazzled by a man who promised me the world and a publishing deal. When all he gave me was months of uncertainty and left me most weekends watching his son.
I put up with it for five years, Cain, who was twelve when I started dating his father, was one of the nicest kids I knew. He had two parents who couldn’t give a fig about him, so I stepped up and tried my best to ensure he had what he needed. When things ended bitterly with Jake, Cain was seventeen. I hadn’t seen or heard anything from either of them since and it had been eight years. Cain was now a twenty-five-year-old man and I worried what I would find or if there would be any repercussions following my bailing him out of jail.
Arriving at the town police station, I parked my car and, under an umbrella, I headed in the rain to the main door. I pushed it open, shook the rain from my umbrella as I closed it and approached the desk.
“Evening, ma’am.” The desk sergeant smiled.
“Hello, um, I am here to bail someone out. I have never done this before, so, what do you need?” I asked nervously.
“Name?” he asked despondently.
“Jenna Lindon.”
“Date of birth?”
“Why do you need my date of birth?” I asked.
“Not your date of birth, Jenna’s.” He rolled his eyes.
“I am Jenna.” I frowned confused.
“What is the name of the person you would like to post bail for?” he elaborated slowly, mocking me as he did so. I straightened my back not liking his attitude at all.
“Cain Macalister, I don’t know his date of birth though.” I answered.
“How do you know Cain, ma’am?”
“Um, I used to date his father.” I explained feeling heat warm my wet cheeks.
He tapped something into his computer, “Bail is twelve hundred dollars.” I must have looked shocked, I certainly felt it. “Is that alright for you?”
“Of course.” I swallowed and pulled out my wallet. I paid what was needed on my card, signed a couple of forms and was told to take a seat.
Escorted by a police officer, a man, tall, with a square jaw, light blue eyes and dark brown hair, walked towards me. Cain was most definitely not seventeen anymore. His defined, high cheek bones wore a layer of stubble and a red bruise, his lip had been cut and the blood had dried that had been seeping from it. He tried to smile slightly as he approached, I could see years of disappointment etched on his face, I only hoped he didn’t resent me for leaving his father.
“Cain.” I said as I stood.
“Jen.” He replied. “Thanks for coming.” The officer removed his handcuffs and he rubbed his wrists once free of them.
“No problem. Are you all set?” I asked.
“I am, I don’t even have a jacket with me.”
“Okay, so, that’s it?” I checked with the officer.
“Yes, goodnight.” He muttered and turned away.
“Shall we…?” I motioned my head to the door, the sooner I got out of there, the better. He nodded and we walked out to my car. “Where do you live now, Cain? I can take you home.”
He stopped walking. “I was staying with my friend, but uh, well, he was the one I had a fight with, he has been seeing my ex.”
“I see,” I turned and frowned. “Well, I have work tomorrow, so I really need to go to bed. I have a spare room at my place, if you need somewhere to crash?” I offered.
“
Thank you, if you don’t mind.” He muttered and we proceeded to my car.
“I don’t mind.” I shrugged.
He climbed in beside me and put on his seatbelt, he smelled of alcohol, though I could clearly see he was no longer drunk, just very tired and upset. We drove in silence, I wanted to ask if he was okay and how his father came to be in Europe, but I got the impression he just needed to sleep it all off, there would be time for questions and hopefully answers the following day.
We arrived at my house and as I turned into the drive, I pressed the button that opened the garage. Parked inside was my old Toyota. It was my first car and my brother, Turner, gave it to me when he went to work abroad for a year. I didn’t have the heart to get rid of it.
“You still have that yellow car?” he asked.
“Yes,” I smiled. “I can’t let it go.”
“I remember you picking me up from a party in that, the first time I got drunk.” He then smiled, “There seems to be a pattern here, huh?”
“Now that you mention it.” I agreed playfully. “Come on inside. I’ll make us some coffee.”
“I thought you said you have work tomorrow.”
“I guess I’ll be calling in sick.” I shrugged. “We can talk if you want to.”
“Okay.” He said and removed his seatbelt.
I led him into the house by way of the garage door that opened into my kitchen. It wasn’t a huge house, two floors, with two bedrooms and bathrooms, and the rest was open planned, aside from my laundry, that had its own room at the back of my kitchen. I had a counter that ran the length of it and a small table with chairs around it, in front of the counter.
“This is so nice, Jen. I like it.” He smiled gazing around as I flicked on the lights. He looked over at my living room and white leather couch, sat on a brown rug in front of a light stone fireplace. I had painted it relatively light colors aside from my kitchen which was a terracotta pot color on the walls with white and dark blue tiles.
“I do too.” I said as I filled the coffee maker with water. “Are you hungry?”
“No, I’m okay.”
“When was the last time you ate a meal?” I asked concerned.
“Uh…, I can’t remember. I just live on snacks and sandwiches.” He admitted.
“Well, I have some left-over lasagne in the fridge, I’ll heat some up for you.” I said pulling it open. He smiled slightly and sat at the table. “So, what do you do now, for a living, I mean?”
His face hardened. “I think I am just going to go, Jen.” He stood sharply. “Thank you for bailing me out. As soon as I can, I will pay you back.”
“Cain, you have nowhere to go, you have no money and you haven’t eaten a meal in a long time. I am guessing you don’t have a job and I would be a fool to let you leave. Please, stay and eat something, we can talk tomorrow. I promise. No more questions.”
“It’s not that, Jen, I am embarrassed. Everything you have said is right. I am broke, homeless and jobless. But I don’t plan on staying this way forever, as soon as my dad…”
“How long has he been away?” I interrupted.
“A couple of months.” He shrugged. “He goes away a lot these days. Not that I have much to do with him now.”
“Does he know about you having nowhere to live?” I frowned.
“Yes, he uh, he kicked me out when I lost my last job. He thinks I am a waste of his time and energy and sent me on my way. I am useless, Jen and you don’t need me to mess up your amazing new life.”
I stared at him, he truly needed help from someone, the microwave pinged telling us his food was ready, “Sit down, have something to eat and a warm drink.” I instructed. “We can talk when and if you are ready too, okay?”
Silently, he nodded and sat back on the chair and allowed me to serve him a plate. I wasn’t hungry, but knew too well how bad it felt to eat alone and with an audience, so I served myself some too. I poured us some hot, smoky coffee and joined him at the table.
We ate in silence, well, I pushed my food around my plate while he cleared his. I could see he was starving and although he tried to eat slowly, I saw the delight fill his eyes as he ate. When he finished, I pushed my plate towards him.
“It would be a shame to waste it.” I shrugged. He didn’t argue, I think hunger took over and he cleared my plate too.
“Thank you,” he said leaning back in his seat and lifting his cup of coffee, “That meal was incredible.”
“I had to take classes,” I smiled humbly, “but thank you.”
“Seems they worked, Jen.” He smiled and sipped his coffee. “I feel I need to tell you how I came to be in this mess.” He said suddenly. I nodded and folded my hands around my coffee cup. “I was still in college when my mom, uh… passed. I still graduated law with honors though.” He added proudly. “After I graduated, my dad got me a job at a law firm in the city as an intern, he had a friend there or something. To be honest, it’s the only thing he has ever really done for me.” He stated sourly. “Anyway, I caught some of the directors embezzling and laundering money and I reported it. I got fired when they were investigated and now, no law firm will go near me. I can’t even take the bar because they discredited me so badly. My dad called me a loser and said I was nothing to him now, so, well, nothing new there.”
“That is awful, Cain.” I frowned.
“Well, that’s why I can’t hold down a job. I don’t want to be flipping burgers or waiting tables. I want to be a lawyer, I want to make wrongs right and make a difference in the world. I did the right thing and I am still being punished for it.” He shook his head and sipped his coffee again. “I didn’t want you to think I was a complete waste of space, that’s all.”
“I would never think that.” I was stunned by his words.
“Anyway, I guess I am keeping you up.” He said as he fidgeted in his seat.
I stared at him for a while, he looked so tired. “Okay,” I stood from the table. “I’ll load these plates in the dishwasher and then I’ll show you to your room.” I said.
I rinsed and loaded the plates and cups and then I showed him up the stairs to my guest room. One that had never been used. I only had my brother now and he was living in Texas with his wife and hadn’t been to visit since I bought the house.
“The main bathroom is through the door on the left in the hall, but you have a small bathroom with a toilet and wash basin just through the door over there.” I pointed. “There are clean towels in the cabinet and I even have spare tooth brushes, they have never been used. Please help yourself.”
His eyes moved around the room, he smiled gingerly, “Thank you, again, Jen.”
“It’s no problem,” I smiled. “Sleep well, Cain.”
“And you.” He said as I closed the door.
It was almost three-thirty when I crawled between the sheets and pulled the covers up over my head. I thought about Cain briefly, not believing how his father could have treated him so badly, but then I remembered, it didn’t surprise me at all. Cain was a complication as far as Jake was concerned. A hindrance, the poor kid was palmed off on anyone that would have him. His mother had her new boyfriend back then and his father had me, Cain seemed to be in the way in both of their eyes. I felt truly terrible for him, hoped that he had settled into bed okay and then, as rain began to pelt against my window again, I drifted off to sleep.
Two
My alarm drilling into my head a few hours later, woke me sharply. I glanced at my phone and sat up slowly, still feeling tired and heavy headed. The house was still and quiet, then I remembered my house guest and I wondered if Cain was okay. I got up and used the bathroom and though I could have used a few more hours sleep, I took a shower and got dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt before going down the stairs.
I contacted work at seven and told them I would be working from home instead of going into the office and then I made a fresh pot of coffee. As I sat at the kitchen table with my laptop, I heard the toilet flush upstairs shortly follow
ed by Cain arriving in the kitchen.
He smiled sheepishly and muttered, “Morning.” As he sat at the table. His hair was stuck up on the top of his head, and the blood on his knuckles from the night before was now gone.
“Morning,” I replied. “Would you like something to eat?” I asked.
“No, thank you, my stomach is still full up from eating all of that lasagne last night. I could use some coffee though.”
“It’s should still be fresh in the pot, help yourself.” I smiled and glanced at my screen again.
“I didn’t know you wore glasses.” He remarked before standing from the table.
“Only for work when my eyes are too sore to wear my contacts.” I replied. “Did you sleep okay?”
“I did, in fact, it is the best night’s sleep I have had in a long time. It’s been months since I slept in a real bed.” He admitted and filled the coffee cup then emptied the rest before filling the pot again with fresh water.
I couldn’t believe his own father would throw him out onto the street. It made me so angry inside, I fought hard not to show it. I glanced at his jeans with mud smeared over the leg. “You know, if you don’t mind, I can wash your clothes for you. Turner has left some clothes here for when he visits, which he hasn’t actually done yet, so, I have a change of clothes if you want to use them.”
“Turner?” he queried.
“My brother, he’s about your size. He lives in Texas with his wife and daughters.”
“I never knew you had a brother. Okay, that would be good. These are the only jeans I have now as all my stuff is at my friend’s place.” He explained. “But I should really go and let you get on with your work.”
“Go where, Cain? You can’t go back to your friend’s place after that fight. Look, I was actually going to offer you a room here until you can get back on your feet.” I said closing my laptop. “I have to go away at the end of the month for a conference and it would be nice knowing I have someone staying here to keep an eye on my house.” I added.