The Girls of Mischief Bay

by Susan Mallery

  Pam and Lulu walked to the back door. She opened it for her little dog, then waited while Lulu took care of business. They walked back to the bedroom.

  When Steven had moved out, they’d done a remodel of the rear of the house. They’d expanded the master and added a second bathroom, while redoing the first. They’d also enlarged the closet. Pam didn’t mind sharing any part of her life, but she’d always wanted a completely girly bathroom and a few years ago, she’d gotten it.

  There was a huge shower with a built-in bench so she could shave her legs easily. She had an oversize tub, a single sink with long countertops on both sides and as much storage as the makeup department at Macy’s.

  John’s bathroom suited his needs, as well. There was a TV so he wouldn’t miss any part of a game if he had to pee, a steam shower and a vanity that was several inches higher than usual.

  Now she went into the closet and pulled out the drawer designated for Lulu’s pj stash. The little dog had already gone over to the bed and used the pet stairs to make it onto the high mattress. Pam selected a soft T-shirt—pink, of course.

  “All right, little girl,” she said softly as she sat on the bed.

  Lulu dropped her head as Pam removed the light sweater. The garment slid off easily. Then Pam held out the T-shirt. Lulu stuck her head through the opening and raised her left front leg to step into the arm hole. She always tried to do the right one, too, but usually missed. Pam got her shirt on. Lulu went up to the decorative pillows on the bed and burrowed in behind them, where she would stay until the humans got into bed.

  Pam retreated to her bathroom where she removed her makeup, applied three kinds of serums and creams, then brushed her teeth. As she performed the familiar rituals, she tried to think sexy thoughts to get herself into the mood. But she couldn’t seem to summon any energy about it.

  Sex with John was fine, but it wasn’t exciting anymore. She remembered how it had been at the beginning. The thrill of seeing him naked. The constant need to make love. How every touch had been arousing. Time and familiarity made that difficult to maintain. Add to that three kids and busy lives and it just wasn’t the same.

  But she loved him and wanted him to know that. While the words were always welcome, he also needed her to desire him. Something she’d figured out the second decade of their marriage when she’d been caught up in the exhaustion that came from having three active kids in the house.

  She slipped on her nightgown and returned to the bedroom.

  John was already there, sitting up, reading. He wore reading glasses—something that he’d resisted until any kind of printed material had become impossible. Lulu was on his lap. When she spotted Pam, she jumped up and came over to her side.

  She put the dog in her bed in the corner. John put down his glasses and e-reader, then flipped back the covers and patted the mattress invitingly.

  She climbed in next to him and studied his familiar face. She knew everything about this man, she thought. How he talked and laughed and thought. She knew his scent. When he put his arm around her waist and drew her close, she knew how their bodies would go together.

  They kissed as they always did. She tried to ignore the thoughts whipping through her brain, but they were insistent. Somewhere in the back of her mind a bored voice announced the next step in the process. Three tongue kisses, two nibbles on her neck. Right breast, left breast, then down to the promised land.

  Pam moved against him, searching for a spark to focus on. But she was thinking too much, and for her that was always trouble. She could feel what he was doing, but couldn’t find the sex in it. After a moment she felt his erection pressing into her thigh.

  When he was done, he rolled off her and cleaned up, pulled on his briefs and then returned to her side.

  “What about you?” he asked, sliding his hand along her thigh. “Want to do it the old-fashioned way?”

  Because he always knew if she’d had an orgasm or not. And her pleasure was important to him. Yet another excellent quality when it came to a husband, she thought. If she asked, he would touch her until she found her release. He knew how—they’d done it a thousand times before. Or maybe ten thousand.

  “I’m in my head tonight,” she admitted.

  “You sure?” he asked, even as he withdrew his hand.

  “I am.”

  “All right. I love you.” He kissed her, then stretched out on his side.

  Pam pulled on her nightgown and retreated to the bathroom to wash up. As she closed the bathroom door she wondered when he’d stopped pressing her to try a little before giving up. A year ago? Five?

  She wasn’t complaining, but she was curious. Was she really “in her head” so much that he’d given up convincing her otherwise? That wasn’t good.

  She finished and returned to the bedroom. John was already asleep. The sound of his steady breathing calmed her, as did his solid presence.

  She collected Lulu from her dog bed and carried her into the people bed. Lulu dove under the covers and waited until Pam lay on her back, then curled up next to her.

  The tiny ball of warm life was familiar. Just like John and her routine and their lovemaking. Familiar and comfortable and safe and boring. No, she thought. Boring was too harsh. It was something else.

  Dusty, she thought as she stared into the darkness. Her life was dusty. She’d been given so much, so if she wasn’t happy, then she was the problem.

  * * *

  “So you like him,” Nicole said late Saturday morning.

  Shannon tried to play it cool, but she couldn’t help smiling. “I do. Adam’s really nice. We’ve been out three times since our first date.”

  All three evenings had gone well. The last one had been the previous weekend when they’d gone sailing on a friend’s boat and then had eaten at Gary’s Café. He’d driven her home and they’d ended up making out in his car like teenagers.

  She’d been tempted to invite him in for something more adult, only a part of her was enjoying the anticipation.

  “And he’s with his kids this weekend?” Nicole asked.

  “Uh-huh. Last night until next Friday morning.”

  They stood by the carousel at the base of the Mischief Bay pier, otherwise known as Pacific Ocean Park. The original “POP” had been built in Santa Monica in the fifties and torn down in the 1970s. When Mischief Bay had rebuilt the pier, they’d named it the POP, to continue the tradition.

  The town was big on old things. Several of the city’s outdoor sculptures had been purchased from other places and relocated here. The carousel itself had been rescued from an east coast boardwalk that had wanted to put in more modern rides. Residents had formed a joint task force with city officials to raise money and bring the hundred-year-old carousel to the pier. It had been restored and put into use.

  Nicole waved as Tyler rode around on a black horse. A leather strap held him securely in place. He was a cute kid, blond, with his mother’s eyes. He was friendly and sweet. Being around him made Shannon wonder what it would be like to have a child of her own. And when that happened she would remind herself that she’d always wanted to go the traditional route. Husband, then kids. Which hadn’t seemed possible.

  Only now that she’d met Adam, she was starting to wonder if maybe it was. If maybe now she could have it all. While she knew it was way too soon to be thinking that, the thoughts wouldn’t go away.

  “It wasn’t that long ago that Tyler still wanted you to stay with him,” Shan
non said, mostly to distract herself.

  “I know. He’s growing up so fast.”

  “Soon he’ll be wanting to borrow the car,” she teased.

  “Don’t even go there. I can’t stand to think about it.” Nicole pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and pointed it toward the carousel. “I’m still trying to accept the fact that he’s going to be five.”

  Tyler circled into view again. Nicole snapped his picture and Shannon waved.

  “Speaking of his birthday,” Shannon said, “you’ll never guess what I saw the other day.”

  Nicole groaned. “If you say Brad the Dragon supplies, I’m going to slit my wrists.”

  “Not something any of us wants.”

  Shannon waited while Nicole put her phone away. The other woman squared her shoulders, as if gathering strength. Nicole then tossed her blond hair over her shoulder and nodded.

  “Give it to me straight.”

  Shannon laughed. “What do you have against Brad the Dragon? He’s a pretty low-key guy.” She knew. She’d read several of the books to Tyler the few times she’d babysat. “Doesn’t he grow from a toddler to a young dragon in school?”

  “Yes, which means I can never escape him. I have no idea why he bugs me, but he does. So what did you find?”

  “There’s a gift store in Hermosa. They have an entire selection of Brad the Dragon party supplies. Plates, napkins, goodie bags and a few games. There’s a Brad the Dragon bean bag toss, Brad the Dragon pin the tail on the…dragon, I guess.”

  “Kill me now,” Nicole murmured.

  “You’re not going to check them out?” Shannon found herself a little disappointed. She figured Nicole would ask her to help with the party and to be honest, she was looking forward to a Brad the Dragon birthday celebration.

  Her friend groaned. “Of course I am. And then I’ll buy them and Tyler will be the happiest little boy there is. Which is what I want. After all, it’s his birthday. Dear God. Brad the Dragon. I swear, if I ever meet that author, I’m going to strangle him with a Brad the Dragon stuffed animal, wrap him in a Brad the Dragon blanket and throw his body out to sea.”

  “Someone needs to scale back on the caffeine,” Shannon murmured.

  Nicole laughed.

  The ride came to an end. Nicole stepped on to talk to Tyler, because there was every chance he wanted to go again. This was only his second time and he was usually good for three or four sessions.

  Shannon watched how mother and child interacted, their blond heads nearly touching as they laughed together. They were so close, she thought wistfully. So happy with each other. She wanted that. Not that she was all that sure she would be very good at it. When she’d been growing up, her mother hadn’t ever given her a birthday party. Not with friends invited. There was a special dinner at home and a couple of presents, but nothing to compare with a Brad the Dragon extravaganza.

  Different styles, she told herself, even though she knew in her gut that the real problem had leaned a lot more toward indifference.

  The ride started up again.

  “Hello, Shannon.”

  She turned and was startled to find Adam walking toward her. He had two children with him. A dark-haired daughter with ribbons in her curls and a younger, light-haired boy.

  Thoughts crowded in her brain. Obviously these were his children and they’d both agreed it was too soon for them to meet her. So what was he doing? Thinking?

  “Hi,” she said, feeling both children staring at her.

  “This is my friend Shannon. Shannon, these are my kids. Charlotte and Oliver.”

  She smiled at them. “Nice to meet you both. And this is my friend, Nicole. Her son is Tyler and he’s riding the carousel.”

  Nicole shook hands with Adam.

  “We love the pier,” Charlotte said, her dark eyes the same as her father’s. She was a pretty girl. Almost nine if Shannon remembered correctly. “Daddy, can we ride the carousel, too?”

  “Sure. Let’s go get tickets.” He glanced at Shannon. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

  “He’s cute,” Nicole whispered when he reached the ticket booth. “Cute kids, too.”

  “I don’t understand. He said it was too soon. I said it was too soon. Why did he introduce me to his kids? Is this weird?”

  “No. Come on. He saw you at the pier. You’re a friend. It’s not like they walked in on you two doing it.” Nicole grinned. “Have you done it?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Do you want to?”

  Shannon watched him lead both children up to the carousel. Charlotte chose a white unicorn with painted flowers in her mane, while Oliver took the black horse next to Tyler. Adam pointed to him and Nicole waved.

  “That one’s mine,” she confirmed, before turning back to Shannon. “Do you?”

  “Yes,” Shannon hissed. “I want to sleep with him. Are you happy?”

  “Not as happy as you’re going to be. Look. Here he comes. Act natural.”

  Great advice except she didn’t feel she was acting unnaturally.

  “Hey,” Adam said as he approached. “You okay with this?”

  “Meeting your kids? Sure. But I thought we’d agreed on the timing.”

  “We had, but then I saw you with your friend and figured I’d introduce you as someone I know. The pier isn’t that big. You were bound to see us and I didn’t want you feeling like you had to avoid me.”

  She had to admit that would have been awkward and potentially comical. “Can I be someone you know through work?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  Nicole laughed. “I’d forgotten all the intrigue that goes into dating. I’m both envious and relieved I’m not dealing with it.”

  “Kids add a layer of complication,” Adam admitted. “We were going to get lunch after this. Want to join us?” He nodded at Nicole. “Oliver and Tyler seem to be getting along.”

  Shannon glanced at the carousel and saw the two boys were talking and laughing.

  “Sure,” Nicole said. “We’ll be your beard. Or is it your shill?”

  “I think it’s beard,” Shannon told her.

  * * *

  After two more rides on the carousel even Tyler was ready for lunch. The six of them made their way to The Slice Is Right, where Shannon and Nicole claimed a table while Adam and the kids went to order the pizzas.

  “He’s nice,” Nicole murmured as they sat down. “And cute.”

  “You already said he was cute. You’re pressuring me.”

  “I know. I can’t help it. I can feel the sexual tension radiating between you. It sizzles. Now I know what Pam says when she complains about feeling old.”

  “You’re younger than me by years.”

  “But I’m married. There’s a lot less sexual tension now.”

  Shannon watched her friend as she spoke and saw something in her eyes. Before she could ask what was going on, Charlotte walked over.

  “Daddy’s ordering three pizzas,” she informed them. “Cheese, pepperoni and one with vegetables.” She shuddered visibly. “He wants to know if that’s okay and what you’d like to drink.”

  “The pizzas are great,” Shannon said as Nicole nodded. “Iced tea for me.”

  “Me, too.”

  Shannon touched Charlotte’s arm. “Thank you for taking our orders.”

  The girl beamed. “You’re welcome. I’m the oldest, so I’m responsible.”

  “Apparently so.”

>   She walked back to join her father.

  “Adorable,” Nicole whispered. “Don’t you just want to hug her?”

  Shannon nodded. Sure it was early hours, but she had to admit she liked what she’d seen so far. Not to be one of those scary it’s-been-one-date-can-I-see-myself-married-to-you? women, but maybe being a stepmother wasn’t as bad as a lot of her friends claimed. Some of the pain and suffering was determined by the personalities of the children.

  Adam collected a tray of drinks and led the three kids back to the table.

  “I hope it’s okay,” he told Nicole as he approached. “Tyler said he was allowed chocolate milk when he ate out.”

  “He’s right and he is,” she said, scooting over to make room for her son.

  Adam settled next to Shannon. They were just close enough that she could feel the heat of his body and there was no impediment to her sliding close to get her touching fix. Not counting his two children, her friend and Tyler, of course. Suddenly, it seemed her life had gotten, as Adam had described the situation earlier, complicated.

  Nicole turned to Charlotte. “You’re in the third grade?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you like school?”

  “Uh-huh. My teacher’s nice and I’m reading above my grade level so she gets me extra books from the library.” Charlotte snapped her attention back to Shannon. “Are you married?”

  “No. I’m not.”

  “Do you have children?”

  “No.”

  She opened her mouth as if she was going to ask another question, but Shannon got there first.

  “I like the ribbons in your hair.”

  “My mom put them in yesterday.” Charlotte gave an exaggerated sigh. “My dad’s not good with girl stuff, but he tries.”

  “I do try,” Adam added.

  “Dad can do stuff Mommy can’t,” Oliver said loyally.

  Adam put his arm around the boy. “Thank you for defending my honor.”