by JA Huss
“Thank you,” I say. And to my surprise, I mean it.
He puts his phone away and says, “I’m not going to let you see her alone. Not this time. And you’re not going to introduce yourself as her father. Not yet.”
“Fair,” I say.
“You’re Joey, her mother’s friend. And you’re here for her baby sister’s party.”
“OK. What’s her name?”
“Malinda.” And he smiles when he says it.
“Nice name,” I say.
He nods. “She’s a nice little girl. They both are. And they’re close. As close as two sisters at that age can be.”
“She’s turning three?”
“Yes.”
“That’s some party you have planned.”
“I know what you’re thinking about this place.”
“What am I thinking?”
“All the things everyone thinks. But there are a lot of ugly things in this world. All we have here? All we do here? It’s a little reprieve from that ugliness. You have money, I know that. But your lifestyle is relatively normal. Maybe even almost… average. That always surprised me, so maybe you don’t really get it? Maybe that world I live in doesn’t touch you?”
I can’t stop the laugh. “I don’t think many people would agree with you about my lifestyle.”
“No. And if I were talking about Johnny”—he eyes me carefully as he says my brother’s name—“or Jesse, then… OK. They are more… radical with their lifestyles. Johnny and his little secrets. Jesse and his wild antics. But Joey Boston doesn’t fit, does he? Joey Boston is discreet. His secrets stay secret. His private life doesn’t find its way into the public’s perception. In fact, you don’t really have a public perception, do you?”
I shrug. “I’ve found my place in the world.”
“Yes,” he says, raising his eyebrows. “You certainly have.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Nothing derogatory. I don’t judge you.”
“What’s to judge?” I laugh.
“Come on,” he says. “You really want me to believe that Brooke Alder is your fiancée?”
“I spent a lot of money on that ring for a girl who isn’t.”
“Did you buy Huck and Wald a ring too?”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
He opens his mouth to respond but the double doors open and I turn just in time to see Maisy Kane walk through the door holding the hand of a middle-aged woman.
“There’s my little flower,” Conner says. She runs to him, eyeballing me as she passes, and hugs him around the waist.
She’s taller than I imagined. Maybe because I don’t really know how tall five-year-olds are. Or maybe she gets her height from me. I’m not sure.
But one thing I am very sure about?
She looks like me.
Not Jesse. Not Johnny. Not my father. Not this man here, pretending to be her father.
Me.
“Hello, Maisy,” I say.
“Hello,” she says, hiding behind Michael.
“Do you know who I am?”
She nods. “My mommy has a picture of you in her phone.”
“She does?” I ask, looking at Michael.
“It’s an old phone,” he says. “She gave it to Maisy one day to play with and then let her keep it and bought a new one.”
“It was after Malinda came and I was tired and fussy,” Maisy explains.
“Oh,” I say, loving her instantly. Because she is so lovely. So… pink. “That’s nice.”
“You’re Joey,” she says. “I called you.”
“I know,” I say. “That’s why I’m here. Just… checking in on you. Making sure you’re OK.”
“I miss my mommy. Do you know where she is?”
“No.” I sigh. “I don’t. I’m sorry.”
She presses her lips together and forces a smile.
“So…” I say. “Would you like to have tea with me? There’s a whole bunch of little cakes over there and no one’s eating them.”
I don’t know if this was Michael Conner’s plan when this visit started, but it’s my plan now.
“Sure,” Maisy says, then looks up at her father for permission.
“It’s fine,” he says. He glances at me. “She’s not allowed to attend afternoon tea yet.”
“It’s for grown-ups,” Maisy explains.
“Oh. Well, you look pretty grown up to me. So I think it’s OK.”
She agrees with a giggle and a curtsey.
And my heart. God help my fucking heart. Because that ache is there again. Stronger than ever. And I want her to be mine. Not mine, as in mine. Because I know she’s my biological daughter. But I want her to look at me the way she does Michael. I want her to know me.
When we sit at the table she suddenly looks very small. The tallness I thought she possessed shrinks when she can barely see over her tea cup.
Michael is quiet and lets her talk. Which she does with enthusiasm. Telling me about her day. And her sister. And the party tomorrow.
She eats too many cakes. But Michael doesn’t say anything and neither do I.
And then the governess is there. Has been here the whole time, I realize. Taking her hand and telling her to say goodbye.
She curtseys for me again, smiling and giggling as she says, “See you later, alligator,” and then skips out of the room like she hasn’t a care in the world.
I lean back in my chair, my tea and cakes untouched, and look over at Michael.
“You’re here,” he says in a controlled, even tone, “because I know what kind of power you wield. I know there will be a fight. I know it could very easily get ugly. But I would like to tell you something right now, Joey Boston.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“If any of the filthy business you Bostons are a part of touch this little girl in any way…” He pauses to lock eyes with me. “I will kill you with my bare hands.”
I actually don’t know what to say.
“That clear? Mr. Boston?”
“First of all,” I say, taking my napkin out of my lap and placing it on my untouched plate, “my business is called Cryptomation. Anything else you’ve heard about how I make money is a rumor and nothing more.”
He shakes his head. “If you think I’m dumb enough to believe that, you’re either more stupid than I thought, or pathetically naive.” He leans forward. Staring me down. “I know what you do. I know all about what you Boston Brothers do.”
I hold my breath, hoping he’ll expound. Because I don’t even know what we do. I want to lean over, wrap my hands around his throat, and choke him until he tells me.
“And maybe I’m a part of it too,” he says.
Hmm. I exhale and force the rage hidden deep inside me to leave with my breath. Because that’s interesting.
But I’m still trying to fit together the what and why of that statement when he says, “But it was never my choice.”
“It’s not my choice, either,” I say. “And I’m telling you the truth. I have nothing to do with the Bossy Building. I don’t live there. I have not lived there in more than fifteen years. So…” I shrug. “You’re right. There will be a fight. And it probably will get messy. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You could just give me what’s mine.”
“What’s yours?” he says.
“She’s my daughter.”
His jaw clenches and he sucks in a deep breath. “And if I don’t? If I say, ‘Fuck you, Boston Brothers, go to hell?’ Then what will you do? Will you call up Johnny and tell him to pay us a little visit?”
I narrow my eyes at him. Because I have never, ever, in my entire fucking life, asked my brother Johnny for a favor.
“No,” I say, standing up. “I’ll just see you in court.”
I turn and walk to the doors. I’m just pulling them open when he says, “We’re not done here.”
I pause. Bow my head and look at my hands gripping the door handles. “I think we are.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - BROOKE
They’re setting up a carousel on the back side of the party tent. I didn’t notice it when we pulled up. Maybe because they’ve made more progress since we arrived, or maybe it was just hidden.
But I notice it now.
I try to picture what it will look like tomorrow surrounded by kids. There will be tables, and chairs, and presents. Probably hundreds of people by the looks of it.
“Can we go back now?” Huck asks. “I’m fucking sweating my balls off out here in this suit.”
“Yeah, let’s head back,” Wald says. “It’s been a while. If the visit isn’t over, then at least the stressful preliminaries are. We should be fine.”
We head toward the terrace where we exited earlier and just as we get to the top step, Joey comes bursting through the doors.
“There you are,” he says. “I’ve been fucking looking everywhere for you guys.”
“What’s up?” Huck asks.
“Yeah, what happened?” Wald says.
“Did you see her?” I add.
Joey takes a deep breath. “I saw her.”
“What’s she like?” I ask.
He smiles. “Perfect,” he says. “She’s just… lovely. Sweet, and pretty, and good-natured.”
“So why do you look so pissed off?” Wald asks.
Joey starts shaking his head. “He’s not gonna let me take her.”
“Take her?” I ask. Confused. Because… “Were we going to… take her?”
“Not today,” Joey says. “But he means not ever.”
“Well, that’s not happening,” Huck says. “She’s your daughter. You deserve to be in her life.”
“Tell Conner that,” Joey says, running his fingers through his hair. “He doesn’t believe us, and he asked me if I bought you two rings, and he brought up a bunch of shit about Johnny, and Jesse, and… what we do.”
I raise my eyebrows. “What you do?”
“Never mind,” he says. “Let’s just go.”
“Go?” Wald asks. “What do you mean, go? We’re staying the night.”
“I don’t want to stay here,” Joey says. “This place…” He looks around, shaking his head. “Does it creep you out?”
He’s looking at me. “Creep me out?” I ask, looking around. “What part of this creeps you out? It’s completely amazing. Like something out of a movie set.”
“I don’t want to stay. Let’s just go. I’ll call the lawyers and have them handle things.”
“Lawyers?” Wald asks. “Really, Joe? What the hell happened that we’ve already devolved into legal action?”
“Excuse me?”
We all turn to see Thomas approaching from the open double doors. “I just wanted to let you know your suite is ready.”
“What?” Joey asks. “We’re not staying.”
Thomas crinkles his brow. Clearly this is news to him. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t told that. Mr. Conner just instructed me to give you four a suite so you can get comfortable and change before dinner.”
“Dinner?” Joey asks.
Thomas bows his head a little. “I know what this looks like,” he says, panning his hand towards the tent and party preparations. “Your visit, unfortunately, coincided with baby Malinda’s birthday party. But I assure you, the dinner tonight is all for you, Mr. Boston. Adults only, with the exception of the hors d’oeuvres served beforehand.”
“That sounds fun,” I say. Trying to lift Joey’s mood.
“We’re staying,” Wald decides. “I’m sorry for the confusion, Thomas. My friend here is just a little… stressed. But thank you for the hospitality. We’d love to see our suite and get changed for dinner.”
Joey shoots Wald a look. Wald shoots Joey one right back.
“Very good,” Thomas says, deferring to Wald. “Please follow me.”
“I don’t like this,” Joey whispers as we climb the main stairwell ten steps behind Thomas. “Something’s happening. They have some plan. It’s not going to end well. We should leave.”
Wald ignores him. And Huck and I are in front, and we don’t want to make a scene since there are dozens and dozens of people milling about, so we don’t engage in the conversation behind us.
We’re taken to the second floor, but it’s quite a climb because the first-floor ceilings in the grand foyer are easily fifty feet high.
Then we are led into a whole separate wing and finally we stop at a set of double doors.
“We had you in separate bedrooms before we realized our mistake,” Thomas says.
“Mistake?” Huck asks.
Thomas smiles. “I’m sure the four of you will be very comfortable in here.” He opens the doors to reveal a massive bed.
Just. One. Bed.
And suddenly we all know what their little mistake was.
They thought Joey and I were a couple and Huck and Wald were just friends.
But one look at this room tells us that they certainly don’t think that any more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - JOEY
“What the actual fuck?” I mutter. “What is their game?”
I look at Wald for answers. He’s always the one with the answers. But he just rubs two fingers in the center of his forehead like he’s hoping to prevent a headache. “I don’t know,” he finally says. “I just don’t know.”
“Hey, maybe they just accept us?” Huck says. “They’re like… all progressive and shit?”
All of us—every single one of us, even Brooke—just look at Huck like he’s delusional.
“Are you kidding me?” I say. “Do these people look like they’re all cool with a four-person polyamorous relationship? Do you really think they look at us and say, ‘Yeah, that’s a great situation for little Maisy to get involved with?’”
“I dunno,” Huck says. “It’s no big deal. All parents fuck, Joey. No one looks at a couple and wonders if they’re gonna be doing it in front of the children.”
“Well, that’s definitely how they’re looking at us right now,” I say. “You can bet that for sure.”
“Maybe we’re reading this wrong. We can’t even fit in that bed,” Brooke says. “It’s big, but not that big.”
I take a deep breath. “I wanted one thing. One. Thing.”
“We didn’t fuck this up for you,” Huck says. “What we’re doing is fine. They are the ones fucking this up for you.”
“So what do you want to do?” Wald asks. “Do you want to leave?”
“We just told them we were staying,” Brooke says. “How do we change our minds again?”
“None of this is going to work,” I say, walking over to the bed and taking a seat. I rest my elbows on my knees and rub the side of my head with my hands. “It’s all gonna blow up in our faces, I can feel it. This place…” I look up at my friends. “It’s creepy as fuck.”
“I don’t know,” Brooke says. “I just don’t agree with you on that. There’s a whole bunch of people outside—a whole bunch of seemingly normal people outside—just… having a nice time.”
I look at her. Mouth open. Cannot believe what I’m hearing. “Nice time?”
“She has a point,” Huck says. “It’s a birthday party. It’s summer vacation. It’s old ladies having afternoon tea while wearing stupid hats. I think you’re overreacting.”
I look at Wald. “Do you think I’m overreacting?”
Wald is silent for a moment, his jaw clenching. “I don’t know,” he finally admits. “But I don’t think we should leave. Yet. We should just… pretend the room is fine, go to that dinner, and then wait and see what happens.”
“Something bad,” I say. “I can fuckin’ feel it. Something bad is happening here.”
“Well, I’m changing out of this suit. I’m hot as fuck,” Huck says.
Brooke snickers. Sexual innuendo.
I point my finger at her and say, “You’re wrong.”
She shrugs. “I could be. I never said I was a mystic, for fuck’s sake. But if we leave now you’ll never
know, will you? You’ll just be Joey Boston, Maisy Kane’s biological father. The guy who came, didn’t get what he wanted, and left. Like a temper-tantrum-throwing child.”
“Fuck you,” I say. “You don’t even know me.”
She holds up her hand. “And yet you put this giant ring on my finger. Maybe it’s not them, Joey. Did you ever think of that? Maybe it’s you?”
“What the hell, Brooke?” Wald says.
“I’m just saying. He’s acting like a spoiled rich brat. Man up, Joey. There’s nothing going on here. You’re making it all up because this isn’t going the way you thought it would. You’re just… giving up. And something tells me you’ve been doing that your whole life. Something tells me that hard work isn’t your thing.”
“Jesus Christ, Brooke!” Wald says. “That’s enough!”
“You have no idea what I know,” I seethe. “None. You don’t know me. None of you know me. All you see is the guy I am now. You have no clue what happened to us as kids.”
“What?” Huck says. He’s standing in front of the open closet, pulling his tie through the collar of his shirt. “What’s that mean?”
“It means,” I say, standing up and pacing the room. “It means… I know there’s more to this. And you know how I know?” I whirl around and look at Brooke. “I know because there’s always more than people see. There’s always something underneath. There’s always hidden agendas and nefarious plots. That’s how my world works. That’s how it’s always been. I’ve spent my entire fucking life asking, ‘Why? Why the fuck is this happening?’”
“What are you even talking about?” Huck says.
He looks at Wald and Wald sighs.
“Do you know?” Huck asks.
Wald shakes his head. But at the same time he mutters, “Maybe. Not really. But…” Wald looks at me then at Brooke. “I know Joey is sincere. It’s not hard work that scares him, Brooke. It’s the consequences of what comes after.”
Brooke makes a face. “I don’t even know what that means.”
“It means he has valid reasons for being the way he is. It means… none of us can ever understand him because our last name isn’t Boston.”
Brooke shakes her head. “The Kanes are a bunch of super-rich assholes, living in a castle, surrounded by gorgeous hills and woods. That’s it. They’re pretentious, and lucky, and snide, and mean, and selfish, and condescending, and too good for the rest of us. Fine. I agree. But this place isn’t what you’re saying. And if she were my daughter, Joey…”