by Pamela Ann
The people I worked with were friendly enough, but I was told I hadn’t met Nola yet. They said she would change my mind quickly. So there was that to look forward to come Monday.
★
Of course, when Grandma and Mother arrived, they booked themselves a suite at the Waldorf because, not only did we not have space, but my mother needed room service since she was barely any use in the kitchen.
“Where’s my darling Drew?” It was the first thing Grandma asked when she hugged and kissed Jackson and me. She seemed confused as to why Drew, who was always with Jackson, wasn’t there to greet her, too.
“He’s with his father,” Jackson said as we entered their hotel room.
“Oh, dear. Is he all right?” our mother butted in, frowning.
Drew was the closest thing she had to a second son, so her concern was genuine—a novelty for her. She didn’t care much about other people. She was kind of cold in a way, but my father seemed to adore her.
Grandma shook her head, unimpressed by my brother’s explanation. “I’ve heard stories about him. Nothing impressive.”
Jackson then provided his father’s name along with the list of global companies Drew’s grandfather was known for all over the world.
“His family’s worth billions. You should be more impressed than that,” Mother gushed, as though money were the only thing she respected. My assumptions weren’t too far off.
“Honestly, Vicki, is there anything in your head other than air?” my grandmother chided, shaking her head as she set her purse on the nearest table. “I was looking forward to seeing all three of you. It saddens me that one is missing. Does he know I’m coming?”
“Don’t worry, Grams. He’s coming to join us for dinner tomorrow.” Jackson flung an arm around her, making Grandma grin at him. “He’s busy these days, but he’ll be there.”
“And what about you? Is there any special girl for me to meet? Drew, as well? I’m sure you two have plenty to choose from.”
“I’m not sure if Drew’s bringing Poppy. And as for me, I’m still single.”
Ugh, Poppy. That bitch was going to be the death of me.
Ignoring the stupid name, I frowned at my brother. “What happened to Yvonne?”
“Yvonne? Oh, do tell,” our mother chimed in.
He shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. Anyway, are you guys up to eat out or what? What’s the plan?”
“Your mom and I had something on the flight.” My grandmother yawned at the thought of dining out. With their long flight and the traffic they’d had to deal with, who could blame her? “I’m too tired, so I’m turning in for the night. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“Same here,” our mother said before gazing at us. “Good night, you two.”
We both bid her good night before we watched her disappear into her own designated suite.
Well, Jackson and I were starving, so we decided to stay put and order room service.
While we waited for our food, my mind wandered back to the same person as always, and this time, my brother had to give some answers.
“Poppy’s legit now, then?”
“Yep,” Jackson responded with a popping sound.
“He’s fast.” It hadn’t taken him long to decide on her, while with me, it had taken him forever to even see me. Oh, well, there was no need to be so bitter about it. He had moved on … and that was that. “How is she. I mean, overall?” Was she a decent person at least? I didn’t have a clue.
“She’s nice.”
That’s it? What did nice entail? All sorts of things, which didn’t tell me much.
“Aren’t they all in the beginning?” I muttered as I pictured them both together. As hard as I tried, my mind always reverted back to that time when he had taken me in the game room. For a brief moment, I had thought he had forgiven me, only to crush my hopes the second he’d had me where he wanted me.
“He’ll come around, Chloe,” Jackson said.
My brother was simply trying to ease the pain by giving me false comforts. But what he didn’t know was that I didn’t have any designs when it came to Drew, not anymore.
“I’m not holding my breath. He’s not the only one moving on.”
“With who?” Jackson frowned at me. “Wait, don’t tell me it’s that biker guy who caused all of this?”
“He didn’t cause anything. It’s all on me. And he has a name—Cori. And he’s good to me, Jacks. He makes me laugh, and right now, that’s all I need.”
“That’s good, or else he’ll have to answer to me.” He smiled sadly at me. “Having your heart broken isn’t the easiest thing to get over, little sis.”
Well, I had lived with it all my life. It was nothing new.
“What would you know about heartbreak, anyway? From what I can recall, you’re the one causing it.”
He shrugged. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Jackson became solemn, which made me want to pry into his business even more.
“Enough about Drew. So what happened to Yvonne?”
“She got too close.”
I rolled my eyes, hating the typical male answer. “If you’d just going to stop being such a fuckboy, Jacks, maybe you would find someone worthy to get close to.”
His eyes darkened. “I’m not a relationship kind of guy. I doubt that’s going to change soon.”
“That’s what they always say until it bites them in the ass.” Good luck with that, brother.
After dinner, Jacks went wherever he went, and instead of going straight to the house, I actually called to see if Cori was available … and he was.
I found myself hailing a cab on my way to his place located in the Meatpacking District for the first time. He had a wide studio with a sixty-inch TV and a guitar sitting right next to his couch. The place was all male and very him. I had expected no less. It was a great place, and I found myself getting comfortable on the sofa while I tried my hand at playing the guitar.
“Netflix and chill?” He laughed as he joined me on the couch before handing me a beer.
He spoke about San Diego and how he was actually considering moving out west permanently. Apparently, he had been living cross-country for the past year, and it was taking a toll on him. Besides, with the dunes out there, it would be the perfect location for him to start anew.
In the middle of his speech, he was sort of hinting that he might change his mind if something could make him stay, but as much as I liked having him around, making that kind of commitment wasn’t in the cards for me just yet and probably not anytime soon. Dating was one thing, but a real relationship involving hearts and all … I couldn’t do that, and it would be unfair if I gave him false hope. Therefore, I kept my mouth shut and pretended I hadn’t heard that bit.
It was inevitable that Cori would try to kiss me, and much to my dismay, I had to muster up the courage to kiss him back.
“Listen, can we do this slowly? I know it’s backward after we already had sex, but I need us to go slow, if that makes any sense at all.”
“We’ll rock it however you want it, Red,” he whispered against my lips. “Nice and slow sounds good.”
“Good.” Then we were on the same page.
Truth be told, I wasn’t ready for more than kissing, and if he was okay with that, then I couldn’t ask for more.
Chapter 57
We were having dinner at Eleven Madison Park, and the four of us were being ushered to our table when Drew arrived, trailing a few steps behind us.
“Sorry I’m a little late,” Drew said as he kissed my mother on the cheek. “It’s good to see you, Vicki.” He then went to my grandmother and gave her a tight, loving hug. “Grams, you look as beautiful as ever.”
My grandmother blushed before pinching his cheek. “You still look as handsome as ever. So …” she said then looked behind him, as if to check on something, before glancing over at his face. “Where’s Poppy?”
Drew immediately looked puzzled at the unexpected question. “I didn’t realize I ha
d to bring her to see you all.”
“You don’t, silly boy, but I wanted to meet your lady,” Grandma stated as she looked over the menu with a pleasant smile.
While they all busied themselves with the menus and their phones, I glanced over at him, and for the first time that I had known Drew, he blushed deeply. Poppy had that kind of effect on him, I supposed. Well, as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.
After the waiter took our orders, Drew and Jackson engaged in a conversation about some person they both know while my grandmother busied herself with her phone.
“Courtney has a package for you,” my mother addressed me, catching me by surprise.
Courtney hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but then again, that was typical her. She was thoughtful like that. I made a mental note to call her as soon as I could.
“Really? That’s so nice of her.”
“So nice,” Jackson sarcastically echoed, drawing all eyes to him.
Why was he in such an awful mood?
“Maybe if you guys weren’t always at each other’s throats about every damn subject known to mankind, you’d have a special package, too.”
“I always thought you had a crush on her. It’s too bad.” My grandmother’s statement astonished all of us.
What was she talking about? Color me extra confused.
My mother took a quick sip of her wine before shaking her head. “Jackson doesn’t like Courtney, Mom. Your memory is skewed. Jackson doesn’t like feisty women like her. She’s too much for your grandson.”
“I’m not senile, nor am I blind, Vicki,” Grandma snapped. “They all spent a lot of time together. Hell, I’m flabbergasted Drew and Chloe haven’t fallen in love yet.”
My mother placed a hand over her heart before gushing at Drew, “Chloe used to adore you. I could literally see hearts in her eyes.”
WTF?
“No, I wasn’t. You guys are being so unreal! Stop.” I wanted to crawl under the table when I felt his gaze on me. I had to do everything in my power not to flicker my eyes at him, unable to handle what would be in them.
“What happened to that boy you used to date last year? What was his name again?” Mom, bless her, came to my rescue just as the food was being served.
“She’s seeing someone,” Jackson butted in proudly. “That’s why you’re seeing all of this.” He gestured toward my salon styled hair and the tight laced-up corset dress.
Jackson was being such a dick. What was wrong with him? Did he know that he was killing me slowly? Drew was here, for fuck’s sake. Why was he being so careless? It was so unlike him.
Glaring at my lamb chops, I wished I could stab my brother so he would just shut it.
“What’s his name?” My mother looked worried as she noted me with renewed vigor.
Knowing how she worked, I bet she would have Cori investigated just to know if he had a perfect credit score. Ugh. My mother was as shallow as they came.
“It’s Cori, and no, I won’t tell you his last name.”
“Does he go to NYU, as well?” Grandma carefully asked, her eyes taking in everything my face showed her, which was too much for my liking.
Shaking my head, I feigned showing interest in the delicious food before me. “No, he chose not to go to college.”
My parents wouldn’t approve of him, but I didn’t care. This was my life, and I was going to live it the way I wanted and not according to someone else’s standards.
My mother cleared her throat, almost glaring at me with those big eyes. “Why not?”
Who cares? I wanted to quip back, but instead, I carefully chose my words. “He’s into bikes. It’s his passion.”
“Bikes?” she screeched a little too loudly.
Setting my knife down, I looked in irritation at the woman who had given birth to me. “Yes, motorcycles.”
She ignored my barbed remark before barking out the next question. “And you’re seeing him tonight?”
“We’re going to the movies.”
“With that dress you have on, you’re going to be doing a hell of a lot.” Grandma winked at me.
Thanks, Grams.
They were all grilling me, and I loathed every second of it. What was even more unnerving was how Drew’s eyes were on me, and I could sense his contempt from across the table.
“When can we meet him?” my mother lightly pressured with a calculated smile.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. When would she stop?
“No, Mom. No one’s meeting him.”
“Why ever not?”
Need she ask?
“Because maybe I don’t want him to get a glimpse of how crazy you all make me. Just leave it alone. I’m fine. Cori’s great, and before your imagination gets the best of you, no, he doesn’t have a criminal record! You seriously need to open your eyes. I’m allowed to see and date whomever I want. You guys aren’t getting anything from me. This discussion needs to shut down, or I’m walking out of here.”
“Anyone care for a fruit tart?” Grandma tried to make light of things when everyone fell silent.
I felt it, the waves, but I couldn’t care less what my mother, Jackson, or my grandmother thought of Cori. There was only one opinion that mattered most to me, and he wasn’t at all pleased.
It was stifling, and I was about to have a panic attack.
Heaving slightly, I took hold of my purse before clearing my throat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I can’t do this.” Gazing over at my grandmother, I looked at her pleadingly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise, but I can’t be here.” Lastly, my eyes landed on my one and only sibling. “Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Jackson.”
Jackson tried to explain, but I didn’t want to hear it. How could he do that, and right in front of Drew? It had been only two weeks, and everything was still so fresh. I had been trying to hold it together, but if I was prodded and poked, I would completely fall apart, and I didn’t want that to happen. Consequently, I had to leave and avoid all of them. And since I was already meeting up with Cori later, I was sure he wouldn’t mind if I came to his place early.
Besides, I had to decompress and relax after that wounding ordeal. I couldn’t wait until they left Monday morning. They were driving me crazy. I loved Grandma to death, but with Mom by her side, they were both too much to handle.
★
The following day, Jackson planned to bring them over for dinner, and instead of us cooking, Jackson ordered food. And I took it upon myself to make sure we had some sweets to nibble on. What better solution than cupcakes? It had been ages since I had made any. The more I occupied myself, the better. So I did just that, baking the little red velvet cakes from scratch.
As I was pulling the cakes fresh out of the oven, Jackson came in with the food and the biggest smile on his face.
“Sorry about yesterday. I hope I’m already forgiven.”
“You’re an ass.” I scowled at him before shaking my head in dismay. “What you did was messed up, Jacks. I’ll forgive you if you vow to never do it again. That was all colors of fucked up, and it’s not okay.”
“Promise,” he swore, doing the Scout’s honor salute. “I’ve gotta hit the shower. Mom and Grams are on their way, but I already unlocked the door. We’re good, right?”
“Sure, sure,” I muttered, smiling at him. How could I stay mad at Jackson? It was impossible. He was so likable, and I loved him to bits. Regardless, if he ever chose to do that to me again, I wouldn’t hesitate to stab him with my fork.
Reverting my attention back to the cupcakes, I was in the process of icing them when Drew strolled into the kitchen, making me lose my equilibrium for a brief moment. No one had told me that he was coming over. It would have been nice if Jackson had thrown in a warning. Apparently, that was too much to ask.
“Cupcakes, my favorite,” the man exclaimed with utter delight, ready to devour them.
What the actual fuck! Had that really just come out of his mouth? He used to call me cupcake. How
could he be so cruel?
He breezily rounded the counter, standing across from where I stood then drilling me with those fathomless blue depths. “May I have one?”
Anxiously, I gave him a small nod, beside myself and unsure how to act around him.
Licking my lips, I gathered every ounce of my focus to ice the mini treats, saying, “Yeah, help yourself.” This was the first time he and I had spoken since his birthday, so my reaction wasn’t that startling. However, his spur of the moment, easy friendliness was unexpected.
As I watched his large hand pluck one undecorated treat, it took a great deal out of me not to dwell on what those hands were capable of. I had missed him, but I hadn’t realized how much until this moment.
Overwhelmed with monumental nostalgia, I had to chew on the inside of my cheek just so I didn’t say something that would evoke another row between us.
“This is so good,” he groaned with utter delight before taking another bite. “It’s just as I remembered.”
Those sounds he was making weren’t helping my libido. Dying a little inside, I had to press my legs together, all thanks to those guttural sounds he had made.
“Thanks,” I mumbled back, trying to ignore the fact that I was getting aroused. My body was a lost cause, so I tried to think of other things, such as why he was being nice to me all of a sudden. He had been an ass last night, ignoring me, and then, less than twenty-four hours later, in he comes with a smile on his face as if we were the best of friends again.
While I was still icing the cupcakes, my phone beeped, and since my hands were literally full and sticky from the excess icing, I chose to disregard it and continued with my task.
“Is he treating you well?”
His question threw me off guard. Why was he concerned all of a sudden? Wasn’t he the one who had treated me like crap, using and throwing me away? Cori, on the other hand, had been respectful enough. Although he had pushed the boundaries when making out, he had stopped pressuring me.
“Of course.”
“That’s all I need to know,” he stated flatly.
Right. Whatever his motives were, they eluded me. It was difficult to read a man like Drew who was used to hiding his motivations. Even when angry, it would take a great deal for him to unmask himself.