“It’s okay.” Viv waved her hand. “You get home. See you next weekend.”
“Bye.” Farren waved and climbed into her car.
Behind her own steering wheel, Viv turned on her favorite playlist and blasted the AC. She’d been in a funk all week, and nothing seemed to make her feel better. Not yoga with a friend. Not treating herself to froyo three separate evenings.
Not even putting in her one-month’s notice at work.
That last one should have really done the trick, but it hadn’t. Try as hard as she could, she still felt off and down.
It was ridiculous that someone she’d only spent an evening with could have such an effect on her. She’d put a lot of hope in Markus, though, and it was that that made getting past him hard.
She’d be okay, though. Soon enough. Life went on, and this time next year, who knew where she’d be?
In a new job. Maybe with a house. Maybe with a boyfriend.
Feeling slightly better, she drove for home. Grabbing the mail she’d neglected to bring in the day before, she opened up the apartment door and started going through it.
A bill… another bill… ads for a furniture store… a letter from Florida State Prison.
Viv’s blood ran cold, and she nearly dropped the envelope. The address on the front was handwritten in pen. She didn’t have to read the name in the corner to know who had sent it. Taking a step back, she found the chair by the window and plunked down into it.
Fifteen years. That’s how long it had been since she’d seen or talked to her father.
It had been her choice to stop visiting him in prison, but he hadn’t reached out at all since the last time they’d seen each other. So why now? What was different?
Viv threw the letter onto the pool table. It didn’t matter. The man was nothing to her. He was a shitty father, and he was a shitty human.
But still her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Placing them on her hips, she paced the living room. She’d planned on doing some online shopping for a new couch, but sitting down now felt impossible.
Turning on her heel, she grabbed her running shoes from the front closet and yanked them on. Since she still wore leggings and a tank top from yoga, the only other step was putting on a baseball cap to shield her eyes from the sun.
From her front door to the beach was less than one minute. She hit the sand hard, even tired as she was from an hour of yoga. Arms pumping at her sides, she sprinted parallel to the waves.
She should open the letter.
No, she shouldn’t open the letter.
Would it really matter either way?
She shook her head and ran harder, gasping for air. If she went fast enough, maybe she’d be able to forget. Forget her dad. Forget Markus.
Markus…
God, she saw him everywhere. Even right then, in the man walking toward her on the beach.
“Viv?” The man’s eyes widened.
No, not “the man.” Markus.
She stumbled over her feet and hit the sand, face first.
“Are you okay?” Two big hands took hold of her arms and helped her up.
Vivian spit sand from her mouth. “I’m fine.”
She wanted to shrug his hands off of her, but at the same time, his touch felt heavenly and she never wanted the moment to end.
“Oh, dear,” a woman’s voice said. “Are you sure? Did you hit your head?”
For the first time, Viv noticed the older woman with Markus. She was dressed much like Viv was, in leggings and jogging shoes, but her hair and makeup were done like she was ready for a night out.
“Only hit it on the sand,” Viv said. “Thank you.”
“You’re not hurt?” the woman pressed.
As a matter of fact, her pride was in critical condition. Not that she would suggest as much in front of a man who had ghosted her a week ago.
“Markus, let’s take her back to the house. Get her some lemonade.”
“Um, sure, Mom.”
“Mom?” Viv glanced at him.
He nodded once, his lips drawn tight. He didn’t look very happy to see her, either.
“Vivian, this is my mother, Tracey.”
“Oh, you two know each other?” Glee filled Tracey’s voice.
“Yeah, we met last weekend,” Viv said.
And then we had an amazing night together, after which your son promptly slipped out in the dead of the night.
She wondered if Tracey had any clue how much of a jerk the man she’d raised was.
“It’s good to see you, Viv.”
Markus’ voice was hushed, his eyes simmering with heat.
Viv opened her mouth, but only a croaking sound emerged. Tingles swept across her body.
She wanted to hate Markus, but it was really, really hard when one look from him had her melting into a puddle at his feet.
“You, too,” she said.
A silence followed, during which they stared at each other.
Tracey cleared her throat. “Vivian, do you live near here?”
Heat seared Viv’s cheeks. She hadn’t meant to gawk at Markus. And in front of his mom, no less!
“Yes. Right in that building.” She pointed behind her.
“I live close, too.” Tracey’s smile grew. “My house is a ten-minute walk from here.”
Markus rubbed the back of his neck. He still watched Viv, his lips parted, like he had something to say but was unsure about it.
“And do you live there by yourself?” Tracey asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, really?” She arched an eyebrow. “So then, you won’t have to be home for dinner tonight?”
“Um, no.”
“Wonderful. Come to dinner at my place. Markus will be there. Do you like shrimp?”
Viv bit her bottom lip and looked to Markus. His shoulders dropped.
“That would be nice,” he said, eyes imploring. “Please come.”
Still, Viv hesitated. Despite her anger at him, there was still chemistry between them. That much was undeniable.
Apparently, his mom picked up on it as well, and was… playing matchmaker?
“Sure,” Viv said. “Dinner sounds nice. Thank you.”
She might as well. It wasn’t like she had any plans that night. If it turned out to be a disaster, then fine. At least she wouldn’t be stuck wondering what could have been.
“Wonderful.” Tracey took her phone from a pocket in her leggings. “What’s your number, hon? I’ll text you the address.”
Viv gave it to her, Markus watching the whole while. When she was done, she shot him a look, as if to say ‘see? It’s not that hard to get a girl’s number.’
He bowed his head, either knowing he’d done wrong or pretending to know.
Whatever.
One dinner. One night. Maybe she’d even get an explanation or an excuse out of him.
“See you at six?” Tracey asked.
“Sounds great. See you then.”
She didn’t bother looking at Markus again as she turned around and jogged back to her apartment building. The run so far had been so strenuous that she was spent and didn’t think she would make it much further.
As she let herself into the apartment, she couldn’t help but smile. Life had a funny way of doing things.
The rest of the afternoon passed with figuring out what to wear for dinner. She felt like a high schooler going out on her first date. Except she didn’t so much as want to impress Markus as she wanted to show him what he was missing.
Finally, she settled on a pink baby doll dress with a short-sleeved jean jacket and wedge sandals. It was both cute and sexy—depending on who was looking.
Since Tracey’s house wasn’t that far away, a walk was in order. Plus, there was a liquor store on the way there. After picking up a bottle of white, Viv finished the rest of the trek with her heart hammering.
She wasn’t sure how she should be feeling. Some of her friends would tell her to forget all about Markus, while others
would say give him a chance. For the time being, she remained somewhere in the middle.
Tracey’s house turned out to be a cute little cottage with a white picket fence in the front and its backside facing the beach. Two cars were in the driveway: a blue electric vehicle and a black sedan with tinted windows. Best guess was the latter one belonged to Markus. It seemed like such a guy car.
Drawing a deep breath, Viv let herself in through the gate and knocked on the front door. It opened nearly right away.
“Hi,” Markus said.
He’d changed since their run-in earlier. Tight, dark jeans and a gray T-shirt hugged his muscles. For a moment, Viv couldn’t find her words.
“H—hi,” she eventually managed.
“Come on in.” He took the wine from her. “You didn’t have to bring this.”
“I wanted to.” Feeling awkward, she stepped into the house.
“Thanks. Mom loves chardonnay.” His lips stretched with what seemed to be a genuine smile.
“Great.”
Markus closed the door, and they stood in the living room, looking at each other. The distinct smell of cooking shrimp filled the air, but his mom was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking her by surprise.
“Oh… oh.” She didn’t know her shoulders had been drawn up until she dropped them.
“I had a really nice time with you. I didn’t want to leave.”
“You didn’t?” She lowered her face to the rug. “I can imagine how awkward it felt in the morning, though.”
“No, not at all.” He took a step forward and touched her arm.
Viv looked at him, waiting for more.
“I left because…” He winced. “I’m not in the best place right now.”
“What do you mean?” She blinked in confusion. “Are you in recovery or something?”
“No.” He chuckled lightly.
“Still an addict?”
“No, and I never have been.”
She folded her arms. “Then you’re involved with someone?”
“No.” He relaxed his hold on her arm, but the intensity remained in his dark eyes. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Before the other night, it had been months since I was even on a date.”
“O-kay.” She shrugged. “What, then?”
“It has to do with work.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“What do you do?”
He hesitated. “I’m really… I’m in between jobs right now.”
“Oh,” she said and laughed. “That’s no big deal.”
Still, he looked uncertain. “I dunno…”
“You were embarrassed about that?”
“Kinda.” He grimaced.
“What did you used to do?”
“Um, well, thing is, I’ve bounced around. A lot.”
“So you haven’t figured out what you want to do yet.” She took the bottle from his hands.
“Yeah.” Markus’ face softened. “I haven’t.”
“There’s really no shame in that. Let’s open this up and get the party going, shall we?” She jerked her head in the direction of the kitchen.
“Sounds good to me.” He pressed his hand against the small of her back and guided her to the kitchen.
She was so distracted by his touch, she didn’t even notice Tracey sitting at the table trimming snap peas until they were right in front of her.
“Vivian!” Tracey called out like she was seeing an old friend. “How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks. Thank you for having me over.”
“It’s our pleasure.”
“Can I help?”
“Oh, no. You two can keep chatting. Have fun.”
“Really.” Viv took a seat at the table. “I would love to help.”
Tracey gave her son a look that was meant to imply how impressed she was.
“I’m not good with idle hands,” Viv explained.
She also still felt a little nervous being there. Even though Markus had explained his actions the other weekend, things didn’t feel completely comfortable yet.
“I do have a lot of peas to snap,” Tracey said.
“Perfect.”
From a drawer, Markus brought out a wine key. “And we can have wine while we do it.”
“Even more perfect.” Viv laughed.
“So.” Tracey turned her gaze on Viv. “What do you do, honey?”
“I’m a sales rep at HW Pharmaceuticals.” She took her first sip of wine and then realized she needed to correct herself. “Actually, I won’t be doing that for much longer. I put in my one-month’s notice this week.”
“Really?” both of them asked.
Viv laughed. Like mother, like son.
“Yeah.”
Markus took the seat next to her. She couldn’t help but notice the very limited amount of space between their knees.
“Why’d you do that?” Markus asked.
She reached for a snap pea. “I feel like there’s no way I can do it anymore. It’s a good job, but I’m not making a difference. Hell, I’m probably hurting some people.”
She grimaced at that. “I don’t even know what I’m gonna do next, so maybe it was irresponsible to quit before I have something else lined up, but I almost don’t care. I need to be… free. I need to live a life that I’m proud of, and I can’t do that while I’m there.”
Slowly, she turned to look at Markus. He studied her face, eyes flicking across her features.
“I understand completely,” he said.
“Really?” she said and laughed. “Because I have no clue what I’ll do next. It’s scary.”
“But it has to be thrilling as well, right? You’re taking your life into your own hands, screw the unknown.” He hadn’t touched his wine or a snap pea. In fact, all he’d really done since sitting down was look at her.
“Yeah.” She snapped a pea in half with a loud crack. “It is.”
“Well,” Tracey said. “What did you want to do when you were a kid?”
“Good question.” She frowned, thinking hard about it. “I always liked playing school and house. I love children.”
Tracey pressed her hand to her heart. “That’s sweet. I bet you’re good with them.”
“I can’t attest to that.” She laughed. “Though my sister does trust me with her kids.”
“And where do they live?” Tracey asked, finishing up the rest of the peas in the blink of an eye.
“Here. In Jacksonville. I don’t get to see them that much, though. Veronica is a stay-at-home mom, and I work so late. Her bedtime is super early compared to mine, because her toddler gets her up at, like, five.”
Having more opportunities to see Veronica and the kids would be the best part about quitting HW.
“And what about your parents?” Tracey asked.
She hesitated. “My mom retired to Mexico. She visits here at least twice a year, though.”
Tracey nodded. Thank God she didn’t ask about Viv’s dad. She’d managed to forget about the letter for a little bit. It would be great to keep that going.
“Markus, the grill should be ready for the skewers.” His mom wiped her hands on her apron.
“Got it.” He stood and looked down at Viv. “Wanna keep me company?”
“Sure.”
He pulled a plate of veggie skewers from the fridge, and together they went out back, leaving Tracey to start the snap peas on the stove.
“Wow,” Viv said as soon as she stepped onto the back patio.
Though the house itself was pretty modest, the pool and backyard were extremely sizable. Not only that, but there was also a great view of the ocean. As Markus opened up the grill, she sipped her wine and admired the view.
“It’s really nice here.”
His half-smile made her weak in the knees. “Yeah. It was always her dream to live at the ocean.”
“Where did you live when you were a kid?”
“This apartment. That apartment.” He finished putting the ske
wers on and closed the grill.
“She seems like a great mom.”
“She’s the best.” Folding his arms across his chest, he looked out across the yard. “I’m lucky to have her. Especially considering my dad was never around.”
Viv’s grip on the wine glass tightened. “I haven’t seen my dad in fifteen years.”
“Where is he?”
She couldn’t meet his eyes. “He’s as good as gone.”
A silence followed the statement.
“Viv…” The edge of his hand brushed hers. “I really meant what I said about wanting to stay with you the other morning.”
Her breathing sped up. “Is it really about your job? It’s not about something else?”
“Like what?”
“Any number of things. Say, you’re not looking to get involved with someone. I know we just met, but I want to put out there that one-night stands aren’t my thing. I was really hoping our night would turn into a morning, and, if things went well, another day.”
His throat rolled with a swallow. “I was, too. The only thing my leaving was about was me knowing I might not be good enough for you.”
She frowned. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
His lips twitched. She couldn’t tell if they were headed in the direction of a frown or a smile.
“I can tell you have high expectations for yourself,” she said. “That’s admirable, but lighten up a little, okay? I think you’re a good guy.”
“Even if I do magic?” His eyebrow lifted in question.
She threw her head back with laughter. “I like that you do magic.”
“It’s not weird?”
“It’s cute.” Since his hand was still only an inch away, it was easy for her fingers to find his.
“Thanks for coming tonight.”
“Thank you for having me.” She glanced over her shoulder. The sliding door was closed. It didn’t seem that Tracey could hear them. “I was pretty surprised when your mom invited me.”
“I’m glad you said yes.” Lacing their fingers tighter, he stepped closer. “Can I ask you to another something?”
“What’s that?” She tilted her head back to look at him.
“Dinner with me next weekend.”
She bit into a smile. “That sounds nice.”
“Saturday night?”
It felt forever away, but she nodded. “Saturday, it is.”
“Great.” With a smile on, he went back to the grill and turned the skewers.
Sinner - A Bad Boy's Baby Romance Page 4