Up to Me

by M. Leighton

  “I’m sorry, Ginger. I didn’t mean to worry you. It’s that stupid phone I’m using. I can’t wait to get mine back.”

  “That’s a likely story. But hell, I’d lie, too, if this was waiting for me back here.” With a smile, she perches on the edge of the bed beside me. “No worries. I’m just happy to see your hen house being taken care of by such a fabulous cock.” She leans in and whispers to me, “And it is a fabulous cock, am I right?” I say nothing, simply grin. She leans back and clears her throat. “I expected nothing less. God doesn’t mess something like that up,” she says, hiking her thumb back toward Cash who is hovering in the doorway, clearly already bored with Ginger’s presence.

  “No, He didn’t mess up anything on that!” I gloat.

  “You’re a saucy bitch to tease me this way. Where’s the other one? They’re twins. He ought to be just as perfect. Only a little less…attached.”

  Ginger grins at me and I roll my eyes just as I hear the door open. I see Cash turn toward the garage and then I hear another voice.

  “I hope it’s a bad time,” Nash says in his gruff way. He steps into the doorway and looks in at me. “Damn, you lucked up. I love a girl that doesn’t mind company.”

  If the sting in my cheeks is any indication, my face is cherry red at his insinuation. Before anyone can respond, Ginger turns to me, her eyes wide. “Sweet mother of sex, they’re triplets!”

  Ginger looks back toward Nash and my eyes meet Cash’s. I’m fine until he winks. Then I lose it. We both burst into laughter.

  “What?” Ginger asks, turning to look back at me. She narrows her eyes on me and gasps. “You’ve been hiding them from me on purpose! You naughty, naughty little vixen!” She pauses for only a second before she throws her arms around my neck. “Never in all my wildest dreams did I take you for a foursome. With triplets, no less!” She leans back and grins at me. “You’ve officially earned your claws. Not the cougar kind, of course. You’re far too young for that. But you get honorary claws just for being the only hen in a whole house full of cocks. I’m so proud,” she says melodramatically, covering her mouth with her hands. I know she’s just teasing when she winks at me over her polished nails.

  “God, you’re incorrigible.”

  She drops her hands and kills the drama. “I know. But that’s why you love me.” She stands and tugs at the hem of her short skirt. “Well, boys, I’d have been happy to join this little party, but I’m thinking it’s already a bit crowded. I wouldn’t want to overwhelm anyone with my fabulousness. Maybe next time.” With her typical cocky strut, Ginger makes her way from the room, reaching behind her to slap Nash on the butt as she passes. I see her turn and give him a cheeky wink as she goes.

  “Who the hell was that?” Nash asks.

  “You don’t want to know,” Cash replies.

  “I heard that,” Ginger chimes in from the garage, her voice echoing back to us. I hear her mumble something else a few seconds before another voice sounds.

  “Hello?”

  Marissa.

  Oh shit!

  I hear a light knock, like she rapped on the doorframe with her knuckles. I look to Cash and he sighs heavily through thinned lips. “Dammit!” I hear him mutter. “Couldn’t you people have called?” he says testily.

  “I’m sorry,” I hear Marissa say. “I was looking for…him.” I imagine her indicating Nash. He’s the only “him” in the room other than Cash.

  “Fine,” Cash says abruptly. “You found him. Why don’t you two take the office? You can have some privacy.” I see him trying to push Nash out of the way and shut the door, but not before Marissa gets into the apartment far enough to see into the bedroom. In to where I’m still lying naked in the bed, covered only in a rumpled sheet.

  She looks in and I see a frown flicker across her forehead before she rushes past Cash toward me. She launches herself at the bed, throwing her arms around my neck. I’m stunned, of course, and left wondering what’s going on while I try to keep myself covered. The room is far too full for my current state of undress.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she murmurs against my neck. I feel her body shake. It takes me a minute to realize she’s silently sobbing.

  “Marissa, what’s wrong?” I ask this more out of shock than any real concern. My cousin has been a royal bitch since birth and any love between us died about six months thereafter.

  She leans away and looks back at me with huge, watery blue eyes. The most puzzling thing is that they seem to be sincere huge, watery blue eyes.

  “I was so afraid for you. I heard them talking about killing you. Both of us. All of us,” she says, turning to look back at the twins, standing quietly in the doorway. “I’ve never been so scared in all my life. And all I could think about was sending you to that damned art exhibition wearing that stupid dress.”

  I’m dumbstruck. And completely suspicious. I’m adult enough to admit it. This girl, who I’ve often fantasized about scalping or setting on fire or dying purple, suddenly gets nice? Um, I don’t think so.

  “I know you probably think I’m crazy. Or making it up. But I swear to you, Liv, you were all I could think about.” Her lip starts to tremble and her eyes fill with more tears. “You’ve always been good to me, always been such a sweet person and I’ve always treated you like nothing. And I’m so sorry. All my life, I’ve been surrounded by people just like me. People who probably couldn’t care less if I disappeared. And that includes Daddy. What I needed most was to be surrounded by people just like you.” She pauses and swallows hard, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t want to be that person anymore, Liv. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Holy cousin of brain damage! Marissa’s had a stroke.

  That’s the only plausible explanation. The. Only. One. People like her don’t suffer crises of conscience. People like her don’t have changes of heart. People like her don’t have hearts period.

  But as I look into her eyes, I’m struck again by how sincere she seems. She appears to be genuinely contrite, genuinely distressed about this.

  “It wasn’t that big of a deal, Marissa. Don’t stress over it. I think you just need to go back home and get some rest.”

  “No, I don’t. I don’t need rest. I need to know you forgive me. And then I need to talk to him,” she says, looking back over her shoulder at Nash. I don’t think she’s even spared Cash a glance since she walked in.

  I wonder what she thinks, what she knows.

  “Where is my daughter?”

  My heart sinks when I hear that voice. I glance at Cash. Even from across the room, I see him stiffen.

  My first inclination is to hide under the covers. That, of course, is not an option. The best I can do is sit up nice and straight and take it like a woman, a woman who is old enough to make her own decisions.

  Mom stops in the bedroom doorway and stares at both Cash and Nash. It’s a withering glare that would make my balls shrivel. If I had any, that is. I guess I’m having sympathy ball shriveling. It’s not a good feeling.

  Nash steps slightly to the side, giving her a wide berth as she enters the room. Cash doesn’t move at all, but to extend his hand.

  “I’m Cash Davenport. You must be Olivia’s mother.”

  “And why must I be? I’m sure she’s told you nothing about me. If she had, you’d know better than to pull a stunt like this with my daughter.”

  “It’s enough that I know your daughter. It speaks highly of you that you gave birth to and helped raise someone like her.”

  “If you think so much of my daughter, why is she in this position?”

  “She’s in this position because she’s a good person who wanted to help someone. Who wanted to help me. She’s here because I’m trying to keep her safe.”

  “Well, you’ve done a bang up job so far,” my mother snaps, pushing past him and making her way to me. I see Cash’s jaw clench before my chin is in my mother’s palm, my face being examined. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, Mom. I’
m fine. Cash and Gavin found me and took care of everything.”

  “Cash, Gavin, Gabe. Where do you meet this trash? I thought getting out of Salt Springs would be good for you, but you might just be the kind of girl that falls for this…type no matter where you live.”

  “Mom, I didn’t—”

  “I see that Olivia’s mother made it.” I peek around my mother. Gavin has appeared in the bedroom doorway as well.

  Next time I’m having an impromptu toga party so I can be the only appropriately dressed person in the room.

  “And you! You’re the one that got her in this mess in the first place. If you’d simply driven her to school like she’d asked you to do…”

  Gavin hangs his head at that, mainly because she’s right.

  “You can’t blame him for that, Mom. He thought he was doing the right thing. Which he obviously was, since that’s where I was attacked.”

  Mom turns her icy eyes back on me. “Honestly, have you no shame? No pride? No sense of self-worth? Letting people like this tell you what to do, get you into trouble? Whoring around with men like this?”

  “That’s enough!” Cash booms from behind her. “She may be your daughter, but that doesn’t give you the right to talk to her like that.”

  “Oh yes it does. The only person out of line here is you. I assume you’re the one she’s shacked up with? You’re the one defiling my daughter on a regular basis? Not enough respect for her to marry her. You just use her like some cheap dime-store floozy.”

  “I’m not using her. And I—”

  My mother waves her hand imperiously and cuts Cash off. “I’m not interested in your excuses. I’m here to collect my daughter and get her out of your life. I’ll ask that you kindly stay out of ours.” She turns back to me and commands, “Now get dressed. You’re coming home with me.”

  “No, I’m not Mom. I’m staying here. I’m a grown woman. You can’t keep treating me this way.”

  “As long as you keep acting this way, I’ll keep treating you this way.”

  “Acting what way? So I’ve made some mistakes, made some bad judgments. Is that so terrible? Is that so abnormal? You made mistakes and look at you. Do you think I’d make the same decisions you’ve made if it meant I’d turn out cold and miserable and alone?”

  “I’m none of those things, Olivia.”

  “You are, you just don’t know it. You picked the perfect man who gave you the perfect house and the perfect car and the perfect life, but you’re miserable. You loved Daddy, but you somehow got it in your head that he wasn’t good enough, that life on a farm wasn’t good enough. Well I’m not you, Mom. I’d rather have a life full of love and happiness than all the money in the world.”

  “And that would be fine with me, but if you think someone like this,” she says, jacking her thumb back over her shoulder at Cash, “is the man who can give you anything but heartache, think again.”

  “Mom, he risked his life to save me.”

  “He’s the one who put you in danger.”

  “No, I put myself in danger. I knew the risk, but I wanted to help.”

  “What on earth could be so important that you’d do something so foolish, Olivia?”

  “Someone’s life, mother.”

  “Someone you don’t even know. Am I right?”

  I pause. “Yes, but—”

  “But nothing. That was yet another decision that shows you are incapable of taking care of yourself. That’s why I’m going to do it.”

  “I did it for love, Mom. I did it for Cash. Because I love him. It was important to him, therefore it was important to me. Why can’t you understand that?”

  “Oh, I understand that just fine. It simply means you’ve picked another doozey who will get you into a world of hurt and then leave you when you’re no longer a fun diversion. He’s worthless just like—”

  “Mother, stop it!” I shout. She takes a step back as if I’d physically slapped her. “Not all guys that look a certain way or dress a certain way or act a certain way are the same. You’ve tried all my life to drive me toward the kind of guy you wanted me to be with. You made me feel as though there was something wrong with me for liking anyone who rode a motorcycle or drove a muscle car or played in a band. But there was never anything wrong with them, Mom. They just weren’t for me. I wouldn’t have wanted to end up with any of them. Not now. But you don’t see that. You don’t see that now and you didn’t see that then. You could never be like a normal mother, one who holds her daughter when she cries and tells her that one day she’ll find Mr. Right, that one day love will be worth it. That was just beyond you. You had to do your best, at every possible opportunity, to convince me that the only way I’d ever be happy would be with a guy like Lyle, one who is so focused on his job and his money that he doesn’t have time for love. But Mom, if falling in love means risking getting hurt, then I’m okay with that. Because finally, for once, I’ve found someone worth the risk. I wouldn’t have missed out on Cash for the world, Mom. Did it ever occur to you that it took all those heartbreaks, all those tears, all those failed attempts to be able to recognize something real when I found it? Can’t you just be happy for me and leave us in peace?”

  Absolute silence falls across the room. My mother is watching me like I skinned her pet rabbit to wear as a hat. Marissa is frowning. Nash looks bored. Gavin is smiling. And Cash looks…like he’s walking toward me.

  His eyes are locked on mine as he approaches. He steps right in front of my mother and stops. He watches me for a few seconds before his lips curve into a satisfied smile. It gets wider as he leans down to me. I think he might laugh, but he sobers as he reaches out to cup my face in his hands.

  And then he kisses me. Not just a small kiss either. A good kiss. A really good kiss. A kiss that other people should not be witnessing, especially when I’m wearing a sheet and nothing else.

  “I love it when you get fiery,” he says after he pulls his lips from mine. His eyes are sparkling chips of onyx as they search mine. Gently, he rubs his thumbs over my cheekbones and smiles again. It shines down onto my face like the sun, warm and healing. Slowly, deliberately, he reaches down to take my free hand and lace his fingers with mine, then he straightens and turns toward my mother. “She’s staying here, ma’am. You’re always welcome to visit her because you’re her mother, but right now, I think it’d be best if you left. I’ll take good care of her. You’ve got my word. That might not mean much to you, but it means a hell of a lot to me. And so does your daughter.”

  Mom looks from Cash to me and back again before she turns and pins everyone in the room with her proud, cold stare. With a tight smile, she speaks to me as she backs toward the door. “Fine. If this is how you want it, Olivia, go right ahead and ruin your life. Just don’t come crying to me when it all falls apart.”

  “I love you, Mom, but I stopped running to you years ago. It never me did any good.”

  She nods once, an arrogant dip of her head, before she turns and walks slowly from the room, leaving nothing in her wake but expensive perfume, frigid air and relief.

  No one says anything for a few minutes, not until Gavin breaks the tense silence. “Damn, that woman is one mighty bitch. I think my balls just now dropped back down.”

  We all look at each other and then everyone bursts into laughter, Marissa included. I find myself watching her most of all. She can’t seem to keep her eyes off Nash. I can’t help but wonder if she’s really a changed person, if this new Marissa will hang around for long or if the wicked witch will chase her off with her evil broom of doom and gloom. Only time will tell, but I hope this girl is here to stay.

  The ring of a cell phone breaks into the moment. It’s coming from Cash’s dresser. He releases my hand to grab it. I watch him pick up his personal cell phone, not one of the burners, and look at the screen. His brow is wrinkled as he answers it. I’m immediately uneasy when he walks out of the bedroom. I hear the door to the office close behind him. My stomach curls into a tight knot of
dread.

  For just a moment, I was able to forget what danger we’re still in.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT- Cash

  When I answered and heard the words “did you place the ad” I knew it was Dad’s second line of defense. Assuming, of course, that Nash was the first. It’s entirely possible, however, that this one could be even more helpful. I can only hope so.

  After I close the office door behind me, I respond. “Yes, I placed the ad.”

  “Get another phone. Get on the road by nine tonight. Call this number at six minutes after. I’ll give further instructions.”

  The line goes dead, leaving me aggravated. I would’ve at least liked to have asked a couple questions. Of course, when I think about it, it’s probably not smart to say much of anything over my personal phone. Unfortunately, that does nothing to soothe my irritation.

  My mind goes straight into planning mode, into strategizing. The thing I’m most focused on, however, is not protecting myself; it’s what to do with Olivia while I’m gone. How best to keep her safe.

  Gavin’s a great guy and he did his best, but now I’m leery of leaving her in anyone else’s care. I think of my options and realize that, aside from taking her with me, which I refuse to do because it could be very dangerous, the place she would likely be safest is behind the bar here at Dual. In front of hundreds of witnesses. Never alone.

  Now breaking this to Olivia without sounding like an insensitive ass is the hard part. I mean, how does one approach that?

  Your life has been turned completely upside down because of me and my family, your apartment was sacked, you were kidnapped and drugged, you had a run in with both your cold bitch cousin and your ice queen mother, but could you please work a shift at my club tonight?

  Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.

  Marching back into the bedroom, I do what I should’ve done when the doorbell first rang.

  “All right, everybody, out! I need to talk to Olivia and you need to give her some privacy to get dressed.”