by Mj Fields
He nods and then shakes his head. “You did that on purpose.”
I shrug and he lays back.
“It really ain’t a big age difference you know.” He closes his eyes and rests his arm on his forehead.
“Peter, it was a fucking lie,” I tell him.
“So was Harvard educated,” he says peering out from under his forearm at me.
“No, actually that’s true. I was there a semester and quit,” I say re cleaning the surface where the tattoo will go.
“Why?” he asks.
“It sucked.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Wined and Dined
I arrive ten minutes late. Peter and his friends were all big pussies and it took longer than expected. When I walk into the Hilton Restaurant I look around.
I see a man in a suit stand up and immediately am struck with the fact that he resembles Theo James. I take in a deep breath and watch his smile grow as he walks closer and closer to me.
It sucks that he’s a pretty boy, I’m sure it’s going to take me all of ten minutes to want to stab him in the eye with a fork, but here I am, trying.
Fuck you! @rider1.
I reach out my hand as he gets closer and he takes it in his and shakes it.
“I’m Rob and you’re fucking stunning,” he says.
No chipmunk voice… check.
“I need to do this first, it’ll make the night less awkward.”
The hand still in his gets yanked towards him. His other hand grabs the back of my neck and his lips, his thick, full, Theo James lips get closer.
“Not yet.” My voice shakes a bit and I hate that he’s affecting me this way.
“A kiss answers questions, Kat,” his thumb rubs on my jawbone. “If not now then we are wasting time.”
His lips connect with mine and he smells….clean, freshly showered, good. His mouth, peppermint, giving the feeling of cool but it was far from it.
I sigh when he pulls away just enough so we are looking eye to eye. “Any questions?” he asks.
I don’t answer.
“Perfect, let’s eat.”
I am uncomfortable but not because he’s making me feel that way, but because I feel that way. A butterfly the size of a whore’s vagina has settled in my stomach. He orders our meals and I don’t even care that he took the liberty. I eat next to nothing because I am too enthralled in the conversation.
He leads the conversation and there aren’t any awkward silent moments or anything said that makes me feel on guard. He is interesting and intelligent and so very much like what I used to want, until I didn’t anymore.
Robert is a businessman who works here on the shore. He’s here, at the Hilton, Sunday through Thursday. He lives in Massachusetts with his parents but points out it’s only because he is helping take care of them. He attended Oxford and wanted to stay in England but his family needed him when his father became ill, and now they need him even more because his mother also took ill.
He doesn’t seem overly emotional about it at all. He isn’t complaining one bit.
He asks me what I want and I answer him honestly. “I have no idea.”
“I saw you updated your profile,” he says sucking in his cheeks as he looks down.
“Yeah, about that,” I begin.
“No need to explain, it was hysterical. I like that you don’t want to take life that seriously. There’s enough serious shit in the world. If you want to be the head unicorn, I say go for it.”
I laugh, he laughs and it’s…fun.
Before I leave we exchange numbers. He asks me out tomorrow and I am honest with him, I tell him I have two dates lined up and I promised my mom I would do this.
I like that he is taken aback by it. It shows me that he doesn’t like it but he says he gets it and wishes me a shitty time.
I’ve missed three calls from Josie in the past three days. The last time we talked I was kind of an ass about weddings, so I decide to call her back now.
She immediately asks how I am. I don’t know what comes over me but I tell her all about him.
“But?” she asks.
“But nothing,” I laugh. “So far, he’s like, perfect.”
I tell her about the shop, and that my mother and I are getting along and that she actually said she was proud of me.
Then I tell her about Peter the blinker, Not-Rex, and Alvin. We are laughing so hard that I have tears in my eyes and she snorts.
“You sound happy,” she says in a much quieter tone. “I’m happy for you. Now, let’s take it slow and keep him around, you’re going to need a wedding date.”
“Six months is a long time,” I say.
“The venue we wanted first just had a cancellation.”
“When?” I ask.
“Two months from now.
“Holy shit, can you get everything done by then?”
“Yes. Can you take a few days off?”
“I’m sure I can,” I don’t tell her I am now part owner in a business, because right now I don’t believe it’s real or, is it I don’t want the responsibility. Both perhaps.
When I pull in at almost eleven o’clock I am shocked to see Macey’s car here.
When I walk in she and Mom are sitting next to one another on one side of the sectional and two men are sitting on the other side.
“Look, Kat’s here,” Macey smiles.
“Yes,” I say. Macey smiles. Saying it in my head is no less confusing than actually seeing it happen and it’s happened a few times.
I recognize one of the men.
Mom stands up and she’s wearing a black dress, it hits above the knees, and at least four inch heels. She’s also wearing makeup and her hair is near perfect.
“A glass of wine, Kat?”
“Sure M-”
She gives me dagger eyes and I snap my mouth shut. “I would love one. Is Stephanie here?”
“No, she’s not feeling well,” Mom says walking past me.
I follow her to the kitchen keeping my back to the strangers in my house. “What’s going on?”
“Well, Macey and I decided to host wine night and invited a couple men I was interested in from the site.”
“Both of them are for you?”
“It’s very casual and they both knew about it so, yeah. But I think the silver haired fox is into Macey.”
I am a little pissed off that two strange men know where I live, okay a lot pissed off, but I decide to let it go.
I sit and drink a glass of wine while Mom and Macey do whatever the hell it is they are doing, and then I excuse myself and head to bed.
I look in the mirror and realize I still have my work clothes on. Rob was in slacks and a button down and I am in a vintage tee and leggings.
I look at my phone as I sit on the edge of my bed, a message pops up and it’s from an unknown number.
Rob: Hope when you go to sleep you think about me
Kat: Unicorns don’t sleep
Rob: You know where to find me if you wanna hang out tomorrow
Kat: Goodnight
Rob: Goodnight Kat
I look at his pictures under his profile. He is much more handsome in real life. A message pops up. It’s him on Match Up.
@ribbed4her: Should have stayed.
I sign out immediately, busted.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Freaking Friday
I managed to avoid getting on my Match Up account. I did cancel both dates but I wasn’t going to tell Rob that. Not yet anyway. Maybe someday.
Mom and Macey seemed to have fun on Mom’s chaperoned ménage date. I did voice my concern about bringing men here to both of them and both admit it wasn’t something they thought about.
Thursday night they went out together and I worked late. Ricco was in a foul mood, very unlike him but I assumed it had to do with the Carmen chick. To each their own I suppose.
Rob messaged me stupid shit throughout the past couple days. By stupid I mean funny. He’d send unicorn pics an
d a message wishing me a good day or some stupid inappropriate joke. He messaged me minutes ago not asking me, but telling me to meet him Sunday night. I told him my sister was coming in and he said he understood. Family was first.
How fucked up is that? I mean, perfectly fucked up, especially now that I am kind of okay with family.
Friday at three o’clock the door opens and I see my Mom and Darby walk in.
I jump up and run to her and I’m pretty sure I squeal and Darby laughs.
“You’re not supposed to be here until six,” I laugh stepping back and looking at her.
“Mom wanted to surprise you,” she smiles.
“Mom also needs to meet the contractor in Wildwood at seven tonight,” our Mom says. “Kat, do you think you and Darby could hang out and-”
“Hell yes,” I laugh.
“Can she stay here until you leave?”
I can tell that it almost pains her to ask. “Darby in a tattoo shop? Isn’t that too scandalous?”
“No, Kat, it’s not.”
“Perfect,” I say and drag her towards the reception desk.
Mom stands looking at us from the door, there is a calm in her eyes, a calm that seems to wrap around me and make me actually want to embrace the feel instead of push it away.
When Mom left I showed Darby around. I introduced her to Zack and Marcus and she looked at the floor, her Irish skin a nice shade of fiery red. She was embarrassed.
I had to remind myself that she was only seventeen and aside from the stuff Mom said was going on with her, I knew just how sheltered her life was, I lived it too.
At four o’clock Ricco walks in with his kid on his hip. He looks like he hasn’t slept and her face is tear streaked.
He looks at me and then at Darby and back at me.
“Ricco this is my sister Darby. Darby, Ricco and his daughter.” Darby smiles and waves to Natalia who is sucking those two fingers again with the middle one pointed straight up.
“Daddy, can I have Gatorade?” she asks wiggling her way out of his clutches.
“Of course you can.” He nods. “Grab me one?”
“Does the cat want one?” she asks looking at me.
“No thanks, but maybe Darby does,” I answer.
Natalia walks over and grabs Darby’s hand. “I show ya.”
Darby smiles at her and nods. “I would like that.”
Once out of earshot I ask him, “She sick again?”
“No. Lost her Nana today.” He looks away and shakes his head.
“I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say.
“Gonna have to keep her with me until I can find childcare. You got a problem with it?” He looks back at me.
“No, of course not, but what about her mother?”
He looks at me and his eyes narrow. “Kat, her mother’s been out of the picture since Nat was three months old. Won’t be back in it if I have anything to say about it. Her own mother was sick and she couldn’t come see her.”
“So it was her mother that passed not yours?”
He nods. “Mine passed three years ago.”
“I didn’t know, I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry. Not your fault, not your concern. Nat’s gonna be with me for a while, that’s all.”
“I’m saying I’m sorry because it sucks.”
“Yeah, Kat, I know it sucks.”
“When did she pass?” I ask looking down at the schedule book.
“Not sure, just got there about an hour ago. Had to kick in the door. Called the cops and—”
“You found Nat’s grandmother dead an hour ago and you’re here?” I gasp.
He looks over my head, his eyes shifting around, anxiously. “Nat needs a distraction, I need a distraction.”
“Then take her to the beach, or a movie or —”
“Kat, appreciate your suggestions but I have work to do. When I said I was gonna call Josephina to see about a playdate with one of the grandkids, she said she wanted to be with me. So she’s here with me.”
“She’s afraid you won’t come back,” I say looking down.
“Explain?”
I shake my head no. “I just assume she is afraid after her grandmother passed maybe something could happen to you.”
He doesn’t say anything, but his fists ball at his sides.
“She’s a cute kid.”
“You don’t like kids, Kat. You don’t like kids and you don’t remember my mother died three years ago.”
“I’m not sure why you’re getting pissed at me, but you know damn well I’m not a people person so where is this coming from?”
“I thought you were changing now that you and your Mom mended fences, and you’re out on dates every night of the week. My mistake.” He starts to walk away and I grab his arm stopping him.
I am going to kill Zack, big mouth asshole.
“I’m sorry and really you and Nat should go and hang out with Josephina and the family. I got this.”
He looks back at me, his eyes dark and angry. “No.”
He looks at the door, his client, JC, is walking in. “Come on man, let’s get to work.”
A couple minutes later Darby walks out carrying Nat on her hip, they are chatting away and I see Ricco peek his head out of his room. “Nat, come on in and watch Dad work?”
“No, I’m staying with Dawby.”
He looks at Darby and she smiles. “She’ll keep me amused while Kat works.”
“When they leave make sure you get that tiny hiney back here, Nat. You hear me?”
Nat shrugs and Darby nods to him, then they walk out towards me.
“Your coloring book is in the break room still,” I tell her and wink at Darby.
“Great idea, you wanna teach me how to color?” Darby pokes her playfully in the belly.
They walk away and I wonder how the hell it was that kids freak me out and Darby is a natural with them.
An hour later Nat and Darby are sitting on the floor behind the reception desk coloring away when she looks at Darby and says, “I need lunch.”
“You mean dinner?” Darby smiles.
She shakes her head. “We have lunch with Nana, today she didn’t have it ready. Daddy said she gwowed her wings and was gonna go up high in the sky.” She puts her hands under her pits and makes like she’s flapping her wings.
“Heaven.” Darby smiles and nods.
“You know where that place is Dawby?” she asks tilting her head.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”
“You think you can take me there so I can be sure she’s okay? So I can tell her she needs to come back so Daddy can wowk?”
“It’s a secret place, only people like your Nana get to go there.”
She leans in and whispers, “I won’t tell anyone else,. I pwomise. But I need lunch first.”
I stand up and walk away, I need space from her, I need to do something to rid myself of these fucking feelings.
I walk into the bathroom, close the lid and sit down. I take a few deep breaths and look at my phone. I open it up and scroll through. I see a new message from rider 1. I hadn’t heard from him in a couple days and he was a distraction as well as someone to be a cunt to without repercussions.
@rider1: New dude who's liking your pics. He’s fucking married.
Kat: No idea what you’re talking about.
He doesn’t reply.
Well, I guess I can’t fight with him, asshole.
I walk out of the bathroom and Darby looks up from down the hall and mouths she’s hungry while pointing to her belly.
I nod and walk to Ricco’s room. I knock once and push the door open. Ricco looks up.
“I’m taking off, and Darby wants to take Nat with her, you good with that?” He gives me a look of concern. “My sister is good with kids and your daughter asked for lunch.”
“Fuck,” Ricco says leaning back. “How the fuck did I do that?”
“It’s been a bad day, get over it. I’m taking h
er with me.”
He nods. “Don’t fucking break her.”
I turn around and flip him off and walk towards the girls. “Let’s go get some lunch.”
****
Two hours later I call the shop and let Zack know Darby and Nat are at my place, and to tell Ricco she’s not broke and she’s having a good time.
“Fucking busy tonight, Kat,” Zack laughs.
“Good, make that bank.”
I hang up and walk over to where Darby and Nat are sitting on the couch with an old sketchpad she found of mine and insisted it was a coloring book. I had no crayons so I had to run to the store to get some, I also picked up a booster seat since legally Nat was supposed to be in one and apparently she had no idea what they were.
Fucking men.
Mom had called Darby while I was gone and told her she was tired and would be staying the night. She would be back tomorrow.
At eight o’clock both girls looked like zombies. In Nat’s case it was because she was three-years-old and in Darby’s case, she was jet lagged.
Darby helped Nat with a bath and put one of my unicorn tee shirts on her. It hung to her ankles but Darby told her it promised happy dreams and Nat seemed excited.
I told them to take my bed and the two did without question.
I waited for them to fall asleep to crack open a bottle of wine and sit on the couch, sketchpad in hand, deciding whether or not I should get into drawing something now, since when I get inspired sleep is not an option.
I decide to set it beside me. Ricco will be here in a couple hours to grab his daughter anyway. I have no clue how early Darby gets up in the morning but I would love to take her to breakfast or do something before I take her to the shop with me until Mom gets back.
I decide on opening up the boredom-buster app, which also serves as the beacon of hope to the hopeless.
I see a new message from my, well, hell I if I know what the hell he is. A friend, an enemy, a stalker. Shit, he could be a sixty-five-year-old lesbian who stole a few pictures off someone else’s profile for all I know.
Nonetheless, I was bored. So I open it.
@rider1: I don’t care what you do. But If I were you I’d call the fucker out.
Kat: Nothing to call him out on, it’s not like we’re an item
@rider1: He’s been between your legs