by Aspen Drake
“I'll be there Friday. I even have a few friends in Santa Cruz that I'll ask to stop by and keep an eye on you. Just to make sure nothing happens and that you're safe and sound, waiting for me next week. Sound good, sweetheart?”
Isla leaps into his arms and immediately wraps hers around his neck. “Sounds good, Daddy.”
His dark eyes never leave mine.
~**~
All week long I can't eat. I don't want to see JR…not when he clearly hasn't changed. He may not be selling drugs anymore, but he’s obviously still the violent asshole I escaped from when Isla was just a few months old. The bruise on my shin is now a yellowish green, but it has kept me out of shorts all week, which just pisses me off even more. I hate long pants. Long skirts are fine, but I feel like too much of a flower child in this granola town I live in if I wear them every day.
~**~
A slammed Suburban has driven by the house a few times, and I know it’s got to be one of JR’s boys. I’m tempted to call the cops and report the suspicious activity, but I know that’ll just piss him off even more. Now that JR has my address, I have to either move or play nice. Moving is a very real possibility but not one I want to consider today.
Today, I just want to forget what’s happening with JR and have some fun.
“Who wants to go to the beach?”
“This girl does.” Isla points both thumbs at her chest.
I laugh out loud at the gesture. One of the teachers at her school said that when I asked if anyone wanted donuts last week. Isla has been saying it ever since. So far, it hasn’t gotten old.
“Alright, girly. Go change and grab the boogie board. Let’s see if we can find some waves.”
Chapter Eleven
Mason
“Hey, Aaron. How’s it going out here? Need any help?”
“I'm good, Mase. It's been kind of busy but it’s not too bad right at the moment.”
The floor of the main dining room of Creamy’s has a handful of people at tables with laptops or newspapers. And a few more are in line.
Aaron is helping a businesswoman with two dozen sticks for a meeting she seems nervous about, so I wave to the two guys standing in line behind her. “Hey, guys. Can I help you?”
Their eyes light up as they approach. “Definitely. We’d like two regulars and two chocolate sticks, please.”
The shorter man bounces on his toes and leans in to drop a soft kiss on the cheek of the taller man. “Thanks, babe. I didn't know which to choose.” He leans his head on the tall guy’s shoulder for just a second, but a gasp from the woman behind him makes all of us turn toward her. She's glaring at the two men.
“I expect this in San Francisco, but really, this is an upstanding community with classier people than you folks. I have a child in the room.”
I’m not really sure what's going on until she physically turns her daughter's face into her wide belly and says, “Don't look.”
Both men turn to me with confused expressions, so I peek around them. “Is everything okay, ma’am?”
She shuffles away from the couple. “No, it's not okay. I'm trying to get a treat for myself and my daughter and these men are being completely vulgar. Just because they are comfortable being an abomination of the Lord does not mean it's okay for them to scare my daughter and put evil images in her mind. I think you should ask them to leave your store.”
I feel Aaron’s body tense beside me as he freezes in the middle of boxing up his customer’s order. It takes a minute for me to realize what she means and for my response to form.
“I'm sorry if anything that we've done makes you uncomfortable, but I can’t accept that kind of hate in my shop. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.”
Her smug smile at getting the guys kicked out turns down when she realizes she’s the being asked to leave.
“Me? You're kicking me out? I am an upstanding citizen of this country, and I have the right to be in here without watching pornography.”
The younger man looks like he's gonna cry as he steps away from his lover and clasps his hands together in front of him.
“Zack, it's okay, baby.” The older man pulls his boyfriend into his arms and holds him, rubbing his back while speaking quietly into his ear.
The woman's face turns red as she points her thick finger in their direction. “They're still doing it. I’ll call the police for indecent displays in a public place if you don’t do something. Where is the owner?”
I step out from behind the counter and slide between her and the couple. “Ma’am, please. Right this way.” One arm goes out to block the woman from moving deeper into the room and my other arm points straight to the door, guiding her where I want her to go. She touches her daughter by the shoulder and shuffles toward the door.
“I should've known this entire state would be corrupt. We're never coming back here, Sarah. I don't care how much your aunt misses you. I will not let these heathens corrupt your mind or turn my stomach because the liberals are willing to turn a blind eye on their disgusting habits.”
“Have a good day,” I say, holding the door open and crowding behind her until she's fully outside. Looking back at the couple, the younger one has his face buried in the other man's shoulder. I place a hand on his back and pat him twice. “I'm so sorry about that. I wish I could've gotten her out sooner. If she didn't have a kid with her, I probably would have made more of a scene. Whatever you guys want is on the house. Aaron, can you make sure they're taken care of?”
Aaron rubs under his left eye then reaches for a new pair of gloves. “Sure thing, boss.”
It isn’t very often that I have awful people come in with their hateful words or attitudes. But when it does happen, I like to deal with it as quickly as possible. Looking back at both men, I pat them each on the shoulder again and step away.
When they get their order and turn to leave, I step out to get the door for them. “I'm really sorry about that, guys. I appreciate your business. You know you're always welcome here.”
The tall man clears his throat and holds out his hand to shake mine. “Thanks, man. We appreciate it.”
After the morning rush is over, I sneak back into my office to return phone calls and check online orders. The incident from earlier still weighs heavily on my mind. I can't concentrate because I keep thinking about my sister and the two men she's in a relationship with.
Does she have to deal with that shit when she's in public with two guys?
They've been together for seven or eight months now, maybe a little longer, and I know they go out in public together. I understand how people might not easily accept a three-person relationship, but they're all happy and deeply in love with one another. For that reason alone, I hope they work out and don't have to deal with hate or ignorant beliefs on a regular basis.
Carly's a sweet person with a good heart, and really, even if she wasn't, nobody deserves to be treated the way that wretched woman treated those guys.
While I'm thinking about it, I open my phone and call my sister. If she’s with a client, I’ll get her voicemail, but I'm happy when she picks up.
“Hey, bro. What's up?”
“Not much. Want to grab some lunch?”
“Hold on.” She chatters on with her client. “Thanks, Jeff.”
After a few seconds, I hear the crinkling of paper in the background and then her cheery voice is back. “I'm actually free for about an hour if you want to go now.”
“Sure, want to meet at the deli next door to me?”
“I'm on my way.”
My twin sister almost jumps into my arms when she sees me. “It's only been a couple days, but it seems like forever since we've spent any time alone together.”
“I know. I figured I better check in to make sure you're doing okay.”
She rolls her eyes. “I've already got two overprotective alphas at home. I don't need you trying to be yet another dad to me.”
I laugh at the comparison between me and my father. Our dad is
the most laid-back person on the planet. We never even had curfews growing up. Although, neither of us were cool enough to ever take advantage of that and go wild. We were both kind of quiet kids, more homebodies than anything.
“Alright, let's order, and then you can tell me as much about your possessive alpha’s as you want.”
Carly looks suspicious. “I thought you wanted to stay on a ‘don't ask, don't tell’ basis? Afraid you might catch the gay.”
“Shut up.” I flick her ear like I did when we were kids. “I never said that.”
Once we’re sitting at a table with our order number card at the end, I take a good look at my sister. She does seem to be really happy. “So things are good with you guys?”
“They really are, Mase.” Her broad grin is proof she's not making it up. “They're both so different but love me so much. I just can't imagine being with one without the other, and I know there isn’t any one guy in the world that can be everything that the two of them are together.”
“What about when you're in public?” I tap my finger on the table. “Do people ever give you shit?”
She rolls her eyes. “I don't really pay attention, but yeah, I think people might stare or maybe even say stuff under their breath now and then. It doesn't bother me.” She laughs. “But I've caught Noah giving a few death stares that have shut down any rude comments before they had a chance to get to me. Why do you ask?”
“I don't know. A gay couple came in today and some woman was all bitchy and rude. She caused a scene and I had to kick her out.”
Carly’s jaw drops. “You actually kicked a woman out of your shop today?”
I lift my hands in the air. “What was I supposed to do? She wanted me to kick out this couple… Just because they were hugging.”
She shakes her head slowly, staring at me. I'm really surprised by her reaction until the corners of her lips turn up. “I'm really proud of you, Mase. I know that must be hard for you, but you did the right thing.”
“Yeah, just got me thinking about whether or not you ever had to deal with that kind of ignorance or prejudice. Have people ever said stuff to you when you're with the guys.”
“I don't know… I think it's different because there's actually a woman in the mix. If it were just Max and Noah together, they would probably deal with a lot worse than when they have me with them…and I'm usually not on both of them at the same time. My arms are usually around one and the other is close but we’re not necessarily affectionate when we're out in public. I think we subconsciously try to be discreet.”
“And you're okay with that?”
“What you mean?”
“You're okay with living a life that you have to be discreet when you're out in public. One in which you can’t just freely do what you want to do?”
“If that's what it takes to be with Max and Noah, then I'm willing to do that, yes. Truly, I don't care what other people think. But like what happened today in your store, I don't really want people to cause scenes everywhere we go.”
A tray appears in front of us on the table as our food is dropped off. Carly and I both take the opportunity to eat in silence for a few moments. After a couple minutes, Carly puts her fork down and looks up at me.
“What about you, Mase? Have you talked to Beth since last weekend?”
I shake my head, finishing off the food in my mouth. “No, I don't know if I'm gonna call. She didn't technically give me her number.”
“Amy would give you her number in a heartbeat. All you have to do is ask.”
I shrug. “I think she's back with her ex. I told you they spent all weekend together.”
Carly picks up her fork and waves it at me. “Don't be silly. She has a kid with him. She has to see him, whether she wants to or not. Just call her.”
“I didn't actually get her number, you know.”
“Please, just get it from Amy.”
I know that's true and Nate would be thrilled to know that I'm no longer pining after his wife, even if my focus only moves as far as her sister.
~**~
The rest of our lunch passes with random conversations about things going on at the salon and some of the new recipes were starting to experiment with. Becca isn't formally trained as a pastry chef, but she's always been very good at coming up with creative ways of blending flavors. I learned a long time ago that if she wants to put something on the menu as a daily special, it makes sense for me to let her just run with it.
Carly's suggestion of calling Beth keeps replaying in my mind. I guess the worst that could happen is she'll say she's not interested or not available. At least I’d know for sure and might be able to get her out of my head. Stepping into my office, I pull out my phone and lean against the wall.
“Hey, Mason. What's up?” Amy responds almost immediately. She must have had her phone in her hand. Unless Carly already told her to expect a call from me, which is the more likely scenario.
“Not much. Just wanted to see how that baby’s doing.”
“It's doing better than I am. It’s all cozy and warm at the perfect temperature while I go from sweating to freezing every ten to fifteen seconds. It's a party up in here, let me tell you.”
“Go float in the pool. Your top side will be warm by the sun and your back side will be cooled by the water.”
“I do float well these days. I couldn’t dive to the bottom if my life depended on it.” She pauses for a second as if waiting for me to speak. I don’t. “Sooooo, is there anything else you wanted to say?”
Okay, Carly did talk to her. “I was just wondering…”
“Yes, she’s single, and yes, I'll send you her number.”
I smile to myself. Nate’s a lucky guy. “Thanks, Amy.”
“Go get her, tiger.”
A few seconds later, Beth's contact information is shared, and I save it to my phone. It’s four o'clock on a Thursday afternoon…is this a good time to call a single mother? I really have no idea what she might be doing.
Too anxious to wait any longer, I take a chance and call her. It’s a pussy thing to say, but I’m almost hoping to get her voicemail so I don't have to talk to her but I still get to hear her voice.
“Hello.” A female voice sounds shaky, not at all like the woman I was talking to last weekend.
“Is this Beth?”
“Yes.” The nervousness has shifted to annoyance.
“Oh, I'm sorry to bother you. It's Mason from Amy's party…you know, the cream stick guy.” I roll my eyes and throw my head back against the wall.
Really? The cream stick guy? Idiot.
“Oh, Mason. Hi.” And just like that, all the tension and stress lifts from her voice, and I can almost hear her smile. “How are you?”
“I'm great. I just wanted to say hi and see if maybe you wanted to have dinner sometime. You could bring Isla if you don't have a sitter.”
“Yeah, that would be…” She sighs heavily. “Actually, can I get back to you? I've got some stuff going on at home right now, and it might be a little bit before I make it back to the peninsula.”
“Oh. No problem. I can come to you. I love Santa Cruz and there're some great seafood restaurants up off the wharf if you like seafood. And if Isla likes the boardwalk, we can make an afternoon of it.”
“That sounds really great, Mason. Honestly, I want to. I just… Well, I need a little bit more time to figure out this stuff.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, hearing the discomfort in her voice. “You having a problem with your roommate?”
“No, Isla’s dad showed up last weekend, and he's been a little assertive about his parental rights for the first time since she was born. It's probably not the best time to introduce her to another guy. I think she's already a little bit confused about this “daddy” that she never knew existed popping up out of the blue.”
“Is he gonna be a problem for you?”
“I hope not,” she says quietly.
“Beth, if you're in trouble or you need h
elp, just say the word. I can be there in forty minutes.”
“Thank you, Mason. That's very sweet, and I really appreciate it. I think he’ll be okay. Hopefully, he'll get bored of this parenting thing sooner rather than later and disappear again.” She groans and sighs heavily into her phone. “I know that's awful, and it's not fair to wish that for my daughter. Isla already loves having a daddy in her life and I hate to take that away from her, but there was a reason I left in the first time. Unfortunately, I don't think enough of those reasons have changed for me to want him anywhere near her.”
“Well tell that fucker he can't see her. You have full custody, right? So it's up to you if and when he spends time with her.”
“Yeah… Well, it's not that easy. Look I appreciate the call, and I wish the timing was a little bit better, but right now I just have to figure out what to do with him and then I can start thinking about myself again.”
“Yeah, all right.”
“I mean it, Mason. I'm really glad you called, and I hope we get a chance to do that dinner soon…if the offer still stands.”
“Beth, whenever you're ready, just let me know. And, seriously, you have my number now, so call if you need anything. Like really…anything at all.”
“I will,” she says, disconnecting and leaving me wondering about our conversation.
Chapter Twelve
Beth
I hated saying no to Mason yesterday, but now that JR is on his way, I’m confident I made the right decision. It would be too dangerous if Isla mentioned Mason to JR. He’s not just jealous, he’s psycho possessive. I’ve seen him start bar fights with broken bottles because a guy was looking at me from across the room.
I hear the bass pumping from his car before I see him rolling to a stop in front of my house. The way he pulls right up is almost like he knew where he was going. A cold chill rolls down my spine at the realization that he probably did.
“Daddy’s here!” Isla yanks open the door and runs out to greet him.
“Isla!” My low shout of her name stops her a half second before she’s about to step off the curb. “Get back here right this instant.”