Chaps & Cappuccinos

by A. J. Macey

  “So, Sam,” I started as soon as she was out of the room, feeling infinitely more comfortable with him than her, which was saying something seeing as how he was almost a stranger and my mom was well… my mom. “What exactly do you do for Holden Marketing? Did you start it?”

  “My father did back in the early seventies, and it stayed in the family. Took over as Vice President after I finished business school and spent a few years on the marketing team. When my father retired, I became the CEO,” he explained.

  “My… grandfather…” I trailed off, feeling odd about how I had gone from a normal girl with a normal family to having two separate families to get to know in just over the course of six months.

  “Yes, he’s still alive if you ever want to meet him. He lives down in Florida.”

  “That would be nice,” I told him softly. “Especially the warm weather, I don’t know if my Cali roots do well in the winter.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Sam reassured warmly. “Dessert should be ready. Do you want some?”

  “Yes, please.” When I went to assist him, he waved me off with the insistence that he’d get it.

  “Here you are, one bowl of chocolate pudding. Since your mom will probably be on the phone for a while, we might as well keep getting to know each other a bit more. Have you done anything fun since coming to Nebraska? Or have any plans coming up?” he continued with small talk, seeming to grow more comfortable as we chatted.

  “Yeah, I have. Here, I have a few photos.” Digging my phone out of my pocket, I scrolled back to Halloween, sharing photos from my trip to the pumpkin patch, the trunk or treat with King’s family, and my birthday party. Sam listened without interrupting, the small smile lighting up his face giving away his enjoyment of our time together. As soon as I had finished talking about my birthday, I went to the pictures from my trip to Lincoln and Omaha for college tours.

  “Looks like you spend a lot of time with these three,” he noted.

  “That’s Reid, Kingston, and Jesse,” I explained, trying to keep the worry from growing. My non-biological dad approved, but my mom clearly didn’t, and I wasn’t sure if she’d told Sam about them. He didn’t have any weird tones in his words, nor did he make any telling facial expressions, so I continued. “They’re my boyfriends.”

  “Oh, really?” He seemed surprised, which I guess wasn’t actually so much of a surprise to me. Yeah, I should’ve guessed she would avoid the whole ‘your daughter has a harem’ conversation as long as she could.

  “Yeah, we all liked each other, and they’d been friends since they were little, so we decided to try out them and me dating,” I stumbled over my explanation. Despite my best attempts, the nerves were starting to get to me, acid rising slowly in my throat the more I talked. Please, please, please, let me have not screwed this up, I pleaded. I didn’t think I could handle another parent rejecting me because of something that made me happy.

  “And how’s it going? I’d assume pretty well,” he joked. His laughter was a bit tense, and I waited for it to go south at any moment.

  “Amazing. They treat me really well, and they make me happy. We don’t have any jealousy or anything like that. Mom… uh… doesn’t really approve, so they’re not allowed in the house,” I murmured, feeling the babbling coming on as it always did when my nerves ran high. “She thinks they’re troublemakers. They’re not. Jesse actually stopped something really bad from happening to me, and he technically got charged with assault because he beat the jerk up. But it wasn’t just out of the blue though,” I rushed to explain. “They’d never do that.” With each hurried word, my panic grew exponentially, concerned that he would agree with her. Sam seemed to pick up on my distress and flashed me an understanding smile.

  “It’s okay, Emma. You don’t have to explain or justify anything to me. I just want to get to know you, not tell you what you can or can’t do.”

  “I know, but I don’t want you to think badly of me,” I mumbled.

  “I don’t. Thank you for telling me about them,” he encouraged. “I do have a question, though feel free to not answer if it’s too personal. Your mom mentioned that you had to testify in a court case. Was your testimony because of what happened with Jesse and the other kid? About why Jesse did what he did?”

  I nodded silently. My tongue was fused to the top of my mouth, so thankfully I couldn’t dig my socially awkward grave any deeper than it already was.

  “Your mom didn’t give much of any details about it, just that you had to. That’s a tough thing to go through, and I think it’s a brave thing that you did. I’ve had to do the same before,” he divulged.

  “Really?” My curiosity was piqued, and I definitely felt a little less out of place knowing I wasn’t the only one who’d had to testify.

  “Yup, back when I was younger and my mom was in a bad relationship. I had to testify about what her boyfriend had been doing, and to this day it’s probably one of the most nerve-racking things I’ve ever had to do. It probably doesn’t mean much of anything, but I’m proud that you went up there and recounted everything.”

  “Thanks, Sam,” I whispered. My smile was genuine, but my eyes burned with the building urge to cry. How does this man... practically a stranger... understand me better than my own mom?

  “Okay, finally got that all figured out,” my mom called out from down the hall. “Finish dessert already?” she asked when she saw our empty bowls.

  “I’m always up for a little more dessert,” Sam joked. “Would you like some more, Emma?”

  “No thanks, I should probably head downstairs and get some more studying done since I have school tomorrow.” I paused on my way taking my dishes to the sink. “It was good to see you again, Sam,” I told him honestly.

  He gave me a genuine smile and a similar sentiment. My mom and Sam continued to talk, moving from the table to the kitchen to grab more pudding, and as I turned to head down to the basement, my eye fell on the stack of mail. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but since we’d had issues with bills not getting paid, I quickly shuffled through them. No past due or last notices, thank goodness, I noted with relief, but at the bottom of the pile I found an envelope addressed to me.

  I grabbed the piece of mail and made my way to my room, nerves slowly slithering through my veins when I saw that it was from the College Board, meaning one thing.

  My ACT score.

  Cue the panic.

  I couldn’t get down the steps as quickly as I wanted since I was trying to avoid drawing attention to myself. Clomping down the stairs like a racehorse, yeah... not subtle, Emma. Though Sam and I were getting along so far, I wasn’t quite ready to add to my list of awkward moments with him by opening my test scores in front of him and my mom. By the time I got to my room and opened the envelope, my hands were shaking enough that it took me a moment to read the results.

  “Oh my god,” I whispered, the words barely audible in my small room as if I truly couldn’t believe what I was reading. “I got a 30… I made it into the top 93rd percentile of all high school students… yes!”

  This whole college thing might work out after all.

  February 25th

  I guess money really can buy everything.

  #Ugh #IHateThoseBoatShoes #TickedOffTuesday

  “Miss Clark,” Mr. Fergusen called out after a student hall runner came in with a pass. Getting up with my bag, I walked over to where he held up the paper slip and motioned for me to leave homeroom early. “College planning meeting, I’ll see you in Civics.”

  I nodded and exited the room, glancing one final time at Jesse with a tiny wave. He gave me a grin before looking back to the textbook that he had been reading. The walk to the counselor’s office was quick since everyone was still in their homeroom, leaving the hallways thankfully empty, preventing a run in with Dylan or any of the other bullies.

  “Emma! Perfect,” Ms. Rogers exclaimed excitedly, her bright smile almost as vibrant as her typical red cat-eye glasses. “
I heard you got your official ACT score.”

  “I did,” I nearly squealed as she shut her office door. Sinking into my usual chair, I did a little dance. “I got a 30!”

  “That’s awesome, Emma,” she praised, holding up her hand for a high five. “I’m very proud of how far you’ve come since our first meeting. Now that you have the test scores, do you have a more solidified idea of where you want to go to college?”

  “I think UNL is my top choice, but I’ll be applying to both there and UNO as a ‘just in case’ kind of scenario. The guys and I are filling out applications after school today.”

  “Excellent! Now, have you considered applying for any scholarships?” At her question, my face scrunched up because it had slipped past me entirely. “I’m going to take that as a no. Do you think that’d be something you’d like to do?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt,” I reasoned with a shrug. “My parents have money set aside for my college, but I’d love to not have to rely on them completely.”

  With that, Ms. Rogers dug out a huge stack of brochures and packets. It took about a half hour for her to go through all the different ones I would potentially qualify for and how to apply. By the time I left her office, I felt more than ready to tackle the next step toward college.

  Now to just fill out a ridiculous number of applications.

  Oh, joy.

  “Are we done yet?” I whined, slumping forward until my head hit the top of the desk with a thud. When I told Ms. Rogers that I would put in for scholarships, I had underestimated how much work would be required for not just those, but also for the college applications.

  “Almost, Babydoll,” Kingston told me, his tone thick with laughter. “I think Jesse will probably be the only one who may have some applications to finish back at the house.”

  “We’ll see. I’m almost done filing,” Jesse said from where he stood next to the filing cabinet, a pile of paper in his arms. Since it was Tuesday, it was Jesse’s day to volunteer at the Bell and Slate law office, and with applications needing to be filled out, we decided to congregate at the office with him. Thankfully, Kaleb and the firm’s partner, Brett Slate, hadn’t minded us hanging out.

  “I really hope everything works out with UNL,” I murmured, sitting back up to eye the last application I needed to fill out.

  “Me too, Babydoll.”

  “Oh, don’t sound so down,” Reid cut in with an elbow nudge to my arm. “We’ll all get in, and then there won’t be any more bullshit assistant principals or asshole bullies to deal with.”

  “There are assholes and bullies everywhere, dude,” Jesse countered dryly.

  “Yes, but it’ll be easier to avoid them, for the most part anyway,” Reid explained.

  “One can only hope,” I muttered, hunching back over to finish.

  “Oh, good, you’re all still here,” Kaleb said as he walked back into the room. He had run to the small bakery and coffee shop next door to pick up some snacks for us and a coffee for himself.

  “Of course we are, where would we have gone?” King smarted, laughing at the playful glare his dad gave him. Reid took the bag Kaleb held and started to pass out the bagels, scones, and muffins we’d each ordered.

  “I didn’t mean it like that, son. I just got off the phone with Judge Tursen.”

  I had just taken a bite of my chocolate chip muffin, but at the hint of steel threading his words, it turned to ash in my mouth. The boys must have caught on to the underlying tone as well because they looked to Kaleb, waiting for him to continue.

  “And?” Kingston prompted when he didn’t talk. Whatever he was about to tell us, it wasn’t good news, so I braced myself the best I could.

  “It turns out that the Warlands’ are getting money together to pay the exorbitant bail for their son,” Kaleb revealed with disdain.

  “Wait… so Brad’s getting out of jail?” Reid asked sharply, his knuckles turning white with how hard he gripped his pencil.

  “Trying to get out of jail,” Kaleb corrected, “since a week or two ago, apparently, yet for whatever reason Steve Corsian felt the need to keep it to himself.” His lips curled into a near snarl at the end of his statement, and normally that would have been scary coming from someone as nice as Kaleb, but I couldn’t fault him given the situation.

  “Oh, god,” I muttered, my hand coming up to cover my mouth to keep from throwing up at the news.

  “Shh, it’s all right, Babydoll,” Kingston reassured, rubbing soothing circles on my thigh. Jesse dropped the papers in his hand and moved behind me, his fingers trailing over my back in an attempt to give me some comfort.

  Reid, on the other hand, got up and started to pace, his hands going to his curly hair and gripping tightly. As he paced, I realized there was more stressing him out than just Brad… Not that he isn’t a huge stressor, I noted with a scowl.

  “There’s a no contact order and a restraining order in place if they do somehow manage to come up with the money. If he contacts you, even indirectly, or comes within a specific distance of you, he’ll be immediately sent back to jail until the trial,” Kaleb explained. “It’s a hard situation, but there are safeguards in place.”

  “Psh, like those actually make a difference,” Reid muttered. “And knowing the Warland family, they’ll find a way to pay his bail.” No one responded to the venom in Reid’s statement, and when I saw the pity in their gazes, my internal alarm bells started to ring. Reid’s behavior was something I had only seen one or two times previously, and as much as I knew I should be concerned about myself…

  I wasn’t.

  “Reid, babe,” I said softly, getting up from the table. The more he paced his short path, the more I realized there was something going on that I didn’t understand. “Come here, let’s go outside for a bit.”

  He stayed silent but nodded as he changed his path for the door. I snatched up my coat and darted after him as he practically stormed from the building. It was cold out, but not as bad as it had been the last few weeks, so I didn’t zip up my coat or put my hat and gloves on.

  I didn’t say anything for a while, letting him work through whatever was going on in his mind. My sweet clown paced back and forth, his jaw clenching rhythmically, but after another few minutes, he slowed. When he finally looked at me, my heart twisted at the hurt, anger, and pain that swirled in his hazel eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Cali girl,” Reid croaked. “I don’t tend to handle things like this very well, and I haven’t brought this up before because my parents and I don’t really like to think about it. It’s not because of you, like, at all. There’s just—” His voice broke, and he scrubbed his eyes on his sleeve. Stepping closer, I grabbed his free hand and squeezed gently.

  “We don’t have to talk about this right now,” I murmured, trying and failing to catch his gaze since his eyes were glued to the cement. “I’ll always be here to talk. Now, in a month, in a year, all right?”

  “I know, Cali girl. I just… you deserve to hear this because I’m sure it won’t be the last time I struggle like this until Brad’s firmly locked in prison for the rest of his life. Do you remember how I acted the night of the party after we left?”

  I nodded, remembering his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and harsh scowl after we got in the car that night.

  “It’s because my older sister, Rosaline, went through something similar when I was ten. Except she didn’t have someone to stop him, so… she and my family went through the trial proceedings like we are now,” he added absently.

  Wait, he’s never mentioned having a sister before. I smashed my lips together, trying to keep my surprise contained, but in the quiet outdoors, a small gasp left me. I was tempted to ask why he’d never brought her up, but the moment between us was so intimate, so fragile, that I couldn’t bear to disrupt it and have him never work up the courage to tell me whatever this was again.

  “And the asshole that hurt my sister got out on bail. He didn’t try to talk to her or get close, but Ros star
ted to see him places out of the corner of her eye. Just that quick moment, ya know? Enough to make her feel on edge but still not often enough either, making her question if she was just being paranoid. For weeks, it went on until she started losing a lot of sleep, and I tried to help the best I could with jokes and trying to be positive. I succeeded for a while; she even told me I lit up a room… something our grandma used to say.”

  “You do,” I agreed softly, trying to help the best I could.

  “Thanks, Cali girl, but I just wasn’t enough. She… uh… took her own life after another few weeks of him stalking her.”

  “Oh my god, Reid,” I breathed in shock. There hadn’t been any photos in his house, and he’d never talked about her. Now I realized why, and my mind raced with the surprise at finding out he had a sister, shock that she’d gone through something so similar, and a nearly overwhelming feeling of sadness that he’d lost her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “So, if I seem a bit more emotional throughout this, that’d be why. I didn’t want you to think it was because of yo—”

  Before he could finish his statement, I threw my arms around his shoulders and held fast. He wrapped me in a tight hug, holding onto me like I was a life preserver. I didn’t know how long we stood there, tangled together as if I was the only thing keeping Reid from drowning in the memory of his past, but I didn’t let go. I nestled my face into the crook of his neck, the familiar scent of Old Spice filling my nose as I did so.

  “Thank you for telling me,” I whispered, his shaking shoulders and crying subsiding.

  “I’m sorry I hadn’t told you sooner,” he croaked. “It’s been over seven years, but ever since it happened, my parents tried to pretend it hadn’t. Not that my parents didn’t love Ros, but they think if they don’t see reminders, if they don’t think about her… then her death won’t hurt them. In theory.”