by Gina Kincade
Her friend stops scooping pieces of the cake to her mouth, leans back and narrows her eyes. The action means one thing: she's formulating a theory.
"How do you know what time he comes home?"
Blanche averts her eyes from her friend. "I didn't say I did."
"Yeah you did. You said two or three in the morning. If you don't know, then you would have stopped at saying 'he comes home late.' But you know what time he comes home. Do you wait for him?"
"What? No!" Bee tries for defensive, but knows it's too late.
Trisha lifts a curious brow.
"He's not very quiet when he comes home, and I'm a light sleeper."
"You have slept through earthquakes and thunderstorms!"
"It's the pregnancy. It changed me and my sleeping pattern." When Trisha narrows her eyes again, she tries to convince her, "I swear it's the pregnancy."
"Don't blame your state of bumpiness." Trisha circles her finger over the table. "You like him."
"I don't like him. Hunter? No!"
But Trisha has made her decision. A cock-sure smile plasters on her face, then she continues to ravage Bee's dessert.
"I'm gonna go."
"What? Why? Girl's night just started!"
"No, Trishy-poo, it's nearly eleven. I'm exhausted. I think my feet are swollen and my insides are burning from the hot sauce. Remind me next time to stave off anything hot and spicy." Blanche pushes herself up and off the seat, bracing her hands on the back of the chair and the table. She swears she has grown double her size the previous month, but the doctor assured her that she's measuring fine.
Her conscience sneers at her as she remembers telling Hunter on the phone that her monthly appointment was cancelled. But in fact, she didn't want him to be present for it. She didn't want him to get all warm and fuzzy, soothing and supportive. She was grateful that Hunter believed her, not even questioning why the doctor cancelled. He just believed her, and promised her that he will be at the next one.
Trisha calls a cab and the two friends wait until it arrives. "I stand by what I said, Bee, if it gets to be too much, you are more than welcome to come back. You still have the key to this place. Anytime."
Bee nods and hugs her friend. She isn't fully convinced that everything will be okay with Hunter, or that it is okay now, but their situation isn't bad either. All she has to do is keep away from her roommate, and the father of her child. Nothing good will come from wistfulness. Not when Hunter clearly has feelings for Red. She remembers the reason why she ended up in New York City...to get away from her mother and Perry, the two people who've ran her entire second of her breath. Bee wants to be in charge of her life, and now, her child's life.
IT TAKES HER LONGER to walk up the stairs but she prefers it than taking the elevator. The doctor says she should continue exercising, even walking helps. She has found a pre-natal yoga class near her work, where she has met quite a few friendly women. But she doesn't want to get too close to them. What if they ask about the father of her child? What will she say? She can't very well tell them that Hunter was a one-night stand-come-roommate. They're nothing but.
Eventually, Bee hopes to live on her own. If it means living with Hunter for a few more months, then that's what she is willing to do. Jay has given her a permanent position and a raise with it. If she chooses, she can ask Jay for a reference if she decides to be completely out of Hunter's life too. Only out of his life, not his family, she reminds herself. Jay and Mare have been supportive. There's no reason why they have to suffer because of Hunter's shortcomings.
Bee leans against the wall for support. The meal she had at Trisha's has caused her heartburn. All she wants to do is drink a gallon of water, soak in the tub and have a good night's sleep, before Hunter peeks into her bedroom and quietly checks on her. He's done it every single night. Tonight, he's at Jay's for family night dinner, Bee assumes Red is there too, laughing and cajoling and sharing fun stories.
Who is she to compete with such a beautiful woman with legs up to her neck?
"Ugh. I'm not competing," she tells herself. The key slides into the lock and as she turns the handle and pushes open the door, then she hears a moan.
The hallway light pierces the darkness in the apartment, wherein a woman is straddling a man.
"Shit! Sorry." Bee pulls the door close and runs down to the stairs.
He's not even supposed to be home. He's supposed to be at his brother's. Bee darts back out into the night, trying to erase the image in her head of Red, the buxom beauty, having sex with Hunter.
A RAPID REPLY BUZZES through her phone: What do you mean you caught them?
Bee types another text to Trisha: I walked in on the two of them having sex!
Another buzz: Who?
Blanche sighs as she answers her friend's text: Hunter is boning his co-worker, or boss, or whatever she is on the couch.
No replies. Instead, her phone starts vibrating madly in her hand. Hunter's number appears on the screen. Should she take it?
She presses "Ignore". Then it vibrates again, this time Trish is calling. She answers, "You read it right."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Bee sighs on the phone.
Trisha whistles on the other line. "It can't be right. If it is Red, his boss, she couldn't have been boning him."
"Why not? I've seen how they were toward each other. There's major boning going on between those two."
"No way! I've read about her and her fiancé."
"Whose fiancé?"
"Red. She's engaged. Not just to anyone, but one of the richest SOB in NYC. He's fucking hot too."
"Red is engaged? Where did you read that?"
"Everywhere! There's even a photo of them on his yacht. She just came back from a three-month Euro trip." Blanche hears some shuffling on the other end of the line. Trisha must be looking for said article.
"Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"
"Are you sure you saw what you think you did? Red owns the studio Hunter works at. She's deeply involved with Lucas Wolfe Wainright, like they're getting married soon."
"No way. I'm sure it was her."
"Really?"
"Yeah...I think so. It was kind of dark."
"Now you don't sound too sure."
Bee closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to recall the image in her head, no matter how difficult it is. "Well, I think she has red hair, maybe brown. But there's definite boning going on."
"Blanche, I don't know. Could be another girl."
Can it be? Can Trisha be right? But if she is, what does that mean about her relationship with Hunter? Bee squeezes her eyes shut again. There is no relationship with Hunter.
"Whose side are you on, Trish?"
"Yours, of course, like you'd have to ask. Like I said, you're welcome back anytime."
Her phone beeps; she moves it away from her ear to look at the display. Hunter is calling again. Then, he isn't just calling anymore.
She's sat in a diner near their apartment. She's eaten there before and made friends with one of the servers who is luckily on duty tonight, and lets Bee sit there with just warm water and lemon.
Hunter is standing outside the diner, right in front of her, his phone pressed on his ear, a look of worry crosses his face. One of his hands pulls and tugs at his hair in frustration. When Bee doesn't pick up, he watches him mouth an expletive at his phone.
"I gotta go."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I guess they're done now. Hunter is outside, looks like he's ready to smash his phone to the ground."
"Oh. Well, you should go talk to him...or not, but head home, get some rest and call me tomorrow."
"Yeah okay." As soon as she hangs up on Trisha, her phone vibrates again. She sees Hunter pacing back and forth, and he stops when he spots her inside the diner.
He pauses, gives her a confused look, pockets his phone, and enters the diner. The bell rings at the door, announcing his presenc
e. Hunter waves at the woman behind the counter, and she waves back. Then he stalks to her table and sits across from her, staring, not saying a damn word, but looking terribly uncomfortable.
Chapter Fifteen
Blanche is pissed off. She's allowed to be. Hunter curses himself for being a Grade A Moron. He shouldn't have done what he did, but the temptation was too strong to resist.
I'm a fucking man and I have needs, he repeats the thoughts in his mind. It's what he wants to tell Blanche, but he can't say it out loud without seeming like a disrespectful oaf or an insensitive git. He grinds his teeth, tensing the muscles in his jaw that will surely cause him some pain later on. It will be a welcomed distraction, considering his balls have been aching for quite some time now. No amount of jacking off in the shower has done him good. He needs to be inside a woman like he needs to breathe.
Frustration creeps under his skin. No wonder Blanche has avoided him. Believing that the beauty across from him doesn't want anything to do with a man with a lack of self-discipline, he has finally given up to his weakness and welcomed the latest woman who has hinted an interest in him and his private parts. But Blanche came home early.
"I thought you'll be home later," is his lame excuse. He winces at the pathetic sound of his voice.
Bee furrows her brows, calmly places her phone on the table and sips on her cup. "I didn't realize you were...entertaining someone," she says quietly, eyes away from him.
"I wasn't..." Hunter wonders if there's a Dummies book on How Not to be a Dummy. He rubs his eyes with the back of a hand. The late nights are getting to him. The late nights alone have been hard to bear.
"It's fine, Hunter," Blanche says, but she won't allow herself to look up. "Next time, let me know ahead of time, tie a ribbon or hang a sock on the doorknob. That's how things work, right?" He doesn't miss the inflection in her voice.
Frustrated, Hunter covers his face with his hands, groaning into them. "It's not...I wasn't doing anything. We weren't...we were about to, but we didn't..."
"Doesn't matter." Anger laces Bee's voice.
Why does he feel like a teenager caught by his parents doing something he shouldn't be doing?
"Look, Blanche, I'm sorry." He hits his fist on the table, making the cup jump. Luckily, nothing spills. "I was just showing her some of my artwork."
"Who? Red? That's fine. Whatever you call it but I said..."
Hunter interjects, "Red? What does she have anything to do with this?"
Bee rolls her eyes, remaining indignant. "Who else could it be? I saw how you...never mind." She breathes in, chest rising, and raises a hand up.
"That wasn't Red. That was Leona. She's doing an article on my designs. I had a meeting with her after dinner at Jay's and she asked to check out my stuff."
"Leona? Who's Leona?" Bee sounds curious, maybe too curious for her liking. Hunter can't help but be hopeful. It's been difficult to figure out what he feels for this woman.
He explains, "She's a freelance writer. She's doing a piece on the awards coming up and wait. Why would you think I was with Red? Leona doesn't look anything like Red. For one thing, Leona is Mexican."
Bee lets her thoughts slip. "It was dark. I thought she had red hair. You and Red seemed pretty chummy at work."
"I've known Red a long time. We've been working side by side for years. And she..." He stops and watches Bee's reaction. As he continues, the furrow on her forehead deepens. "It wasn't Red. It will never be Red." Hunter waits for Blanche to rebut, but she only lifts her cup and sips. He places his elbows on the small table and drops his head on his hands. "I'm sorry, Honey Bee."
Her cup shakes on the small plate as she slams it down. "Do not call me that! I am not your Honey. My name is Blanche. Only my friends can call me Bee."
Shocked, Hunter puts his hands on the table and leans forward. She doesn't even consider him a friend? He tries to speak, but what can he say? He pops his mouth open, and snaps it shut without saying a word.
Bee brushes her hair off her face. She takes a few changes out of her purse and leaves it on the table. "If you don't mind, and your friend is gone, I'd like to go home and rest." She doesn't wait for Hunter, picking up speed as soon as she's out of the diner.
Hunter drags his feet up the stairs and in front of the apartment door, which Blanche has gone through. He cannot do anything right, he's convinced, not when it comes to Bee. Staring at the door, he decides that he needs major help.
What does he know about having a child? What does he know about keeping relationships? The longest one he's had is with Red, strictly platonic at that.
After Bee's visit at his place of work, Red sent him a worried look. She sat with him for a little tête à tête, laying down the facts. She's engaged. She's marrying Wolfe. Hunter told her about his idea of pulling out of Red Ink and starting his own. Surprisingly, Red was supportive, but she also said that she wished they could work things out and continued being friends and colleagues, offering him a bigger piece of the studio—a partnership. Red also wanted to apologize to Blanche for her behavior. Sometimes, it's easy for them to forget that they can look a bit too close outside of their own bubble. Red admitted that she has turned a blind eye and convinced herself that Hunter knew the deal, even before she met Wolfe. There’s nothing romantic going on between them. There will never be one.
Hunter can try and fight it as much as he wants to, but he knows that Red has fallen in love with Wolfe. She's a strong, independent woman who has chosen the mate she thinks is worthy of her. Hunter is lacking. It isn't about money or status, Red has more than what she will ever want. She's easily content. Whatever she finds in Wolfe is something only Red understands, and she doesn't try to explain it to Hunter. His friend only wishes that he finds the same.
"Possibly with Blanche?" Red has asked. To which Hunter has no answer.
When he came home that night, Blanche was asleep. And every night since, she has avoided Hunter. Did he unknowingly hurt her? If he did, what did it mean?
Hunter makes sure that the door is locked before walking back out of the apartment building. He catches a cab to see his brother.
"YOU'RE A FUCKING IDIOT."
Hunter whistles. "Tell me how you really feel, Jay." He's laid it out for him—Blanche catching him with Leona, meeting Red, Bee's avoidance tactics.
Jay pushes away from the kitchen island. "Well, it's the truth. You don't want to hear, you should have gone elsewhere." He works a hand over his chin. "How can you be such a complete moron?"
"Seriously, Jay, what the fuck?" Hunter keeps his voice level. He wonders if this has been a good idea at all.
"That's what I'm asking you!" Jay paces on the kitchen floor. "Has this city numbed your brain? We grew up in the same household with the same disciplines. How can you possibly think that bringing a woman home and having sex with her on your couch is a good idea when you're living with the woman who's carrying your child?"
Hunter chews on his bottom lip. "I wasn't thinking."
"Yeah, no fucking kidding! You were using the wrong head! Think, Hunter, damnit, think." Jay pokes his brother's forehead.
The younger Peters pushes his brother's hand away from him. "I admit it. It's a stupid move. Really not my best. But what the hell am I supposed to do? She's been avoiding me."
"Make a better effort."
"I have. I was. I thought having her move in with me was a good step. You said it yourself."
"And I said do not fuck it up. And what did you do? You fucked it up." Jay slaps a hand over the other, punctuating his every word.
Mare comes into the room then and sits beside Hunter, patting his back. His sister-in-law is one of the strongest women he has ever known, second only to his own mother. Hunter has always envied his brother's marriage, and the true love that is shared between them. Why can't he have the same?
"I think what's best to do now is to figure out how you can smooth things over with Blanche," Mare advises.
"If it's not too late,"
Jay adds.
Hunter looks at his sibling, then to Mare with worry in his eyes. "Too late?"
Jay speaks first, shaking his head, "You really don't have a clue." He stands in front of Hunter, arms crossed over his chest. "Blanche is a smart girl, and I'm not talking good head on her shoulders type. She's a genius. I've given her task after task to test out her abilities and she's off the charts. It took her half a day to work out a software that had taken me months to figure out. And she has no formal training on anything computer-related, as far as I know."
Sharing a look with Mare, Jay continues, "I've already been approached by a couple of large firms for her. They want to take her because they've heard of her capabilities, including the company which developed the software."
"Does she know this?" Hunter asks, suddenly a lump has formed in his throat. With his constant mistakes and all the possibilities of a better future, nothing is stopping Blanche from leaving...him.
"Yes, she does. Of course, I told her. I'm not one to get in the way of someone's progress, you know that. If Blanche chooses to do things on her own, including raising a child without you, she is more than capable of doing so. She has determination and the wiles." Jay sees the panic in Hunter's eyes. Can it be a sign that Hunter wants to do better? That he wants to make a change to make things work? "Look, Hunt, maybe it's not too late. Maybe there's still time. But you have to stop with the bullshit."
Hunter nods his head, focusing on the floor. His pulse quickens. He isn't prepared to lose Blanche. He needs to gain her respect and trust. The will to be a good father to their child is tantamount. He has been afforded a good home with excellent upbringing, and he wants the same for his child. Somewhere along the way he has lost himself, forgotten his roots.
A thought forms in his mind, sending him off the stool and up on his feet.
"What?" Jay asks.
"Mom and Dad's anniversary."
Jay glances over at his wife, then back to his brother, and about to open his mouth to speak. Mare beats him to it. 'That's a start." She reaches for his hand and squeezes it.