by Malone, Nana
“I’m not embroiled in any drama. Not like the kid’s mine or anything. Believe it or not, I like him. He’s a good kid. Will be a great player.”
Aaron’s eyebrows lifted. “And as a byproduct of coaching, you get yourself some of that ass? There are easier ways.”
“Dude, do you ever think about what comes out of your mouth before you say it?”
Aaron flashed a grin. “I’m one of those lucky souls born without a brain-to-mouth filter.”
“Some people call it rudeness.”
Aaron shrugged. “Look, if you want to get some of her fine specimen of ass, then drive your butt out to Compton or wherever and get it.”
“Pasadena,” Jason corrected.
“Huh?”
“She lives in Pasadena.”
Aaron threw his hands up in surrender. “More the better. You can take the Porsche without worry of carjacking. Regardless, my point is, go out there, get some and get your fill. But don’t get tangled in all the other stuff going on with her kid. It’ll get messy. Let her sort it out.”
Jason scowled. “I’m starting to not like you.”
“Aw, that hurt my feelings. At least I’m honest.” He softened his tone as he added, “Look, I get it. The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice. She’s got a hot little body. But she’s not the only hot little body in the world.”
Jason clenched his fists, took a breath, and counted to three. When measured breaths didn’t work, he counted to ten. They’d been friends for too long for him to kill Aaron. Besides, he thought to himself, the blood would be a bitch to get out of the rug.
“I’m not interested in taking out any random girl. Anyway, I think this conversation is over.”
Aaron’s eyes narrowed. “You upset, Jase?” As if sensing he should back off, he put up his hands and sat back, signaling he was no threat. “I didn’t mean to ruffle your sensitive feathers.”
“I don’t want to hear anymore.”
Aaron blinked at him. “Geez, are you really into her? I didn’t realize.”
Jason released his breath in an attempt to expel some of the bubbling anger inside him. At first, he’d pursued Izzy because of their physical connection, but seeing her work, seeing her with Nick, even seeing her temper spark, reminded him of the girl he used to love. He liked her. “Yes, I’m into her, so maybe you can stop talking about her like a piece of meat.”
“All I’m saying is, in this town, status matters. You honestly want me to believe you’d take your little photographer friend to meet your parents? All that ass, as bodacious as it is, is not made for your kind of life.”
Unable to form a coherent thought with the blood pressurizing in his brain. Jason stood and walked to the door. He opened the stainless steel panel and glared at Aaron. “Get out.”
Shoulders slumped, eyes bulging, Aaron stared. “Are you serious, man? C’mon, we can’t hold a philosophical discussion?”
“Not about this. I’m not doing this with you right now.” Holding the door wider, Jason lowered his voice. “Out.”
Aaron grabbed his tennis bag and his keys. Stopping at the door, he looked at Jason. “Look. You’ll cool off in a couple of days. Just keep in mind what I said about the kid, even if you don’t want to listen to the other stuff. She’ll be pissed if she thinks you’re using the kid to get close to her.”
Jason watched Aaron walk down the front stairs to his car. Angry energy pulsed through him as he picked up the phone.
The voice on the other line didn’t sound like the pink-haired punk rocker he’d met. “Z Con Design Studio, this is Jessica. How may I help you?”
“This is Jason Cartwright. Is Izzy in all day?”
Her voice softened. “Yeah, she’s with a client now, but she’s free the rest of the afternoon.”
“Great. Do me a favor and don’t tell her I’m on my way. I don’t want her to become mysteriously unavailable.”
He could almost hear the smile on the other line. “I think that can be arranged.”
He hung up with Jessica and grabbed his keys, then , taking in his sweaty appearance in one of the windows, he opted for a shower first.
Twenty minutes later, he was on the road to Pasadena. Izzy might not want to see him, but for Nick, she’d hear him out.
When the ringing sounded in his ear from his Bluetooth, he answered automatically. “This is Jason.”
“You’re out of time, Jason. I’m going to need your yes answer now.”
Jason navigated the freeway to Pasadena as he adjusted his Bluetooth. “There you go again, Sabrina. Assuming you still have some kind of hold over me. You know what they say about assuming.”
She let out a stream of curses worthy of a trucker. “You’re the one who’ll be making an ass of himself. You need to go ahead and play ball now, before things get dangerous.”
“You wouldn’t be threatening me, would you? ‘ Cause I can’t tell you how bad an idea that would be. I wonder how the police would feel about your little extortion scheme here. I think it’s a felony.”
“Damn it, Jason. This kind of money is a drop in the bucket for you. Just pay me, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Skunk.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re like a skunk, Sabrina. No matter how many times you wash the smell out, it sticks around. Even if I wanted to pay you, you’d only be back for more.”
“Jason. You need to listen to me. Our bullshit aside, I owe money. If I don’t pay it, some goons are going to make Izzy’s and Nick’s lives hell. You might think I’m a selfish bitch, but I don’t want to see them hurt.”
Would she really turn her drug friends on her own kid? A cold chill crept into the base of his spine, climbing it like I i vy in the springtime. She wouldn’t. Even Sabrina wasn’t that cold. Though it wouldn’t be the first time she’d resorted to violence with him. “Wow, you’ve gotten better and more elaborate at your lies.” He took the exit for Izzy’s. “Try them out on someone who’s not a chump.”
Chapter Twenty
Izzy heard the ruckus in the front lobby and cringed. Her head ached from another long night of worrying about the gallery opening, Simon’s cold shoulder treatment and Sabrina.
The dull pain throbbed steadily between her eyes. Her whole body felt like lead, otherwise, she would have peeked to see what the fuss was about. But, exhaustion and the need to complete the final descriptions for the gallery photos, drove her to stay in her seat.
The ruckus and din, accompanied by heavy footsteps, drew closer to her office door. Izzy looked up from the paperwork to find Coach Tisdale barging through the opening with Jessica at his back.
A cold chill skipped up her spine. Nick. “What’s wrong with my son?”
Jessica crashed into Coach in her rush to get to the office before he did. “Izzy, I’m so sorry. I know you didn’t want to be disturbed, but he just came in past reception and refused to come back at another time and—”
She interrupted Jessica. “It’s okay.” Directing her attention back to Coach Tisdale, she asked, “Is Nick okay?”
Jessica excused herself, but not before shooting the older man a death ray glance.
Coach Tisdale stared after Jessica as blue hair flounced out of the office. He shook his head. “What kind of home are you providing for that kid?”
“I beg your pardon?” Pissed, she shoved her hair into a ponytail. “You still haven’t told me if that kid is all right or not.” Izzy, exhausted, had to sit back down.
“He’s not all right. I don’t know that the hell you’re doing to him, but he’s messed up.”
Fear thundered through every nerve ending. “Where is he? What’s happ—”
Tisdale looked confused. “He’s at school.”
Relieved, Izzy sat back down. “Then, Coach, please tell me what you’re talking about. I’m too exhausted to try and figure it out on my own.”
He leaned forward planting his hands on her desk. “Don’t act like you
don’t know you’re throwing away his future. This is all your fault. A talent like his—”
The herd of elephants wearing tap shoes in her head refused to stay still. She snapped and shouted, “What the hell are you talking about? You barge into my place of business, scare me half to death, insult my home and then my parenting. Before we go on, I’d like to know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“What, are you deaf too? Nick told me this morning he won’t be going to Juniors this year. Some nonsense about wanting to be a normal teenager for a little bit. You’ve pushed him into making the wrong choice. You’ve ruined his future.”
Izzy allowed herself several deep breaths. Nick wasn’t in any imminent danger. He’d just made a decision. “I don’t understand what the problem is, Coach? Nick thought long and hard about his decision. He didn’t decide overnight.”
He rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe the courts put someone like you in charge of the kid, especially his future. What the hell would you know about his future prospects?”
Anger infused and fueled the demon elephants in her head. She barely heard the remainder of Coach Tisdale’s mutterings over the stampede. She stood and crossed her arms. “Because Nick believes in you as a coach, I’m going to make the assumption that when you say someone like me you mean someone who doesn’t play tennis anymore.”
She huffed in a breath and gave him a look that said she knew all about his insinuations. “I’m going to make the assumption you have my son’s—because that’s what he is—best interests at heart, and that’s why you’re so passionate about this.”
He stammered. “I don’t know what you think I’m insinuating but—”
She put a hand up to stop him. “I’m not finished yet.” She gave him a smile devoid of mirth. “I’m going to assume your only concern is Nick, and not your hopes of having the exposure that being the Juniors’ champ coach would garner. Because, if you don’t have his best interest at heart, if and when Nick is ready to play Juniors, there are a million tennis coaches that would love the opportunity to coach him.”
He straightened and gave her a long look. Without saying a word, he stalked out. Izzy took a deep breath and sank into her seat. This was the last thing she needed. She tried to forget the words now etched in her mind. Someone like you. She told herself he was angry, and he hadn’t meant to come off like a bigoted jackass, but she couldn’t muster that lie.
The truth was, ever since she’d taken over guardianship, there had been a handful of people, black and white alike, lining up to tell her why a black woman shouldn’t have custody of a white kid. Normally she would have done what she always told Nick to do in those situations—keep focus on what mattered and not worry about the rest.
However, she didn’t feel like listening to her own sage advice. She slumped down in her chair. She didn’t realize she was crying until the salty acrid taste of a tear hit her top lip.
The door opened again, and she swiped at the tear. The last thing on earth she’d let that ass of a man see was her tears. “Came back for more, did you?”
Where she expected Coach Tisdale’s leathery features, she found Jason’s blond head. He stepped in to the office looking confused. “I get the impression you were expecting someone else?”
Seeing Jason in her doorway, she couldn’t help the overflow of emotions. First one tear escaped her lids, then another, then several more.
He came over to squat by her chair. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”
Annoyed at herself for the tears, she swiped at them with a tissue and stuck her chin up. “I’m fine.”
He nodded. “Yes, you look fine. What, with the tears and all.”
She couldn’t help the cross between a cry and a laugh that escaped her lips. “I’m okay, just pissed off.”
“Liar. This have anything to do with the guy storming out of here a minute ago?”
“The asshole?” She nodded. “Yeah, but he’s Nick’s asshole of a coach.”
“I don’t remember you being a crier, so he must have said something to rattle you. Is Nick okay?”
“Nick’s fine.” She sniffed. “I’m the one lacking. Supposedly, I talked Nick out of going to Juniors. Seems I’m unfit.”
Jason gripped her knee. “What did he say, Izzy?”
She knew that look. She’d seen that kind of singular rage from him in college when one of the players on a team with no minority members made a few comments. Jason disqualified himself from the meet and knocked the guy out. They were too old for high school antics. “Nothing, Jason. I handled him.”
She could see him work his jaw, but he didn’t press her. However, if she understood the core of him, he wouldn’t let it go. “I hate to do this to you, but I’m here to talk to you about Nick too.”
This couldn’t be good. Not her day at all. “You think I’m a bad parent too?”
He didn’t crack a smile. “Not funny, Izzy.” He took a breath. “You’re not the one who needs parenting lessons.”
She was scared now. “Spill, Jason. I can’t handle the games today. You came all the way over here.”
He looked uncomfortable, as if sitting across from her was the last thing he wanted to do. “Nick asked me not to say anything, so I didn’t the other day, but you need to know.”
Nick didn’t normally keep things from her. “My kid doesn’t keep secrets.” Although, he hadn’t told her about his Juniors decision or the truth about the bruise on his face.
He looked even more uncomfortable. “The bruise on his face—I suspect he was trying to protect you.”
She nodded. “Yeah, he said he used his face to catch a loose ball. I suspect he got in a fight, but he didn’t say.”
“Sabrina hit him, Izzy.”
For several long moments, she sat shock still. At first, she couldn’t process Jason’s string of words. Then, she tried to process Nick’s secret-keeping. When she finally got around to processing what Sabrina had done, she was on autopilot, the calm center before she exploded. She marched to the back door. Before she could open the stainless steel framing, Jason spun her around and held onto her. “No you don’t. You don’t get to go and murder her. Death’s too good for her. Take five and breathe.”
She tried to wiggle and free herself, but he held her too tight. He kept murmuring that they were in it together, that he’d help her. She wasn’t interested in any of it. She wanted to go give the bitch what she deserved. Why wouldn’t he let her? “Let me go, Jason. What you assume I’m going to go angry black woman on her? Geez, you’re as bad as Tisdale.” She struggled some more to no avail. “I can control myself, you know.”
Refusing to let go, he brushed soft kisses against her temple. “I’m not letting you go until you stop shaking.” He squeezed her tighter.
She hadn’t realized she’d been shaking. She lifted her hand to have a look, and sure enough, she noticed a telltale tremor. Shit. Full of anger and pain, she collapsed against him and let him hold her.
“That’s it. Relax.” He rubbed slow circles into her back. “When you feel strong enough and ready, we’ll go over there together.”
Several minutes ticked by with them standing there like that. Finally, he loosened his grip. Strangely, she didn’t want to leave the safety of his shield. She looked up at him. His jaw was set as he stared toward the house.
“Thanks. I can go up on my own. I don’t even know if she’s home. She dragged herself in at four in the morning, or so. She may have left again for all I know.”
Jason’s jaw clenched. “Two things, Izzy,”
She paused, hand on the door.
“One, I’m going in with you, not because I’m worried about what you might do to her, but because I want her to know she won’t get away with anything like that again.” He trained his gaze on her. “Two, don’t ever compare me to Tisdale. It pisses me off.” He stepped into the yard ahead of her without a backwards glance.
****
Jason led the way through the backyard, spurred by
a combination of guilt and anger. With every step, he couldn’t help but think he should have pressed Nick to tell Izzy what had happened. Alternatively, that he should have called Izzy the night before.
He opened the kitchen door and for several seconds, didn’t trust his eyes. The kitchen looked like someone had ripped it apart. Broken dishes and glass lay strewn around the floor.
He shoved Izzy back several steps. “Stay here.”
She looked like she might argue, so he turned her around to give her a little push and locked the kitchen door behind him. When he stepped through the disarray of the kitchen into the dining room, he knew the mess wasn’t Sabrina’s attempt at a temper tantrum. Someone had broken in.
He heard the footsteps behind him and whirled around. Izzy stepped through the back door, shock and disbelief on her face. “What the hell happened?”
Walking toward her with quick strides, he took her hand and tugged her with him. “We need to go.” He glanced at her when they were back outside. “How the hell did you get in?”
“I live here remember? I have a key.”
He didn’t stop once they were outside, instead led her back to the studio’s office.
“What the hell is going on around here?”
He wondered the same thing. But he had an idea about the answer “Not sure. But I’d bet Sabrina’s involved.”
Once in the studio, he called Jessica into the office. He sat Izzy down and grabbed the phone.
As soon as he spotted Jessica, he asked her to get Izzy some tea or something that would help calm her down. Jessica took one look at Izzy’s drawn, pinched face and hustled to the kitchen.
Jason rattled off the address to the police. When Jessica came back in, she bore a mug of steaming liquid and the mail. She handed the mug to Izzy and dropped the mail on the table.
She gave Jason a questioning look before heading back out.
“Jessica, have you noticed anyone strange hanging around?”
She wrinkled her forehead. “Anyone strange like how?”
“Like someone you’ve never seen before. Anyone who didn’t belong in the neighborhood. Strange like that.”