Spencer was upset. “My mom knows who our fathers are,” he stated emphatically. “She’s not one of those women who…she didn’t have sex with a bunch of different men. Why wouldn’t their names be on our birth certificates?” Pain-filled eyes met Mason’s. “Do you think it’s because our dads didn’t want us?”
“Calm down, Spencer.” Mason tried to keep his voice soothing. He felt terrible for what this boy was going through and even worse to be part of the cause. “It most likely has nothing to do with you—or Zoey. You don’t know what happened between your mom and…these men. They might have hurt—”
“They dumped her, Mason.” Spencer clenched his fists. “I might not ever be able to do anything about my father, but if I ever find out who got my mom pregnant with Zoey and just dumped her, I’m gonna kill him. I hate the jerk.”
Mason watched as tears filled Spencer’s eyes and rolled down his face.
He mindlessly patted Spence’s shoulder. If Spencer ever found out about him, he would hate Mason. And Mason was the only father figure Spencer had. What could Mason do? He’d have to choose between hurting the young man beside him and giving up his daughter for good.
What was he going to do?
Claire was with Bryan in a bar called the Dog Sled. She had never even seen this establishment before, and really could have gone through her life without the privilege. The entire place was full of intoxicated people, one of whom was Bryan Dyer. She had long ago lost count of the beers he practically chugged.
When Bryan was drawn into a dart game with another stumbling fool, Claire was grateful to escape his attention for a few minutes. She wanted to leave, but even if the big guy glaring at her from behind the bar allowed her to use the phone, she had no idea who to call. Her only options were people she worked with…and Judy. Could she call Bryan’s sister and tell her what was going on? Just as she decided she had to, fingers wrapped around her arm so tightly it hurt. Claire nearly fell when she was yanked around to face Bryan.
“Let’s dance.” He unceremoniously pulled her to the dance floor, where he jerked her against him—way too close to be comfortable.
She managed to shove herself a little bit away from him. “I don’t want to dance with you. I want to go home, and I’m driving.”
He yanked her back against him, even closer than she was before. She didn’t like what she was feeling pressed against her at all.
“You need to have a drink and relax.” He didn’t ease his hold on her. “Soda isn’t going to help you have a good time. You just need one drink.”
A young, pregnant woman on her own, Claire Hadley had learned to defend herself. She lifted her foot and brought it down hard on his instep.
“Ow!” His startled jump made it possible to break his hold and pull free.
“I’m going home. I’ll call a taxi if you’re not going to leave.” She dodged his grasping hands.
His eyes swept over her from head to toe. “Fine.”
“Give me the keys.” She held out her hand. There was no way he was getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
He reached into his pocket and pulled them out.
“Come ‘n get ‘em, baby.” Swaying on his feet, Bryan held the keys out between them and took a step back. “Come ‘n get ‘em.”
If he thought she was putting herself in the position for him to grab her, he was blowing soap bubbles. Waiting until he swayed to his right, Claire quickly reached over and shoved his left shoulder. When Bryan met her expectations and stumbled off balance, she grabbed the keys and turned to walk away.
“Hey!” She turned to see his arm outstretched and seriously considered ignoring him. “Ah’ll be good. Don’t leave me here. You kin drive. Ah’ll be good.”
Seeing as how he was slurring words and could barely stand, Claire felt a bolt of confidence. “Fine. But keep your hands to yourself.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed for the door.
She heard him follow her to the car, stumbling over his own feet. He was mumbling something about her backside. She was just going to ignore him and get herself home.
Unfortunately, once they reached the car, Bryan caught up to her and grinned. Claire could almost hear him: “Game on.”
Round one came when he fumbled with his seatbelt so much she decided if she didn’t fasten it, they would still be sitting there at sunrise. Slapping and shoving his hands away while sliding the clasp together was no easy task, but she finally managed.
Once behind the wheel, she drove as quickly as she safely could. She then made a concerted effort to pretend Bryan Dyer wasn’t even there.
He leaned toward her, and round two of their battle began. The louse probably thought he was whispering in her ear when he practically shouted, “Why don’t you just pull into a motel so we can get to the good stuff?”
How she would have liked to kick him into the soprano section of a choir! Unable to silently ignore his suggestion, she spoke as coldly as possible. “I’m not going to a motel with you. I’m taking you home and having Judy run Zoey and me to my house.”
“You really need to loosen up. Come on.” He was slurring his words even more than he had been a few minutes earlier. “You muss give it away to ever man who lucks at chew.”
As hard as she tried, Claire couldn’t stop the tears of humiliation from sliding down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her hand and kept driving, determined to get away from this man once and for all.
It wasn’t going to be soon enough.
“You should just pull over and take care of me real quick.” Sounding nearly sober, he then proceeded to tell her exactly how she could “take care” of him. The filthy language flowed from his mouth. Then he capped off those vile instructions with a couple more unwelcome statements. “At least that way there won’t be a chance of you getting knocked up again. Aren’t two brats enough to take care of?”
She would never justify his words with a response. Besides, any response would undoubtedly encourage the creep. Maybe he’d just pass out.
“Okay,” he slurred again. “I’ll take care of you first.” He unfastened his seatbelt and slid across the seat to her.
“Get back over there.” She remained as calm as possible and managed to keep the sobs from breaking through.
“It’ll feel good.” She felt him clumsily try to unsnap her jeans.
This was not happening. Even drunk, he was strong, and it took all the strength Claire could muster to push his hand away. The car swerved dangerously toward the curb, and she jerked it back on the road.
“You’re going to make us wreck!” She hauled off and smacked his hand as hard as she could. When he kept moving toward her, she made a fist and struck the side of his head. “Stop!”
“Ow!” he yelled, as he grabbed his head.
Wondering how much of a reprieve she had, Claire suddenly saw a solution. The lights of a convenience store called to her. She quickly pulled in and parked. Only when she shut off the ignition, did Bryan seem to realize they had stopped.
“Hey.” His head bobbed as he looked around the dimly lit parking lot. At least he appeared to have forgotten his quest to make Claire feel good. “Iss this place hawring? Never worked on a car lot before, but nobody else wuns me.” He flopped his head back around but seemed to look past Claire. “Those guys think I’m damaged goods.” Both hands shot up in the air. “Seven places…seven guys…tole me to git help. I jiss wanted to be relaxed for the innerview.”
So, he hadn’t been hired because he showed up for interviews in an intoxicated state…and Claire cared, why? She silently unfastened her seatbelt and opened the door. As she moved to get out, she briefly considered leaving his keys in the ignition and letting him drive home, but she couldn’t live with the potential consequences.
As she leaned back in for them, Bryan lunged for her. Ready for another struggle, Claire was relieved when he slumped over, dead to the world. She made sure not touch him as she retrieved the keys.
Now, what w
ould she do? She just wanted to go home. He was unconscious, so could she shove him over far enough to drive? When his hand twitched, Claire immediately made a decision. She would walk home before getting back in a car with that man. He was liable to come to and get sick, or even renew his efforts. Still uncertain what to do, she looked around the nearly empty parking lot and at the building.
A big, sloppily printed sign on the door proclaimed No personal use of store phone – Pay Phone available for customers. Realizing she was in a lower income part of town, Claire figured too many residents asked to use the phone, and the pay phone was the store’s response. Well, it was Claire’s salvation.
Glad she decided to carry her money in her pocket, Claire pulled out the ten-dollar-bill she brought.
The sleepy-eyed clerk looked suspiciously at her when Claire asked for change.
“Zat guy okay?” The young man’s dishwater-blonde curls bounced as he nodded out the window toward the parked car.
Even though he was at most, eighteen years old, Claire was certain he had seen more than most adults. “He’s passed out cold.”
The boy nodded knowingly. “My pop drinks. He ends up like that ‘bout every night. “Zwhy I’m working.”
Setting her predicament aside, Claire took a closer look at the young man. Not much older than Spencer, he was in a family situation Claire wouldn’t wish upon anyone. “What about your mom?”
“She works...at the bicycle factory, but there're five of us kids, and she don’t make enough to pay all the bills. It’s okay. She’s got me to help.” The love he felt for his mother practically burst from his eyes and brought tears to Claire’s.
“She’s very fortunate to have you.”
He produced a small smile as the jangling door announced another customer’s arrival.
Leaving the young man to get back to work, Claire walked over to the pay phone. Able to see the top of Bryan’s shoulder and knowing he was still out, she inserted her coins and dialed Judy’s number.
As hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop the tears when her friend answered.
“What’s the matter?” Judy asked worriedly. “I can tell you’re crying.”
Wishing she didn’t have to ask her best friend to help her get away from a man Judy loved, Claire managed to speak. “Bryan is…very drunk and he…” She couldn’t finish. “Can you come and get us so Zoey and I can just go home?”
“Where are you?” Judy sounded angry, but Claire had no idea who the anger was directed at.
Claire looked at the store’s half-lit sign reigning over the parking lot. “Toby’s Quick Stop…a convenience store, but I don’t know the add—”
“I know where it’s at,” Judy snapped. “I’ll be right there.”
The thought that her only real friend might be upset with her made Claire cry harder. The clerk looked past his customer and nodded as Claire walked out the door. There was still no way on God’s green earth she would get back in the car, so she stood by the ice box in her too-thin coat; shivering, crying—and unfortunately, thinking.
How could she have been so foolish? Was she inclined to let men make her feel like this?
Bryan Dyer said the most demeaning things to her that anybody had ever said. Even intoxicated, he made the reason for dating her all too clear.
And then there was Tim, Spencer’s dad. He treated her like nothing—used her, tossed her aside, and never looked back.
But Mason…Mason had at least looked back. He cared about his actions enough to want to make amends. In too many ways to count.
Judy’s old Impala pulled into the parking lot beside her brother’s car. The tears Claire had just about managed to stem once again threatened to flow. What would her friend say to her?
The sound of Judy’s car door slamming shut did nothing to alleviate Claire’s anxiety. With her heart pounding, Claire watched Judy walk to the passenger door of Bryan’s car. After what seemed to Claire like an exceptionally long look into the window, Judy turned to her.
“Where are his keys?” Her clipped voice didn’t bode well for Claire.
“I have them.” Claire reached into her jacket pocket and pulled them out.
“Good,” Judy proclaimed. “He can stay right where he is and figure out how to get himself and his car home tomorrow. It’s not supposed to get too cold tonight.”
Claire stood with a mixture of relief and wonder as her friend walked to her. “He’s your brother.”
Judy slid an arm around Claire’s waist. “You’re my sister. I love you, Claire, and as much as I love Bryan, I would never stand by and let him hurt you.”
A sob broke through as Claire turned to embrace the woman who had saved her more than once. “I love you, too.”
They stood that way for a few minutes, with Judy patting Claire’s back. Finally, Judy stepped back. “You’re freezing, Claire. Let’s get you out of this cold air.”
Judy took her hand, and Claire let herself be led to the car. Judy stood there until Claire was safely buckled in before she went around and got into the driver’s seat.
“I’m sorry for whatever my brother said or did,” Judy told her once they were on their way. “He didn’t use to drink like this. It’s not an excuse or anything, but I think being overseas for so long changed him. I’m just sorry I ever encouraged you to date him.”
Claire drew a ragged breath. “It’s not your fault. I’m obviously only good for one thing when it comes to men.” She laughed humorlessly. “Everyone has to have a talent, right? Mine is to have sex with a man who has his pants on and is halfway out the door before my head hits the pillow. Spencer’s dad…Zoey’s dad.”
She shook her head. “You know, Zoey’s father at least tells me he’s sorry for what he did. I guess that’s something. And do you know what he wants?” Claire didn’t wait for Judy to answer. “To spend time with his daughter. That’s all. But I was so selfish and spiteful, I told him he could be like a friend and see her occasionally. I might tell Zoey someday that he was her father. So he hired an attorney and is ready to take me to court to get what he asked for, maybe more. But now he won’t even be able to do that because it will kill Spencer.”
Judy’s brow furrowed in confusion as she glanced at Claire. “How can anything to do with Zoey’s father ever hurt Spencer?” Her eyes suddenly grew wide. “Holy guacamole, Claire. Zoey looks just like him, doesn’t she? Mason Wright is Zoey’s father.” She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Oh, Claire, what happened?”
Claire shrugged. “Spence was gone. I had a few drinks with some of the people at work—you know who I mean. I never drink, so it hit me pretty hard. When I got home, Mason was waiting to talk to me about Spencer. Somehow, it ended up with us kissing. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up and saw him leaving in such a hurry he didn’t even put all his clothes back on.”
“I’m so sorry.” Judy’s eyes glistened in the lights of an oncoming car.
“That’s okay.” Claire looked out the window. “Like I said, I have a special talent. Evidently, I don’t even have to be aware of what I’m doing to make it work.”
Judy glanced at her, concern covering her features. “What are you going to do about Mason?”
“I’m going to tell him I understand now and apologize for keeping his daughter from him.” That was all she could do. “And then I hope he doesn’t hurt my son.”
“Two weeks until Christmas, Mason!” Abby Gaines cheerfully announced as she entered his room.
“Don’t remind me.” He saw that she was carrying a box. “What do you have there?”
“Your room needs livening up.” She set the box on the floor and pulled a small artificial tree out of it. It was decorated with tiny, plastic catchers’ mitts, with a larger one placed on top.
Mason laughed in spite of himself.
“And now we’re going Christmas shopping!”
“Just how do you think we’re going to do that?” He shouldn’t have been surprised by her idea. This w
as Abby, after all. “Even if we could figure out a way for you to haul me around, I’d be knocking over displays right and left with my legs sticking out.”
She pulled the bag she was carrying off her shoulder and removed her coat before she plopped onto the chair closest to him. “It’s called the Internet and expedited shipping.” She pulled a tablet computer out of the bag. “Now, who are we shopping for first?”
Unable to resist Abby’s cheerful mood, Mason found himself getting caught up in the holiday spirit. He grabbed his wallet and managed to pull out his credit card.
“Spencer,” he told her. “Let’s find something for Spence.”
“Just a second.” Abby set the tablet down and stood up. He watched in amazement as she moved her arms and hips in a circular motion. “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I get to max out somebody else’s credit card!” She dusted off her hands and sat back down, retrieving the computer.
He was afraid to ask. “What was that all about?”
“That’s the happy dance Em and I do when we’re really excited about something.” Her gaze shifted upward for a few moments before returning to him. “I think the last time we did it was the day we found out Bo ditched that evil witch, Liz, and was hooking up with Jan. We knew those two were meant for each other—even before they did.”
Somehow, Mason didn’t doubt that for one minute.
“So, back to Spencer,” she said. “What do you want to get for him? Any ideas?”
He knew exactly what he wanted to give Spencer. “He likes the video game system Seth’s grandma got for him a while back. Is it still available, or will they have already come out with a newer version?”
She wrinkled her button nose. With her head full of blonde curls and blue eyes, she was not only the perfect match for Brody, but she was also just plain cute. “I don’t know which system Seth has, but how about if I pull up a page with different ones on it, and you can just pick out the one you think he’d like?”
“That’ll work.”
Abby tapped some keys on the screen and soon had several choices for Mason to look at. She scrolled down the page as he carefully looked them over, trying to decide which one Spence would enjoy the most.
Believe Me (Hearts for Ransom Book 3) Page 10