by Amanda Boone
“Oh, I’m so sure she’s taught so much in one week.”
I slapped my hand down on the table, rattling the plates and glasses and drawing eyes to us. I leaned down until he could hear me clearly but no one else would. “I don’t know what your issue is, but I suggest you put it aside for the sake of Mason. He’s a sweet kid, but he hasn’t opened his mouth once all week. He holds my hand while we walk and has taken to smiling at me but he still won’t speak. Something is going on with him, whether you like it or not.
“As for Mrs. Hill’s curriculum…it may be a small school, but we’ve received an A rating for the past seven years. It’s an advanced curriculum. If he gets behind it’ll be hard to catch him up. Do you really want him to be seven in kindergarten next year? Twenty when he graduates high school?”
I took a deep breath and shook my head. “I know it seems dramatic, but you haven’t heard the way he screams in class. It’s heartbreaking. I just want to help, and it’ll be a whole lot easier if I don’t have you behind the scenes fighting me constantly.”
When I paused, Justin took off his hat and rubbed his hands down his face roughly. I wasn’t completely finished yet, though. “And you should be nicer to your dates. That was really rude of you.”
5.
Justin stormed out of the bar and left a crowd of Martinsville’s finest citizens staring at my table. I’d known a lot of them my whole life, and I knew they’d never seen me act out of character.
My face was bright red, and I suddenly didn’t want to be in public. I looked across at Amanda, whose mouth was hanging open. “I have to go. I’m sorry for that.”
She snapped her jaw together and shook her head. “Don’t apologize. It was amazing. You’ll have to tell me the whole story later.”
I nodded. “Sometime. I’m completely sober now. You want a ride home?”
“I’m going to stay and try to forget what a crappy week this has been.”
I moved around the table and hugged her. “Call me if you need anything tonight.”
I left the bar quickly and retreated to my car. I glanced over at my passenger seat, which was full of paperwork for school. It just reminded me of Mason and made me sad. I’d handled Justin poorly. I should’ve been calm and nice, but I was so stressed about Mason not being okay that I’d let anger build in me all week until it’d lashed out in an ugly way.
I drove home to my apartment and groaned when I spotted my mom’s silhouette in the doorway of the staircase that led up to my front door. I wasn’t ready to deal with anything else.
Before I could even get out of my car, she was talking at me. “What are you wearing, Sara Jane? Your clothes are too tight. You’re supposed to hide some things. You’ve got every curve on your body showing right now.”
I looked down and shrugged. I was a curvy woman. It wasn’t that big of a deal if it showed. Not to me, anyway.
“I heard you were with that Justin Steele again. I don’t think he’s good for you, Sara. He’s vulgar and rude. He’s been seen with a different woman every night. I don’t want you to be one of those women.”
I forced myself to remain calm. “Of course not, Mom. I’m not interested in Justin. I’ve been working with his son, Mason. That’s the only thing we were talking about.”
She nodded. “Good. Keep it that way.”
I knew what was coming when she clasped her hands together and her face transformed into a grin. “I found the perfect guy for you, Sara. I’m so excited about this.”
I just stared at her. It was getting harder and harder to remain sweet.
“He’s my friend’s son. He’s been out of town on business, but he just got back. His name is Walter Williams. He wants to go out with you. He’s free tomorrow night.”
If I opened my mouth I was going to lose it. I went with shaking my head instead.
“Now, honey, you’re twenty-five. It’s time to settle down. Be ready tomorrow at six-thirty. He’ll pick you up then.”
She marched off quickly to avoid any protest I might’ve had. I just stood there, staring after her.
I let myself into my apartment and sat down on my couch. My head had started throbbing at some point, and it was all I could do to sit up. Finally I gave up and fell over into my soft pillows. The pillows that mom had suggested looked too colorful.
I shut my brain off and let my eyes close. I needed to rest before I tried to do anything else.
***
The next day I felt more energized but no less annoyed with my life. I was once again getting ready for a date that I didn’t want to go on with a man that I was probably going to hate. I was twenty-five. Yet I was living like I was still in high school. Mom and her rules were still controlling me.
An urge to fight back in any way that I could settled in my bones, and I decided to wear something that I liked instead of what mom liked. She wanted me to cover my body completely, until maybe no one could tell I was curvy. I liked to wear cute clothes and show off the fact that I was a woman with a soft body.
I wore a peach-colored, lace-fit, and flare dress that stopped several inches above my knees. Nude wedge heels and gold bangles finished the outfit. I even curled my hair and did a nice smoky eye.
I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. I looked good. Sexy, even. Mom would absolutely hate it.
At six-thirty exactly Walter Williams showed up. When I opened my door, his grin died the second he saw me. I watched as his eyes went to my hips, and he shook his head just a bit before looking back up at my eyes.
I wanted to punch him already. “Hi. I’m Sara.”
He introduced himself and then led me to his car. “I haven’t been back in town for long, but I’ve tried the bar called Hank’s and it’s really good. Is that okay with you?”
I bit my lip and nodded. Once again I’d be sorely overdressed. At least I’d look good this time, I thought bitterly. I hadn’t planned on showing my face at Hank’s so soon, but I didn’t see a way to avoid it.
The same as the night before, the bar was full. Walter scored us a table after waiting for a few minutes and then we sat down. There’d been no conversation yet. My skin was practically crawling from how uncomfortable it was. I decided right then and there that I’d gone on my last blind date for my mom. She could go to hell.
Walter kept glancing at my breasts and then down at my stomach before looking away. It was obvious he had an issue with my weight. Normally I wouldn’t care, but I’d spent time and effort on looking good. He was looking at me like I was morbidly obese. Not that his looks would be acceptable even if I was.
When the waiter came to get our order, I saw that he was a kid from the high school. He looked at me and grinned. “Damn, Miss Sara. You clean up nice!”
I laughed and shook my head. “Thank you, Trevor. That’s sweet of you.”
“You know, I graduate this year.”
Walter cleared his throat and frowned. “I don’t see how this is appropriate.”
I barely hid my eye roll. “Do you know what you’d like to eat?”
“I’ll take the classic burger with cheese. Sara, um, why don’t you get the salad?”
It wasn’t the first time it’d happened, but having it happen in front of a student set my cheeks on fire. Anger followed embarrassment quickly, and I looked up at Trevor. “Will you hold off on putting an order in?”
He nodded and winked at me before moving away.
Walter crossed his arms over his chest. “I was ready to order some food.”
I nodded and kept my voice steady. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know how my mom always finds men that prefer thin women. It’s obvious that you don’t like my curves and that’s fine. You’re not going to look at me in disgust and order a salad for me, though. I don’t need it.”
He raised his eyebrows and sat back in his chair. “What do you need, then?”
“Someone who appreciates me. Not this.” I was about to say more when I felt little arms trying to wrap around me. I looked dow
n and there was Mason.
It was early still, so plenty of families were still in Hank’s, enjoying the food before the drinks got going. I was still surprised to see Mason, though. I leaned down and wrapped my arms around him and grinned when he looked up at me.
“Hi! I didn’t think I’d see you this weekend! Did you miss me?”
His answering smile and nod melted my heart.
“Come on, Sara. Clearly you’re not happy with your weight either. You practically throw yourself at people for attention. I just think that if you weren’t fat, you’d be nicer.”
He did not say the f word. I wasn’t fat! That was the kicker. I looked down at Mason and swallowed my angry words. “I’m going to make sure he gets back to his dad. Why don’t you settle the bill for us?”
“Really? Now you’re going to dramatically end the meal? What a waste of time. I should’ve known something was wrong when your mom gave me money to cover dinner.”
My face burned when I heard what he said, and I balled my free fist up. I wanted to hit him so badly.
Mason tugged at my other hand and I let him pull me away. He led me to the other side of the bar and right up to his dad. I nearly cried on the spot when I saw that it was clearly a family get-together.
6.
There were two men sitting next to Justin, a few years younger than him but, other than that, almost identical looking. An older couple sat in front of them, and the man looked just like Justin as well. A big family of great genes, just what I needed to face after being called fat on a date.
They all looked up at me at the same time, and my blush burned brighter. “Sorry to interrupt. Mason found me and I’m guessing he wanted to introduce me to his beautiful family.”
The woman clapped her hands together and grinned. “Oh, that’s so sweet of you to say! You’re Sara Jane, right? I know your father through the Chamber.”
I nodded and forced a smile to my face, despite how badly I felt like crying. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Mason’s counselor at school.”
Justin snorted and threw back whatever was in his glass. I focused on breathing in and out through my nose while clenching my jaw.
“I’m Mary, and this is my husband, Paul Steele, mason’s grandparents. You know Justin, I’m sure. This troublemaker in the middle is my son Devon. The one buried in his phone at the end is Avery.”
Avery’s eyes snapped up and landed on me. “Hey. I recognize you. You were a few years younger than me in school.”
I smiled and tilted my head to the side. I was embarrassed that I didn’t remember him.
Mary giggled and covered her mouth with a napkin. “Honey, it looks like you didn’t leave an impression.”
“I’m so sorry! Honestly, I was so stuck in my books in school, I barely saw anyone.”
He stood up and reached out to shake my hand. “Well, then. Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Avery, and the pleasure it all mine, Sara.”
The middle brother laughed. “I’ll be damned. When you walked over here, I wasn’t sure you could get any redder, yet you just did.”
I was going to die of shame. They were all staring at me, even Justin.
“Why were you so red? Did you get a sunburn today? You weren’t that red last night.”
Mary groaned. “Surely you didn’t, Justin. Please, tell me you didn’t already sleep with Mason’s counselor.”
I shook my head so hard my hair flew around my face. “No, ma’am. Never. Not in a million years.”
Avery laughed and slapped his knee. “Wow. Justin, I don’t think you have a chance.”
I quickly spoke up to avoid that line of conversation. “I actually didn’t get a sunburn. My mom sent me on another blind date and it’s not going well.”
Mason tugged on his dad’s hand and then leaned in to whisper something. I found myself leaning in, desperate to hear his little voice.
Suddenly Justin stood up and glared past me. “Not going well, my ass. He can’t treat you that way!”
Mason held my hand as Justin stormed off. Mary gasped and spun around to try to see what her son was doing.
Devon sighed. “Here we go. Sara, Mom, will you keep an eye on Mason? I’ve got to go make sure big brother doesn’t break his fingers on someone’s nose.”
Avery followed quickly after both of his brothers.
I looked at Mary with wide eyes. “What are they doing?”
She frowned. “My sons have never been slow to protect someone’s honor. Did your date say something in front of Mason?”
I blinked a few times and then groaned. “Yes. He called me fat. Is that what you told your daddy, Mason?”
He nodded. “That’s not a nice thing to say.”
I knelt in front of him and wrapped my arms around him. “You’re right. You’re so right.”
I had to blink back tears of happiness that he was finally talking to me. I pulled back so I could look him in the eye. “I’m so glad you’re speaking to me, Mason.”
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I think you’re pretty.”
Mary cooed at us over the sound of a fight erupting on the other side of the place. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that a crowd was forming. I wanted to get Mary and Mason out of there right away.
“Thank you, Mason. Now, let’s go on one of our walks. Mary, would you like to come with us? Paul?”
She smiled at us and shook her head. “I’m fine, honey. I’m used to those boys. Rowdy since the day they were born. Mason doesn’t need to see anything, though. I’ll tell Justin you took him outside.”
I nodded and scooped Mason up in my arms. He wrapped his arms around my neck and held on while I rushed us out through the kitchen and then the back door of the place. The parking lot out back was dark and Mason’s grip on me tightened, so I quickly carried us around the side of the building and then across the street to the little park.
It was a sad excuse for a park, with just one swing and a slide. Mason seemed excited, though. He was back to being quiet, but there was a real smile on his face.
I kept an eye on the front of the building and had to remind myself to breath while waiting on Justin to leave the bar. My heart was pounding. I didn’t want him to get into a fight for me. Just the night before I was afraid we would be fighting. I felt guilty and embarrassed.
I gasped as the door flew open and Devon and Avery came out, pulling a furious-looking Justin after them. Mary and Paul walked out casually after them, like it was just a normal day.
I heard Devon tell Justin to get it together before Mason saw him like that. I looked down at Mason and saw that he was watching. I got on his level and touched his cheek with my hand.
“Hey, you okay?”
He frowned. “Daddy’s mad.”
I nodded. “Sometimes grown-ups get mad and turn all red and do silly things. He’s not mad at you, though. He’ll calm down in just a second.”
He looked past me and then back at me. “Daddy needs a walk to calm down.”
I nearly laughed. I had to bite my tongue to hold it in. Finally, I nodded. “You know what? Maybe he does.”
“You’ll go on a walk with Daddy?”
“Oh! You meant a walk with me? Um…”
“Of course she’ll go on a walk with me, Mason. Will you be good for Grandma if you stay with her tonight?”
I looked back toward Justin and couldn’t meet his eyes. Instead, I looked back at his family and forced a smile. “I’ll let you two talk.”
Justin caught my arm and leaned in close. “Don’t run, princess.”
I bared my teeth at him before I could help it and marched over to his parents. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked back at him. He was infuriating.
“Sorry, Avery. I don’t think you’ve got a chance with the counselor.” Devon clapped his little brother on the back and laughed when he saw my confused face. “You haven’t looked twice at me or Avery. It seems your eyes are drawn elsewhere.”
Mary slapped Devon on the
back of the head. “Leave her alone. Don’t pay any attention to him, Sara. I raised wild animals instead of sons.”
I laughed, but it caught in my throat when I saw Walter walk out of the bar. He was holding an icepack to his face and flipped me off when he saw me.
His mouth twisted into a sneer, and I knew he was going to say something awful. “Tell your mom that she’ll have to pay a lot more to get people to date her fat daughter after this.”
Devon and Avery bristled beside me, but I put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Don’t.”
They stilled, thank god. If they’d actually tried to go after him, there was no way I’d be able to stop them. They each towered over me.
Devon turned to me and nodded to Walter. “Your mom really do that?”
I looked down at my toenails. They were painted pink and seemed a waste at that point of the night. “Apparently so. I guess she’s desperate for me to be married off. I didn’t realize quite how desperate, though.”
Mary pulled me into a sudden hug. “Sweetie, if you need anything, we’re here for you. You seem too sweet for this to be something you have to deal with. Don’t listen to that little shit, either. You’re beautiful. It seems at least one of my sons is having a hard time keeping his eyes off you.”
I looked behind me to see Justin walking toward us with Mason in his arms. His eyes were heated and on my ass. I spun around and put my hands on my hips.
“Eyes up, pal.”
He looked at my chest and grinned. “No problem.”
Mary sighed. “Animals. I raised a pack of animals. This is your fault, Paul. You did this.”
Justin handed Mason to his dad and ruffled his son’s hair. “Be good for them, Mason. I’ll see you in the morning before church, okay? I love you.”
Mason smiled at his dad. “I love you, too, Daddy. Bye, Miss Sara. Don’t forget to walk Daddy.”
I laughed at the same time as Devon and Avery. Justin smacked his two brothers and then casually draped an arm across my shoulders. I looked up at him and rolled my eyes. Maybe if he thought I wasn’t affected, he’d lay off. I needed a break.