A woman with wildly curly hair and coke bottle glasses walked out to meet them. She wore a khaki shirt and matching shorts with the sanctuary name on her shirt. Waving enthusiastically, she welcomed them.
“Welcome to the Costa Rican Sloth Sanctuary.”
“What is a sanitary?” Mariah asked.
“Sanctuary, you mean,” Chrissy corrected.
The woman looked at Mariah and said, “A sanctuary is a place where an animal can be safe. They can live here and know that they will be cared for and no hunters will kill them.”
“This is a nice place,” Mariah said.
“Are you ready to see some sloths?” she asked.
Mariah squealed and clapped her hands.
“I think that is a yes,” Chrissy said to the woman.
“Well, you guys picked the best day to come to visit. Do you know what day today is?”
Mariah bit her lip and looked to the sky. “Monday?”
It was actually Wednesday.
The woman shook her head. “It’s bath day,” she said, excitedly.
Mariah wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like bath day.”
“It is an important day for the sloths. They get a bath, hung out to dry then a treat of hibiscus flowers. It’s their favorite. Do you want to see some sloths getting their baths?”
“Yes!” Mariah yelled.
“Let’s go.”
They followed the woman into the structure. Immediately the smell of mint, eucalyptus and water hit Chrissy’s nose. They walked past a sloth dozing in a hammock completely oblivious of visitors. They approached a few women who stood in front of a few colorful tubs. Inside floated a green sludge over water.
“What is that green stuff?” Mariah asked.
“That is a mix of different kinds of leaves mashed up to make sure the sloths are clean.”
“Oh.”
One of the women in front of the tubs picked up a baby sloth and lowered him into the tub. He had a lazy smile on his face. She gently covered him in the leaves mush then rinsed him off. She took him over to a nearby row of bars and hung him from there.
Turning toward them, she said, “We have to hang him out to dry.” She smiled then looked at Mariah. “Do you want to help me wash the next one?”
Mariah looked at Chrissy. “Can I, Mama?”
“Go ahead. It’s a baby, so be gentle.”
With a serious expression on her face she nodded then approached the woman as she dipped the next one in the tub. Chrissy watched as Mariah gently helped wash the sloth in the tub. Taking out her phone, Chrissy took pictures. A few touches of her phone and she sent a few pictures to Talia. Her phone immediately vibrated in her hand.
Talia: Is that what I think it is?
Chrissy: A sloth.
Talia: Dammit! I wanna go!
Chrissy: I know that’s why I sent it to you.
Talia: Bitch.
“Did you want to hold a sloth?” the woman who ran the place asked Chrissy.
“Uhm…I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Go ahead, sweetheart. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“Ok, then.”
The woman took the sleeping sloth they’d walked by earlier out of his hammock. He opened one eye.
“Ok. So, this is Dash. You want to hold him just like you would if you were burping a baby,” she instructed as she hung Dash onto her.
Chrissy tensed as he hung there.
“Relax. I think he likes you,” the woman said.
Max got his phone out and put Talia on FaceChat.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Talia’s voice had all heads turning.
“Hey, Tally!” Chrissy said.
“This is why that fucker Max called? What an ass!” Talia turned from the phone and yelled, “Your friend is an ass.”
“I know,” Zeke said from off screen.
“Thanks! I take that as a compliment from you, Talia,” Max said into the phone.
“Turn the phone away from your face. I want to see that cutie patootie sloth. Zeke! We have to do this. I am demanding it before we have this kid,” she yelled again.
“I’m not sure if I can pull that off sweetie, but I can try.”
“What is he doing?” Talia asked as she squinted toward the phone.
“Oh!” The woman said.
“What’s happening, Max?” Chrissy asked.
“I don’t know.”
Chrissy saw Zeke’s face now on the phone. “Oh, I think I know what he is doing.” Zeke whispered something in Talia’s ear that made her smirk.
“I don’t want to do that.” She continued to smirk.
Chrissy started looking around at the workers staring. “What the hell is happening right now?”
“I think Dash really likes you. He’s mating with you.”
“What do you mean he’s mating with me?” she asked.
“He’s humping you really slowly,” Talia said.
“I haven’t even gotten to do that yet,” Max mumbled a bit too loudly.
“What? You haven’t?” Talia asked. “What the hell is going on down there?”
“Shut up, Talia! Can you please remove Dash now?” Chrissy pleaded toward the woman.
“Uhm…I’m not sure I can.” She watched then nodded her head. “Now, I can.”
Dash had an extremely happy face as she took him back to his hammock.
“I guess we know why he’s named Dash,” Talia said laughing into the phone.
Chrissy looked down and there was a stain on her shirt. Gross! One of the workers handed her a napkin to wipe her shirt off but it just spread it.
“Thanks,” she said handing the napkin back to them.
“I’m going to say thank you for letting me watch that sloth hump you. I’m just going to say that I hope Max won’t be that quick when you finally do it.”
Max ended the call without a goodbye.
“Mama, what is on your shirt?” Mariah asked trying to touch her shirt.
Chrissy grabbed her hand. “It’s sloth drool. It’s gross. You don’t want to touch it.”
“Ok.”
They spent another hour touring the sanctuary and seeing different sloths. The babies were the most adorable. More than once Mariah tried to convince Chrissy to take one home. As they finished their visit, they left the way they came passing Dash on their way. He had a look of ecstasy on his face as Chrissy passed by.
Max leaned toward her after they were buckled in the Jeep. “I promise I will not be that fast.”
Chrissy smacked his chest. He laughed as she crossed her arms over her chest. She could feel the now stiff part of her shirt from sloth jizz.
Chapter 32
Just another Deadbeat Dad
“Mama, how long do we have to wait?” Mariah asked as she fiddled with her dress.
Chrissy tensed. She’d been waiting with Mariah for close to a half an hour. Ben had been late for their dinner, so she expected the same from him. However, there was no sign of him and waiting with a six-year-old was a special kind of torture.
“He will be here soon, sweetie. Just be patient, ok?” Chrissy pasted on a smile.
“Ok, but I’m getting hungry.”
“I know, sweetie.”
“Hey, you two! What are you waiting for?” James asked.
Jeremiah gave her a look and looked around the area outside of the restaurant. He had a grimace on his face.
“We are waiting to get breakfast,” Mariah said. “I’m getting really hungry.”
“Why don’t we wait with you?” Jeremiah said.
Mariah shrugged. “Ok.”
James looked between Chrissy and Jeremiah, then turned to Mariah. “Do you want to go look at the big fish over there with me? We won’t be far from your mom.”
“Can I, Mama?”
“Go ahead.” Chrissy watched Mariah put her hand in James’ and walk over to the indoor koi pond.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Jeremiah asked.
Jeremiah gave her an exasperated look. “Seriously? Ben is meeting Mariah today.”
“Max called you.” Chrissy crossed her arms.
“It should have been you. You don’t need to do everything alone. I know the boytoy is being a good future son-in-law and picking up your parents, but we are still here and could have been here with you.”
“Future what?”
A mischievous look flashed in his eyes. “It’s only a matter of time. Anyway, we are here now, and we will wait with you.” Jeremiah looked down at his watch. “What time was he supposed to be here?”
“A half hour ago.”
Jeremiah ground his teeth together. “How much longer are you going to wait?”
The elevator ding drew their attention. Chrissy took a deep breath waiting to see who arrived. It unloaded a few of the other crew members but still no Ben. She glanced over toward Mariah and James looking at the fish. She knew what she had to do. It wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Would you and James take Mariah to breakfast? I need to handle something.”
Jeremiah smirked. “We can do that. Go take care of what you need to take care of.”
“Mariah!” Chrissy called. Mariah ran over to her. “Jeremiah and James are going to take you to breakfast. Are you ok with that?”
“YES!” She squealed.
Chrissy laughed then bent down giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I will see you in a bit. I need to take care of something.”
“Ok, Mama.” Mariah turned to James and asked, “Can I get chocolate chip pancakes with extra chocolate sauce?”
James glanced at Chrissy then said, “You bet. In fact, I am going to get them as well.”
“Make that three,” Jeremiah said taking Mariah’s hand.
Chrissy watched the three of them walk hand in hand into the restaurant. Once they were lost to the interior of the restaurant, she marched over to the reception desk. The woman was on the phone, so she waited patiently.
Hanging up the phone the woman gave her a warm smile. “How can I help you, Ms. Benson?”
“Hi, Serena. Could I have the number of the room for Mr. McGee?”
“No problem. He is in room 230.”
“Thank you.”
Marching over to the elevator she pushed the up button. The lobby was surprisingly quiet for the time of day. The elevator opened, letting her step in. Pushing the button for the second floor, words floated through her head. How could he stand up their daughter? What was so important that he couldn’t meet his daughter for the first time? Who did he think he was fucking with her kid? In the short elevator ride, she’d riled herself up so much she was clenching her fists.
When the elevators opened to the second floor, she stepped out with the sole mission of kicking some wannabe movie star ass. She followed the signs toward his room. As she approached, she noticed the room service tray outside of his room. What an asshole!
Throwing away all pretense of civility she banged on the door. She listened as silence met her. Banging on the door even harder echoed down the hall. Looking around she expected an angry shout to her banging. When the door didn’t open, she banged again with her fists. Her anger was at a nuclear level. If she didn’t kill Ben, it would be his lucky day. She finally heard footsteps behind the door.
“What the bloody hell?” Ben answered the door.
“Oh, you don’t get to be angry you piece of shit,” Chrissy spat.
“What are you doing here?” Ben asked. He’d answered the door in just a pair of boxers. Clearly, he’d forgotten about Mariah.
“Did you forget something today, Ben?” Chrissy’s voice came out surprisingly calm. She should reward herself later for it.
His brow furrowed. “No.”
“You are a lousy piece of shit. The one time you are going to meet your daughter you flake out. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
His eyes grew wide when realization finally hit him.
“I can get dressed quick.” He moved to go back into the room. Chrissy stopped the door with her hand.
“You lost your chance, Ben. I’m not setting Mariah up for another disappointment. If you truly wanted to meet her you would have had your shit together this morning. I’d ask what kept you but honestly, I don’t care. I knew you were going to do this and you sure as shit didn’t disappoint.” Chrissy moved to leave.
“Wait! I really do want to meet the wee one.”
“Bullshit. You don’t care. If you did then nothing would have kept you from meeting her.”
A female hand ran over Ben’s bicep. “Ben, come back to bed. You need to finish what you started.”
Chrissy’s eyes almost bulged out of her head. Jane Foster was rubbing on Ben like a cat in heat.
Ben tapped her hand then said, “Not now, love. I need to take care of this.”
“I know what you have to take care of, Benny. I heard everything.” Jane looked at Chrissy. “You want to know what kept him from your daughter, my pussy.”
Chrissy felt bile rise in her throat. She looked from Jane to Ben. Completely disgusted she walked toward the elevator. Pushing the down arrow a million times didn’t make the elevator appear when she needed it to.
“Chrissy, I want to meet Miranda,” Ben said.
Why the hell did he have to be her dead-beat dad? He really was stupid. “I don’t think so, Ben.”
“Don’t try to keep my daughter away from me.” A threat lingered in his voice.
“Excuse me? What the fuck do you think you are going to do? You haven’t been in her life ever. You threw me away when I told you I was pregnant.”
“I’ve discovered I may want to be a father now.”
Her blood boiled. She stepped within a hair’s breadth of him. “Listen to me, you sorry mother fucker. You don’t get to choose when you want to be a parent. You either are one or you aren’t. If you try to threaten me again, I will have your balls.”
Just in time the elevator opened. She stepped in.
Ben stopped the door with his hand. “I know a lot of powerful people who would take my side over yours. Don’t make me destroy you and take Miranda. I can and will if you don’t let me see her. Think about it. Is it worth being my enemy?”
Chrissy pushed the door close button then pushed the button for her floor. She watched the doors close on his smug face. Oh, how she just wanted to bash it in with something heavy.
Ben’s words floated through her head. Everything around her became blurry as her tears pooled in her eyes. She needed to hold it together until she got to her room. Once there with no one to see her she could break down.
A million questions ran through her head. Why would he want to take Mariah? He didn’t even know her damn name. What did he mean he wanted to be a father now? He had every chance to be one but chose not to be. Could he really take Mariah from her? She would never let that happen. He’d have to kill her to get her.
The elevator opened to her floor. It was quiet as she sped down to her door. She opened the door and ran to her room. Like when she was a teenager, she threw herself on the bed she now shared with Max. Her tears poured out with each sob. She cradled Max’s pillow. His smell calmed her. She was scared. What was she going to do now?
Chapter 33
Reality is a Really Bad Nightmare
“Chrissy? Sweetheart, are you ok?” Max’s voice broke through the nightmare she’d been having.
“Max?”
“Yes, honey. What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “It was nothing. I just had a horrible dream where Ben threatened to go to court and get custody of Mariah.”
Max furrowed his brow. “What do you mean he wants custody?”
“In my dream, he didn’t meet Mariah and I for breakfast. I left Mariah with Jeremiah and James to get breakfast then went to Ben’s room. Apparently, he and Jane Foster have some fling. Then he threatened to take Mariah, who he kept calling Miranda. My brain is so messed up. I’m glad tha
t was only a dream. Are you leaving to pick up my parents now?”
There was a mix of fury and sadness on Max’s face. “Sweetheart, I already picked up your parents. It wasn’t a dream. Did Ben really do that?”
Chrissy sat up and looked down at her clothes. Tears welled in her eyes. Max pulled her toward him. She began crying all over again. “Max, I can’t let him take her. I just can’t.”
Max caressed the back of her head. “Shh…I won’t let him take her. He won’t get to see her more than you want him to. I will protect you two. I love the both of you.”
She sniffed then pulled her head from his chest to look him in the eye. “This isn’t your problem, though. You could walk away now and not have to deal with all the baggage that comes with a single mom.”
He looked like she’d just slapped him. “Excuse me? Your problems are my problems. I just wish I’d have been there when you confronted him.”
“Why?”
A devilish grin curved his lips. “I’d have loved to see you tell that douche like it was.”
“It was pretty spectacular.” A watery laugh escaped her.
“I bet.” He pulled her close kissing her head. “I love you, Chrissy.”
She felt it. His love was like a warm towel after a shower. It enveloped her making her feel safe. Sitting there with his strong arms around her, she felt they could take on the world. A thought struck, and she pulled back from him again.
“Oh, my God, where is Mariah?”
He smiled. “She’s with your parents. When we came back to the room with your parents James and Jeremiah had been trying to get you to answer the door. I let everyone in and checked on you. I didn’t know what happened except that you were sleeping. I told everyone I thought you might be sick. Your mom offered to take Mariah to the pool. Your dad, Jeremiah and James offered to go swimming, too. They are all down at the pool.”
“Ok. God, I can’t believe asking about her wasn’t the first thing out of my mouth. Maybe he should get her taken away from me. I’m clearly unfit.”
“Shut up! You are the most attentive mother I’ve ever met. You had a rough morning. Your body needed its rest. Are you feeling up to going to the pool?”
Scandal (Dirty Laundry Book 2) Page 18