“Saving a whore from her boyfriend was pretty fucking stupid.”
“I still can’t believe she jumped me after I saved her like that.”
“How’s your head?”
Moot rubs the top of his head and rustles up his wild blond hairs. “Still got a knot where she nailed me with the beer bottle. Cunt testified against me too. What a bitch.”
“I offered to take care of her.”
“Killing chicks is cold, man.”
“So is ruining the guy that helped her out.”
“True.”
“Well you’re out, and I’ll get you set up.”
“No handouts. I’m willing to work.”
“Stop acting like a prison bitch.”
Moot gives me a dirty look, but I know he’s dying to grin. Freedom feels golden. The fucker even looks ready to stick his head out of the window like a happy dog.
We arrive at the same steak house where I often bring Candy. It’s one of the few places where I can sit comfortably. Their back booth fits me perfectly, and I stretch out while Moot looks over the menu.
“The ribs are good,” I say when he can’t decide. “They have a new honey sauce you’ll like since you’re too big a sissy to handle the hickory stuff.”
“I gotta warn you that I’m gonna pig the fuck out.”
“I figured. Do what you need to do.”
Moot orders so much food I end up laughing at him. Despite his company, I find myself thinking of Candy back at the office. She’s been playing things chilly since we had lunch. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s pissed about me fucking other women. All of her talk about not needing romance is a con. She wants the fairy tale shit.
I probably shouldn’t have lied about fucking other chicks, but Candy is always knocking me off my game. She can smile in my direction, and I instantly turn into a complete fucking moron. I hate her for having that power, so I told her what she needed to hear. Now she knows she isn’t holding all the cards.
Based on our kiss, she’s still open to my interest. Based on how quickly she rebounded after the kiss and teased Moot, she’s capable of blowing me off for good.
“How long has Candy been in town?”
“A few weeks,” I say, startled to hear her name.
“She and Honey weren’t close. I remember that much.”
“Nothing’s changed really. You know broads, though. They want to fix what should be left alone.”
Moot shrugs. Soon he’s enjoying his food too much to get hung up on Honey and their history. I’m glad because I have no interest in rehashing that train wreck.
“I have a few construction crews you can hook up with. Once you’re back in the swing of shit, I’ll give you a crew to run. Unless you have other career plans.”
“I don’t care where I work.”
“Where are you looking to live?”
“Can’t I stay with you?” he asks, laughing with his mouth full. “Fuck. I’m going to choke.”
Rolling my eyes at his teasing, I say, “I have empty houses. Or an apartment if you don’t want to live surrounded by old people and families.”
“I’ll stay at a hotel until I buy shit to go in my place.”
“On me.”
“Don’t overdo it, Guster,” Moot says, using the ridiculous nickname he gave me years ago. “You’ll come off pathetic.”
“I’ll just rough up a few little kids and get my asshole cred back.”
Moot grins. “I noticed pictures of kids on Candy’s desk. Tell me you’re not banging someone’s mom.”
“You need to stop asking about her.”
“What the fuck else am I going to ask about? Your dad? Naw, you’ll tell me he’s alive and leave it at that. If I ask about your business, you’ll say you’re solvent. You’re not an open fucking book.”
“Fair enough, but talking about Candy isn’t on the day’s schedule either so shut the fuck up.”
Moot nods and returns to enjoying his meal. I lean back and think about Candy’s flavor. I remember her intensity when she gripped my shirt. The woman is waiting for me to take her, and I’ve been fucking around for too damn long. Today, I sampled what Candy has to offer. Next time, I plan to take more than a damn taste.
FOURTEEN - CANDY
Hayes texts me to say he won’t be back in the office for the rest of the day. While I’m happy to know he has a friend to play with, I wish he’d return so I might know what the kiss meant.
The afternoon wears on, and I keep myself busy by going through the remaining boxes. Each slip of paper is a reminder of Hayes. I smell his cologne at times. Smell his cigars too. His presence remains in the office, making me miss him even more.
By the time I pick up the kids, I’m relieved to have their company.
“Crappy day?” I ask when they slide into the SUV.
“My teacher is an idiot,” Cricket announces, having kept her mouth shut all day. “She only pays attention to two brats and ignores the rest of us.”
“That’s probably why they act like brats,” I say, heading home on the quiet, tree-lined streets. “How about you, Chipper?”
“Some boys said I can’t be in their group because I don’t have a dad. I told them I didn’t want to be in their group because they’re lame. I said they should ask their dads how to be cooler.”
Laughing, I relish how much the kids mimic me rather than Toby. No doubt their father would obsess over getting into the one group who wouldn’t have him.
“Did that go over well?” I ask.
“They didn’t get it.”
“Well they’re idiots, and there’s no fixing that.”
“My teacher says I can be the line leader next week,” Chipper announces.
Pulling her dark hair out of the ponytail, Cricket frowns. “I want to be line leader.”
“Life never promised you a rose garden,” Chipper says, using my line. “I got the better teacher. You got…”
Cricket growls at him, and they frown at each other.
“Want to make pizza tonight?” I ask, hoping to improve their moods.
The twins stop glaring at one another and look at me. I see their heads nodding in the rearview and suspect my ploy worked.
“How much homework are we looking at?”
“A lot, but they’re the same.”
Sighing, I think the one part of parenthood I will always loathe is homework. Ideally, we could go home and chill for the night. Instead, they get a second dose of school.
I think about Hayes suggesting homeschool. I don’t know if I could swing that setup. By the second page of homework, I’ve changed my mind. I could use the meeting room for their school. They could stay with me during the day while I worked. We could go on field trips to Nashville to see the zoo and museum. Yes, it would be so much fun, and I could get out of doing homework at the end of the day.
I don’t mention my daydreaming to the kids. The likelihood of me pulling them from school and becoming their teacher feels farfetched. Hayes wouldn’t want them around all of the time. He expects me to run errands with him and check out work sites. The kids are too young to be alone. No, it wouldn’t work.
“Did you make any friends today?” I ask them once the homework is done and the pizza eaten.
Cricket gives me a pissy side glance. “At lunch, a girl asked to be my best friend. I said maybe, and she stole my fruit cup. I don’t need friends like that.”
Chipper sets up the PlayStation and hands his sister a controller.
“I told you about those boys. They said I could be their friend and then changed their minds.”
“Aren’t there any cool kids at school?”
“Yeah, but they already have friends. What do they need us for?”
Shaking my head, I can’t believe how easily they’ve given up. “You’re the cool new kids. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with you?”
The twins frown at me, and I can’t help smiling at how much they look alike. Seeing my grin, they frown darker
.
“Hey, when I was a kid and moved to a new school, everyone wanted to be my friend. You two must be doing something wrong.”
The twins glance at each other and then at me again. I only smile until they give in and smile too.
“We only see each other at recess. That’s the only time we need friends, and I have Chipper,” Cricket says, sitting crossed legged on the ground in front of the TV. “Tomorrow is fish sticks. Can you send lunch?”
“Sure.”
The kids begin playing LEGO Indiana Jones while I stretch out on the couch and watch them.
My mind returns to Hayes. The man sure can kiss, and I would have been perfectly happy to spend the afternoon wrapped against him. Lust isn’t new to me, but wanting to act on the lust sure as hell is.
I touch my lips and realize I’m falling for Hayes. I’ve never swooned for a man before. Never gotten breathless over a kiss. Never wanted to chase what I shouldn’t have. This feeling in my gut is new and exciting. It also scares the shit out of me.
I find myself wondering what he’s doing right then. Does he think about me? Is he with another woman? My gut switches from happy swirls to jagged rage. How can he fuck other women when he has me nearby? He’s been inching closer to my bed since we met. Does he think I want him if he’s dripping with another woman’s germs?
Angry now, I sit up and focus on the kids’ game. I don’t need Hayes or his hot kisses or his sloppy four hundred and fifty seconds. I enjoy my job. I adore my house. I have the best kids. My life is fucking aces. I don’t need any fucking complications. Great, now I’m even thinking the word “fucking” constantly. The man is a bad influence.
I’m still grumpy about Hayes when the kids and I later watch Inside Out. I sit in the middle of the couch with a kid on each side. Both rest their heads on my lap while I play with their hair. They’re so relaxed, and their calm infects me. Hanging in our pjs is the best.
Life never promised me a damn rose garden, so our happy evening is interrupted by a knock at the door. The kids sit up and stare at the front hallway as if we’re under attack.
I walk to the front door, take the baseball bat from the umbrella stand, and open the door a crack. I find Honey and her brood shivering on the front step.
“Can we come in?” Honey asks when I just stare at her.
A part of me wants to tell her no. I have a quiet life with my kids, and Honey reeks of messy drama. She might taint me with her bad thinking, and I’ll corrupt the twins.
I don’t shut the door on her, of course. I’m selfish, but not to the point of acting on most of my egotistical impulses.
Honey herds her shivering kids into the house, and I realize they’re all wearing pajamas under their coats. The youngest Lauren is barefoot.
“What happened?” I ask, shutting the door and following them into the living room.
Honey opens her mouth to answer but sees the twins and changes her mind. My kids don’t look thrilled to have visitors and less so about having these particular ones. Cricket doesn’t like her cousins, while Chipper merely tolerates them. They’re accustomed to a small, mostly adult family unit. Other children don’t interest them.
“I need somewhere to stay tonight. We can go to a hotel, but I don’t have any money. I’ll pay you back. I promise.”
Looking at my sister, I resent her for being in this situation. I want her to be smarter than our mother. I need her to get her shit in order. I feel all kinds of pissy emotions, but I force myself to remember this is my sister. Once she was the person who held my hand when we crossed the street. She made me peanut butter sandwiches when I got home from school, and mom was still at work. Honey took care of me, and I can, at least, help her out tonight.
“Why don’t you stay here instead?” I suggest.
Honey knows we’re not close, and she knows it’s mostly her fault. She married an asshole, and he separated her from everyone who didn’t worship him. I know she hopes we can be friends now that we’re adults, but we’re not friends yet. We’re siblings who barely spoke for years and now have an awkward relationship built on resentment and unspoken disappointments.
“Are you sure?”
I take Lauren from Honey and carry the toddler to the couch.
“We’re watching a movie.”
Drew and Evan drop onto the floor in front of the TV. They don’t even remove their jackets. The boys are immediately happy, but Allison remains near her mother. The oldest child understands more than her siblings, and she isn’t any more thrilled to be here than Honey.
Lauren lets me take off her jacket and then she finds a spot between the twins. She thinks they’re cool. They think she slobbers too much. It’s a match made in heaven.
After asking Allison to join her siblings, I gesture for Honey to follow me into the kitchen. Once we have a little privacy, I ask what happened.
“Andrew freaked and kicked us out of the house.”
“Freaked about what?” I ask, noticing bruises around her throat.
“I don’t know. He came home and said he saw an old friend of mine driving around town. Then he freaked and told me to get out.”
Honey is hiding something. I often sense that about my sister. She possesses an aloof quality that makes her always seem as if she’s only telling half of the story.
“You can stay here until this gets worked out.”
Honey nods, but behind her detached expression, I suspect she’s barely keeping shit together.
“Why don’t we put Allison and Drew in Chipper’s room. Can you share a bed with Lauren and Evan?”
“What about the twins?”
“They can sleep with me. I have a king sized bed, and they often join me during thunderstorms.”
“You don’t have to do this,” she mumbles in a weird voice.
“No, I don’t. You and I aren’t close,” I say, putting out the cold hard facts. “We could be one day. We’re the only ones left in the family, and we could learn to be friends. I’d like that, Honey.”
Her indifference crumbles, and my sister bursts into tears. I’m startled when she falls into my arms but quickly rebound with a tight hug. Her tears only last a few minutes, but they come violently until she’s spent.
“I’m so tired,” she whispers, wiping her eyes. “It’s a tired deep in my bones. Like the kind mom had.”
I hear the fear in her voice. Not of her abusive husband or a life raising four kids alone. I hear the terror of ending up like Mom, who walked into a forest and never came back out. Yvonne Wilbert is still considered missing, but we know the truth. Mom needed an end and didn’t want her kids to know the ugly truth. We did, though. Anyone who knew mom knew she didn’t go hiking that day. She went into the woods to find a peace life never provided.
“You’re safe here,” I say after bringing her a drink. “I will help you. If need be, I’ll ask Hayes for help too. He has houses we can get for cheap rent. He can help you find a job. He’s smart and likes to show off his power. He’ll help you when you’re ready.”
Honey nods, understanding I’ve accepted she isn’t leaving Douche yet. Somehow, she can’t walk away. Not even after he threw her out into a cold night. For so long, she’s conditioned herself to stay. Now she doesn’t know how to leave. Despite all of Andrew’s training, I feel Honey looking for the exit from her bullshit marriage.
FIFTEEN - CANDY
Despite sharing my bed with the twins, I sleep well. Like me, they rarely move at night. As babies, they were so still I often checked to make sure they were still breathing.
Waking at six, I take a shower and leave the kids to sleep longer. I glance in at Honey curled up with three of her four kids. Only Allison remains in Chipper’s bed. She sleeps with her arms and legs stretched out, taking full advantage of the space.
Downstairs, I make coffee and scrambled eggs. By the time the twins stumble downstairs dressed, I have their lunches packed, and breakfast is waiting.
“What about them?” Cricket asks, g
lancing upward.
“Let them sleep.”
“Doesn’t Allison go to school?” Chipper asks.
“Oh, yeah.” Rolling my eyes, I shrug. “She has no clothes to wear here. Let her sleep. Honey can figure things out for tomorrow.”
“How long are they staying?”
“Until Douche says they can come home.”
Cricket shakes her head. “I’m never getting married.”
“Jinxed yourself, hug-a-baloo. Everyone knows once you state something as a fact the universe immediately decides you must be proven wrong.”
Cricket doesn’t believe me. I see her give Chipper a weird look, and he nods. Their twin powers mean never having to make a snide comment about me aloud.
I braid Cricket’s hair and fix Chipper’s floppy bangs. Once they brush their teeth, we head to the car and leave the drama-filled house behind.
Hayes is already in the office when I arrive, and I’m nervous to see him. Anxious or not, I hurry inside and head straight for his door.
“Miss me?” he asks, without looking up from his computer.
“Yeah, actually.”
Startled by my lack of snark, Hayes frowns. “Why?”
“Didn’t you miss me?”
“Nope,” he says, standing up.
“Are you going to kiss me again?”
“Probably.”
I back away and he follows. “I haven’t had my coffee yet.”
“Don’t care.”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“I’ll be gentle,” he says in an anything but gentle growl.
I keep backing away. “It’s a favor for Honey.”
“Unless you’re talking about a threesome, I don’t give a shit about your sister currently.”
I stop retreating and frown at him. “That’s disgusting.”
“You’re the one who said if I saved you and Honey during the apocalypse I’d have two women. You were disgusting first.”
“I meant you’d boink one of us one night and the other the next night, not that we’d have an incestuous threesome. You’re so gross.”
Hayes crosses his arms over his wide chest. “You’re stalling.”
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