Untamable

by Jamie Schlosser

  As much as her statement made my heart flutter, I frowned. “I don’t think it’s like that. He was very upfront about not wanting a relationship. Besides, he’s not here for very long.”

  “I’m telling you, I know my brother,” she insisted as she wiped down the counter. “It’s the way he looks at you. He used to look at Lizzie McGuire like that.”

  I laughed. “What?”

  “That Disney show.” Her smile mirrored my own as she threw the dish rag down and faced me. “He would totally kill me for telling you this, but I can’t resist. When he was, like, nine years old, he was so obsessed with that show. I’m talking posters on the bedroom wall. Of course, he grew out of that phase by the time he was a teenager, but I made fun of him for years. It was a bit of a running joke between us when I named my daughter Elizabeth. He thought I’d done it just to torture him forever.”

  “That’s pretty funny,” I told her, going back to cutting up a cucumber.

  We worked silently for a minute and I thought the conversation was over, but Nikki was relentless.

  “Emery brought you to see our dad,” she said, and I was reminded of the way Emery had looked at me when he said I was the first woman he’d ever introduced to his father.

  Alarm bells went off in my head, shouting at me to deny, deny, deny.

  I shook my head. “He was planning to go there anyway, and we were already hanging out, so…”

  “Did he tell you about how Dad ended up at Windsor Lakes?”

  I nodded. “He told me the basics.”

  “The nursing home he started out at… It wasn’t a good place. Fortunately, he wasn’t there for long. I remember the exact moment Emery and I realized we couldn’t let our dad stay there anymore. There was an old woman in a wheel chair, trying to make it down the hall on her own. She seemed so lost. When a nurse walked by, the woman reached out to her and said, ‘I want to go home.’ The nurse just patted her hand and said, ‘Oh, honey. You are home.’”

  “What did the woman say then?”

  “She just said, ‘Oh’ and looked down at her lap. I’d never seen someone look so devastated and defeated in all my life. It’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever witnessed. As we were leaving that day, Emery told me he was getting Dad out of there. Three days later, he made a payment to Windsor Lakes.”

  “Using his college fund,” I filled in.

  “Yep.” Her voice was clipped.

  “Why do I get the feeling you weren’t happy about that?”

  Letting out a sigh, she leaned back against the counter. “Because I wasn’t. I know there wasn’t any other way, though. If Emery hadn’t done what he did, our dad would still be in that place, miserable. Maybe he wouldn’t even be alive today. Emery saved his life.”

  “Your brother is an amazing person. And he is successful—like, epically successful. He’s smart, he’s got money, he’s good-looking, and he freaking loves cats.” I ticked the list off on my fingers. “Emery could have anyone he wanted.”

  “Then I would consider yourself pretty lucky.” Smiling, she gave my shoulder a squeeze. “And just keep in mind—when Emery wants something, he goes after it.”

  If everything Nikki said was true, I was in deep shit.

  CHAPTER 20

  EMERY

  So there I was, totally kicking ass at strip poker with five cats as witnesses. You know, just a typical Monday night.

  Winning was awesome, but the drawback? Being forced to sit across from a very naked Estelle while concentrating on my cards at the same time.

  An extremely difficult task.

  “Okay.” Estelle sighed dramatically, and the action made her tits jiggle. Standing up, she hooked a finger into the one sock she had left. She tossed the white scrap of material to the pile of clothes on the kitchen floor, then sat back down in her chair. “I guess I really suck at this game.”

  “You won a few hands,” I offered, pointing to my bare upper half.

  Honestly, she wasn’t terrible. I was down to my boxers and socks. Tossing my three-of-a-kind down, I started gathering the cards.

  While I was distracted by Estelle’s nudity, Carol jumped up onto the table and swatted at my sweet tea. I tried the catch the cup before it tipped over, but failed. A good amount of the liquid spilled, soaking some of the cards and running onto Estelle’s lap.

  “Cold!” she shrieked, standing up. “Very, very cold. I’ll go grab a towel.”

  As she took off down the hall, I watched her luscious ass bounce with every move.

  I snagged a small rag from the counter and started cleaning the mess on the table. Satisfied with the mayhem she’d caused, Carol leapt to the floor and sauntered away. Didn’t even stick around to watch the aftermath of her destruction.

  Estelle came back with a towel for the floor and a towel around her body.

  “Hey, no fair,” I complained.

  She gave me the stink-eye as she knelt down. “It’s freezing in here.”

  She was right. Mike had insisted on having outdoor time, so she’d left the balcony door open for him to go in and out as he pleased. The night air seeping in was pretty fucking cold.

  I flipped some of the cards over to dry them off, and I sputtered in disbelief when I saw Estelle’s hand.

  “You had a flush?” I asked incredulously.

  “Oh, is that good?” Widening her eyes to the point of comical, she gazed up at me, trying to play it off like she hadn’t just lost on purpose.

  “Uh-uh. You’re not fooling me. I know that look, Estelle.” Shaking my head, I laughed. “You’re the only person I’ve ever met who’d intentionally lose at strip poker. That’s cheating, you know.”

  “Only on a couple of the hands. I wanted to get to the naked part.”

  “You’re a piece of work.” I snickered. My crazy girl. “I demand a rematch.”

  “All right, one more hand, but not for clothes this time,” she bargained as she finished cleaning up the tea. “My nips are so hard they could cut glass.”

  I barked out a laugh at her crass comment. “Upping the stakes. I like it. What are we playing for?”

  “If you lose, you have to fuck me in the shower.”

  I slapped the deck down on the table and held up my hands in surrender. “I fold.”

  Looking amused, she sat back down in her seat. “And you have to ride my bike—”

  “Tricycle,” I corrected, earning a scowl.

  “—all around the neighborhood. And after you experience its gloriousness, you’ll have to admit that it’s far superior to traditional bikes.”

  “That’s two things,” I told her.

  “Okay, I take the first one off the table then.”

  “Let’s not be hasty, now,” I said, backpedaling. “You drive a hard bargain, but I think I can accept it.”

  She giggled. “What are your terms?”

  I didn’t hesitate with my answer. “If I win, you have to go on a date with me this weekend. I want to take you to the beach.”

  Even if I didn’t win, I’d still insist on taking her there. It would be the perfect setting to bring up the topic of continuing our relationship beyond my time here.

  A grin pulled at Estelle’s lips. “That sounds like a daytrip, not a date.”

  “It is what it is.”

  “Do I get to drive?”

  “That depends.” I crossed my arms. “Are you gonna rap on the way?”

  “You bet your ass.”

  “Eminem this time?”

  “Sure.” She shrugged.

  “Then you’ve got yourself a deal.” As I shuffled the somewhat damp cards, I noticed Estelle was studying me, nibbling her bottom lip. “What?”

  “I was just wondering why you don’t talk with an accent.” She cocked her head to the side. “Nikki does. Your dad, too.”

  “My producers thought I’d be more relatable without it.”

  “I think it would be sexy.”

  “Darlin’, you have the best sweet tea on this s
ide of the Mississippi,” I drawled, laying it on extra thick.

  Estelle threw her head back and laughed.

  Just then, my phone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize, but it was local. “Hello?”

  “Uh, yes, Emery? This is Agatha.”

  “Hey.” I smiled, trapping the phone between my shoulder and my ear so I could continue shuffling the deck. “I take it you’re calling about a certain cat?”

  Estelle stilled, her eyes questioning.

  “I am, and I’m so excited,” Agatha replied. “When can I come see her?”

  “When are you available?”

  “I have tomorrow morning off. I could come around eight.”

  “That would be perfect,” I told her. “We’ll see you then.”

  I dropped the phone to the table.

  “I meant to tell you earlier,” I said to Estelle. “One of the employees at Windsor Lakes is interested in Carol.”

  “Oh, that’s great.” Her face turned skeptical. “Are you sure she wants Carol?”

  I nodded. “She used to have an annoying cat. Apparently she misses having her toilet paper shredded.”

  Grinning, Estelle hiked a shoulder. “Whatever floats her boat.”

  I gave her a smile, but it was forced.

  We’d had such a great day together, but Agatha’s call reminded me that reality awaited us tomorrow. I should’ve been ecstatic about another adoption, but it meant I was one step closer to being done in Remington.

  Earlier, Estelle had been the main source of entertainment at Nikki’s while we ate dinner, telling stories about the cats and her costume shop. When she told us about the time in eighth grade when she dressed up as the rapper Flavor Flave and paraded around her classes with a blowup doll as her date—which landed her ass in detention for a week—we all thought it was hilarious. Tom laughed so hard Sprite came out of his nose.

  I was in awe of how effortlessly Estelle fit into my life here. How easily she got along with my family. How quickly she’d managed to work her way into my heart.

  But what if she turned me down at the beach? How could I possibly convince her that we could make it work when I was a thousand miles away and she hated flying on planes? Why couldn’t we have met at a different time in my life, when I could settle down in this city full-time?

  Pushing down the tightness in my chest, I dealt the cards.

  My hand was shit. After exchanging three of the lowest numbers, it was still shit.

  I glanced up at Estelle. Looking down at what she had, her lips twitched. It was her tell—she had something good.

  I could’ve folded and asked for new cards.

  I could’ve walked away, but giving up on a losing hand had never been my style.

  CHAPTER 21

  EMERY

  Pussy-whipped for sure.

  That was the only explanation for why I was staring down at ‘The Flying Purple People Eater’ at six o’clock in the morning. Estelle didn’t waste any time cashing in on that bet, and it was time to pay up.

  She handed me a hot pink helmet. “Now, before you go on the ride of a lifetime, I need to tell you why this bike is awesome.”

  “Still a trike, Estelle.”

  She let out a cute growl. “First, it has three wheels, which means I don’t have to balance. My core strength isn’t up to par, and there’s, like, zero chance of falling over on this thing.”

  “My core strength is fine,” I announced cockily. She ignored me.

  “Second, look at this seat.” She patted the black foam, which was at least a foot wide. Then she picked up a large, oddly shaped piece of cardboard. “I know this looks like a giant upside-down ball sac,” she said, making me laugh, “but it’s not. This is the actual size of my ass when I’m sitting down.”

  I laughed even harder, clutching my burning abs and questioning my claim about having great core strength. “You mean to tell me you sat down on that and traced your butt?”

  “I needed it to be accurate for the demonstration.” Placing the cutout over a standard-sized seat on a bike next to hers, she pointed at the massive size difference. “Can you see why sitting on something that’s literally the width of a pop can would be uncomfortable for me?”

  “I didn’t hear you complaining last night,” I quipped, snickering at my own crude joke.

  She smacked me with the cardboard ass.

  “And third, look at this basket.” Sweeping her hand through the air, she made a big deal of the large metal crate between the two back wheels. “It’s great for hauling all kinds of cargo.”

  Sighing, I straddled the seat. I didn’t want to admit out loud that it was the most comfortable bike seat I’d ever sat on, but damn. “Is this memory foam?”

  “It is.” She grinned.

  “How far do I have to go?”

  “To the gas station.”

  Dismayed, I let out an obnoxious scoff. “That’s almost a mile.”

  She ignored me again. “While you’re there, can you pick up some more Rocky Road ice cream for me? I’m hungry.” Following up with a sweet smile, she leaned down to give me a peck on the cheek. “You look adorable, by the way.”

  Shaking my head, I chuckled. “Unbelievable.”

  By the time I got back, filming was already underway. Taking a day off had set us back, which was exactly what I wanted, but it seemed Steve was hell-bent on making up for lost time.

  He stopped me in the apartment hallway outside Estelle’s door. “Yesterday I made some calls to the shelter.”

  My eyebrows shot up because he usually left that stuff to me. “You did?”

  “We’ve got three potential families coming to see Mike today.”

  “Wow, uh…” Why couldn’t he be this motivated all the time? “That’s a lot of traffic coming through the apartment. And Mike hasn’t been cleared for the UTI yet.”

  Waving a hand dismissively, he said, “Just send some crystals home with them.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  Obviously, he had no idea how much detail went into the adoptions. It wasn’t like we just found anyone off the street and gave them a cat. I investigated the families first. There was a screening process and paperwork. I needed to make sure they were serious about providing a loving home and that they weren’t just in it to get their fifteen minutes of fame.

  “Make it that easy.” He shrugged. “They’re getting a free cat.”

  He was such a jackass. There was no point in arguing with him, so I walked away, knowing I’d do whatever I damn well pleased. To hell with what he wanted.

  As soon as I got into the apartment, my eyes went straight to Estelle. She was by the kitchen sink, filling a new pitcher full of water. Probably about to make a new batch of sweet tea.

  Grinning, I held up the pint of her ice cream before stashing it in the freezer. Then I went into the living room where Agatha was on the couch with Carol, Alice, and Bobby.

  “I wish I could take them all.” She beamed up at me.

  “You’d have to fight Estelle for these two,” I joked, pointing at Alice and Bobby.

  It wasn’t until I sat down that I realized I was getting weird looks from pretty much everyone in the apartment. Well, everyone except for Estelle, who was silently laughing her ass off in the kitchen.

  “What?” I glanced around.

  “Did you go for a ride this morning?” Agatha snickered.

  “Yeah… Why?”

  She pointed at my head. “I like your helmet. Pink’s a good color on you.”

  Shit. I’d forgotten I was still wearing it. Shooting a half-hearted glare at Estelle, I undid the clasp under my chin and took it off. She came into the living room carrying an armful of small plastic shot glasses.

  “A little early to be hitting the bottle, don’t you think?” I teased.

  Rolling her eyes, she started lining them up on the coffee table. “I’m giving Agatha a demonstration.”

  Now it was my turn for an eye roll. “Another demonstratio
n?” I turned to Agatha. “Estelle’s demonstrations tend to end with someone wearing a pink bike helmet, riding around town on a tricycle.”

  “It’s a bike,” Estelle hissed.

  Amused, Agatha chuckled at our banter, but her laughter was cut short when Carol began swatting at the shot glasses, knocking them to the floor one by one.

  “See?” Estelle shrugged. “I can’t have candles or decorations.” She pointed at the yellow flowers. “That vase? It’s glued to the table. I just want you to understand what you’re getting yourself into.”

  Agatha raised her eyebrows in challenge. “You think this is bad? Mitzy would only drink out of the toilet. It was her only source of hydration.”

  “That’s pretty gross.” Estelle’s face screwed up. “But while we’re on the subject of bathrooms, Carol will only sleep in a sink. You might have an issue if you want to brush your teeth or wash your hands.”

  “Mitzy used to climb the walls. Literally,” Agatha countered. “I had claw marks all over the drywall.”

  As the two women got into a contest about whose cat was worse, I sat back and watched with a smile on my face.

  Scoffing, Agatha leaned forward and scooped Carol into her lap. “Oh, and we can talk about bathrooms some more. Mitzy used to tear up my toilet paper and leave it all over the apartment.”

  Standing up, Estelle laughed. “Follow me.”

  Joel and I traipsed after the women and hovered outside the bathroom. Estelle held up the tissue container that housed her toilet paper.

  “That’s why I got this. Carol does the same thing. If you want her, I’ll even let you have it. I wouldn’t have a reason to keep it anymore.” Her fingers curled around the yellow plastic, a flicker of sadness seeping through.

  Agatha nodded. “I want her. And I’ll love her. I promise I’ll give her a good home.”

  Estelle’s forlorn expression filled with happiness. “I know you will.”

  “I really like this one, Dad.” One of the nine-year-old twin boys looked up at his parents from the floor as he dangled a bird toy in front of Mike.

  This was the third family from the applicants Steve had chosen and they were my favorites so far.