The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories

by Brina Courtney

  “Hey, Miles,” James called. Miles looked up.

  “I can play with you until your Dad’s finished.” Miles’ face lit up.

  “Yeah!”

  I smiled at him, appreciating his kindness to my nephew. James tossed the ball to Miles who tried to hit it with his bat.

  “Look at him, he’s a natural dad. He’s a keeper,” Jennifer said. “You did good.”

  “I like him too,” my mom said.

  “Seriously?” I asked. She looked at me as if liking James was the most natural thing in the world.

  “Yes, Marin. Why is that so hard to believe?”

  “You’ve never liked any of my boyfriends. You hardly liked Chad, you were just glad someone finally wanted to marry me.”

  “Well, it’s true you haven’t always had the best taste in men, but all that matters is that you’re happy. Right?”

  “Right,” I repeated slowly, skeptical. My mom never exhibited this nurturing attitude before. Something was up. “What’s with you? Are you dying or something?”

  “No. Why would you ask me something like that?”

  “Because you’ve never said all you want is for me to be happy.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Marin. You are my child, of course I want you to be happy.” She seemed offended that I would suggest such a thing, but I wasn’t buying it.

  “Is this because I just called off my wedding? You’re trying to be nice, right?” I said. Yeah, that makes sense.

  “Oh, Marin. Get over yourself,” she said, then walked back into the house. Jennifer and I exchanged astounded looks.

  Jillian ran up from the yard and asked if I was ready to hear her song. I followed her into the house and into the family room where she had a beautiful baby grand piano to practice on. She settled on the piano bench and twiddled her fingers. She stroked the keys and immediately I recognized the song. “Canon” by Pachelbel. The same song I was going to walk down the aisle to. The song my mom walked to. I had dreamed about the song at my wedding since I was a little girl. Jillian played it so well that I became overwhelmed with pride and a bit of sorrow. When she finished I clapped as hard as I could and praised her wonderful playing.

  “Why are you crying?” she asked, and I wiped my wet cheeks.

  “I’m so proud of you.” I brushed her cheek and gave it a little pinch. “Why don’t you go back outside and play? I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Jillian ran for the backyard, and I stayed in the family room. I scanned the assortment of family photographs that Michael and Jennifer collected over the years, from their wedding, to baby pictures of the kids, to pictures of the family at Disneyland. They truly had a picture perfect life, and I mourned over a life I could never have, a life I always wanted. I thought about the argument I had with my brother and how defensive he was when I asked if he had been faithful to Jennifer. It was clear that he probably had an affair, maybe two. All the late hours he worked. I imagined him with a sexy lab assistant or distinguished chairwoman of the board at the research center. Did Jennifer know? What would she think if she found out her picture perfect life wasn’t so picture perfect? I wiped the running mascara from under my eyes and headed outside. I heard a burst of laughter as soon as I opened the door. It was my dad, Michael, and James enjoying themselves by the grill.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  My dad turned to me. “James was telling us about an incident he had with some quicksand on the golf course.”

  “I didn’t know you played golf,” I said.

  “I’ve been known to hit a few balls around the course,” he said, miming a golf swing.

  “Next time, don’t go after the ball,” my dad continued with James.

  “You got that right, Dr. Johns.”

  “Call me Robert.”

  Then I saw my dad give James a friendly pat on the back. It was a rare gesture, especially since they’d just met. My dad liked James. I felt my stomach churn, thinking about the disappointment my family would feel when James and I split, even if his infidelity was the cause. They still didn’t know that’s what really happened with Chad.

  The hours of the afternoon passed like minutes. We spent them eating hot dogs and salad, playing badminton in the yard, and talking over iced tea and beer. Despite the awkwardness of faking it with James in front of my family, it was a great afternoon. I couldn’t remember the last time I had such an easy time with everyone.

  While the sun set, Michael and I sat together drinking our beers with little words. My parents retreated inside to cool off, Jennifer stored the left over food in the kitchen, and James played with Jillian and Miles in the yard.

  “I’m glad you came today,” Michael said with a slight smile. I shot him a look of doubt. “Seriously,” he said.

  “Me too. I actually had a nice time.”

  “Yeah, I think everyone had a nice time.” We watched the sky turn pink, then purple, and finally midnight blue.

  “I haven’t, Marin,” Michael said. I looked at him, confused by his unprovoked comment. “The question you asked me in the lab. That’s the truth.”

  I gazed into his eyes looking for a trace of guilt or dishonesty, but I didn’t see any.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Really. I came close before, but I didn’t do it.” He gave an assuring smile, and I couldn’t help but believe him.

  “Didn’t do what?” Jennifer asked as she approached from the backdoor. She put her arm around Michael’s shoulder and he looked slightly panicked.

  “Sky diving,” I said. Jennifer threw her head back in a good laugh. It was a believable save. Michael was a dare devil in the lab, not so much in an airplane.

  “Everyone ready for fireworks?” my dad shouted with his arms full of an assortment of Fourth of July paraphernalia. The kids howled in delight. James and I watched from the deck as the kids held sparklers and my dad illuminated the backyard with colorful explosions, red, green, purple, blue, and yellow. No matter how old I get, fireworks are always enthralling.

  James stood behind me as I leaned on the deck rail. He wrapped his arms around my waist and whispered in my ear, “This was a really fun day. Thank you for bringing me.”

  I didn’t know if it was the relaxed last eight hours with my family, the fireworks, or the little buzz I got from the few beers I drank, but in that moment my heart leaped. Something about being there with him, with them, felt right. I called off the guards of my own fight, at least for the night.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Working Late

  Fourth of July weekend was eye opening. Between my brother’s affirmation, my family’s positive reaction to James, and their new compassion toward me, I felt different, hopeful. Maybe there were good guys out there. If decent men existed, then James would definitely be one of them. Over the next few weeks, I felt myself relax. I maintained my guard, but I wasn’t so obsessed about catching him cheating. I spent more time enjoying his company, his laughter, his handyman skills, and his skills in bed. Yes, things were good.

  That was until one afternoon in August when I had a sudden jolt back into reality, and my summer romance came to an end. James and I were taking our usual conditioning jog around the park. Out of nowhere, I heard a woman yell for James. We turned around to see a stunning woman in her running gear, which included skintight pants and matching Nikes. She could have easily been shooting a magazine ad with all the make up she had on. James ran ahead to greet her.

  “Hey, Shanna. How are you?” he said.

  “Great. You?” she said in a sensual tone, breathing heavily. Heart rate up or not, it was uncomfortably seductive.

  “Great!” James stared at her a moment too long and I cleared my throat. “Oh, uh this is Marin,” he said. No “girlfriend” this time, huh? “Shanna’s a patient of mine.”

  “Hi,” I said. She looked me up and down as if she were giving me a mental veto.

  “Well, got to go. See you Friday.” She waved bye to James and ran in the opposite di
rection.

  “Bye,” James waved and turned to watch her jog away. Her perky little ass bounced with each stride, and I swear I felt my own droop with resentment. I scoffed and crossed my arms. Was I really jealous? It was the first time I had seen James act slightly suspicious. Something was up. I could feel it and not like last time when the other woman turned out to be his sister. No, there was definitely something to discover, and I was going to find it.

  Later at James’, I perused his appointment book while he was in the shower. Shanna Costa was entered for four o’clock on Friday. A late day appointment, huh? I put the book away and opened the bathroom door, steam covering my face.

  “Hey, you wanna go to dinner on Friday?” I asked over the sound of running water.

  “Wish I could babe, but I have a late appointment,” he said.

  “How late?”

  “Um, like eight.”

  “Eight? That’s a little late for work, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, but sometimes I have to work around my patient’s schedule. Let’s have dinner on Saturday.”

  I agreed and didn’t say another word about it. There was no eight o’clock appointment in his book. I double-checked. Shanna’s four o’clock appointment was the last one. Now why would he want to give himself an extra four hours? Because he’s sleeping with her! I knew he was too good to be true.

  When I got home later that night, I called in for back up.

  “Do you have a black outfit?” I asked Telly after she answered my call.

  “For what occasion?” she asked.

  “Spying.” It felt almost as exciting as it sounded.

  “I’m listening.”

  I told her the whole story, and she agreed to accompany me on a special spying expedition. There was only one Shanna Costa listed in San Fran, so it was easy to find her address. I only hoped it was the right one.

  Telly pulled up to my apartment on Friday afternoon. When I opened the door, I saw she was dressed in head to toe black with sunglasses and a black beret. I was also wearing black, but opted for a ball cap with my hair tied in a ponytail.

  “What’s with the beret?” I asked.

  Telly whipped her head in my direction and in a phony French accent said, “It goes with le spying out-feet.”

  I raised my brow. “We should get le going.” Within seconds, we sped off.

  If James, in fact, had a four o’clock appointment with Shanna then it would be ending by five, which is exactly when we pulled up to Mayberry Street with its series of beautiful Victorian style townhomes on a steep hill. The kind of picturesque neighborhood revered on San Francisco postcards. Hmm, there was no sign of James’ SUV.

  “Shit, he’s not here.”

  “Do you think we missed him?”

  “I don’t know.” I glanced at the house. Shanna was carrying a bag of groceries inside. Alone. “That’s her,” I whispered and ducked down in my seat.

  “Why are you whispering?” Telly said, trying to pull me upright. I surveyed the street again, thinking I missed his SUV, but it was nowhere to be found.

  “Well, at least we know it’s her house,” Telly said.

  “Yeah.”

  “If they had a four o’clock appointment she wouldn’t have just come back from the store,” she said.

  “True.” I was trying to get a handle on the discrepancy.

  “Unless,” she started slowly, “she just got back from their appointment at his office.”

  “Maybe, but he primarily does house calls.” I checked my watch again. It was only five after.

  “Didn’t he say her appointment was at eight?” Telly asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Let’s get something to eat, then come back later. Besides the sun will be down and we’ll be able to go up to the house without being noticed.” I stared at Shanna’s house, hoping that if I looked long enough James would suddenly appear like one of those magic eye pictures. Reluctantly, I agreed with Telly and we left for dinner.

  We returned to Shanna’s neighborhood by eight with two large, or rather, Venti lattes from Starbucks. Telly drove up the street to look for James’ SUV. This time it was parked right in front. She pulled forward and parked about half a block away. I retrieved a pair of binoculars from my purse and studied the outside of the house. The first floor lights were on, but the second floor lights appeared to be off.

  “So, what do you wanna do?” Telly asked, waiting for an assignment.

  “Nothing yet.”

  “You don’t wanna go up to the house and get a better look?”

  “No, I think we should stay here and see if anything happens.”

  “Like what? Watch James leave? That won’t prove anything.”

  “It will if they leave together.” The truth was I really didn’t have a plan. I figured when I arrived I would know what to do. My hope was that Shanna and James would emerge from the house with their hands all over each other. Then, I would have undeniable evidence, but who knew how long that would be. I was prepared to stay all night.

  “Okay, you’re the boss,” Telly said as she sipped her latte. I sighed and relaxed in my seat.

  “So, how’s Will?” I asked, trying to pass the time.

  “Good. We’ve actually been spending a lot of time together.”

  “It’s not serious though, right?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t want to put a label on it. It is what it is.”

  “Which is?” I drew out the question.

  “Like I told you before. We’re having fun and enjoying each other’s company. Nothing more, nothing less.” She gave me a stern look as if to tell me to stop with the questions.

  “Okay. That’s cool.”

  “Can we talk about something else?” Telly asked.

  “Sure.” I kept my eyes steadily on the house. Telly scooted around in her seat and curled her knees to her chest. “You know what this reminds me of?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “The night we spied on my landlord. Do you remember?”

  “Yes!” I snapped my fingers, recalling that evening.

  Telly and I went out to a gay bar one night, and it happened to be the same night as their weekly drag show. We were having a blast—cocktails, sexy chiseled gay men, and drag queens galore. Telly recognized one of the drag queens introduced as Fuchsia Turner. She was convinced that he was her landlord, but didn’t want to approach him in case he was private about it. ‘I’m not going to shit where I sleep,’ I believe were her exact words.

  The following night, after dinner and cocktails at her house, we took the opportunity to spy on her landlord who lived in the same building as Telly. He left his apartment around eight-thirty. We followed him by car keeping a safe distance until we finally ended up at the same gay bar. He entered through the back of the building with a duffle bag. To me it was enough evidence to convict, but Telly needed more. “Reasonable doubt,” she said. Lawyers.

  We waited until we saw another guy enter the back of the building and stopped him before he made it inside. Telly asked if he knew Charlie Jones, her landlord’s name. He said he did and that he would be performing tonight as a she. He asked if we wanted to go backstage, but we refused.

  To this day, I don’t know why Telly was curious enough to follow her landlord to prove he was a part-time drag queen. I only wanted to support her, which is exactly what she was doing by dressing like le spy, sitting in a dark car, and watching an unknown house.

  After about forty-five minutes, I became restless. “Do you wanna go up to the house?” I asked.

  “Yes. Let’s go.” We climbed out of the car trying not to make any noises that might trigger a nosy neighbor or barking dog. We made our way to the fenceless yard, walking like ninjas in the night, and found a deck attached the back of the house. It was completely dark except for the light coming through the windows. Telly kept a look out while I made my way up the deck. The windows were too high for me to see into. I climbed the back stairs, leaning ove
r to the window, but it was still too far away.

  “Can you see anything?” Telly whispered.

  “No, it’s too far.”

  “Try that lattice.”

  To my left was a vine-covered lattice attached to the house much closer to the window. I walked down the steps and gave the lattice a good pull to see if it would hold. Seemed sturdy enough. Putting one foot in front of the other, I climbed up about three feet to see the window. I peaked in through the kitchen, which had a view of the living room. Trying to keep my head low, I saw James rise up as if he was getting off of the ground or getting off of Shanna. He appeared to be dressed, but I couldn’t see much more. I climbed another foot higher and saw Shanna lying on the floor fully clothed. He was doing some kind of floor work with her. I waited to see if he or she would make any sexual advances, but I waited too long. There was a snap and the vines rustled.

  Uh oh . . .

  The lattice detached from the house. My body slammed against the deck.

  “Oh, shit!” Telly whispered. She ran over and pushed the lattice off of me. “Are you okay?”

  I winced in pain but mostly shock. “Yeah, I’m okay.” Telly helped me to my feet.

  “We have to go. Now,” she said.

  We rushed out of there as fast as we could and sped off in the opposite direction of the house in case they heard us, which I was pretty sure they did. On the way back to my apartment, I told Telly everything I saw, which was nothing of note.

  “Well, it was a good try,” she said.

  “Yeah,” I sighed. My hand was burning and I noticed that I had a pretty gnarly scrape that needed attention. I hissed at the sight of it. Telly grimaced, and I wasn’t sure if she was more concerned with my scraped hand or getting blood on her upholstery.

  “Spying is fun and all, but next time let’s leave it up to the professionals.”

  I thanked her and told her I would call her later. Safe inside my apartment, I tossed my hat somewhere in the living room and went to the bathroom to shower and clean my hand. I imagined washing the events of the night away as I washed my hair. Looking back, it wasn’t the best situation to be in. I wondered how long I would have to keep it up.