Her Real Alpha

by Sherie Keys

  “Okay…okay yeah, it makes sense…” I said and then Joe told me to calm down and drink some water before he had to get back to work.

  I did feel better after Joe put things into perspective and I was able to get some painting done. When lunch time came around, I met up with Hunter and he proved that his new sandwich place was just as good as the deli man’s sandwiches, but not better, of course.

  “I will admit they are neck and neck, Hunter, but I can’t stand here and say that these sandwiches are better.” Hunter rolled his eyes at me and sighed.

  “You’re like…you’re a sandwich racist,” Hunter said after about ten minutes of back and forth after we ate.

  “What! That’s not even a term!”

  “Yes it is, you know those sandwiches are better than that little deli you go to,” Hunter was still trying to convince me.

  “Hunter, I gave you my honest opinion and that’s that,” I said and he shook his head at me, but finally dropped it. “I have to get back to work and so do you, so I’ll talk to you later?” I said and he sighed and then pulled me into his arms tightly.

  “Okay, but what are you doing next week because I may not be able to see you for a while, I have a lot of work to catch up on this week,” he said and I chewed on my bottom lip as I thought about it.

  “Well, I have a project due Monday, but then I’m free actually. I don’t start on another contract until, like, Thursday when I get the full manuscript and notes from the author,” I said and Hunter nodded.

  “Alright, well don’t go disappearing on me,” he teased and I smiled. He kissed me softly on the lips before we went our separate ways.

  I was on the way back home when Joe called me again and I wondered what he wanted. After I practically had a meltdown on him earlier I knew he would normally hide from me until he was sure I had myself together.

  “Hey Joe, what’s up?”

  “Mel, hey, um Mom wanted me to call you to invite you to dinner tonight at our house,” he said and I paused briefly.

  “Okay…then, I guess I can come,” I said slowly.

  “Cool, hey do you think it’s the right time to introduce Mom and Dad to Christy?” Joe asked and my eyes went to the heavens.

  When Joe had introduced Christy to Peter and me, she seemed nice enough, but I didn’t feel like she was a good fit for my brother. She seemed a bit clingy and I had a nagging feeling that she was clingy because Joe was well off.

  “I don’t think it’s quite the right time Joe,” I said and he fell silent on the other line.

  “You don’t like her,” he said bluntly.

  “It’s not that, she’s nice, I don’t really know her all that well, still. I just think she’s kind of clingy, you know? And she gave off certain signs, like she could be into your money.”

  Joe sighed.

  “Seriously? You think?”

  Joe never got upset when I gave him my honest opinion about a girl he was dating. Nine times out of ten I was right about them and he had learned that pretty quickly.

  “Shit, now that you say it out loud, I can see what you mean…” Joe said slowly.

  “I mean you can give her a little test to see what her first reaction would be. Maybe take her out one day and say you left your wallet and see how she would react. Or maybe take her out on a really non flashy set of dates and see how she acts towards you,” I suggested.

  “Alright, we’ll do things like go out to the park for a picnic or something or go for walks and fishing,” Joe said.

  “Well, don’t try to bore her, just take her out on dates like you would if you were a teenager on a lawnmower salary,” I said and Joe snorted; I knew he’d have trouble with that.

  “Come on, you have to, so you can know for sure what she’s about.”

  “You’re right, I’ll start the trials the next time we go out and let you know how it goes,” Joe said.

  “Good, I’ll see you tonight at Mom and Dad’s,” I said and then ended the call. I really needed to stop getting so distracted and finish my painting quota for the day.

  When the time came around for me to get ready for dinner, I had managed to do what I needed. Joe told me that he’d pick me up, of course, so I was dressed by the time he knocked on my door.

  “Hey sis, you ready?” he asked and I nodded.

  I silently grabbed my purse and slung it on my shoulder before I locked up and followed him to his car. When we were halfway to Long Island, Joe finally said something about my being quieter than usual.

  “What’s up?” he asked me.

  “It’s just…I don’t want to end up in a situation where I don’t have a good relationship with Mom and Dad, you know?”

  “Well, Mel, that’s your own doing. You have to mend the broken fences, make the first step. You know that whole library thing was Dad calling a truce and trying to make up with you, he beats around the bush until things are hedged up. Mom, on the other hand, you should just sit down and talk to her,” Joe said and I nodded.

  “Okay…I just don’t know what to say to her,” I admitted and Joe shrugged before he glanced over at me briefly.

  “Just start with, ‘how was your day?’ Then things will pick up from there, trust me,” Joe said and I snorted.

  He was right. If Mom had something on her mind, then she’d eventually get around to airing it out once some preamble of conversation was started up.

  “How was your day, huh?” I repeated and Joe nodded.

  “Yup, it’s that simple,” he said and I rested my head back against the head rest. I wasn’t sure if he was completely right about that one.

  When we pulled up to our parents’ house I steeled myself and then got out of Joe’s car and followed him inside.

  “We’re here!” he announced our arrival and my dad called us back to the kitchen where he was actually helping Mom with dinner.

  “There are our children who hardly call or visit unless we make appointments with them,” my mom said sarcastically.

  I rolled my eyes and went over to say hi to my dad with a kiss on the cheek and I greeted my mom in much the same way.

  “How are you, Mel?” she asked me as Joe had pulled dad into a football conversation, which was bound to pull them into the family room to watch highlights. It was Tuesday, so there was no Monday night football, thankfully. Otherwise, I knew for a fact that my dad would be glued to the family room couch.

  “Oh, I’m good…how was your…day?” I asked her and she looked up at me oddly, probably because I was acting like a weirdo.

  She was my mom after all, I could make decent conversation with my mom. We looked almost identical, though her hair was wavier where mine was curly and she was a bit shorter than me and had fairer skin than I had.

  “My day was fine, I took off from work to catch up on some ‘me’ time and to run a few errands I didn’t get to over the weekend,” she said and I nodded.

  “Oh that’s good, I had one of those days yesterday.”

  “Like mother like daughter. I remember when I used to take you on my ‘me time’ days when you were younger. You’d play hooky from school and we’d have to keep it a secret from your father because he thought it would be a bad habit for you,” she said and I smiled remembering those days from elementary to high school.

  “Yeah, and the anxiety of him finding out actually had the opposite effect on me,” I said and she chuckled.

  “So…how is work treating you?”

  I knew that question was coming. Instead of rolling my eyes and shutting down like I would normally do, I simply took a deep breath and answered her question.

  “Work is good, I’m painting every day, of course, but I don’t mind. I love it,” I said and she tilted her head at me as if she wanted me to tell her more.

  “So you actually do paint every day, like an actual job?” she asked and I had to stifle my sigh again.

  “Yes, like an actual job, I paint every day so that I don’t fall behind on deadlines and have to rush at the las
t minute, Mom,” the words coming out a little snippier than I intended and I forced myself to regroup.

  “I’m just trying to understand, Melanie, you never really explained to me what it is that you actually do,” she said in her defense and I was pretty sure she was right. Every time my parents asked me too many questions about what I did, I shut down.

  “Well, I’m a freelance illustrator. People from publishing companies hire me to do the artwork for a book they bought and need to get published. They write up contracts for each project so that I can get an advance and/or partial royalties from book sales,” I explained and my mother nodded as if it all made sense.

  “So with these advances and eventual royalty checks, you make enough to afford your apartment in SoHo and health insurance and the like, right?” she asked and I nodded.

  “Yes, exactly…and I do have health insurance, so don’t worry,” I said and she actually looked a little relieved.

  “And you can afford renter’s insurance and…dental?” she asked and I had to laugh.

  “Yes, Mom, I get my teeth cleaned on a regular basis. Since I don’t work for authors directly and I work with publishing companies it ensures that I get regular work,” I said and she nodded as she was an expert now after I explained everything.

  “And you enjoy what you do?” she asked me and I nodded.

  “I love it.”

  She seemed to be satisfied with my answer and I actually felt good about telling her everything. I glanced behind me, because I had stopped hearing my brother and father’s deep voices a while ago.

  “Was Dad getting the salad ready?” I asked her and she glanced back from her corner at the stove.

  “Oh that man, as soon as talk of any sport comes up he’s completely distracted. He thinks he’s an expert, too, you know. The other day a coworker of mine came over for dinner and brought up the topic of arm wrestling being a professional sport and your father became an official on it just like that. It’s uncanny,” she said and I laughed.

  “That’s Dad for you,” I said and she snorted.

  “I should know, I married the man and stayed with him for thirty years,” she said and I smiled to myself as I went to pick up Dad’s slack.

  I honestly couldn’t remember when my mom and I had such a normal conversation. It was crazy that things just picked right back up after such a brief conversation.

  “So how about your love life? Any prospects? My kids aren’t ugly, I know you’re dating,” she said and I laughed in surprise.

  “Mom,” I said and she glanced at me and shrugged.

  “What? It’s true, now tell me, are there any men in your life?” she asked and I sighed.

  “Well, funny you should say the word ‘men,’” I said and my mom’s head turned immediately as she lifted an eyebrow at me.

  “Melanie Rowland, you are your mother’s daughter,” she said almost sounding proud of the fact that I was dating more than one guy.

  “It’s difficult to explain, Mom…well, maybe it’s not difficult to explain. I’m dating two guys at the same time, they are both gorgeous and both very well off from working on Wall Street. They are also both great in their own ways, and I just don’t know who to choose, oh and I’ve slept with them both,” I admitted.

  Mom’s eyebrows rose again before she turned towards the stove to stir something and then she shut off the burner and covered the pot.

  “By the way, what are we having for dinner?” I asked her and she glanced at the pot briefly before deciding to move it off of the hot burner entirely.

  “Seafood gumbo, you won’t believe what I had to go through to get all fresh seafood, which is ridiculous since we’re so close to the ocean,” she rolled her eyes and I smiled. “But anyway, tell me about each of your guys,” she said and I sighed; I didn’t really know where to start with either of them.

  “Well, there’s Hunter and Caleb. Hunter is quite literally the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. He has a bit of an attitude, though, but oddly enough, I’ve already learned how to manage it after only a couple of weeks of knowing him. He’s really magnetic and I like being around him a lot, not to mention he is pretty amazing in bed,” I said and my mom smirked at me.

  “Well, that’s always a plus,” she said and I laughed.

  “Yeah, and Caleb, well, he’s funny and a little quirky, and looks almost exactly like James Dean. He’s really easy going and laid back and super charming. He has a weird ability to make my chest feel all warm at times, but he’s…well, okay in bed, I guess,” I said and my mom pursed her lips while she thought things over. “Oh and I think I should mention the fact that I met Ronald Trump and Robby Flay while out with Hunter on our first date, and it was really cool,” I added.

  “Well, those are very interesting points, but they don’t exactly take the cake. There are a lot of very rich men on Wall Street and I’m sure nearly all of them have met Ronald Trump.

  But it seems to me that you’ve met two very interesting men. It doesn’t really matter that you’ve slept with both of them, nowadays that’s just a part of dating. Though it is meaningful, it means you like them both a lot which is why you can’t make up your mind and guilt is probably eating you alive as a result,” she said.

  I snorted, she was pretty spot on. So it was true, moms knew everything.

  “But try and take those moments out of it. Imagine you hadn’t had sex with either of them, which one would you like to be with more?” she asked me and right away I knew the answer.

  Hunter had gotten under my skin and he had that magnetism that was impossible to deny.

  Caleb and I, we got along great, but I realized just then that I felt the same way with Peter when I hung out with him. Like, he could just be a good friend or something…

  “Well, it seems like you figured that one out pretty quickly,” she said and I couldn’t help but hug her. She had just solved my problem in all of twenty minutes or so.

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said and we hugged for a while until both Dad and Joe came into the kitchen.

  “Well, this is nice, group hug!” Joe yelled and he hurried over to wrap his arms around both my mom and I, then I felt Dad get in on the hug and I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic.

  “Alright, alright, I can’t breathe!” I yelled and the guys let us go.

  “Mom, this gumbo smells amazing.”

  Joe was already serving himself dinner and we all took the cue to fix our plates and sit at the dinner table. For the first time in a long time, I felt like things were back to normal with our family and it was really nice.

  * * *

  The week went by slowly for me after Tuesday, mostly because both Caleb and Hunter were working overtime and I had nothing much to do. Joe was carrying out his dating trials with Christy and Peter was dating Caleb’s sister Clary and they appeared to be doing well, from what Peter and Caleb told me. I wasn’t as excited for the weekend because I was sure that it was going to be a bit boring

  –until Caleb showed up at my apartment Friday night with a huge grin on his face that said I would love him after whatever news he had to tell me.

  “Hey you! What are you doing here?” I asked him.

  I felt a little bit of anxiety that both he and Hunter now had shown up at my place unannounced. What if Hunter waltzed right down the hallway seconds later while Caleb was still in the open doorway?

  “Well, I have a question for you. How opposed are you to getting away with me for the weekend?” he asked and I quirked an eyebrow as I pulled him inside.

  “What do you mean?” I asked him.

  “Exactly that, would you want to get away with me for the weekend?” he asked.

  “Well, I don’t have anything to do this weekend and I was just thinking to myself how boring it would be…sure why not?” I said and Caleb grinned at me happily.

  “Great! How about we fly to LA?” he asked and my eyes popped, here I thought he would say ‘let’s go to my house on Long Beach for the weekend,’ o
r something. Not, ‘let’s go to LA.’”

  “LA? Really?”

  “Yeah, I’m a hundred percent serious. We could eat all weekend and then do one of those hip new LA diets and lose all the weight we gained,” he said.

  “Well…sure! When is the flight?” I asked and he checked his watch.

  “Well, I have a private jet that’s being fueled up right now at LaGuardia, but we can take forever, the pilot is waiting on my call to confirm,” Caleb said and my eyes widened again.