But in honesty, Colton pulled Zoe to him because he wanted to. He wanted to feel her in his arms again.
“Thanks for dinner,” he murmured as he pulled her flush to his chest. She eased her arms around his back and held him loosely.
“No problem.”
“I’m probably pretty gross,” Colton murmured as he pulled her closer still. “You’re a trooper putting up with sweaty, musty hugs from big dirty guys.”
“You smell nice,” Zoe said her face a pretty shade of pink.
Colton sniffed inside of his t-shirt and made a face. “I smell like I’ve been outside all day.” He slowly released her.
She shrugged indifferently and turned to leave the kitchen. Again Colton’s hand shot out and wrapped around her arm. He stepped deeper into her miniscule kitchen and drew her toward him. He ran his fingers down the length of her arm to take her hand in his. He felt her fingers trembling and wrapped them up in both of his hands. In that moment, she seemed so much smaller, so delicate and innocent and uncertain. It was a combination of all those things that turned Colton on. He wanted to make her comfortable around him.
He wanted to protect her.
“You like the smell of sweat?” He teased.
“I don’t know,” Zoe said breathlessly. She blinked several times and then laughed and shook her head no. “I don’t really like sweat, but I don’t mind it—yours… I mean….” Her voice trailed off as he drew her closer, bringing his arm around the small of her back, pulling her close to him again. He cupped her warm cheek into his palm and slowly tilted her head back. Her pupils became dilated; he could feel her quickened pulse against the skin of his palm. Colton had never wanted something as much as he wanted to kiss her, and he had never felt such an intense wave of uncertainty at the same moment. Kissing Zoe seemed like the point of no return. Once he did, he would probably want and need more than that. Kissing would automatically end the friendship and shove them into an even more awkward and uncertain place. A place they may not be able to come back from any time soon.
He hesitated and she felt it. She moved up onto her toes, her little palm pressing against his side, he felt her warm breath on his chin. All he needed to do was drop his head down just a little and he could claim her mouth with his and hopefully wouldn’t lose all self control.
“Is this a bad idea?” he stammered as her fingers curled to grasp a handful of material from his shirt. “I don’t know if it is or not… is it?” Zoe moved onto the very tip of her shoes and lifted her palm to touch his face; she shook her head no. He stared at her eyelashes, lowered heavily over her eyes, and touched his forehead to hers. He locked his arm around her and lowered his mouth to hers. Before he could feel the soft swell of her lips, she jerked away with a sudden gasp of fright. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t his inevitable kiss that frightened her, but a rabid pounding on her apartment door.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” he moaned as she slipped out of his arms and hurried across the room to the door.
Colton grabbed her just before she could unlocked the door. He wasn’t about to let her answer the door to someone screaming and pounding as if their life depended on it. He looked out the peephole and saw Paige. The girl was sobbing as she pounded on the door, begging to be let in. The moment he opened the door, she tumbled in, shoved past him and ran directly into Zoe’s arms. For the next several minutes, Colton felt completely helpless as he watched Zoe comfort Paige who hadn’t stopped sobbing.
“What’s wrong?” Zoe asked. “Please tell me.”
Paige didn’t tell Zoe—she showed her by pushing the hood of her sweatshirt down. Her hair had been chopped off—and not in a style of any sort. It was as if the strands had been hacked at with a dull pair of safety scissors. Zoe’s eyes widened with horror and shock. Colton watched as she touched Paige’s hair, some of which had been cut about an inch from Paige’s scalp, others that were as long as five inches.
“She cut it!” Paige sobbed. “She heard me talking on the phone to my friend about Clint and she just—freaked out! She slapped me and called me a slut and then she sat on me and cut it all off!”
“Your mom?” Zoe asked hesitantly.
“Yes!” Paige was crying so hard she collapsed onto the floor in front of Zoe, who instantly dropped to her knees and gathered Paige into her arms. “She’s insane! She was upset when I got home, she was drinking, and then she just lost it Zoe. She lost it. I can’t go back, please don’t make me go! Can’t I stay here? Why don’t you just adopt me? I’m not going back, I’m not. I’m running away—I have all that I need in my bags.” Colton saw Zoe’s despair and wanted to comfort her like she was comforting Paige. Zoe gently rocked Paige while rubbing her back and stroking the back of her head. She did everything she could to ease Paige’s sorrow. Finally the girl stopped sobbing and just cuddled herself in Zoe’s open arms.
“We’ll fix it,” Zoe said softly.
“I’m not going back—you can’t make me. I want to be emancipated.” Zoe kissed Paige’s cheek. “One thing at a time, okay? We’ll call Minnie—she’ll know how to fix your hair.”
“You’ll have to shave it off,” Paige said bitterly. As she touched the chopped strands, new tears began streaming down her cheeks. “There’s no way to save it… it’s horrible.”
“No, Minnie can fix anything,” Zoe insisted. She lifted her eyes to Colton’s, “Will you call her for us?”
Paige turned her head and looked up at him. He supposed she hadn’t really seen or realized that he was there in the first place—the shock on her face was pretty profound.
Her mouth fell open and her eyes filled with tears again. She looked back at Zoe and then at him. “I interrupted something didn’t I?”
“We just had dinner, Paige,” Zoe said reassuringly. “You didn’t interrupt—you’re very welcome here. Any time, no matter what—”
“No… no I interrupted, I can tell,” Paige pushed herself up to her feet. Colton couldn’t help himself; he had to look down at the front of his pants to make sure that he wasn’t obvious—although that wasn’t really an issue anymore. Sobbing teenagers were certainly a mood killer. She had interrupted, but he wasn’t going to let on that anything was about to happen in Zoe’s kitchen. He wasn’t sure yet if he was glad that they’d been interrupted again or not, or if he should take it as some type of sign.
“I’ll go.” Paige whispered. “I don’t want to be a disappointment to anyone else.”
“Don’t be silly,” Zoe grabbed Paige’s hand. “We were just having dinner, Paige, that’s all—we ran into each other at O’Shea’s and I invited him back here.” For some reason, Zoe’s face and neck turned a deep red. She laughed nervously, gently slapped Paige’s shoulder and pushed herself up. Colton pulled his cell phone out and began dialing his sister’s number. He watched Zoe take Paige into the bathroom; they were whispering to one another. He took a few steps closer to the bathroom door in hope of overhearing them, but all whispering stopped when Paige looked at herself in the mirror and began sobbing again. Colton walked back into the kitchen and leaned against the tiny counter.
“Hi Colt,” Minnie answered after the second ring.
“Hey, I’m at Zoe’s,” he began. “I need you to come over here.” Minnie was definitely on the defensive, “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”
“It’s Paige,” Colton answered. “She showed up about five minutes ago—her mom cut off all of her hair.”
“What!” Minnie cried. “What do you mean?”
“I mean she butchered it, Minnie,” Colton whispered. “It’s shocking—Zoe asked me to call you. So, I am.”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon,” his sister said. “Will you still be there?”
“Um, I’m not sure what I can really do,” Colton answered. “I’m not too good with dealing with things like this. It might be better if I leave—this place is too small for four people, especially when one of those people is all thumbs in a crisis. I mean honestly, I have no
idea what to do. I don’t think staring at her hair with a horrified expression is going to help.”
“Okay, stay until I get there—Zoe may need you,” Minnie hung up without saying anything else to him. Colton hung up his phone and walked out of the kitchen. He froze when he found Zoe sitting on her sofa, crying silently into her hands. A glance at the closed bathroom door told him that Paige had probably asked for a few minutes alone.
Colton crossed the room toward Zoe and sat down beside her. Like before, his added weight caused her to slide into him, this time he took her into his arms and held her close.
“I always feared that it was bad, I just…” she wiped her cheeks. “I guess I just made myself believe that Paige had signed up for the program to get a little attention. I never thought she was being abused and she never told me that her mom had a drinking problem. What do I do? I don’t know how to deal with this, Colton. I signed up to be a role model and mentor—not a mother.” Zoe used her big t-shirt to wipe away her tears.
“Did you see her hair?”
“It was hard not to,” Colton answered feeling a bit insensitive immediately afterward. “Is there someone you can call? A coordinator with the Big Brother/Big Sister program?”
“Yeah, I suppose I should call someone,” Zoe sniffed. “I should probably call her mother just to say that she’s safe. I can call Sam after that—he might know what to tell me.”
“Where is Paige?” Colton asked as Zoe took and went to her kitchen table where her purse sat.
“Shower,” Zoe answered.
He listened to her make the calls leaving a message at Paige’s parent’s house and then talking for about ten minutes with Sam, whoever he was. While Zoe was on the phone, Paige emerged from the bathroom with a towel around her head. Her face was red from crying and she looked so defeated and miserable. She sat down beside Colton on the couch and smiled hesitantly at him. Then her nose turned up with disgust and her eyes narrowed.
“Have you been working out?”
Colton felt a swell of panic fill his chest. “Do I stink?”
“Well… it’s not bad—just gym-y.” Paige answered as she rubbed her nose.
“Zoe said I didn’t smell was she just being nice?”
Paige thought about that for a moment and then shook her head no. “She was probably being truthful. Did you know that for lots of women the smell of sweat on a man is attractive? It turns them on. It’s got something to do with pheromones or something.
Maybe Zoe likes your pheromones.”
Colton laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, maybe.”
“Did I interrupt?” Paige asked with a small voice. “I didn’t mean to. I just didn’t know where to go.”
“You didn’t,” Colton said as he rubbed his mouth. “I’m sorry about what happened to you.”
“My mom….” Paige stared at her hands for a long time, “she has problems.” Colton rubbed her back and looked up as Zoe came forward. “Sam’s going to try to reach some of your emergency contacts. I tried to call the house, but no one answered.” Zoe sat down on the coffee table in front of them. “We have to make sure that someone knows where you are so that I don’t get in trouble.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” Paige’s eyes filled with tears again. “Should I go somewhere else? I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“No, absolutely not, you’re safe here,” Zoe smiled softly. “You can stay here as long as possible, but I’m not sure how long that will be. Your parents will have the ultimate say—or child protective services. Sam told me to take pictures of your hair, Paige, just for his records. And of your cheek.”
Colton looked at Paige’s pale cheek and saw the start of a bruise. He wasn’t sure what to do when the girls headed back to Zoe’s room. He thought about leaving, but part of him really didn’t want to, he selfishly wanted to finish his evening with Zoe. He wanted more than just a miniscule taste of her lower lip. He wanted to really feel her lips against his.
Standing, Colton walked down the hallway to the doorway of Zoe’s tiny bedroom. The space was taken up with a large unmade bed. The sight of the rumpled sheets and pillows made him ache.
“I’m gonna go,” he said quietly after Zoe had snapped another picture of Paige.
“Okay,” she nodded and set the camera down. “I’ll be right back,” she said to Paige who nodded and waved goodbye to Colton.
“Is she going to be okay?” he asked as Zoe walked him to the front door.
Zoe shrugged. “Paige is really tough, but sometimes I think she just puts on this mask that everything’s okay. I have to really pay more attention to all the things she’s not saying. She’s so sweet and loving; I don’t understand how her parents can treat her so poorly.”
“Some people aren’t meant to be parents,” Colton pointed out. Zoe nodded sadly and then reached for the doorknob. He grabbed her hand and drew her back into his arms. She pressed her face against his chest and sighed so heavily he could feel the heat of her breath through his t-shirt. He dropped his head closer to her shoulder and gently pressed his mouth to the soft swoop where her shoulder met her neck. It would have to pass as a kiss for now. They drew back from one another.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed and Colton laughed.
“I promise!”
Her lips pressed together as she rolled her eyes and opened the door for him. The moment she did Minnie came in with an excited look on her face.
“Where is she?” Minnie asked. “Is it bad?”
“It’s bad,” Zoe nodded.
“Paige, I’m here!” Minnie called. Colton looked over his shoulder and watched Paige come out of the bedroom touching the top of her head with uncertainty, her eyes filling with tears. Minnie dropped her purse on the floor as she walked forward. She stopped in front of Paige.
“Can you fix it?” Paige whispered. “Do I have to shave it all off?”
“That bitch,” Minnie said.
“That’s not helping, Min,” Zoe scolded lightly. She turned toward Colton and he stepped out of the apartment. “Thanks for having dinner with me.”
“Thanks for the invitation—I’m glad we ran into one another.”
“Me too,” Zoe smiled. “So, Thursday?”
“I’ll come by here at six thirty,” he answered. “Black tie?”
“A suit will be okay, you don’t have to rent a tux,” she answered. “Thanks Colton—it’ll be nice to have a date this year. Especially since it’ll be you.” Behind her Paige sighed romantically, which caused Zoe to blush deeply. She rolled her eyes and waved goodbye before she closed the door.
Colton stood there for several minutes, realizing too late that he really hadn’t wanted to leave her alone to deal what would follow this night in regard to Paige and her unstable mother. He finally left because he had no choice; standing there was making him look suspicious to neighbors who passed by him in the hallway. As he drove home, Colton pledged to call Zoe each day until the benefit on Thursday. He shouldn’t feel so nervous about calling her, especially after tonight. They had talked easily enough in person; it should be easy to talk to her on the phone. And to make up for his poor behavior lately, he’d make Thursday a night that Zoe would never forget. And he would finally kiss her—
no matter what.
--
Lesson Nine: “Don’t be surprised when a kiss takes you to places you always dreamed
of going.”
The last time Zoe wore a dress she was eleven and searching for Easter eggs in the back yard of the church parsonage. She hadn’t really liked wearing a dress then and she wasn’t so fond of the one she was in now. The gown she wore now was new, of course, since she didn’t own any dresses, and it did look nice. She just felt strange and uncomfortable in it, that was all. She didn’t understand why people were staring and smiling awkwardly at her. The dress was simple enough, a floor-length, black gown with a low back and—well, maybe she was showing to
o much cleavage. Minnie had made a huge deal about how great her breasts had looked. They looked huge in Zoe’s opinion—almost indecent.
As she was fretting about covering herself up, someone behind her exclaimed: “Zoe, you look amazing!”
She turned to find Claire Becker, another graphic designer, standing behind her in a short red dress that showed off the woman’s incredibly long, lean legs. If Zoe thought her dress was too low cut, Claire’s was positively scandalous, cut low to her belly and held in place with double sided tape, Zoe was certain.
Claire and Zoe had never been close friends. In fact, Claire was pretty much a first-class bitch. She was a social climber who tore your hair out at the roots as she tried to climb above you. At work she was worse. She’d made Zoe’s life a living hell for years, especially when Zoe was heavier. Claire thought that snide comments about weight, placed strategically in the ear of certain firm partners, would give her a leg up on big projects and clients. Luckily for Zoe, Lawrence Mallory, the only partner that mattered, liked her work ethic and talent and was always very appreciative of the results she put forward. No matter what her size, Mr. Mallory always stood up for her and rewarded her job performance. Other partners at Mallory-Witt Advertising were another matter, especially Penny Rotchester—the female version of Preston Philips. Claire worked directly with Penny on most projects so Zoe didn’t have to see either woman often, but when she did she never left their offices without feeling put down and belittled.
“Really, you look great—I barely recognized you,” Claire gushed with a mock sincerity that Zoe was very familiar with. Claire was a master at delivering insults masked as compliments—the only person better at it was Penny. Claire finally lifted her eyes to Zoe’s; she smirked against the rim of her champagne glass and leaned close. “Guess who else barely recognized you? Nick Marsh. Remember him?” Zoe’s heart fluttered at the very mention of his name.
Microsoft Word - Starter Boyfriend.doc Page 17