by Wylder Stone
“I thought you said Dad was eating brunch with us?” Ruby asked Genevieve.
“He is,” she replied as they stepped off the elevator to the rooftop. “He said he would meet us up here. He had something to do.”
“Work,” Ruby deadpanned. “It’s always work.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Genevieve giggled.
They rounded a screened pergola that bordered the grassy lawn in the center of the space and found a small bistro table set up, adorned with flowers, silver domed platters, and a large glass carafe of chocolate milk. Seating for two. James was leaning against the pergola post, looking at his watch when he saw them come into view.
“I thought you were going to stand me up,” he said to them.
Ruby tossed a confused look at Genevieve. With a quick kiss to her forehead, Genevieve said, “Happy Birthday, sweet girl,” before she waved and left the two alone to enjoy their brunch.
With a thumb tossed over her shoulder, Ruby asked. “Where’s she going? She usually has breakfast with me.”
“She has party stuff to do. It’s just you and me, kid,” he said, pulling out a chair for her. “You good with that?”
“Um, yeah, but…this is kind of weird.”
James shrugged. “Not weird, just long overdue.”
“Okay?” Ruby looked at the plate when James removed the dome and gasped. “Your famous French toast? With extra powdered sugar?”
“Duh. It’s your birthday.” He laughed, pouring her a glass of chocolate milk.
“Oh, my gosh.” Ruby stood quickly, her chair falling over behind her. “You’re sick. You’re sick, and you are trying to tell me!”
James’s jaw dropped. Not only was it ridiculous but it was sad too. Their relationship was that broken that quality time equated to him dying and telling her on her birthday.
“No, no, no…” he said, propping her chair back up and urging her to sit. “I’m fine. Finer than fine. But I know I haven’t been.”
“Dad…” She swallowed hard. “You’re wearing jeans, though. I didn’t think you had jeans.”
“Jeans doesn’t mean I’m sick, kid.” He laughed. “I’m just chillin’ out. Isn’t that what you kids say?”
“Yes. We say chill, but you really shouldn’t. It sounds like Uncle Troy.” She laughed.
He took his seat across from her and just looked at her to the point she started looking over her shoulder. “What? Is there someone behind me? You’re being really weird, Dad.”
Dad – she said Dad, light-heartedly – not Father but Dad. It had been so long since she had called him that he’d forgotten what it sounded like. At some point, she’d stopped called calling him Dad, and it became Father when she addressed him. It was after her mom died when everything changed – that changed too. Their relationship was hard, sometimes cold, sometimes distant, sometimes confusing, and that was a part of it. It stung when she called him Father because it was cold and felt like another loss. But…she called him Dad.
“No. There’s nothing behind you. I’m not sick. I’m just trying to be better at this dad stuff,” he said, pouring syrup over his French toast.
“Better?”
“Yeah, like us, better.” James’s shoulders sagged. He put his utensils down, and he tilted his head, staring at her for a moment. “When Mom died…” He blew out a deep breath, hoping the right words would come. “I sort of lost myself. I was so sad and worried about you. I didn’t handle it very well.”
“We all had a hard time,” she said, trying to comfort him.
“No, what I did was more than a hard time. I just sort of stopped. And that wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair to you. It was just not cool.”
Her voice was small, sentiment weaving through her words. “It’s okay, Dad. You loved her too. You knew her the longest, and…”
“No, Ru. It wasn’t okay. If I was as smart as everyone thinks I am, I would have taken notes from you and found a way to keep her with me instead of trying to forget.”
“She’s impossible to forget.”
“Yes, Ru. I figured that out. And you. And all of the things we all used to do. I just pretended none of it mattered so it wouldn’t hurt anymore, but all it did was hurt worse.” He cleared his throat, shoving the threatening emotions down. “I’m going to do better, okay? Things will never be the way they used to be, but that’s okay. It wouldn’t be the same without her anyway. So we start fresh. We work hard at being better.”
Ruby’s smile warmed his heart in a way that he couldn’t stop his feelings from being known.
“I think that sounds awesome.”
“Totes awesome or just awesome, awesome?” he asked.
“Oh my gosh, no, don’t say that.” She laughed. “Start with the jeans, and we’ll go from there.”
“Are we good?” he asked, his smile timid.
“We were always good. We just didn’t know it. And you totally ruined your French toast with syrup. It’s extra butter and powdered sugar that rocks.”
“Says you,” he teased. “This is the bomb.”
“Seriously.” She laughed. “Stop. You sound…”
“Cool?” he asked.
Ruby tossed her head back and laughed. “No. Like an old dude trying to sound cool.”
“Old dude? Just for that…” He reached across the table and stabbed a strawberry from her plate with his fork. “I’m taking this!”
“Hey, guys,” Genevieve interrupted. “This just came.”
She held a long garment bag from a hanger and handed it to James. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“What’s in that bag?” Ruby said with big eyes.
“I don’t know, just something I thought you might like.” James hung the bag from the nearby lattice and unzipped it, revealing the party dress she had been looking at online. Her high-pitched shriek told him it was a move well played as he sat back down with a proud grin on his face.
“Dad! That’s it! That’s the dress.” She stood with her hands covering her mouth in surprise. She looked at him. “Where? How? It was online, and it said like two weeks, and I didn’t think…”
“Two weeks? You forget who I am…” He laughed. “Just kidding. Vivi helped me find it closer to Santa Marina. Uncle Derek went to get it.”
“On the motorcycle? I bet that looked funny.”
“Nah. He was in San Diego for a few days and brought it back this morning.”
“Looking for Greenly?” she asked between bites of breakfast, her eyes never leaving the dress.
“What do you know about Greenly? You were too little…”
“I’m not little, and I remember everything.” She shrugged. “So, the dress. Where should I, uh, wear it?”
James’s attention stayed on the French toast. He shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal, but really it was, and he was a ball of nerves. “I don’t know. Thought maybe that dance at your school Friday? I mean, if you want to go, and you can wear jeans instead if you…”
“I’d love to!” she shrieked, clapping her hands. “Jeans? To the dance? You do have some catching up to do! I’ll wear the dress! I need shoes, though, and I know just the ones.”
She continued, discussing shoes, hair, whether she should wear makeup, if it was okay to wear makeup, and so on. His head was spinning, but he was enjoying it. He’d missed this. He’d missed her.
The brothers stood around the rooftop, surrounded by a mob of hormone raging tweens for Ruby’s big party. James brought the guys up to speed about the dance and what that meant from a security perspective. Though they grunted at the thought of spending a Friday night with this crowd of kids, a large group of kids, they were pleased to go because he was going.
It was a beach-themed party with blow-up floating mats, inner tubes, and beach balls – no pool, though. They built the closest thing to a bonfire in their gas firepit and barbecued tween-friendly food like hot dogs and hamburgers. Genevieve saved the day, however, with the vegan dogs and bean burgers w
ith gluten-free alternatives. It was Santa Marina, after all.
It was a typical kid party until it was time to find a spot on the grass for the movie they were playing against the building’s large wall. Most kids used beach towels, some the inner tubes, but the two boys that flanked either side of Ruby used the floating mattresses to sit on.
“What the hell, man?” Jackson pointed at the boys. “Mattresses? Vivi bought mattresses for a boy-girl party?”
“This isn’t good. They’re both looking at Ru like they want to share their mattress,” Derek added.
“They are just pool floaties,” Genevieve scolded. “And nobody is sharing anything. They’re all like twelve. Don’t you dare embarrass her.”
Troy, with his container of popcorn, joined the frenzied uncle debate. “Who are these guys? Has anyone checked them out? Run a background on them? The parents? Do we know what kind of grades they make?”
“They’re twelve,” she scolded again. “And you better not look them up. Ruby has a good head on her shoulders. She’s smart. She’ll make a good choice when the time comes. Now stop, or I’m kicking you guys out of here.”
Derek crossed his arms to match his crossed ankles while he leaned against the rooftop railing. “Geez. What’s her problem?”
“Not the mattresses, apparently…” Troy sneered.
James had his eyes on Ruby and her two admirers the whole time. Knew who they were too. “Kid on the right…”
“Our right or their right?” Derek asked.
Jackson gave Derek a what the hell look and interrupted. “We’re all facing the same way, numb nuts. Our right is their right.”
“Good point. I guess I’m just worked up or something. This bothers me. It’s new territory,” Derek admitted. “We’ve never done this before.”
James side-eyed his brother and continued, “Like I was saying, kid on the right is captain of the robotics team, straight A’s, smart as hell. Brought flowers and a big gift bag with all that fluffy paper shit coming out of the top.”
“He put thought into it. I like it,” Jackson said. “Definitely asked his mom for help. A guy who has a good relationship with his mom is good. Raised right. Straight A’s means he cares about his future. Good stuff.”
“Kid on the left is captain of the football team. Gets okay grades, stellar quarterback. Been hitting on a couple of the other girls. Brought a card with a candy bar taped to it,” James pointed out.
“A candy bar? Are you serious? The kid sounds like a player. A twelve-year-old player.” Derek shook his head in disgust. “Who brings a candy bar taped to a card? I mean, the football thing is great, but no thought in the gift. It was an afterthought. I already like the other one better.”
“He better keep his game on the field,” Troy warned with a snap of his fingers. “I have no idea why I just snapped my fingers. But for real, I already don’t like him.”
“The nerd gave her his beach towel to wrap around her shoulders when she shivered and has been sharing his popcorn with her. Jock is over there scootin’ closer to Ru, but I think it’s just so he can eat the popcorn too.”
“Unbelievable. He should be getting her more popcorn, not taking her popcorn,” Jackson said before he disappeared into the sea of kids.
“I think we need to fix this—” Derek chimed in, only to be interrupted by Genevieve.
“Don’t you dare fix anything.” Genevieve had been standing next to them the whole time, listening. “It’s sweet that you want to look out for her, but don’t you dare embarrass her, especially on her birthday. She’s a Force, so I’m pretty sure she can handle this.”
“But it’s our job…”
“No, it’s not your job. Leave the kids alone,” she snapped, trying to maintain a straight face.
“You with me, Troy?” Derek whispered to Troy.
“I got the geek,” Troy answered, and they each grabbed snacks from the table and made their way to the lawn.
“You’re awfully quiet. What’s your take on this shit?” James asked of Owen.
“I don’t have a take. Trista told me to stay away, or I’d regret it,” he replied, referring to his wife’s warning. “I don’t like how she’s looking at the boys. She’s likely to tell Mom. Why aren’t you saying anything? Vivi already got you on a tight leash?”
“Ha! No. I’m afraid of Mom” James laughed. “I set the boys up, let them take the fall with Mom and Vivi and take care of the little shits while they’re at it.”
“Smart move, man. I’ll have to remember that one,” Owen said, high-fiving his brother.
Derek and Troy sat on either side of the boys they had their eyes on. They were each silently rooting for the robotics kid, though he still needed a watchful eye and mentoring, in their opinion. It was time to shake down the jock, though, and see how he did under pressure.
First things first, they let the air out of the floatie mattresses. That brought immediate relief. Troy handed the robotics kid some candy, to which he said thank you and immediately offered it to Ruby. Score one for robotics kid. Troy looked back over his shoulder and nodded to James and Owen, approving of the kid’s gesture.
Next, Derek handed the football kid the container of popcorn, which he gladly accepted and went right to eating. When Derek grunted and nodded toward Ruby, the kid just stared at him with a confused look and continued to eat the popcorn. That was until Jackson made eye contact from the front of the crowd where he stood with his arms crossed, muscles flexed, and the meanest look he could muster. The kid offered some to Ruby but still kept the container for himself.
Derek shook his head and tossed a disgusted look at James and Owen, showing his disapproval. That was when James finally jumped in. It was innocent enough. He was just offering the kids a couple of sodas, and by a couple, it was two, despite there being three kids.
He whispered, “Hey, anyone want a soda?”
Football kid just grabbed one and whispered, “Me,” while robotics kid accepted the soda but handed it to Ruby. That was when James took the soda from the football kid and gave it to the robotics kid. He deserved it.
When a football kid was starting to feel the heat of the brothers’ stares, he started to sweat. The grand finale was Jackson’s intimidating stare down, though. The kid swallowed so hard, the gulping sound was audible. He quickly got up and moved to the edge of the grass with the other football boys. Mission accomplished.
“That was awesome,” Troy whispered to his brothers as they each pounded fists in victory.
“You realize you just ganged up on a twelve-year-old boy, right?” Genevieve criticized when they returned to the adults standing at the back. “Five oversized grown men chased off a little kid.”
“He isn’t that small. Look at him. He’s even kind of big for a quarterback,” Jackson contended.
“Yeah, he doesn’t look twelve at all, and he didn’t even offer the popcorn to Ru. Do we really want that type of relationship for her?” Derek challenged.
“How about we just let her decide and only act like baboons when it’s really necessary?” Genevieve argued with a grin. “I halfway expected you to pee on something to mark it and beat your chests.”
Derek gasped in surprise and fired back with a look of disgust and a tone of offense. “Jesus, Vivi. We’re grown fucking men. What the hell?”
When the robotics kid leaned over and kissed Ruby’s cheek, the men went silent. Standing in disbelief, each was left speechless, unsure what they just saw.
“Were we just played?” Troy asked. “By a twelve-year-old. He’s on to us and played us.”
“No. I still like him better. It was her cheek, and he’s still a good foot away from her on the grass,” Jackson reasoned.
“What. Do. We. Do?” Derek asked.
“I don’t know. I guess nothing.” James stood straight. “You see how Vivi is looking at us from the punch bowl.”
“I’ll get Aaron up here,” Jackson said as he sent a text to Aaron Markus, who was on the grou
nd level with Cade and Connor for added security. “He’ll know.”
“Aaron doesn’t have kids. He doesn’t even have nieces and nephews. How will he know?” James gave his brother a questioning look.
“I don’t know, but he’s a prosecutor and stands the best chance against Vivi.”
20
The brothers stood in the lobby as the parents’ cars lined up to pick up their kids from Ruby’s party. Genevieve had texted James to say they were wrapping up on the roof, and the kids would hit the elevator soon. The guys were there to make sure the kids each got to the right parent, and the villain in their midst didn’t interfere.
“You good with all of this?” Jackson asked.
James stood there for a moment with his arms crossed as he leaned against the back of the lobby couch. Is he good with it all? he wondered.
“I am. I really think I am,” he finally answered, feeling more convinced with every word. “I can’t explain it, but things finally feel right for the first time in a long time. I know this case is heavy, but even that feels different. It’s like the lights are finally on, and I can see more clearly.”
“Because of Vivi?” Owen asked.
“In part,” he admitted. “I guess it took the perfect storm to break me, and it took the perfect storm to finally get it all together again. I’m ready for the next chapter of everything. And just in time. Man, Ru is at a stage I’m not prepared for. I need to be on my A game for this.”
They each chuckled.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Owen asked. “It’s good to finally have everyone back on track. Life’s a lot easier when we’re all on the same page.”
It was a beautiful spring evening, clear skies as each confirmed when they looked through the floor-to-ceiling glass entry. That was okay, though. It wasn’t meant for them to understand. It was his to cling to and share if ever his brothers experience a storm of their own.
“Here they come,” Derek said when the elevators started moving simultaneously.
“Ready for chaos in ten, nine, eight, seven…” Troy stopped counting when the elevators came to a sudden stop with a screeching metallic whine.