Lessons from a One-Night Stand

by Rayne, Piper

  He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “They own this area. It’s been hard for me to get a leg up around here.”

  “Didn’t you research them before coming here to open your business?” I sip my drink.

  “At the time, they were still recovering from losing their parents.”

  I swallow the liquid before it spews out of my mouth. “What are you saying?”

  The waitress sets a plate full of crab on our table, complete with claw breakers, melted butter, and cocktail sauce. We each get a baked potato on the side.

  I’m the only one who says thanks to her before she smiles and heads to the next table.

  My dad rubs his hands together, staring at the crab as though he hasn’t eaten in a week.

  “Clint?” I ask.

  He looks at me, taking a second to remember my question. “If it wasn’t me, it would’ve been someone else.” He shrugs.

  “You tried to take advantage when they were hurting?” I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything redeemable about my father.

  “It’d been a few years. They never should’ve put that business in the hands of a nineteen-year-old in the first place. The old bat was crazy to do so.” He cracks open a crab.

  I can only stare at him in horror. “They lost their parents.”

  He looks up and sees the expression on my face. “Relax. I think your friendship with Austin is clouding your view of what happened.”

  My voice hardens. “I don’t think it is.”

  He pulls a piece of crab out of the shell, dunks it in melted butter, and as it drips along the table, he brings it to his mouth. He finishes chewing before responding. “Women are so sensitive. It was a power move.”

  “You were going to try to take them over?”

  “I went to Dori—she reminds me of that blue fish from Finding Nemo. She wanders around like she hasn’t a clue.”

  My gut clenches.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” he asks, staring at the plate in front of me.

  “She’s kind and sweet and—”

  “Uh oh, I see they’ve sucked you in. See? That’s what that family does. They’ve put a net around that entire town. Let me fill you in—they aren’t all angels. I’ve heard things.”

  I inhale deeply, anger clouding my rational thinking. “They’re kind people, and gossip isn’t reliable.”

  “I heard their dad, good ol’ Tim Bailey, was screwing his secretary.”

  “From who?” Why am I engaging him? I understand how gossip works, how it gets exaggerated from one person to the other until it’s an outright lie.

  “Does it matter? He’s six feet under now. Rumor is he was a drunk, and poor Beth Bailey suffered because he was an alcoholic.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Relax, it doesn’t mean anything. The kids are taking everything over. Forgetful Dori was clear about that.”

  Before I can think, all the pain and rage of his disinterest in my life boils to the surface over his crass assessment of the Baileys and I pick up my glass and splash the contents all over his face. “Go to hell. Maybe I should enlighten everyone about you? How you abandoned your newborn daughter and could never spare one minute to call, one weekend to visit? How birthday after birthday, she sat there, and her only wish was for her dad to come visit?”

  All eyes in the restaurant turn to us.

  “Sit down,” he bites out. “You’ve been in this town for two minutes. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I know that the Baileys are good people and you’re not. You’re a loser who tries to steal what other people build.” I throw my paper napkin in his face and weave through the tables as hushed whispers erupt around us.

  When I push open the doors, my mom is sitting on a bench across the road, waiting for me. She stands and opens her arms, and I cross the road and walk right into them.

  Thirty-Three

  Austin

  “Finally!” Jordan, my buddy from college, hugs me, smacking my back. “It’s been too long.”

  I sit down at the table in the bar where we planned to meet. “I know. It feels like a lifetime. I can’t believe I forgot how bad the traffic is.” I laugh. It took me forever to get from the airport to the hotel last night. “You must spend half your time in a car.”

  He laughs. “Well, the sun and beach make up for it.”

  A waitress comes over, and we each order a beer.

  “How’s life?” I ask.

  He shrugs. “It’s good. I heard Coach likes you. Of course, it helps that you have a great recommendation.”

  I nod. “Thanks again for setting the stage for me.”

  “Of course, man.”

  The interview was earlier today, and it went as well as it could. It was clear that if I got the job, I’d start low on the totem pole, that he has to put guys with more experience coaching at a Division One level before me. Which I understand.

  “How’s the family?” Jordan leans back and takes a long pull of his beer, his eyes on the waitress’s ass.

  “They’re good. Phoenix and Sedona are graduating this year.”

  “They’re the youngest, right?” His eyes are everywhere but on me.

  “Yeah. Rome returned a few weeks ago.”

  “Is that the pilot?”

  “No. The chef.”

  He nods, but I can tell he doesn’t really know who I’m talking about. I can’t fault him for that. We lost touch when he was playing professional ball and I was playing daddy. It’s only been the last couple years that I reached out, knowing Phoenix and Sedona would be graduating and I’d be able to leave Lake Starlight.

  “Oh shit.” He waves at someone behind me. “I hope you don’t mind, I invited my girl to join us. If she asks, I picked you up at the airport last night.”

  I glance behind me as two woman approach.

  “And the other?” I ask with a raised brow.

  He smiles at me. “That’s my thank you for lying for me.” He winks, and my stomach sours.

  Jordan was always a player back in college, but after he got a one-night stand pregnant years ago, I thought for sure he’d have straightened out his act.

  “Hey, baby.” He wraps his arm around his girlfriend, kissing her neck and grabbing her ass.

  She giggles and coos. “Stop it, Jordy.”

  “What can I say, I can’t keep my hands off you.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat. I hate being put in these situations.

  “This is my girl”—he slaps her ass—“Renee.” He points at the other girl, who stands by my side and isn’t shy in letting me know with her eyes that she wants me. “This is Sara.”

  “Sera,” Renee corrects.

  Jordan laughs. “Sera, sorry.”

  He sits back down, and the two women sit at the table with us.

  “So, what do you do? Did you play too?” Sera asks, leaning forward so I can see right down her blouse.

  Holly comes to mind, when she bent over her desk and I had a direct view of her cleavage. The difference being that Holly exudes class and this woman screams predator.

  “No. I’m just a high school teacher.”

  Her lips dip and she sits back in her chair.

  “But he’s about to coach with me at USC,” Jordan quickly fills in.

  She smiles and leans forward again, biting the side of her lip.

  Yeah, I don’t need this shit.

  “Excuse me,” I say and head toward the bathroom.

  In the hallway, I pull out my phone and pull up Holly’s number. Instead of calling, I shoot her a text.

  Me: Hey, interview over. Just out for drinks with a buddy. Call you tonight?

  Three dots appear and I wait for her response.

  Holly: Sure. Just with my mom at Lard Have Mercy. How did it go?

  Me: Good. Jordan thinks I might have gotten it.

  She sends me a bitmoji of her cheering with pom poms.

  Me: I wouldn’t mi
nd seeing you in a cheerleader costume.

  Holly: I think this is a conversation we need to have when my mom isn’t eating blueberry pie next to me.

  She puts the bitmoji with her laughing and her tongue sticking out.

  Me: Tonight then. Be prepared with a sexy voice.

  Holly: LOL…I’ll practice.

  She puts a wink emoji.

  I’ve never missed Lake Starlight as much as I do right now.

  “Hey, I thought you disappeared?” Sera approaches, and I shove the phone into my pocket.

  “Just checking on things at home.”

  She steps in front of me, her hand on the wall next to my head, and slides a finger down the center of her cleavage. Is she for real?

  “You have a family?” she asks, not pulling away.

  “Kind of, but no wife or kids of my own.”

  She smiles. “You’re so honest. I don’t care if you do.” Her eyes dip down my body, and she steps forward so her body is flush with mine. “Go ahead and touch if you want.”

  “I’m sorry.” I shake my head. “I have somewhere to be, but it was nice meeting you.”

  I gently push her away by the shoulders, and her forehead scrunches. She’s probably not used to being turned down. I walk down the hallway to the main bar. Jordan’s tongue is down Renee’s throat when I reach the table.

  “Hey, Jordan, I gotta go. Something came up.”

  He turns as Renee sucks on his neck. “Something at home?”

  I nod. “Kind of. Thanks a lot, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow at the game.”

  “Sure thing.”

  I’m a step away when I have to wait for a line of people heading to their table to pass by.

  “He have a family or something?” Renee asks.

  “His parents died our senior year of college and he went back to raise his sisters and brothers.”

  “That’s horrible. How many?” she asks.

  “I don’t know, like a dozen. People in Alaska sure don’t know when to quit.”

  Renee laughs, and I leave the bar grinding my teeth.

  * * *

  Instead of heading back to the hotel, I take a cab to the beach.

  The moon shines down on the ocean, and I snap a picture. The wish that Holly was here to see it with me settles into my bones no matter how I try to resist it.

  The interview weighs on my mind. California isn’t what I remember. Back then, it was all about the party and fun and I played ball year round. It feels different here now. I’m older, but still, there’s this knot in my stomach that I can’t get rid of.

  My phone rings in my pocket and I take it out, expecting to see Holly’s name, but it’s a California number. I slide my thumb over the screen. “Hello.”

  “Austin.” Coach Freeman’s voice sounds happy. “I just finished talking to my guys.”

  I glance at the time. It’s nine o’clock at night. Do they have lives outside the office?

  “I know I mentioned that we planned to talk to other candidates as well, but what can I say? You impressed us. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a guy talk about the character of a ball player. Normally it’s all about velocity off the bat and over the mound. Rarely do we hear a coach say he thinks that a player isn’t all about his numbers.”

  “Well, it’s something I try to teach my boys at Lake Starlight.”

  “I know, and that’s why we just offered Elijah Crupe a full ride.”

  “What? That’s amazing!” I know a lot of colleges are looking at Elijah, but he hasn’t had anyone offer him a full ride yet.

  “He’s one of yours, so we’d like to ask you to come on board with us. But you should know that there’s a slightly different plan than we originally talked about.”

  “Okay?”

  “We told you that you’d be learning the ropes the first year, but we’d like you to take Jordan’s place. I know you two are friends and he’s the one who got you the interview, but between us, he was a better player than he is a coach.”

  I sit down in the sand, resting my elbows on my knees. “I don’t know what to say.”

  And I don’t. I’ve waited so long for this opportunity and now that it’s here, I feel shell-shocked and unable to process what this means.

  “Well, say you’ll take the job.”

  “Can I think about it? I can’t help but feel like I’m stabbing my friend in the back.” I’m not sure that’s something I can do.

  “This isn’t Lake Starlight, Austin. But you think it over. I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for you. More than you were asking for. But we understand how a guy who talks about sportsmanship and handling yourself off the field won’t take lightly that he’d be taking over his friend’s job. Let me tell you this though—Jordan is out come next year whether you come on board or not. And of course, we’d appreciate your discretion where that’s concerned.”

  “Of course. Thanks, Coach. I’ll get back to you soon.”

  “You’re welcome. Have a great night, and we’ll see you at the game tomorrow.”

  “See you then.”

  I hang up and let my head hang between my arms, my phone dangling from my hands. I stare at the ocean again. The same one that extends all the way up to Alaska, where everything I’ve ever known is.

  For the first time in forever, I pull up Buzz Wheel, wanting to see if Elijah made the page and what his reaction was. Although they never feature underage kids, Elijah just turned eighteen, so he’s fair game now.

  There’s the current weather at the top, and a picture of Main Street across the header. There’s no word on Elijah, but there is a piece that says the charges against Savannah have been dropped. Thank God. Looks like Grandma Dori was right, and Savannah was the one to deal with Clint Edison on that.

  I scroll down and see Holly’s name.

  “What now?” I mumble.

  Then I read the headline.

  “Rumor has it Principal Holly Radcliffe might become a permanent fixture in Lake Starlight.”

  I read the article that says Miranda Miller has decided to stay at home with her son and her job has been offered to Holly.

  Huh. Why didn’t she say anything?

  I hammer out a text message.

  Me: How was dinner with your dad?

  The three dots appear quickly, like they usually do when I message her.

  Holly: Eventful. (Sad face emoji)

  Me: I’m sorry. Wish I was there.

  Holly: It’s okay. (Smiley face) My mom is here. Hence the pie.

  Me: I should’ve asked sooner. I’m sorry.

  Holly: Stop it. I’m good. Thank you.

  Me: Any other news?

  The three dots don’t appear and my gut twists. Then they pop up.

  Holly: Nope.

  Me: Still on for later tonight?

  Holly: Of course, let me know when you get back to your hotel.

  Me: I’m on my way now.

  Holly: Always so eager. ;)

  I stand and shove the phone into my pocket, staring at the moon as though it might have all the answers I’m looking for.

  Why wouldn’t she tell me about the offer?

  Should I take the job?

  Would I want to if Holly were to stay in Lake Starlight?

  I come up empty, so I walk away from the water to head to the hotel. A little phone sex can’t hurt, and at least it’ll take my mind off my problems. For a bit anyway.

  Thirty-Four

  Holly

  My phone rings right after I snuggle into bed, wearing a piece of lingerie that’s been in my drawer for years. I’m not even sure why I packed it, but right now, I’m happy I did.

  “Hey, hot stuff,” I say in my sexiest voice.

  “You dirty little slut.”

  I sigh, hearing Dana’s voice. “I gotta go. Talk to you later.”

  “Wait! Don’t hang up! I’m your best friend and you didn’t even tell me! I’ve been supporting you from thousands of miles away and you hide the fact that y
ou’re never coming back?”

  “Whoa. What are you talking about?”

  I hear shuffling in the background. “Buzz Wheel says you’re staying there?” There’s a depressed twang in her tone.

  “God, I hate that thing. They just offered me the position today.”

  “The fact you didn’t immediately call me says you’re thinking about it.”

  I bolt up in bed. “I’m not. I’m just letting it marinate.”

  “Bullshit. Tell them you have a very lonely best friend in Florida you need to get back to.”

  “Dana,” I sigh.

  “I knew it. You are going to stay.” She sighs.

  “I honestly don’t know, okay? I have to give them my decision next week. Austin isn’t here, and I can’t figure out if that’s good or bad.”

  “Where is he?” she asks.

  “Interviewing at USC.”

  “Ohhh… so there’s a chance you’ll come to your senses and return to where you belong.” Her sullen tone turns sarcastic.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I bet Lake Starlight isn’t nearly as desirable without Austin in it.”

  She’s right about that.

  My phone beeps, and I pull the phone away from my ear to see Austin’s name on the other line. “I gotta go. He’s calling to… talk.”

  “Whatever, I’m not Karen. Love you.” She hangs up without needing any more of an explanation.

  I click over. “Hey.”

  “Hi.”

  “Are you enjoying the action of the big city?”

  “I’m enjoying your voice more.”

  Butterfly wings flutter in my belly. Austin has a way with words.

  “I have some news,” he says.

  “Yeah?”

  “Coach Freeman called.”

  The butterflies lose their wings and sink to the depths of my stomach.

  I put on my best happy tone. “Really?”