by Megan Noelle
“Dani!” She squealed into the phone.
“Oh, mom.” My heart was breaking just looking at her. I’ve seen enough anti-drug ads to know the effects of meth on someone’s features—but this was my mother. This wasn’t supposed to be happening to her!
She sensed the reason for my sad reaction, but not entirely. “Oh baby don’t worry, orange is so not my color, but it’s growing on me.” A polite smile surfaced, holding in my worry. Since I was a little girl, I had been the one that took care of her—whenever she was around, that is.
“How…how are you?” The words tripped from my mouth.
“I could really go for a cocktail.” Typical Audrey, make light of everything, while I sat there worried beyond reason for her.
“Mom…”
She began shaking around her mess of unkempt hair, before I could even get the words out. She’d always sensed when a disapproving lecture was on its way.
“I don’t want to hear it, Danielle. Listen, I haven’t seen my baby girl since you were in high school. Don’t make the first time we’re together again a bad memory.” My eyes darted around to the cold cement room surrounded by bars and cameras spying everywhere you looked. A frustrated sigh from my mother filled my ears, pulling my gaze back to hers.
“So baby, you find the place okay?”
“A friend drove me.”
She leaned on her elbows to come in closer. The move was so normal for a couple of girls gossiping at the mall. Which was exactly the image I tried to implant—instead of the reality surrounding us.
“A male friend perhaps?” How she knew was beyond me, but I nodded.
“Yes, a male friend.”
“Who?” Her pale blue eyes sparked with curiosity, reminding me just how easy it was to talk to her. As long as you weren’t grilling Audrey about her problems, she could be a blast to sit on the phone with. I couldn’t help but smile at those sparse memories.
“His name is Corey.”
“Wait….” She sat back putting a finger to her lips, as if the move helped her think. “The Corey that runs that bar and works with the Inn?” Of course my mother remembered him—he was probably a god in her mind, since he was the one serving the liquor.
“Yes, that one.”
An approving nod and smile brightened her attitude. “He is downright sexy, but I have never liked him.”
“Why not?” This was a surprise.
“He always cut me off after a couple drinks. My bet is your grandmother got to him and told him to treat me like a goddamn child.” She huffed disapprovingly.
Corey gained even more respect in my mind. He seemed to be close to my Gram—this I knew. But it took a real professional to take on my mother’s snake charmer ways, that slithered easily when there was something she wanted. Liquor was one of those things.
“Corey also has to follow laws and if you would have left the bar and caused an accident—that’s on him.” She rolled her eyes, brushing me off with a wave of her hand.
“Wrong, he’s just a sexy bartender that wasn’t man enough to stand up to her.” Her—being my grandmother.
My blood began to boil in an unexpectedly defensive way.
“Corey isn’t just a bartender; he is a business owner and a respectable person.” My harsh warning tone made my mother’s eyes raise in curiosity. It was rare that I ever talked back or raised my voice to her. If I was being honest—I was a little taken aback by the outburst, but I held my ground. Corey deserved better than being trashed by my hot-mess of a mother.
“Whoa—sorry, didn’t realize you were in love with the guy. I didn’t even know you two were an item.”
“We’re not. He’s my friend. I’m just not going to let you trash talk my friend, who absolutely doesn’t warrant it.”
Her hand made its way up to her mouth, and she immediately started biting her already jagged nails. The frail frame and baggy jumpsuit started bouncing from her shaking leg, while her eyes darted around. I knew what this was—I’d seen it before, more times than I could count.
Mother dearest hated confrontation and dealing with anything that might get her into an argument about reality. Growing up, I accepted her crazy stories as normality and kept all personal life complications to myself. She’d always asked but hated the responses. Watching her now was viewing an internal struggle between the carefree druggy and motherish instincts. The maternal senses were there, I could practically hear the reproaches rolling around in her mind about Corey right now.
He’s too old for you. Make him work for the goods. You deserve better. Don’t settle for looks the way I did with your father. Make sure you’re being safe—if you know what I mean. Don’t go for a man that makes you feel anything less than the best woman on the face of this planet. You’re priceless, Danielle—don’t forget that.
Except, those words would never come out. Sometimes, I found myself wishing she would yell at me about certain things and argue with me about others. Just be my mom. It was a pointless wish at this point. Asking her to care on a deeper level, would be like asking my dad to come home. It would be a waste of time because it was never going to happen.
I felt myself sinking into the same sullen pit I had always dwelled in when it came to thinking about my stellar parents.
“Fine, you’re not dating, but you’re definitely sleeping with him. So come on, spill—how is he?”
My mouth dropped at how casually she brought up something as personal as my sex life. The only person I shared that information with was Gabby, but even she didn’t know about Corey yet. Never before have I talked about that sort of thing with mom and I didn’t plan to start now.
“What makes you think we’re sleeping together?”
She shot me a dubious look. “Because you are. Now don’t hold out on me. What’s the sex like?”
“Mom!” I scolded, but she once again rolled her eyes at me.
“Oh don’t mom me, if it bugs you so much, don’t think of me as your mom now.” Well, then when can I think of you as my mother?
“But you are and it’s just weird. Why don’t we talk about other things? Um… like… the inn, it’s doing really well.”
“I don’t give a shit about that Inn, Danielle. Give it a few months and you won’t either. Violet will always put that Inn before everything else and you are only good enough now, because you’re babysitting it.”
“Well then, why don’t you tell me how you’re feeling?”
“ Seriously? How the hell do you think I’m feeling, Danielle? You’re a smart girl, figure that shit out for yourself. I’m trapped in this jail cell for a bullshit reason and am treated like a goddamn rat, for doing something that wasn’t hurting anyone!” That was the side I was afraid of—angry Audrey. Her words intimidated me and in just a few short sentences, she knew how to make me feel like complete trash.
“You were hurting yourself.” The words came out timidly, the way they had when I was still her little kid.
“Who gives a damn! I was so much happier out there and now I’m locked up in this fucking hellhole! You know, maybe if you would have come home once or twice—I wouldn’t be in here! You just walked out and left me to deal with everything on my own! What kind of daughter were you?”
She no longer looked at me as her beautiful girl and the girlfriend she wanted to chat about boys with. I was the reason for her problems, the cause of all evil in her otherwise ‘saintly’ life.
“I asked you to come to New York to see me, multiple times,” I cautiously reminded her.
“Yeah, right! You shouldn’t have left in the first place. How was I supposed to run that stupid Inn, take care of the house and watch over you?? You knew I was sick Danielle! You didn’t care!”
“Of course I cared, mom. When you’d come home sick and grimy, I cleaned you up and made sure you ended up safely in bed.”
My entire body jumped when her phone slammed against the window. She was on her feet leaning down towards me, yelling at the top of her lungs.
“BULLSHIT! I WAS A GREAT MOTHER TO YOU! YOU WERE JUST A SELFISH, SPOILED BRAT! You’re the reason Kole left me!” A guard showed up behind her and grabbed her arms.
“That’s enough Audrey.” I heard him say, as he tried to cart her away. My body was frozen but my chest heaved up and down. Was she right? Was I the reason my dad left? Had I really left her in her time of need? Would my staying have made a difference?
Another guard placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump out of my skin. The look in his eyes told me he was sorry for what everyone just witnessed. If only it was that easy to accept a simple apology and move on. Her words pierced me and with each breath, sinking deeper into my heart. If it weren’t for the guard helping me out of the maze to the exit, I would have collapsed against the wall in a pool of tears.
Once my feet hit the parking lot, I walked towards Corey as fast as possible. My sleeve covered my mouth holding in the whimpering cries for something I couldn’t change. Corey’s Wrangler came into view at the same time that he spotted me. The distraught look on his face was enough for me to know he understood what happened. He launched himself from the car, while my legs tore into a run to meet him. Within seconds I was pressed against his chest, our arms tangled around the other. Deep heart-aching sobs broke free.
“I’m sorry, Dani.” Corey pressed his lips to my temple as his hands held wrapped tightly around my waist.
Corey didn’t know what went on but he didn’t have to. In that moment he gave me everything I needed and more than I ever had before. I was safe in his arms and protected from the harsh words circling through my psyche. After a few minutes, he helped me into the car and we began our trip back home. During the ride he kept our fingers laced together. When we reached a stop, he would bring them to his lips and place a kiss to my hand.
When we were half an hour away from Serenity Cove we decided to go to his place. Truthfully, the last thing I wanted was to be alone and the first thing I wanted was to be with Corey. We pulled into Corey’s spot and he walked me up to his apartment before going downstairs to grab us some food.
I curled up on his couch and wrapped my arms tight around my knees. Ten minutes later he returned, setting an ice cold Rolling Rock on the table in front of me alongside a warm, mouthwatering cheeseburger. Before I could grab it, Corey pulled me into his arms and held me close to his chest.
“What happened, Dani?”
“Nothing,” my words choked out through my tears. “She just knows the things to say to get under my skin.”
“No, it’s more than that.” I sniffled back my persistent sobs and shook my head. A request came out before I could stop it. “Corey, can I stay with you?” His hands pulled my face back far enough to press our lips together.
“You can always stay with me, Danielle.”
I snuggled into Corey’s side, as I slammed down the open beer.
We finished off three beers each, which did nothing to make us drunk, but it did make us feel good. There was a TV in Corey’s living room but we didn’t bother turning it on. His arms never left me the whole night while we talked. He—thankfully—avoided questions about my mother and played it safe with conversing about simple things; favorite movies, books, and many other things that might seem insignificant. When we came to a story I told him involving Gabby, I admitted how badly I missed having her here. Other than the brief sorrow at that, I wasn’t riddled with grief as I had expected.
We entered the bedroom and in that moment I knew I wanted Corey. My hands roamed over his ripped chest and toned arms but he stopped me. Laced our fingers together and pressed his forehead against mine.
“Let me take care of you.” Fear shot through me but his mouth covered mine, silencing any hesitation. Maybe he meant in a long-term way but tonight, being taken care of was just what I longed for.
Every movement was drawn out and intoxicating. Each item of clothing I wore was slowly stripped off. His lips spent their time getting to know every inch of my skin in a torturous pleasure. While my body screamed for him to hurry up and get on with it already—I let him be in control. He made me feel desired, worshipped and sexy. My body shuddered as he triggered one release after another, all by use of his fingers and tongue.
Even when he entered me the thrusts were slow. They heightened my need so desperately, before letting me spiral off into a delicious sensation, taking him along with me. When we were both exhausted and sated, Corey found a T-shirt and pairs of sweats for us both to throw on. My body was drained of energy but I still felt more comfortable sleeping with some clothing on. However, I greatly enjoyed when Corey slipped between the sheets shirtless. I let him pull me against his chest, snuggling as close to him as I could.
No one had ever made me feel this way. While I was a burden to most in my life, to Corey I was all he required to make his day complete. With him I felt whole, but with that also came the impending dread of what would happen when he too decided I wasn’t enough. Just like the all the others.
Lucky for me, I was far too tired to let those thoughts linger in my mind tonight. With Corey’s arms securely holding me to him, I drifted off into a serene slumber.
* * * * A loud bang broke though the silence of my sleep. I shot straight up. The warmth of the body next to me reminded me I stayed the night at Corey’s. His eyes opened leisurely, but when he noticed my alert position, he rose too.
“Dani?” He began to ask what was wrong, but we heard another crash from the living room, followed by a female voice.
“Damnit!” Corey pressed a hand against my shoulder as he crept off the bed and toward the door.
My heart was pounding, but not for fear that we could have been awoken by a burglar. It figures the one night I decide to stay, was the same night another woman showed up for him. My stomach twisted with a range of emotions, from the gut-clenching fear that it was another hook up, to pure jealousy at the realization that this could be a common occurrence—women showing up at all hours of the night. It’s not as if I expected him to be with just me—we cleared that up in the beginning. At the same time, I’d rather not see the other female(s) that might be sharing the same bed that I did.
Corey threw open the bedroom door and flicked on the light. My eyes closed to adjust and when they opened again, a gorgeous girl stood in the doorway. She looked around my age—maybe younger—with brown hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, with highlights of blonde and red shining through. The girl’s blue eyes moved from Corey to me, a mischievous grin spreading slowly over her face.
She cocked an eyebrow at Corey and spoke with a smirk. “Something you’ve been hiding?”
Shit—what the hell did that mean? My eyes darted to Corey for him to respond. He shook his head and sighed, more at ease after seeing who the woman was. Which concerned me even more.
“What the hell are you doing here, Karly? Do you know what time it is?”
“Jake and I got into a fight, so I came here.” Oh, please don’t tell me they have one of those relationships where they sleep together whenever she has problems with her marriage or something.
“I didn’t realize I was interrupting anything,” she said with a smile as she glanced back my way.
Lord, this girl is gorgeous. Another twinge of jealousy twisted around my heart. Not only was she beautiful but she walked into an uncomfortable situation and looked completely at ease around Corey. I couldn’t help but wonder if that meant she’d been in his life for years. But even more than that would, she continue to be a permanent hook up—even with Jake at home waiting for her.
“Well yeah, sleep for one.” Corey rolled his eyes and grabbed a T-shirt resting on the back of the chair in the corner of the room. “Dani, this is my obnoxious as shit little sister, Karly. Karly this is my—Dani, this is Dani.” Sister—whew. The sigh that escaped with my smile was ridiculous—not to mention they both noticed. Karly stepped forward and held out her hand to me. I grabbed it.
“Nice to meet you,” she said with a gri
n.
“You as well.” I couldn’t have been more thankful for my baggy t-shirt and sweatpants.
“Why don’t you go wait in the living room, we’ll be there in a minute,” Corey suggested to her.
“Okey dokey—by the way, you moved your furniture around.”
Corey cocked an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, and?”
Karly gave a look that indicated he should just know what she was getting at. “And, in the dark that sucks to navigate through. Give a girl a warning next time, sheesh!”
“Maybe that girl should think twice before coming over at 3am,” Corey retorted.
Karly gave a carefree shrug and walked out to the living room, closing the door behind her. Corey wasted no time crossing the room to where I stood at the end of the bed. He took hold of my hand.
“I’m so sorry about this, Dani. I didn’t know my sister was going to make a late night appearance.”
“It’s okay, really,” I answered with a smile but he shook his head.
“Yeah, but you told me that story about the asshole you were with. That was literally the first thing that crossed my mind, how this must look to you. Shit—and the first night you actually stay with me, too.” Corey looked like he was lost in his own head as he explained further. “I’m not that guy, Danielle.”
Now I was lost. “What guy?”
“The guy that has women coming over all hours of the night. You’re the first woman in a very very long time that’s been in my place,” he added an extra emphasis on the words. “And you’re the first one I’ve ever wanted to stay the night. Especially after the awful day you had and I just—”
My face broke into a smile as I listened to him babble on. My fingers pressed across his lips to silence him. He looked up at me, for the first time seeing I really was okay.
“Corey, its fine it turned out to be your sister. No big deal. Besides, she’s waiting for you. Would you like me to stay in here, leave or come out there with you?”