by Tia Siren
When the interview was over and the aspiring journalist left, I pulled off my tie. I hated wearing the damn thing. I never wore a tie at the office, but when I was doing interviews or posing for whatever magazine or newspaper was knocking on my door that month, I put on the best business face possible. My clients and investors had to take me seriously. That wasn’t always easy when I was the youngest face in the room.
I checked my watch and realized it was almost four. That was late enough for me. It was officially happy hour.
“Meet me at Details,” I said when my best friend and right-hand man, Drew, answered his phone.
“Little early, don’t you think?” he asked.
I chuckled. “I’m the boss. I can leave when I want.”
“Fine. I’ll be there in thirty or so. I need to wrap up a few things.”
“Good,” I said, hanging up and strolling through the office. My office in my building. It was good to be wealthy and powerful. Good, but lonely.
I pushed the thought to the back of my mind where I kept it. I didn’t like to dwell on the fact that I was at the top of an empire all alone. I had no family to speak of to share it with. It was only me and occasionally Drew and whoever I decided to date at the moment.
I make a quick call to my driver, letting him know I was ready to leave. I paid the man a lot of money to sit around and wait for me. I expected him to be ready to go within five minutes of whenever I called. I had several drivers, but Bruce was my favorite. I trusted him with my life.
“Where to, boss?” he asked when I stepped off the private elevator.
“Details,” I said.
He nodded, and together we walked to the car, me climbing in the back seat. I looked out the windows that were darkened with a blackout tint. Being rich and powerful could be isolating. When I arrived at the exclusive, high-end club, I went in the back entrance as usual and was seated in a private VIP section.
I ordered a whiskey neat and scanned the small crowd below. I liked my perch. It gave me a clear view of the dance floor and the bar, which were where I liked to look for women. The women allowed in the club were not average ladies. They had money, clout, or were so damn good-looking, it didn’t matter who they were.
“I see you’re already on the hunt,” Drew said dryly. “Maybe you should give it some time. It’s still early. Any respectable woman is at work or knows better than to day drink.”
I chuckled. “It’s after four. It’s no longer day drinking. It’s happy hour,” I reminded him. “It even says so on the menu. Four to six is happy hour.”
He ordered a Jack and Coke and leaned back against the sofa to check out the happenings below. “Which one?” he asked.
I didn’t have to ask him what he was talking about. “I don’t know. Kind of like the blonde at the bar,” I said, motioning.
He laughed. “She’s not going to like you. That’s a good girl. She takes one look at your tats and she is out the door.”
I rolled my eyes. “What do my tattoos have to do with anything? She’s in the bar on ladies’ night, although she is a bit early. She’d go home with me if I asked.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Bet she won’t. She’s a trust fund baby taking a walk on the wild side. Your reputation will scare her off.”
I smirked. It was a challenge I was willing to accept. “We’ll see.”
My phone rang, stopping me from setting the rules of our night’s challenge. I never backed down from anything.
“Hello?” I asked, holding a hand over my other ear to better hear the woman on the other end of the line.
My heart stopped beating in my chest as the woman spoke. I jumped up from my seat. “Hold on, please. I need to move somewhere quieter.”
I couldn’t have possibly heard her correctly. I walked into the men’s room. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”
The woman repeated her information. “The baby?” I muttered, not quite able to form coherent sentences.
“She’s in the care of Tracy’s best friend, my roommate, Avery Hampstead.”
“Oh.”
“The funeral is tentatively set for Friday. If you would like to take over the arrangements, you’ll need to call the funeral home,” the woman, who had identified herself as Sally, explained.
“Avery?” I asked, the name familiar. My brain felt sluggish. The news of my sister’s death had sent me into a bit of a tailspin.
“Yes, Avery. She’s been friends with Tracy for years—since high school she tells me. Tracy asked her to take care of her baby should anything ever happen.”
“The baby. Is it a boy or girl?” I asked, feeling stupid for not knowing.
The woman made a sound of disgust and irritation. “She’s a girl, four months old.”
“Oh. Uh, thank you for calling. Can I reach you at this number?” I asked.
“Yes.”
She hung up the phone. I stared at my phone for several long minutes. My sister was dead. My only living relative was dead. I hadn’t spoken to her in six months. I hadn’t seen her in years. I had lost my chance to make things right. She died thinking I wanted nothing to do with her, thinking I was ashamed of her for getting pregnant with no man in the picture.
“Holy shit.” I breathed out deeply.
I splashed cold water on my face and headed back to where Drew was seated on the couch.
“Damn. You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said.
I shook my head. “I did.”
“What?”
“My sister was killed in a car accident,” I said, still in disbelief.
Drew sat forward. “What? Your little sister?”
I nodded. “Yeah. That was some woman on the phone who is taking care of the baby.”
“I’m so sorry, man. That’s terrible. Are you going to go down there?”
I flopped down in one of the chairs and took a long drink from my glass. “I have to.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll call your assistant to make the arrangements. Do you want to go tonight?”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing for me to do.”
“Your parents are dead, right?” he asked softly.
I nodded. “Yes. They died a long time ago.”
“Jake, you’re her only living relative. You need to plan the funeral. You are going to go to the funeral, right?”
I looked at him. “I don’t know.”
He gave me a stern look. “You have to go. You can’t keep hiding from your family’s tragedies. You didn’t go to your parents’ funeral, and that has messed you up,” he said softly.
Drew was my one and only true friend. He’d been with me since the beginning. He wasn’t a “yes man.” He called it like he saw it. He kept me in line and reined me in when I spun out of control. My parents had died when I first moved to California some ten years ago. They had been pissed I’d dropped out of college and had cut me off. In turn, I’d cut them off.
Then one day, I got the call they had been killed in a boating accident. I had been a stubborn little shit back then and refused to go to the funeral. Tracy had only been fifteen. I was asked to take her in, but I had been twenty years old. I wasn’t prepared to raise a teenage girl. She moved in with some distant relatives and stayed in Phoenix. I visited her on several occasions and went to her high school graduation.
That was when I had met Avery for the first time. She had been a little spitfire and let me know in explicit detail what an asshole I had been for abandoning my family. I had been immediately attracted to her and ended up taking her virginity the night before I left to return to California.
“I’ll go,” I muttered, snapping myself out of the walk down memory lane.
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No. I need you to keep a handle on things here. I’ll take the jet down there tomorrow afternoon. I have a meeting in the morning I can’t miss.”
“What about the arrangements?” he asked.
“Avery can ha
ndle them. She knew Tracy better than I did and would know what she would want.”
Drew nodded. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”
I shrugged. “Why? We’re here. I could use a couple drinks.”
Drew didn’t look convinced, but he finally agreed and ordered us another round. After three rounds, I was feeling far more relaxed.
“Who’s Avery?” Drew asked.
I grinned. “A hot lay. The kind you never forget.”
Drew rolled his eyes. “I should have known. Is there a woman you haven’t screwed?”
“Plenty, but I’m still young.”
He chuckled. “No rule says you have to sleep with every woman in the country.”
I laughed. “It isn’t a rule. It’s a goal.” I winked.
“Is the history between you and this Avery girl going to be weird?”
I shook my head. “It was one time, a long time ago.”
I remembered how hot Avery had been. I wondered what she looked like nowadays. She’d be twenty-five now, same age as Tracy. The thought of my little sister never seeing thirty threatened to pull me into a pit of despair. I quickly pushed it out of my mind and focused on the blonde staring at me. I knew the game: she made eyes at me, I made eyes at her and invited her into the VIP section. She’d fawn all over me and pretend she was really interested in me. I’d take her home. We’d fuck like rabbits. I’d call her a car, and she would leave and never return. I could already tell she wasn’t someone I would want to call again. One night. That was all.
“I’m ready to go. Want Bruce to give you a ride?” I asked.
“Drew shook his head. No. I’ll call a cab. You sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said while looking at my phone and sending Bruce a quick text.
Chapter Three
Avery
The last two days had been a blur. Ever since that terrible phone call, things had been wrong. Everything had been wrong. But Iris was a good baby. She was beautiful and sweet and reminded me so much of Tracy. I couldn’t have made it through the past two days if I hadn’t needed to stay strong for the baby. She was my sole focus and purpose for getting out of bed. I looked at the black dress hanging on the closet door. I had thought about shucking the traditional black but realized I wanted to wear black. It suited my mood.
The morning had gone too fast. Now I was sitting in the front row of a church that was packed with people Tracy had known. I had come early to make sure everything was perfect and had been overwhelmed by the number of people who had taken the time to pay their respects. Each of them cooed over how beautiful Iris was.
When I took my seat in the front row, I could hardly breathe. A shiny black casket was no more than ten feet in front of me. I still couldn’t believe Tracy was in that coffin. It was so wrong. My brain kept telling me it couldn’t be. She was going to show up at any second and sit down beside me.
Iris squirmed and fussed in my lap. I turned her around and put her head on my shoulder, gently patting her back and bouncing at the same time. She didn’t seem to calm and I wasn’t in any mood to sing sweetly in her ear like I’d done a thousand times before.
“Shh,” I whispered as Iris started to softly cry.
I wanted to join in. I wanted to lay on the ground, kick my feet, and slam the floor with my fists. It wasn’t fair. I wanted Tracy sitting beside me. I wanted to laugh and giggle and critique all the women wearing varying shades of black and dark blue with my best friend. My heart felt so empty.
“I can take her out,” Sally whispered as she leaned over.
“It’s okay. This is her mommy’s funeral. She gets to cry.”
Sally smiled. “Yes, she does. You let me know if you need a break.”
The woman playing the organ looked over at me holding the fussing Iris and smiled. I knew I should probably let Sally take her out, but I couldn’t let her go. The chances of me keeping custody of Iris were slim. Social services would be showing up at any minute to take her and give her to a relative. I wanted to cherish every moment I had with her.
“Tracey always told me she wanted me to take care of her daughter should anything happen,” I blurted out. “Nothing was supposed to happen.”
“I know, dear. I know. You’re doing a great job. You’re caring for that little girl, and that’s what matters. Your friend would be happy to know you are honoring her wishes.”
“But Jake is going to take her,” I whispered. “He could show up at any minute and demand custody. I have no legal right. Tracy and I talked about it, but she didn’t put anything in writing. There’s nothing official. I have no legal leg to stand on.”
“We’ll worry about that later. There’s always a way. Let’s focus on putting her to rest, and then we will figure out how to help you fulfill your friend’s wishes.”
I nodded my head as the funeral director stood at the podium. He asked everyone to find a seat. He was about to start the service. The finality of everything was hitting hard. Once he said his bit, Tracy would be taken to the cemetery and buried. She would be gone forever. My heart lurched at the thought of the world without her in it.
The man began speaking, and hard as I tried, I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. I was holding Iris tightly, as if someone would try to take her from me at any minute. Every second that ticked by marked another second closer to me losing Iris. When the practiced speech stopped, I looked up to see what made the man quit talking.
There was a bit of a commotion near the back. I turned to see what was happening and gasped. It was him. Jake Colter had finally shown up. Better late than never, I supposed, although never would have worked better for me. The fact he’d shown up at all did not bode well for me.
He strolled down the aisle in a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. His long, lean frame was perfectly outlined in what had to be an expensive custom suit. The man absolutely got better with age. His gray eyes met mine, then moved to Iris. I protectively grabbed Iris’s head and pushed it closer to my shoulder.
Someone recognized him and scooted over, making room for him in the front row directly across the aisle from me. I couldn’t look away. I had to look away.
The pastor delivering the speech began to speak again. I turned my eyes to look at him, trying to hear the words. Nothing was making sense. All I could think about was the cool, gray eyes burning into my very soul. I knew he was looking at me. I didn’t return his stare. Instead, I raised my chin and focused on the woman who had started singing some horribly sad song.
I casually looked to my left and found his eyes still on me. It was unnerving. I could make it a little longer. I wouldn’t let him see he was getting under my skin. No way would I give him that kind of power. The service was close to wrapping up, and I had managed to keep from staring at him. I could make it a few more minutes.
“Is that the brother?” Sally whispered.
I nodded. “Yes. I’m sure he’s here to take Iris. He didn’t go to his parents’ funeral, and he hasn’t seen Tracy in years. The only reason he’s here is to take Iris,” I said, fighting the bubble of panic that was rising in my throat.
Sally leaned forward and looked around me. “Too bad you think he’s a jerk. He sure is handsome.”
I shot her a glare. “Sally!” I hissed.
She smiled. “Well, he is—handsome that is. I mean, my goodness, any straight woman would want a chance to take that man to her bed. I can see why you didn’t want to talk to him. I wouldn’t want to talk to a man that good looking either. It’s dangerous.”
I refused to answer. She had no idea how dangerous that blond-haired, steel-gray-eyed man was. He had taken my virginity and my heart and never looked back. I had held on to my virginity like a badge of honor all throughout high school only to lose it at my graduation party to an older guy who didn’t give a shit about me. It had been one of the biggest mistakes of my life. He’d been cocky and arrogant, and for some stupid reason, I had been wil
dly attracted to him. And he had used that to his advantage.
“Did you want to speak?” Sally asked.
I blinked, turned, and looked at her. I had zoned out again. “What?”
“Would you like to say a few words about Tracy?” she said, gesturing to the microphone being held out to me.
I leaned away from the microphone as if it were a venomous snake. I looked back at the pastor and then over at Jake. He was looking at me as if I should take it. I realized the whole room was looking at me. I couldn’t possibly talk about Tracy. Not in a public setting. Our memories were sacred. I wasn’t willing to share them. Not yet.
“No, thank you,” I croaked out.
“It’s okay, dear,” Sally said, patting my leg. “You don’t have to.”
A woman who worked with Tracy took the microphone. I wanted to kiss her for taking the pressure off me. After another fifteen minutes of people talking about how wonderful Tracy was, the service was over. I loved hearing the stories about how Tracy’s art had impacted them in so many ways. She was a special person; her loss would leave a huge hole in the community.
Once everyone had said their peace, the funeral was officially over. I was escorted out of the room and directly to a waiting limo to be taken to the cemetery. Sally came with me, taking Iris from my arms and securing her in the car seat. From my shielded view in the limo, I watched as Jake walked to another waiting limo. It wasn’t one from the funeral home, which meant he had rented it separately. I shouldn’t have been surprised he wouldn’t want to ride in the limo reserved for the family. He was her only family and couldn’t be bothered.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“The baby,” Sally said with a scowl.
“Sorry.”
I leaned back in the seat, quietly bracing myself for the next part of the day. It was going to be the hardest hour of my life. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. There was a tap on the window, startling me out of the quiet moment. I looked up and saw Jake’s face peering in the window before he stood, giving me a perfect view of his crotch. His package.
“I think he wants in,” Sally said.
“But he can’t,” I said as a wave of irritation washed over me. “He has his own car.”