Did Avery really want this life? She did, but with the right partner. The whole thing felt so wrong, so contrived.
As soon as she had gotten home in the early evening, she wasted no time in jetting over to her parents’ house. Avery rang the doorbell and knocked on the door until it opened.
“My God, girl, what is wrong with you?” Hazel asked as she held the door.
Avery couldn’t speak. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and cried.
“Oh, Avery. What’s wrong?” Hazel pulled her child into the house and closed the door behind her. She sat her down on the couch and made her place next to her. “Tell me what’s going on?”
“Mom, I should have listened to you and Dad.” Avery wiped her eyes with her hands until Hazel gave her some facial tissue to do the job. “Thanks. I went to a label called Section Eight.”
“Section Eight? What kind of music would they do?” Hazel shook her head.
“They mainly do rap, but they want to branch out and do more. The problem is that the person I trusted to get me a great deal was not who I thought he was. This whole experience was not what I expected.” Her bottom lip quivered. “Now Dad’s going to fire me and I won’t have any jobs.” She looked at her mom. “I was let go from Uncle Pig’s diner a couple of weeks ago.”
Hazel sighed. “Avery. Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I know you and Dad worry about me. I really was trying to be responsible, do the right thing. I’m not perfect. I make a lot of mistakes. This one is pretty big.” Avery looked around. “Where’s Dad?”
“Out running errands before work tonight.” Hazel patted Avery’s hand. “Might be a good thing.” She stood and grabbed her daughter’s hand. “Come with me.”
Hazel took Avery to the den and picked up a remote to the mounted TV over the fireplace. She clicked a couple of buttons until something popped up on the screen. It looked like a video from the 80s, complete with big hair, fluorescent clothing, and shoulder pads.
“Mom, is there a reason you’re showing me this?” Avery blew her nose.
“Are you watching the video?” Her mother nodded toward the screen.
Avery cocked her head and looked at the image. After a few seconds, she had to blink. The woman with the biggest hair in the middle of the trio looked exactly like her mother. She stared at the screen and then looked at her mother several times.
“No matter how many times you look, it’ll still be me.” She pointed to the screen. “In both places.”
“Mom! You were a singer in a girl group?” Avery had to sit down.
“Yes. Where do you think your talent came from? Your father?” She laughed and sat next to her.
“How do I not know any of this? How did you and Dad keep this a secret?” Avery kept her full attention on the screen.
“It was something I did when I was a little younger than you. Me and my two best friends at the time used to sing at small clubs and stuff. We always talked about making it big.” Hazel shook her head.
“What happened? Why aren’t you singing now?”
“Life happened. One member wanted to stop to start a family. The other, well, she got caught up in the bad side of the business. Eventually, the drugs she got hooked on took her life. I met your father. He was supportive of me getting into the business. We did everything we could. For a short while, we even lived in his car. When I got pregnant with you, we stopped. We realized that my singing career was a pipe dream.” She held Avery’s hand. “This is the reason we don’t want you trying to get into the business. It’s hard. There are many pitfalls. You’re doing the right thing by getting your education. That will help you. It’ll give you stability.”
No wonder her parents encouraged her to get her degree. Avery hugged her mother for a different reason this time. “I didn’t know.”
“I know. We didn’t want you to know. We didn’t want you hanging out with that Laz dude. Where is he?” Hazel grumbled.
“Still in New York, I guess.” Avery sat back. “I found out some things about him that made me rethink everything.” She would leave out the fact that he admitted he loved her.
She wanted to say the same to him at one point, but not after what Kat had revealed.
“Are you okay?” Hazel framed Avery’s face in her hands.
Avery nodded. “I’m home. I can focus on what’s important.” She exhaled. “Do you think Dad was serious about letting me go?”
Before Hazel could answer, the front door slammed. Probably sensing Avery’s nerves, Hazel patted the back of Avery’s hand.
Clinton appeared in the doorway to the den area. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York.”
Avery stood from the couch and approached her father. “Can we talk, please?”
Clinton remained quiet before peering over her shoulder. He must have seen Hazel’s video. He sighed and screwed up his lips before he brought his attention back to her. “Come on to the living room.”
Avery followed him and sat in the chair that her mother normally occupied. Clinton sat in his usual cobalt-blue upholstered chair.
“What’s going on? I don’t have a lot of time.” Clinton leaned forward and joined his hands together.
Several things went through Avery’s head. She had to reveal to her father that she had almost made a couple of huge mistakes. The first being signing a management deal with Laz. The other being signing an artist deal with Section Eight. Before she could address all that, she had to clear the air.
“Dad, I’m an adult.” Avery took a deep breath.
Clinton scratched his head. “Considering you’re my child, I know how old you are.”
She nodded. “You know my age, but you and Mom still treat me like I’m a child. That has to stop.” She pointed in the direction of the family room. “All this time, you two have been telling me not to go for my dream without a real reason why.”
“Because it’s a volatile business.” Clinton’s eyes widened.
“So is being a police officer or an FBI agent or president of the United States. I don’t hear you telling me not to go for those dreams. Why didn’t you tell me about Mom?” She scooted to the edge of her seat. “You say that I trust everyone. Did you bank on my trusting nature to keep information from me? If that’s the case, then that’s just wrong.”
Clinton glared at her for a moment before he dropped his gaze. “Hazel is the only woman I loved.” He brought his head up. “You are my only child. I want to make sure both of you are happy.”
“If that’s the case, treat me like an adult. Guide me. Don’t lie to me or withhold information. That’s a surefire way to lose me.” She crossed her legs and her arms over her chest.
Clinton exhaled. “Did Laz hurt you? Did he lie?”
Avery thought carefully about her answer. “He did to me what you and Mom did to me.” She shook her head. “I’m starting to see that it’s not okay.”
Clinton nodded but kept quiet.
Avery exhaled. She had been wanting to get that off her chest for a long, long time. “If you need me tonight, I want to work.”
Clinton studied her for a moment. “Have you gotten any sleep?”
She shook her head. “But I’ll be fine after a quick nap.”
“You’re not going to be any good to me if you don’t get enough sleep.”
Avery stood from the chair and hugged her father. “Sorry I didn’t listen to you. I was so stupid.”
Clinton hugged her back. “Don’t call yourself that.”
“From now on, I’m going to stick to what’s real.” She pulled back from him and decided to tell them what they wanted to hear. “What’s real is that I’ll graduate in a few weeks and get a real job. I don’t need to think about singing as a career.”
Clinton tilted his head as he looked at her. “Your mother and I did what w
as right for us at the time because we had you on the way. We were afraid that you would get hurt in this business. If you really want to walk away, you know I’ll support that. That’s what you really want, right?”
Avery nodded, unable to say the words out loud. “Can I sleep here before we go in tonight? And will you wake me when we’re ready to go?”
Clinton smiled. “Yes and yes. You know where your old bedroom is.” He pointed down the hall.
Avery kissed his cheek and walked down the long hallway to her old bedroom. The trek shouldn’t have made her feel defeated. Too bad it did. She finally figured out her place. It would be without Laz Kyson.
Chapter 19
That damn gag order. Laz wanted to punch something, someone. Seeing Kat again, he knew something bad would happen. Guess that gag order applied to him but not her. Had he said anything though and Avery admitted she knew Laz hadn’t slept with Kat, he could have been sued. Then again, he would still have Avery.
Being without her for a week crushed his soul. Laz found himself watching her video over and over again. He missed Avery. He craved her.
Now with all his free time, he needed to do something to occupy himself.
Laz knocked on Marissa’s door and waited. It didn’t take long for it to be answered. Too bad his sister hadn’t opened the door. A voluptuous African-American woman adjusted her off-shoulder top.
“Marissa here?” He stood off to the side while she exited.
“Late for work.” She fluffed her big, curly hair. “Yeah, she’s in there, but you are definitely not her type.” She snickered.
Laz walked inside of his sister’s home. “Stinky?”
Marissa strolled out of the bedroom area, adjusting her shirt as well. “Perfect timing as usual.” She continued into the kitchen area. “Tea?”
“Of course.” He sat at one of the barstools at the breakfast bar.
“Two visits in a month. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” She popped a tea container in her machine to brew him a cup of tea.
“I fucked up. I really fucked up.” He shook his head.
“You mean with Avery, at work, or with Dad?” She braced her hands on the counter.
“For one, I lost my job weeks ago.” He figured he should come clean to someone. Staying holed up in his apartment left him lonely and frustrated.
“Holy shit. Did you tell Mom and Dad?” Marissa ran her hand over her shaggy hair. “Wait. Have we established yet if your fuck-up also involves Dad?”
Laz couldn’t even enjoy the scent of the hot tea coming to him as he thought about Marissa’s question. “I don’t understand why you’re so forgiving? He broke Mom’s heart and broke up our family.”
Marissa handed him his tea. “What do you think you know about their separation?”
He sighed. “Give me a break. I was there. You were still too young. I saw Mom crying.”
“Yeah, but do you know what she was crying for?” She scratched the back of her neck.
Laz blew his breath over the hot beverage. He didn’t answer her, knowing the obvious answer.
“Let me tell you a story.” She came around the breakfast bar and sat next to him. “When I was four, Mom used to take me to the country club she and Dad were members of. They had an onsite daycare. The daycare teacher said that Mom was having a tennis lesson.” She chuckled. “I know. So cliché.”
Laz set his tea down to hear the rest of this story.
“One day, I decided to sneak out of the daycare area to find Mom. I was still a bit clingy then. I found her. She was in the dirty towel room getting served from behind by her instructor, and I don’t mean a backhand.”
Thank God Laz didn’t have a drink in his mouth. “You’re lying. You were four. What did you know?”
“I know I saw her do that with that guy, her personal trainer, and the UPS man. Each time, she would tell me that they’re friends, but I shouldn’t tell Daddy. I believed her, until I heard other women talking about her. But then Mom couldn’t help herself. She had her flings at the house. Dad finally walked in on her.”
Laz gave his full attention to his sister. “So her crying?”
“Guilt.”
“Why wouldn’t Dad tell us that?” He wiped his hands over his face. “All this time, I thought Dad, with his flirting and stuff—”
“That was on me. I told him that a man who had only been with one woman since high school deserved to get out there and see as many women as possible. I thought you would help him.” Marissa patted his back. “Plus, if I hadn’t have said something to Dad about what I knew, he wouldn’t have told me. He always wanted to protect us. He loves us.”
Laz leaned back. “Shit. All this time…” He stared at Marissa. “Why didn’t you say something when they first broke up if you knew? Here I thought Dad had cheated on Mom.”
“I was embarrassed for Dad. His wife of twenty-five years had been cheating on him, and you saw him as your hero. I didn’t realize how deep you let the rumors about Dad’s supposed infidelity get into your head until recently. I thought the comments about him flirting were just about how bad of a flirt he was.” Marissa laughed. “I really wanted to tell you during breakfast the last time you were here, but Dad was adamant about you not knowing.”
Because of his need to control all aspects of his life, Laz ruined his relationship with his father and Avery. Now that he knew his mother’s past, he started to envision her differently, too. How could she hurt his father like that?
Marissa wagged her finger in Laz’s face. “I know that expression. Don’t think that it’s cool to shut your Mom out of your life now.”
Laz braced his hands on the bar. “Why not? She hurt Dad and didn’t tell us the truth. Every time I talked to her and made comments about Dad cheating on her, she never corrected me. Not once.”
Marissa shook her head. “Dude, it’s none of your damn business why our parents split. You’re a grown-ass man. They’re adults.” She held her arms out like an eagle in flight. “Nobody is fucking perfect. Not me. And especially not you.” She punched him on his arm. “So what did you do to mess it up with that special girl? I liked her.”
“I did, too.” He thought about Avery. “I do.” He pushed his tea away from him. “I love her.”
Marissa’s bottom jaw unhinged. “Bro, are you serious? I didn’t even hear you say the L word when you were with your last girl. Does she know?”
Laz nodded. “She also knows part of the reason why I no longer work at Universe.”
His sister wagged his finger at him. “See. That’s part of your problem. You don’t know how to communicate, and you are too controlling.”
He sighed. “I think I’ve heard that before.”
Marissa hugged her brother. “Grilled cheese?”
He chuckled. “You can’t fix all of my problems with food.”
“But it doesn’t hurt, right?” She kissed his cheek. “You want my advice?”
Laz released an exaggerated sigh. “I guess since Josie isn’t here.”
“Dick.” She picked up a banana from the bar and threw it at him. “Don’t call Dad.”
Laz felt his eyebrows rutting together. “I thought you would want me to—”
“Go to him. Talk to him face-to-face.” She grabbed a cast-iron skillet from overhead and placed it on the stove. “Then you need to do the same for your girl if you truly love her and want her back.”
“But if I tell her the truth—”
“What? Are you going to jail or Hell? If she feels the same way, she’ll hold you and the secret. If not, I’ll bail you out.” She winked at him. “I saw the way she looked at you, especially when you two tore out of here after dinner. I think she loves you, too.”
“I’ll see Dad. Um…” He drummed his thumbs on the bar.
“Need a place to stay?” Marissa took ou
t the ingredients she needed for her dish. “Of course you can stay here. Just keep out of my way if I bring someone over.”
“You mean like that young lady that left out of here this morning?”
Marissa fanned her face. “Hot, right? I could see her again.”
Laz covered his mouth in surprise. “Two dates? Are frogs going to fall from the sky at any moment?”
“Have I called you a dick this morning already?”
“You have. But I deserve that.”
After eating his sister’s awesome grilled cheese sandwich, Laz had to do something. He couldn’t travel to Texas right now. If he could have, he would.
He called his mother’s number and waited for her to answer.
“Laz, it’s good to hear from you.”
As always, Jocelyn’s voice sounded light and bubbly.
“Hey, Mom. I need to talk to you.”
Marissa allowed Laz to make the call from her home. She let him sit in the kitchen to talk while she kept herself busy in the basement.
“Of course. What is it?”
Laz would start off positive. “I heard you’re getting remarried.”
Jocelyn laughed. “Yes. Sorry I didn’t tell you personally. Donald just asked me a week or so ago. You should see the ring. I’ll take a picture of it and send it to you. I think it looks like one of Elizabeth Taylor’s rings.”
He imagined his mother holding her left hand out to admire the piece. “That’s nice, Mom.” He tapped his foot against the base of the breakfast bar. “Tell me something. Whenever I talk to you about Dad and how you two split up, why didn’t you ever correct me?”
A pause lingered before Jocelyn spoke. “What do you mean?”
Laz felt the fire building up inside of himself. He hoped his mother hadn’t planned on lying, but he had a feeling she would to save face. “When I would say that I couldn’t believe Dad cheated on you, you never said he didn’t.”
“Of course I didn’t. I don’t know if he remained faithful to me or not.” Indignation filled her tone.
“Did you cheat on him?”
This second pause lasted longer than the first. “Where is all this coming from?”
Love Like Crazy Page 25