“Oh shit, oh shit,” Ryan said as he pulled up to a stop sign where the blond girl stood, waiting to cross. He was always really nervous around pretty girls, and he kind of had a crush on this one, but she had never seemed to know he was alive. She did now.
“Just cool out,” Jerith muttered. “Let her talk to you, say as little as possible—you’ll sound more with it.”
Ryan glanced over at Jerith and blew his breath out, forcing himself to relax and look calm like Jerith did.
Mandy Billings walked up to the car on the passenger side, looking at Ryan. “Aren’t you in my math class?” she said, almost shyly.
Ryan glanced up at her, narrowing his eyes as if not sure, then nodded. Jerith stared at the dashboard and tried not to grin. He remembered these days well enough.
“This is a really cool car,” Mandy said, touching the door reverently. Then she looked closely at Jerith. “My God, aren’t you Kid Michaels?”
Jerith looked up at her and nodded. “Yeah, and you are…?”
“I’m, uh, I’m Mandy.”
“Nice to meet you, Mandy.” Jerith extended his hand to her. Mandy took it, shaking it as if it were some kind of national shrine.
“Wow,” she said, looking over at Ryan, who was still sitting as casual as you please in the driver’s seat, looking very much like he belonged there. “I didn’t know you knew Kid Michaels.”
“I’m dating his mom,” Jerith said when Ryan hesitated.
“Wow.” Mandy looked awestruck.
“Speaking of which,” Jerith said, glancing over at Ryan. “Ryan, we better get back. I gotta go over and get those tickets to the concert for ya.” He looked at Ryan, hoping the kid would get the hint.
“You have tickets for Billy and the Kid? You are so lucky. I tried to get tickets, but they were sold out…” Mandy said, practically begging.
Jerith gave Ryan an intense look that screamed Ask her!
Ryan looked back at him and blinked, as if literally getting the message by telepathy.
“Would you like to go with me?” he asked, thanking God that his voice didn’t crack.
“That’d be great!” Mandy said, all smiles now. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. Then, leaning into the car—Jerith obligingly moved back, not that she seemed to mind if he didn’t—she took Ryan’s hand and wrote her number on it. Mandy moved back then, eyeing him. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Michaels,” she said, reverting to her shy voice.
“Yeah, you too, Mandy,” Jerith said, putting on a look of boredom. The last thing he needed was a teenager chasing him, especially when the son of the woman he wanted most right now had an obvious crush on that teenager.
“I’ll see you in school tomorrow, Ryan,” Mandy said, saying his name for the first time. Jerith suspected she hadn’t known Ryan’s name at all until he’d said it a few minutes before. He remembered hating her kind when he was in school. But her kind were necessary in a young man’s life. Her kind were the milestones—if you could get them, you had a chance with real women.
Ryan managed a fairly smooth exit, keeping from grinding Jerith’s gears. By the time they got back to the house, he was just bursting with excitement. “That was so cool, thank you! If you hadn’t been there, I would have sounded like a total geek. And I would have totally forgotten about the concert. Can you really get me an extra ticket?” he asked uncertainly.
“Ryan,” Jerith said, looking at him deadpan. “It’s my band. I can get anything I want.”
“Oh, yeah. Huh!” Ryan was still sitting in the driver’s seat, and he touched the steering wheel reverently. “This was really cool too, thanks.” He sounded very sincere and touched.
“No problem. I was young once too, and I would’ve given anything to be able to drive a car like this. That’s why I bought it.”
Ryan looked over at him. “So you’re kinda like a big kid with money, huh?”
“Kinda,” Jerith replied, smiling. Then he grimaced. “A kid who looks like he’s in deep shit.” Nicolette had walked out of the house and was standing looking at the two of them, her hands on her hips. Jerith couldn’t help but notice that she looked damn good even when she was staring at him like she was now. How come some witty talk and a quick ride in his car hadn’t worked on her like it had her son? Jerith wondered mildly as he got out of the BMW.
“He doesn’t even have a permit, you know,” Nicolette said to him the minute he stepped out.
“He told me,” Jerith said, sounding like an obstinate child.
“And you let him drive anyway?”
“Just around the block, Mom!” Ryan put in. Nicolette turned her narrowed eyes on him.
“And you!” she said. But Jerith walked up to her and stood in front of her, looking down into her eyes.
“It was my fault,” he said softly. “I wanted to show off my favorite toy, and you weren’t interested.”
“Is that so?” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.
“Are you?” He pretended to be surprised by her huff. “Can you drive a stick?” he asked, the beginnings of a smile on his face.
“Don’t do that, Jerith Michaels,” she said sternly. “I want to stay pissed off at you, and I can’t when you grin at me like some big kid.”
“No?” he said, his grin widening, his eyes twinkling. “And I was sure you were immune to all my charms.”
“I am,” she said, half serious, but her eyes held a smile even as she struggled not to laugh at the look on his face. She had heard his car start fifteen minutes before, and somehow she had known that her son would be driving it. Ryan had looked so thrilled when he’d driven up that she couldn’t help but appreciate Jerith’s generosity with a very expensive car that she knew meant a great deal to him.
Jerith looked back at Ryan. “Tell her.”
Ryan started to smile. “I have a date, Mom. A real date.” He looked excited beyond belief.
“With who?” she asked. “And when?”
“With Mandy Billings, and tomorrow at the concert.”
Nicolette looked at Jerith, then back to Ryan. “Did I agree to go to that?”
“Come on, Mom! You have to! Please!”
“Okay, okay!” Nicolette said. “Go in and call your grandmother—tell her we’ll meet her at the store in fifteen minutes.”
“Cool, I can tell her about the car and my date!” Ryan said excitedly as he went into the house.
“Yeah, great,” Nicolette muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Jerith asked, seeing her displeasure.
“Nothing,” she said, but conceded when he gave her a look that said “Bullshit.” “Okay, look, I appreciate what you did for him with the car and all, but I suspect if this date occurred just now, that it had a lot to do with the car and you. I’ve seen this Mandy that Ryan’s so gaga over, and she’s all…” She trailed off as she tried to think of a way to describe the girl.
“Plastic and paint,” Jerith supplied helpfully.
“Yes! And while that type may be fine for handsome successful rock stars to, ah, not drive around with”—she looked at him meaningfully, and Jerith laughed—“I don’t exactly want my son around that type, if you take my meaning.”
Jerith looked down at her for a long moment, moving to sit on the hood of his car. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying, but I think you’re gonna have two little problems there.”
“And what’s that?”
“They’re called hormones and testosterone.”
“What, besides the obvious, does that have to do with Mandy Billings?”
“Nicky, how much do you know about being a teenage boy?” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“Just enough to know that I’m gonna control my son’s hormones for as long as physically possible.”
“That’s where you’re screwed. At his age, there’s no such thing as control.”
“Bullshit. When I was—”
“A teenage girl,” Jerith interrupted, shaking his head.
“It’s a whole different ball game there, babe.”
“So you’re trying to tell me that Ryan can’t control his desires right now?” She sounded skeptical.
Jerith looked contemplative. “’Bout as well as a bull can control himself in a china shop.”
Nicolette stared back at him for a long moment. Then, looking very defeated, she walked over and sat next to him on the hood of the car, leaning her head against his arm. Jerith was surprised at her change of mood, but he put his arm around her, pulling her close into his side. Her head remained in the crook of his shoulder till Ryan came out of the house.
“What’s up?” Ryan asked, worried by the look on his mother’s face.
She straightened immediately, looking up at her son and seeing him just slightly differently now. Jerith found he missed the feeling of her against him instantly, but he was happy that she had leaned on him when she seemed to need it.
Later, watching her relate to her son, he could see that she was worried about what he’d told her. But he hadn’t been exaggerating. Ryan was at a difficult age for young men, and not having a father around to talk to wouldn’t help.
Jerith found, too, that he liked Nicolette’s mother very much. Patricia Hafner was an easygoing, easy-to-like person, and it was obvious where Nicolette got her looks. At forty-three, Patricia could easily pass for her daughter’s sister. Unknown to Jerith, Patricia gave him the seal of approval right away, telling Nicolette that if she didn’t grab him, she might. Nicolette had laughed, glancing over at Jerith as he and Ryan walked on the other side of the meat section. She thought he looked kind of out of place in a supermarket, but he didn’t seem uncomfortable in the slightest.
Later, in line while the cashier was ringing things up, Nicolette realized she’d forgotten something. She ran back to get it, and when she got back, she saw Jerith putting his wallet away. She noticed that all of her groceries were checked and the cashier was handing him the receipt.
“And what’s going on here?” Nicolette asked suspiciously.
“Get that too,” Jerith told the cashier, smiling.
“No problem, Mr. Michaels. I can use the same authorization for your card, if that’s okay,” the young female cashier said, smiling at him.
Jerith returned the smile. “Great.”
“Whoa,” Nicolette said, holding up her hand. “Wait a minute here, you—”
“Yes,” Jerith said. “Now hurry up, people are waiting.” His grin was mischievous, and Nicolette had to try hard to hold on to her indignation.
Outside, Patricia told Nicolette to stop being foolish; it was obvious she was irritated about Jerith paying for her groceries. Jerith was staying silent, trying to avoid the berating he knew was coming.
“It was nice meeting you, Mr. Michaels. I hope that I’ll see you again,” Patricia said, rolling her eyes at the angry look her daughter gave her. “Nicolette, it’s been a joy, as usual.” She reached over to hug her daughter. “Be nice,” she said in a whisper.
“Mother,” Nicolette said, gritting her teeth.
Patricia waved her hand. “I know, I know.”
Patricia walked away, and Ryan busied himself putting groceries into the trunk. Inside the car, Nicolette looked over at Jerith. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” Jerith shrugged. “That’s usually why I do things.”
“Look,” Nicolette said, very seriously, “I don’t want you doing things like that for me, okay? If you want to be my friend, fine, but I’m not some charity for you to save, okay?”
“Hey,” Jerith said, giving her an almost hurt look. “Jesus, I didn’t realize I was breaking one of your ten commandments. Maybe you need to tell me the rules to this game now, so I don’t break any more.” He was frustrated now; he knew he wasn’t going to win with her, no matter what. He hadn’t meant the gesture as charity. He wanted to do things for her, but somehow he realized that she wouldn’t let him, not at this point. She still didn’t trust him, and that bothered him no end.
Nicolette looked at him, then she sighed, leaning back in her seat. “I’m sorry,” she said, staring up at the ceiling of the car. “I just… It’s been me and Ryan on our own for three years now, and I guess I just don’t want anyone trying to buy me or him. I’m sorry.” She looked back over at him.
Jerith just shook his head, looking out the window as Ryan got in the car, unaware of their discussion. He did notice that both his mother and Jerith were very quiet. He remained silent too, not sure what was going on but realizing it had to do with Jerith buying the groceries. He knew his mother, and she was very leery of men anyway, but men bearing gifts was particularly bad.
On the way out of the parking lot, Nicolette reached over and pushed in a CD. The music played for a while, and it was obvious Jerith knew the album, because when one song ended and another began, he reached over and turned it up just slightly. He began to sing along, looking over at Nicolette as if he were singing to her. As Nicolette listened, she became sure he was. And she felt a little stab of guilt. The song was by Savage Garden, and it was called “Promises.” It fit their situation pretty well, basically outlining the dangers of being too closed off with people, and saying that time could steal away happiness and a person could end up alone.
“Are you trying to tell me something?” Nicolette said as the song ended. Her voice was light, but she was watching him carefully.
“Maybe,” he said simply.
He left shortly after they got back. He told Ryan that he’d come by the next evening to pick them up for the show, telling him to check with his mom to see what time she wanted to go, if she still did. Ryan knew something was up, and he was surprised that it bothered him that his mom already seemed to be pushing Jerith away. After Jerith drove off, Ryan went in to talk to her. He found her sitting at the kitchen table, drinking one of her rare glasses of wine. It was obvious she wasn’t happy.
“So what happened?” Ryan asked, sitting down at the table across from his mother and resting his chin on his folded arms.
Nicolette sighed. “Nothing happened, Ryan, okay?”
“Yeah, right. Is it because he’s a rocker?”
Nicolette grinned at the term. “I don’t know, Ryan. I just… He’s too much for me.”
“Too much what, Mom?” Ryan sounded exasperated. “Too much fun, too nice, too rich, too good-looking… too what?”
Nicolette gave him a sharp look. “You’re starting to sound far too much like your grandmother right now, young man. Look, this is my decision, and I’m just not in the mood for some casual fling with a rock icon right now, okay?” Her tone told Ryan that as far as she was concerned, the conversation was closed.
“No, it’s not okay, Mom. You find something wrong with everyone, and it’s bullshit,” Ryan said angrily as he stood.
“Ryan Jacob Harris!” Nicolette said, sounding very much like a mother. “Don’t you presume to tell me what to do with my life. I make the decisions around here when it pertains to people that come and go, and that’s all there is to it.”
“So you just figured he’d go, right?”
“He will eventually, Ryan.” Nicolette sighed. “He doesn’t live here, you know. He’s here for a concert, not a lifetime commitment.”
Ryan looked at his mother, not understanding. Finally he shook his head and walked out of the room. Going into his own, he slammed the door.
Nicolette sat in her kitchen staring at the wall, knowing she’d pissed her son off again. She figured she’d better get used to it.
Later that evening, as she lay trying to go to sleep, the phone next to her bed rang.
“Hello?” she said, not sure who would be calling at eleven o’clock at night.
“Nick, it’s me,” Jerith said softly.
“Hi,” she replied, just as softly.
“Look, I’m really sorry about earlier. I wasn’t trying to make you mad, or make you into a charity case or anything. I just wanted to do something for you, and I was pretty sure t
hat diamonds wouldn’t go over big with you…” As he trailed off, Nicolette found herself wanting to laugh at the way he had just made her feel ridiculous about what was probably an eighty-dollar grocery bill. “Nicky?” he said when she didn’t reply.
“I’m here. I’m sorry too, for a lot. I just… Things are difficult right now, and I guess you coming along makes things harder.”
“How?” he said, wanting to understand her.
“Jerith.” Nicolette shook her head. “You’re so much, and it’s overwhelming.”
“So much what?” Jerith sounded a lot like Ryan.
“God, everything,” Nicolette said, not sure how to put it. “You’re like a tornado—you’ve spun in and mixed everything up, and I know that in a few days you’ll spin right back out again, and I’m in the destruction path.”
“I don’t think anyone has ever equated me to a tornado before,” Jerith said, grinning. “Tightly wound, they’ve called me, but never a tornado.”
Nicolette laughed. “Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the best analogy I could have come up with, but it’s late, and my brain is addled.”
“No,” Jerith said, his tone softening again. “I got your meaning, and I understand what you’re saying. Nick, if nothing happens for us, it doesn’t—it’s alright. I’m not going to push you, or demand anything from you. I’m not looking to ruin your life or anything. I enjoy your company, and I want to be around you, and if that’s all it ever is, then I’m fine with that.”
“Really?” Nicolette’s voice held just a sliver of doubt.
“Yes, really,” Jerith said. “Look, come to the concert tomorrow night. Let me prove to you that I can be fun, without a major commitment, okay?”
“Okay, you win.”
“I have to sometime.”
“Oh, stop! Hey, what’re you doin’ up so late anyway, Mr. Early Riser?”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he said honestly.
“Yeah, sleep wasn’t exactly beating down my door either.”
“Good.”
“Oh, nice.”
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