I snatched up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey Holly.”
I sat on the edge of my sofa. “Jax! How’s your friend?” I leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, and tried to force myself to relax, but I couldn’t stop my foot from swinging nervously. Dammit, I liked this guy too much.
He let out a long sigh. “Not good. In fact, that’s what I’m calling to tell you. She needs me to stay and help her—”
My leg stopped swinging. “With what?”
He cleared his throat. “Holly, she’s really bad off with her health.” His voice became low. “And I’ve been helping her with Eugene.”
“Who’s Eugene?” I asked.
“Her son.”
“Oh.” I said. “So, when are you coming home?” I didn’t want to sound weak, and those words sounded pathetic the second they rushed out of my mouth.
“That’s just it. I don’t think it’s going to be any time soon. Rosalyn needs help around here, and I’m taking her to … Well, I’ll be taking her to her next treatment, which is at a clinic in Mexico.”
“Mexico! Jax, why is she going to Mexico? Is that safe? And why do you need to go?”
“Because, they only accept patients who have a companion, someone who can stay at the clinic with them for the two weeks.”
“But what about—” I wanted to say, what about us? “What about your life here?” I stood up so fast I felt dizzy. I paced the room, tugging at a few strands of hair. “Are you coming back soon?”
He laughed, a low laugh. “Well, let’s see, I lost my sponsorship, so I don’t really need to check in with Mystic Seaweed. Butch is taking over surf lessons at the shop for now.”
“When will I see you again?” I had a right to ask that, didn’t I?
I stopped pacing and listened intently to the tone of his voice. Jax said, “I’ll make it to Laguna Beach before we leave for Mexico. I’m thinking in the next few days. Would that work for you?”
“Well, yeah, I’ll be here.” I wanted to scream, Do you miss me?
His voice was shaky when he said, “Holly, I’m sorry this trip turned out the way it did. I mean, with what happened to Butch and then my family friend … Whole thing came as kind of a shock seeing as we hadn’t seen each other for so many years. But she was such good friends with my mom and was there when the accident that killed my folks happened and ….” He took a deep breath. “She doesn’t have anyone to help her with the treatment in Mexico.”
Did this friend really have no one else? I collapsed into a chair, and the pups both ran up to me with their tails wagging. I scooped up Dinah and hugged her to me. “Can’t someone else help her?”
“She needs my help,” he said.
I set Dinah down, let out an exhale, and changed the subject. “I’m sure she’s happy to have your help. How’s Butch?”
“He’s fine. The guy’s strong as an ox. And you know, he’s got one heck of a crush on the doctor who treated him at Stanford. He’s going to ask her out.”
I laughed. “Long distance? That sounds fun. Kind of a fantasy relationship.”
“Geographically undesirable is what it is.” Jax’s voice brightened. “You should’ve seen the way he salivated over her.”
I bit my lip. “She must be something else.”
“I suppose she’s cute,” he said. “Hey, how are the pups?”
“The puppies are fine.” In the background I heard kids and music playing. Suddenly, I felt very alone.
Jax said, “Well! Then, I’ll see you in a few days.”
I chewed at my fingernail. “Sounds good.”
“So, how about I call you tomorrow?”
“Fine.”
We mumbled a few closing statements and hung up. Something was definitely off in Jax’s voice.
I didn’t like feeling powerless. I was used to getting what I wanted in life. I’d always been a top salesperson, and in romantic affairs. Was Jax going to break up with me? I was the one who did the breaking up, not the other way around.
I stood up, my spine straight, and ran fingers through my hair. No way was Jax going to hurt me. Who the hell did he think he was? Was he cheating on me? Stalking into the kitchen, I poured myself a hefty glass of wine, stormed out to my backyard, sat in my lounge chair and called Stan.
“Hey bud, what’s up?” he said.
I practically breathed fire into the phone. “You ready for this one? I think my Prince Charming is getting ready to give me the ax,” I said through gritted teeth.
“No way. What happened?”
“It’s not anything that happened; it’s more like what’s not happening.”
“Is he still in Santa Cruz?”
“Yep.” My fist clenched into a ball. “He says he’s got to take this old friend of his, whoever she is, to treatment in Mexico, which means he’ll be gone for at least a few more weeks.”
“Who is this friend again?”
“Somebody who knew his mom and family? I don’t know.”
“I think it’s nice of him to help her out,” Stan said. “Sounds like he’s doing the right thing.”
“Maybe. But what the hell, Stan? I thought his loyalties were here.” I took a long pull on my wine, but it did nothing to quell my anxiety.
“So he’s helping her. He’ll be done with it soon then back in your bed, just like you wanted. What else did he say?”
“He’s planning to come see me in the next few days.”
“There you go. I’m sure everything will be fine. Why do you sound so upset?”
I slowed my breathing down. “It was more the tone of voice he used when we talked on the phone just now.” I didn’t want to tell Stan about my little obsession with that Olivia person. “He didn’t want to sex talk with me the way he usually does, and he sounded off.”
Stan chuckled. “Give the guy a break. Not every conversation has to be about sex.”
I crossed and uncrossed my legs. “This is exactly the reason I haven’t gotten involved with anyone. God damn it! Why did I let myself get so attached to him? Why the hell did I let Jax get under my skin this way?”
I hadn’t realized my voice had raised so much until Stan said, “Holly, calm down. You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Why are you overreacting?”
My body was rigid, and I looked down to notice that I’d eased myself to the edge of the lawn chair, my body perched and ready for flight. I collapsed back into the chair. “You’re right. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“Listen to me, Holly. If I learned anything from Tatyana, it was to go slow in relationships. At least you guys aren’t married or living together like we were. Do you have any idea how it feels to know that I was the one who brought that crazy lady into the States? Don’t tell me about your insecurities. And I think Jax has been pretty darn accommodating seeing as you knew Tatyana.” Stan sighed heavily. “Give the poor guy a break. He sounds like a good man. So what if things don’t work out with you two? At least you opened your heart.”
Remembering everything Stan had been through with that psycho Ukrainian made me put things in perspective. Matrix trotted to my side, and I pet his wiry fur. “You’re right. Thanks for talking me down.”
“Keep an open mind when Jax comes to town. Okay?”
I said I would. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Jax
A couple of days after Eugene discovered that I was his dad, I stood in front of Rosalyn’s cottage, waxing my board, getting ready for a morning surf session. The phone rang. It was Butch.
“Yo.”
“Hey buddy, when you heading down south?” I had already told Butch about my decision to break up with Holly in person. I felt like a cad for not being more honest with her, and she deserved an in-person conversation.
“Probably tomorrow.” I kneeled in the grass next to my board, watching the Pleasure Point surfers heading down the stairs to the ocean.
“You’re doing the right thing,” he said.
I trailed a bar of surf wax along my surfboard. “Breakups suck.”
“You’d know better than me.” His voice softened. “You thought you could have something with her. I did too.”
I thought of Holly and the way we’d become friends and lovers. We’d dated for around four months and I really thought that once I quit the escort business I could have an honest to goodness relationship with her. Remembering the way we’d surf, drink red wine, get a little tipsy then look into each other’s eyes—sometimes not even making it to her bedroom before I’d fuck her against the wall, her legs wrapped around my waist—made me smile. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Comes with the territory, I suppose. You’ll find the right words when you talk to her.” A pause. “Thank God she didn’t find out about your side job. What’s going on with that?”
I let out a heavy exhale. “I’m calling Sandy today, breaking the whole thing off.”
He let out a low whistle. “Man, you get all the fun. Two breakups for the price of one. Think she’ll understand?”
I raked a hand through my hair. “Hope so. I mean, it’s not like I’ve got a contract.”
“But you did borrow money from her.”
“Don’t remind me.” A chill swept through me. “She’ll get her money.”
“From?”
“I know it’s a long shot, but I’m hoping to win the fifty grand for Ride of the Year.” I didn’t want to think about the house in Twentynine Palms. If I sold it, I’d net enough to pay Sandy back, but the memories of Tyler were still too raw. I wasn’t ready to let go yet.
He chuckled. “That’s a gamble.”
I sat cross-legged in the grass. “Tell me about it.”
He changed subjects. “How’re things going with Eugene?”
I smiled broadly. “I can’t wait for you to meet him. He’s the coolest kid. Wait till you hear him play guitar, and he’s smart, and he looks so much like Tyler. You’re going to freak when you see those eyes.” I looked down at my surfboard. “He wasn’t too thrilled to find out his mom lied to him, but we’re easing in to life together. For now, at least, we’re kind of roommates. He’s not too sure about the way I hold his mom’s hand, but he seems to be getting used to it.” I stood up, feeling suddenly energized. I had fallen in love with Eugene. Every time I looked at him, I had to stop myself from staring. He was intelligent, caring, he loved his mother, was intensely dedicated to his music, polite, and helpful around the house. Rosalyn had raised him right.
In the background, I heard the bell from the front door of the Mysto Spot Surf Shop ring. “Hey, buddy, I’ve got to go. Talk to you later.”
I hung up the phone, tucked my surfboard under my arm, sprinted across the street, and joined the other surfers in the lineup at Pleasure Point. I was a man on fire in the ocean that day.
I was not looking forward to my conversation with Sandy. As the early morning fog cleared and I caught wave after glassy wave, I thought about Sandy and her gorgeous circle of friends. I had cared about them. Yes, they paid me, but they had put trust in me. Things were different now. Sex without commitment seemed millions of miles away. I was in love with Rosalyn and I planned on being the only man in her life and she the only woman in mine. My side job was a part of my past. I almost couldn’t believe that Sandy had talked me into her crazy scheme.
But now I had Rosalyn and Eugene.
I ended my surf session a couple hours later. Rosalyn was at work, Eugene was at school, so I had the place to myself. I showered, made myself a breakfast of oatmeal and strong coffee, then sat on the porch swing and called Sandy.
She answered on the first ring. “There you are,” she said. “I’ve been missing you, sexy surfer boy. When are you coming home?”
I cleared my throat. “Hi, Sandy. You got a sec?”
“Of course, babe, what’s up?”
“It doesn’t look like I’m coming back to Encinitas.”
“Why not?”
And I told her the rest of the story. When we’d spoken previously, I’d told her about Rosalyn’s health, but I hadn’t alluded to how much Rosalyn meant to me. This time I told her about Eugene. That part was still unreal to me and my throat constricted when I confessed this secret to her.
“Does this mean you’re quitting?”
I drummed my fingers against the wooden rail of the porch swing. “Yes. Sandy, I love her and want to be with her and our son. And my son … We don’t know how much longer she’s got, and if she doesn’t make it … I’ll be raising him.”
Sandy was silent. “What about my twenty grand?”
I sat up straight. “I told you I’d pay you back, and I will.”
“When?”
I leaned back, rocking the swing harder than intended. “I’ll have your money in a few weeks.” I made up the time frame on the fly. I had no idea when I’d have Sandy’s money.
“Do you really think you can quit on me? Just like that?” I heard her fingers snap.
“Sandy, I don’t have much of a choice.”
“Yes you do. What if I told you that if I didn’t have my money in two weeks, I’d turn you into the police?”
Panic shot through my system. I took a deep breath. “Oh, Sandy, you don’t want to go and do that.” Could she really turn me in? “Don’t forget that you were the one who insisted on paying me.”
She let out a huge sigh. “Jax, I loaned you that money thinking you’d be back in a week or so, that we’d go right back to our routine.”
“Things are different now.”
She laughed. “Not that different. You owe me. Don’t forget, I know things about you. I know where you work.”
I tried turning on the charm. “We’re friends, right? I told you I’d pay you back, and I will. Sandy, you and the girls have been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Much as I resisted it, you made me feel right at home.”
“We’re friends, yes, but friends watch out for each other. I want my money.” Her voice was incredulous. “So that’s it? You’re really leaving us?”
I stood up, watching one of the local surfers stuff his board into the back of his Chevy. “I need to be here now.”
“Have it your way.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“I’m serious about the money, Jax. I’m feeling more than a little taken advantage of right now. Two weeks.”
“I know. I’ll get it to you.” And I would. I just didn’t have the slightest idea how.
That night after dinner while Eugene finished his homework, Rosalyn and I strolled along the walkway above Pleasure Point. I told her that I needed to be in Laguna Beach the following day. “Remember the girlfriend I told you about?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that.”
I stopped walking and held her hands. “I need to break up with her in person.”
Her eyes searched mine. “Were you two living together?”
“No. It’s just that I kind of led her on, let her think we had more than we did.”
“How long were you together?”
“Four months. I thought I could be serious with her.” I gazed into Rosalyn’s big brown eyes. “I owe her this.”
“When will you be back?”
“I’ll leave in the morning and be back by the end of the day.”
When we made love that night, it was slow and sweet. We held on to each other as the room shook from our ecstasy, all the pent up emotions of the years we’d been separated easing their way out of our systems.
When Rosalyn fell asleep, I couldn’t stop staring at her.
I would make things right with Holly and somehow pay Sandy back.
But paramount on my mind was how to save Rosalyn. Meanwhile, I was going to do everything I could to make her life easy. If these were her last months, I vowed they would be happy ones.
Holly
In anticipation of Jax’s visit, I made sure my appointments were done. I arrived home early from work, showere
d, and even slipped into some especially sexy lingerie: a sheer pair of lavender-colored panties and a matching bra. Then I pulled on jeans and a low-cut tank top, fluffed up my hair, applied my makeup carefully, and tried to remember to breathe. Jax had called the previous evening to tell me he’d leave Santa Cruz around six in the morning, which meant he’d arrive in Laguna Beach around one o’clock. I’d cleaned the house, walked the pups, arranged fresh flowers in a vase, and I even lit a stick of incense. Maybe Stan was right, and I had overreacted to the chilly tone of Jax’s voice on the phone.
As I paced the kitchen, trying to distract myself with the lyrics of the music blasting from my stereo, Matrix and Dinah went into a barking frenzy. My heart hammered in my chest. I turned off the music and raced to the door.
When I opened it, there he was, his tall frame taking up my doorway. He gave me a crooked smile. “Hi, Holly.” He bent down to pet the pups. “And hi you two.” He looked at me expectantly, entered the living room, and gave me a hug. “It’s good to see you again. Feels like it’s been forever.” I leaned in to him, his powerful arms surrounding me, and inhaled his male musk.
I held his hand. “Come on, let’s sit outside. Want something to drink? I’ve got iced-tea.”
“That’d be fine,” he said, glancing around the room as though seeing it for the first time.
I poured us both tea, and we sat on the lounge chairs, the ocean crashing in the background. I watched Jax carefully. So much for my visions of him pinning me up against the kitchen counter, spreading my legs, and ravishing my body. His demeanor was guarded as he slowly sipped his drink, gazing at the ocean.
I broke the ice. “So, when do you leave for Mexico?”
He set his glass down and smiled. He took my hand. “Holly, this is really hard to say, but … after the trip to Mexico, I’ll be moving to Santa Cruz.” His blue eyes searched mine.
“Why?” It was all I could think to say. Wasn’t it obvious? The man didn’t care about me anymore.
He stammered out a reply. “Well, it’s like this. The friend I’m helping, the old family friend? She was my girlfriend at one time.”
Pleasure Point: The Complete Series Page 53