I didn’t need to see well to know where I was going. O’Kelly’s had long ago become the de facto drinking spot for The Sentinel staffers when they went out.
Crossing the room, I pushed between shoulders and hips, to the corner booth where I’d find Sean just about any night of the week, but most definitely a Friday.
“Hey man, shove over,” I said, raising my voice over the bar’s chatter and punching Sean’s arm lightly.
Sean glanced up, his eyes already gleaming with an alcohol-induced haze.
“Dude, you finally came out! Awesome!” he exclaimed, and rammed his side into the girl sitting to his left, bodily moving her. “Make some room, Cat.”
“Do I have to?” she asked, shooting a dark look at me.
Great. I should have known Cat would be here. She’d been glued to Sean’s side at the staff meetings recently.
Grudgingly, she shuffled over. I squeezed in on one end of the booth and surveyed the other staffers at the table.
Sarah from the photo staff sat on the other side of the table, next to Archer, a copy editor who worked the night shift. In the middle sat Andy, the winter intern who’d been invited to come back for the summer.
I chose to focus on Andy, a safer choice than addressing Cat’s attitude.
“Andy! Didn’t think you’d be here.”
“Yeah, he hardly ever comes out,” Sarah teased, poking him in the ribs. “His man keeps him too happy.”
Andy laughed, blushing. “Yeah, usually I stay home. But he told me I needed to get out more. Plus, he likes how frisky I am when I’ve had a few drinks.”
He waggled his eyebrows playfully.
“Dude, TMI!” Sean crowed.
“I think he’s jealous,” Archer joked. “Do you need me to set you up?”
“He’s taken,” Cat declared, and then kissed Sean noisily.
I grimaced and looked out over the bar. The thought flickered through my mind that I’d come here to see if I could meet a girl, not watch Cat shove her tongue down Sean’s throat.
The waitress arrived with refills, and I put in a drink order and listened in to the grousing that had started about the newspaper. Normally, I was less jaded about journalism than my co-workers. I’d gotten the column, and I’d enjoyed writing features. Considering, I didn’t care about going into management, I didn’t get angry when others were promoted. But lately, I’d been less content.
“This column is getting to be more hassle than it’s worth,” I chimed in after a while. “Tanya told me today she wants to turn my work on the county treasurer into a front-page story. Can you believe that shit?”
“Sounds awful,” Cat said dryly, rolling her eyes.
“You don’t get it. They gave me eight columns to improve readership, and now they’re stealing a column that would be really fucking good. What am I supposed to replace it with?”
“Maybe you can find another underage girl to shack up with,” Cat retorted.
I snorted and turned to Sean. “Speaking of which, did you hear that someone told Tanya I was living with Edie?”
“Nah, I didn’t know that,” Sean said with a frown.
I didn’t miss the way his gaze flicked to Cat. I’d figured she was the one who’d tattled. Ever since I made the mistake of letting her pull me down the back hall last winter, exchanging sloppy kisses, Cat had been behaving like a woman scorned.
“Life’s so rough. They want to put you on the front page. Try working for weeks on a front-page story only to have it booted inside because there’s some prettier art that day.”
“Well, try offering better photo options if you want us to shoot something,” Sarah snapped. “It’s not like we can make a bunch of council members sitting around a table look interesting.”
“Ease up, guys!” Archer said with a laugh. “Jesus, I think all these threats of staffing cuts are getting to us. We’re here to drink and hang out, not talk about work.”
I pointed at him. “I always knew Archer was the smartest one of us.”
Lifting my mug for a swallow of porter, I glanced toward the crowd at the bar, wondering if I should mingle. But the bitching had eased, and I was comfortable where I was. We could all probably do with some staff bonding time. Things were difficult at work right now.
Cat’s glittering eyes glared in my direction. At least I’d never make that mistake again. Grinning, I winked at her just to watch her huff and turn to maul Sean in retribution. If she thought that bothered me – outside of engaging my gag reflect – she was mistaken.
My mind was too full of the memories of Edie’s lips and soft, creamy skin to be engaged by much else.
CHAPTER 9
EDIE
It was going to be a long day at Jumpin’ For Joy. It was late morning, and already swarms of kids were crowding the inflatable bounce houses, filling the building with echoing shouts and laughter — and a fair amount of crying, too.
After the night I had, I felt a little like crying. I’d tossed and turned most of the night, wondering if I’d ever be able to look Nick in the eye again.
I’d returned from coffee with Tequila the night before to find the apartment empty. I heard Nick come in at 2 a.m.
I’d been relieved I didn’t have to face him when I got home that evening. But after a while, I’d started wondering what he might be doing. If he viewed that kiss as nothing more than a favor to a girl who’d never been kissed — which I was pretty sure he did — there was nothing stopping him from hooking up with another girl.
My stomach had twisted uncomfortably at the notion. Talk about a reality check. Better to face it now, right? Nick was not boyfriend material, and that kiss meant nothing to him.
I went through the motions of monitoring kids in bounce houses, breaking up squabbles and cleaning up spills while repeating the mantra in my mind: Nick is not boyfriend material. That kiss meant nothing to him.
Wipe up sticky mess. Nick is not boyfriend material. Holler at rambunctious boy about to trample toddler. The kiss meant nothing.
Repeat.
I had my rhythm down to a brainless art form by the time I heard a father pleading with his son.
“Will you just get in there, Mason? Please? You wanted to come here. Don’t you remember how much you wanted to bounce, huh?”
The frustrated words behind me were nothing new. It wasn’t uncommon for the little ones to get bounce-shy. Sometimes, they were intimidated by all the other kids bouncing off the walls (literally) and screaming their heads off (in joy, of course.) Other times, they were thrown off by the number of choices.
Faced with a single bounce house at a party — which Jumpin’ For Joy also provided — kids would practically come to blows for the right to get their jump on. But when faced with eight inflatables, different colors and shapes and sizes, they became overwhelmed.
Parents weren’t always sure what to do. They’d brought their kids to have fun, and by golly, a tantrum wasn’t going to change their plans. I’d seen Dads try to force screaming little girls into a bounce house, and I’d seen Moms cry when they did the walk of shame to the door without their toddler ever getting off the ground.
We tried to avoid those situations. After all, those parents weren’t in any hurry to come back.
So, when I heard the desperate pleading behind me, I turned to see if Mason — and his dad — could be saved from disappointment.
I dropped to a crouch before the red-faced kid, aged about 4.
“Hey, your name’s Mason?” I asked in my sweetest kid voice.
His eyes were watery, but no tears had fallen yet. He was obviously trying to hold it together for Dad.
He nodded but didn’t speak. His dad, like many parents, spoke up for him.
“Yeah, Mason. He’s, uh … I don’t know why he’s so. …”
“It’s okay,” I said, without sparing a glance for Dad. I was trying to connect with Mason, make him more comfortable. “My name’s Mason, too. Funny, huh?”
He objected with a twist of his lips
. “But it’s a boy’s name.”
“Well, it’s my last name. My first name is Edie. Kind of like the ice cream. You like ice cream?”
Mason was silent, but he nodded fiercely as if to say, “hell, yeah!”
“Well, Mason, if you were to get the courage to try the bouncy house right behind you, I’ll buy you a scoop of your favorite ice cream at the snack bar. What do you say?”
I was taking a gamble Dad wouldn’t mind a little sugary bribe if it meant calmer waters ahead.
He turned to scope out the bouncy house. I’d decided to specify our smallest, square red one. It was more basic than the others, but I didn’t want to overwhelm him with options.
“You don’t have to do that, Edie.”
“I don’t mind,” I said, finally looking up with a smile.
I did a double-take. Dad wasn’t at all what I’d expected. He was tall and slender, with wavy blonde hair and light blue eyes.
Jaime Harris.
We went to school together. Jaime was in Carlos’ popular crowd, so we’d never spoken. Then again, we’d never had a 4-year-old middleman before. I immediately turned my attention back to Mason.
“Did you know that he could go in there with you?”
I nodded toward Jaime, deciding not to play the guessing game as to whether he’d fathered a kid at 14. Seemed unlikely but not impossible.
“Really?”
Jaime made an odd noise, and I looked up to see him frantically making a cutting motion at his throat to stop me. Too late. Mason grinned ear-to-ear.
“Will you, Uncle Jaime? Please! You can make sure I don’t fall!”
Red creeped up Jaime’s neck and into his face as he quickly turned his cutting motion into a slide of fingers through his hair. Smooth.
“Uh, Mason, I get motion sickness pretty easily.”
Jaime was now bright red with embarrassment, and I felt a smile twitching at the corners of my lips.
“Then I don’t want to do it!” Mason yelled.
Jaime sighed, seeming resigned. I felt bad for painting him into a corner. Mason had been so close to going in, and I knew once he did, his fear would disappear.
“What if I went in with you, Mason?”
“You?”
I tried not to take offense at Mason’s disgusted tone.
“Oh, please!” I pleaded, making my eyes wide. “It would be so much fun if you would jump with me. We could hold hands and jump together. That’s a lot of fun.”
Mason looked intrigued. He glanced up at Jaime. “Can I? She’s a stranger,” he said doubtfully.
Jaime grinned, dropping down to Mason’s level next to me and tousling the boy’s dark hair.
“Sure you can. Edie and I are old friends. We went to school together.” He flashed me a relieved smile. “Right, Edie?”
Jaime was stretching it a bit, but at least he remembered me. I nodded for Mason’s sake.
“Yup. So, what do you say, Mason? Will you do me this favor and jump with me?”
“Okay!”
“Thanks,” Jaime said, as we both stood up.
Before I could respond, Mason grabbed my hand and yanked me toward the bounce house. I had to trot to keep up with him. I flashed a smile over my shoulder and dove into the mess of kid craziness.
Two hours later, I managed to extract myself from the bouncing madness. I’d left Mason to his newfound joy 15 minutes after entering only to find myself reeled into crisis after crisis.
Crises weren’t uncommon when you were young and throwing your body violently around for kicks and regrettably colliding with a hard elbow from time to time. I’d returned to Mason a few times over the period — we’d both changed bouncy houses — and I’d seen Jaime watching from a safe distance.
Now, I needed a breather — and to check on Joy over at the snack bar. If she was too swamped, I’d need to assist. But it was late afternoon, and the crowd had died down a lot in the past hour.
I was planning to leave Mason to his fun, but he suddenly remembered my promise of ice cream and appeared at my side with a big grin on his face and his hair plastered to his temples with sweat. My hair felt sweaty too.
I pulled my sagging ponytail loose and pulled my hair higher off my neck, adjusting it. “Whew! You wiped me out, Mason!”
“I want my ice cream now!” he bellowed, far from the intimidated kid I’d met earlier.
Grabbing my wrist as soon as I finished tightening my ponytail, he jerked me in the direction of the snack bar.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jaime said, grabbing Mason’s hand and pulling it off my arm. “Don’t just yank her around, kid. What would your mom say?”
“Sorry,” Mason mumbled.
“Hey, it’s okay. You still get ice cream,” I said. “A promise is a promise.”
Jaime fell into step with me as Mason raced ahead.
“I’ll buy the ice cream,” Jaime offered. “You look like you could use some yourself.”
I blew a tangle of sweaty bangs off my forehead.
“You mean I look hot and miserable? No doubt! But sorry, you can’t buy me ice cream,” I said as we caught up with Mason.
“What, is there a policy against dating the customers?” he asked with a small grin.
Was he flirting, or just kidding? I was inclined to believe the latter, being hot and sweaty and dressed in loose-fitting shorts and a T-shirt that were far from flattering. Even on my best day, I didn’t draw the attention of guys like Jaime.
“I think it’s illegal to date most of my customers,” I quipped, and quickly stepped forward to oversee Mason’s ice cream selection.
After he was done, I asked Joy for a fudge bar, and then glanced over at Jaime. “What’ll it be, Mr. Harris?”
He chuckled. “I know I’m here with a kid, but last time I checked, I wasn’t actually a father.”
“Fine, Jaime, what would you like?”
He pointed to the strawberry ice cream and asked for a cone. While Joy prepared his cone and Mason’s sundae, we leaned against the counter to wait. He pulled out his wallet, and I wagged my finger.
“Nope. Put that thing away.”
He laughed. “I get it. You don’t want me to buy your ice cream. Company policy, right? At least, that’s what I’m telling my ego so I’m not crushed by the rejection.”
“No.”
“No?” He clutched at his heart dramatically, and I shoved his shoulder.
“No, dork. You can’t buy my ice cream, or yours. It’s on the house. Right, Joy?” I asked, as she stepped forward to hand over the goodies.
She grinned. “Yep. Whenever Edie lands a cute boy, he and the family eat for free.”
Jaime’s eyebrows shot up.
“And Edie lands a lot of boys here?” he asked.
“Ice cream!” Mason interrupted, jumping and reaching for his sundae.
I hurriedly handed him the sundae bowl and a spoon, and gave him a little push toward the nearest table. I was happy for the distraction, but Joy wasn’t deterred from her little bit of fun at my expense.
“Oh, just about every shift,” Joy said, a twinkle in her eye. Jaime’s eyes widened, and then Joy added, “Unless of course, it’s a girl. Edie bounces both ways.”
“Joy, oh my God.” I groaned and shook my head in dismay.
Jaime grinned, and pointed his cone toward Joy to give her props.
“You almost had me there, Joy. So, I guess the cute boy in this equation is Mason, huh? Just the luck. I bring out the kid, and he gets the girl.”
“Right,” I scoffed, “because you have so much trouble getting girls. Don’t forget I know you, Jaime. I’ve seen plenty of girls throw themselves in your path.”
Jaime made a face. “Yeah, but—”
My phone rang, blasting a song that was inappropriate for a building full of kids. I didn’t even recognize it, but I couldn’t miss the “so sexy” lyrics echoing throughout the snack bar.
If Jaime finished his thought, I was too mortified to hear it.
“Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed, dashing around the counter to where my purse hung on a coat rack.
“I’m gonna kill him,” I muttered, already knowing Nick had screwed with my ringtone to screw with me. It was like living with a 12-year-old sometimes.
I snatched up the phone. “Hello?”
“Edie, hi,” Tequila said in a trembling voice I barely recognized. ”Um, I was just wondering if you could maybe pick me up and give me a ride home.”
“Well, I’m at work,” I said, glancing over at Joy. She waved a hand at me to tell me I could go if I wanted.
Tequila broke down into sobs.
“Okay.” She muffled a sob. “I’m sorry.” She sniffled loudly. “I’ll let you go.”
“Wait!” I said quickly. “What’s wrong? I think I can leave early. Where are you?”
Tequila gave me a convoluted story about another fight with her friends and being stranded by the pool, way across town from her house.
“I just missed the bus, and I’m not sure how long until the next one. My mom is gonna kill me.”
“Okay, calm down. I’ll come get you, okay? Just hang in there.”
“Thank you!”
I hung up the phone, and then realized my mistake. Lil dropped me off at work, so I didn’t have a car.
“Oh, crap!” I slapped a hand over my mouth, and shot a guilty look at Mason, who was happily licking off his spoon.
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“He’s not listening,” Jaime said, brushing it off. “Everything okay?”
I chewed on my lip. “Well, I have a friend … she’s like a little sister, kind of. I met her through volunteer work. Anyway, she’s stranded, and I told her I’d leave work early to go get her.”
“Oh, well, we won’t keep you then.”
“The thing is, I don’t have a car with me today.” I glanced down at my phone. “I better call Lily or Nick and see if one of them can help me out.”
“I can do it,” Jaime blurted.
I glanced up to see him rubbing the back of his neck and looking bashful. It was a good look for him.
“I can give you a ride.”
“Oh, but Mason’s having fun.”
“Mason, wanna go for a ride with Edie?” Jaime called.
Earning Edie (Espinoza Boys #1) Page 11