We all turned and walked into the house closing the door behind us leaving Cole still whining on the other side of it.
Ren
Later at the table, Gramps was acting like the old schmo that he was cracking jokes and mooning over Maya every chance he got.
“So old Mo, bless his old ass crack, passed away two weeks ago,” Gramps says shaking his head with a forlorn look on his face. Maya, who had been laughing seconds ago, sobered up and reached for his hand.
“I’m so sorry, Hurst. How did he die?” I looked from their joined hands up to my Gramps' face to see him sitting with a smug smirk on his face and considered throttling him quickly so he could join ‘old Mo’ in his casket — the man had no class, cashing in on his friend's death with his Grandson’s girlfriend. Where was the loyalty?
“He…” he paused and shook his head slowly, “man this is hard to get out.” Gramps leaned back taking Maya’s hand with him and looked at Gram, who was glaring at him like he was ten seconds away from meeting his maker, before taking a deep breath and continuing. “He died of a Viagra overdose!”
Maya gasped and leaned back with her hand over her mouth staring at him. “Oh my God, that poor man!”
By this point Gram was grinding her teeth, Mom was staring at the table, and Dad was looking way too interested in whatever the fuck was on the wall behind us. I pulled Maya into my side and looked down at her face; poor baby looked so sad by Gramps story that I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a joke. The betraying bastard couldn’t leave it there though, could he? Oh no, he suddenly piped up from his chair, “Yep, went to his funeral last Wednesday, and they couldn’t close his casket.”
Dad started spluttering, Mom’s shoulders were moving, Gram had her hands over her eyes and was muttering something and poor Maya was sitting staring wide-eyed at Gramps, who was holding his side and laughing.
Before I could whisper to her that it was a joke, she said, “Oh Hurst, what a shame for his poor family, and for you too. I’m so sorry for your loss.” I squeezed her hand to get her attention to tell her it was a joke, but when she looked at me, she gave me a quick wink. Looking at Mom, her face lit up with a beaming smile as she caught it and Gram was now sitting with a smug yet slightly sinister smile on her face. “How’s his family? Did he have any kids?” She asked sounding so sincere and caring that I saw the smile on Gramps’ face start to drop; he didn’t have the heart to trample on her good soul, so he didn’t know what to do.
“We should organize some sort of memorial event for him don’t you think?” She continued and then launched into ideas on how to best honor ‘Old Mo’. “Of course, if we planted a tree in his honor, people could look at the word and think of him,” she said straight-faced.
Gramps looked up at her and glared. “Damn, you’re good,” he snapped, before getting up from his seat and storming away muttering about joke wrecking bastards.
20
____
Maya
Landing in Tampa, I saw the familiar views of my old home. I thought I’d miss it or feel something, but all I felt was an increasing desperation to get back to Piersville. Saying goodbye to Ren, even just for a week, had been so hard.
Walking through the airport after getting my bag, I headed in the direction of the taxi stand when I heard, “Maya Price!” Turning around, there was Tony grinning at me with a huge sign with my name on it…was that glitter?
“Wow, that’s…” I started as I walked toward him grinning. I was about three feet away when he lunged and picked me up off the floor making me scream as he spun me around.
“Well, I had to welcome you back in style,” he put me back on my feet so hard that my teeth clunked together. “Shit, have you put weight on? I think I pulled my back.”
“No, you mean bastard I haven’t.”
“Uh huh, if you say so, piglet. Let’s go to the car.” We exited the terminal and went towards the short-term parking lot. After walking around for a while looking at each car and not finding his, Tony was starting to get irate. I would say I was surprised, but this was normal for him - the guy never remembered where he parked. “Fuck it, I swear I parked over here.” He flipped his hand from side to side and then flicked it at a parking spot that had a lime green VW Beatle in it.
“I’m glad you think this is funny,” he sniffed glaring at me as I laughed.
“Sweetie, you do this every time. Do you remember when we went to Mall of America, and you called 911 because someone had stolen your car?”
“How was I to remember that it was parked on the other side of the Mall? I mean, there was a sale on, and those shoes that I’d wanted forever were in it!”
“Uh huh, and the store wasn’t even in that Mall,” I reminded him, by which point I swear he was trying to melt me with his eyes.
“OK memory bitch, move your fat ass and find my car,” he said turning around and prancing off making me laugh even harder.
An hour later we found his car with the help of Airport Security, parked in long term parking; at least, I’d managed to stop him calling 911 this time. He’d started jumping up and down while clapping his hands and squealing when we got to his car and then jumped on Ron, the huge security guard with a shaved head, wrapping his legs around his waist and kissing him all over the face. To give him credit Ron took it like a champ, but as soon as Tony jumped down off him Ron was gone.
“You staying with me at the hotel?” I asked as we drove towards where I’d been made reservations by the Mackays in one of their hotels. They only had two in Tampa, but both were the definition of luxury, and I couldn’t wait to check in and lie down. As Tony took the turning to get to his apartment to pack some of his stuff, I turned my cell on and waited for it to start up so that I could text Ren.
Just as the carrier appeared on, the screen texts started coming through.
Sexiest boyfriend in the world: Hope you got there safe, baby. Miss you and love you <3
I laughed when I saw the new name he’d saved himself under in my phone; when he’d done it I didn’t know, but I liked it.
The prick: Does my ass look big in this?
Ren had apparently also changed Cole’s name in my phone and looking closer at the photo attached I felt my cheeks heat as I realized he’d somehow got hold of a pair of my panties and was wearing them. Jesus Christ, that guy had no boundaries.
Texting back Ren, I forwarded him the message and said:
Me: how did Cole get my panties? This photo is just wrong!
Thirty seconds later:
Sexiest boyfriend in the world: He’s fuckin dead! And paying for my therapy.
I decided to get Cole back and sent the photo to my cousins, Ava, Scarlet, his mom, Isla, LeAnne and a couple of other people from Piersville. Putting my phone back into my bag, I focused back on Tony’s excited chatter about what we were going to do while I was there; before broaching a subject that I’d been waiting to talk to him about.
“What happened at work, honey?” Last week he’d called and in a voice that I’d never heard him use before he told me he’d lost his job; a job that he’d done for years and was damn good at.
“Oh, you know,” he flapped a hand around in a never mind gesture before yanking the wheel for the next turning, leaving it just a tad too late and ending up on the wrong side of the road. I always dreaded getting into a car that Tony was driving; he tended to use speed limits and turning times as ‘guidelines’, meaning that the fact that he hadn’t had a serious accident was a fucking miracle.
“The head of the practice was pissed that I wouldn’t do what he wanted,” he suddenly said.
“And what did he want?”
Slowly the full story came out. Tony’s boss cornered him demanding he get on his knees and give him a blow job one night, which I’d known about. Tony had said no as the man was married, to a woman, and he wasn’t going to degrade himself like that and after it, his boss had continued to sexually harass him while launching a hate campaign against him.
Finally after three weeks of hell, his boss had fired him for sexual harassment against him.
“Are you shitting me?” I yelled. “Tell me you’ve spoken to a lawyer!”
“No, Mymy, I just want to forget about it,” he whispered, and it was then that I noticed how tired he looked.
“What else has happened?”
“He won’t quit, Maya. He keeps calling.”
“How do you feel about seriously moving to Piersville and working for me?”
Thankfully we’d just pulled up in front of his apartment block because his entire upper body swung towards me including his hands that were still on the wheel.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course! I told you that I need a PA, and we worked well together when I was here, and you helped me with projects.”
Biting his lip, he looked down at his hands while he considered what I’d just said. I knew it was a massive move for him because he’d lived here most of his life and loved Tampa, but I also knew from my experience with the fuckwad that this stuff weighed on you like a ton of concrete. Getting away from it would be the best thing for him.
“Come on,” I said shaking his shoulder. “Just think - new hot guys to perve over, you’ll live with me; we’ll have fun. And I swear I won’t ask you for a beej!”
“Well, when you put it like that…” he turned to me, and I saw the excitement in his eyes.
* * *
We’d packed up a bag of Tony’s stuff and had then checked into the hotel to find out the Mackays had put me in the Presidential Suite. After we’d unpacked and had some lunch I’d called Ren and we’d talked for ten minutes with Cole whining in the background about his junk being on fire. I’m pretty sure that had something to do with Ren’s revenge for the picture, but he wasn’t admitting anything. The more I thought about Ren, the faster I wanted this week to go so that I could get back to him, especially now that Tony was coming with me.
We’d just finished dinner with the Mackays where we’d caught up, and I had outlined my plans for the week and were just walking out of the restaurant when suddenly there was the screeching of tires to my right. The security guy, Ray, grabbed me and pulled me off the road causing me to drop my handbag and land roughly on my ass just as the black SUV drove over my bag.
“Maya!” Dale and his parents yelled as their security ran after the SUV.
I knew I was sitting on the sidewalk shaking and that the Mackays and Tony were checking me over, but all I could see was the couple small space between my leg and the car as it had sped past me. If it hadn’t been for Ray, I would have been hit.
“I think she’s in shock,” I heard Mr. Mackay say behind me, and I gave myself a shake and got up off the floor.
“Maya I think we should get you checked over,” Dale said running his hands over me until he got to my knee and hissed. “Fuck you’re bleeding, honey.”
I became aware of throbbing in my right knee and right hand and looked down at both to see blood dripping down my shin and dripping off my hand before everything went black.
* * *
I woke up as we were getting into the white SUV that had collected Tony and me from our hotel earlier that evening. I was about to say something when I realized I was sitting on someone’s lap; a muscular lap with a big firm chest. Now Tony wasn’t a slouch in the physique department, but this most definitely wasn’t him. Opening my eyes, I tilted my head back and came face to face with Dale.
“We’re taking you to mine, and Doc Johnson is meeting us there to check you over, kiddo. Do you remember what happened?”
“Yeah, I remember. Do you mind if I sit on the seat?” I asked pointing to the spare seat next to us. Tony was sitting next to the window looking at me in concern.
“We’re already here,” Dale said as we pulled up in front of his house. He had bought an old mansion two years ago and had renovated the entire building bringing modern elements into it. That had been how I’d met him and his family as he’d hired me to do the decorating for him. It was my first huge contract, and I’d loved every second of it and was immensely proud of what we’d done to the place.
After settling me down on the couch, Dale went to find a blanket while Tony sat in front of me on the coffee table chewing on his lip as he looked at me.
“I’m fine,” I rested on the back of the couch closing my eyes. In all honesty, I really wasn’t; I kept replaying the moment the car had skimmed past me and what would have happened if I hadn’t been pulled back when I had.
“Sweetie, you are far from fine,” Tony drawled, and I opened my eyes to see him staring pointedly at my knee which was bleeding through the handkerchief that had been put around it. “That tall God on the other hand, now he is fine.”
I couldn’t help the giggle that turned into a full blown roar as Dale walked around the corner with a first aid kit, a pillow, and a blanket and looked at Tony with a raised eyebrow. I had never seen Tony blush, but he went scarlet and glanced up at the ceiling suddenly screaming, “TARANTULA!” And ran out the front door straight into the chest of the security guard posted there and fell on his ass.
I would have continued laughing at his misfortune, but I wasn’t a huge fan of spiders, so I looked up, noticing Dale doing the same thing. Both of us squinted, moved our heads and looked back at each other before looking back up again at what could only be described as a spider the size of my pinkie nail. Sure it was still a spider, but given how big those bad bastards get I wouldn’t be screaming over that one anytime soon.
Clearing his throat, Dale picked up the first aid kit and sat where his royal twatness had been sitting. “Anyway…” He said as he removed the hankie from my knee. I’m not going to lie, it hurt, but Tony had already made a big enough tit of himself in the last ten minutes, and I was not going to follow him, so I bit my tongue.
“Mr. Mackay, the Doctor’s here,” A deep baritone voice came from the door. It was that deep that it sounded almost unnatural like that guy who was in Armageddon and The Green Mile. I looked over and did a double take when I saw the baby-faced guy standing in the doorway with Tony standing mouth open beside him.
“Sweet Jesus,” Tony apparently had lost the ability to conduct thoughts inside his head. “Hey, can you sing for me? Anything, I just have to hear that again.”
Now the man may have had a baby face, but he sure as hell did not have a baby body so when he turned to Tony and looked at him with absolutely no expression on his face, Tony made the right decision and turned away. Thankfully we were all distracted by the doctor coming in and Dale telling him what had happened as he looked over my knee and hand.
Deciding the best thing to do would be to give me an injection of painkillers and antibiotics before he cleaned out the wounds, the doctor asked Tony to help me onto my side to make my butt cheek available to him.
The mean asshole just couldn’t help but add to my embarrassment. “Here ya go, Doc, take your pick of where you wanna jab that huge old needle. God knows there’s enough acreage to choose from. Damn Maya, ever heard of Atkins?”
“I will hurt you,” I ground out from between clenched teeth, as the doctor took Tony literally and tried to murder me with the branding iron that he’d incorrectly called a ‘small pinch’.
That was when the world decided to prove in the best way possible that Karma was a bitch when the sound of flesh hitting tile broke the silence, and Tony was out cold on the floor on his knees with his ass in the air. The doc and Dale went to move him, but I got Dale to pass me his phone, and with my good hand got a couple of shots first; because the bitch would have done the same to me.
After half an hour of cleaning, bits of gravel and God knows what else out of my hand, five stitches in my palm, glue holding a cut on my knee together and two huge bandages the doctor cleared out leaving me with antibiotics and pain medication. It was also decided that Tony would go with one of his security back to our hotel room to get our stuff, and we would stay with Dale for the rest of our visit.
Forever Mine (Providence Series Book 1) Page 19