Her senior year of high school they maintained their long distance relationship, but it seemed like she spent more time with Aaron when she was in Iowa City than with Ryan. His pre-med course load was grueling and he spent a ton of time in the library and at study groups. Aaron used “the power of the dimples” to score Nic a perfect fake ID and took her to the Airliner for pizza and beer.
Med school took Ryan to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. His passion for the Minnesota Vikings still intact, Ryan was so psyched to be close. Though Aaron’s business degree took him to St. Louis for a job, they began a tradition of buying season passes and attending as many games together as they could. Nicole was off at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Avery stayed close to home, attending St. Ambrose University, studying public relations. Nic and Ryan talked on the phone every three days and saw each other once a month. It was an odd time for Nicole, but living in the city alone was a breath of fresh air. She found herself looking around at the people she met and the relationships they had, and questioning the sanity of her own.
Not long before she graduated college, Aaron had come to visit her in Chicago. She dragged him around the museums and Navy Pier. They’d had a blast, rating pizza (which they consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and she had butterflies when he put his arm around her while on a chilly boat ride on Lake Michigan. The last night of his stay, they went to see one of her favorite bands, Spoon. Though Aaron had always given her tons of crap about her musical taste, she hadn’t had to twist his arm. The band rocked live, and Aaron grudgingly admitted the show was great. They were both tipsy and once back in her tiny apartment, she insisted he sleep in her bed, not on her lumpy couch. Things had gotten a bit out of hand. They’d stopped short of “doing the deed” but had definitely crossed the line. Aaron left early the next morning; he seemed embarrassed and remorseful. It made her cringe when she imagined facing him after that, and Nicole decided the time had come to make a clean break. She started making plans to join her mom, who had since relocated to Miami. She just had another month of school to get through.
Avery insisted on throwing her a graduation dinner, and Ryan popped the question in front of everyone present. Avery and Aaron both proposed a toast, so it was obvious that they already knew it was coming. Her mother was overjoyed, and even Ryan’s parents seemed happy. Saying no hadn’t even seemed like an option. Now that she’d earned her degree, it was an expectation that she would put on a white dress and go through the motions according to Ryan’s master plan.
Nicole realized that it had begun to rain and her teeth chattered. With the cold rain beating down on her, she felt as numb physically as she was emotionally.
Numb…for so long.
She knew it was time. Convinced she was ready to finally move on, she texted Colin.
Nicole: I had a great time too. Let’s do lunch
Coming around the garage and into the yard, she saw Shilah dump water on the fire pit.
“Good morning!” He raised the water jug in the air, smiling from ear to ear. Nicole gave him a small wave.
“Is Avery still here?”
“She’s inside finishing laundry.” Shilah dumped the rest of the water.
“Laundry?” Perplexed, Nicole headed for the house.
Nicole climbed the steps of the porch with Shilah behind her.
“Nicole’s home!” He cried out, causing Nicole to jump and hold her chest. She found Avery in the kitchen. Relief overcame her when she saw her place was spotless, and seemingly no damage had occurred in her absence.
“Hey. Please say everyone’s gone.”
“Everyone but us,” Avery replied. “Hey. Your bedding is in the dryer.”
Nicole’s eyes shifted from Avery to Shilah, who seemed to suppress a smile. As she looked at Avery again, she noticed that what she first thought was a blush looked more like stubble burn.
“Well, at least someone is getting some use out of that bed.”
Avery looked surprised and Shilah threw his head back and laughed.
“You made coffee. You’re a goddess.” Nicole grabbed a cup.
“We’re thinking of going out for breakfast. You want to come?” Shilah asked. Without pause, Nicole shook her head.
“I need a shower before I go pick up my son.” Nicole ached for Ike. He was the only man in the world she felt sure about.
Aaron rubbed his arms in a hopeless attempt to stay warm as he whistled for Castle.
“Can you hurry your ass up, dog?” Pleasantly surprised at his lack of hangover, the drizzle was soaking him to the bone. Castle reappeared at the edge of the brush and she quickly took the stairs, shaking off right at his feet.
“Seriously? I knew I should have trained you to use the toilet.” He grabbed a towel and began to dry her off inside the back door. He felt guilty for snapping at her. She had very little to do with his bad mood. He had literally woken up on the wrong side of the bed, or to be more specific, he’d woken up upside down in the bed, with Joy naked and draped across him.
The night before by the fire, Joy had apologized for pushing the issue of moving in together. She acted contrite, nearly crying as she explained how strongly she felt for him and how her jealousy of Nicole caused her to lash out. It was at that moment that he saw Nicole leaving the party with Colin fucking O’Connell. He was thankful that Joy had been on his lap and he’d been stumbling drunk, because the instinct to kick Colin’s ass had been pretty overwhelming.
Joy’s persistent advances continued, and it wasn’t long before she was driving him home and pouncing on him. Mid-stroke, Nicole’s hurt and confused expression popped into his mind and he couldn’t shake her image. He tried to shrug it off (even tried closing his eyes and picturing Joy as Nicole) but it backfired, and he felt himself deflate like a popped balloon. Joy had made a valiant effort to re-arouse his interest, but to no avail. Not long after, he passed out.
He peeked in his bedroom door to make sure she was still asleep. Her perfect naked body and wild bed hair caused him to shake his head.
I must be defective. If the guys hear about this they’ll confiscate my man-card!
Aaron climbed onto the bed and lay down beside her. Watching her sleep, he kicked himself for being an asshole and for the utter lack of emotion he had for her. He’d strung her along and let the situation get way out of hand. She was trying to plan for a future with him that would never happen. It was time to cowboy up and end things before he did any more damage.
“Joy,” his voice sounded loud and firm. Her eyes flew open and she gasped.
“Shit, Aaron. You scared the hell out of me.” She looked pissed.
Good, this will make this conversation a whole lot easier.
“I need you to pay attention to what I have to say.” Aaron knew Joy well enough to know that he would need to be harsh with her. With an exasperated sigh, she sat up and yanked the blankets around herself. She waited expectantly.
“My head wasn’t in the right place last night.”
“I guess this is where I’m supposed to tell you not to worry, and that it happens to everyone,” she snarked at him. Aaron had to suppress a smile.
Of course she thinks I’m talking about the sex, or lack thereof. That’s all we ever had together.
“It’s time we admit things aren’t working. I don’t want to do this anymore.” He sat up and waited for the fall out. To his surprise, she just eyed him with annoyance.
“You don’t want to do this anymore? Screw you, Aaron! You never tried. It’s time I find a real man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to take it.” She climbed out of bed and began to dress. Aaron had to admit, she had a point. He needed to get his head together, but he was sure he didn’t want her.
“I can’t believe I wasted so much time on you.” She had her costume back on now, and what had looked sexy as hell the night before seemed ridiculous and sad in the light of day. “I suppose it’s too much to ask for a ride. Gonna leave me hanging again like you did at the fish fry?�
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“We’re a little far out in the country for a cab.” He shrugged. Her face contorted, hostile and crazed. She hauled back to smack him and he easily snatched her wrist.
“Save it, Joy. Let’s go.”
When the waitress came to their table with the check, Avery and Shilah both put their hands on it at the same time.
“I invited you, remember?” Shilah murmured and Avery lifted her hand with a shrug. She felt better with food in her stomach, though she desperately needed to sleep. Shilah looked all bright-eyed and well rested.
“Do you have plans for the rest of the day?” He looked at her as he wiped his mouth on a napkin. Avery saw her checklist in her mind. It was all minor tasks that she could do in little or no time.
“Nothing crucial. Why?”
“Why don’t you be my tour guide and show me around the Point.”
“The Point? I can tell you’ve been here for a while now. Well, that should take approximately five minutes. What do you want to do with the rest of your day?”
“You’re pretty sassy when you’ve been up all night. Maybe I should just take you home and tuck you into bed.”
“That’s tempting. I am tired.”
“Have another cup of coffee. I want to go to the Riverboat museum.”
Avery thought about her first grade field trip there and took two long drinks of coffee.
“That sounds about as much fun as going to church. I suppose, if you haven’t lived here all your life, it might be interesting.”
“I’ve never been there and it does look interesting. Will you come?”
“Sure.”
When they entered the museum, a sign at the door informed them that the next tour began in ten minutes. Shilah immediately approached the wall of photographs from 100 years ago. Having seen it all before ad nauseam, Avery checked Facebook from her phone. Lauren had posted many unfortunate pictures from her phone the night before, and Avery got more concerned with each picture she scrolled through. The third picture in the album was of Paige and Hooker Boots. Lauren had typed a caption that said, “Look! Whores!”
The museum was silent and Avery covered her face with her shirt to keep from laughing. Shilah turned, and seeing her reaction, came to peek over her shoulder.
“Is that me? What am I doing? More importantly, what is Jack doing?” In the picture, Shilah was leaning over the table speaking to someone off camera. Jack appeared to be creeping up behind him and looked as if he was about to mount Shilah from behind. Meanwhile, Jules flipped the camera off in the background.
They scrolled to the following picture and both erupted in fits of laughter. The museum curator entered the room and fixed them with a stern look.
“Sorry, ma’am.” Shilah barely choked out the word between sidesplitting laughs. The woman turned and left the room.
“Oh no. We wouldn’t want to disturb the other three customers.” Avery laughed.
Once the tour started, they got an hour-long lecture about the early days of Jefferson Point, which was originally called Harper’s Landing. Avery’s great grandfather, Elijah Harper, a prominent Riverboat captain, was instrumental in establishing the town as a successful port. He owned a substantial amount of the surrounding land that had been passed down to his descendants. As they rounded the corner, Avery froze. Shilah, who’d been holding her hand, stopped and shot her a questioning look. A large portrait of her family hung in the center of the wall. They‘d posed for the picture her senior year in high school. Until that moment she’d forgotten about its existence, but seeing the image immediately reminded her of how hung over she and Ryan had been that day. They’d been with Aaron and Nic at the drinking shack the night before and they’d showed up late for the sitting. Even her mother’s painted image looked furious!
Avery looked at Shilah. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Can we go now?”
Shilah pulled her out of the closest exit. They walked a block, and as they approached Mitch and Jo’s business, Shilah gasped.
“Harper Microbrewery! I had no idea I was with a celebrity. You guys are everywhere.”
“Kiss my ass.”
“Oh, I plan to, princess.”
She bit her lip as he took her hand and pulled her into her brother’s business. Mitch looked up from a display case and smiled broadly when he saw Avery.
“Hey, sis.”
“Shilah, this is my brother, Mitch. Mitch, Shilah. He’s making me take him around to visit the fabulous sights of J.P.”
“Ah. Well, that should take five minutes.” Avery pointed to Mitch and looked at Shilah as if to say ‘I told you so.’ “You two want to try a couple new recipes?”
As they sat sipping beer and looking out at the overcast sky reflected in the Mississippi, Avery marveled at the comfortable silence that hung between them. Shilah was a lot of fun, and his spontaneity felt like it was good for her.
“I’m glad we did this,” she said, and took a long pull off a bottle of Red Headed Woman.
“Me too. Work and hotel. That’s my day in, day out life.”
“Why don’t we do it again sometime?” Surprised at herself for asking, Avery blushed. It was the first time she’d ever asked a guy out.
“Yeah. I would love to do it again with you.” They both laughed for so long that Mitch poked his head in the room.
“Should I cut you two off?” Mitch asked, and Shilah and Avery chuckled again.
Jack loaded the girls into the minivan and after much begging and bargaining, he allowed them to keep their bags of candy on their laps for the ride home. If they had 15 cavities apiece at the next dentist appointment, he’d have no one to blame but himself. His mind was still on Lauren and their blowout the night before, and he didn’t have the energy to fight with the two other little ladies in his life.
After he’d left with Jason, they’d gone to an all-night diner on the interstate and pigged out on hangover food. He worried Jason would pitch a fit about not going to a party when he brought up breakfast, but it seemed Jason was a lot more interested in hash browns than partying. Neither man was up for much conversation, so they had drowned their sorrows in cheese and bacon.
Lauren had been in bed all day, recovering from her colossal bender. The fact that she was too ill to take the girls trick or treating with him spoke volumes about how bad off she was.
As he and the girls entered the house from the garage, he saw Lauren standing by the kitchen island looking human again. Her color had returned, but her smile hadn’t. As she gushed over the girls’ bountiful catch, she avoided his eyes, which stung. She busied herself getting them through their bedtime routine, and he waited. He knew a long talk was coming, and wasn’t sure whether or not he should look forward to it.
As she closed the girls’ bedroom door, he braced himself. She looked at him with weary eyes, her lips pressed in a flat, humorless line.
“What really chaps my ass, Jack,” she began, as if they’d only had a minute’s interruption in their argument, “is that I am expected to watch women press their boobs against you, grab your ass, and practically hump your leg, with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. But I mention in a ladies’ room that a guy is attractive, and I’m a whore. I’m sure the only reason you even heard about it is because a couple of sluts wanted to try to take you home.”
Jack sat and gaped at her. He closed his mouth, opened it to reply, and then closed it again. He had no argument. He suspected she was correct on all points. She watched him process her words and seemed satisfied that, as usual, she was right.
“I’m sorry.” His response was automatic, but sincere.
“Of course you are, you always are.”
He cringed at her tone. This was not his loving wife talking. This was the other Lauren—the one who gets deeply depressed this time of year. Lauren had lost her mother on Halloween, many years before they met. She struggled every fall to keep it together, but no amount of cancer fundraisers or antidepressants could keep her anger and gr
ief completely at bay. Jack forced himself not to reply, knowing that nothing he could say could make things right. This was about so much more than their quarrel the previous night.
“I’m done talking about this,” she continued, when it became apparent he wasn’t going to respond. “Believe it or not, Jack, some people find me attractive, too.”
She spun on her heel and disappeared into their bedroom. He watched as she reappeared with a blanket and a pillow, and settled in on the couch in the family room.
“Baby, I know people think you’re beautiful. How could they not?” He crossed over to her and spoke in a loud whisper. His parents had fought in front of him all the time as a kid, so he was always careful to keep their fights away from the girls.
“So you just don’t trust me then? What is it, Jack? Guilty conscience?” She didn’t even turn to look at him as she hurled the accusation. He felt anger brewing in him and did his best to squelch it.
“Darlin’, I was buzzed and those guys pissed me off. The way everyone was looking at you in that costume . . . it really got to me.” After a full minute of silence, she rolled over and looked at him.
“Now you know how I feel every time we’re in public.” The anger was gone from her voice, and her eyes welled with unshed tears.
Jack dropped to his knees beside the couch. His greedy lips were on hers, and he hoped his love could somehow cure the cracked part of her he had never been able to reach. She matched the force of his kisses, and he sensed her desperate need for him. As a sob escaped her lips, she clung fervently to him. Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her to their room; in the only way he knew how, he was ready to reassure her he would never abandon her.
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