Palmer: A 2nd Generation Marked Heart Novel

by M. Sembera

  “Hey, you wanna coke or somethin’?” I asked, taking off my gloves as I stood up.

  Daryl glanced at my mom behind the front counter and shook his head.

  “You sure?” I double checked before advising, “A little sugar helps if the needle’s gettin’ to ya.”

  Puffing out his chest, he replied, “I could use a little sugar from that hottie over there.”

  Who in the hell still says hottie?

  “You know that’s my mom, right?”

  It wasn’t like he was the first guy to come in and have aspirations toward my mom. She’s a beautiful woman. I’m pretty sure it’s the tattoos and bad attitude that they find attractive though. Usually, once I share who she is to me that’s enough to end whatever thoughts they’re thinking or at least put an end to their sharing. Not Daryl, though.

  “For real? Damn, you’re a lucky bastard.”

  For real? That’s nasty.

  He seemed to get excited, like he had an in now or something. “Is she seeing anyone?”

  “Yea, my dad.”

  I ran my hand down the front of my beard, trying not to laugh in the guy’s face as he slumped down in the chair and pouted, “I’ll just have a coke then.”

  Shaking my head, I walked over behind the counter and grabbed a coke from the mini-fridge underneath.

  Daryl moped through the rest of his outline and said he’d call to make an appointment for color and shading. I would have felt bad for the guy except for the fact that it’s just not cool for someone to want to hook up with your mom. I don’t care who it is.

  Leaning over the side of the counter, I waited for my mom to look up from the appointment book at me.

  “What’s the rest of the day look like?”

  “You have an hour and a half before your next appointment,” she snapped, clearly still mad that I was late.

  “What’s Aunt Penny got?”

  Poking her head up from the anklet she was working on, Aunt Penny replied, “I’m just about done here then I’m clear ‘til four.”

  Nodding, I started to share, “Joie’s bringing me my car and...”

  Before I could finish my sentence, mom turned and walked to the back office.

  Aunt Penny shrugged at me with a compassionate smile before focusing back on her work. I headed to the back, so mom could overreact to whatever was bugging her. She was by far the coolest mom a guy could ask for, but damn, the trade-off was harsh. Maybe it was all the hair dye. As far back as I can remember, mom dyed her hair a different color every year. I did dig the turquoise color she currently donned but all those chemicals can’t be good for a person’s brain is all I’m sayin’.

  Pushing open the door to the back office, I walked in, ready to take whatever verbal berating she was about to hand me.

  I wasn’t even fully in the room when she fussed, “What in the hell is the matter with you?”

  Turning the tables on her never worked, but then again, that never stopped me from trying.

  “You’re mad ‘cause I lent Joie my car? That’s pretty hardcore. She thinks of you like a second mom, ya know.”

  “Don’t be a smartass.”

  Flashing her a smile, I offered, “I’m tryin’ here but you’re not giving me much to work with.”

  “Palmer, you’re twenty-three years old.”

  “Yea?”

  Blowing out a loud breath, she flung her hands in the air. “When are you going to start being responsible for yourself? Any other boss would have fired you by now for being late all the time and you’d be right there with Joie looking for another job.”

  “I’m not always late,” I argued, knowing damn good and well my inability to be on time was habitual.

  Without acknowledging my response, she continued, “It’s obvious you don’t know how to set an alarm. Your room’s never clean. You don’t wash clothes or cook yourself dinner. I’m not even sure you know how to work the microwave.”

  With a slight scowl, I questioned, “That’s kinda inappropriate don’t ya think?”

  “What?”

  “I’m just sayin’ any other boss wouldn’t reprimand me for not doing my own laundry.”

  “Palmer.”

  “Mom.”

  Pointing towards the door, mom snapped, “Go sweep the front of the shop.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  Smiling from ear to ear, I turned and walked out of the office.

  Once the shop was swept and mom had calmed down, I stood next to the counter waiting for Joie while mom and Aunt Penny sat behind it.

  “Do we have anything for next Saturday?”

  Mom flipped through the appointment book then shook her head.

  “Can you keep the day clear? I was thinkin’ we could throw Joie a birthday party.”

  Aunt Penny’s face lit up. “Yes!” she cheered before nudging my mom, saying, “Can you believe she’s going to be twenty? These kids are making me feel so old.”

  “And I was thinkin’ we could all give her money as a present,” I added.

  Mom narrowed her eyes at me. “Is that what she wants for her birthday or what you decided for her?”

  “She probably doesn’t want anything at all but she needs a car.”

  “Palmer, you know you’re not in charge of her life, right?” mom reminded.

  Before I could respond, Aunt Penny shared, “What happened? The last time I talked to her she said she found the perfect car and had exactly enough.”

  Gritting my teeth, I was pissed off all over again. “Yea, she paid her dad’s past due mortgage payments instead.”

  Aunt Penny hopped out of her chair, turned to my mom and shouted, “See! What did I tell you?”

  Letting out a deep sigh, mom assured, “I swear, Penny, you’re gonna have to let that go.”

  “I wanted her. Seth and I both did but no, you and Braden said it was a bad idea.”

  I’d never heard about this before now.

  “You wanted her? Like to adopt her? Why didn’t y’all?”

  “Because apparently it’s rude to suggest someone’s going to be a bad parent and to ask for them to give you their baby.”

  Mom stood up, reiterating, “It’s not just rude, it’s crazy. Brooks and Josephine aren’t my favorite people either but Joie grew up just fine.”

  Rolling her eyes in a ‘whatever’ fashion, Aunt Penny sat back down and crossed her arms across her chest.

  The bell above the shop door rang as Joie walked in, ending the conversation we were having.

  “Any luck?” I asked, noticing how tired she appeared.

  “Maybe, every place I filled out an application said they’d call for an interview. Oh, and I have a few to fill out online, if I can use one of y’alls computer.”

  “Sure thing. You can use my laptop in the back office if you don’t mind hanging around the shop for a while,” mom offered.

  “Awesome, thanks!”

  Fumbling through a few papers she was holding, she yawned and headed to the back of the shop.

  Chapter Three

  After the last client of the day left, I headed to the back office to get Joie and give her a ride home. When I walked in, she was curled up in the chair sleeping. I paused, not wanting to disturb her. Over the years, I’d found her sleeping like that more times than I could count. Usually, when it was time for everyone to go home after we had a get-togethers at my house, we would have to look for her. She always reminded me of a kitten. If she was tired, she would find a secluded spot to curl up in and go to sleep. I even found her in the laundry basket once, of course she was only six years old at the time.

  I slowly backed out of the office and walked to the front of the shop.

  “Joie’s asleep back there. I can lock up if y’all wanna go ahead and go.”

  Aunt Penny nodded. “She looked exhausted earlier.”

  “Yea, I think I’ll let her sleep for another hour. I’ve got to finish drawing out that custom cuff anyways,”

  “Are you going ou
t tonight?” mom questioned.

  “Nah, I’ll be home after I drop Joie off.”

  “Let your dad or I know if you change your plans.”

  “Will do. See you at home. ‘Night, Aunt Penny,” I replied, walking over to my station.

  For forty-five minutes, I sat there staring at my half-finished sketch before giving up. I rubbed my eyes and scratched the sides of my beard. Stretching as I stood up, I decided I could work on it Monday. I flipped the main lights off and headed down the hall. Pushing the office door open, I took a moment to soak her in. She didn’t look like a kid anymore. Obviously, she hadn’t for a while. Why else would I be struggling to keep my hands to myself every time I was around her? This was different, though. Her expression wasn’t sweet or relaxed it was somber as she slept. I’m not sure if her sleep was peaceful but the fact that she didn’t appear relaxed made it easier to wake her.

  Reaching for her shoulder, I stopped my hand before I touched her. I woke her by nudging the back of the chair with my knee instead.

  “You gotta get up, shop’s closed.”

  With a slight groan, she buried her face in her arms and shook her head.

  “Yes, sleepy-head.”

  Without opening her eyes, Joie turned her head and stuck her bottom lip out at me.

  “I’m not carrying you.”

  “Please?”

  “You gonna make it worth my while?”

  Barely opening her eyes at me, she nodded.

  I could never resist picking her up, even before I wanted to get down with her. I’m not sure what is was about it that I liked so much, maybe because it was the only thing she ever let me do for her. And I liked the way her arms hung around my neck when I carried her; that always gave me a good feeling too.

  I grabbed her purse and swung it over my shoulder. Scooping her up in my arms, I carried her through the shop. When we made it out of the door, I moved one of my arms from around her and reached into my pocket to grab the keys. She shifted in my arms slightly but it was enough to make me lose my center of gravity as I locked the door.

  Bumping us both into the glass door, I teased, “Must be all them damn cookies.”

  “Gah, you’re an asshole,” she fussed and began squirming in my arms.

  “What? You ate like forty of ‘em.”

  I set her on her feet by the passenger door when we reached my car.

  She immediately snapped at me, “Are you calling me fat?”

  Ah, hell…

  “No, ma’am, just giving you a hard time.”

  “Do you think I’m too heavy?”

  “Not even a little bit,” I swore, now wondering why I always had to open my smartass mouth.

  “What if I was?”

  I get that she was maybe a smidge sensitive since she had put on a little weight since the summer. Like I or any man in his right mind gave a damn about that. Sexy ain’t a size. Beauty is beauty, ya know.

  “Okay, crazy, can Joie come back out to play?”

  Stomping her foot, she insisted, “Answer me.”

  Pretending to take the matter seriously, I asked, “How big are we talkin’ here?”

  “Five hundred.”

  “Pounds?”

  With a curt nod, she crossed her arms against her chest.

  “I’d start workin’ out so I could still carry you.”

  Even though I hated the idea of Joie being by herself at night, I was glad her dad wasn’t there when I walked her into her house to make sure she got in safely.

  Right inside the door, she turned to me. “Thanks for loaning me your car. Text me when you get home.”

  “Wait a minute, we had a deal and you said you were going to make it worth my while.”

  She rolled her eyes and laughed. “You want the usual?”

  Flashing her a wide smile, I assured, “You know I do.”

  “Grab a chair and bring it to the bathroom. I’m going to go change.”

  I watched her walk to her room before heading to the kitchen.

  Stacks of unpaid bills covered the kitchen table. I pulled a chair away, brought it to the bathroom and sat down. It would be better for her to get a place of her own. She was already paying her parents’ bills she could afford a little apartment. At this rate, she was never going to get ahead.

  Joie walked in with her hair pulled up in one of those messy buns and wearing an old t-shirt of mine with a pair of short pink shorts. Adjusting myself in the chair while she opened the cabinet and pulled out a pair of scissors and the clippers, I forced myself to think about her dad and the unpaid bills on her kitchen table.

  “Why in the hell are you still here?”

  She plugged the clippers in and gave me a blank stare.

  Realizing that I basically just shouted at her, I cleared my throat and started over. “You should move out and get your own place.”

  “So should you.” She laughed, walking to the other side of the bathroom.

  I knew better than to turn my head and watch her bend over to grab a sheet from the bottom of the linen closet.

  Her ass is so damn round. I need to touch it… I want to kiss it… Definitely bite it… No! Damn it. Brooks! Unpaid bills! Big hairy spiders! Okay, I’m good.

  “All I’m sayin’ is, why don’t you, ya know?”

  Shaking the sheet out in front of her, she replied, “Who would take care of my dad?”

  “I’m thinkin’ himself since he’s a grown-ass man.”

  Rolling her eyes, she swung the sheet over my chest and shoulders.

  “You’re one to talk.” Flipping the clippers on, she scoffed, “You don’t do anything for yourself.”

  I sat there stewing for the rest of my haircut then, ya damn right, I went straight home and cleaned my room.

  Chapter Four

  I was still pissed about Joie comparing me to her loser dad when my alarm went off at seven. Sure, it was unusually early for me to be up before noon on a Sunday morning but I had things to prove… I mean do.

  After getting a load of my laundry started in the washer, I figured breakfast was the next logical step. I’ve watched my mom cook thousands of times. Okay, not really watched but definitely sat in the kitchen, but that was beside the point. I dug around in the refrigerator until I found the bacon and a carton of eggs, knowing better than to try anything fancy on my first go of it.

  Poking at the bacon in the skillet with a fork, it seemed to be taking longer than necessary. I turned the burner up and decided to go check on my clothes. When I walked to the laundry room the washer was making a grinding noise. Numbers were flashing on the screen and it was shaking back and forth. That can’t be good. I started pressing buttons until the front load door unlocked. My clothes were soaking wet and falling out onto the floor when I opened it. I started trying to shove them back in when I smelled something burning.

  Shit!

  The kitchen and living room were full of smoke and grease was popping everywhere. I ran to the stove and turned the burner off. Hot grease stung my hands and arms as I grabbed the skillet off the stove and threw it in the sink. Covering my nose and mouth with the front of my shirt, I turned on the faucet but the water only caused more smoke and popping grease. I coughed into my shirt while the cold water slowly stopped the skillet from sizzling. That’s when the fire alarm decided to go off.

  The damn fire alarm was just out of reach. I grabbed a long wooden spoon from the drawer and started hitting it, trying to get it to stop or come down. The harder I tried the louder it seemed to get. I’m not gonna lie, the alarm going off just added insult to injury and it was pissing me off. Finally, with one good whack it flew off the wall. I turned to pick it up and my parents were standing right on the other side of the bar staring at me.

  “Don’t be mad,” I blurted as I pulled the battery out of the smoke alarm.

  My dad looked like he was about to laugh. Mom, on the other hand, had murder in her eyes.

  Setting the alarm on the counter, I started to defend mys
elf. “It’s not as bad as it looks. I was making breakfast and…”

  Breathing heavily through her nose, mom held up her hand and cut me off. “Just clean it up.”

  “Sorry.”

  “I’ll open some windows,” dad shared as mom shook her head and walked out of the room.

  With my stomach growling my defeat, I filled the other side of the sink with dish soap and water and grabbed a dishrag. Just as I began to clean up the grease splatter I heard mom hollering at me from the laundry room.

  “Palmer Hagan Caffrey! What did you do to my washer?”

  Sitting on the couch in Roe’s den, I waited for him to come downstairs. I also may have started a fight between my Aunt Penny and Uncle Seth. I was batting a thousand today.

  While helping Aunt Penny make a guest list for Joie’s party, the subject of inviting her dad came up. It’s not like I was psyched about the idea I just knew it would hurt Joie’s feelings if he wasn’t, ya know. My Uncle Seth didn’t have a mean bone in his body but it was obvious he held some serious ill-will toward Brooks. Long story short, back in the day Aunt Penny and Brooks were a thing before he cheated on her with my dad’s ex-girlfriend.

  “I think you’re making a big deal out of nothing,” she fussed at him.

  “How would you feel if I called up an ex and invite her,” he snapped back at her.

  Placing her hand on her hip, she spouted, “Well, if we were throwing a party for her kid, I would understand.”

  Visibly frustrated, Uncle Seth informed, “I don’t like it. He always looks at you like you’re the one that got away. I don’t like it and I don’t like him.”

  “Good lord, he’s been married to Josephine for eighteen years.”

  Uncle Seth insisted, “They’re not happy. They don’t even live together,” before Aunt Penny smiled at him, teasing, “Fine, pick an ex-girlfriend and I’ll invite her too.”

  His facial expression softened as he replied, “You’re not funny.”

  Pursing her lips into a smile, she pushed up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. He leaned down and kissed her just as Roe finally made it downstairs.