"Taryn." Mom sighs.
Ethan touches her hand, and she falls silent.
"Oh, by the way," Mom gets up and empties her cup into the sink. "I've just hired a new pool boy, the last one was terrible. He's out there now, so you might want to wait a bit before going out."
I sulk. "Mom! This is all I've been thinking about all week, relaxing by the pool. Who cares if he's out there? I'm not waiting." I yank open the patio door. "Have fun today." I sound as insincere as I feel. Damn, I'm pissy this morning.
I stomp across the patio and freeze. Standing there, wearing blue jean cutoffs, a tight white tank top and showing off his gorgeous bod while he vacuums the pool...is Manny.
◆◆◆
I cannot believe my mother has hired Manny Ortez, of all people, to clean our pool! I'm not exactly wearing my most modest bathing suit today either. This is one of my tanning bikinis, I never wear this in public because it's barely there, plus my scar shows, and I hide that whenever possible. Now here I am, with my tiny cleavage and my ass half hanging out and there he is...looking...well looking pretty damn good actually.
Our eyes meet across the pool, and he gives me a curt nod, then his gaze slides down my body slowly and back up again. Perv.
Ignoring him as best I can, I lay my towel over the chaise lounge and lie down, slipping on my shades. My eyes are closed against the sun, but I can still sense his presence. He starts whistling and comes closer.
"Looking good, Bishop."
I slide my shades down and peer at him. "Don't you have a job to do?" I snap. Haha! Tables are turned, I can bitch at him now, he works for me!
He smirks. "Yeah, and I'm doing it. Not everyone gets to lay around by the pool relaxing. Some of us have to work for a living."
I sit up, pulling the back of the lounger up so I can sit reclined. "I do work for a living; in case you've forgotten."
Manny snorts, turning off the vacuum and reaching for the net. "You work for a living? I was under the impression you worked for shopping trips at the mall."
Asshole.
My cell rings, saving me from any snarkier conversation with Manny. It's my dad. I finally smile for the first that morning.
"Dad, hi!" I glance at Manny, but he's already moved on, skimming for bugs.
"Hey, kiddo!" Dad's calming voice comes over the cell, and it's like a warm hug. I really miss him.
"So, what's up?" I get up and walk around the patio. I have this problem sitting still while I'm on the phone. I have to pace. "Where are you now? I thought you were in China!" Dad specializes in designing fancy hotels and resorts. His latest job took him to Shanghai for two months.
"Hmm, I was, but I just got back, and I'm missing my daughter!" Dad makes a sipping sound; he must be having coffee.
I smile, I can just picture him and Steve sitting at the breakfast bar in their townhouse, eating croissants with fresh fruit, espresso, and orange juice.
"I miss you too." I wander over to the hot tub, checking the temp. "When can I see you?"
"Well, how's this afternoon?"
"Today? Really?"
"Yep. Steve and I have something for you. An early graduation present. Will you be around, say oneish?"
"Um, yeah." I glance through the patio door at Mom and Ethan, who are cooing at each other over their toast. "I should probably let Mom know, though."
I can practically hear Dad rolling his eyes over the phone.
"Oh yes, by all means, let your mother know. We don't want to keep anything from her."
I giggle. Mom and Dad sort of get along, but there's always this underlying tension between them. Which is funny, because they've both moved on. I just don't think either of them has forgiven the other for cheating.
"Okay, I'll tell her. I can't wait to see you!"
"Can't wait to see you either, kiddo!" says Dad. "Love you!"
"Love you too." I hang up and wonder just what my present is. I hope it's a car!
◆◆◆
Mom is not happy when she finds out Dad is coming over.
"That's wonderful." She stomps around the kitchen in her short summer dress and gives me a sour look. "The one day Ethan and I can finally relax with no work obligations, and now I have to entertain your father...and Steve, I'm assuming."
I've changed into some whitewashed jeans and a light pink tank with a high front that covers my scar. Dad usually takes me out to lunch when he comes, so I want to be ready to go out.
"You don't even have to be here," I tell her. "I thought you and Ethan were going sailing."
Mom gives me her 'are you daft?' look. "I'm not having that man over here without being home."
I'm not sure if by 'that man' she means Dad or Steve.
Ethan walks over and hugs Mom from behind.
"Not a problem. We can take an evening sail instead."
I scowl at him slightly. Why is he always so damn agreeable? I don't think I've ever seen Ethan in a bad mood. It's kind of creepy actually.
Mom pouts and stands at the counter, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "Whatever. It doesn't matter." Which means it really does matter.
I hear a car pull up and run to the family room to look out the window.
"They're here!" Not waiting for Mom and Ethan, I run outside and see two cars. Dad's Subaru, which Steve is driving and an adorable white Toyota Yaris.
Dad and Steve jump out of their respective cars at the same time. Dad grabs me in a huge bear hug, and I bury my face into his chest and want to cry. My daddy. The one person who can always make everything feel alright.
Dad pulls back and lifts my face up, concerned.
"Hey, kiddo...what's up? Why the teary eyes?"
I manage a smile and can't explain it to him. I'm crying because I love him so much and because I never get to see him. And because I want to be a little girl again without all these big girl problems.
"Nothing, I'm just glad to see you." I sniffle, and Dad laughs, hugging me again.
"Well, you look beautiful, as always. Doesn't Taryn look gorgeous, Steven?" Dad turns to his partner, and Steve grabs me now, for a gentle hug of his own.
"Obviously!" Steve smiles down at me and steps back.
Dad and Steve aren't married yet, but they plan to be. They're a cute couple, both very handsome. My dad is the cuter of the two, in my opinion, with brown hair the same color as mine, and a neatly trimmed short beard. Steve doesn't have much hair on his head, and what he does have is greying, as is his own short beard. I love them both.
I nod at the Yaris. "Ummm, nice car."
Dad's blue eyes twinkle at me. "It is, isn't it? Happy early graduation, baby."
My mouth drops, and I look from Dad to Steve and then back again. "Are you serious? Is it really mine?"
Steve holds up the keys. "It's really yours."
I squeal and jump up and down and then grab first Dad, then Steve into a massive hug.
"I can't believe it! It's so cute!"
Dad laughs and then looks over my shoulder, his smile fading.
"Hello, Marissa, Ethan."
I turn to see that Mom and Ethan have come outside.
"Dad and Steve bought me a car!" I tell them, bouncing on my heels.
Mom crosses her arms, her eyes flashing at my father. "Seriously? My God, Martin!"
Dad frowns. "What's the problem? It's a grad gift."
"Graduation is in May, it's March." Mom's voice is even and hard.
"Yes." Dad looks at Steve, and the two of them exchange a smirk. "And I'll be in London in May, so I'm giving it to her now. No big conspiracy, Mar, just convenience."
Ethan strolls around the Yaris. "Nice! I hear these get great mileage too." Oh, Ethan, with his helpful cheerfulness.
Mom ignores him. "You should have asked me first."
"I don't have to ask permission to give my own daughter a gift." There's an edge to Dad's voice.
"Ethan and I were going to give her a car for graduation! A Jeep. And now you've undermined me yet again!" Mo
m is shouting now, and Steve rolls his eyes at me.
"Please don't fight!" I step between them and turn to Mom. "You guys can get me something else, it's no big deal. Please, Mom, chill out!"
Mom throws her hands up in defeat. "Whatever." Jesus, sometimes she's worse than me!
"And on that note," Steve claps his hands and looks at Dad. "We wanted to take Taryn out for lunch, if that's alright with you, Marissa?"
Mom snorts. "Oh, that you ask me about! Yes, fine, whatever. I mean, you don't need my permission or anything!" She gives me a tight smile. "It's a nice car, Taryn. Enjoy it. Just drive carefully."
"Thanks, Mom." I kiss her proffered cheek, and she turns and motions for Ethan to follow her into the house.
Dad shakes his head then looks at me, the bright smile back on his face. "So, lunch. What is your desire, my princess?"
I grin. "Chinese, Dad. Lots and lots of Chinese."
"Mmm, yum!" Steve says.
"Chinese it is," says Dad. He motions to my new car. "You drive."
◆◆◆
Dad won't let me drive over 20 miles per hour to the restaurant. It's beyond embarrassing, but we finally make it to the Bearded Dragon after twenty-five minutes of honking and middle fingers.
Over soup, hot tea, and crab rangoon appetizers, I bring Dad and Steve up to speed on school and sports. And my social life.
"So how is Mr. Tight Pants?" Steve asks. "What was your boyfriends name?"
I burst out laughing. "Well, it's not Mr. Tight Pants! His name is Patrick, and he's fine."
Dad looks at me, his brow furrowed. "Is it just me, or do you not seem as ga-ga over Patrick as you were the last time I saw you?"
I pour myself some more tea and fiddle with the napkin across my lap. "I don't know. He's just...I'm just not that into him anymore, you know?"
"Oh dear." Steve sips his soup. "What seems to be the problem?"
"He's irritating as hell!" I pause as our entree's come and wait for the waitress to leave before going on. "I mean, every single thing the boy does, I just want to scream. He's so immature!"
Dad nods and reaches for the Duck Sauce. "That's a boy for you. I have to tell you, Tar, males, don't reach maturity until at least thirty."
"And sometimes not even then!" Steve adds.
"Surely, there must be someone else you like?" Dad takes a pair of chopsticks out. No forks for him and Steve, they're pros after their time in China.
"Umm, well, there is one guy." I munch on some broccoli, my mind on Ryan.
"Ohhh," Steve raises his eyebrows. "Well, tell us everything!"
"It doesn't matter, though." I wave my hand in the air. "He's already going out with my best friend. So it's hands-off."
"Bummer." Dad expertly picks up a shrimp with his chopsticks and pops it into his mouth.
"Oh, the good ones are always taken, right, Marty?" Steve sighs. "Or gay!" He cracks up loudly, and several diners give us annoyed glances.
"Shut up, Steven," Dad gives his partner a loving glance then turns back to me. "Have you ever considered not having a boyfriend for a while, Tar? You know, just take some time for yourself. You have such a busy schedule anyway. I don't know how you do it."
"But Prom is right around the corner!" I tell him. "I have to go to Prom, Dad. Seriously."
Dad gives me a gentle smile. "Sure, I know you do. But you could always go stag, right? Or with a group of your friends who don't have dates."
"We used to do that!" says Steve. "It was a blast, just a bunch of single girls and me. Great memories!"
"Oh, my God!" I laugh and shake my head. "I don't have any friends who wouldn't have dates, Dad. See, that's the problem. Everyone in my group is hooked up with someone else. Well, except for Jason, but he's Kim's ex and one of the untouchables. There is no one to date except Patrick. "
Dad and Steve are looking at me like I'm speaking gibberish. They exchange glances.
"Honey, I'm worried about you!" Steve refills my teacup. "It sounds like hanging with these kids means you're not allowed to do what you want, to make your own decisions. That's not right, Taryn."
Dad nods. "Exactly. Don't let some teen queen try to order you around. Come on, you're better than that!"
I bite my lip, playing with my food. Dad and Steve can't possibly understand what it's like to be in my shoes. That being under Kim's control is exactly the price I have to pay to be popular, to be a somebody at my school.
"Can we just talk about something else?" I beg, looking up at the two of them finally.
"Of course." Dad looks back at Steve and winks. "We can talk about the cruise."
"Cruise?" I start dismantling my egg roll. I don't eat the gunky stinky insides; I just like the skin.
"Caribbean Queen, here we come!" Steve sing songs.
"Wait, I thought you were going to London?"
Dad nods at me. "Yes, but the cruise is this summer. In June. Eleven nights: Haiti, Aruba, Curacao, Grand Cayman. Sound good?"
I'm impressed. "Yeah, sounds awesome. You guys will have a blast."
"What about you?" Dad is giving me a little smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Would you have a blast?"
My mouth drops. "What? Dad!" I look at Steve and he nods. "Oh, my God! You just gave me a brand-new car and now you want to take me on a cruise?! Mom is going to freak!"
Dad's smile widens. "Oh, she's going to shit bricks," he agrees.
"Screw that," says Steve. "She's gonna shit an entire building!"
The three of us start laughing at Mom's expense and earn ourselves more pissed off stares.
"Why are you doing this, Dad?" I wipe the tears from my eyes. "It's too much, I don't deserve all this!"
"Like hell you don't," Dad says. "You work your ass off, Tar, don't think I haven't noticed, even if I'm not always around here to share in it. I'm happy to do all this for you. And Steve and I want to spend some time with you before you leave for college."
I tear up again, this time from gratitude. "Thanks, Daddy," I murmur.
"Don't mention it, kiddo." Dad squeezes my hand. "I love you."
"I love you too." I let Dad kiss the back of my hand, like the handsome prince in my childhood storybooks.
"Okay, enough mushy mush," Steve points his chops sticks at us. "Some of us are starving here, let's eat!"
Chapter Four
Shopping for prom is torture. Actually, I've left it pretty late, most of my friends had their dresses and shoes picked out months ago. So today after school, when Kim insisted we go prom dress shopping, I could hardly refuse.
Kim already has her dress, this awesome, sexy A-line gown in baby blue with spaghetti straps and a slit up the side. You would think our school wouldn't allow her to show so much skin, but they don't really pay much attention to be honest. Besides, it makes the year book pictures look so much nicer.
We go to Beverly's, which is this pretty cool dress shop downtown. The prices are high but if you're in my crowd you don't go just anywhere to get your prom dress. Everyone expects our dresses to be the best, so they are. No matter how much the "best" costs.
Kim flicks through the racks of dresses quickly. "You can't wear blue because I am. And you can't wear red, you'll look like a slut."
I stand nearby, my arms crossed and wait for her to pick out an appropriate gown. It would be kind of nice to make my own choice, but that's not going to happen.
At least the sales ladies leave us alone. They're all busy helping a nervous bride and her mother pick out a wedding dress. I watch them wistfully, daydreaming about getting married. I bet Mr. Hayes looks amazing in a tux!
Kim disrupts my imaginary romantic interlude and pulls out a gorgeous lavender gown. "Oh, this is nice!" She holds it up to my chin. "It has a high neck too so it will cover your scar."
It is a very nice dress, and I love the color. I reach for the tag and blanch.
"Holy shit! Kim, this dress is nearly eight hundred dollars!"
Kim makes a face. "Well, that sucks." She ha
ngs the dress back up. "Well I give up. It's impossible." She's in a weird mood today. Quieter and less bitchy than normal.
"What's the matter?" I ask.
Kim sighs. "Ryan, is quite possibly, the most boring lay ever." She fluffs her blond hair and pouts. "I mean, all this time, I've been waiting for him to be a man. And it's like, I lay there, and I want to die."
I snort out a giggle and one of the prissy sales ladies gives me a nasty look. "It can't be that bad!"
"Really?" Kim raises an eyebrow at me. "You've never done it before so you don't know how good it can be. Trust me, Ryan is a snooze in bed. And I feel like I've wasted the last however many months on him. It's time to move on." She halfheartedly goes back to searching through the dresses.
My interest is immediately piqued. "You're going to dump him, for real?"
"Well, yeah!" Kim rolls her eyes. "It's obvious this is a lost cause. And Jason and I have been, well, we've been spending a lot of time texting and stuff." She giggles. "He's my soul mate. I never should have broken up with him."
"Ryan is going to be devastated," I murmur. And he'll need a shoulder to cry on.
"He'll be fine. He's got his X-box." Suddenly Kim's face brightens. "Ah- hah! This is the one!" She pulls another dress out and holds it up. "This is fucking perfect!"
I have to admit, she's chosen well, yet again. The dress is beautiful; it's aqua and long and full with a tulle covered skirt and a high sheer neckline. It's fit for a princess.
"How much though?" I can't ask my mom to shovel out a shit load for this dress. She's been extremely pissy ever since Dad gave me the car.
Kim checks the price tag. "Not bad! Under $400."
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Alrighty then! Aqua Princess, I shall be!"
◆◆◆
Shopping makes me late to work and Manny is there, arms crossed, waiting to greet me.
"I'm sorry!" I rush past him into the back room and grab a hair net.
He follows me back and shuts the door. No, he slams the door.
I look at him, my eyes hesitant. I'm kind of regretting being snarky with him when he cleaned our pool. It seems its payback time.
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