by Leddy Harper
“Wow. We just got really personal with that one.”
“Isn’t that part of getting to know each other?” He was so easy to talk to when I wasn’t begging him to sleep with me. “Tell me one thing you’ve never told anyone else.”
I had to think about that for a moment, though not because I was an open book, but because I had so many things to choose from. Plus, I didn’t want to scare him off after realizing my feelings for him had wandered past the land of strictly physical.
“I’ve always wanted to go skinny dipping, but I never have.” That was an easy one, and technically, something I’d never told anyone.
“We just might have to rectify that. I know of a pool we could use.”
“Yeah, except I’d rather not chance having someone catch me.”
“The thrill is half the fun.” His smile hung in his words.
I finished rinsing off the shaving cream from my leg. “Sounds like you have experience.”
“Babe, if you or I didn’t use that pool, no one would. Trust me…it’ll be fine.” A knock sounded through the line, and then there were muffled voices, though I couldn’t make out the words. When it went quiet again, he came back on and said, “Dad’s ready to go. I’ll give you a call later. Stay inside—too many crazies on the road.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” Yet another reminder of how incredibly boring my life was.
Although, that might have been half of Ash’s appeal. He offered me a reprieve from the monotony, and for the first time since I was in high school, I was able to laugh as if I didn’t have a care in the world. There was definitely something magical about him, something I hadn’t found with anyone else, and I started to wonder if I ever would.
It had to be his age, which if I were honest, still bothered me at times. But for the most part, I’d been able to forget and just give in, be carefree, and enjoy myself. In fact, it had been so long since I’d last felt this way, it was almost like it’d happened in a past life—technically, it was, considering it was prior to being a mom and primary caretaker of another person.
“Mom,” Emma called out half a second before she stormed into the bathroom. Thank God I wasn’t still on the phone with Ash. At some point, she needed to learn to knock; she wasn’t a toddler anymore. “Did you know there’s a Fourth of July block party going on at the pool tonight?”
I released the drain and reached for my towel, suddenly feeling modest in front of my daughter who’d spent the last sixteen years barging in on me while I used the bathroom. “No, I didn’t. But aren’t you going out with your friends tonight?”
“Oh, that’s not until way later. Thomas is picking me up at nine, and we’re meeting Tori and everyone else at the bridge for Red White and Boom by nine thirty. They do the finale at ten. I didn’t know if maybe you’d want to go down the street for a little bit before I left.”
“First of all”—I wrapped the towel around my midsection and wiped my feet on the bath mat—“why would you go to the bridge so late? I would imagine you’d want to see the entire show. And don’t they have other things going on down there beforehand? Like carnival stuff?”
She rolled her eyes and huffed, as if she’d answered this same question a dozen times already, even though I’d never asked—this was the first time I’d even heard that she was heading down there so late.
“It’s mostly beer vendors, which I’m not interested in, and the other stuff is geared more toward little kids…probably to entertain the young ones while their parents booze it up. We’re only going to see the grand finale and then heading over to Brookstone for pizza. It’s downtown anyway, so we’ll be right there.”
“You know, I’m not sure how comfortable I am with you being out on the road after hearing about all the drunks that’ll be down there.”
Emma followed me into my room, hot on my heels as if I wasn’t in a towel or had just stepped out of the tub. I clearly hadn’t set enough boundaries when she was younger. Maybe if I’d taken her to more places with carnival games for her to play while I got drunk then she wouldn’t want to plop on my bed while I got dressed.
Yeah…probably not.
“We’ll be fine. We’re going to park at Brooks and walk over. That way, by the time we leave, all the drunks will have cleared out. See? You have nothing to worry about. Now, back to the party in the neighborhood. You want to go for an hour with me?”
The idea that this neighborhood would have something like that baffled me. I mean, everyone in this subdivision aside from us, Ash, and his dad were all senior citizens. Then again, maybe that was why it was so early—so they wouldn’t have to stay up much past their bedtimes.
“How much fun can we have with a bunch of old people? But if you want to go, I’ll join you.” Truth be told, I was just excited my daughter actually wanted to do something with me, even if it was one notch above playing Bingo in the clubhouse.
“Most of the people on the other side are younger. Well, older than you, but definitely not grannies.”
“How do you know that?” I questioned her while slipping on a pair of jean shorts beneath my towel. “You’ve been here for all of two weekends, and even then, you haven’t really been here. When did you get out and meet the neighbors?”
“Tori’s ex used to live on the backside.” Apparently, that meant she knew everyone and everything—just like every teen I’d ever come across.
However, I didn’t argue. There was no point, especially since she technically had more information than I did. Instead, I slipped into my closet to finish changing in what little privacy she offered.
Twenty minutes later, Emma and I walked side by side into the pool area, and I had to admit, I was rather surprised at how many people gathered around the tables on the deck. And even more surprised that it wasn’t a sea of white hair and walkers.
God, I was going to hell.
“I’m going to find a cooler and pray they have a diet soda. Do you want anything?” Hopefully, the offer to grab me a drink meant she planned to come back instead of leaving me alone in a crowd of people I’d never met before.
There was a good chance this was her way of forcing me to make friends.
I secretly plotted her punishment if that ended up being the case and said, “Sure. I’ll take whatever they have. You know what I like.” I grabbed her elbow before she could trot off. “And you know how much I don’t like you drinking diet soda.”
“Yeah, almost as much as you hate me drinking the real stuff.” She tossed a condescending smile my way and walked off. She thought she was funny…I doubted she’d still feel that way when I snatched the soda from her hand when she returned.
“Hey, it’s about time you showed up,” an unfamiliar voice said from behind me.
When I whipped around, not expecting to know anyone in attendance, I was shocked to find Ash’s dad with a wide grin that reminded me too much of his son to make me comfortable. “Oh, hi. Yeah, my daughter just told me about it. I didn’t know anything was going on. I had planned to just stay at the house until she mentioned it.”
“Well, I’m glad you came.” He took a paper plate off the table next to him and held it out. “Are you hungry? We have hot dogs and hamburgers, and there should still be plenty of coleslaw and macaroni salad left. Here, let me grab you some.”
I stopped him before he could take two steps. “Thank you, but I’ve already eaten.”
It was obvious he wasn’t sure what to do other than nod and set the plate back down. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m used to everyone around here being familiar with the event. Most come on empty stomachs,” he said with a laugh. “Krista, right?”
I shrugged since that might as well have been my name with the number of people who got it wrong. “Uh, Kristy. And as embarrassing as it is, I can’t remember yours. God, that sounds so horrible, doesn’t it?”
“No, not at all.” He held out a plastic chair for me to join him at the table. “It’s Will. We only met once, and you had just
gotten home from work, so I don’t blame you at all. I have to make up a game to remember names.”
I quickly glanced around, wondering where Ash was since he’d told me he would be out with his father tonight, and if he was here, then Ash had to be as well. Unfortunately, there were too many people in the way, and if I spent much longer seeking him out, Will would probably get the wrong impression.
Instead, I took the seat and waited for him to settle into his across from me. “A game? Like what?”
A smile spread across his lips, brightening his blue eyes. It was amazing how in one second, he could remind me so much of Ash, and then in the next, I wouldn’t have even guessed they were related, let alone father and son.
Before he could explain this name game he used, Emma slid up next to the table and set down a bottle of water in front of me. “They wouldn’t let me get a wine cooler for you. Apparently, they thought I was trying to get it for myself.”
I didn’t miss the diet cola in her hand, and she didn’t miss the way I took it and replaced it with the water. Although, she didn’t seem to appreciate the smile I offered—likely identical to the one she gave me a few minutes earlier.
“Is this your daughter?” Will asked, seemingly very interested, unlike most guys I met.
“Yes, this is Emma. Emma, this is Mr. Jenkins, he lives next door to us.”
“Oh, please…she can call me Will. I get enough formalities at work.” His demeanor surprised me, not at all the hard ass I’d expected after seeing him in suits and polished shoes. Even the way he carried himself with such a rigid posture had led me to believe he wasn’t as easy-going as he seemed to be tonight.
Maybe he’d had a few drinks to loosen him up.
“You guys just moved here, right? Relocation from a different area, or did you already live in town?” He was very inviting and left me comfortable talking to him, yet it still felt odd considering his son had told me in very colorful words exactly what he wanted to do to my naked body.
It made it difficult to maintain eye contact with the man. “Oh, we literally kept the same zip code.” I laughed and prayed it didn’t come across as awkward or off-putting. “I finally got tired of renting and decided to buy. Nothing like waiting until my only child is almost off to college before getting a mortgage for the first time.”
“You don’t look old enough to have a daughter on her way to college.”
“Well, not yet.” I ignored Emma’s huff and continued my conversation with Will. “She just turned sixteen, but thank you. I wasn’t old enough when I had her, so that’s probably why you say that.”
“There’s no such thing as being old enough to have kids. I was twenty-six when my son was born, and trust me, I was not at all prepared.” There was a chance he had told me that to make me feel better, but after what Ash had said about him, I leaned more toward taking his word as truth. “You might actually know him, Emma. What school do you go to?”
“Uh, Lindfield High.”
“Oh, that’s where he goes.” Will had caught my complete attention.
I wasn’t aware Will had any other children, and I couldn’t believe Ash had never told me he had a brother—or maybe they weren’t close. If he was in high school, then there was probably a decent age gap between them, and it made me wonder if this other child had been the cause of his parents’ divorce.
However, it was what Will said next that knocked the wind out of me. “His name is Asher Jenkins.”
It felt like someone had come along and plucked Earth out of the solar system, shook it up like a magic eight ball, and then tossed it aside. If that truly had happened, then there was a chance the fortune read: You have the right to remain silent; anything you say or do can be held against in a court of law.
“Yeah, I know Ash. Mom, he’s friends with Thomas.” Emma suddenly seemed enthusiastic—meanwhile, I was about to hurl all over Will’s outrageously expensive shoes. “He lives here? Wait…Ash lives next door?”
I nodded, unable to speak. But thankfully, it didn’t seem like Will was aware of anything that had happened between his teenage son and me, because he had no problem whatsoever carrying on with the conversation. “I’m surprised you haven’t seen him around. You moved in about a month ago, right?”
“Oh, I only stay with my mom on the weekends during summer vacation. Maybe that’s why I didn’t know he lived that close. Wow, that’s pretty cool. Thomas will be excited to hear that when I tell him later. Is he here? Have you met him yet, Mom?”
Paranoia nearly caused my heart to shrivel up and die. I couldn’t stop panicking that everyone knew; that was the only reason I could come up with as to why Emma had asked so many questions. “Um, yeah…I mean, I’ve seen him outside. I didn’t know he was your age or anything. Or in high school. In fact, I haven’t even spoken to him. Ever. I’ve just seen him a few times on my way home from work.”
“Really?” Will cocked his head. “He told me he helped you move in.”
Fuck.
My.
Life.
“Oh, that’s right. I dropped a box while getting it out of my car. He came over and helped me pick up the mess. They were mostly picture frames.” Of Emma. Such as the one I’d specifically pointed out and had said, “That’s my daughter, Emma,” right before he neglected to tell me they went to the same school—because he was a minor.
“And yes, Emma. He’s around here somewhere. Last I knew he was grilling up more hot dogs, but he’s probably done by now.” Adoration brightened his eyes as he spoke of his son.
If I weren’t so sick to my stomach or violently angry over what Ash had done, then I might’ve appreciated the sight. But alas…that wasn’t happening. It was all I could do to keep dinner from spilling out all over myself.
Emma didn’t waste time slipping away, probably looking for her friend in the crowd.
Will turned to me with a smile that almost calmed my nerves—only because it was the same smile that had graced my dreams nearly every night. Except the one I saw behind closed eyelids was a much younger version. “Would you like one of those wine coolers, Kristy? I can get it for you.”
“Yes, please. That sounds fantastic.” Not really, but if it got him to leave so I could sneak away, then I would unapologetically ask for a case.
I waited six and a half seconds after he walked off to slip away from the table, keeping my eyes on him just in case he was one of those who glanced backward to make sure women didn’t run off when he had his back turned. Although, from the looks of him, I doubted he had that problem. In fact, I’d be willing to bet this was the first time it had ever happened, and unbeknownst to Will, it had to do with his son, not him.
It seemed I was quickly securing my place in hell.
I took off down the street, going as fast as my feet would carry me. And once I made it to my house, on my way up to the front door, I breathed a sigh of relief. That was, until Ash came up from behind like a ninja in the night.
“What are you doing, Ash?” I held up one arm—using it to block him or guard myself, I wasn’t sure which. Anger flooded my veins, betrayal burned my skin, but the second I met his remorseful gaze, I almost caved.
Almost. The only reason I didn’t was because it was hard to forget how he’d lied to me over the last month. How he had deceived me, endangered my livelihood and reputation for… Well, I wasn’t sure why he did it, only that he had, and it was unforgivable.
“Will you please listen to me, Kristy?”
“There’s no point. I can’t trust a single word you say.”
He glanced around, I assumed to ensure we were alone, and then stepped closer to where I stood with the key in the deadbolt. Without a word, he held my stare, covered my hand to disengage the lock, and opened the door.
“Y-you can’t be here.” I might as well have been speaking a foreign language, because he ignored me and did the complete opposite of what I’d said. It wasn’t until we were both inside my house with the door closed behind him that I r
ealized just how far this had gone. “I’m not playing around, Asher. I need you to leave. Do you have any idea how much trouble I could get in if anyone finds out you’re here…alone with me?”
“Think about it. How many times have we been alone together over the past month? And how many of those times did anyone see us? How many people said something when I took you to dinner on Friday? Or hung out with you in your back yard, or when you spent time in my garage? None. No one saw or said anything.”
I scoffed and moved into the center of my living room. With my head in my hands, my fingers tugging on my hair, I desperately fought to control my breathing before I passed out. “You can’t possibly be that stupid. Just because no one’s said anything doesn’t mean they haven’t mentioned it to other people. And if by some small miracle we had managed to go unseen this whole time, that doesn’t guarantee tonight won’t be the night that all changes.”
“Just hear me out, and then I’ll leave. I swear.”
His dominance made me want to give him what he asked for, even though I knew I shouldn’t. It was difficult to do the right thing when he was around—his hypnotic tone, masculine scent, and all-consuming aura left my mind spinning and my moral compass shattered.
I glanced at the clock on the wall above the TV. “Fine. You have three minutes. But you better hurry, because once your time’s up, you’re gone.”
He dropped his chin and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“I never meant to lie to you, Kristy.” When he lifted his gaze, I could’ve drowned in the sea of despair that shone back at me. And if that hadn’t been enough, the agony in his voice when he spoke might as well have been shrapnel, ready to slice my heart into a million pieces. “You assumed I was older, and I didn’t correct you. It was never meant to be malicious.”
“Then why? Why didn’t you correct me that very first day we met? What about the following weekend when we were at the pool together? My God, Ash…you told me you were twenty-two.”
“No. I never lied. I just didn’t correct you, and I continued to let you believe I was older, but I swear, no matter what we talked about, I never outright lied. That day in the pool, I asked you how old you thought I was. You’re the one who said twenty-two.”