by M. A. Foster
“Jules, look at me.”
She shakes her head. “Don’t, Cameron.”
“Don’t what? I don’t understand what just happened. Why are you upset with me?”
“I’m not upset with you. I’m just….”
“Do you really think I treat you like a side piece?”
She scoffs. “No.”
“Then tell me what’s going on. Have your feelings changed? Because the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
We’ve been down this road before, and we were lucky to come out of it as friends. I’m an asshole for thinking we could have a physical relationship with no strings.
She plops down on the edge of the bed and looks at me over her shoulder. “My feelings haven’t changed, but I want more.”
“Meaning…?” I hedge.
“I want more than sex with an ex. I want love.” Standing from the bed, she turns to face me and extends her arms out to the side. “I want the butterflies.”
I can’t help but chuckle. She’s cute when she’s flustered. “Come here, crazy girl.” I hold out my arms, and she crawls across the mattress and settles in my lap. “You’re not just sex with an ex. You’re my best friend and I care about you. You deserve to have everything you want.” I press a kiss to her temple. “Even the butterflies.”
“Thank you.”
“Just not with a married man,” I add.
“Or one who’s in love with another woman,” she finishes.
Yeah. That, too.
“Hey, old man,” I call out as I make my way toward the man partly responsible for my successful career.
“I got your old man hanging.” He pretends to grab his junk and I bark out a laugh.
Coach Abbott is the head coach of the baseball team at University of Heritage where Liam and I attended college. He and I meet up every so often for either lunch, dinner or drinks, depending on our schedules.
Grabbing the door, I gesture for him to go first. Mac’s is owned by the oldest Mackenzie sibling, Max, and a popular hangout for the high school and college kids, but it’s family friendly, the food is good, and the beer is cold.
Dylan Mackenzie, the oldest of Max’s three sons, looks up from behind the hostess stand and tips his chin.
“’Sup, Coach.” He smiles as he comes from behind the counter and gives Coach a handshake with a slap on the back. “Congrats on the championship.”
“Thanks, man.” Coach smiles. “I’ve been keeping my eye on your little brother Aiden.”
“Yeah, you and every other college scout. That kid is a savage on the mound.”
Aiden, the youngest of the three, is already making a name for himself on the Heritage Bay Academy junior varsity baseball team.
Dylan turns his attention to me. “’Sup, Cam.” He holds out his fist and bumps it against mine. “Wanna sit in the bar?” he asks and I nod. He reaches over the counter, grabbing two menus before leading us to an empty booth in the bar.
“Whatcha been up to, Dylan?” Coach asks as Dylan places the menus on the table.
He played ball all through high school into his sophomore year of college before he quit, choosing the family business and dabbling in music instead.
“Same ol’ shit.” He waves his hand. “Working my ass off managing this place.”
“He plays, too,” I add. “You should come out and see him and his buddy Alex play live.”
Coach raises his brows. “I’d love to. When do you guys play?”
“Mostly Thursday through Sunday. Unless it’s a holiday weekend or special occasion.”
“I’ll stop by. Maybe I’ll bring my girlfriend for date night.” He smirks.
“Sounds good,” Dylan says with a chuckle just as our server arrives at the table. “I gotta get back to work. Take care, Coach.”
We say our goodbyes to Dylan and place our drink orders.
“Girlfriend?” I tease as I scan the menu.
“What? You don’t think I have enough swagger for a girlfriend?”
I shake my head, chuckling at his use of the word swagger. He’s been hanging out with college kids too long; he’s even talking like them now.
Coach is a decent-looking dude, probably in his late forties, in excellent shape and an all-around great guy.
Our server returns to the table with our beers, takes our food order, and then scurries off to the kitchen.
“What about you? Whatever happened with that pretty blonde? What’s her name?”
“Jules. We’re still friends.” I still care deeply for Jules, and she’ll always be one of my best friends, but I can’t selfishly hold her back from everything she wants out of life. I’m just not the guy to give her those things.
His brows pinch in confusion. “Friends? I thought you were—”
“Not anymore,” I tell him and leave it at that.
He eyes me for a moment but doesn’t push, and we spend the rest of our lunch talking baseball.
After our table is cleared and the tab is paid, he leans with his back against the booth and exhales a heavy sigh. “Your boy called me the other day.” He’s referring to Liam. “Wants to meet up when he’s in town next month.”
“Of course he does. You’re like a father to him.” I snicker.
He shakes his head. “It’s been four years. Why won’t he let her go?”
I shrug. “He’s stubborn. You know that. And he loves her.”
“I already told him I’m not getting in the middle of it. She’s my daughter and my only child.”
“You told him to let her go.”
He tilts his head and bugs his eyes out at me. “And what did he do instead?”
I chuckle. “Come on, Coach. Are you really gonna stand in the way of true love?”
“He broke her heart, Cam.” He sighs as he looks away. “You have no idea what it’s like as a father to see my little girl so broken. I raised her to be tough, and on the outside she is. But on the inside she’s tender-hearted.”
“He didn’t mean for things to go down like they did. He was in pain and he lost his temper. Sometimes his mouth gets ahead of him.”
“Sometimes?” He scoffs. “He’s not going to like what I have to say. She’s moved on. She’ll probably be engaged by the end of the year.”
The smile on my face falls as I straighten in my seat. “Really?” Liam will lose his shit.
Coach exhales through his nose. “Jake,” he singsongs. “They’ve been together for over a year now. He’s a little prick if you ask me, but he makes my daughter happy.” He runs a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “Listen.” He slides out of the booth and I follow suit. “You know I love you boys as if you were my own sons, but Vanessa is my number one. She doesn’t want him in her life, and I have to respect her decision. If she changes her mind, I’ll respect that decision, too.”
I nod in understanding as we make our way to the exit. “He’s not gonna give up, you know.”
He clasps my shoulder and winks. “I’m counting on it.”
Emerson
Cam: You awake?
Me: Yes.
A second later my phone rings. “How’d you know?” I ask by way of answering.
“Because you’re in the last place you want to be.”
I sigh into the phone. “You’re right about that.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t made it over yet. I’ve been a little busy, and I wanted to give you some time to get settled.”
“It’s fine. We’ve been going nonstop since we got here. Jay starts school tomorrow.”
“Aaaah!” A loud scream echoes in the distance.
“What was that?” Cam asks.
“You heard that?” I climb out of bed and rush to the french doors overlooking the pool deck, but I don’t see anything.
“Do you need me to come over?”
“No, Bass is here.” Suddenly the entire back of the house lights up, followed by someone yelling. I recognize Bass’s voice. “I’ll call you back.” Tossing my phone on the
bed, I grab my robe and rush toward the commotion coming from the kitchen.
A shiver races down my spine and I stop dead in my tracks when I see Jay come barreling through the service door that leads to the backyard. She’s a disheveled mess. Most of her hair has fallen from her hair tie, her neck is scratched, her shirt is ripped, and there’s blood in the corner of her mouth. My immediate thought is that she’s been attacked.
“What happened?” Grabbing her by the shoulders, I look her over.
If it weren’t for Bass’s guffaws in the background, I’d be freaking the fuck out right now. I wrap my arms around her, hugging her to me in order to calm my racing heart.
“She’s okay,” Bass chokes out through a laugh as he stumbles through the back door holding his side. He leans against the island in the kitchen. “She….” Laugh. “A bug….” Laugh.
She pulls from my grasp. “It’s not funny, B,” she snaps, pursing her lips. I notice the bottom one is swollen.
“I’m sorry, Princess, but that shit was so damn funny.” He laughs again, wiping his eyes. “Em, I don’t even think her feet touched ground.”
She returns her attention to me. “I was attacked by a flying roach,” she informs me in a high-pitched tone. A clear indication that she’s on the verge of becoming hysterical. She full-body shudders. “It crawled on my face and then fell down my shirt.” She shudders again, jerking her body like she’s doing some kind of funky chicken dance.
I roll my lips inward between my teeth in order to keep from bursting out laughing. “It looks like it.”
She narrows her eyes, daring me to laugh. I can’t help it. The dam bursts and a loud laugh rips from my throat as I lean against Bass, prompting his laughter to continue.
“I’m glad you all find my traumatic experience hilarious.” She raises an eyebrow and looks over at Bass. “We’ll see how it goes, huh?” She gestures to the two new security guys I hired who are standing near the back door, trying their hardest to stifle their own laughter. “It looks like you’ve already made that decision.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, spins on her heels and stomps toward the stairs. “I’m going to take another shower,” she calls out in the distance. “You’re all fired,” she adds, which prompts us all to burst into another round of laughter. “Except Grace,” she continues. “She feeds me.”
And I’m done.
I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard.
Once Bass and I get ourselves under control, I say, “She wasn’t supposed to see them until we talked to her.” I gesture to our new security guys, Levi and Troy.
Bass shrugs. “They were doing their jobs.”
Levi, the younger of the two, says, “Well this job just became interesting.”
He has no idea.
Jay prances into the kitchen wearing the required school uniform, which is a basic navy and green plaid skirt, white oxford, a tapered navy blue blazer, navy knee socks and a pair of navy Tori Burch flats that we picked up at a boutique over in Pelican Cove on Saturday.
“Look at my girl, Grace,” I say, peering over the rim of my coffee mug. “Doesn’t she look adorable in her uniform?”
Grace turns away from the stove to take in Jay’s attire and Jay does a little twirl. “Good morning, Grace.”
“Hermosa.” She smiles affectionately as Jay kisses her on the cheek, then pulls a mug from the cabinet to pour herself a cup of coffee. “Are you ready for your first day of school?”
“I’m nervous about school, but I’m really excited to see the new Project Mayhem building,” she admits as she turns and leans with her back against the counter, gripping her mug with both hands.
“It’s called the performing arts building,” I inform her.
“All About That Bass” starts playing over the sound system, and Bass dances his way into the kitchen. I laugh at my best friend’s antics despite the sudden wave of sadness forming in my chest. Morning dance parties were the norm for our little family of five before Marcus was too weak to even stand, let alone dance.
“B, can you believe our girl is going off to school?” I ask as he makes his way over to the coffeemaker.
“Good morning, Princess.” He kisses the top of her head and reaches for a coffee mug.
Jay rolls her eyes as she moves over to the island. “You guys act like this is my first day of kindergarten or something.”
“No, but it’s still a big deal. For you and for me,” I tell her.
“And me,” Bass adds, turning to lean against the counter. Today is just as hard on him as it is on me. It’s the end of an era for Bass and his princess.
“Me, too,” Grace chimes in as she sets our breakfast platters in the middle of the island.
“It’s going to feel weird not having you around for seven hours a day,” I add, and a thought occurs to me. What am I going to do for seven hours? “I’m gonna miss my little girl.” I push out my bottom lip. It’s true. Some experts say parents shouldn’t be friends with their kids, but that’s not how we roll in this family. Jay and I don’t have a conventional parent-child relationship. She’s one of my best friends.
“Are the skirts supposed to be that short?” Bass asks, eyeing her skirt over his mug.
Jay rolls her eyes, stuffing half a pancake in her mouth as she moves over to the barstool.
“That’s the uniform, B. She’s just got long legs.”
“Besides, I’m wearing these.” Jay hops off the barstool and lifts her skirt.
“Jayla!” I laugh as Bass sputters and covers his eyes.
“Chill, B. These things cover more than my bikini bottoms, and probably my running shorts. These are what the cheerleaders wear under their skirts.”
Bass shakes his head and looks down at his watch. “We need to get going, Princess. You’re supposed to meet Principal Avery at seven thirty.”
She looks down at her watch. “Crap. I’ll meet you in the car.” Stuffing one last pancake into her mouth, she snags a strip of bacon from her plate and darts out of the kitchen toward the stairs.
I turn my attention to Bass. He raises his brows, silently asking me what I’m thinking. “I feel like I’m throwing her to the wolves,” I admit.
He chuckles. “Even if that were true, by the end of the day, she’ll have those wolves on their backs begging for a goddamn treat.”
I snort a laugh. “True. We need to see about getting Jay a car. She’s not gonna be okay with you driving her everywhere.”
Bass scoffs, pretending to be offended. “Why not?”
“Because as of today, she’s got her wings. It’s only a matter of time before she’s ready to fly.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Not really.” I shrug. “But we can’t hide her from the world forever.”
He smirks. “We can try.”
After Bass leaves to take Jay to school, I hop in the shower and get ready to do absolutely nothing. I’m just putting on some makeup when my phone buzzes on the counter and Cam’s name pops up.
I swipe the screen and place the phone on speaker. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I’m at the gate. What’s the code to get in?”
“5-4-6-4.”
“See you in a minute.”
I quickly put on some mascara and then slip into a sundress before heading to the door to greet Cam. “No game today?”
“Nope, just a team meeting early this morning.” Turning his head left and then right, he scans the front of the house. “This is nice.”
I look around the foyer. “It is. My mother and Jessica did an amazing job with this place.” I start toward the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
After a quick tour and a trip to the garage to show off my new Maserati, Cam and I find ourselves back in the kitchen. Cam pulls out a barstool at the island and sits with his elbows propped on the countertop. “It’s so quiet. Where is everyone?”
“Grace is out shopping with my mother, and Bass is most likely parke
d outside the school waiting for Jay.” I snort a soft laugh.
Cam checks his watch. “Seriously?”
“I’m kidding. He went to find her a car.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“Well one, I hate car shopping and two, I really think it’s something Bass wanted to do himself.”
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“No major plans.” I shrug. “I was just gonna hang out here, go through some mail, check in with Lucas and wait for Jay to get home.”
“Come on.” He stands up from the stool. “I’m taking you to lunch.”
“A palmetto bug?” Cam barks out a laugh.
We’re having lunch on the patio of a small bistro tucked between a clothing boutique and Starbucks. The large umbrella covering our table blocks out the sun, but August in Florida is almost unbearable regardless.
I’d just finished telling him about Jay’s freak-out over the roach. “As far as she’s concerned, it was a flying roach.”
“What the hell was she doing outside in the middle of the night anyway?”
“I don’t know.” I tilt my head to the side. “I didn’t even think to ask because she was with Bass.” I lean back in my chair and laugh. “I wish you could’ve seen her face. And Bass couldn’t stop laughing long enough to form a sentence.”
“And here I thought she wasn’t afraid of anything,” he jokes.
“We’re all afraid of something.” I smile sadly and turn my attention to the sidewalk.
“What are you afraid of, Emerson?” he asks softly.
“Right now?” I huff out a humorless laugh. “Everything.”
“Emerson, you don’t have to be afraid. You’re here. You have your family. You have me.”
“Thank you.”
Looking around the patio, I notice some of the patrons at nearby tables are looking at us curiously. And suddenly it dawns on me that I’m not just sitting here having lunch with my friend Cam. I’m having lunch with Cam Parker, the professional baseball player. Jeez. It’s only a matter of time before they start pulling out their phones and snapping selfies to post on social media.