by Diane Bator
She doubted she’d see any money, not with him taking the kids. He’d rather see her starve and give the kids to his parents than help her. His parents used to dote on her and the kids, but after Roger moved out, it didn’t take much for him to convince them Lucy drove him to seek comfort in the arms of other women. Their divorce, the way he’d told his parents the story, was Lucy’s idea because she needed his money and wanted him gone so she could write and party all the time.
Her mother-in-law’s response was, “Divorce is overkill. He’s a man. Humor him while he has his fling. Once it’s out of his system, he’ll be a better husband.”
Lucy understood how mothers thought their sons could do no wrong; after all she had two boys. Suddenly she’d become the bad guy when all she’d done was write stories and magazine articles while Roger worked. She’d earned enough money to pay for the inflatable swimming.
Writing every night had kept her sane since she forgot about being lonely and making herself crazy with morbid thoughts. She’d used those quiet evenings to write her first book, which she’d edited to death for nearly a year and a half. The higher the rejections piled up, the more she thought Roger was right. She was a failure and needed a real job.
While turning over a stuck hot dog, Lucy burned her finger and flinched. Served her right for being distracted and negative. She needed to focus on the present and put the past out of her head. The idea sounded great in theory.
Parker flew down the water slide and squealed, which made his siblings laugh. Their happy sounds made her smile. For weeks after Roger left, Gina and Parker had cried out their frustrations, while Shawn sulked and silently plotted ways to get them back together again. When that didn’t work, he acted out, hoping she’d send him to live with his father. Roger left it to her to explain why he didn’t want the kids to stay with him.
A gigantic blue ball hopped over the fence and bounced off Parker’s head before rolling across the brown grass. Mitch waved from his patio. “I found it at a yard sale and couldn’t resist. I figured you guys would have some fun with it.”
“Cool.” Parker grinned. “Thanks.”
Shawn grabbed the ball in a bear hug to keep away from Gina. She chased after him across the yard squealing.
Clancy sat at the Davidson’s glass-topped patio table. The muscles in his bronzed arms rippled in the sunshine when he raised his beer and nodded, watching her over his dark sunglasses. Muscles bulged everywhere, probably even on the backs of his fingers, beneath several colorful tattoos. His grin sent a swarm of caterpillars loose in her stomach. He looked more like a gladiator than a wannabe auto mechanic and tattoo artist.
“What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” Mitch was shirtless, sunburned, and had a few beers into him already although barely past noon.
“Mom’s making hot dogs.” Gina ran off the deck and spun around the yard, her wet black hair swirling. Her princess hair.
Mitch gave an exaggerated sniff. “Mm, they sure smell good. I haven’t had lunch yet. Have you, Clancy?”
Lucy bowed her head, her face burning as she wished she could disappear. The last thing she wanted was company for lunch while she wallowed in her miseries.
“Then come on over. I’ll get more dogs and buns,” Parker said. “And a bag of chips.”
“What? No.” Lucy spun around to protest, but both men were already on their feet. Her words were lost in a flurry of activity.
Parker brought out more food and recruited his siblings to haul out the condiments and paper plates. Within minutes, the picnic table was crowded with two wriggly kids and a half-naked man carrying a six-pack of beer.
Clancy hovered near the waterslide while Shawn took one last dive head first down the runway. The two spoke for a minute before her son grabbed a towel and led him to the deck.
“Wow, look at this spread. It’s almost like you were expecting us.” Mitch handed her a chilled bottle of wine. He plopped onto a chair and rested the bottom of his beer bottle on his round belly before he twisted the cap off.
“Almost.” Lucy set the bottle on the table and tightened her jaw.
“You’ve got a really bad sunburn.” Gina took a loud bite out of a carrot stick.
“Yeah, I know.” He glanced down at his belly. “I’ve been hard at work in my back yard making some space for April to put in a bunch of new things. There’s so many holes it looks like a groundhog convention.”
Clancy raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Since when does drinking beer qualify as hard work? I had to dig all the holes.” He was even more handsome than she remembered, his smiling eyes a soothing shade of green. “Lucy.”
A tingle washed over her body. Cripes. Either there was a full moon coming or she was hormonal. “Clancy.”
After an awkward pause, Clancy sat beside Gina and smiled. Lucy frowned when he looked at Gina as though she were the only person at the table. Roger had said Clancy was a tattoo artist. For all she knew, he was also a pedophile.
“Hey, I know you.” Parker raised his eyebrows. “You live in the house on the corner.”
Gina gasped. “You live in the Christmas house? You are so lucky. I wish our house looked like that. Nobody put up our Christmas lights last year. Daddy was too busy with work before he moved out and Mommy’s scared of heights.”
“Gina!” Lucy’s eyes widened.
Clancy chuckled. “Actually, I don’t live in that house, my mom and dad do. I’m just looking after it while they’re away. We didn’t put up Christmas lights last year either.”
“We noticed.” Shawn frowned. “Why not? We missed seeing them.”
“Don’t be so nosy.” Lucy caught Clancy’s thin smile. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He forced a smile. “My mom’s really sick. Since she was in the hospital last Christmas, putting up the lights and stuff didn’t seem important.”
“That’s too bad.” Gina rested her chin on her hand. “Seeing pretty lights always makes me feel better. I have fairy lights my mom put in my room for when I’m sad.”
“I never thought of that.” Clancy’s voice crackled.
Shawn met Lucy’s gaze then his jaw tightened. “Is your mom going to die?”
“Yeah.” Clancy cleared his throat. “Probably soon.”
Shawn’s nostrils flared. “I wish my mom would die.”
The only sound in the yard was the sputtering of hot dogs on the grill. Lucy shut her eyes and gasped for breath. Shawn ripped her heart straight out of her chest.
“No, you don’t.” Clancy sounded sad. “No matter how mad you might be now, it’s not something you want to deal with, especially when you’re a kid.”
Lucy blinked hard then swallowed her emotions. She fought to keep her voice even and didn’t look at anyone as she set a plate full of hot dogs and toasted buns on the table. “Get ‘em while they’re hot.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Parker’s hand shot out to snatch a hot dog from the plate.
Clancy flashed her a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome.” Lucy turned to place the second batch of hot dogs on the grill. Standing at the barbecue gave her a good excuse to hide the tears.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Parker asked.
“Me?” Clancy’s voice wavered. “A sister.”
Gina smacked her lips. “Is she older or younger?”
“Younger.”
“Is she pretty?” Gina continued to interrogate their guest.
“Yes. She’s very pretty.” Clancy chuckled.
“Does she live near here?” Parker asked.
“No.” Clancy cleared his throat again.
Lucy tried to focus on the hot dogs and not lose herself in her concern for Clancy and his family. She had enough on her own plate. Suddenly an empty platter held aloft by a bronzed hand hovered in front of her. Part of her wished he and Mitch had never come over.
“I didn’t know you were an astronaut.” Clancy grinned and rested a hand on her shoulder. “You
seemed to be off in outer space. Which planet were you on?”
She forced a smile as her stomach squirmed. “Did they eat the first batch already?”
“Yup, and we poured you a glass of wine, thanks to Parker who found the corkscrew. Are you okay?” His concern caught her off-guard.
She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “I’m fine. You?”
“Yeah. I’ve been dealing with my mom’s illness for a while now. It’s not easy to come to terms with the prognosis, but we’re trying.” Clancy brushed a strand of damp hair off her cheek, just as she reached for the same strand and their hands collided. “Sorry. Did you eat yet?”
“No.” She blew out a breath and shook her head. “I wanted to cook everything up first.”
“You’re such a typical mom.” He reached in front of her and plunked a hot dog into a toasted bun. He smelled of hot dogs, beer, and sweat, with a subtle hint of peppermint gum. “Here, this one looks ready. Go eat. I’ll take care of the dogs.”
Lucy sucked in a sharp breath as her knees wobbled. She hadn’t even touched her wine yet. “No, it’s okay, I’ll—”
“As your uninvited guest, I insist.” Clancy touched the small of her back and nudged her toward the table. “I need you to put up with Mitch and give me a break.”
“I heard that.” Mitch laughed and raised his beer bottle.
She sipped her wine and smiled. “Thanks for lunch, Mom.” Parker hugged her then cleaned up his mess and ordered his siblings to do the same.
Her mommy senses tingled. “What are you guys—?”
“You’re the best mommy in the whole world.” Gina threw her arms around Lucy’s waist and pressed her face into the front of Lucy’s tank top.
She laughed. “Okay, what do you want?”
Gina smiled, a spot of ketchup pooled in the dimple on her cheek. “It’s too hot outside. Can we go in to watch a movie?”
“Or play video games?” Shawn asked.
“Ah-ha.” She sat in one of the high-backed chairs, laid her head back and sighed. A late night of writing and a long day of worrying had wiped her out both physically and emotionally. The day grew too hot and humid for anyone who was already tired to bear. “Sure, go take a break from the heat for a while. Change out of your swimsuits first, please.”
Once the kids went inside, Mitch leered openly at Lucy’s low low-cut tank top and shorts. “I like this heat. All the pretty girls come out in skimpy clothes.”
She pressed her lips together. Since it wasn’t the first time he’d ogled her, she was sure she’d have to tolerate his stares several more times over the summer.
“Amen. I’m sure Lucy gets her jollies watching us doing yard work and sunning our paunches.” Clancy rolled the hotdogs then patted his sculpted stomach. Unlike Mitch, Clancy was in very good shape. Greek god statue sort of shape.
She tried not to spit out a mouthful of wine as she giggled. Embarrassed, she tore her eyes away from him to focus on her lunch. The last thing she needed was another man in her life. Parker and Shawn made her crazy on a full-time basis and Roger drove her nuts no matter how far away he was.
“Speak for yourself.” Mitch patted his protruding belly. “I’ll have you know this here is solid muscle. You might have a six-pack, but I have a keg.”
Clancy caught Lucy’s gaze then sat down and rolled his eyes. “Sure you do, Mitch.”
Two empty beer bottles sat on the table and she was sure neither of them were Clancy’s. Her suspicions were confirmed when Mitch grinned “Did you know I’m an ordained minister?”
She didn’t have to feign surprise. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“Well I am. I’ve even got the papers to prove it.” He took a swig of his beer. “I could give you an exorcism right here and now.”
She sipped her wine, stalling to find a comeback. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Mitch. I’m a writer. I need the voices in my head.”
Clancy exploded with laughter then covered his mouth with one hand.
Mitch folded his arms across his chest. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.” She leaned forward. “If you take away the voices in my head, my kids will starve.”
He huffed. “Roger gives you child support. You don’t have to work. You get a free ride.”
“Yeah, right,” Lucy said. “I get a free ride when he’s not spending all his money all on girlfriends or hair transplants. That louse owes me a lot more money than he’s ever paid.”
“Roger got hair transplants?” His eyes bulged.
She scowled. “Mitch, I’m serious.”
“Ah, you’d just spend it anyway.” He waved her off and grabbed another bottle of beer. Sweat trickled down his chest and around his belly which glowed even brighter than before.
“Yeah, I would. I’d buy food and clothes for the kids. You know, all of those frivolous things women shop for.” Lucy caught herself hoping Mitch would be in a lot of pain later then struggled to rein in her temper. She met Clancy’s sad gaze over her empty wine glass and looked away. It wasn’t like her to air her secrets in front of a total stranger.
“I guess you’ll have to get a job then, huh?” Mitch’s comment burrowed under her skin like a tick, the same way the words did every time Roger brought up the notion.
She’d have to put her kids in daycare, which would cost for more than what she could actually earn. If Roger hadn’t moved away, at least he could watch them so she could earn a living. Well, in theory anyway.
For Lucy, there was only one solution. “I need a job I can do from home for now. I started writing magazine articles to earn money on the side, but now I have to write more to earn more and…” The concern etched into Clancy’s face stopped her. She sat back and sighed. “Let’s talk about something more fun than my life.”
“Sex?” Mitch raised his salt and pepper eyebrows.
Typical man. She’d poured out her heart and he hadn’t heard a word she said.
Clancy made a show of looking around. “Hey, where did you hide the beer, Mitch?”
“Aw, man.” Mitch swayed precariously in his chair as he peered around the deck. “Are we out already? Guess I’d better run home and grab more.”
Mitch got up and staggered across the yard and stepped on the plastic sheet that served as the kids’ waterslide. When he slid across the plastic on one foot, he smacked against the fence and caught himself. The latch rattled as he fought to open the gate. A few cuss words later, he stumbled out of the backyard.
Lucy recalled the dream she had the night before. Maybe she had actually been awake and saw someone in Mitch’s backyard. She stared at her wine glass. Roger would stoop to sneaking around to spy on her. Or maybe return to search for something he’d hidden, like more jewelry.
“Huh. Look at that.” Clancy set two bottles of beer on the table and grinned. “They were under my chair the whole time. I guess we get a few minutes peace until he finds his way back.”
“You really are a jerk.” She laughed and raised her empty wine glass. “Thanks. He was starting to make me uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, no problem. I was afraid he’d hit on me next.” Clancy grabbed another hot dog and bun off the platter. “To be honest, I have my own motives for getting rid of him. I wanted to talk to you.”
“About what Shawn said?” Her gaze remained on the sweating wine glass while laughter rang out from the basement. “He hasn’t taken the whole divorce thing very well. Roger’s let him down more times than I can count, yet I’m always the bad guy.”
“That was part of it. You know he didn’t mean that, right? Divorce brings out the worst in kids too.”
“So I’m finding out.” She took a deep breath, her stomach fluttering. “What else did you want to poke into my psyche about?”
“Ouch. You’re right. Too personal for our first date.” He picked at the label on his beer bottle. “Have you written any good books lately?”Her eyes widened. “First date? Did I miss something?”
&
nbsp; “I’m joking.” He grinned.
Lucy wasn’t so sure. “Who told you I write books?”
Clancy chuckled. “You did, when Mitch tried the exorcism thing. Well, I guess I assumed you meant you wrote books. It’s actually something I’ve thought about since my mom got sick. She’s kept a journal for years that I’ve tossed around the idea of getting published when she’s gone.”
Lucy shook her head. She kept a journal. No one would like to read the things she’d written lately, but if Roger found it, he’d use her own words against her. “That’s a scary thought, especially if she wrote anything bad about anyone who’s still alive. You might want to read everything first to make sure you don’t get sued.”
“I don’t even know I’d want to read it until...you know.” He winced and bowed his head. “What do you write?”
“I’ve written one book, a murder mystery. Mostly I write for magazines right now since they pay more money.” She blew out a long breath. “It’s been hard to get work done this summer between the kids running in and out and—”
“And me revving my engine.” Clancy winked.
She pressed her lips together and studied the tattoo on his left shoulder. A blue and green dragon with a tail that wrapped around his bicep and ended near his elbow. Puffs of smoke swirled around the dragon’s body. “Are you flirting with me?”
He sat back. “Honey, when I flirt, you’ll know it. Your toes will curl.”
“That’s the worst line I’ve heard yet.” Lucy sipped her wine, hand shaking.
“Oh, yeah? Give me a chance, I’ll bet I could come up with far worse.” Clancy slid into the vacant chair beside her then trailed a finger, cool from holding the beer bottle, down the pink flesh from her chin to the soft swells of her chest. His gaze penetrated hers. “You’re getting sunburned. I think maybe we should put some ice on it before it gets painful.”
Flustered, she licked her lips and raised her eyebrows. He’d done a much better job at lighting a fire inside her than she’d expected. “Was that you flirting?”
“You have to ask?” He ran a hand through his dark hair and averted his gaze. “You’re right. I am really out of practice. I guess I could probably do better.”