Every Other Weekend

by Jaxson Kidman

  “Nice up here, right?” Ramsey asked.

  “Been a while.”

  “I used to come up here and raise hell,” he said.

  “You’re supposed to be respectful in a cemetery.”

  “Tell that to the version of me back in high school.”

  “I didn’t come up here all that much,” I said. “I mean, you know, a bunch of times, but I used to go to the other side of the valley.”

  Ramsey raised an eyebrow. “Oh, wow. So, you were really a tough chick then. Over in Southbrooke? With the enemy.”

  “The enemy,” I said with a laugh.

  The stupid high school rivals that were built from sports and somehow translated into everyday life. Having teachers preach to the kids about being nice to one another, yet building up a rivalry based on football, so much so that kids wanted to fight each other with no real reason.

  “So, you were a big time party chick then,” Ramsey said.

  “Do you have to use the word chick?” I asked.

  “My apologies,” he said. “Should I call you Mom?”

  “What?” I asked, almost jumping at him.

  “Saw the booster seat in your car,” he said. “So, it’s either Mom, Aunt, or babysitter.”

  I swallowed hard, as though I should have felt guilty for some reason.

  Guilty for what? Not quickly telling Ramsey I had a son? For his sake? Or for Sam’s sake? Like I was pretending not to have a son.

  “You’re just really trying to crash into my night and life, aren’t you?” I asked.

  “Just making conversation,” he said.

  “Yes. I have a son. Is that a problem?”

  “Not at all. Is that a problem for you?”

  “Nope,” I said. “I love my son. Being a mother is the greatest thing in the world.”

  Ramsey nodded. “Right. That’s a good thing then. So, I take it that’s why I haven’t seen you at Shammy’s before.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Meaning I assume that not every Saturday night is a kid-free night for you.”

  “Every other Saturday,” I said. “But I usually work. Or try to work if I can get the shifts.”

  “Every other Saturday. So that means…”

  I laughed. I sipped the cool beer, which wasn’t as cool as the air outside.

  “Why are you shaking your head?” Ramsey asked.

  “I’m not going to lie, Rams, this is a very interesting night, so far.”

  “So far, huh? Meaning there’s more to go?”

  “Now you’re just getting ahead of yourself,” I said.

  “And you’re trying to change the topic of conversation.”

  “So what if I am?”

  “Why though?”

  “I get one night out, and I’m supposed to talk about being a mom? I’m not sure that’s what most guys want to hear about.”

  “Well, it would only matter if it’s a date, right?” Ramsey asked.

  “Oh, I get it. If it’s a date, you don’t talk about it. But if you’re sitting at the top of the cemetery in town, drinking a beer in the bed of a truck, then nothing is off limits.”

  “See? Now you’re getting it.”

  I stared at Ramsey.

  At least what was being said set the line that wouldn’t get crossed. This wasn’t going to turn into a one-night stand. I wasn’t going to fool around with him in the bed of his truck. Or follow him to his place. Or invite him to my place. Which meant he could either finish his drink with me or find some lame excuse to get out of there pronto.

  “So, back to this every other Saturday thing,” he said with a grin.

  “No, no, no,” I said. “It’s your turn.”

  “My turn for what?”

  “To tell me something about you.”

  “Oh, so we’re playing that game?”

  “Maybe.”

  “That’s teetering on becoming a date then.”

  “Which means I don’t have to talk about being a mom anymore.”

  “But that also means…” Ramsey shrugged his shoulders.

  “Means what?” I asked.

  He ignored me, instead throwing his bottle of beer back and taking a big drink.

  “Means what?” I asked him again.

  When he ignored me the second time, I decided I wasn’t going to play any games. So, I jumped from the bed of the truck and put my drink down.

  It took Ramsey a split second to do the same and get in my way.

  Now my back was to the bed of the truck and he towered over me, staring down at me in a way that probably should have made me want to knee him in the balls and walk away. Except Ramsey was nothing like the guy back at the bar. If Ramsey touched my arm, I wouldn’t cringe. I’d get goosebumps everywhere. Things would happen to my body…

  “Don’t leave, darling,” he said.

  “I don’t feel like playing the quiet game, Rams.”

  “Fine,” he said.

  He leaned in on me and I leaned back, gasping, my eyes going wide. I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he reached behind me and got my beer. He handed it to me, grinning, knowing exactly what he was doing.

  “What I was going to say,” he whispered, “is if this becomes a date and you want to pretend you’re not a mom for the moment, that’s fine by me. But it also means I might steal a goodnight kiss from you. And if that happens, you’re going to want to see me again.”

  What he said was almost cringeworthy, except it was coming from him. Which somehow made it super sexy. So much so that my lips tingled, wondering what it would feel like if he…

  No, Jordyn. Not a chance in hell.

  I reminded myself of what waited at home for me.

  That was reality.

  This right now was just a fantasy.

  Ramsey leaned down a little more toward me. “Now, darling, what do you want to know about me?”

  I couldn’t respond.

  What did I want to know about him?

  The entire night started to play through my head and the craziness of where it began and where I then stood.

  “I, uh, don’t know,” I said. “I mean, you were pretty quick to punch that guy.”

  “So you think I have anger issues?”

  “Do you?”

  “Only with those who deserve it.”

  “Did you know that guy?”

  “No.”

  “So you just hit a total stranger to help me?”

  “If that’s the way it looks,” he said.

  He sidestepped and leaned against the tail gate of the truck. There was a slight sense of disappointment that he didn’t try to kiss me, but an even greater sense of appreciation that he backed away.

  “My brother is down there,” Ramsey said.

  “Down where?” I asked. “In town?”

  He turned his head. “No, darling. Down there. The cemetery.”

  “Ohmygosh,” I said. “I’m so sorry. Rams…”

  He put a hand up. “No. Don’t do that stuff. You wanted to know something about me and there it is. You have a kid. I have a brother who said goodbye too early. Are we even now?”

  “I’m not sure how that works,” I said.

  “Sometimes it’s nice to just step away. Come up here. Have a beer. Look at the stars. Look at the town. Take a deep breath away from life.”

  “That I can totally understand.”

  I wanted to know more about his brother. He probably wanted to know more about me having a kid. But we both left those two subjects silenced.

  “This is better than Shammy’s,” I said as I waved the half-emptied beer bottle.

  “Yeah?” he asked with a grin.

  “Yeah.”

  “Look, I know this is a little crazy being up here and doing this. I’m not a fool. But I figured you needed it.”

  “You figured?” I asked. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “Same for you,” he said.

  “I didn’t drag you up here for a beer.”
/>
  “I don’t remember dragging you anywhere. You followed.”

  “You told me to.”

  “That’s dangerous.”

  “What is?”

  “You, doing what you’re told,” Ramsey said. “Especially by me.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  He smirked. A way too sexy for his own good kind of smirk. His thoughts penetrated my thoughts and my cheeks burned hot again.

  We finished our drinks without much more conversation. Which wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Just sitting there with Ramsey, casually looking over at him. He stared straight ahead. I wondered what he was thinking about, but it wasn’t my business to ask. Just like it wasn’t his business to ask anything else about Sam’s seat in my car.

  “I’ve got plenty more,” Ramsey said as he showed me his empty beer bottle.

  “I’d better not,” I said. “Not with driving.”

  “So you were a bad party girl back in the day, but now you’re responsible, huh?”

  “Don’t you remember me at all?” I asked.

  “Remember you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Am I supposed to remember you?”

  “I guess not,” I said.

  I took a couple of steps and Ramsey made a move to get in front of me again. “I don’t remember much of anything back then. Okay? So don’t take it personally, darling. I sort of bounced around quite a bit, which you’d know if you remember me. And once I was able to go, I was gone.”

  “But you came back.”

  “Only because my uncle needed me here. I work for his construction company. He hurt his back and couldn’t work for a while. He almost lost everything. And if it wasn’t for him and my aunt, I would be living here for good, if you get what I mean.”

  There was an honesty in his eyes that startled me.

  I swallowed hard. “Well, then I guess that’s a good thing you can visit here and leave.”

  Ramsey gently touched my chin. “Same for you, right?”

  “Yeah. I’d, uh, better get going. Thank you for tonight, Rams. I mean it. I shouldn’t have come out at all, but I did. And you actually saved the night.”

  “I can do the same again,” he said. “Just tell me when.”

  I shut my eyes for a second and sighed.

  This was the hard part.

  Meeting a guy like Ramsey and having him hint at seeing me again.

  “It won’t be for a while, Rams,” I said. “My situation…”

  “That’s fine. Name it.”

  “Every other weekend works for me,” I said.

  He stroked a finger from my chin to my cheek and stepped away. “Have a good night, Jordyn. I’ll follow you down to make sure you don’t get stuck.”

  “Thanks for that,” I whispered.

  And then what? I wanted to ask but didn’t.

  Then and then what? was simple.

  I’d go home.

  Ramsey would probably go somewhere else to get a drink. Or maybe pick someone else up to actually take home.

  I was a single mother who only had two weekends a month free.

  Who in their right mind would be interested in that?

  6

  A Little Note

  Ramsey

  I sat at the bar and showed my hands to Wendy.

  Her head cocked to one side and her eyes went wide.

  She walked toward me, her lips puckered in a way where she’d rather punch me than try to kiss me.

  “I’m only here for a drink,” I said.

  “That’s what you always say,” she said. She got me a beer and as she twisted the cap off, she asked, “Did the cops come and talk to you?”

  “Nope. Why?”

  “Harrison was here that night,” she said. “Taking statements.”

  “Oh, Christ. That guy watches too many big city cop shows. He’s always searching for the big story. What did you tell him?”

  “That the guy - Jeff - got handsy with a woman and you socked him in the jaw.”

  “Which was the truth.”

  “Which bears the question…” Wendy leaned against the bar and grinned. “Why did you do that?”

  “Defending a pretty girl’s honor,” I said with a sly grin.

  She laughed. “Bullshit, Rams.”

  “What? I’m like a knight in shining armor.”

  “You’re the knight that everyone runs from. Evil. Dirty. The one the real knight in shining armor fights to keep the woman safe.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Jordyn didn’t seem to mind.”

  “Ah, right,” Wendy said. “You’re just using her name now like it’s nothing. Did you two have a good night together?”

  “Wildest night of my life.”

  “Really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  That told me more about Jordyn than what she said when we were together.

  “No,” I said. “We had a beer and she went home. I apologized for messing up her night.”

  Wendy clutched her chest. “It’s going to snow tonight now. Ramsey just apologized for something.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said. “Don’t think I’m getting soft here. I still knocked a guy flat on his ass. Which, back on topic, what happened with Harrison?”

  “He left disappointed,” Wendy said. “Jeff didn’t want to press charges. He knew he was drunk and grabby. I told Harrison he was grabbing on someone you were with. Just to keep the story simple.”

  The thought made me grin.

  Why? I had no fucking clue.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I owe you one.”

  “Do you now?” Wendy asked. She put her hand onto the bar and leaned forward. “You know, I’m done here early.”

  “Wendy… that’s a dangerous proposition.”

  “You like danger. I like propositions.”

  I gritted my teeth. Wendy had a certain charm about her. She was tempting, that was for damn sure. And she made no joke about her intentions with me. That went back a long time ago too.

  “You knew Jordyn way back when, right?”

  “Jesus, Rams, you know how to make a woman feel attractive.”

  “What did I do now?” I asked.

  “I’m giving you the green light to come at me and you want to talk about another woman.”

  “Shit. Wendy…”

  “You’re lucky I’ve got thick skin,” she said. She stood up straight, taking away the bird’s eye view of her full cleavage. “What do you want to know? You’re obviously on a hunt here.”

  “A hunt?”

  “When the hell do you come here alone?” she asked. She raised her left eyebrow a mile high into the air. “Huh? You always come out with the guys, and more times than not, they drag you out. But now you’re here digging up information on Jordyn. What, were you too chicken to get her phone number the other night?”

  “Stop it,” I said. “Listen, I saw she had a booster seat in her car. I called her out on it and she said she had a kid. But she really didn’t want to talk about it.”

  “Okay. And…?”

  “And… I was hoping you would,” I said.

  “You want me to tell you about Jordyn and her personal life?” Wendy laughed.

  “She seemed like she was jumpy about it. I could only assume she’s single, right? The way she kept talking about the weekends. It just caught my attention.”

  “You never fail to amaze me.”

  “How so?”

  “You could have any single woman you want, Rams. Including me. Yet you get the eyes for a woman who’s a single mom, trying to keep things going. You pick the hardest one to figure out.”

  I stood up and reached into my pocket for some cash. “I don’t have to listen to this.”

  “You don’t like the truth.”

  “You don’t like getting denied.”

  “Who does?” Then Wendy grinned and pointed at me. “You wanted to make a move on her, but didn’t.”

  “Thanks for the beer, Wendy.”

  “You’re
intrigued because she didn’t just drop her panties after staring into your eyes for five seconds. Not everyone is like you,” Wendy said.

  “Says the woman who just offered herself to me.”

  “Desperation messes with a person’s mind.”

  I curled my lip.

  “Hey, Rams,” Wendy said before I could leave.

  “What?” I asked.

  “It’s not my place to talk about anyone’s personal life.”

  “I get that.”

  “But I’ll tell you this. She works at Bricker’s Real Estate.”

  I nodded and left the bar.

  Wendy was right.

  I always found a way to find the wrong person to get involved with.

  I opened the door to Uncle Tom’s office. It was a mess like I had never seen in my life. There was no talking him into using the filing cabinets that were across the back wall of the office. He insisted on using old boxes and older tables to stack them on. And in every box were piles of paper. Bills, plans, invoices, payments, you name it, and it was there. For Uncle Tom, what looked like a mess to others, was actually his organized chaos.

  He waved at me as he stood up. “Come here, Ramsey. I want to talk to you about something.”

  I shut the door and wiped the sweat off my brow. For how cool the last two nights had been, it was like Summer had decided to make one last go at us. Hot and sunny days. Working outside on a new project, sweating for ten hours straight. I had been going right from work to the gym and then grabbing something to eat on the ride home. My nights ended with a couple of beers and some heavy sleep. Rinse and repeat.

  Which was good.

  Keeping busy kept my mind from going too crazy.

  One thing that stuck hard in my head was why did I fucking mention my brother to Jordyn? I kept that shit tight to my chest and told nobody about it. That one single event that became the biggest catalyst in my life. One event took a family and ripped it up like a piece of paper. It threw me off the edge I had been walking on.

  And I was suddenly so quick to mention it to a stranger?

  “We’ve got some plans drawn up for that development over in Brookshire.”

  I blinked to chase the fucking thoughts away. “Looks good, right?”

  “I’m heading over to meet Bill right now,” Uncle Tom said. “He’s got the paperwork on the land. Once that gets cleared, we’re thumbs up to go to work.”