Until Next Time

by Claudia Burgoa

  “Not really. I called you to get some ideas, not to gossip.”

  “You’re boring, but I still love you.”

  “I was hoping you’d say something like, ‘you’re my favorite.’” I tried to imitate her voice but failed miserably.

  “You suck, and we don’t pick favorites.” There’s a pause in her voice. “Huh? Burke is calling me. Is it twin day?”

  “You’re still my favorite sister,” I say, disregarding the question.

  She groans. “I’m your only sister.”

  “It’s all the same. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Earlier, when Autumn texted me her address, she told me where to park. I look at her old Camry and wonder if I can convince her to change it. That’s a discussion for a later day. I grab the stuff I brought from the trunk before I make my way to Autumn's apartment. They live on the first floor.

  When I ring the doorbell, I can hear Matilda’s voice. “He’s here. He’s here!”

  The door swings open. Autumn is wearing almost the same clothes as yesterday. A pair of skinny jeans, this time they’re dark. She also wears a black tank top that has the logo of Silvermoon. Matilda stands behind her, jumping up and down. “Zach is here!”

  “Hi, Matilda.”

  “Mom says we’re making pizza.”

  “Yes, we are. I think we should prepare individual pizzas, and maybe we can make one for your mom so she can eat it tomorrow.”

  “Can we make one so I can take it to school?”

  “Sure.”

  She claps excitedly. “You can go now, Mom.”

  Autumn glances at her and then at me. I can see it in her eyes. She thinks this is a bad idea.

  “We’re going to be okay,” I reassure her. “Does she have a phone?”

  “Don’t give her ideas,” she mumbles between clenched teeth.

  She walks toward the kitchen. I follow, setting everything that I brought on the kitchen counter.

  “We’ll text you often so you know what we’re up to. I promise not to fall asleep while I’m watching her.”

  “Thank you for doing this. I didn’t…”

  “Hey, I’m glad I can help, okay?”

  She taps the fridge door. “Here is everything you need to know. The emergency numbers, notes of what to do in case of”—she waves her hand and rolls her eyes—“just read it if you’re unsure of anything. There are also some important instructions. If you need me, call me.”

  I head to the door and open it wide. I’m not kicking her out, but I need to find something to do with my hands before using them on her.

  “Everything will be fine. You might want to leave now.”

  She walks toward me. She’s so close I can’t help but take a step closer so I can kiss her. She moves from my reach and then hugs Matilda. “Don’t raise havoc, pumpkin.”

  “I promise I won’t, Mommy.”

  Once I close the door, I arch an eyebrow. “So, you come with instructions, huh?”

  “I’m not a toy or a piece of furniture, silly.”

  I walk toward the kitchen while arguing, “She clearly said the word instructions.”

  “Did you bring your listening ears today?”

  This kid is sassy. I read the multiple sticky notes and papers Autumn put on the fridge. There are emergency contacts, the number to Silvermoon. There’s a note that she can’t have her phone while working but to call the bar if there’s an emergency. So far, everything she says is easy. There’s a long list that seems like what not to do while babysitting.

  “Don’t give her candy,” I read the first rule. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t bring any with me.”

  “We have a candy jar.”

  I shake my head. “We’re not breaking any of these rules.”

  “You’re new, so you don’t know about it. We don’t have rules.”

  I cock an eyebrow and cross my arms. “Is that so?”

  She nods. This kid is going to try to boss me around. She reminds me a lot of Teddy, who’s the leader of the St. James family—even though she’s the youngest. Okay, so I know how to tread the waters and win her over without letting her get away with murder.

  “Okay, let me finish reading this list. It seems important. She’s not allowed to eat the Valentine’s Day cookies. They’re for tomorrow. She’s already taken a shower. Don’t feed her too much pizza. Bedtime is at eight. Make sure she brushes her teeth for two minutes. She needs one or two stories before falling asleep.”

  I glance at Matilda. “These sound like either instructions or rules to me.”

  “Nope. They’re suggestions.”

  “So, it’s okay if we skip story time?”

  She crosses her arms and shakes her head. “That’s a rule in the house.”

  I chuckle. Of course, there are rules when it’s convenient for her. “Okay. Well, let’s start with the pizza, and we’ll go back to those suggestions after we have dinner.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Zach

  While preparing the pizza, I find out that Matilda’s favorite toppings are ham and cheese, but she doesn’t care for the marinara sauce. I’m glad I brought white ricotta sauce with me. Her love for animals is bigger than just wanting an elephant for her birthday. Elephants aren’t her favorites. Manatees, who are called elephants of the sea, are her most favorite ones.

  As the instructions state, we don’t touch the cookies, but we bake a few since I brought chocolate chip cookie dough. I allow her to eat one. We save the rest in the cookie jar. I feel like that thing should be locked up or put in a safe. I imagine Matilda sneaking out of bed around three in the morning to get her fix.

  Autumn might not like me when she finds out that I ignored a few of her instructions, but you know what they say. Sometimes, it’s better to say I’m sorry than to ask for permission. Also, I want Matilda to like me, not hate me, before we get to know each other. Matilda prepares a plate for her mom with a pizza and a cookie.

  It’s adorable to see how much she cares about her mom. As I’m about to tuck her in, she says, “I wish Mom had been here.”

  “Maybe another day, I’ll bring stuff so we can cook together.”

  She grins, and that small face brightens. “Next weekend, she’s off. You can come and have popcorn with us, and we can make pizza. If you sleep over, we can have waffles the next morning.”

  Wow, she has an entire plan for us. I now understand why Autumn doesn’t want me too close to her when Matilda is around. She might suggest I move in and become the dad she longs for. As I brush the hair from her forehead, I realize that I wouldn’t mind doing this every night. If only I could be what she wishes for. I could try, but it’s not a good idea. I’m not good for either one of them.

  “Why don’t we discuss it with your mom?”

  Her bottom lip trembles. “She’s going to say no.”

  I’m not sure if she’s playing me or genuinely sad, but if I’m not careful, this kid is going to wrap me around her pinky finger and play me like a violin.

  “Let’s worry about that later. It’s story time. Do you have any suggestions?”

  Before she climbs up onto her bed, she points at a purple book on top of her desk. The cover has a girl and a unicorn walking to school. School for Unicorns and Other Mythical Creatures. I grab it, pull the covers so she’s not cold later tonight, then clear my voice.

  “Louise couldn’t wait to see the school for the first time. Owning a unicorn was super special. Being accepted at the School for Unicorns and Other Mythical Creatures was a gift. Her grandmother gifted her Ursula, her unicorn, and now, she was accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in the magical land….”

  After the third chapter, I notice Matilda is fast asleep. She’s hugging the elephants I gave her for her birthday. That reminds me that I didn’t show her the pictures I received from the Elephant Sanctuary. Also, it’s strange that a trip to the zoo might be her next favorite activity. So I sent a text to Seth, who has connections everywhere.
/>   Zach: I need a private tour at a zoo. Any zoo will work.

  Seth: A zoo tour?

  Zach: Sure, let’s call it that.

  Seth: I could get you into the Turtle Sanctuary.

  Zach: That’d be awesome. I owe you.

  Seth: Can we talk later? I’m in the middle of a mission.

  I swallow hard because I’d hate it if anything happened to him. He likes being on secret missions and saving people. What if he can’t be saved?

  Zach: Be careful.

  It’s nine thirty when my phone rings. It’s Burke, so I let the call go to voicemail. A few seconds later, he calls again. After the fourth call, I’m tempted to turn off the phone, but I realize it’s Teddy. My heart clenches. Did something happen to my brothers?

  “Are you okay?”

  “You’re ignoring us,” Teddy says.

  “No. He’s avoiding us,” Burke argues, and I realize I’m on speaker.

  I groan. “I thought you were busy working, squirt.”

  “I was—am. Unfortunately, Burke brought a pretty good subject to my attention, and I had to investigate further before coming to an intelligent conclusion.”

  “Should I be scared?”

  “Nope. We have a few questions for you.”

  From the sound of her voice, I’m guessing they’re up to no good. I should just hang up and ignore them for the rest of my natural life. “The answer is no.”

  “You don’t even know what we’re going to ask.”

  “It involves Burke and you. I’m not interested in whatever you’re selling.”

  “Should we tell him that we’re here too?” I hear a voice that’s either Fletcher’s or Myles’s. “I don’t want him to bitch about it later.”

  “Who is there?” I ask, wondering if they’re about to set up an intervention.

  “Fletch, Myles, Burke, and me.”

  “What, no Kingston?”

  “He left earlier. He couldn’t wait to entertain our nonsense.”

  “Like him, I don’t want to entertain your nonsense.” Mostly because I’m ninety-nine percent sure this is about me.

  “You love our nonsense.”

  “No. I don’t.”

  “Can we cut to the chase? Fletch and I want to head to Silvermoon and check out the hottie.”

  “What the fuck is Myles talking about?”

  “Burke called me earlier and told me about your friend. We got together to listen to Persy’s show. More specifically, Matilda’s phone calls and your sex and coffee segment. I think it’s adorable what that precious kid is doing for her mom.”

  Hesitantly, I agree. “Yes, it is. She cares a lot about Autumn.”

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Plan?”

  “I assume you want to be the guy who swoops Autumn off her feet and—”

  “Thank you so much for keeping this conversation between us, Burke,” I grumble.

  “I told you I needed more information, and you ditched me. I went to the one person who’d be able to decipher your riddle.”

  “What about the other three?”

  “I don’t like to leave anyone out.” Teddy’s excuse is laughable.

  “You’re a fucking idiot, Burke.”

  “Language,” Teddy scolds me.

  “Listen. I want to keep things simple between Autumn and me. She and Matilda deserve better than me. Do I want to help and make their lives easier? Yes. Instead of fucking with me, Myles, why don’t you help me get a private tour at the San Diego Zoo this Saturday? Matilda loves animals.”

  “What else do you want? A private jet?” Myles asks, sarcastically. The asshole.

  “Weren’t you in Vancouver filming a documentary?”

  “That was last week. I’m taking a break and then I’m going to Prague. But sure, I can figure out the tour and even lend you my jet,” he offers.

  “You might become my favorite.”

  “We don’t pick favorites,” Teddy warns me.

  “Can this torture be over?”

  “Sure, we’ll just support you while you’re in the stage of denial. When you screw up and need something amazing to woo her, I’ll be here with a few ideas to save the day.”

  “Why do you assume I’ll screw up?”

  “You’re a St. James. We’re not great at relationships, and my six brothers suck at romantic gestures. Archer was the only one who listened to me, but…”

  “Archer doesn’t count. He met the love of his life when he was five,” Fletcher protests. “Can we let the poor guy go? He sounds miserable. As I said, this is a bad idea, and I have to go and check out Autumn Wickerton. Burke said she’s pretty hot.”

  “Stay away from her,” I warn him. “As for the rest of you, don’t worry about me. I’ll deal with my fuckups later while you stay away from my private life.”

  “No can do, amigo,” Burke says. “The last time we let you do whatever the fuck you wanted, things ended up pretty fucked up.”

  I walk around the living room and stop in front of the bookcase. I pull out the biography of Brandi Carlyle, Broken Horses. I set it back when I saw The Gambler Wife by Andrew D. Kaufman. I like Russian literature, and Dostoyevsky is one of my favorite authors.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  I adore my sister. She’s one of the best humans I know in the world, but she’s also annoying.

  “Why don’t you worry about yourself? You need more help than I do. At least I try. None of you ever do more than go out on mindless dates or fuck around.”

  “I don’t fuck around,” Teddy says defensively.

  “No. You go out on mindless dates. See you around, kids.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Autumn

  At eleven sharp, I get out of work. While I head toward the underground garage, I check my phone. Zach and Matilda sent me texts and pictures throughout the evening, and he even recorded a video of Matilda preparing her pizza. It seems like they got along pretty well, and though I’m glad they got along, I fear that Matilda might be getting the wrong idea about him. Or maybe I’m the one who is blowing things out of proportion.

  The drive home feels longer than usual. I swear I hit all the red lights. Maybe I’m just anxious because I suspect that my child convinced him that her bedtime is midnight. When I arrive at my apartment, Zach is on the couch with a book on his chest and his eyes closed.

  Almost tiptoeing, I approach him, lean closer, and press a quick kiss on his cheek. His strong arms wrap around my waist, and he pulls me to him.

  As I sit on his lap, I place my arms around his shoulders. His cedar scent makes my heart skip a beat. “I thought you were asleep.”

  “I was resting my eyes,” he says. His voice is huskier than usual. He slants his mouth on mine, kissing me deeply. It’s a hungry kiss. He devours me. Adrenaline wanders through my blood. I didn’t think I wanted him this much. I want him. I long for him. It feels too fast, too soon, but I can’t stop the kiss or the emotions bursting inside my chest.

  “Hey,” he whispers. “How was work?”

  I relax my head in the crook of his neck. “The usual.”

  “Do you have any other word that isn’t ‘the usual?’”

  “Probably.”

  “Did you eat?”

  I shake my head. “I didn’t have time.”

  “Though I love having you on my lap, we have to feed you.” He winks at me. “Afterward, I’m going to eat you.”

  “Not tonight.”

  He nuzzles my hair. “Come on. I promise to make it good for you.”

  “You can’t stay.”

  He kisses my temple. “I know, baby. I promise I’ll be gone before you’re up.”

  “Okay,” I agree, moving away from the comfort of his embrace and heading to the kitchen.

  “She prepared you a plate.”

  I notice there’s a drawing next to a dish covered with tinfoil.

  “A zebra?” I say, picking up the paper. It’s a picture of a zebra and a girl
next to a pizza.

  “Look on the other side.”

  Made with love,

  Zach and Matilda.

  He smirks. “I adore how much she worries about you.”

  “She’s a good kid. What’s up with the zebra?”

  “I’m a zebra. It was the only animal that starts with the letter z.”

  I shake my head. “There’s zebu, zorse, zonkey.”

  “I don’t look like a zebu, and the other two are made up by some corporation that has something against zebras,” he jokes. “What are you?”

  “An axolotl. She’s a manatee.”

  “She loves animals. We have to take her to the zoo.”

  Instead of saying anything, I uncover the plate and stare at my pizza. “Did she put broccoli on my pizza?”

  “She said you like greens.”

  I scrunch my nose. “Not on my pizza.”

  He opens the fridge. “I saved a couple of pieces of pepperoni pizza if you want.”

  “Nah, I’ll eat what she prepared.” Then I stare at the chocolate chip cookie next to my not-so-delicious pizza. “I’m pretty sure I said no cookies.”

  “No. You said that she couldn’t eat Valentine’s Day cookies.”

  I narrow my gaze, studying him. “Did you help her find a loophole?”

  He laughs, shaking his head. “Like I need to do that. She said those were suggestions, not instructions.”

  “Ha, of course, she did.”

  He takes my hand. “You look tired. Why don’t you take a long bath?”

  “I’d rather spend that time with you than soaking. Plus, I don’t have a bathtub.”

  “Come with me to find a big house. I’ll make sure it has a big-ass bathtub where we both can fit.”

  My eyebrows knit together in almost a frown. Why would he want to buy a huge place for just one? I don’t want to shut him down because it might not even be about me. I try to sound casual when I ask, “You’re finally buying a house?”

  “I have an appointment with a realtor this Wednesday. You can come with me.”

  Standing behind me, he runs his hands up and down my arms as he nibbles on my neck. It’s almost impossible to chew when he’s doing that. I try to ignore him, but it’s difficult not to react. I shiver. He laughs. “Come with me, babe. I promise to find a closet where we can have a quickie.”