Jaybird

by M. A. Foster

  Lexi grabs her bag off the chair and holds out her hand to Evan. “Come on, Ev.”

  “COLE, I THINK your cousin is leaving,” Brad says, looking toward the beach. “Is she leaving with Grayson?” That gets everyone’s attention, especially mine.

  I lift my head to see Jay walking arm in arm with Brice toward the house. She’s wearing her cover-up and her bag on her shoulder. Grayson is on her other side and Evan and Lexi are following them.

  Cole shields his eyes with his hand. “What the hell?” Then he looks over at me with an amused expression. “It’s killing you, isn’t it?”

  “You’re a dick,” I snap and glance over at Lindsay, who’s been passed out on the raft beside me for the past thirty minutes.

  “You’re the dick. You barely said two words to her, yet you’ve been staring at her all fucking day like a creeper. Man up, Zach.” Cole smirks as he pushes off the raft, dropping into the water. “I’ll be back,” he says as he swims toward the shore.

  “What’s going on with you two?” Brad asks.

  I look over at Lindsay. “Nothing.”

  “Good to know.” Brad laughs. “But I was talking about you and Mackenzie. You guys good?”

  “We’re straight.”

  “You should’ve talked to her,” he tells me.

  I shake my head. “This isn’t the place for the kind of talk we need to have. I have too much to say and there are too many nosey-ass people here for that.” I look over at Lindsay again. “Besides, I brought her here.” I feel responsible for Lindsay. I’ve never known her to drink this much, but I’m sure it has a lot to do with Grayson being here. The asshole really did a number on her.

  I nudge her awake. “Lindsay, come on. You’ve been in the sun too long, girl. Let’s go get some water before you get dehydrated.”

  “Okay,” she mumbles.

  I slide off the raft into the water. Lindsay climbs on my back, resting her cheek on my shoulder. But when her lips to graze my neck, I jerk upright, and blame it on the alcohol.

  Cole is standing at the bar talking to Jay, who looks unhappy. Brice and Grayson are sitting on either side of Jay facing her, Evan and Lexi take up the remaining barstools. Evan sees me coming his way and stands. I drop Lindsay onto the vacated stool and grab two waters.

  Passing one to Lindsay, I ask, “Where’s your stuff?”

  “Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?” she teases.

  “No.” I laugh. “It’s getting late. I’m ready to head out. I was gonna take you to get something to eat before I drop you off. I’d be an asshole if I dropped you off sunburned, dehydrated, and starved.”

  As she takes a sip of her water, Lindsay’s gaze moves to Grayson and Jay talking a few seats away. I don’t miss the hurt expression that passes over her face.

  I know how she feels.

  “Hey,” Lindsay calls out and all heads swivel in her direction. She points to Jay and says, “I don’t know you, but I feel like I should warn you. He…” She points to Grayson. “…is a douchebag.”

  Jay’s eyes flick to me and back to Lindsay before she replies, “Aren’t they all?” A half smile curls one side of her beautiful sassy mouth. “But thanks for the heads-up.”

  Grayson laughs. “Ignore her. She’s my ex, and, obviously, she’s jealous and drunk.” He jerks his chin to me. “You need to take better care of your girl, Zach.”

  Jay stiffens at Grayson’s choice of words and that pisses me off.

  I take a step toward Grayson, but Evan gets in my way, putting his hand on my chest. I don’t get into fights. Ever. But I want to punch Grayson in his smug face. “She’s not my girl.” My gaze flicks briefly to Jay then back to Grayson. “But she is my friend. And she’s right, you are a douchebag.”

  “My ride’s here,” Jay says, hopping off the stool and throwing her bag over her shoulder.

  “You should’ve told me you wanted to leave,” Cole says. “I would’ve taken you home.”

  “It’s fine,” she says, waving him off. But it’s not fine. She’s pissed. I forgot how cute she is when she’s pissed off. I take a sip of my water to keep from smiling. “Stay and hang out with your friends,” she tells him.

  Grayson leans over and whispers something in her ear and I have to look away to keep myself from tackling him to the ground. Cole watches me with a wicked grin on his face. The fucker.

  “Thanks for keeping me company, you guys,” Jay says. “Tell Brad I said thanks and that I’ll see him around.” She bends to hug Lexi. “Call me tomorrow. Maybe we can meet up for coffee. Evan, good to meet you, even though you maybe said three words to me.” She laughs, sidestepping me and holds her hand out to Lindsay. “It was nice to meet you, Lindsay.”

  “You, too.”

  Jay throws me a glare and says, “Take care, Zach.” Turning, she walks off and disappears into the crowd.

  I liked it better when she called me Z.

  “She seems nice,” Lindsay says.

  “I think she’s a little pissed at you, Cole.” Lexi smirks.

  “What did I do?”

  Brice scoffs and rolls his eyes. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty, Mackenzie.”

  Cole scowls. “What does that mean?”

  “It means you’re clueless,” Lexi explains. “You brought her to a party where she knows all of two people and you just left her by herself.” Lexi shakes her head at Cole, then turns to me and points. “And you acted like you couldn’t stand to be near her, but you were staring at her all day.”

  “I was not,” I lie.

  “Yes, you were, Zach. You’re supposed to be the good guy, but you’re all jerks and now I’m pissed off,” she chastises before turning to Evan. “Evan, Grayson, let’s go. I’ve had enough sun for the day.”

  I look over at Lindsay. “You broke her heart, didn’t you?” she asks.

  I rub the back of my neck. “Actually, she broke mine.”

  MY SOMBER MOOD is lifted by the sound of Willow’s squeals of laughter and the splashing of water. There’s an instant smile on my face when I step out onto the pool deck and see Willow’s chubby butt jumping off the side of the pool into Uncle Max’s arms.

  Mom, my grandparents, and Aunt Jessica are all sitting poolside while Uncle Max and Aiden are in the pool entertaining Willow.

  “Boo, I didn’t know you could swim.”

  She nods, her eyes wide with excitement. “Watch me.” She twists out of Uncle Max’s arms and drops face-first into the water. I snort as she stretches her floaty-covered arms out to the side and kicks her little chubby legs for about two seconds before popping her head up and gasping for air. Max pulls her back into his arms and Willow smiles up at me all wide-eyed as she proudly wipes the water from her face.

  “Good job, Boo.” I clap.

  “Come wimmin wif me.” She cheers and holds out her arms. There is nothing more adorable in this world than Willow Jade Mackenzie.

  “Okay, I’ll come swimming with you,” I tell her, kicking off my sandals as I pull my cover-up over my head and toss it on the empty lounge chair. Mac Daddy mumbles something about me “leaving the house wearing that” and “hiring more bodyguards.” I hold back a laugh and jump into the pool. The cold water feels incredible against my sun-kissed skin.

  Aiden is grinning when I break through the surface and reach for Willow. “What?”

  “Nothing,” he says with a nervous laugh as his eyes zoom in on my chest.

  “Eww! You little perv.” I swipe my hand across the top of the water and splash him in the face.

  “Aiden, she’s your cousin,” Uncle Max chides.

  Aiden shrugs. “They’re still boobs.”

  “Boobs,” Willow parrots.

  I roll my eyes and splash him again and Willow attempts to do the same.

  “So, what are you doing back so early?” Uncle Max quickly changes the subject. “Where’s Cole?”

  “Where’s Co?” Willow parrots again.

  “He’s still at the party. I didn’t w
ant to pull him away from his friends, so I had Bass pick me up. I had fun though. This is just a lot to take in, you know? Besides, I’m kind of tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night and then being in the sun all day….” I shrug.

  “Yeah.” He glances over his shoulder at my mom and then back to me. “You’ve been living in a bubble for the past year—”

  “You mean the past seventeen years?” I joke, even though it’s true. It’s no secret that Uncle Max didn’t always agree with the way my parents sheltered me from experiencing life, going to school, and growing up with kids my own age.

  Max smiles. “You’re overwhelmed.”

  “This move.” I wave my hand and gesture to the house. “And this house. It’s all overwhelming.”

  Willow swims between us, kicking and splashing water in Max’s face.

  “Mimi and Jess did good, huh?” he asks, brushing the water from his eyes. “You like it?”

  “I love it. They did an amazing job.” I lift Willow and set her on my hip. She rests her head on my shoulder. “I really want to do something nice for them. To thank them.”

  “That’s not necessary. We’re family.”

  “How was the party, Jay?” Mom asks.

  “It was fun. One of Cole’s friends recognized me,” I tell her.

  “How?”

  I shrug. “She just did. Her name is Lexi. Her boyfriend is Evan. He plays on the football team with Cole.”

  “Evan Martinez.” Max nods knowingly. “His dad is Jason Martinez,” he explains to my mom before turning his attention back to me. “Lexi’s a trip.” He chuckles.

  “She’s hot,” Aiden adds.

  “You’ll never believe who Lexi’s mom is?”

  “Who?” my mom asks.

  “Diana Cooper.”

  Emerson’s eyes go wide. “No shit?”

  “Shit!” Willow parrots and Aiden laughs.

  A CLICK AND a flash of light have me opening my eyes, startling me when I see Cole standing over me with his phone in his hand. “Are you taking pictures of me?”

  “Of both of you.” He turns his phone around to show me the picture.

  “She’s so cute.” I give Willow a little squeeze and kiss the top of her head. “I gave the adults the night off so I could have her all to myself.”

  “Where’s Aiden?”

  “Your pervy little brother is spending the night at his friend Smith’s house.”

  “He’s a Mackenzie.” Cole chuckles and sits on the coffee table, facing me. “Hey, I’m sorry about today.”

  I frown. “For what?”

  “For ditching you. Lexi bitched me and Zach out after you left. I didn’t do it on purpose. You and Lexi seemed to be getting along, so I figured I’d give you some space to make friends. And you were with Brice. I knew he’d make sure no one messed with you. Anyway, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” I wave him off. “I was a little pissed at first, but I’m over it. It’s not your job to babysit me. That’s why I have Bass.” I snort.

  “Did you have fun, at least?”

  “Yeah. Brice is hilarious and Lexi is awesome. Evan is… quiet. Grayson is hot. And Zach’s a dick, but whatever.”

  Cole laughs. “Watch out for Grayson. And Zach’s just being a bitch because he’s pissed at you for blocking his calls. Why did you? What’d he do?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now?”

  “Fine, but you guys need to kiss and make up.”

  “Yeah, I’ll get right on that as soon as I don’t feel like punching him in the throat. What time is it, by the way?”

  He glances down at his phone screen. “Eight thirty. How long have you been asleep?”

  “I don’t know. Probably an hour.” He raises an eyebrow. “What? I told you I was tired, and this little diva wore me out. What are you doing back so early?”

  “Early? I was there all day. Do you have anything to eat? I stopped by my house to shower and change. I realized on the way over here that I hadn’t eaten since I got out of practice. I’m starving.”

  “Grace made lasagna. There’s plenty left over in the refrigerator. Help yourself.” Willow burrows herself closer and sighs. I lift my head to look at Cole and smile. “She’s so sweet. I want my own Willow one day. Do you think your mom would let me keep her for a few days?”

  Cole scoffs. “It’s not my mom you’d have to convince; it’s my dad. Willow runs the show in our house. She’s got Dad wrapped around her tiny finger. And you’re too young to be thinking about babies.” He gets up and heads to the kitchen.

  “I said ‘one day.’ Not now, dork. But one day I want a big family.”

  He shakes his head and opens the refrigerator. “You’re crazy. I hope you brushed her hair after her bath because it gets tangled. She’s tender-headed, so she screams bloody murder whenever we try to brush it out.”

  I stare at his back as he pulls the lasagna from the fridge.

  “What?” He quirks an eyebrow as he sets the dish on the counter. “Don’t believe me? Come to my house in the morning and see for yourself.”

  I snort as Grace walks into the kitchen and takes the tray of lasagna away from Cole and shoos him out of the way.

  “Your mom told me that, so I put some product in her hair which is supposed to prevent tangles and then I braided it. I guess we’ll see tomorrow if it works.” I lift one of her feet. “I painted her toenails. She threw a fit when I refused to paint her fingernails too, so we compromised on nail stickers.”

  “You spoil her, but, for what it’s worth, I think you’ll make a great mom one day.”

  “EMERSON!” A PRETTY dark-haired woman steps out from behind the receptionist’s desk and hugs my mom. “I’m so glad you’re back. We have so much catching up to do.”

  “Definitely,” my mom says before she turns to me. “Jayla, this is Lisa. She and I went to high school together. Lisa, this is my daughter Jayla.”

  “She’s beautiful, Emerson,” Lisa says, taking my hands and giving me a once over.

  “And who are these gorgeous ladies?” a smooth voice says beside us.

  I look over to see a guy who looks like he’s in his mid-twenties with black hair styled to perfection, dressed in a dark grey tapered button-up rolled up to his elbows and tucked into a pair of dark fitted jeans, a black belt, and black Prada loafers.

  “Xavier, this is Emerson, an old friend, and her daughter Jayla,” Lisa introduces.

  He smiles, showing off his perfect white teeth before gesturing to my mom and me. “So, which one of these beauties do I get to play with today?” He winks at Lisa.

  Lisa smiles. “Xavier is my second-in-command,” she tells us. “Jayla, from now on Xavier will be taking care of you. Whenever you come in here, you only see Xavier.”

  I nod and smile at Xavier. “Got it.”

  Two hours later my hair is trimmed, my nails are manicured, my feet are pedicured, and Xavier is my new best friend. Love him.

  “YOU ARE NOT taking pole dancing classes, Jayla,” Mom argues as she pulls into the parking garage below Mac’s. I don’t really want to take a pole dancing class, but I love to get her going. She makes it so easy.

  I turn my head to look out the passenger side window and stifle a laugh. Next door to Lisa’s salon is a private dance studio called Juliette’s. She teaches everything from ballroom dancing to pole dancing. You must be eighteen or have a parent’s consent to participate in her classes. When we walked inside, Juliette’s assistant showed us to the waiting room, which consisted of a couple of sofas and a one-way mirror. Juliette was in the middle of teaching a pole dancing class and I joked that I wanted to take that class. Mom’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

  I swear, it’s like she doesn’t know me at all.

  We settled for hip-hop classes on Wednesday evenings.

  “You’re lucky I even agreed to the hip-hop class.”

  Scoffing, I ask, “Why? I’ve seen the way you dance, hoochie mama.”

  “O
h, be quiet,” she says and we both laugh.

  Mac’s is located in Pelican Cove, at the front of the island between the two drawbridges. There are also other restaurants, bars, shops, boutiques, restaurants, a movie theater, a bowling alley and luxury apartments. Everything is within walking distance.

  I pictured Mac’s to look more like a sports bar with memorabilia plastered all over the walls, but it’s nothing of the sort. It’s open and airy, giving off an island feel. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Bay. Tropical fans hang from the high ceilings. The floors are a shiny polished marble; the walls are light and the doors are a heavy wood with palm leaves carved into them. A circular hostess stand made of the same wood and carvings, is positioned in the center of the room, and behind it are two sweeping staircases leading to a second level. The place is extremely upscale.

  “JJ!” Willow screeches, wiggling away from Uncle Max to run to me.

  “Boo!” I reach down to scoop her up, settling her on my hip before kissing her on the cheek.

  “Wook.” She holds up her fingers to show off the nail stickers that I put on her last night.

  “Wow! Who put these pretty stickers on your nails?” I ask, feigning shock.

  Willow giggles. “You.”

  “Wow! I did a good job.” Willow nods and I move to sit down at the table and settle her in my lap. “Uncle Max, this place is amazing,” I say.

  “Thanks,” he replies. “But I can’t take all the credit.” He gestures to Mimi. “I’ll show you around after lunch.”

  Willow pulls her thumb from her mouth and points to something over my shoulder. “Dat’s Ahpee.”

  “Who?” I turn my head to see a girl about my age and height with a gorgeous shade of red hair approaching our table with a pad and a pen. She’s wearing khaki cuffed shorts and a black three-button polo with “Mac’s” embroidered in red on the left side. Her hair is pulled back into a messy bun, showcasing her bright green eyes.

  “Harper,” Max says before gesturing to my mom and making introductions. “This is my little sister Emerson, my niece Jayla, and this handsome sonofa—”