Waves of Desire

by Lori Ann Mitchell

  Sage nearly dropped the plate but, instead, slid it atop Archie’s little knee before turning to join the grownups. “Oh,” she said, heart pounding as she leaned against the porch railing for support. “Okay, well…”

  “I was going to tell you,” he blathered, standing still, avoiding her eyes.

  “When, Derek?” she pressed.

  “In his defense,” Dana blurted, before Sage promptly shut her down.

  “He can defend himself, thanks!”

  Derek and his baby mama shared a quick, conspiratorial glance, as if maybe Sage was the interloper! On her own porch! Well, on Derek’s porch, but still.

  “Sage, I…” he paused, midway between both women. Turning to Dana he said, “Do you think… could you and Archie have your snack inside?”

  She nodded, ignoring Sage as she bundled up her boy and the tray and bustled them both inside. When the door shut behind them, Sage sagged back against the railing once more. “Derek,” she said, shaking her head.

  “I know,” he whispered, pacing in tight little circles in front of her. “I know, okay?”

  “Did you know about this?”

  “Two minutes before I told you, Sage.”

  “You didn’t tell me,” she reminded him. “Your baby mama did.”

  His face fell and he shivered dramatically, as if shaking off a bug. “Don’t call her that,” he chuckled, humorlessly.

  “What should I call her then?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, and Sage felt for the panicked little boy she saw lurking behind Derek’s wide, uncertain eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said. “What does she want?”

  “My help.”

  “Monetary help?” Sage asked, somehow suspecting it wouldn’t be that simple.

  “That and then some,” he confessed.

  She nodded. “Okay, Derek, well… then, that’s what we have to do.”

  He looked disappointed, as if he was expecting her to kick them out or something. “Do what?”

  “Help them, Derek. That’s your son, that little boy in there.”

  He nodded. “I know that, I just… gimme a little time to adjust, you know?”

  “You?” she blurted. “How about me?” They chuckled, then, instinctively tumbling into each other’s arms for a warm, intimate hug.

  “Who is she, anyway?” she asked, pressing him away reluctantly.

  “Some girl from high school,” he said. “We were only together one night.”

  “That’s all it takes, Derek. Not that I would know, since I’m not some surfer boy man whore like yourself, but…”

  “I was stupid, a kid,” he insisted. “You know how it is.”

  “I don’t, really, but I know how you are, and I can’t say I’m surprised.”

  He stared back at her, bluntly, like a deer – no, more like a boy – trapped in the headlights. “Okay, okay,” she said, turning to face the quaint little side street on which Derek’s beach cottage was located. “I don’t want to kick you when you’re down, it’s just… things were just settling in for us, you know?”

  “You’re telling me,” he said, sliding beside her, shoulders touching as they both rested their elbows atop the weathered railing. “I just want everything to go back to the way it was five minutes ago, you know?”

  She nodded. “You and me, mister.”

  He turned to her. “But it can’t, right?”

  She turned to him. “Not right now, Derek. This is happening and we have to deal with it.”

  He nodded, reaching for her hand. “I just… I want us to be okay, you know? I haven’t done anything wrong this time.”

  “Not this time,” she chuckled. “And I am okay, just… a little shocked, that’s all.”

  “I know, Sage. I’m sorry.”

  She sighed, nodding. “We should get back inside.”

  “I guess it is kind of rude for us to stand out here all day, huh?”

  “That,” she teased. “And she took all the beer with her!”

  Chapter 4:

  Derek

  Derek tipped the delivery boy and watched him go with an envious glance. He was young, carefree, unencumbered by the pressures of adulthood. Popping back into his ratty pickup truck, the one with the glowing “Pepperoni’s Pizza” sign on top of the cab, he pulled away in a burst of grinding gears and exhaust, leaving Derek waving at his taillights before turning with a sigh and drifting back inside.

  The flat screen TV in the living room flickered with a most unusual sight: cartoons. Sage had discovered an all cartoon, all the time channel and now little Archie sat, transfixed, hugging a soft maroon throw that normally rested on the armrest of the leather couch.

  Dana sat in one of the wicker barstools across from the kitchen while Sage arranged paper plates and napkins in anticipation of the pizza. When he set it down on the counter she divvied it up carefully, sliding a plate across to Dana who picked it up without a word and dove in with a voracious glee.

  “How long’s it been since you guys have eaten?” Derek asked as Sage brought a plate out to little Archie.

  Dana swallowed, wiped away some grease from her lips and confessed, “It’s a long bus ride from California, Derek.” Her tone made it clear she’d rather eat than talk and so Derek did the same, munching absently on a thin slice he could hardly taste while taking warm sips of his mostly forgotten beer.

  After eating only half the slice of pizza, though, Dana tossed her greasy, crumpled napkin atop her plate and took her fifth beer of the night to join Archie on the couch. While mother and son bonded over a cartoon about a giant talking whale and his little mouse friend, Sage drifted into the kitchen to help him clean up.

  When at last the kitchen was spotless, Sage grabbed her phone. “Dana,” she said over the kitchen counter. “I’m going to make a few calls outside. Care if I borrow Derek for a minute?”

  Dana grunted and raised a dismissive hand, as if she couldn’t be bothered. Derek saw the look of irritation wash across Sage’s face as they drifted out the foyer and onto the front porch.

  Darkness had fallen, the street silent, the tiny beachside town of Seaside, Florida quiet and still. “What now?” Derek asked in a panicked voice.

  Sage paced, waving her cell phone like a wand. “I think… they need a place to stay, right?”

  Derek sagged. “I thought… I figured they’d stay here, for now?”

  “Yeah, no,” Sage declared, shaking her head. “You open that door, I’m afraid they’ll never leave.”

  “Well, what then?”

  Sage sighed. “One of my best customers owns the Seaside Motel, down on Third Street?”

  He nodded. “That could work. Do you think she’d go for it?”

  “Does she have a choice?” Sage clucked, finding Rhoda Channing’s number in her contacts list. Dialing it, she picked up on the third ring. “Rhoda? It’s Sage, from Sequels bookstore?” Derek watched as Sage chuckled, perhaps for the first time all night. “No, no, that hasn’t come in yet. I’m actually calling to see if you have any vacancies at the moment. You do? Oh, that’d be great. How long?” Sage paused, turning to Derek, who shrugged and held up his hands. She rolled her eyes and said, “Why don’t we start with two weeks, Rhoda. Is there a discount on that?”

  Sage nodded, smiling briefly. “That’d be great, Rhoda. Truly awesome, I… huh?” Sage’s voice broke, an emotional kind of gasp, making Derek inch closer as she wiped her eyes. “No, I’m fine, just… been a long night. So, we should be over in a few, okay, and… I really appreciate it!”

  Sage hung up the phone, sagging against Derek’s chest. “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head and clinging to him. “I just… got emotional all of a sudden.”

  “I’m sorry to put you through all this, Sage,” he said. “I just… I panicked. We’ll all be better after a good night’s sleep.”

  “Let’s hope so,” she said, straightening and pressing him gently away.

  Ch
apter 5:

  Sage

  “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

  Rhoda Channing peered back at her from across the registration desk, looking kindly but cautious in a simple print blouse and khaki pants. They looked slightly askew, as if Rhoda had been settling in for the night, comfy in her pajamas or nightgown, when Sage had called.

  “My credit’s good,” Sage teased, sliding her card back from where Rhoda had run it through the machine only moments earlier.

  “It’s not you I’m asking about,” Rhoda said, voice slightly tense. They didn’t know each other all that well. She came in once a week for a stack of torrid romance novels that Sage always made sure to keep on hand and, when there were returns or overages she couldn’t get rid of, Sage often gave them to Rhoda to stock in the lending library she kept in the lobby for her guests.

  But this was the first time Sage had been on the other side of Rhoda’s counter, and she felt bad asking for a last minute favor at this time of night. “Shoot,” she said and watched as Rhoda nodded out the front office door.

  Dana stood in the parking lot, smoking a cigarette idly and tapping her feet. She looked washed out beneath a pale streetlight, red hair straggly, shorts short, halter top clingy and cheap. Little Archie tugged at her hem and got no response.

  “How well do you know that woman?”

  Sage snorted. “I just met her.”

  “And who is she to you?”

  “Does it matter?” Sage challenged.

  Rhoda arched one eyebrow and Sage snorted. “I’m sorry, I just… it’s been a long night. Let’s just say she’s… family… and leave it at that.”

  “I wish I could leave it at that,” Rhoda said, clucking a motherly tongue. “But I don’t normally rent to addicts.”

  Sage stood at attention, heart pounding. “What do you mean?”

  Rhoda nodded toward Dana through the glass, Sage taking a closer look as she explained, “Sage, that girl is hooked on something. Several something’s, from the looks of it.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “Just look at her,” Rhoda said. “She can’t stand still, hasn’t looked at that beautiful kid once, is shaking like a banshee, odds are the minute you check her in she sneaks out and buys a six-pack, or more, just to get through the night.”

  Sage’s face fell as she leaned against the check-in counter of the Seaside Motel. Suddenly, the half slice of pizza and eight beers Dana had downed back at Derek’s place made total sense. “I didn’t know where else to go,” she confessed, peering at her loyal customer. “Are you mad?”

  Rhoda softened, covering Sage’s hand with her own. “Heavens no,” she said. “I just… I wanted to make sure we were both on the same page in case she messes up and I have to kick her out.”

  Sage nodded, biting her lower lip as if being reprimanded by the school principal. “I’ll try to keep her on the straight and narrow,” she promised. “First thing tomorrow, I’m going to take her job hunting and…”

  “You know,” Rhoda interrupted, tapping the “Help Wanted” sign near her cash register. “I’ve been looking for part-time help, which is probably all your ‘family member’ out there can manage at this point.”

  “Really?”

  Rhoda held up a cautionary hand. “It wouldn’t be much,” she said. “Cleaning the rooms a few hours every morning and maybe again in the afternoon. But it could pay her enough cash in hand so you don’t have to give her an allowance, and not enough for her to get in trouble. Plus, if it works out, I’ll give you a reduced rate from now on.”

  Sage shook her head, bit her lip and turned from the counter so her friend wouldn’t see her cry. “Hey, hey now,” Rhoda said, seeing her anyway. She came around from behind the counter, revealing slippers beneath the cuffs of her hastily pulled on slacks. They both laughed at the sight, Sage through her tears. “I don’t know what’s happening, or why, but… she’s got a place to stay here as long as she behaves, okay? That much I can do for you and, if you ever feel like telling me who she really is to you, well… I’m all ears, okay?”

  “I’m not trying to be evasive,” Sage insisted, giving Rhoda a quick hug before taking the room keys from her. “I’m just… trying to figure it all out first, you know?”

  “I do,” Rhoda said, reaching for a small rack of plush animals near the fold-up maps and sea turtle key-chains she sold near the register. “Here, for the little one.”

  Rhoda handed her a small dolphin, fuzzy and grey, with soft, black marble eyes that seemed to be winking. Sage reached for her purse and Rhoda held up her hand once more. “On the house,” she insisted.

  “Fine,” Sage quipped. “Then your next smutty romance novel is on me.”

  Rhoda winked, opening the door for her. “If you insist,” she teased.

  “I do,” Sage said, voice cracking as she stood half-in, half-out of the door. Above her, bells chimed and Dana and Archie looked back at her, both wearing two very different expressions. Through a forced smile, Dana could hardly hide her contempt while, with shy eyes, little Archie grinned shyly, as if recognizing an old friend.

  Or, perhaps… a new one.

  Chapter 6:

  Derek

  “Yes!”

  Derek raced to drag Archie from the surf, the little tyke giggling and merry as he wiped wet, strawberry blond hair from his eyes. “Again?” he asked as Derek grabbed his mini-board from the roiling surf.

  “One more time!” Derek cautioned, just as he had the last twelve times he’d set little Archie back on the board and guided him back out to surf one more wave.

  He couldn’t help it. Archie surf so naturally, his little legs ultra-coordinated, his back bent just so, his little arms wobbling but staying steady as he bore down on another wave and rode it right through to the chop. Of course, Derek was there every step of the way, protective of his latest “student” as he’d never been before.

  Sure, he’d taught dozens of kids how to surf – hundreds, probably – but never his own. As he grabbed Archie with one hand and the board with the other, they walked slowly along the shoreline.

  Dana sat, watching them from beneath a beach umbrella, pale skin glowing from repeated coats of sunscreen. She drank a beer, cold and frosty, from the cooler at her side.

  “Way to go, baby,” Dana said as Archie ran into her arms. She winked at Derek saucily before adding, “And you too, Archie.”

  “Very funny, Mom!” Archie said, patting her playfully before letting Derek dry him off with a fuzzy new beach towel. Everything was new, it seemed, from Archie’s tot-sized T-shirt and flip-flops and baggies to Dana’s skimpy bikini and the cooler at her side.

  He’d surprised them at the Seaside Motel that morning, not wanting to waste his first day with little Archie. He figured she’d have a few things for him to wear but it seemed like Dana had showed up with only the basics: Socks, underwear and lipstick. He’d spent half the morning at Sun ‘N Sand, the local tourist shop, buying beach towels and a cooler, bikinis and board shorts, an umbrella and sunscreen.

  It was different with Sage. They were both adults, independent, with their own things and low-key at that. No coolers or fancy beach towels, no umbrellas or thirty dollar sandals. They just surfed, showered and either grabbed a Surfer’s Special at Shuckers Raw Bar or headed back home. Being with Dana and little Archie was like starting from scratch, in more ways than one!

  “How’d you do, Booger?” Dana asked, more animated than he’d seen her all day.

  “Good, I think,” Archie said, looking to Derek for approval.

  Derek tousled his hair and said, “Good? He did great! So good, you deserve a juice box!”

  Derek reached into the cooler and grabbed a juice box for Archie and an iced coffee for himself, spotting six empty beer bottles floating in the melting ice. No wonder Dana was in such high spirits.

  “Here you go, buddy,” Derek said, sitting Archie down and plopping the straw in the box.

  “Thanks!” Archie
said, sucking it down greedily as Derek sank into the second fold-up chair across from Dana.

  He handed it back, empty and bent in the middle, before lying down in a tangle of beach towels and T-shirts. “I’m just gonna rest my eyes,” he said, before sagging heavily – and instantly – asleep.

  “Wow,” Derek marveled, watching his mouth open slackly as little snores trembled from his chubby pink nose. “I’ve never seen anyone go to sleep that fast before.”

  “I have,” Dana teased, waving an empty beer bottle around.

  “Yeah?” Derek asked, taking the bait.

  “You, right after our first time!”

  Derek blushed and sipped his coffee. “Shhhh,” he said, nodding toward Archie. “He might hear.”

  “He’s out for the next hour or so, trust me,” she insisted. “You tuckered him out.”

  “You should have joined us,” he said.

  “Why?” she asked. “I needed a break.”

  Derek looked up at her, then back to Archie, grateful the little tyke was busy snoozing. “Dana!” he hissed under his breath.

  “What?” she said, waving her beer bottle, eyes glazed. “You’re having fun with him now because it’s your first day. Check back with me in four years.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not very motherly talk, Dana.”

  She sighed and wriggled in her chair, shoulders freeing themselves from the gauzy little beach cover-up he’d bought her just that morning. “I can’t help it, Derek,” she said, full breasts pale and ripe against her maroon and black print bikini top. “I just don’t feel very motherly when I’m around you.”

  “Please,” he said, sipping his iced coffee. “It was one time, four years ago. Hardly the affair of the century.”

  She made a pouty face, batting her thick eyelashes. “Maybe not to you, D,” she said, using his old nickname softly. “But to me, you were the one who got away.”

  “Please,” he scoffed, quietly, so as not to wake little Archie.