“What happened to you?” he asked. Sexy and young as she was, there was a hardness to Dana that he hadn’t remembered before. She’d never been innocent and naïve, exactly, but she’d had a sweetness to her back in high school that suddenly seemed like a distant memory. Now she was all hard angles and dull eyes.
“Don’t judge me, Derek,” she said, rising from the bar and drifting toward the deck to peer out into the dark, inky night. “You have a kid and leave high school early and see how things turn out for you.”
“Don’t blame that shit on me,” he huffed, putting down his drink and following her onto the deck. “If you’d told me what was going on, Dana, I would have participated.”
“Maybe I didn’t want you to,” she huffed back, pacing in tight little circles near the outer deck railing. “Maybe you were just a one night stand and I never wanted you back in my life.”
Derek shrugged. He wasn’t shocked by her comment, or particularly hurt. After all, they were words he’d thought on more than one occasion since she’d re-entered his life. “So why’d you come here anyway?”
She shrugged back, bare shoulders aglow beneath the pale moonlight. “You’re the kid’s father,” she sighed. “Where else was I gonna go?”
He chuckled. “I guess that makes sense,” he sighed, leaning against the railing and watching her carefully. She seemed a little woozy, suddenly, eyes struggling to focus as she wobbled in place. “You all right?”
“Sure!” she said, waving her hand a little wildly. “Never better.”
He shook his head, biting his lower lip. She seemed drunk, but how? He’d gotten rid of all the booze and she’d been in the house all afternoon, never out of his sight for more than a few minutes at a time.
Still, as they stood in silence, across the deck from each other, he watched her eyes grow drowsy, her body relaxing gently against the weathered wood of the porch railing.
His stomach clenched anxiously as he approached her. “Dana?” he asked, cautiously. She was suddenly alert, stiffening as if being caught.
“Marumphfraggle,” she mumbled and he shook his head.
“All right,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” she asked, more coherently.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he said, grabbing her by the waist as her arm slithered around his neck in a vice grip.
“Finally,” she slurred, but there was no longer any heat behind her flirtation. They struggled up the stairs, Dana becoming dead weight about halfway up until they reached the bedroom doorway when, suddenly, she sprang to life.
Contorting despite her eyes being half-lidded, the straps of her sundress slid off her shoulders and, gently, down her arms. The dress itself followed, drizzling down her body like melting ice cream until it puddled at her feet. She stepped, gingerly, out of it and somehow sank onto the crisp white sheets of the guest bed.
“Come on, baby,” she purred, skin velvet and soft in the room’s dim light. “Nobody will know and I’ll treat you real good.”
“Yeah,” he snorted, approaching cautiously. “Should be real fun when you pass out halfway through. What’d you get into up here, anyway?”
She sighed and, lying on her side, pointed to the pill bottle on the nightstand. “When I saw you’d thrown out all the booze,” she confessed, eyes focusing then blurring equally, “I ransacked your medicine cabinet. Found a few sleeping pills and figured they’d at least take the edge off.”
“Jesus,” he huffed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “They sure have. Come on, Dana, get under the covers.”
“Only if you’ll join me,” she purred, sliding out long and lean in the soft white sheets. She laid back, hair dry now and soft on the white pillow, lips full and wet, eyes smoky and sleepy as her breasts lay, radiant and soft and oh, so close. He could reach out and touch them, tenderly, rasping and teasing and no one would ever know.
She spread her legs invitingly, belly flat and bush soft and thin like a landing strip to places he hadn’t traveled in years. Her legs stretched, long and coltish, feet bare, purple nail polish cracked and in need of a fresh coat.
He smirked, ignoring his sudden hard on to drag the covers across her tempting, young, naked flesh. “Sleep tight, Dana,” he said, grabbing the bottle from the nightstand as he stood. They were some over the counter sleep aids he’d bought at the drugstore a few weeks earlier. Nothing too hardcore and, looking inside, it was still mostly full.
“Come on, baby,” she purred but, looking down, her eyes were closed, her breathing steady, the covers still tucked up under her chin. He smiled, relieved she was at least safe and warm, before turning off the lamp by her bed and drifting back into the bathroom.
Opening the medicine cabinet, he looked for anything else she might get into. There wasn’t much, but he did take the sleeping pills and a few bottles of aspirin and Sage’s cramp relievers for good measure. Downstairs he did the same, until the house was child- and drunk-proof.
Then again, he’d thought that earlier in the day, too. His cell phone rang just then, skittering across the kitchen counter. He grabbed it before the steel drum ring tone could wake Dana. “Hey,” he said softly, seeing Sage’s number before swiping to answer.
“Where are you guys?” she asked brightly, the sound of cartoons blaring in the background.
He crept onto the deck, sliding the French doors shut behind him. “Dana got into my sleeping pills,” he said. “She just zonked out, but… I don’t feel right leaving her alone right now.”
“Jesus,” Sage said, softly, and from the quieter background noises Derek could tell she’d crept away from the TV in the living room to talk. “How many?”
“She said just a couple, and there were a ton left in the bottle, so I’m thinking she was telling the truth.”
“Why?” Sage asked.
“She found out I’d thrown all the booze out and just wanted something to take the edge off, I guess.”
“Shoot,” she said. “I forgot about the pills.”
“Me, too,” he gushed, glad for someone grownup to talk to after “babysitting” his baby mama all night. “I guess she’s more messed up than we thought, huh?”
“I didn’t know it was this bad,” she said. “I guess… you’re right, you should stay with her to make sure she’s okay.”
“You guys could come down?” he suggested, already missing her.
“I dunno,” she said, and her motherly tone made it clear which way she was leaning. “That’s probably not a great idea, Archie seeing his mommy like that. Plus I’ve already got him settled watching Baby Edison, so… maybe tomorrow?”
He shook his head, gritting his teeth. “Sure,” he said. “Tell Archie ‘hi’ for me, okay?”
“Will do!” she brightened, as if relieved. “Just… take care, okay? And if you need anything, I’m only a block away, okay?”
“We’ll be fine,” Derek said, noting how easily they had paired off since the move: Archie and Sage in her upstairs loft above the bookstore, Derek stuck with Dana in his place. “Just… let’s not make this a habit, okay?”
“You’re telling me!” she snorted, the old Sage once again. “I won’t need sleeping pills for the rest of my life after one night with this little hellion. I’ll be lucky if I make it past nine!”
“Well good luck,” he snorted, thinking maybe he’d gotten the better end of this deal, after all. “Should I… should I tell Archie goodnight?”
Derek heard the hesitation even before she said, “Well, I just got him settled with his favorite DVD, so… I don’t want to get him riled up again.”
“You’re probably right,” he said, disappointed in how relieved he felt. Derek knew he should be spending more time with his son, not his drunken, slutty baby mama! “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“Well, I was thinking I could keep Archie at the bookstore for awhile, and maybe you could come visit.”
“Nice!” he said. “Great thinking.”
; “Yeah,” she chuckled. “I’m kind of good at this, ain’t I?”
“You sound surprised,” he cooed, wanting nothing more than to have Sage, right then and there. “I’m not.”
“You’re prejudiced,” she said, just before the sound of a loud DVD returned. “Oh, shoot, Archie got into the cookie jar – literally. I’ll… stop by the store tomorrow, okay?”
“I will,” he said, but she had already hung up.
Derek sighed. He’d give anything for a nice, cold beer, or that crisp, dry Cabernet he’d mentioned earlier. Instead he cleaned up the kitchen and settled in for a long, lonely night.
Chapter 9:
Sage
“You finished that already?”
Sage looked up from her cup of coffee to find Archie, tugging at her skirt hem. “Any more books?” he asked, looking up at her sweetly with those soft, green eyes.
She chuckled, kneeling to squeeze his chubby little cheeks. “Sure, Archie. This is a bookstore, remember?”
He tapped her coffee cup and said, smartly, “Then how come there’s food?”
She laughed and said, “Good question.”
With anyone else, that would be it. But Archie was waiting, patiently, not giving up. “He wants an answer,” said Colby, Sage’s manager at Sequels, her bookstore-slash-café.
“What, a real one?” Sage asked.
Colby winked and nodded, crouching next to the little guy. “Archie, we serve books and food here.”
“Oh,” he said, looking from one woman to the next. “Okay. More books, please?”
They chuckled and stood. “I’ll find him a few,” Colby said as the door opened and more customers came in. It was the morning, one of the busiest times of the day, half the customers wanting their special book orders and the other half wanting fresh coffee and baked treats to start their day.
After she’d satisfied both and returned to the café counter for a much-needed sip out of her own mug, she smiled to find Colby reading to Archie in the Kids’ Corner of the store. It was where Sage kept the picture books, stacked on low, colorful shelves just the right height for little hands to grab. There was a little table in the corner, and little chairs, and soft plush toys in three little wicker baskets situated here and there. A mobile hung in the storefront window, boxy planes and helicopters flying in lazy circles all day long.
At the moment, Archie looked cozy and content, nestled in his fuzzy red chair while, across from him, Colby sat, low to the ground, legs crossed primly in her khaki work skirt, reading aloud from a new picture book about a boy who loved to climb trees named “Terry Treetop” and his adventures with a lost little dolphin. The little tyke looked enthralled, and handsome to boot, wearing one of the several new outfits Sage had picked out for him at the local Kids Mart.
Rather than feel put out, despite his mother’s antics, Sage had enjoyed the outing to the kid’s only superstore. She’d stocked up on all the essentials – socks and underwear, shoes and cute little ball caps, shirts and pants – but plenty of cute little extra’s as well. There were the nightlights, the toys, the teddy bears and tiny toothbrushes, all the things a single woman who’d lived alone for most of her life had no idea what kids needed.
She still had a lot to learn about having a four-year-old for a roommate, but so far she hadn’t poisoned, dropped or forgotten little Archie, so she felt at least ahead of the curve.
Then again, she had caffeine to thank for that! While pouring herself a new cup, Sage heard the bell over the door and looked up, at once thrilled to see Derek – who she’d been missing terribly – and just as quickly disappointed to see Dana, trailing behind him.
She looked tired but glowing, skin kissed by the sun, hair pulled back, breezily, into a ponytail sticking out behind a faded orange ball cap. She wore a silk tank top, no bra, breasts full and ripe and youthful. A crinkle skirt, breezy and soft, caressed her long, coltish legs as she approached, bypassing Sage without a word to approach Archie.
The little tyke looked up, cautiously, then brightened to see his mother. They embraced, awkwardly, as Colby sat the book on her lap. While they chatted, Sage clung to Derek desperately, and he to her.
It felt good to feel his body against hers. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever,” she groaned, pushing him away if only to see his smiling face.
“Forever and a day,” he said, just as miserably. “This sucks.”
“Big time!” she agreed, pouring him some coffee.
“Can I get one to go?” he asked, cautiously, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Dana, settled into a chair next to Archie and listening as Colby continued to read to them. “I’m taking Dana to the Copy Shop to work on her resume, and she’s dragging after last night, so…”
“Anything to get her off her ass and out into the job market,” Sage huffed, filling a jumbo Styrofoam cup with the strongest brew of the day.
Derek chuckled, looking handsome in a crisp grey and black striped tank top and a pair of flat-front black shorts. “Trust me, it took a whole pot of coffee at home just to get her this far.”
“This is going to be harder than I thought, Derek.”
“I know, Sage, I just… I’m trying my best here.”
“We both are,” she assured him, covering Derek’s hand with her own. “If only she were trying half as hard.”
They both turned, just then, watching Dana yawn and slump, half-asleep, as Colby continued to read to little Archie, who looked upset at his mother’s antics. “I mean look at that,” Sage said. “She should be reading to her son, not letting my manager read to him.”
“It’s like she has no maternal instincts,” Derek agreed. “I told her Archie would be here this morning, thinking she’d be excited to see him after last night, and I had to twist her arm just to come.”
Sage sighed, feeling many things: Angry, jealous, bitter, frustrated, disappointed, but mostly just… sad. She was no mother, she wasn’t even married, but she’d hated spending a single night away from her boyfriend, let alone her own son. She couldn’t imagine how that might feel.
“Maybe it’ll be better when she’s sober a little longer,” she said.
“I hope,” Derek sighed. “Listen, we better go. I want to get her home before happy hour, if you know what I mean?”
She smiled, squeezing his forearm. “Let’s do dinner at your place, huh?” she suggested. “That way Archie and I can come and go, I get to see you a little more but Dana won’t have the opportunity to pass out in my living room.”
“It won’t always be like this, Sage.”
They shared a soft, tender kiss. “Promise?” she asked. Even as he nodded, emphatically, Sage found it hard to believe him. Derek was young and naïve, and wanted to believe that Dana could change. As they sat and watched her let yet another caregiver read to her own child, Sage knew in her heart that Dana was foul, all the way to the core.
She just didn’t know what to do about it. Yet…
Chapter 10:
Derek
“Great job, Archie!”
Archie giggled, precious in his new pint-size wetsuit, sunscreen dotting his pug little nose. “Again?” He asked.
“Sure thing, buddy!” Derek said, grabbing his pint-size board.
As they were about to shuffle off back into the surf, a woman cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me?”
Derek stood, holding Archie’s hand as a mother squinted back at him, doing the same with her own little boy. “I was wondering, you’re so good with him…” Her voice trailed off, nodding toward Archie. “Do you think, I know it’s a terrible imposition, but… could you take little Mikey here out?”
Derek winked and knelt to one knee, so he’d be eye to eye with her son. “What do you say, Mikey? You want to surf with me and Archie?”
The little boy looked up at his mother, then back at them. Saying nothing, he merely bit his little lip. “Come on,” said Archie, grabbing Mikey’s free hand. “It’s fun!”
Without l
ooking back, Archie and Mikey walked into the frothy surf! “Wait up!” Derek chuckled, calling after them.
One by one, he helped them surf. When it was Mikey’s turn, he held Archie in his free arm. When it was Archie’s turn, Derek held Mikey in the same arm. They got along well together, behaving and sharing until he paused to look back and found Mikey’s mother, waving playfully from the shore.
They must have been at it for awhile, for she’d unfolded her beach towel from her wicker purse and laid it out, sitting to watch them. Now she sat, cross-legged, waving them in.
He willingly obliged, letting little Mikey run into his mother’s arms, wet and salty from the sea. “It was fun, Mommy!” he said, dancing around her on the towel. Instant friends, Archie joined him. “Can we do it again tomorrow?!?”
Mikey’s mother looked up at Derek and made a kind of “Well, can we?” face. He smirked and sank to his knees next to her on the towel.
“Actually, I was thinking of starting up another surf school session this week,” he said, Archie leaning against him familiarly, an affectionate display he wasn’t prone to. At least, not yet. “I’ve never done a Pre-K session before, but now that my son’s here for a visit…”
“This is your son?” The mother asked. “I’m Karla, by the way. I thought you two looked familiar!”
Derek blushed, looking at Archie more closely. There was nothing about the little redhead that looked like Derek, but then again… he was only four, going on five. Maybe by ten or fifteen, the resemblance would show up. For now, he felt only fatherly pride as the little tyke clung tightly to his neck.
“Well, anyway, let’s meet here around the same time tomorrow and I’ll bring some boards for the kids to share. If you know anyone else who might like to join, it’s $20 per week, and I’ll run the session as long as you moms have the energy!”
Waves of Desire Page 4
