Off Beat (Forgotten Flounders Series Book 1)

by J. C. Hannigan

  “Here, Mom, let me take that,” Connor said, placing her gift on top of Mom’s and taking them both. She carried them toward the gift table. Dare noticed her bogged down by gift boxes and stepped in to give her a hand, but she ignored him, placing them on the table by herself, and brushed past him, heading for the café to say hello to Asher.

  Dare frowned pensively after her, and Evan nudged him with his elbow, saying something low that made the contemplative look slid from his face. He grinned, shaking his head, and muttered something back.

  “It’s so good to see you again,” Harper said, drawing my attention back to my parents. Dad exhaled audibly, lifting his brows and nodding in some poor ass excuse of a greeting, while my mom immediately wrapped her arms around Harper in another one of her warm hugs.

  “Thank you so much for having us.” She said, pulling back to hug me too before stepping back, a huge grin.

  “Of course,” Harper replied, smiling too.

  “Oh! I see the birthday boy!” Mom exclaimed, spotting Asher across the room and immediately scooting over to say hello.

  “I suppose our invitations to the other eight parties got lost in the mail.” He smiled to soften the jab, but it was still there—he knew it, I knew it, and so did Harper.

  “Dad,” I growled in warning, but Harper’s easy smile had faded, and she blinked as if resetting.

  “Beverages are on the house in the café, Holly will make them for you, and please help yourself to any of the treats on the tables.” She said, opting to ignore his comment. She forced a polite, brief smile that didn’t reach her eyes before she walked away to join my mom and Connor with Asher.

  Pissed, I turned to face him with a hard glare, catching him watching the four of them with a cumbersome frown. “Do that again, and all of your future invitations will get lost, too.” I threatened quietly. “This is a little kid’s birthday party, not a podium for you to air your grievances. Remember that or show yourself out.”

  I walked away, not caring if he followed or left. Maybe that’s what got to him—the not caring. The way I’d easily write him out if he continued to tromp down the same path.

  Mom was beginning to see it, Connor, too. I could tell in the careful way they watched me when I joined them.

  Their eyes bounced from me to beyond me, and when I turned, I realized that my father had followed a few steps behind. He’d wiped the scowl from his face, wearing a neutral mask that didn’t beguile much. His eyes softened when they finally landed and focused on his grandson.

  “Asher, this is your grandfather.” I managed to keep my own tone and expression neutral. But Asher was just as excited to meet my father as he’d been to meet everyone else.

  “Wow, you look like an older version of my dad!” Asher exclaimed, eyes widening. His assessment brought a smile to the corner of my old man’s lips.

  “You look like a younger version of your dad.” He responded, his eyes moving to me for a beat before returning to Asher.

  Asher’s smile spread, and he stepped forward to hug my dad around the waist. It startled him for a moment before he came to his senses and hugged him back.

  The bell chimed over the door, and Nik walked in, his mom following reluctantly behind. Her dark brows were creased, and her lips in a thin straight line as her gaze moved around the room, taking in the decorations and surveying the people in it. They came to rest on our little party—her eyes moving from Connor and my mom to my dad and finally me.

  Her expression hardening, she looked away, saying something quietly to Nik. He nodded and took the gift bag she held in her left hand and ran it over to the gift table.

  Spotting Nik, Asher released my dad and barreled toward him. “Nik! You’re finally here! What took you soon long?”

  “My mom took forever getting ready.” Nik rolled his eyes, and the two boys scurried over to join the rest of their friends.

  “I’ll be right back,” Harper said apologetically, leaving us to go greet Raina. They exchanged a few quiet words, and Raina seemed to visibly relax for a moment—until she glanced over in our direction. The tension returned to her shoulders, and she shook her head.

  “I can’t do this. I’ll pick him up after the party ends if that’s okay?” Raina said, her voice barely carrying over to where I stood. Harper nodded, and Raina gave her a small, appreciative smile before turning and walking quickly back out the door.

  Harper had mentioned she was pissed about the money and had flat out refused to take it. I understood pride, and I was grateful that she had been able to come up with an alternative way of helping out Asher’s best friend and his mom, one that Raina agreed with—and one that got my girl and our son in my house sooner—but I could feel her dislike of me rolling off in waves, and that didn’t sit well with me.

  I hadn’t meant to step on toes, but for some inexplicable reason, I felt a pull to help not only Nik but this abrasive server as well. I recognized something of myself in her sad eyes, and I didn’t think it was right that they should struggle—that they should be evicted from their apartment—when I had the means to change that, to stop it.

  Sighing warily, I swallowed back the guilt and turned back to my family. Mom was watching as Raina walked briskly past the shop windows. “Who was that?” She asked curiously, frowning like she thought she recognized her but couldn’t place her.

  “Nik’s mom,” I answered. “Raina Parsons.”

  My father’s head swiveled, looking past me to the door, but Raina had already disappeared from view. Mom’s frown increased, and she looked at my father for a fraction of a moment, her gaze questioning and hurt before she forced her gaze away. Something about their reaction prickled my memory.

  “Asher seems to be a popular kid,” Mom commented, watching my son and his friends congregate near the snack table. “Just like another little blue-eyed, dark-haired boy.” She added, her hand slipping through my dad’s.

  Dad gave her a brief smile, but the moment she’d shifted her focus to the birthday boy, the pensive look was back on his face.

  Harper was still standing near the door, watching it with a frown. I drifted toward her, hands in my pocket. “I really didn’t mean to cause issues with Raina for you.”

  “It’s not about that,” she assured me with a sigh before she found a smile. “Raina has never liked social things. She always drops Nik off and goes. She’s not a people person. But anyway, we’ll talk about it later. Now that all the guests are here, it’s game time!”

  Babbling—just a little and avoiding meeting my eyes. Both were nervous traits of Harper’s that rose the alarm in me. She was keeping something from me.

  But she gave me no time to question her, as she walked purposely toward the kids. “Who wants to play pin the tail on the pig?” She asked, gesturing to a poster along the far wall of the café of a pixelated pig. A series of “me’s” rang out, while many of the kids jumped and raised their hands, hoping to be called first.

  Ellery moved toward Harper, a stack of pink plastic tails and a blindfold. When Evan caught sight of her, he straightened to attention.

  Harper joined her friend in front of the poster, and the kids gathered around them. They passed out the tails, making sure every kid had one. “Each tail is numbered, so remember your number. The person who gets closest to the outline will win a prize. Once you have your tail, line up behind the green line.”

  Ellery handed her the blindfold and Harper stepped forward to tie it around the first child’s eyes. She gently spun the little girl around three times and guided her toward the poster. The girl took a few hesitant steps, her hand out in front of her. When she touched the poster, she stuck the tail that she held in her other hand to it, placing it just to the left of the pig, and stepped back, pulling the blindfold off.

  She seemed a little disappointed at first, but she shrugged out of it once Harper’s attention was on her.

  “Great job, Nina!” She grinned, taking the blindfold from her. Nina gave her a timid smile before
rejoining the other kids.

  Nik was next. He stood still so Harper could tie the blindfold around his head. A few spins and he was walking toward the poster with a lot more confidence than the first little girl. He pinned the tail to it, about three inches away from the outline, and tugged the blindfold off.

  His lips spread into a slow smile, and for just a moment I paused—there was something deeply familiar about it. Turning my head, I watched my father—who had taken a sudden deep interest in the game.

  He, too, was watching Nik, his brows furrowed.

  “Can I play, too?” Evan asked, appearing by my side soundlessly, jolting me.

  Dare had followed as well, and he frowned, glancing at our friend. “It’s for the kids, dipshit.”

  Evan pouted as if this greatly disappointed him. “That’s no fun. I was hoping the prize would be a night with the baked goods goddess.”

  I shook my head, looking back at my father. But he was no longer watching Nik; he was talking to Mom, or listening, rather—nodding along to whatever it was she was saying.

  Harper

  Most of the party guests had already called it a night and left, but Calum’s mom, Connor, Dare, Evan, and my parents had all remained to help us with the cleanup. Well, Evan had stayed to attempt to talk to Ellery more, but at least he helped while he pursued her.

  Within an hour, we had the store completely returned to normal, and the Jeep loaded up with gifts and some of the leftover food. I’d packed up the rest for everyone who’d stayed, and one for Raina and Nik. My parents had just left, taking their box of goodies with them, and the rest were beginning to gather their coats.

  Calum’s father had remained, too. He was sitting at one of the tables building a new Lego set—a gift from him and Maeve—with Asher and Nik. After his extremely rude dig, he’d surprised me by playing nice. Although he didn’t go out of his way to talk to my parents or me, he kept his expression neutral, paying most of his attention to Maeve and Connor, and later…Asher and his friend, Nik.

  His other grandson.

  Raina’s secret weighed heavily on my shoulders, but I wasn’t able to speak about it. It wasn’t my place. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if Michael knew or at least suspected.

  “Is this it?” Cal asked, pulling my gaze away from the table. He was holding the last box of decorations, watching me with intelligent eyes that seemed to miss nothing.

  “Yes, thank you.” I smiled, trying to cover my unease. I wasn’t uncomfortable with Michael interacting with Asher—I was uncomfortable with keeping yet another secret from Calum, and I think he sensed it.

  “I’ll be right back.” He arched a brow, heading for the street.

  Evan’s voice drifted over, his flirtatious tone catching my attention for a moment. He was talking to Ellery, turning up the charm for her.

  “He calls her the baked good goddess,” Dare remarked, appearing beside me. “I think he’s in it for the Danishes, to be honest.”

  “Probably,” I laughed, glancing at him. “Ellery’s been called that before.”

  Dare hadn’t changed much over the years. Unlike Calum and Evan, he’d stayed away from the tattoo guns. He kept his hair long, although more golden scruff decorated his jawline. He, too, had filled out more and lost the softness of youth. He was all edges and hard ridges, just like Cal—as if the two of them had spent every morning in the gym for the past nine years, and they probably had.

  “Is there anything else you need us to do before we take off?” He asked, his eyes darting to the other side of the room for a moment before returning to me. I couldn’t help but notice the lingering looks he’d exchanged all evening with Connor. The unexpected chemistry between them sent my romance sensors off, but neither one had said a thing to the other all night. In fact, they’d kept to opposite sides of the room, Connor hanging near her parents and Dare keeping to the far back with Evan.

  “No, thank you…you’ve done more than enough.” I smiled, picking up two of the extra boxes of leftover treats. “Take some desserts off our hands, please.”

  He took the boxes and grinned. “You don’t have to tell me twice. See you around.” He inclined his head before walking briskly to Evan to rescue Ellery, who seemed amused and flattered, but otherwise uninterested.

  I knew she was still thinking about Grant. They hadn’t broken up yet, but things were rocky. Dare clamped a hand on Evan’s shoulder, nodding politely at Ellery, muttering something inaudibly before the two headed for the doors.

  Walking over to her, I slipped on my coat. “Thanks again, bestie,” I told her, fighting a yawn and wrapping my arms around her in a hug. It was nearly nine, and I was beat from the intense work week. Between the signing event last week and Asher’s party this week, I’d run myself ragged trying to catch up on the things I’d neglected while slacking off. If it weren’t for Ellery, I don’t know how I’d have pulled off anything.

  “You know I love doing it,” she replied, openly yawning and hugging me back.

  “Go to bed. I’ll lock up.” She nodded, too tired to argue. Turning, she walked toward the back off the store, punching in the code and opening the door. When the door clanged shut behind her, I walked around, turning off lights on the bookstore side, leaving the café illuminated for now, until Raina arrived.

  I’d texted her when the party ended, but I figured she was taking her time, hoping to avoid having to see Michael again. Just as I was debating on texting her again, offering to bring Nik to her, the door chimed, and Raina walked in.

  Her jaw was tense as she scanned the room, her lips tightening with irritation when she found Nik sitting at the table with Michael.

  Nik looked over and noticed her approaching. He picked up the book he’d won during the pin the tail on the pig game and the box of treats I’d packed for them, and stood.

  “I’ll see you later, Asher.” He said. Raina took the box and book so he could pull his jacket on. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Jacobs.”

  Raina stiffened—she’d yet to look at Michael directly. Now she had no choice, and her guarded gaze rose to meet his.

  Michael swallowed and managed a curt nod for Nik. Raina looked away quickly, her attention focusing on Asher. “Happy Birthday, Asher.” She said, offering him a small smile before turning heel and leaving without sparing another look at Michael.

  Nik followed his mother’s quick steps out of the shop. Raina made brief eye contact with me before looking away and grabbing the door, holding it for Nik before escaping through it herself.

  Michael had silently watched them go, waiting until the door closed before turning his attention to Asher. They were almost finished building one of the sets he’d received as a gift from a classmate. Maeve joined them a moment later, smiling with affection while Asher explained the set to her.

  The bell chimed again, and Calum came back inside. He looked from me to his father, his jaw tensing and brow pulling together while he watched his parents. Swallowing, he continued toward me. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” I replied, picking up my purse from the counter. Calum was already moving toward the table. I went to follow, but Connor stopped me.

  “Thanks again for inviting us.” She said warmly. “I think my parents really needed this.” She glanced at the table, where Calum and Asher stood with Maeve and Michael. Calum’s father was helping his mom into her coat, and Maeve was smiling while she chatted with Asher.

  “Of course,” I managed, wondering if the felonious feelings would ever fade. I’d kept Asher from an entire branch of his family tree. Connor—even more intuitive than she’d been as a child—put her hand on my elbow.

  “I understand.” She said, softly so only I’d hear. Her hazel eyes—so like her mother’s—held mine in place. “And so do my parents. My dad’s pissed at Calum for leaving, but that’s nothing new…he always has been. This just added another layer to it but…I think being a grandpa will be good for him.”

  I nodded in agreement, glancing back t
o the table. Calum was actually smiling—something that tended not to happen in front of his father, although this smile wasn’t for his father. He was watching Asher. Michael wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t scowling—and he’d been smiling earlier while he’d played with Asher and Nik.

  There was hope.

  “Anyway, I need to go. My friend is here to pick me up. I’ll see you guys on Sunday?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be there,” I replied. Maeve had already invited us to the brunch she wanted to host before Connor returned to school. She hugged me and glided over to the table where her parents and Asher. She hugged him, wished him a happy birthday again, and told Michael and Maeve she’d be home later before strolling out the door.

  His parents both looked over at me when I walked up. The hardness that had been in Michael’s eyes when he’d first walked through the doors had washed away.

  “Time to go, kiddo,” Cal said.

  Asher carefully picked up his LEGO set, balancing it as Michael grabbed the empty cardboard box. He broke it down and tucked it under his arm, shooting a warm smile Asher’s way. “Happy birthday, kid.”

  “Thanks.” He grinned, and Maeve gently hugged him, careful not to disturb his Lego set.

  “We’ll see you later.” She said, pressing a kiss to his forehead before straightening. Maeve hugged her son too, whispering something in his ear that made him laugh and shake his head. Next, Maeve turned to me and pulled me in for a hug. “It was a wonderful party, Harper.”

  “Thank you,” I replied. Michael nodded at me as they passed, heading for the street and leaving the three of us alone.

  Asher yawned loudly, and I quickly turned off all the lights in the café. I set the alarm and locked up the shop while they got into the Jeep.