Meant To Be: A Malsum Pass Novel

by Kimberly Forrest

  Jeremy spoke up then with a drawn out “Moooom”, sounding quite beleaguered.

  It was Conner’s turn to look confused. “Your son said his name was J.T”

  Jeremy shot her a beseeching look and she sighed, but smiled. “My apologies. I was, ah, just surprised. He only lets his favorite friends call him J.T.” That wasn’t exactly true. As far as Elizabeth was aware, Jeremy had never been called J.T, had never expressed an interest in being called anything but Jeremy. If this was Jeremy’s attempt at being cool for someone like Conner, well, she certainly wasn’t going to spoil it.

  Jeremy looked quite pleased with her save and he shot her a grin – an honest to God smile with teeth – and her heart kicked with joy. “Can we go, Mom? Please? Conner has some really cool games on his X-Box. He said I could play if it was all right with you. Please, Mom, please?”

  X-Box? With an entire wilderness to explore and he wanted to play the X-Box. She was baffled. She was also positive it was a bad idea. A very bad idea. She found Conner Pierce way too attractive. She should say no, would have said no, but then she remembered the purpose of this trip. Fun for Jeremy, getting Jeremy to smile, and Conner had done that in less than an hour. She took a deep breath and smiled, hoping it looked sincere. “What time should we be there?”

  Jeremy let out a whoop of pleasure and Elizabeth was able to smile for real. She knew that even if it hadn’t been a good decision for her, it was the right decision for Jeremy and that was all that mattered.

  Chapter Seven

  Conner was in the passenger seat of Jacob’s truck on their way back to town. His mind was formulating a check list for that night’s dinner. A visit to the grocery store was definitely in order since his cupboards were pretty much bare. He thought of J.T and grinned. He’d also have to stop over at his parent’s house and talk Zack into letting him borrow Clyde for the evening. J.T would love it.

  Jacob cleared his throat. “Pretty woman.” He began, keeping his eyes on the road.

  Conner couldn’t help his smug grin. “Beautiful woman.”

  “And a single mother as far as I could tell.” Jacob added.

  Conner shrugged, not sure why Jacob was telling him things he already knew. “He seems like a good kid.”

  Jacob let out an exasperated sigh as if Conner had missed an important point before he said, “Bro, what are you doing? Haven’t you ever seen Jerry Maguire? You don’t mess around with a single mom unless you’re willing to take the plunge, and unless my nose is deceiving me, that woman is one hundred percent human.”

  Conner wanted to growl. She was human, there was no denying that. He had been so sure that once he saw her again he’d discover that his wolf had been wrong, that there was no bond. That hadn’t happened. He’d merely had to scent her nearby and his wolf came straight to the surface. It was more than frustrating. Then he’d spent some time with her son and started to convince himself that it didn’t matter. Humans could be strong, couldn’t they? And didn’t a woman have to be strong to raise a kid on her own? J.T was a great kid once he had loosened up, grown comfortable in Conner’s presence, and started smiling. She’d definitely done well by J.T, so didn’t that count for something? He began imagining how strong their children would be once some Pierce genes were in the mix. The answer, obviously, was to give this a chance and get to know her. Once she was in love with him, then he’d worry about introducing her and her son to his world.

  “I didn’t think you were ready to take a mate.” Jacob said, breaking into Conner’s thoughts. “I mean, you told Connie-“

  “Connie wasn’t right for me and you know it.” Conner grumbled not wanting to admit that he’d experienced the bond when he wasn’t fully sure he could actually mate this woman.

  “And this woman is? Christ Conner, she’s human! Can you imagine how Mom will react if you bring a human home?” Jacob asked. The wide-eyed look of fear he shot Conner would have been amusing if it wasn’t so appropriate. He hadn’t thought about his mother, or her reaction. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands. “Just shoot me.” He mumbled.

  “I’ve got her phone number if you want to call and cancel; make up some excuse.” Jacob said with sympathy.

  Conner shook his head. No, he had to see this through. As for his mom, well, he’d cross that bridge when he got there.

  Elizabeth dropped the eyeliner pencil she’d been using and left the bathroom to go stick her head in the freezer – again. This humidity was terrible. As soon as she’d stepped out of the shower she’d started to sweat. She was half tempted to go out to her car and blast the air conditioning so that she could finish getting ready.

  With her upper body at least feeling a bit cooler, she returned to the bathroom and examined her face in the mirror. She wasn’t sure why she was even putting make-up on. This wasn’t a date. This was a night for Jeremy to spend time with a new friend. Even if that friend was at least twice Jeremy’s age and extremely attractive. She sighed. A few swipes of mascara to make her eyes pop, a gloss on the lips, and a final brush through her hair – which with a ton of product and spray had decided not to frizz, at least for the moment – and she felt like she was ready. She stepped back to take in more of her appearance.

  After way more deliberation than this evening called for, she had settled on her seafoam green sundress. It was cool and sleeveless, the upper portion hugged her body down to her hips and sported an eye-catching V shaped neckline that showed off just a hint of cleavage, while the knee length skirt was flouncy, overlaid with a silk organza that fluttered in the breeze, or would have if there was a breeze. She grimaced, fanning her face with her hand. What she wouldn’t give for a breeze.

  Pulling the front of her dress out from her skin she blew air down the front. Releasing the fabric, she looked herself over again and frowned. No, no, no. She was way too dressy. This was supposed to be a casual dinner and she looked like she was trying to impress. That wouldn’t do. Muttering under her breath, she pulled the dress off and grabbed a pair of sage green shorts and a simple white tee. Much better. This was not a date and her outfit clearly said that.

  Elizabeth heard Jeremy start to play the piano and she grinned as the first few notes of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey filled the air. It was one of her favorites. Putting aside her discomfort, she burst out of the bathroom and struck a dramatic pose in the doorway as she began to sing along – loudly. Jeremy glanced her way and shook his head at her antics but he was smiling, so she’d consider it a win. Maybe she was biased, but in Elizabeth’s opinion, there was no one quite as talented as her son. Even his piano teacher had commented on how incredibly gifted he was. It was a shame he wouldn’t perform. But she was okay with that. At least he’d stuck with the music.

  It had started with soccer. He had seemed to love it and then one day he just told her he didn’t want to do it anymore. There was no changing his mind, and his only response when she tried to get him to explain was “It’s not fun anymore.” The same was said about T-Ball, cub scouts, and pee-wee football. He always seemed to go from love to hate within a matter of weeks. So when a woman who taught piano lessons moved into their building and Elizabeth asked Jeremy if he’d be interested, she expected the same result. As it turned out, he really liked music, he had even since added guitar to the mix and was quite adept. The only thing was, he refused to perform in front of an audience no matter how many times Mrs. Kryczeck had made the suggestion. That was okay with Elizabeth, she was just glad to see him take an interest in something.

  They had experienced the same problem with making friends as Jeremy had grown. Elizabeth would arrange play-dates, get involved with the parents, and things would be going really well. And then it would end. No real explanation, just a sullen “we’re not friends anymore.” At first, Elizabeth had been indignant. Someone didn’t want to be friends with her son? Her bright, beautiful boy? She had every intention of giving them a piece of her mind. But when she spoke to the other parents to find out just what was
going on, they were as baffled as she was.

  “Can we go?”

  Jeremy’s question startled her from her thoughts and she jumped just a bit before pasting a smile on her face. “I’m ready if you are.” She said.

  “I thought you were wearing a dress?” He asked, his eyes narrowed as they moved over her, taking in her casual appearance.

  She shrugged, “I changed my mind. This is cooler.”

  “Don’t you like him?”

  Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. She cleared her throat and decided to go with a noncommittal, “I like him if you like him. I thought you were excited to go but if you’ve changed your mind we can stay in.”

  He looked her over and Elizabeth could practically see the wheels in his head turning. “What are you thinking?” She asked, her own eyes narrowing.

  Jeremy studied her for a beat more and then nodded as if he’d come to a decision. “I liked the dress better but you still look pretty. We should go.”

  “This isn’t about me. This is about you, so if you don’t want to go-“

  “I want to go,” Jeremy rolled his eyes, “Come on.”

  So they went.

  Chapter Eight

  Conner had given her directions to be able to find his place. The Stag was across the street from the Powder Keg where she’d gotten the air mattresses and sleeping bags so it was easy enough to find. Elizabeth pulled into a parking spot but didn’t leave her car. She stared at the building with the multitude of neon signs advertising beer brands. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, a typical bar and grill perhaps, but this place looked more like how she imagined a rough and tumble biker bar to look than an eating establishment.

  “Cool.” She heard Jeremy mumble and Elizabeth’s mouth turned down in a frown. She was not bringing her son into a seedy dive bar for any reason. She was just about to put the car in reverse and leave – she’d deal with Jeremy’s disappointment later – when someone tapped on her window. She let out a little scream and put up her hands like she was going to go all Kung Fu on her assailant.

  Conner was peering through the glass with a grin on his face and she felt heat flood her cheeks. She didn’t think she’d ever been so grateful her complexion made blushes hard to discern. He motioned for her to lower the window and when she did, he said, “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I forgot to tell you to park out back. I live over the bar.”

  Elizabeth swallowed hard, looked at the bar, then back at Conner. Before she could make an excuse, ask for a raincheck, he said, “Come on, your car will be fine here. I have a surprise for J.T.”

  Without waiting for her, Jeremy was out of the car like a shot and peppering Conner with questions. She sighed, closed her eyes and counted to ten. This was good for Jeremy she reminded herself. He was having fun. She got out of the car and locked it, pulling on the handle just to make sure and reassured herself that if there was even a hint of danger she’d throw Jeremy over her shoulder and get the hell out of there. She didn’t care if he did weigh almost ninety pounds, she’d manage.

  “We can walk around if you don’t want to go through the bar.” Conner said. She wondered if her distaste showed that clearly on her face, but right then, she didn’t much care if she had insulted him.

  She nodded, “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

  “Aw, Mom. I wanted to see it.” Jeremy griped.

  “Another time, buddy.” Conner said, rumpling Jeremy’s hair and Jeremy smiled up at him like he hung the moon.

  Another time my ass, Elizabeth thought. Her mood turning quite sour and she wasn’t sure if it was their location or jealousy over the easy comradery between Conner Pierce and her son. It had always been her and Jeremy against the world and she hated that she felt this way. Did she really begrudge Jeremy a new friend? No, no she did not. She would not. She could do this.

  Conner held the door open once they reached the back of the building and ushered them inside. Elizabeth was relieved that the smell in the hallway was lemon scented cleaner rather than stale beer. The jukebox in the bar could be heard playing a country song that Elizabeth didn’t recognize, but it wasn’t loud and she couldn’t hear any rowdy patrons beyond. Of course, it was a Tuesday. Did anyone really get rowdy on a Tuesday? Satisfied of their safety for the moment, she and Jeremy followed Conner up the stairway to another door.

  Elizabeth wasn’t sure what she had expected to see when she stepped into Conner’s apartment, but a large, hairy, black beastie of a dog had not been it. Jeremy let out an excited cry of delight, while Elizabeth stepped in front of him in full protective mom mode to block him from the oncoming charge and received a snout straight to the crotch for her trouble.

  She let out a little squeak of dismay but she doubted anyone heard it over Conner’s shout of “Clyde! Manners!”

  The dog that she now recognized as a Newfoundland, and who she assumed was the aforementioned Clyde, sat back on his haunches and licked his chops, his tail slapping loudly against the floor.

  “He’s friendly.” Conner said with a smile as he scratched the dog behind his ear. This resulted in the dog lifting his head with a look of bliss on his face and made his back foot thump rhythmically in appreciation. “He’s more likely to lick you to death than anything.”

  “Can I, Mom?” Jeremy asked. His hopeful look twisted her heart. She nodded and stepped aside so that Jeremy could pass. He went immediately to the dog and she was glad to see he held out his hand for the obligatory sniff before petting the animal. “I thought you said you didn’t have a dog.” Jeremy said, continuing to pet and scratch while Clyde reveled in all the attention.

  “Clyde belongs to my brother Zack, I just borrowed him. Thought you’d appreciate it.” And then turning his attention to Elizabeth, “Can I get you a drink?”

  Elizabeth felt the tension in her shoulders loosen. He’d gone out of his way to do something nice for her son. Such a sweet gesture and here she was being bitchy. She smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

  When he smiled in return she knew he understood. Her thank you wasn’t for the drink he was offering but for what he had done for Jeremy. A beat of time passed in silent communication and then he was all business. “Wine? I have chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc up here but if you prefer a red I can go down to the bar.”

  “Sauvignon Blanc would be lovely.” She said taking a moment to look around Conner’s living room. The place was definitely tidy and decidedly stark. The furniture was all either black and chrome or glass and chrome and his decorating style screamed bachelor. Black and white framed prints of classic cars and motorcycles adorned the walls as well as a signed guitar she knew would intrigue Jeremy once he spotted it.

  Conner handed her a wine glass before turning to Jeremy. “How about you J.T? I have root beer, orange, coke, or if you’re in the mood, I have milk and chocolate syrup.”

  “Root beer” Jeremy said without taking his attention off of Clyde who had sprawled his big body out on the floor for tummy rubs.

  With Jeremy’s drink sitting on the counter waiting for him, Conner turned on some music and smooth jazz filled the room. Elizabeth stiffened slightly. The wine, the music, with the exception of Jeremy being here, this evening definitely had the undertones of a date and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. This was supposed to be about Jeremy. Yes, dinner had been the invitation but there was also something mentioned about gaming on the X-Box. Two guys hanging out, doing manly stuff. Perhaps Conner was trying to make the atmosphere more female friendly so that she wouldn’t feel like a third wheel? It was plausible, and definitely made her feel much more comfortable with the situation, so she decided to just go with it.

  “We may as well sit down to dinner.” Conner said.

  Elizabeth complied readily but Jeremy was a little tougher to convince though he finally left Clyde to the business of licking himself and came into the kitchen. As soon as they entered and Elizabeth saw the table she knew that things were going to be a complete disast
er. Lit in the romantic glow of candlelight was Jeremy’s plate of cheeseburger and fries, but sitting on the two other place settings were individual glasses filled with a red sauce, the rim of the glass adorned with six large shrimp.

  She hesitated. He’d obviously gone to a lot of trouble, but she couldn’t do this. She swallowed hard about to open her mouth and tell Conner when Jeremy beat her to the punch. “Is that shrimp?” He asked.

  Conner grinned. “It is.”

  “Mom can’t eat shrimp. She’s allergic to shellfish.”

  Chapter Nine

  Conner looked at J.T and then at Elizabeth who was biting her lip. She was allergic? Fuck! He swallowed the growl that rolled up from his chest, swiped a frustrated hand over his face, and blew out a breath. “To all shellfish? Not just shrimp?”

  She gave him an apologetic nod. “I’m afraid so.”

  “Fuck!” He said, barely resisting the urge to kick the table. Spotting the outraged look on Elizabeth’s face he figured he would have been better served to resist the expletive and damage his table.

  She was squaring her shoulders and opening her mouth to give him what he was sure would be one hell of a dressing down for his language. He forestalled her, putting his hands out in a placating gesture he looked to her and then to J.T. “Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It won’t happen again.”

  He heard her give a little sniff and he could just imagine her thinking: You’re damn right it won’t happen again, buddy. He looked around his kitchen considering the possibilities. He’d intended the shrimp cocktail as a starter and then lobster for the main course. Both were now a no-go. He looked at Jeremy’s place setting. He should have just gone with burgers all around, simple, but he’d wanted to impress her. More fool he. Judging by the multitude of expressions that had crossed her lovely face this evening, not much was impressing her at all.