by Abbi Glines
Stone issues would have to wait until tonight. I would deal with it then. Jasper issues would never be gone. My focus needed to stay on Heidi. I also had to find my way in the world and move on. Thinking about anything more was a waste of time. Being attracted to Jasper had led to all kinds of pain. I didn’t need to add more to it by letting myself feel something for Stone.
My mother had a perfectly happy life without a man.
I could too.
IT WAS ALMOST TIME FOR lunch when Geraldine’s mind was back in the present. Before that occurred, she thought she was living in New York City and was engaged. I wasn’t sure what year that had been, but she was happy and excited about her wedding. She was also very upset I wasn’t the Chinese delivery driver. She had wanted eggrolls and orange chicken.
“Do you feel like going out today? I was thinking I could make some cupcakes and we could visit my sister.”
Geraldine was cleaning the makeup off her face that she’d applied earlier to attend a ball with her fiancé. She paused and smiled. “That would be lovely. I’ve heard so many things about Heidi. Meeting her would be a treat.”
Relieved that she liked the idea, I glanced at the pantry. She was stocked with everything needed for baking. “Could I use your supplies to make the cupcakes? I’ll restock all the items I use. It would save me some time.”
Geraldine waved her hand at me. “Don’t be silly! You use whatever you need. I’ll help. It will be fun. I don’t have much of a reason to make cupcakes anymore. Let me get the mixer and measuring cups. You get whatever you need from the pantry.” She clapped her hands together excitedly.
This job was more than I could have hoped for. Geraldine was such a good woman—in her right mind and out of it. My job was just another thing I owed Stone. I often felt like I didn’t do enough to warrant the paycheck. Geraldine was good company and there was never a boring moment.
Once we had all the ingredients on the counter we began working together. Geraldine said she was best with the cake batter if I could do the icing. I was fine with that. I had a special way of making the icing that Heidi loved. The pantry was filled with so many sprinkles to choose from I had a hard time deciding, but ended up choosing the glitter-like sprinkles. Heidi would be amazed at how they shimmered on the pink and yellow icing.
While we were finishing up, I decided to ask Geraldine’s opinion on the best way to handle moving out of Stone’s. I would admit I had become attracted to him. That was something I’d deal with and end myself. Telling someone made it harder to ignore.
“I think Stone would enjoy his apartment without me there. With Presley gone he has the opportunity to have it all to himself.” I stopped myself from saying more. I wanted to see how she responded first.
“If you’re thinking of moving out, I think you’ll have a fight on your hands. Stone will worry. He wants to keep you safe. Having you at his apartment gives him reassurance that you’re okay.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed with that.
“He’s helped me so much already. I’m thankful for all he’s done. I don’t think I can ever repay him.”
She starting placing the finished cupcakes on a pretty pink platter. “He helps the people he wants to help. When he is sure you’re ready to move on he’ll make sure you have a home to move to. He’s a good boy.”
This wasn’t how I had hoped this conversation would go. “He is helping me because of Jasper. I shouldn’t be his burden. It’s not fair. Jasper and I will never be. He needs to have time to work and be there for Jasper. It’s what he wants.”
Geraldine looked up at me then. “Saving Jasper’s ass isn’t what he wants. He feels it’s his job. The boy has so much responsibility he piles on himself. Always has. But he wants to help you. Since he came in here the first time and told me about you he has been different. When he talks about you he seems . . . different. Like a bit of his darkness is gone.”
Although that sounded good, she saw things very differently than I did. Stone was crystal clear that he was helping me for Jasper’s sake. “Stone was less dark when he told you about me because Jasper and I were over. He was worried about Jasper and I having a relationship. He knew the truth or suspected it.”
Geraldine pressed her lips together and almost smirked at my response. “The first time he told me about you was the weekend after he saw you the first time. So that reasoning of yours is incorrect. Now,” she dusted her hands off on her apron. “These cupcakes are finished, and I’m anxious to meet Heidi. Enough of this. Let’s go.”
I stood there mentally going over what she’d just said. I thought I must have heard her incorrectly. Stone wouldn’t have spoken about me after he met me unless it was to complain about my existence.
“Stop frowning. It causes wrinkles. I’ll get my purse and we can be on our way.”
“He hated the sight of me,” I told her.
She was confused. That was the only explanation.
Geraldine laughed then. A loud amused sound that made her eyes twinkle with delight. “Stone has never once hated you,” she managed to say through her laughter.
I realized talking to her about this was a bad idea. She got times and facts wrong all the time. I went to pick up the tray of cupcakes and smiled. “I’ll take these to the car.”
“Get my keys from the washroom. We will take my car,” she said still smiling like she was trying to stifle more laughter.
I headed toward the washroom to get the keys I had seen hanging in there. Taking Geraldine to see Heidi might not be a good idea. She could forget what decade it was at any moment. It appeared that she might be close to having a spell now. Then again, Heidi wouldn’t realize there was an issue.
The idea of my sister listening to Geraldine’s ramblings with interest made me smile. She’d buy the madness, and ask questions. When I walked back into the kitchen, Geraldine was there with her black flats on her feet.
“She’s the closest thing to an angel I’ve ever seen,” Geraldine said when she saw me.
“Who?” I asked thinking she may be lost again in her memories.
“He will never see more than that though. In her eyes, there is more. I want to see it all and know those secrets that made her so strong. But I won’t get the chance. I saw the way he looked at her.”
That wasn’t an answer. It was more rambling. “Do you know where we are going?” I asked to see if she was with me still.
She smiled softly. “Yes, Beulah. We’re taking these cupcakes and visiting Heidi.”
Okay, so she was still sane. “Oh. Then what were you talking about?”
“I was remembering that first conversation I had with Stone about you.”
HEIDI WAS THRILLED WE VISITED. The glittery cupcakes had been a big hit. She’d been happy that I’d brought my new friend.
Geraldine’s mind stayed in the present the entire visit. She had shown Heidi a trick to crochet, played kickball with us, and pushed Heidi on the swing she loved under the big oak tree.
It wasn’t until we arrived back at Geraldine’s that she started talking about me priming the water pump and checking on the chickens. I let her ramble on and fixed dinner while she ran around the house cleaning for the make-believe company she was having. Her sister would be at this party and she needed to make sure the linens were freshly pressed. By the time I convinced her she needed to have dinner because there wasn’t a party tonight, she came back around and I was able to leave at the normal time.
Stone’s Rover wasn’t there when I pulled up to the apartment. Sighing, I sat in the car and stared at the building. I was forcing him to stay away. Last night’s wine had given me a loose tongue, and now he wouldn’t come home because I was here. Geraldine had said things that made me question what I thought for a moment. But she was wrong. Stone didn’t want me around.
A knock on my window caused me to jump in my seat and I jerked my head to the left to find Mack or Marty standing there with a grin. I wasn’t sure which one it was now that I had met them b
oth.
I rolled down my window instead of opening my door. I wasn’t sure I’d be going inside tonight. I needed to think things through first.
“You gonna sit out here all night?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Not sure yet.”
My response turned his easy smile into a concerned frown. “Why? Stone being his moody self?”
I glanced back at the building. “No. I just think I’ve outstayed my welcome.”
“You’ve hardly been here. Stone’s a good guy, but he can go bastard really easy. Ignore it. He wants you here. Besides, you got rid of Presley. You’re like a motherfucking super hero.”
I knew he was being funny and trying to get me to smile, but I couldn’t manage one.
“Come on. Marty is grilling steaks. I’m about to make some of my famous broccoli salad and Shay promised she would bring a peanut butter pie from Hannah’s Sweets down the street. We need help eating all that.”
This was Mack. I hadn’t been sure until he talked about his brother just now. How did anyone tell these two apart?
“I don’t have anything to bring. I can’t come empty-handed.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, you can. Shay is only picking up the pie because I said she needed to bring something since she eats here all the damn time. And I wanted some of that pie. Hannah’s is on her way home.”
I glanced back at the building and thought of going up to Stone’s empty apartment. Right now, he and Geraldine were all I had apart from Heidi. It wouldn’t hurt me to make new friends.
“Okay, thank you. That sounds nice.”
I had eaten with Geraldine, but here I was eating a second dinner. I was going to gain weight doing this. One thing was for sure though, I would not be drinking wine tonight.
I rolled my window back up and opened my car door. Mack stepped back to let me out, waiting for me. I picked up my purse and locked the car door. He walked beside me toward the front entrance.
“It’s quieter around here with Presley gone. Thanks for that,” he said breaking the silence.
“Yes, it is. But I didn’t really do anything. She decided to leave.” Why they were all so sure it was me that sent her running I didn’t understand.
“You’re living under his roof. That was all she needed to go insane. Well, she was already insane. You only pushed her over the cliff. Figuratively speaking. However, if you do push her off a real cliff give me a call. I’ll help you hide the body.”
I paused and stared up at him in horror.
He started laughing and patted me on the back. “Ease up there, beautiful. It was a joke.”
I relaxed and started walking again.
“How did you meet Stone? Rumor is you’re his friend, uh, what the guy’s name?”
“Jasper,” I said wishing he wasn’t asking me about this but he’d been so nice I couldn’t be rude.
“Yeah, Jasper. Met him once. He doesn’t come here much. Anyway, the chatter among the girls was you’re his ex. Seems unlikely though since those two are so tight. I can’t see why he’d be giving his buddy’s ex a place to live.”
He opened the door for me to enter and I went inside. I was regretting agreeing to dinner now. There was no way I could explain this and still be vague.
“If I’m being nosy, tell me to stop asking questions,” he said sounding as if he felt bad about asking.
“It’s not that . . . it’s just a very long and confusing story. One I don’t want to share. I’d rather forget.”
He gave me a nod of understanding. Then stepped in front of me to open the door to his apartment. I heard country music playing and the smell of bacon drifted to me as we walked inside.
“Brought company! You got on clothes?” Mack called out loudly.
The idea of Marty with no clothes on made me blush as I couldn’t help but imagine what that might look like.
Marty stepped out of an open doorway into the entry room. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a navy-blue T-shirt that said US Marines on it. A large spoon was in his hand and his face broke into a grin. “Beulah! Damn that’s a relief. Sometimes he shows up with women that annoy the hell out of me all night.”
“Whatever. You fucking loved Layla,” Mack said dropping the gym bag he’d been carrying on the floor beside the door.
Marty shrugged. “Yeah, well, it was easier to ignore the annoying shit when her profession was dancing on a pole.”
Mack chuckled and Marty winked at me like I was in on this joke. I didn’t have much to add to this conversation but I didn’t want to appear as if I were a prude either. I could be one of the guys. I went with the first thing that came to my mind.
“Our neighbor growing up was an adult dancer. She was a single mom putting herself through college. After she got her nursing degree, she stopped dancing. She also started eating a lot of bread. She was always bringing us a loaf.”
I was rambling about a lady I hadn’t thought of in a very long time. Her daughter Melanie was three years younger than me and ended up getting pregnant at fifteen and running away. I wondered what had happened to both of them.
“Got to love a stripper with a goal. Bet that bread packed some weight on her,” Mack said walking toward Marty and what I assumed was the kitchen.
It had. She’d gained about thirty pounds the first year she was a nurse. I didn’t mention that.
“Enough about the beauty of naked women dancing. Come try the bacon wrapped mushrooms I just took off the grill. They’re fucking delicious,” Marty said waving me toward him.
I followed them both into the kitchen and saw what could only be described as cooking destruction. There were open cabinets, spilled ingredients and even some splatters of what looked like sauce all over the place. I paused mid-step and looked around the room in horror. What in the world had happened?
Mack glanced back at me holding a toothpick stuck in a bacon wrapped mushroom. “Try it. He’s right. It’s fantastic.”
I continued to stare at the mess he’d made.
“Marty isn’t a clean cook. You’ll get used to it. He can’t seem to create anything without a disaster around him.”
I managed a nod like that made sense, but honestly, I had never seen such havoc created from simply cooking. “Is that . . . a slice of onion on the fridge door?” I asked still trying to take in the wrecked kitchen.
Marty glanced back and laughed. “Yeah. Guess it is. Not sure how I managed that.”
“He cooks and cleans this shit up. If I had to clean up, I’d eat out every night,” Mack said as he popped another mushroom into his mouth.
“A masterpiece can’t be produced in structure. Chaos. It takes Chaos,” Marty said.
Mack rolled his eyes and asked me, “You want a beer?”
“No, thank you,” I replied.
“She’s not a beer drinker. Look at her. She’s got the wine look. A rosé wine. Am I right?” Marty asked.
I enjoyed rosé or wine in general, but I wasn’t touching any wine. Not again. “Water would be good.”
Marty opened the fridge, took a bottle out and handed it to me. “Water it is. But those steaks would be good with a glass of red.”
The door slammed, and seconds later Shay came strolling in with three bakery boxes in her hands.
“Those don’t say Hannah’s on them,” Mack said sounding annoyed.
Shay sighed. “That’s because they aren’t from Hannah’s. The Elswoods had a dinner party last night and so much shit was left over. I have a variety of delicious sweets. You will eat them and be happy.”
“Dammit, Shay. I wanted that pie.”
“This was free. Suck it up, eat the expensive free sweets I brought and be happy. Some celebrity chef made this stuff.”
Mack stalked to the fridge and jerked it open, then took a beer out and opened it. “I don’t know why we put up with you. You can’t even bring me the damn pie I want.”
Shay sat the boxes down. “Because I’m lovable and you can’t live without my witty jokes.”
/>
He snarled. “Fuck that,” he mumbled as he turned to look at me. “She’s why I drink. I swear.”
It was odd. But I felt chemistry burning off both of them. I wondered if they even realized it. There was a definite attraction between the two. They might not want it, but it was there. I shifted my eyes to Marty who was watching me. He winked again and smirked. Like we shared a secret. He saw it too. Hanging out tonight might be just the thing to get my mind off my life. I would certainly enjoy watching this drama unfold in front of me.
“CAN I SAY THAT I’M glad you’re who Mack brought to dinner tonight and not another mindless bimbo,” Shay said opening the third box she had brought as she placed it on the table.
We had finished the meal. It had, in fact, been delicious. Marty might make a huge mess but he was a talented cook.
“They aren’t mindless. Ask Beulah. She had a neighbor who was a stripper that needed to put herself through college and take care of her kid,” Mack shot back at her.
“Yes. Well, that kind of stripper isn’t the kind you bring home. The last one thought that chocolate milk came from brown cows,” Shay said before putting a chocolate tart in her mouth and glared right at him as if she dared him to explain that.
“She was kidding,” he muttered.
“No, brother. I believe she was serious. She also didn’t know Hillary Clinton was once the First Lady. She had no idea who Bill Clinton was,” Marty reminded him. “But she did look good in the dress she had on, so I can understand why you missed her lack of common sense.”
Mack let out an annoyed huff as he reached to slide one of the boxes across the table. As he peeked inside he said, “In her defense, she was two his last year as president.”
Shay began to laugh as if that was hilarious. Tears filled her eyes and she wiped them as she still laughed.
“God, would you stop it!” Mack barked at her.
She covered her mouth trying to stop. Marty was grinning too. “Dude. We didn’t know she was only eighteen. I’d have kept that to myself.”
