by Tara Brent
Tina folds her arms. “Maya, we are going to hold a meeting this afternoon to discuss changes in the company.”
I smooth down my skirt as I sit. “What kind of changes?”
“Nothing to worry about,” she replies. “Your role here is secure, but we are thinking of doing some restructuring.”
“In what way?” I stare at Tina intently while I hold my breath.
Tina smiles broadly, but it lacks sincerity. “Well, we want to talk more about it at the meeting.”
Whitney beams. “It can wait until the meeting.”
“In light of my position,” I reply, “I think It would be helpful if I knew now.”
Tina shrugs her shoulders. “Okay, we are promoting Whitney to a director position. Now, your position will remain the same, so you need not worry about that.”
I’m glad I’m sitting down. “So, is Whitney, my boss?”
Tina smiles like it’s so fucking fantastic. “Yes, we realize now that perhaps you could’ve used a little more experience in corporate. Whitney will be able to help you make a better transition.”
I nod like my head is mechanically attached to my shoulders. Holding my teeth tight in a plastic smile, I want to tell them to fuck off, but I can’t, not until I’m sure I don’t need to be here anymore.
Chapter 12
Jackson
It’s dusk. Not the best hour to meet a shady character, but it’s time to finish up this deal. At least, I can get one thing resolved this trip. I try not to think about Maya. I can’t be distracted right now. I walk through the door, and the interior of the property is what I’d expect from a fixer-upper. The floors are stained, the paint is chipped, and I can feel a draft from a broken window. I turn on the water in the kitchen, and the pipes rattle and bang. I shut it off quickly before someone mistakenly thinks I have a gun.
“Hello?”
A petite brunette enters through the open front door as I walk into the hallway. I approach her with my hand outstretched, and we shake.
“Hi. My name is Lori Perez from Top Notch Properties. You must be Jackson?”
I nod. “I thought I should look over the place before I sign off on anything.”
Lori runs her hand along the wall, touching a spot where the sheetrock has been cracked and damaged. “That’s probably smart. This place needs work, but it’ll be worth it.” She looks at me and smiles. Her face is smooth and shiny with little makeup. Her thick brown hair is pulled back from her face in a plastic barrette, and she’s wearing jeans. Hardly what I was expecting.
“I suppose they’re going to flip it?” I ask.
Lori gives me a hard look. This isn’t a woman that’s easily charmed, and she’s not wasting time on pretense. I like that. Besides, she has to be about twenty. And I’m not the young stud of my youth, not that I ever really was. Lori sucks her teeth as her gaze travels around the empty living room. She steps into the dining room opposite and looks side-to-side.
“Do you really want to look around?” she asks.
I shrug. “I just wanted to make sure it existed. I’ve seen enough.”
Lori locks the door after I step out onto the walkway. I crack my neck and wonder if I’m getting old. Maybe LA is not right for me. Perhaps I’m ten years too late.
“Are you looking for another job before you leave?”
I turn around, and Lori has a Cheshire smile on her pretty face. We walk over toward her Lexus as she pulls her keys out of her purse. “Not interested,” I reply. “Only here to see the sites.”
She smirks. “You haven’t asked how much?”
“I said, not interested.”
Lori places her hand on my arm. “It’s an important job, but easy. You barely have to do a thing.”
The temptation to ask is there. I’m curious and nothing else. I keep saying no to Lori, but she’s not ready to end the meeting yet. So we drive in our separate cars to Santa Monica for an early dinner. It turns out Lori is older than I thought by ten years. She obviously looks younger on purpose. She uses her smiles and innocence to ask for more without threats.
Lori sits at the table and casually looks across the restaurant at the bar behind me. No one seems interested in us. It dawns on me that she’s making sure that no one else is. I shift my body to block her view, and she meets my gaze. Her sly smile is back.
“Tell me about it,” I ask.
“You only need to know it’s a package,” she replies indifferently.
I’m not impressed with her bluff. “Definitely not interested.”
“Even if you’re calling the shots?” She places her napkin in her lap with a flick of her wrist. “You could be in charge.”
I stare her down. “Still not interested.”
“Do I need to try another approach?” she smiles sweetly, and I’m debating on leaving.
I shake my head in disbelief. “I didn’t come out here looking for work.”
She folds her arms and matches my glare. “We could have done the house sale without you. You don’t have a real estate license in California. Derrick’s job was to get you out here so you could do another.”
I take a sip from my water glass to soothe my tight throat. “That makes more sense. Why not just ask me?”
“Because Derrick is the contact,” she replies. “We need someone clean, and surprisingly, you only have a juvenile record. You’re the perfect courier to go coast-to-coast.”
“I’m not a messenger boy. And I’m still not interested.”
She looks away finally. “Vince’s brother is here. He might be interested.”
“So, you threaten the family?” I ask in disbelief.
She grins. “It’s an old reliable method.”
The atmosphere contradicts the underlining menace in our conversation. Sea green walls, beech-colored furniture, and large windows that display the city’s bright lights conceal our mutual distrust. The place is filled with stylish people that match the trendy ambiance. Not the place one would expect two people to discuss dirty business. Even though Maya isn’t interested in being a couple, I have to protect her and her baby. I don’t want this tricky woman getting near her, the baby, or Max. I’ve only been here for two weeks, and I’m already attached to Lucas.
“Don’t approach the brother,” I demand, “he’s clean.” I frown. “Okay, last job.”
Lori smirks, satisfied with her results. Anger rises up in my body until I see red, and I watch her face glow with satisfaction. I don’t like being conned, and I’ll break this bitch’s neck if I catch her near Maya. Derrick fooled me into coming out here and left me to handle his shit. I’m not his follower and never was.
I repeat myself. “This is my last job. Threats won’t work next time.”
The worst threat Lori could’ve made was to tell Maya the truth. My past secrets were starting to seep through the veneer of wealth and cast a stain on the image I had created of a successful honest businessman.
“Are you ready to order?” she asks. Lori waves her hand, and the waiter walks over.
“You’re buying dinner,” I tell her, and then I proceed to order a Kobe blue steak.
Dinner was torture as I saw that steak apart, listening to the details of her plan. Half the steak is on my plate when I leave. I glance back at the table before I walk out, and Laura is speaking on her phone. She has an expression on her face like she’s just caught a rat in a gilded cage.
In my car, I call Vince, but it goes to voicemail. I grimace. Everyone’s lying, and everyone has something to hide. Rubbing my eyes, I drive in the direction of the hotel and continue past it, heading for the valley. I’m at Maya’s in thirty minutes, and I’m drained from negotiating with Lori and navigating her bullshit. But I have to check up on my girl and make sure they’re all safe regardless of the welcome I’ll receive.
Maya swings open the front door after I knock. “Good, you’re here,” she beams. It isn’t the greeting I’m expecting from her, but I don’t question it.
I’m welcom
ed into the homey apartment, and the scent of good cooking fills my nose. Too bad I’ve already eaten, but I shouldn’t assume that I’ll be fed. “Smells good,” I say, sitting down on the couch. The place is spotless, with nothing on the floor except for the furniture and the carpet. What are the twins up to?
“Stay for dinner,” Maya says brightly. I wait for the surprise while she keeps staring at me. “I need to ask a favor.” And there it is. Maya smiles so hard that it’s almost painful to watch. “I need to sell my apartment.”
All the fatigue is knocked out of my tense body, and I sit upright. “Why?”
Her smile falters. “I quit Foxtrot today. I gave them notice. And I’m moving back home.”
I try not to smile, but before I can ask for the details, Max comes traipsing into the kitchen. Immediately, he lifts a lid off a pan to investigate the mouth-watering aroma and gets poked in the ribs by Maya until he puts the lid back down.
“It’s for dinner,” Maya scolds him, “Jackson, are you staying?”
The steak is weighing my stomach down, and I hesitate. Maya looks at Max for backup, but he shrugs. It’s expected that I’ll stay. So I remain without any further discussion. No matter what happens, we’ll always have that childhood bond, that familiarity that allows us to start a conversation without holding a grudge.
Maya sets the small table in the kitchen for dinner. Rotisserie chicken, baked red potatoes, and green beans in sesame sauce fill our plates. We sit crowded around the table in their tiny kitchen under a bright ceiling light. It feels like a time warp back when we would crowd around the Stewart’s kitchen table for meals. Max sits to my left while Maya is on my right beside Lucas in her arms. It’s hard not to stare at her baby. Something keeps nagging at me.
“I couldn’t stand them anymore.” Maya feeds Lucas his bottle. “I’ll figure my life out as soon as I get back home. And deal with Vince.”
The sound of those words lifts the corners of my mouth. Maya’s coming home, and that means hope for me, but we still had problems. “How soon are you planning on moving?” I ask.
Max shakes his head. “She wants to drive a U-Haul home in two weeks by herself. I’d ship it all back.”
“You’re not moving?” I ask him.
“No,” he replies, “I like LA, but I’m not planning to stay in the valley. I’m crossing my fingers. I can find something near a beach. If not, may have to move to Riverside County.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “So there’s no girlfriend to move in with?”
“No,” he replies, then shoots Maya an incredulous look. “Are you sure you want to travel cross country in a U-Haul with the baby?”
Maya sighs, and then it’s replaced by an edge in her voice. “I haven’t thought it through. All I want is to leave. And I want to make sure my stuff is shipped.”
“Money isn’t an issue,” I tell her. “U-haul, plane, train, boat—whatever you want, Maya.”
She smiles and has that look in her eyes that makes me love only her. I felt hurt when Maya told me she had had a one-night stand. The conversation makes me cringe.
“I’m sure you’ve had one since I left,” she said.
I hadn’t, but I knew it would hurt Maya to tell her that I had hoped and waited for reconciliation.
“You know me, Maya,” I smiled. And she had looked hurt and disappointed.
Maybe the move is the opportunity for us to really talk and figure it out. Together on the road in a truck, we’d have to talk. She’d have to stay and hear my version of the story. Maybe I’d open up, and she’d open up about what was troubling her. I knew something was wrong, but I refuse to guess. What if I’m wrong? Maya is home to me, and I would bring her back there.
“You can’t bring a baby on the road, Maya,” Max keeps repeating his opinion. She probably could pull it off. The woman started a successful business with only her phone.
She gives him a look that would soften glue. “I have my doubts, Max, that you’ll ship my stuff, and I’ll arrive home without Lucas’ furniture. It will cost a lot of money to replace it.”
There’s my opening. “I’ll go with you. It won’t be a rough-and-tumble road trip. We’ll stop along the way and stay in nice hotels. And I’ll take care of the shipping and the hauling. I help move clients all the time.”
“What kind of hotels?” Maya’s asking how much without asking.
“Maya,” I wave off her concerns, “don’t worry about it.”
Max chimes in with his approval. “Maya, you deserve a break after that odious job, and you’ll get to spend quality time with Lucas...and Jackson.”
I like how Max added me in. I try to reassure her. “I’ll book two rooms.”
“Of course,” replies Maya. She hugs Lucas, and a look of concern wrinkles her brow. I wonder if Maya is thinking about that guy. The hook-up she claims she hasn’t seen since. “Jackson, it’s a lot to ask. I feel like I’m always using you.”
I shake my head and place my hand on her shoulder. “Maya, are you shaking?” I kneel on the floor in front of her. “Sweetheart, you take what you need from me. Remember, I’m the one you can count on.”
***
Maya had given two weeks’ notice. Max declares he wouldn’t have given Foxtrot a minute more, but Maya is determined to ride out of there on her high horse. It also gives me the opportunity to organize the move. I figure out how to hide my package in Maya’s things. Maya and Max were kept in the dark, but Vince agreed with the plan. Maya’s name wouldn’t appear on the labels on her boxes or invoices. I use my business account to ship it. And Vince will pick up the boxes at Fed Ex. Maya didn’t want to send the furniture. She was worried it would be broken. It would’ve been fine, but I agreed. I’d keep an eye on her and the baby.
I call Vince before I check out for an update.
“I haven’t seen Derrick,” Vince sighs over the phone. “He’s back. Some of his boys tried to corner me.”
“What is his problem?” I demand throwing my stuff in my bag.
“He’s trying to rub shoulders with bigger men,” replies Vince indifferently. “He’s telling his contacts that he has manpower. He’s lying. We’re not the only ones dumping his ass.”
“So you’re convinced we need to get out?”
Vince pauses. He’s cautious by nature, but something’s changed. “I’m alone in this house. Dane moved to Jersey not too long after Max and Maya left. I spoke to Maya. She’s not planning on staying here for long. She mentioned Tiff. Mom’s gone, Dad’s gone, they’re all gone, but I’m still holding down the fort.” There’s a short trumpeting laugh. “It’s time to leave this shit in the past.”
I nod though he can’t see me. “We’ll use the package to barter our way out.”
He scoffs. “With Derrick?”
“No, with the person who wants it. I keep saying it, but I really mean it. This is the last time.”
Chapter 13
Maya
“This is all you’re taking?” Jackson scowls inside the rented trailer.
It’s barely filled with Lucas’ baby furniture. But this was my new plan. By the time we reach New York, Jackson will know that Lucas is his son. Jackson had packed away his designer suits and switched to jeans and T-shirts. I bite my lip, watching him when his back is turned. His sweaty green T-shirt clings to his muscular chest as he loads the changing table in the trailer. No matter how my head screams to run away and don’t look back, I still want him. Max comes down from the apartment and hands Jackson the high chair. It’s all packed, and he shuts the back of the trailer attached to a rented Range Rover.
Max hugs Lucas in his arms. “Ready for an adventure, little man.” He kisses his nephew’s forehead and hands him back to me.
“First stop, Las Vegas.” Max winks at Lucas, which makes my baby laugh.
“Planning on seeing the nightlife?”
“Nope,” replies Jackson. “There’s more to Las Vegas than the strip.”
We made good time reaching Las Vegas
in less than five hours. Lucas was okay when we started out. Cooing and kicking his heels in the air as we drive north on Interstate 15. But that last hour spent staring at the open desert makes everyone cranky, and I’m relieved to see the signs for Vegas up ahead. Why did I think I could do this alone with a baby?
“We’ll have to take the bassinet out of the back,” I remind Jackson.
He shakes his head. “Maya, I got this. Relax and rest.”
“Welcome to the Chimera Hotel and Casino.” We’re greeted as soon as we walk into the building and taken to a penthouse suite. My mouth drops when I see the nursery already set up for Lucas. The porter smiles, “We get more kids than you’d think.”
I’m sweaty from the drive, staring up at the ceiling, enjoying the climate-controlled room while I lie across the bed. Jackson plops down beside me. I notice he only glanced inside the second bedroom.
“We could get a babysitter,” he suggests.
“No,” I reply, “I’m so boring. I just want pizza and this bed.”
I’m nervous about leaving Lucas with a sitter provided by a casino hotel. But Lucas is fast asleep in the bassinet in the corner. His breathing is a steady drone interrupted with small sighs. He’s settled in, and it’s my first time here.
“I wouldn’t mind trying one coin in a slot machine,” I admit. “So I can say I gambled in Vegas.”
“We can look around for an hour,” replies Jackson. He picks up his phone and calls, not giving me a chance to change my mind. The sitter appears almost instantly, and I wonder if it’s planned.
I look at myself in the mirror. I’m wearing jeans, and my shirt is wrinkled. I look like I crawled to Vegas instead of drove. My white dress is packed and in a box on it’s way to New York.
“It’s not fancy here,” says the sitter. She’s an older woman in a plain navy suit. If I had a choice, I’d have picked her because she looks like the least excitable person in the place. “People wear anything from diamonds to sweats,” she adds. “Take a quick shower. I’m here for as long as you need me.”
