by Malone, Nana
She smirked even as she fell into step with him. “Honestly? A little. Yes. You’re out every night with models and actresses and professional athletes. Not to mention royalty if the tabloids are believable. I doubt I compare.”
He halted as they reached the backdoor to the house. She noticed the harsh set of his mouth and his tightened grasp of her hand, and she wondered what she’d said wrong.
“All of them, Izzy—they never compared to you.”
Izzy stared into liquid pools of amber and knew she was in trouble. She couldn’t flirt with danger and make it out unscathed. He was a professional playboy, and she was nothing but a rank amateur.
His musky scent enveloped her. The tingling in her lower back was strong enough to make her jump. This is no good.
She didn’t need hot and heavy. She didn’t want hot and heavy. She was a relationship girl. What if he just wanted sex? Her eyes lowered from his fierce gaze to his lips. It would be so easy to tip her head up and—
No, she resolutely told herself. She would not go down this road. Not with Jason. He was a complication she didn’t need. Especially not with Sabrina on her way back. Not to mention he had his own complications. She cleared her throat and deftly moved around him.
“I find that hard to believe.”
She twisted the knob but stopped once she heard the chattering voice. Her heart hammered against the walls of her chest and threatened to push through the confines of her chest cavity. She recognized the bubbly voice. Jason must have as well, because he stopped behind her and gripped her hand almost to the point of pain.
Her stomach threatened to spill out bile and partially digested Hershey’s Kisses. She was glad Jason was there, because she never would have been able to open the door.
When they entered, a nauseous-looking Nick stood near the island, lean, tanned fingers held by a smiling brunette. Without releasing Nick, the pretty brunette with cat-like eyes, turned and smiled at them. “Well, well, the gang’s all here.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sabrina? Seeing her again, feelings of insecurity overwhelmed Izzy. Would Jason respond to Sabrina’s beauty as he always had? Would Nick beg to live with his mother? Stop it. She chastised herself. It did her no good to worry about the future.
She plastered what she hoped was a cool and collected smiled on her face. “You should have called, Sabrina. We could have picked you up from the airport.” And had some freaking warning, she added silently.
Sabrina’s cat-like eyes tipped up as she gave them all a beatific smile. “What and ruin the surprise? You know how I love surprises.”
Noting Nick’s hand clutched in Sabrina’s, Izzy swallowed the acrid taste of jealous bile. She forced herself to remember Sabrina was his mother. She had a right to touch him. Izzy shouldn’t be jealous. Oh what the hell. If she wanted to picture herself using a camera strap to strangle her beautiful, perfect, ex-best friend, then she’d go right ahead and do so. Though, she felt a moment’s satisfaction as she noticed Nick try to disengage his hand from his mother’s.
Sabrina looked from Jason to Izzy and back again. No doubt she wondered how Jason fit into the equation. Given what Jason had told her in the car, Sabrina had deliberately kept them apart.
Izzy gulped in a breath and held onto it until it burned. Sneaking a sidelong glance at Jason, Izzy braced herself for the inevitable lust she’d see there. Once, she’d watched those eyes fill with lust and craving for Sabrina. Now, his eyes gave Sabrina a cursory once over, a cool appraisal. She saw disgust, mistrust, and worse, apathy. Maybe he was over her after all.
Sabrina let out a breath, but she did not release Nick, even though he struggled against her grasp. “Izzy, you look great.”
Izzy wondered if she had that thoroughly kissed look about her. Or worse, a look of guilt. She couldn’t help it. Jason had always been forbidden to her for some reason or another. He’d always been Sabrina’s. Old feelings were hard to bury.
“Jason, I’m surprised to see you here.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed, and he showed even white teeth, which the uninitiated could mistakenly perceive for a smile. He shoved his hands in his pockets, inclined his head and gave her a smile that was mostly malice. “Sabrina.”
Sabrina arched a delicate eyebrow at the both of them and stilted her head. “You two seem cozy.”
Izzy felt an emotion close enough to guilt flit across her face. But as quickly as it appeared, she hid it. No use letting the devil know he owned her soul.
Beside Sabrina, Nick finally managed to free his hand. Her smile, a usual radiant glow, went brittle and sharp, and Izzy couldn’t help the jolt of elation.
“My baby and I were just getting reacquainted.”
Izzy’s eyes widened, but she remained silent. The four of them stood around like rookie bomb techs afraid to make the first move toward a bucket full of napalm. Nick scowled, and Jason shifted his weight. None of them spoke.
After several tense moments, Nick broke formation without a word. His gangly form disappeared into the living room. The slamming of the front door a clear signal of his thoughts about her visit.
Sabrina drew her brows together, whirling to glare at Izzy. “You know, I’m getting the impression none of you are happy to see me.”
Jason’s lips tightened. “What do you expect, Sabrina?” He turned his attention to Izzy and asked softly, “Where does he go when he’s upset?”
Her stomach curled in on itself, desperate to go after Nick, but knowing she had to stay and deal with Sabrina. “If he’s not in the studio, there’s a basketball court about three blocks over. You might find him there.”
Jason nodded and headed out after Nick. But not before giving her a meaningful look. “You okay here?”
She squared her shoulders and nodded giving Sabrina a level look. “Yeah, I’ve got this. Just see if he’s okay.” It wasn’t like Sabrina hadn’t been here many times before. But this time Izzy wasn’t the same old Izzy. Jessica’s Krav Maga classes notwithstanding, Izzy was stronger than before. She could handle Sabrina.
When they were alone, she didn’t speak as the two of them stood in the kitchen squared off, tension sparking, ready for battle.
At last Sabrina broke the silence, indicating her bags. “Is the room on the right still mine to use?”
Izzy’s eyes tightened, and she shook her head. “No.”
Confusion made Sabrina wrinkle her nose and put on her persuasive voice. “Oh c’mon Izzy. I need a place to crash. You wouldn’t toss me out on the street, would you?”
When she took too long to ponder that question, Sabrina grabbed her small bag and headed toward the bedrooms.
She startled when Izzy spoke. “Sabrina, you know I won’t put you out because I think it’s important that Nick see you. I know you’re manipulating the situation. For now, I’ll let it go. But I’ll be damned if I give up my bedroom. You can use the spare bedroom at the end of the hall.”
Sabrina straightened her back and turned to give Izzy a long look. “You can’t mean to put me in the small bedroom? That bedroom is no bigger than a closet. I need space, not to mention my own bathroom. I can’t share a bathroom with Nick. Teenage boys are filthy.”
Izzy smirked. “It’s too bad you feel that way. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable at a hotel, because that’s what I have to offer.” The muscles in her jaw clenched and unclenched several times as she bit back words with physical force. “That’s the way it goes, Sabrina. I won’t have you disrupt our lives. You’ll be sharing the bathroom with Nick.”
“Why can’t I have Nick’s room?”
Izzy stared, mouth agog. “It’s Nick’s room. You came uninvited after not telling us when you’d arrive. You’ll take what I offer, not dictate the rules.”
Sabrina nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay, fine.”
Sabrina started dragging the suitcase when Izzy stopped her again. “And Sabrina, I want you gone in a week.”
****
On shaky legs, Jason ma
rched out into the darkness like the hounds of hell wanted a piece of his ass. Sabrina, shit. She was the last person he’d thought he’d see again. When Izzy said she was coming back, his brain didn’t compute the fact he might see her.
Unfortunately, that fact was now as painfully clear as a sledgehammer to the head. The last thing he’d wanted to do was leave Izzy with her, but he needed to find Nick. So instead of ushering Sabrina out on the same broom she’d flown in on, he chased after a boy he wouldn’t know how to comfort.
Jason felt the barbed wire tighten around his gut as he hung a right at the end of the driveway. He realized he neared a jog, so he slowed his pace. He didn’t need to rush. He knew exactly where to find Nick. When he’d come in with Izzy, there’d been a basketball by the door. He hadn’t seen it on the way out, so it was a safe bet Nick had opted for physical exertion to forget his woes. A method Jason understood.
His slowed pace also had to do with the problem of not knowing what to say to the kid. Somehow, “I’m sorry your mom is a drug addicted lunatic,” didn’t seem appropriate. How the hell was he supposed to know what to say? Kids had never been his strong suit. Mostly because they scared the shit out of him. He knew how easy it was for an adult to mess with a child’s psyche and do permanent damage.
Nick was lucky. At least he had Izzy. Jason didn’t have an Izzy when he was a kid. He’d had absent parents and a string of nannies he couldn’t remember now. The few times his parents had paid him attention, he’d immediately wished they hadn’t.
The hollow thud thud thud sound of a basketball against pavement met Jason long before the sight of Nick attempting three pointers did. Not sure of what to say, Jason took a seat at one of the courtside benches and watched.
Nick handled the ball with the practiced ease of a natural born athlete, and Jason had a feeling Nick could play any sport he wanted to. But he’d chosen tennis just like his mother. Both of his mothers.
After five minutes, Nick called out, “I’m not going home, you know.”
Jason wondered at what age running away lost its shine and gloss. “I don’t blame you.”
Warily, Nick cast him another glance. “You’re not here to make me go back and play nice?”
Jason quirked a brow. “Is there any chance you feel like going back and playing nice?”
Every bit of Nick’s expression read, Get real.
“Fair enough, I’m not here to make you go back then.”
As if not sure whether to believe him, Nick continued to play, but kept looking over in Jason’s direction.
After another ten minutes, Nick bounced the ball toward Jason. Understanding the male version of “I’m ready to talk now,” Jason shrugged off his blazer and picked up the basketball. Basketball wasn’t his main sport, but he’d played a couple of years in high school. When he sank a shot from the paint, Nick looked at him wide eyed.
“You can ball?”
Jason wasn’t sure whether to laugh at Nick’s astonishment or take umbrage. “Yeah, I got a few ups. Haven’t played in a while though.”
Nick surveyed him with renewed interest as he took his place fetching rebounds. “You ever think about playing basketball instead of tennis?”
“If you’d have asked me when I was young, I might have said yes. But everyone expected me to play tennis, so I did.”
Nick hustled after a wild ball. “You didn’t want to play tennis?”
Jason considered. Tennis was such a part of his life early on, there was no real consideration he wouldn’t play. Basketball and other sports were a way to keep in shape for tennis. His parents choreographed everything about his tennis for his future development and potential. Somewhere along the line it had become his salvation. “I did want to play. It just so happens, everyone else wanted me to play too.”
Jason’s next shot missed the mark, and he traded places with Nick. He watched as Nick took his first shot. The ball arced high and slid into the basket like a woman putting on a silk dress. “Your parents play too?”
The last time Jason talked to anyone about his parents, a different man had sat in the Oval Office. “Both of them played, though I doubt they did it for pleasure.”
Nick nodded solemnly. “Mom doesn’t play anymore. Though sometimes she looks like she wants to.”
Jason’s nerve endings did the locomotion at the mention of Izzy. “Did she used to play with you?”
Swoosh. Another ball slid though the basket with ease. Jason had a feeling he’d be the permanent rebound guy the rest of the night. “Nah. I guess she stopped playing when Grandpa died. Before I was born. She used to be my coach.”
Jason nodded and wondered where the conversation would turn given the weight of the avoided topic. “I can imagine. She was an amazing player.”
Nick stopped in mid-shot. “You actually played together?”
Jason thought it better not to ask what Nick meant by played together. “Yeah. She was powerful. Never afraid of the net. Used to get after it.”
“That’s how she is sometimes when she’s taking photos. She’s got this total focus.” Nick grinned. “Like this one time, she bungee jumped off this bridge in Zambia because she wanted to get this perfect shot of a rainbow on Victoria Falls.”
Jason’s mind tried to reconcile his memories of a young and spirited Izzy with the more sedate older version. “Sounds like fun. A little dangerous, but fun.”
Nick smiled a smile that said he’d never admit it, but his mom was the coolest. “Yep, every summer we go somewhere different. Mom takes pictures, and I learn about culture and stuff. Usually just the two of us.”
The next question was out before Jason could put the brakes on it. “Is Simon going with you guys this summer?”
Nick missed his shot. As he and Jason traded places again, he said, “God I hope not, I can’t stand that dweeb.” Then as he realized he probably shouldn’t have said that, he gave Jason a sheepish smile. “Sometimes Jessica comes, which is cool. When I was little, she used to come too.”
Jason didn’t have to ask who she was. Nick’s shuttered gaze told him enough. Jason knew he was the last person on earth to talk anyone through complex family dynamics, but he wanted to help. “I guess seeing her just now was kind of a shock. When was the last time you saw her?”
Nick shrugged. “A few months ago, I guess.” He shot a string of two pointers to make Kobe Bryant proud before he added, “Mom lets her stay with us so I can spend some time with her.”
“How do you feel about that?”
The steady rhythm of swoosh, thud thud filled the air for several minutes before Nick answered. “Mom, Izzy, says it’s good for us to keep a relationship. But I don’t want to.”
“Have you told her that?”
Nick fired another shot which hit the rim, threatened a mutiny, but went in all the same. “She doesn’t understand. She tries to make it better ‘cause she feels bad she can’t adopt me.”
Jason felt an unfamiliar tightening in his chest and prickling behind his eyes. Shit, he was going soft. Had he been this astute at thirteen? “She’s in a tough spot, I guess.” Grabbing a rebound ball, he asked, “What’s stopping the adoption? Sabrina?”
Nick shook his head and shrugged simultaneously. “The judge says it’s because there isn’t consent from both birth parents. Which is lame. I really think it’s ‘cause Mom’s black.”
Jason held onto the rebound ball, shocked. “I’m sure that’s not the reason. Maybe they want to see if Sabrina can get herself together.”
Nick gave him a look and raised an eyebrow. “Whatever. Mom says we’re a family no matter what.”
It never occurred to Jason the hurdles Izzy had to face to raise Nick. She’d given him a clue during the photo shoot, but at the time he assumed she was sensitive about the subject. Now he knew she had cause. He cleared his throat before he said, “She's right you know, about you being family.” And because Nick had been honest with him, he added, “She’s a better mom than I had.”
Nick studied him, eventually nodding as if he understood the truth Jason shared with him. “Yeah. She’s cool.”
“You think maybe she’s worried about you? The way you took off and all?”
Nick slumped in his hoodie. “Yeah. Probably.” Picking his head up to look at Jason, he said, “I don’t want Sabrina to ruin everything.”
Jason couldn’t agree more. “I know the feeling.”
Chapter Fifteen
Razor edges of a chainsaw slashed through each of Izzy’s nerves. Thanks to Sabrina’s late arrival, numerous clattering trips to the bathroom and five am roaming and puttering about, Izzy hadn’t slept all night. After waiting two hours for Nick and Jason to return, all she’d needed was a good night’s sleep. Too bad she didn’t get it. Sabrina didn’t know the meaning of good houseguest.
Izzy recognized and understood the game in startling clarity. They’d played it several times. Sabrina was pouting because she hadn’t gotten her way. Every other time she’d come home, Izzy gave up the master bedroom, ran out and shopped especially for her visit, bent to Sabrina’s will. But not this time. She couldn’t be bothered. She’d had enough of accommodating everyone in her life.
Slamming her bedroom door, she cringed. Thank God, Nick was already on his way to school. He’d never let her forget it. Curls of dread clawed at her stomach as she approached the spare bedroom on tip-toe. Midway through she stopped and strode with her normal gait. Why bother? She wouldn’t tiptoe in her own house.
Though, as Izzy passed the spare bedroom, Sabrina’s voice filtered through the door. On the phone. Talking in hushed murmurs. Unable or unwilling to stop herself, Izzy leaned in and darted a furtive glance down the hallway. No way in hell she wanted Nick or Jessica to catch her eavesdropping.
The sounds were muffled, as if Sabrina deliberately lowered her voice, but Izzy could catch the thread of conversation.
“I know you have no reason to believe me given my history, my father’s, my brother’s. But I’m clean this time.”
Izzy could hear a soft rapid thump thump thump on the hard wood and could just picture Sabrina’s leg moving in rapid succession up and down as she sat on the bed.
