by Shaw, Robin
Mariska shot a droll look at the back of his full head of chestnut brown hair. I started to collect our dishes, but Jake stopped me. Mariska went with me to my room.
***
“That was harder for you than I thought it’d be.”
Jacob ran his fingers through his chin-length glossy brown mane after he parked his Explorer. Jake had driven me all around Franklin Parks. Most places were fully staffed. I may have to dip into my funds, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t. Depending on which bills weren’t paid yet, I also realized that I might have stretched out my budget too much when I’d taken Mariska and Jake to Copollas, the only fancy Italian restaurant in Franklin Parks, as an early graduation celebration during my spring break.
Ambling towards the door in the way that made him look like he was gliding towards it, he held the door open to the Franklin Parks Child Development Center, and the women warmly smiled “thank-you.” Of course, he broadened his smile and stood there for a few seconds more than he had to, knowing that they’d look at him when he entered the CDC. Heat scorched their cheeks as they saw that he had expected it. Shamelessly, they gave him another thorough once-over. It probably hadn’t entered their consciousness that their daughters and probably their sons had had crushes on Jake, or still did. Since he was eighteen, I guessed they figured that it was acceptable. It was the same sort of look Mariska had received when she began to really bloom. And that was before she was legal. It seemed like everyone was a victim to a voracious lust these days, and I was out of the loop.
When we were both inside, I rolled my eyes at him, and the corners of his mouth curled up. Sometimes it was hard for me to accept that Jake wasn’t my scrawny friend anymore. Indeed, he had grown and worked out his forty-pound gain into an eye-catching physique.
About twenty children were on the soft mats. Some slept quietly. A couple snored softly.
“Remember when we used to put the mats on top of each other and tried to hide from Mrs. Muldoon so we could sleep longer?”
I nodded. “Nap time was the best part of the day.”
I caught Pete’s rich caramel gaze. He blinked a few times, realizing that we were actually here. He ran over to us. Mariska hadn’t told me that her parents had enrolled him in the summer program. It was a wise choice. Usually one of them, or Mariska, cared for him around the clock during the summer. He was with other children his age and he’d make friends, maybe even long lasting friends like I had.
“Beth!” Pete pulled at my hands and I bent down. Over the past few months he had gotten taller and filled out more. Soon he was going to be the tallest kid in class, just like Mariska had been the tallest from the second grade up until our sophomore year of high school, where she had just been the tallest female.
I placed my finger over my lips and he nodded. Jake edged closer to us and mirrored my position while he ruffled his hands through the Pete’s wavy black mane. “Whadda ya doin’ here?”
“I came to see Mrs. Muldoon,” I told him. “And I was gonna check up on you before I left.” A deep flush crept over his entire face and I had to grip the back of Jake’s shirt before he laughed in Pete’s face. “Are you making friends?”
He covered his face in hands and he shook his head, causing Jake to chuckle. “That’s good, buddy,” Jake encouraged. “I met your sister and Beth here when I was your age.”
I missed seeing his growth. He was always in school, in speech or OT therapy, or asleep when I had been here during my school breaks.
Before Jake could respond, someone trotted in our direction. When I lifted my body up, Suzette Aiken shot me a baleful glance. Anger radiated off of her in waves. This must have been whom Jake had seen last night. Most people in Franklin Parks thought that either Mariska or I were dating Jake, or that one or both of us had dated him at some point. Suzette wasn’t the exception. No one here seemed to understand how two girls could be friends with a guy and not have some carnal benefit. Jake was like a brother to me and he was handsome in a flawless way. And I wasn’t responsive to that.
“Did you ask one of us permission to get up?” Suzette asked Pete in a chiding tone.
He ducked his head in the same way Mariska had when she was little. “No, Miss Aiken.”
“Certainly,” Jake started, and grinned—it was like watching Cindy flirt with one of her boyfriends, “he can be excused for not following the rules this one time, no?” He closed the small distance between them. She visibly shuddered as his breath fluttered over her neck. It was ridiculous. Was that what was shudder-inducing these days?
Suzette’s face relaxed and she seemed to forget that I was here. “Pete always follows the rules.” Jake lifted his broad shoulders and tipped her chin with his index finger. “I mean, how could he not when he’s got you to listen to? I’d be a very good boy if I were in his shoes.”
I rolled my eyes as Suzette gulped. Pete’s tittering slightly broke her away from her spell. She flicked her gaze in Pete’s direction, while the rest of body betrayed her reluctance to pay Pete attention. “Go back to your spot.”
“Yes, Miss Aiken.”
Hesitantly, Pete reached for my hand and looped his finger around one of mine before he darted towards his giggling friends.
“Last night…was amazing.” Suzette’s husky whisper caught my attention. As she trailed her fingers from his chest down to his definition of his lower abdomen, a cocky mien returned to Jake’s face.
“And you might have yourself a repeat performance,” he told her with a hint of humor in his voice.
***
Mrs. Muldoon’s office was covered in collages from various children. All sorts of toys and drawings covered her desk. She had faint lines on the corners of her deep forest-green eyes and a long emerald skirt that complemented them. Her gray hair was half down. I couldn’t imagine her without gray hair. She was one of those women who looked stunning with her aging hair.
“Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Muldoon.”
“It’s always a pleasure to get a visit from my former students.” Her face warmed. “Good to see you’re still friends with Jake and Mariska.”
“Yes, it’s good,” I agreed.
“Take a seat.”
I complied and sat on the chair opposite me. “Your résumé and letters of reference make for a stand-out application. Unfortunately, we don’t have any openings at this time.”
She slid me a discomfited glance. My stomach clenched. Had I upset her? And if there weren’t any openings, then why did she ask me to sit down like we were going to have tea? It was pretty busy on the main floor.
“There’s something you should know.”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, Mrs. Muldoon.”
For an inordinate amount of time, she was silent, and then she said, “Your mom left town with John Baxter.”
I shot up from the chair, feeling the blood drain from my face. “But he’s married.”
Her mouth thinned grimly and my knees felt weak as I sank back onto the seat. “And understandably, Mrs. Baxter is beyond irate. I’d only found out because Denise, who cashiers at the Oscar gas station, had seen them kissing each other yesterday morning before they left town. She’d told…some people.”
Obviously, Denise had told everyone. Right after her mom, Opal, Denise was the biggest gossip in town. I was surprised I hadn’t found out about Cindy and Mr. Baxter as soon as I’d arrived home last night.
Out of all of the things that I thought Cindy was capable of, I really hadn’t thought that she was capable of being with a married man. Maybe I was naïve. One of the Baxter kids was playing with Pete as we were speaking. This was messed up. As a little girl, Cindy had told me countless times that family was important and that women needed to stand by each other. She had violated those principles. And I had to suppress the bile in my throat. The Baxter kids probably wouldn’t see their dad often or at all. I understood how not having a consistent male presence could make a kid feel lacking in some way. And the scandal about why Mr. Baxte
r left town would make the Baxter kids feel like they weren’t enough reason for him to stay.
Ireful, I fisted the sides of my slacks in order to maintain some composure. It wasn’t the messenger’s fault. Mrs. Muldoon had been my pre-school and afterschool teacher in my youth. She was doing me a favor by informing me before someone else did. And, yet, it wasn’t comforting at all.
My voice dropped. “Isn’t he always on the road?”
“He stopped trucking”—she waved her hand—“about five months ago when he was promoted to regional manager. All folks ’round here know is that the position is in Florida, but we don’t know exactly where.”
I sighed, releasing the sides of my slacks from my hands. “Goodness,” I hissed.
She blew out a ragged breath and crossed her arms at her employees, who were obviously watching us through her wide window; immediately, they acted like they were busy watching the children, like they should’ve been doing in the first place. Jake no longer had Suzette with him. He gave me a reassuring nod, which meant that he had just heard the news too. “I didn’t want you going around town unawares.”
I managed a small grin. Mrs. Muldoon could lose some business if she hired me. I knew she would. And despite Franklin Parks being a small town, there were one or two housewives with just as good of a reputation as her who would happily take business from her.
“I’ve been in touch with your Uncle Anton recently.”
“Ummm…okay,” I murmured. “I haven’t seen him for years.”
Mrs. Muldoon handed me his business card. “And he wants that to change.”
Chapter 2
Chase
“Can you do me a favor?” Pierce’s voice sounded unsteady.
I bet he was still hung over, or wasn’t done with whatever chick he left his party with. He had been talking to a lot of girls last night. And he liked having various options. He had to work this afternoon at the Paloma Hotel. Mr. Pruitt would give him major shit for not coming in on time, or fire him on the spot—like he had fired Cassidy, Pierce’s older sister, when she had come into work late. It wasn’t like she did anything other than prance around when she had been at the hotel. I didn’t even know what her official title had been.
For the past month and two weeks, I’d been staying with the Pruitt family and working with them since my professors assigned their final exams early. If I hadn’t lived with the Pruitts, I would’ve thought Anton Pruitt was an asshole to Pierce, but he really cared about his son.
It was supposed to be my day off, like every Tuesday. I had only had one real Tuesday off, though. There was always some task related to the hotel that needed to be done. Usually, Mr. Pruitt had asked me to do it. I’d done it for him. And I hoped that whatever Pierce needed was important. I hadn’t swum in the beach since I’d started working at the Paloma. The water was perfect; clear and warm. Most people were still laid out from drinking last night at the bar at the Paloma, the small bar on the other side of town, La Floridita, or from the crazy party Chase had in his penthouse.
“Can’t you get Joel or Rylan to do it?” They’d been his friends for years and they weren’t working this summer. They had plenty of time to idle around.
“Dad’s meeting is going over schedule. He asked me to pick up Beth ’cause he can’t right now, but I can’t keep my eyes open. And I am not having those knuckleheads pick her up. I know you’ll act correct. She’ll be with us for the summer. Joel and Rylan are my last resort. Mom is all the way in Fort Myers. Cassidy is MIA. And Beth doesn’t have a car.”
His cousin? A Pruitt without her own set of wheels? Pierce’s parents and Cassidy had talked about Bethany during dinner last night. However, I hadn’t paid much attention. I only remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt sounded regretful; they’d said that they should’ve stayed in touch with her. While I’d shared many meals with Pierce’s family this year as it was, I felt like I’d been intruding on their family time. Especially because I’d never heard Pierce mention Bethany in the year and a half that I’d known him. As if I didn’t have it good enough already with a summer concierge position that paid more than any other place would, I participated in a family life that wasn’t mine. And no one seemed to mind.
Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt had been offended when I’d tried to pay rent after they told me I could live in their home rent-free, as long as I worked. I knew Mr. Pruitt made Pierce pay rent. Pierce had finally stopped grousing about it days ago. Was it unfair? In some way, I supposed it was. Perhaps, Pierce’s on-and-off relationship with Mona kept him too busy to think about paying rent when I didn’t. The pay rate, salary, and benefits had to be why the Paloma Hotel had some of the best employee retention in the area. Some of the seasoned staff were on vacation. Some of the highly valued ones were on maternity leave, which was why I was not only the concierge, but also the unofficial on-call runner.
I went back into the house, sped up the stairs, and took off my swim trunks as I entered the guestroom. I threw on a clean white t-shirt and jeans. Maybe I could go for a swim later. If Pierce couldn’t keep his eyes open, I didn’t want his ass on the road, despite how inconvenient it was for me not to have some solitude on the perfectly clear blue waters.
“Are you gonna get Beth for me?” In the background, I heard Mona yelling at him to speak lower, when his voice had been low to begin with. I thought he would’ve dropped her by now like he had easily done with other girls that grated him; they didn’t have an exclusive relationship. At school, he had told me that when he came back here, he was ending it with Mona for good. I guess old habits died hard. According to what I’d heard from Joel and Rylan, Pierce had been hooking up with Mona since puberty.
“Text me the info.”
***
Bethany’s house was barely yellow, with chipped paint and a flimsy gate in the front. Not the kind of house I had expected her to live in, or the exact area for that matter. I shouldn’t have had any expectations. It was a two-hour drive and the only task I had to accomplish was to bring this girl safely to the hotel and go about my business. Some neighbors gawked at me like I had three heads, but I just looked for her house. I wasn’t in Vermont anymore, but the behavior was the same—the neighbors knew that I wasn’t from around here. They couldn’t find anything productive to do, and they wanted to instigate.
I got of my Nissan Altima so that I could help her with her luggage. Glancing up, I saw an unmistakable female silhouette in the window, followed by the closing of curtains. Five seconds later, a girl with light brown hair about her shoulders stepped out of the house with a heavy backpack that must have weighed a ton, and two suitcases. It made her lean slightly forward and it was hard for me to catch her face because she was short in stature. When she closed the door, she raised her head and had a sheepish expression.
I walked up to her and took the two suitcases from her. And damn. She was that pretty girl I’d seen standing on the line for the bus days ago when I’d had my meeting with Coach. She had pretty blue eyes. Her pert nose and semi-full lips looked tempting. And that curvy ass body of hers only stood out more in her fitted blouse and slacks. Even her feet were sexy. How was that even possible?
Why’d I have to be attracted to Pierce’s cousin? Mr. Pruitt’s niece? My jaw tightened as I recalled Joel and Rylan’s recommendation; despite my celibacy, I needed to get it in, and fast, before I salivated in her presence like a fucking bitch in heat. I couldn’t have any interest in Pierce’s cousin. It could complicate my friendship with him.
She appeared to be dissatisfied. I didn’t know if it was because I was the person who was going to take her to her family, something else, or a combination of the two. Her gaze connected with mine. Inwardly, I shrugged it off. I didn’t think she cared about the scar on the right side of my face. While she quickly looked at it, I didn’t see her gape at it like some people did.
“I am Chase.”
“Bethany.” She swallowed. “Thanks for coming out to get me on such short notice.” She bobbed her head
at me and glanced at my occupied hands, worrying those kissable lips. “I can handle the suitcases,” she said.
She reached for them, but I took a step back, and pulled them out of her firm grasp. She was strong, another trait that made her sexy. Fuck my life!
“It’s cool. It’s no problem at all. I don’t want you to break a sweat unnecessarily. It’s hot enough as it is.” A reluctant grin flickered across her face. Which softened her delicate features.
***
“Get whatever you want,” I said as I held my sports drink. I wished I’d given Bethany an ice-cold bottle of water. I only had the warm twelve-pack in the backseat.
She gave me a weak smile. “No, thanks. I still have the bottle of water you gave me in the car,” she replied, as if it was a hardship on my part to offer her some cool liquid replenishment.
“Are there any snacks you want?”
Two women and three children came into the store just as it looked like Bethany was going to get something. It was early, and for some reason, I didn’t think she’d had anything to eat.
“I’ll get something later.” Ducking her head, Bethany’s hair covered her face as it had when she’d come out of her house, and she slid her gaze to the counter. The older women were sending Bethany condemnatory glares.
I raised my brow to them and they looked away and began whispering. This was like some high school shit—from grown women. They should’ve known better.
Bethany took her wallet from her tote. “I said I was paying for the gas. And whatever else you want.”
For a few minutes, we were having a stand-off, a staring contest, and it made my blood boil. She looked so damn fine that I’d almost forgotten what we were disagreeing about.
