Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge)

by Shaw, Robin

  Jake had offered for me to stay in his room, while he slept on the couch in the living room. I’d have only accepted Jake’s invitation if Uncle Anton hadn’t invited me to his house through Mrs. Adler. To my relief, Jake understood. Mrs. Cox had thought my decision was best also. She’d only agreed to Jake’s offer because I meant a lot to him and he’d have been mad if she refused. She didn’t like to upset her boys. And Mr. Cox had always supported his wife’s decisions, so that was a non-issue.

  As an eighteen-year-old adult, I shouldn’t have thought that Cindy would want to do anything for me, including be home when she’d said she’d be. I just thought what she and I had as friends meant as much to her as it did to me. She had told me all sorts of details about her relationships that I really didn’t care to know about, but she didn’t have any friends here. She had lived in Franklin Parks all of her life and I didn’t think she ever really considered leaving the only place she ever knew until she had the chance. But what did I know? Maybe she’d planned to leave with her boyfriend or any man and she hadn’t wanted me to be their plus-one.

  Cleaning up the apartment had served as Cindy’s way of apologizing. And considering how dirty the house had gotten while I had been in college, it saved me hours of doing that task myself. After two days of sulking, I had gone to Jake’s house to use his internet and had applied for jobs. But without a car, which most of the jobs required, I was screwed. I needed a job to save up money to buy a car by the end of this summer. The hours of the jobs I had seen were so inconsistent that I had declined Jake’s offer to give me a ride to and from a job. He drove Mariska to work when he could because she didn’t have a car either. I wasn’t going to make Jake feel conflicted between Mariska and I.

  A group of men and one woman with sharp business suits and stern expressions walked into the hallway and out of the hotel. Everyone peered at them. It was hard not to. They had such a strong and intimidating presence, and I’d seen a good share of powerful looking people come in and out of here.

  “Ms. Pruitt,” Brody, the concierge, called. He was cute in that boy-next-door way. He had a great smile and welcoming phone voice. He had to be around my age, or maybe even younger. I stood up and walked over to him with my stuff. “Mr. Pruitt is ready to see you. Your patience is much appreciated.”

  “Thanks, Brody.”

  “You can leave your suitcases and backpack here.” He jerked his head to a small corner behind the front desk as he started towards me, and I handed him my stuff.

  “Thanks.”

  He inclined his head to me. I walked to my left and headed towards a door. Another employee swiped his card and let me inside.

  ***

  Uncle Anton stood in the middle of the narrow hallway with a wide grin, changing his entire countenance. The meeting had obviously been stressful…and long, according to what Brody and an employee had said. Uncle Anton was still fit for his age. His dark blond hair was combed back, making his features look rough. He wore a polo shirt and cargo shorts with sandals. A look I remembered very well.

  “Bethany.” He addressed me with affection and softly sighed. “It’s been way too long. Hmm?” He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me at the crown of my head like he had when I was younger. Only when he released me did I realize how much I missed him.

  “It’s been…a few years. How’re you? How’s everyone?” I followed him past the glass-encased conference rooms into his office. His grand office.

  He gestured me to take a seat in front of his dark wooden desk, and I did. “We’re doing well. Deborah and the kids can’t wait to see you.”

  “I look forward to seeing them too.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “I am doing well.”

  He slid me a disbelieving look. Ignoring it, I obtained my folder from my satchel in order to show him my most recent résumé and letters of reference.

  “There’s no need for all that.” He stalled my movement and waved at my folder. “I know that you need a place to stay. For various reasons. I was going to call you directly, but my schedule was packed. Mrs. Adler had the impression that you wanted to interview for a position with me.”

  “Well…ah…” I tried again. “Yes, Uncle Anton.”

  Linking his hands together, he studied me. “I am sure Mrs. Adler explained to you—on my behalf—that you’re welcome to stay for the whole summer without working for me or anyone else.”

  I nodded. “She was very clear—”

  “Well, good then.”

  “I’d like to earn my stay. Usually I have a job lined up, but I made a mistake and I’ll need to save what I have and make some money to get me by until I return to school and resume the job I have during the school year.”

  He creased his brows. “You shouldn’t have to pay for those mistakes. Or for Cindy’s unwise decisions. I can provide you with money to enjoy yourself around here. Our house manager, Nancy, or Deborah, can get you whatever you need.”

  “Letting me stay in your home is quite generous. I am grateful. Your hotel is really beautiful. I’ve got housekeeping experience and I’ve worked at Luigi’s for three years—”

  “I know.” He motioned his head. “I also know that your major is Human Resource Management. 3.7 GPA. Hundsworth fellow.” I could hear what sounded like pride in his voice.

  I nervously laughed and jerked my gaze to the wall, where he had many accolades for his entrepreneurship. Of course he had looked into my background. I was going to stay at his house with his family. It didn’t matter that I was his niece. I understood, and in his place, I would’ve made the same move.

  With school work and my cleaning job, I hadn’t had much time for myself. If my GPA went below a 3.5, I would automatically lose my scholarship. I didn’t have time to have a social life when many other students were just waiting to take my place. Also, I didn’t naturally have an easy and fast grasp of material. I had to study diligently. I had gained a few study buddies, who hadn’t been keen on talking about anything other than the course material. Which ended up only helping me to comprehend information faster.

  “You don’t need to prove yourself to me, Bethany. I really want you to be with us. To be family again.”

  “I want that too.” I hated how much I sounded like a little girl.

  I missed the times when Uncle Anton had chased me around the house and had flung me in the air in his version of the tornado ride. I had fond childhood memories playing with Pierce in the dirt of my backyard and spraying him with the hose when he got out of hand. The neighbors’ kids had done whatever Cassidy had ordered them to do because they’d been so smitten with her. If she was as beautiful now as she had been when I’d been little, then there was no doubt in my mind that guys were crawling at her feet. I had thought about Uncle Anton and his family on occasion. Jake and Mariska filled the void that I had when I no longer had Pierce in my life.

  “When you were seventeen, I came to see you. Twice,” Uncle Anton said, and pushed his chair back in a more relaxed position.

  “She didn’t tell me.”

  “I didn’t think she’d tell you.” He scowled. “At any rate, both times Cindy wouldn’t let me see you.” He threw his hands in the air. “She and I had a falling-out, a grown-folk matter. If it’s been on your mind, I wanted to make it clear that I didn’t stop seeing you or bringing Pierce and Cassidy to see you because of anything to do with you.”

  “I thought about it,” I admitted, and his expression conveyed that he already knew that.

  “I’d only recently learned that you were the head of household for most of your adolescence. I want you to recharge. Continue to excel in school. Secure an internship that will enable you to compete with hundreds of thousands of other applicants when you graduate.” He paused and pinned me with the same color eyes I shared with he and Cindy. “I am a reasonable man. I listen. Starting Wednesday, you’ll work in HR. Mrs. Clark will train you.”

  He stood up and I did also. I couldn’t fight the smile
on my face. He walked over to me, stood in front of me, and hugged me again. The only way I could describe it would be a bear hug. “Adults, as you know all too well, aren’t perfect. I’ve messed up big time. You and your cousins lost out in the process. But that’s in the past. This is now.”

  “Okay.”

  He patted me on my back. There was a knock on the door and then it opened. A tall guy, almost as tall as Chase’s six-two frame, entered the office. The only way I knew for certain that he was Pierce was because of his dimples, the one characteristic about him other than his eye color that hadn’t changed. He had sapphire blue eyes, flawless alabaster skin, and light and dark blond hair, cut short. He had a leanly muscled and lanky body.

  “Ah, good—you came in early. See you didn’t let her drag you down for the whole day,” Uncle Anton said sarcastically.

  Pierce impassively looked at his dad. I guessed Uncle Anton hadn’t taken a liking to a girl Pierce was seeing. “Father.” Pierce swung his gaze to me. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, and Uncle Anton made a disapproving noise. “Noodles has grown up!”

  I lightly laughed at him. “And look at you, Porkchop.”

  Pierce ruffled my hair and I swatted his hand away. It didn’t feel like I hadn’t seen him in years.

  “I hear you’ll be working with us.” He quirked a brow at me.

  I turned to look at Uncle Anton, who regarded his son. “Bethany will work in HR. Pierce is the second general manager for the summer. He’s done very well. Especially when she’s not around to crowd up his head and time. You’ll meet Claude, the primary general manager, soon. Pierce has been offered the general manager position contingent upon his successful graduation next year. And then Claude will oversee a hotel that’s being built in nearby Miami.”

  “Enough talk about work,” Pierce said. “I am gonna take Bethany to the house and come back to start my shift.”

  “All right. Call me if you need anything,” Uncle Anton told me.

  I nodded. “Yes, Uncle Anton.”

  Uncle Anton eyed Pierce. “And see me before you start your shift.”

  ***

  “Who is she?” Resting my head against the passenger seat in Pierce’s 2012 Mustang, I slid my heels off of my feet and put my flip-flops back on. I gave him a curious look and he instantly flashed a smile.

  “A girl I’ve been having sex with on and off since I was fourteen.”

  I crossed my arms. “Then how can she be just a girl? That’s a pretty big deal.”

  “To you,” he said with emphasis, “I am sure it is. And it should be ‘a pretty big deal.’ But Mona and I don’t roll like that. She’s not bad like everyone thinks. When we get along, it’s great, and when we don’t, it’s tough. It happens in relationships.” He gave a humorless laugh.

  “Is it safe for me to assume that Uncle Anton is gonna talk to you about her when you go back to the Paloma?”

  He made a face. “Just like my friends have.”

  “And is Chase one of those friends?”

  “Actually, he hasn’t grilled me about Mona. He’s never brought her up. Only I have.”

  “He just listens.” I realized that I stated it rather than asked.

  “Exactly.” A short silence settled between us before he continued. “He can be great in that way. You know? He doesn’t push. So, how was the ride?”

  “He insisted on carrying my stuff and paying the gas.”

  Pierce shook his head and started chuckling. “You mean he offered, you refused, and he wouldn’t have that.”

  Was my behavior so predictable? Chase just seemed like a gentleman, and I knew from watching Cindy’s relationships that most men were only polite so that they could have something in return, not because they were truly good men.

  “Obviously he didn’t want to pick up his friend’s cousin early in the morning, and I thought it was the least I could do was to pay the gas.”

  Pierce’s face had reddened with more laughter. He slowed down his driving and we entered a part of Paloma’s Edge that was very different from the rest of the houses I had seen when Chase had driven me. These houses were big with sculpted lawns. Two houses had elegant statues in the front.

  “You sure know how to bruise a guy’s ego, Noodles!”

  “I am not skinny anymore,” I replied. “And I was being considerate.”

  “You’re such a noodle head. You could’ve let Chase do the chivalrous thing, ’cause he doesn’t do it often.”

  My phone vibrated and I unlocked my phone’s screen to view my text message.

  Jake: How’s Paloma Edge livin’ so far? =)

  From the corner of my eye, I saw a small smile play on Pierce’s lips.

  Me: Uncle Anton gave me a job in HR. No interview necessary. He was happy to see me. How’re you and Mariska?

  Jake: Now that you’ve got a roof over your head for the summer, I am good. She’s ok but worried about you. I’ll be picking her up from work soon. And then we’re getting Pete.

  Me: Take care of them. Tell them I said hello.

  Jake: K. TTYL.

  Pierce parked in front of a huge white house that reminded of me of the nice ones I had cleaned during the school year. This one, though, made those houses look cute instead of spectacular, like I had thought they were. “Are you stubborn with your boyfriend too?” Pierce asked in an amused tone as I locked my phone’s screen.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend. Jake’s one of my best friends.”

  “Uh huh. And how long has he been your”—he made air quotes—“friend?”

  “Since I was six years old.”

  Nodding, Pierce didn’t respond.

  ***

  Chase

  As soon as we heard Pierce driving in with Bethany, Nancy and I came to the front of the house. When they both came inside, I took a deep breath. How’d Bethany look even better than earlier? She already began to tan and she took those high heels she had put on earlier and was in those sexy flip-flops.

  “What’s up, Chase?” Pierce and I fist-bumped while he laid a light kiss on Nancy’s forehead. Bethany gave me a tentative smile.

  “Nancy and I had lunch. We came back twenty minutes ago.”

  Pierce nodded. “Nancy, this is Bethany.”

  Bethany inched closer to Pierce, extended her arm, and widened her smile. “Nice to meet you, Nancy.”

  Nancy returned a smile to Bethany like it was a reward, and her body relax more. Man, what I would give to ease tension in her body.

  “I’ve heard such great things about you,” Nancy said. “Let me get—”

  Pierce and I stepped in. I carried that heavy-ass backpack and one suitcase, while Pierce had the other. We walked through the long hallway and started up the steps. I heard Nancy ask Bethany about what she needed. When we went into Bethany’s guestroom, which was all the way across the hall from mine, she couldn’t hide her stunned expression.

  After Pierce and I placed her stuff by the walk-in closet, he stood beside her and nudged her with his arm. “Everything here is brand new. Mom and Nancy didn’t know what you’d like,” he said.

  Bethany cocked her head in Nancy’s direction. “It’s beautiful. You and Aunt Deborah have amazing taste. The shades of brown and gold against the off-white wall are so…what my dream room would look like.”

  Pierce looped his hand around Nancy’s shoulders. “See, I told you that she’d love it.”

  Nancy looked pleased. And then Bethany’s stomach rumbled. Her face heated and I immediately wanted to grab her hand and take her to the kitchen. Feed her myself until she was sated and make sure she maintained every inch of that succulent body.

  Nancy slightly titled her head Pierce’s way and spoke to Bethany.

  “We’ll give you some time to yourself while I prepare your lunch. What would you like to eat?” Nancy asked Bethany.

  “A sandwich, please. The only things I don’t eat are pickles and mayonnaise.”

  “All right. Sandwich coming up,” she tol
d Bethany. She gestured toward the door. “Scoot, boys! Bethany needs her privacy.”

  I hadn’t realized I was still standing in her room. Pierce flicked his eyes over at me and then looked at Bethany. “I gotta get to work. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “I’ll be fine.” She gave him a half-grin. “See you later.”

  He tried to mess up her hair but she slapped his hand away and giggled at him as he left her room. I followed right after him and closed her door.

  ***

  “She’s a lovely young lady,” Nancy said as she finished making Bethany’s sandwich. She arched her brow and the sides of her lips curved. “And very beautiful,” she added.

  “She sure is.”

  Nancy trained her eyes on me. “Lovely or beautiful, or both?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know what I think?”

  Nancy already knew, though, and she was about to say something else when we heard Bethany make her way down the stairs. Once she was in the open-space kitchen, I looked over my shoulder and saw that she had changed into a tank top and a mid-thigh-length denim skirt. Her hair was damp from a shower, making it look dark brown. Her azure eyes stood out more. Even though her legs weren’t long, they were flawless and tempting in their own right. Smooth, shapely, and tanned. Her right shoulder had this cute birthmark on it and I wanted to skate my teeth along it and—

  “Thanks for waiting me.” Beth’s mild vanilla and honey scent carried as she sat next to me.

  Nancy nodded. I got up and headed towards the fridge. “What would you like to drink?”

  “Orange juice, please.”

  “Ice or no ice?”

  “Ice.”

  Nancy’s eyes glinted as she stood by Bethany. “Enjoy,” she warmly told her, and she started off until she paused. “Chase, make sure to give her your number, my number, and Pierce’s.”