by Tori Brooks
“But you know them,” Kenny said. Dev was okay with girls he knew, so where was this coming from?
“Yeah, well, they’ve been hinting that they’d really like to go on a date. Except they call us a threesome.”
Oh, that would do it, Kenny thought.
“Fine, you’re off the hook for now.” He’d mention that to Paul to see what the shrink in New York thought. Dev avoiding girls he didn’t know was normal. Now the ones he did know were showing interest and he was avoiding them too. Maybe the kid was gay.
Kenny banged his head against the desk. That would be his luck. Get a decent bass guitarist that brought the girls running and he didn’t like girls. Maybe he was gay. He dressed well, too well. He never showed an interest in guys though.
“Are you okay? If it’s that big of a deal, I’ll go.” Dev was watching him, Kenny realized.
“Dev? You like girls, right?”
“Not particularly. They’re weird, unreasonable, and even Mom admits they turn bitchy for no reason.”
“Aside from that. I mean girls versus guys?”
Dev tilted his head and glared at him. “I’m not gay. I just don’t want to deal with them.”
“Great, wait ‘til you’re thirty. I understand they start to get reasonable about then.”
“Mom disproves that theory.” Dev leaned against the desk.
“Paul’s not so bad.”
“Shoulda figured you’d defend him.”
“Listen, my dad’s a bastard. He walked all over my mom then left her to screw his secretary. Trust me, Teri could do worse. Paul may not be your idea of father-figure material, but he takes care of Teri and makes her happy. That’s all we should care about.”
Dev didn’t respond, and he still looked unhappy. More than before actually.
“Okay, fine. Look at it this way, in a few years you’ll graduate. We can go off touring and you won’t have to deal with him. For now, settle down and help me with Jess so we still have a band to go touring with.”
“Fine, you do your crazy classes and I’ll see if Jess will let me tag along and observe him. I’ll tell him I need pick-up lines or something.”
Dev walked out and Kenny didn’t get more than a page read before Bryan and Jess walked in.
“Kenny,” Bryan quietly sat on the edge of the desk. “Dev gave me a list of band names and I thought of one that might work.”
“From the list?”
“No, but it’s an idiom like most of his suggestions.”
“A what?” Jess asked.
“A saying that means something different than the words in it, Jess,” Bryan explained. Kenny turned to look, confirming Jess’s blank expression.
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” Kenny offered. “Well, maybe that one’s too deep for you,” he added with a grin.
“I know what it means, smart ass,” Jess retorted.
“Anyway,” Bryan continued, “good guess. That was the one I was thinking of. I mean with Dev’s modeling and all.”
Kenny smiled. “I like it. Too long though, how about just ‘A Thousand Words’?”
Jess shrugged. “Whatever.”
“You don’t get it.” Bryan smiled at Jess.
“Go somewhere else to explain it. I’ve got homework.” Kenny waved them off.
“Sure. I’ll pitch it to Dev too. He’s shy and really suffering with this modeling thing. He may as well get some recognition out of it with the band name. Maybe it’ll make him feel better.” Bryan dragged Jess off with him to go find Dev.
Kenny sat up, stunned. Bryan mentioned Dev’s shyness, but Kenny never voiced that concern. Maybe Bryan could give him a hand with the introverted child genius. Of course his girlfriend would kill him for the extra assignment. He’d have to talk to Brenda about that.
Paul was in New York again; it’d be a few days before he was back. Kenny was anxious to talk to him again and see what he thought of the new name. Despite Dev’s misgivings, Kenny considered Paul to be a useful adult to have around.
Chapter Eighteen
“Oh, Hell no!”
Dev’s yelling woke Paul and Teri up. Paul saw Dev standing in the door of Teri’s bedroom and, in response to the disturbance, let his hands fall away from the petite woman in bed beside him. Paul and Teri fell asleep and lost track of time, school was already out.
“You tell me to be responsible and keep it in my pants, then you go off and screw the stalker? That is not cool and I don’t want him here!” Dev disappeared down the hall with loud footfalls.
Out of bed and across the room before Paul even had a chance to grab a bathrobe, Teri grabbed a pair of handcuffs from a box on the dresser. She ran out the door after her son wearing only a long t-shirt.
Paul got dressed quickly and caught up to them at the top of the stairs. Teri had Dev handcuffed to the banister and stood just a few steps down from where he sat glaring. Paul wondered how she managed to force the gangly teen into handcuffs and shook his head in quiet admiration. He was glad now that she’d stolen his t-shirt a few days ago and adopted it as her own. It was long and dark enough that she was at least modest as she stared back at Dev. Paul knew she wasn’t wearing anything under it, so he was doubly glad Dev didn’t make her wrestle him to get him cuffed. He leaned back against the wall behind Dev to see how Teri was going to handle her son now that he was a captive audience.
“I can’t believe you handcuffed me to the railing! You’re such a bitch!”
“You’re upset so I’ll let that slide for now,” Teri responded calmly, letting her hands fall away from her hips. “Listen, Dev, I know it was a shock to find Paul sleeping over-”
“A shock? To find out my mother’s a slut? Yeah, I’d say it was an eye-opener.”
Paul immediately stood upright, but Teri gave him a slight shake of the head and he held his tongue.
“Devin, be silent and listen for a moment.”
“So you can talk your way out of it? Deny you’re doing anything wrong?”
“No, you’re right. I’ve always taught you and your sister to behave in a certain way: to be above the norms of society and do what’s right, not what’s popular. Now I’m not behaving that way myself. You have every reason to be upset. I really should have seen this coming and talked to you about it a while ago.”
“A while ago? How long have you been sleeping around? The stalker, Mom? Does the mail man know?”
“Out of line, Devin. Paul and I have a relationship. I’ve had him around the house for the past several of months, letting Paul and you kids get to know each other. He’s been really good about taking it slow because I thought it would be better to let you get used to having him around before moving on.”
“Moving on?”
“I asked Paul to move in with us, Dev.”
“Live here? You’re not even married. You give us this big routine-”
“Yeah, I know, abstinence and all that. I know, Dev. Here’s the thing: it’s unlikely Paul and I will ever get married. Not because we don’t love each other or want to spend our lives together. I’d love to be able to make that commitment to him, but I can’t because Paul’s already married.”
“What? So not only are you sleeping around, you’re the other woman now? You’re my mother for God’s sake!”
“And you know what, Dev? I reacted pretty much the same way at first.”
“And now you want to shack up with the stalker? What would Dad say?”
Teri laughed and briefly glanced at Paul. He smiled with amusement.
“Yeah, about that . . . another time, okay? Just be quiet and pay attention. Paul and I had already had a few dates when I found out he was married. You remember the breakup? I wouldn’t even talk to him, so he had a hard time explaining. You remember the flowers? There were emails and letters too. Eventually I let him explain. He’s married, but separated for a very long time.”
“That doesn’t change anything.”
“Granted, but let me tell you what does.
Sara, his wife, refuses to grant a divorce-”
“There are courts for that.”
“I know, hush. Sara refuses to grant a divorce and the only way to get one will be to take her to court for a very nasty, very public, battle. In the process, some innocent people will be hurt, some lives ruined. Paul told me who stood to lose and I honestly understand why he doesn’t want to do it. Sara knows Paul wouldn’t want to hurt some people and he would actively protect others. I can’t really give you details, but she’s a bitch, Dev.”
“So he gives you this big sob story and you just say ‘okay’ and hop in bed with him?”
“Actually, no. I flew down to Phoenix and met Sara.”
Paul was leaning back against the wall, but sprang forward at this news.
Dev caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to glare at him.
Ignoring Dev’s glare, Paul stepped forward and sat on the top step, just above and beside him. Dev glared at him more intensely, like a basilisk doing its best to kill someone who just wasn’t cooperating. Paul noticed, but was more interested in what Teri had to say.
“Eyes front please, Dev, focus.”
Dev reluctantly returned his attention to his mother and Teri continued.
“Paul didn’t know I visited Sara. I listened to what he had to say, and asked him to let me think about it. He stayed in New York to give me a little space, and I flew to Phoenix. I located Sara and met her. Initially I just bumped into her at the spa she went to. We chatted, she seemed okay. Then I set up a formal meeting with her, letting her know right up front who I was. She was a very different person when we met the second time. Needless to say, she’s a piece of work. I really can’t go into it beyond that, but I found out what I needed to.”
“He was telling the truth,” Dev conceded bitterly.
“I wasn’t down there to check his story, Dev. I trust Paul. I knew he told me his side, I needed to see why she was doing this.”
“I thought you said it was because she’s a bitch.”
“Yes, but I needed to know why,” Teri sighed. “Women can turn into a raging bitch at the blink of an eye, baby. I’m sorry, but it’s a fact of life. Unfortunately we’ve all got different triggers and different reactions. Usually we’re reasonable, eventually. Sometimes you’ll meet those that aren’t. Please don’t marry one.
“Anyway, with Sara, I needed to know in particular if she was refusing the divorce because she still loved Paul and thought she could force him to make it work. I knew it was unlikely after being separated for something like twelve years, but some people are thick. That wasn’t it. She’s bitter. In my opinion she doesn’t have a right to be, but she is. And she’s determined to cause him as much pain as she can.”
“And if she had told you she still loved me?” Paul asked quietly.
“We would have had a talk. That most likely would have degenerated into a knock-down, drag-out brawl. But I would have come home with a different perspective.”
Paul nodded silently.
“But that wasn’t the case, she just wants to hurt Paul and isn’t above destroying innocent people to do it. Someone that she loves and cares for too, by the way. So, on the flight home, I made a decision.
“I only had two choices really: to say goodbye to Paul or move on with our relationship as if Sara didn’t exist. Having a partial relationship would have killed us both and I wouldn’t do that. If I called the whole thing off I’d be denying any chance that Paul and I had to be happy together. I would, in effect, be her accomplice in hurting him. She’s been counting on that all along. I decided I’d be damned if I was going to let that conniving little bitch use me like that, especially now that I knew what she was about. So, when I got home, I called Paul and invited him to dinner.”
“And you just invited him to move in. No warning. No asking what Cassie and I thought about it,” Dev said.
Teri sighed. “I planned on mentioning it, yes. I just got a little emotional this morning after . . . well, we’ll just leave it at Jess was involved. I asked Paul to stay instead of going to his place. In fairness, he was hesitant because you might not have been aware of that aspect of our relationship and he was worried about you coming home from school on time for a change. I’m pretty sure Cassie already suspects Paul and I have been sleeping together.”
“How does she know?”
“Seventeen-year-old girls notice things fifteen-year-old boys don’t. I wasn’t sure about you because I really don’t know how much the other boys suspect or if they mentioned it to you. In short, I made a bad call and I’m sorry I gave you a shock.”
“So he’s moving in,” Dev nodded his acknowledgment. He looked at Paul, still sitting silently beside him. “You’re not my dad.”
“Devin! Paul may not be your father, but I love him and you need to respect that. He’s an adult living in this house and you will be civil and courteous, and give him the same respect I expect you to give every adult I invite into this house. Are we clear?”
Dev nodded, facing the wall. He rattled his handcuffs. “Can I go now?”
Teri sighed and nodded. She started up the stairs, and Paul stood to let her pass. She grabbed his hand as she walked by, pulling him along with her. Once back in the bedroom and out of Dev’s sight, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. Paul wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tightly, kissing the top of her head.
“Well, one down. That went well, don’t you think?” He smiled as she looked up at him in horror. “Don’t worry, honey. You were right, Cassie already knows.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, she’s been making double-edged comments for about a month now. From her tone, she isn’t upset about it.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, like a week ago when you were having that little emotional breakdown about catching Jess with a girl in the back seat of the Mustang, remember?”
“Yeah, you stayed all night holding me and not telling me I was overreacting. I know you were thinking it.”
“Far be it from me to give you parenting advice. Anyway, I was sitting at the bar eating toast when Cassie came downstairs at six in the morning. You were fussing with the cat or something. She just sat down beside me and asked if I was coming or going. Then she made an obvious point of looking at my clothes, my shirt especially being somewhat wrinkled from you crying on my shoulder, and gave me a high five.”
Teri laughed.
“Hello! Still handcuffed to the railing out here!” Dev called.
Teri walked over to the dresser beside the bedroom door and Paul noticed a box lay open. A closer look revealed a pen, a medal, and a few pictures - presumably mementos from Teri’s late stepfather, who was an FBI agent. She pulled out a small key ring and, picking out a handcuff key, she offered it to Paul. He smiled, took the key and went to go free Dev as a peace offering.
“I’m taking a shower,” Teri called down the hall.
“Don’t wait for me,” Paul called back over his shoulder.
“Please! I do not want to hear this!” came Dev’s complaining addition.
Teri laughed as she headed to the bathroom.
Paul sat on the step beside Dev. Dev stared at the wall, and held up his handcuffed wrists as far as he could.
“Dev, look at me a moment, will you?” Paul asked.
Dev let his wrists fall and turned his head so he could just see Paul in his peripheral vision. Paul sighed at his technical obedience and stood up to stand on a lower step in front of Dev.
“Dev, you and I have had a rocky time of it so far and I want to make some things clear. I realize I’m not your father, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking of you as a son.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? I heard how well things worked out with your kids.”
Paul smiled; he was on familiar ground with backtalk. He ignored it and leaned forward with the key. Dev held up his wrists.
“For the reco
rd, I love your mother. I’d do just about anything to be able to marry her,” Paul said as he unlocked the handcuffs and removed them from Dev’s wrists.
“Are your kids moving in too? There’s no room you know.”
“It’s unlikely you’ll meet my kids anytime soon. You’re still young and right now it’s more important to protect you from them than introduce you.”
“So you’re not good with kids,” Dev said. “Does Mom really want to trust you with raising us then?”
“Probably not. She doesn’t need me to either. I can see her having me remind you of rules already in place, but I can’t see making new ones unless it’s serious. She’s got things pretty well in hand.”
Dev looked at him, dumbfounded. “Have you been paying attention? This house is chaotic.”
“You’re right, although not as much as it seems on the surface. No house with six teenagers is going to run smoothly. Your mother is smart enough to accept that and let things flow with just a little guidance when needed. I would have tried to make things orderly and caused absolute turmoil and genuine chaos in the process. Your mom’s much smarter than you give her credit for.”
“Yeah, if you say so. Don’t step on Cat, she’s behind you.” Dev brushed past Paul and retreated to the basement.
Paul looked to see Cat sitting quietly on the step below him. He sat and slowly reached out a hand for the gray tabby to sniff. He stopped, holding his fingers just a couple of inches away to allow her to come to him.
Cat looked up at him then stretched forward to sniff his fingers. She brushed her whiskers against him. Remaining still, Paul allowed himself a smile. Cat started to brush her whiskers past his fingers again, then stopped, bit him, and disappeared before Paul fully stood in surprise. He retreated back up the stairs, examining the bleeding puncture holes and swearing quietly.
Teri was already in the shower and Paul slid in behind her while she washed her hair. The sweet berry smell of her shampoo reminded him he needed to restock his own toiletries. Unlike Teri, Paul didn’t care for his hair smelling like food. He let his eyes roam over her bare skin as he considered that edible worked for her.
