by Karen Booth
“The rooms are attached, right? I requested that when I made the reservation,” David said, irresistible with hours of scruff along his jaw.
“Yes, sir. Exactly as you asked.”
David raised an eyebrow at Alex. “I’ll bunk with Page and Tyler will stay in your room?”
That sucks. Alex sighed. “Sounds perfect.” She watched as the boys sat on a sprawling turquoise sofa, talking and horsing around. It was such a welcome change of pace to hear them laugh.
The clerk slid a paper folio with two room key cards inside. “Here you are, Mr. and Mrs. Callahan. Lee is waiting with your bags at the elevator. He’ll show you up to your room.”
Alex cleared her throat as she watched David beckon the boys and usher them toward the elevator. Mr. and Mrs. Callahan. For all of the time they’d spent together as a unit, she’d never dared to imagine that kind of a future with David. Most days, she couldn’t see beyond the next twenty-four hours, certainly never more than a few months down the road. Everything beyond the divorce had once seemed unattainable, but away from LA and the physical reminders of what was going on, the glimpse of what might be possible warmed her from head to toe.
The happy feelings also made it that much more difficult to be around David and not touch him. They were very careful to keep from close physical contact around the boys, but this weekend would be tough. Most of the time at home, Page and Tyler were running around and doing their own thing, not subjecting David and her to such scrutiny.
The elevator dinged and they walked down the long corridor, decorated with sea green carpet and bamboo-patterned wallpaper. The boys led the way, and the bellboy brought up the rear. David’s fingers brushed her hand and hooked his pinky around hers for an instant before letting go. She looked at him and fought a smile; her body tingled with a familiar heat.
Inside the first room, the boys rushed to see the beach from the windows. The rustle of waves and the caws of seagulls flooded the room as Page opened the glass sliding door.
The bellboy’s cart clunked into the room and he removed the bags before David handed him a five. “Thank you, sir. Enjoy your stay with us.”
David nodded and held his hand at Alex’s back. “You okay?” He inched closer. “You’re being quiet.”
She chewed on her lower lip, drawn in by the rich, chocolaty tone of his eyes. “I’m great. I’m just happy to be here. Thank you.”
“Please stop saying that. I want to do these things for you. For us. Okay?” He craned his neck, watching the boys, before pecking her on the forehead.
“Careful. We need to watch ourselves around those two. Page is like whats-her-butt, our eleventh grade English teacher. Eyes in the back of his head.”
David shook his head. “Wow. Mrs. Lavin? I haven’t thought about her in years.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
They joined the boys out on the deck. Alex breathed in the rush of salt air, soaked up the late afternoon sun on her face. I needed this. “This is so beautiful. What do we say to Uncle David, guys?”
Tyler whipped around and hugged David’s waist. “Thank you. It’s awesome.”
Page glanced over his shoulder while Tyler relinquished his hold on David. “Yeah. Thanks. This is pretty kick-ass.”
“Page,” Alex said, drawing out his name.
“Sorry, Mom. It rocks.”
“Standing out here does rock,” David said. “But I think a walk on the beach and a swim in the pool would rock even more.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were poolside, where Alex scouted out a few lounge chairs and David stopped at the bar to order drinks. The boys took no time getting wet, both heading straight for the diving board. Alex took off her cover-up and sat back, stretching her arms high above her head as David approached.
“They’ll bring the drinks over in a minute.” He tossed a paperback onto his chair and bent his arm, lifting his T-shirt over his head.
Alex eyed his chest and the narrow trail of hair down his midline, taking a deep breath to calm her raging hormones. She would’ve straddled him right there on the chair if it weren’t completely socially unacceptable. Damn. “What are we drinking?” She smoothed her foot along the edge of the chair.
“You and I are having margaritas. I ordered mango smoothies for Page and Ty.”
The waitress brought the drinks and David signed for them, seemingly oblivious to the way she unsubtly checked him out as she took the pen and check from him.
He reclined on his side and held his cup in mid-air. “Cheers. Here’s to a relaxing weekend. Just the four of us.”
“Cheers.” Alex thumped her plastic cup against his and took a long sip of her drink. She wanted to fully appreciate what this felt like—normal, like a family, having fun together, with nobody mad or moody or complaining about something trivial.
“What do you want to do for dinner tonight?” David shifted in his seat and his fingers lazed over his stomach as he absentmindedly stroked the area around his navel.
Alex fought the purr about to come out of her. She welcomed the distraction of the couple next to them packing up their things. “Um, I don’t know. Seafood? We’re at the beach and Tyler loves popcorn shrimp.”
“We can ask the concierge to hook us up with something.”
The chairs next to them went unoccupied for only a few seconds before another young couple claimed them. Alex did a double take.
The woman, a curvy blonde, looked familiar but Alex couldn’t place her. She arranged her towel on her chair and looked up, holding her hand to her forehead and shielding her eyes from the sun. “David? Is that you?”
David jumped and shook his head when he laid eyes on her. “Charlotte? What are you doing here?” He turned back to Alex, propped his sunglasses on his forehead and crossed his eyes. He mouthed, “My ex.”
Alex did her best not to say, “Big surprise.” The list of David’s exes was a mile long.
David got up from his seat, his foot catching on the leg of the lounge chair, which scraped across the pavement. “Shit.” He hopped and rubbed his ankle. “How are you?” He gave Charlotte a polite hug before reaching to shake the hand of the man with her. “I’m David.”
“Mike. Nice to meet you.”
David gestured in Alex’s direction. “This is Alex.”
“Alex?” Charlotte asked. “Alex Halford?”
Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Alex was paralyzed.
Charlotte lunged and extended her hand. “I didn’t realize that was you. I met you years ago in San Diego. Your oldest son was with you, but he was pretty little. Where’s your handsome hubby?”
Alex hadn’t considered what this might look like to the rest of the world. Even if someone recognized David, that was usually a quick photo and an autograph, certainly not any prying questions.
“Ah. Glenn. Well, yes. He’s on a vacation of his own.” She found herself second-guessing every syllable while thankful for her sunglasses. Her eyes always seemed to give her away. “He’s in Mexico. With some friends.”
“Oh, I see.” Charlotte cocked her head. “Well, it’s great to see you. You probably don’t remember me. I’m sure it’s hard to keep David’s girlfriends straight.”
David cleared his throat and sat, crinkling his lips at Alex. “Uh, so, Charlotte, are you guys on vacation?”
Mike chimed in. “Yep. We’re thinking about getting married up here, so we came to check out a few locations. You?”
David frantically wagged his foot. “Came up here to see a guy about some vintage guitars he’s selling.”
“Of course you are,” Charlotte said. “Boys and their toys.”
Tyler ran up, dripping wet. “Uncle David, you said you were going to throw me in the pool like you do at home.”
“Of course, buddy. Five minutes. The grown-ups are talking right now.”
Alex sank lower in her chair as she felt Charlotte’s eyes on her. “Ty, honey, no running by the pool, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Okay, Mommy.” He skittered to the edge of the pool and jumped in.
“Is that your youngest, Alex?” Charlotte asked. “He’s so cute. How old is he?”
“Oh, thanks. Tyler is ten.”
“Your oldest must be a teenager by now.” She leaned forward and playfully smacked David on the leg with the back of her hand. “See? I really was Double Damage’s biggest fan.”
Great. She’s David’s ex and she knows everything there is to know about the band. “Yes, Page is thirteen,” Alex muttered. “He’s the tall one waiting in line for the diving board.”
“Wow. He looks exactly like his dad. I mean a carbon copy.”
Alex watched as Page moved up in the line. It was impossible to guess how he’d be when the dust settled, once they knew what his father was going to do and it came out that she and David were seeing each other. “Yes, he is.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The four of them headed back to the Sea Inn after dinner, stuffed from fried shrimp and hush puppies. Tyler and Page flopped onto one of the beds in Page and David’s room and turned on the TV. Everyone was exhausted from the long drive that morning, swimming, and dinner out in the open air of the restaurant patio.
“I’m going to ditch my purse.” Alex walked to the door that connected the two rooms.
“I’ll come with you.” David glanced over his shoulder. “Give the boys some privacy.” The boys seemed oblivious as he trailed Alex into her room.
She stopped in her tracks and turned in front of the bathroom door. Her honey-sweet smell wafted over him, a smirk across her face. “I need to pee.”
“Can I watch? It might be the closest I’ll come to getting any action this weekend.” His pants twitched in protest.
“No. You can’t watch.” She picked a piece of lint off his shirt. “Nobody can see us like this.” She stepped back before shutting the bathroom door in his face.
David stood outside and pressed his forehead to the door. Frustration nestled in his pores, as if it planned to stay for a while. “You’re killing me, you know.” He knew she couldn’t hear him as she flushed and turned on the water in the sink. “Killing me.”
Alex turned the knob and David almost fell flat on the tile. “Did you say something?”
“Uh, no. Not really.”
Her head dropped, her eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I wish we could have time alone, but you know I don’t want to risk that with the boys. It’s not fair to them, and as much as I hate to say it, it’s not fair to Glenn.”
David bristled at the statement. “Glenn gets more than his share of fair.” Alex’s willingness to cut Glenn slack was part of the reason she was in her position. Forgiving him time and again for his infidelities hadn’t been a favor to Glenn; she’d only managed to illuminate the hold he had over everyone around him.
“How weird was that at the pool today?” Alex asked. “I didn’t really think about running into anyone we know.”
“It was beyond weird.”
“Do you think she knows what’s going on?” She tiptoed to the connector door, peeking in on the boys. She padded back to David. “Tyler’s already asleep. Can you carry him in here for me? He’s way too heavy.”
“In a minute.” He twined his fingers with hers. “Charlotte might know. She’s a smart woman. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like she’s going to say anything to anybody.”
Alex looked at him, confused. “It made me sick to think about what she must think of us, of me. You’re single. You’re not the one cheating.”
He closed his eyes as his neck grew tense. “It’s not as simple as that. As far as I’m concerned, you aren’t guilty of anything. Glenn cheated on you. You’re getting a divorce. He’s probably going to be most angry with me when this comes out. I broke the guy code. Big time.”
“You mean being with a friend’s woman?”
“Take your pick. Being with a friend’s woman, seducing his woman, falling in love with her.” The last part grated on him. His heart was still coming to terms with the unreturned “I love you.” He wrestled daily with the idea she might never say it.
****
David woke the next morning to Page and Tyler arguing in not-so-quiet whispers, but he kept his eyes closed.
“No, doofus,” Page hissed. “Don’t wake up David. You know how we’re never supposed to wake up Dad? It’s the same for all grown-ups.”
“But I wanna go do something. I’m bored.”
“Is Mom still sleeping?”
“Yes. She’s snoring.”
David snickered. The sounds that came out of Alex when she was sleeping were a comical contrast to her slender build. He stretched and groaned. “What time is it?”
Tyler hopped onto his bed. “7:03.”
“Maybe we should go get your mom some coffee.”
The three of them threw on shorts and walked down to the hotel café, ordering coffee, juice and pastries to go.
“What do you guys want to do today?” David asked as they took the elevator back up to their floor.
“I want to do the boardwalk,” Tyler said.
“I was kind of hoping we could do the guitar shopping today,” Page said.
“That’s boring,” Tyler answered, stepping off the elevator.
“Is not.”
“Is too.”
David came to a halt in front of their room. “Guys. Mellow out. We’ll do the boardwalk today and we can go guitar shopping tomorrow. I have to call the guy ahead of time anyway.”
Page shot Tyler a dirty look as they walked back into the room. David tossed his keycard and wallet on to the dresser and poked his head into Alex’s room. She was still sound asleep.
Tyler and Page had already dug into the bag of pastries. Tyler’s mouth was dusted in powdered sugar, a white smear across his chin. Page turned on the TV and they both sprawled out on the beds.
David sat at the table at the far end of the room, sipping coffee, studying the boys as they laughed at their TV show. He saw a glimpse of what it would be like to be a family—Alex by his side, taking care of the boys together, laughing, everything normal. Except none of this was normal. Would he ever have that feeling with Alex and the boys once they returned home? Surely not if Glenn returned. There would be hell to pay before that would ever happen.
He struggled with the reality. It wasn’t his fault Glenn had left. He wasn’t to blame for the end of Glenn and Alex’s marriage. Still, those two unhappy events had given him everything he ever wanted. And it was going to change Page and Tyler forever. For better or worse, they would never be the same.
Alex shuffled into the room, blinking at the sun beaming through the window sheers. “Hey, guys. Good morning.” Her hair was sticking up in the back, but he loved seeing her in a baggy T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. After the time at the pool yesterday, her long legs had a hint of golden tan.
He slid the second cup of coffee to her, along with three sugar packets, as she took the seat next to him. “How’d you sleep?”
“Great. You?”
David recalled how little fun it was to lie in that bed by himself while Alex was in the next room. “Like a baby.”
****
The boardwalk was bustling with people by the time they got down there late-morning. Alex and David strolled while the boys ran ahead, checking out the rides, food stands and games. All David wanted was to hold Alex’s hand—take a chance when the boys weren’t looking, but he thought better of it and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
They made their way to the far end, stopping for cheese fries and corndogs when it came time for lunch. After an Alex-mandated thirty-minute waiting period, the boys got in line for a rollercoaster. David and Alex stood at the fence surrounding the ride and waited for them.
“No thrill rides for you?” he asked.
“Uh, no. I have a serious fear of falling. Glenn always used to take the boys to do this sort of thing.”
David’s brow furrowed. “Should I have gone with th
em?” He scratched his head, craning his neck to catch sight of the boys in the maze of people. What if Tyler gets scared?
Alex’s eyes darted to the winding line. “Oh, no. It’s fine. I mean, it should be fine.”
“Should be or will be?”
She straightened herself. “They need to do these things by themselves.”
“They didn’t seem to hesitate to hop in line without us.”
“Right.” Alex’s voice sounded convinced, but her face told a different story.
He gripped her elbow. “Alex. Just tell me if you want me to go with them. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Her face softened and she exhaled. “I think they’re fine, but thanks for offering. That means a lot.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The man selling the guitar collection lived up in the hills overlooking Santa Cruz, in a small bungalow with a Beware of Dog sign tacked to the mailbox. Alex hadn’t exactly been looking forward to this stop on their trip. She’d been on dozens of these excursions with Glenn over the years, but it was important to David and Page.
Alex wrapped her arms around herself as they stood at the man’s front door, and David rang the bell again. No dog barked. David arched his eyebrows at her, and she felt a flutter in her chest. It had been three days since they’d touched for real. Being around each other had become vexing at times.
The door opened and a towering, thin man with a skinny moustache bent down to duck under the doorframe. He wore surfer shorts and a T-shirt. His feet were bare. “You must be David. I’m Gary. Glad to meet you.” He offered his hand as the corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile. He nodded at the boys. “Which one of you is the guitar player?”
Page raised his hand. “That would be me.”
Gary patted Page’s shoulder. “Come on. Everything’s out in the shop.”
They trailed behind Gary as he led them behind the house to a small outbuilding with peeling brown paint. The interior was in sharp contrast, everything immaculate and tidy. There had to be twenty or more guitars hanging on the walls, and judging by David’s reaction, they were all special.
