Bad Reputation

by Nicole Edwards

  I’ve seen people in the grass before, some on the kitchen counters, even one in Chase’s bathtub a few years back. It can get wild and crazy, so this seems tame in comparison.

  A throat clears and I turn to see Natalie standing in the doorway. She’s smiling from ear to ear.

  “Please tell me I can have coffee,” she says, her voice rough with sleep.

  “There’s still enough for another cup.”

  “Perfect. And I’ll start another pot.”

  Natalie disappears into the house and I head over to the table. Pulling my feet up into the chair, I stare out at the endless waves of grass blowing in the breeze, the warm morning sun rising higher in the sky.

  “Where’d Chase run off to last night?” Natalie asks when she returns.

  “No idea. I figure he shacked up with blondie.” I take a sip of my coffee.

  “Well, I know for a fact that didn’t happen because that chick ended up going home with some guy who said he was remodeling his kitchen.”

  I laugh at that because…well, because it’s funny.

  “But there was another chick who wouldn’t leave him alone.”

  “Then he’s probably with her, somewhere.” Knowing Chase…Yeah. Knowing him, I don’t want to think about what he’s doing right now. I’d rather sit right here and enjoy my coffee without any X-rated images in my head. Especially images of my best friend. “What about you and Marky Mark?”

  I see the blush steal over Natalie’s fair skin and I grin behind my mug. “That good, huh?”

  Her eyes instantly slip off into the distance. “I like him,” she whispers.

  I fight the urge to squeal. I’m happy for Natalie. I honestly think Marky Mark’s a good guy. Sure, he’s a dog like the rest of them, but I think he has the ability to be tamed. By the right woman.

  “Is he still here?”

  Natalie shakes her head and meets my gaze. “No. He said he had to go help his mom move some furniture, but he’s going to call me.”

  The way she says that doesn’t sound as though she believes him.

  “I know he does help his mom a lot.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” It’s true. I know his mother and father divorced sometime last year and Mark moved her down here to Texas so he could be close to her. Like I said, he’s a good guy. “Don’t give up on him yet,” I add.

  “Give up on who?”

  I twist around at the sound of Chase’s voice, smiling when I see him. His hair is sticking up in all directions and he looks as though he’s been rolling around in bed for the past few hours.

  “Nice of you to join us, sleepy-head.”

  He grabs the doorjamb and twists his torso, stretching his back.

  “Where’d you sleep?” I ask.

  Chase pins me with a glare. “In my fucking car.”

  “What?” I choke on a laugh. “Why?”

  “Because…” He shakes his head. “I’ll be back.”

  I glance over at Natalie, who looks as confused as I am. I shrug, then take another sip of my coffee.

  Chase returns with a coffee cup in hand. He moves the chair closest to me, then turns it so he can face me. I should’ve known what he was angling for, but it doesn’t hit me until he props his big-ass foot on the edge of my chair.

  “Your turn.” He wiggles his giant toes.

  “I am not rubbing your foot while I’m drinking my coffee.”

  “Y’all are so cute together,” Natalie says, her tone cheerful.

  I roll my eyes and try to push Chase’s foot off my chair with my toes. He doesn’t budge, so I tuck my legs in closer to me.

  “So, why your car?” I prompt.

  “Because I wanted to be alone.”

  “Ahh.”

  I can see Natalie’s eyes darting back and forth between us. “Ahh, what? What does that mean?” she asks.

  “Was it the blond girl?” I ask.

  Chase nods. “I tried to pass her off to the countertop guy, and it worked for a little while, but then she came back. Then I tried to get her to play poker, but she insisted on clinging to my arm.” He takes a gulp of his coffee. “So I finally told her I had to run to the store.”

  My eyes widen.

  “But I saw you with another woman,” Natalie notes, her eyes still pinging back and forth between us.

  “I tried to use her to deflect Mary. Didn’t work.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t go anywhere,” I say.

  “No, I didn’t leave,” he assures me. “I was going to wait her out, but I ended up falling asleep.” Chase’s attention turns to Natalie. “So. Marky Mark, huh?”

  “She went home with the countertop guy,” Natalie says, completely ignoring Chase’s question.

  He sighs. “Figures. If I’d known that, I could’ve at least slept on the couch.”

  “Where did you sleep?” Natalie’s question is directed at me.

  “In Chase’s bed.”

  Natalie laughs, her cup moving toward her mouth. “I hear it’s much better if Chase sleeps in there with you.”

  “Better for who?” I mumble, then meet her gaze. “So. Marky Mark, huh?”

  No, I’m not above changing the subject either.

  Chapter 9

  When I asked Chase if he had any intentions of settling down, he kindly informed me that he wasn’t at that point in his life yet. One thing I noticed during my conversation with Chase, when you mention words like love, relationship, long-term, or marriage, it’s quite possible he breaks out in hives. According to the hockey bad boy, he’s more than happy being single. He did admit that one day he would settle down, but he didn’t see it happening anytime soon.

  —Excerpt from Sports Unlimited’s Bad Boys of Sports edition

  Chase

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  “What’s Chief doing?” Cassie asks as we stand around watching the party wind down.

  Cassie’s nieces have apparently gone into a sugar coma and are starting to whine, wanting to go inside and watch television. I have to say, Matt’s a much more patient man than I am. Every time “Dad” comes out of their mouths—about once every three seconds—he simply smiles and pats them on the head.

  “Is he on the phone?” Cassie nudges my arm.

  I glance at my dad, who’s pacing small circles facing away from us. It’s hard to tell he has his cellphone to his ear since every time he almost turns around, he quickly turns back.

  “Yeah. He’s talking to his sister.” I cast a sideways glance at Cassie. “Probably telling her all about the surprise party and how his son is the greatest person in the world.” I grin. “Or, how I seem to be at your beck and call, running to do your bidding every few minutes.”

  Yep. That’s right. I lost the bet. At least up to this point, Natalie and Marky Mark are still going strong. From what I can tell, they have a very volatile relationship. Well, I call it volatile, Cassie calls it passionate. They seem to like each other a lot, but they can’t keep their hands to themselves, nor do they keep their voices down when they’re communicating. Hence, volatile.

  I turn to face Cassie. “Since they’ve taken to interrogating me on whether or not we’re a couple, we seem to be the hot topic right now. I figure she’s not even upset that she missed his sixtieth birthday party.”

  “A couple?”

  “Yes. You know, me getting you food and drinks, rubbing your feet, having in-depth conversations with your mother so you don’t have to.”

  Cassie doesn’t seem to register any of what I’ve said. “But, why isn’t Donna here?”

  “I…uh…forgot to invite her.”

  Chuckling, Cassie bumps my arm. “She’s never going to forgive you.”

  No, she probably won’t.

  “You should’ve invited her first,” Cassie states. “I can’t believe you forgot.”

  I smile, then hug Cassie to my side. “I’m sure it’ll be cool. I’m her favorite nephew.”

  Cassie snorts. “You’re her only neph
ew.”

  “Exactly. Hence, her favorite.”

  Regardless of who was or was not here today, Chief had a great day. I took both dads and Matt out for a round of golf this morning. Not only is it something Chief enjoys, but the outing also gave Cassie and her sister-in-law time to put everything together.

  The party wasn’t anything fancy, just Dad and Chief, along with Cassie’s brother, his wife, Theresa, and their daughters, Melanie and Michelle. Her mother arrived, but not until the party was almost over, which didn’t seem to bother Cassie one bit. The fact that Betty brought along potential Stepdad No. 5 didn’t go over nearly as well.

  Now that we’ve had dinner, we’re all sitting around on my fathers’ back deck watching the sun set.

  “She might forgive you,” Cassie says, her voice still low, her eyes still trailing Chief. “But I’m sure you’ll have to make it up to her somehow. Maybe spend some extra time with her.”

  I glance down at Cassie to see her grinning. The mischievous little witch. I think she’d love if I was trapped with Donna for an extended period of time. She’s had to deal with my aunt as often as I have over the years and it’s safe to say that it hasn’t always been pleasant.

  For one, Donna subscribes to Betty’s logic. And by that, I mean she does not believe that a man and a woman can be friends the way that Cassie and I are. In fact, I got a lecture about it back in the early stages of my friendship with Cassie. Donna sat me down and informed me that it wasn’t appropriate for me to spend so much time with her. She claimed she was worried about what people would think of Cassie.

  When I told Cass, she laughed her ass off.

  Granted, when Donna sat Cassie down and warned her of tarnishing her reputation by allowing people to believe she was intimate with me, Cassie wasn’t doing a whole lot of laughing. She actually got pissed, but she managed to hold her tongue. Since then, the two of them rarely speak.

  Honestly, I love my aunt, but she can be a little self-righteous from time to time. It’s a wonder she’s embraced the fact that her brother is gay.

  But I would never tell Chief how I really feel. He’s a good man and he’s always trying to do right by everyone, especially me. I’m close with both of my dads. Even if we do live thousands of miles apart, we talk almost every day and I make it back home to visit as often as I can.

  “Probably good she’s not here,” I say, “considering you’ve got me waiting on you hand and foot.”

  Cassie smacks my arm. “I won, fair and square.”

  “Yes, you did.” I search the area for Betty. “Is it keeping your mom out of your hair?”

  Her smile brightens her entire face. “Yes, in fact. Rather than interrogate me, my mother told me that I better get out here and spend time with you before you get bored and dump me.”

  “Dump you?” I turn to face Cassie. “What does that mean?”

  “It means she’s even more convinced that we’re hiding a secret relationship. You know, her whole we can’t just be friends notion.”

  Cassie looks up at me, lifting an eyebrow in that what do you think? look.

  “Did you talk to Mick?” I can’t hide my smile when I mention Betty’s new love interest. Personally, I don’t think he’s all that bad, but I don’t really know him.

  Another snort escapes Cassie.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Let’s just say, I don’t think he’s going to be around long.”

  Turning, I look down at Cassie, wanting her to explain.

  Cassie sighs. “He hit on me.”

  My hand instantly forms into a fist and I feel a burst of rage fill my bloodstream. Okay, so maybe I was a little too quick to judge him.

  No, I haven’t lost my mind. I’m not thinking that Cassie and I could ever be anything more than friends. However, this asshole is going to be her stepfather, if Betty does decide he’s worth the time and effort it takes to marry his sorry ass. To hit on a woman that would be his stepdaughter…that’s nasty.

  Cassie’s hand wraps around my fist. “It’s fine, Chase. No harm done.”

  “Did you tell your mother?”

  Cassie chokes on a laugh. “No. And I don’t intend to. She’ll only tell me that I’m jealous and that there is no way Mick would hit on me. I damn sure don’t need that right now.”

  That does not make me feel any better.

  “Maybe I should tell her.”

  Cassie’s eyes widen. “Leave it alone, Barrett.”

  I nod, but I’m not sure if I can.

  Cassie nudges my elbow, canting her head toward the spot where Chief was pacing minutes ago. I glance over to see Mick heading toward him, with Dad close on the man’s heels.

  “So,” Mick says, “how is it that two gay men ended up with a kid, anyway?”

  Cassie sighs. “Is he serious?”

  I chuckle. It’s a question my fathers are used to. I’m sure they’ve heard it a million times over the years. I mean, sure, if someone really thought about it before they ran off at the mouth, they’d probably come up with adoption as the logical answer, but not everyone is that smart. Mick being one of those people.

  “He’s adopted,” Chief answers simply, his voice gruff. He’s obviously not amused.

  Dad moves to stand beside Chief, his arm going around him. It’s funny because Chief has always been the protective one in our family, but if someone even looks as though they might fuck with Chief, Dad acts like a momma bear protecting her cub.

  I listen with half an ear. It’s a story I’m familiar with. My biological mother was a sixteen-year-old girl who kindly did the right thing and gave me up for adoption when she realized she wouldn’t be able to take care of me. It so happened that she was the granddaughter of one of my grandmother’s friends. At the time, my dads had already been together for a couple of years and wanted a child.

  Although being gay wasn’t as socially acceptable as it is today, my grandmother was their staunchest supporter. Along with her help and the perfect alignment of the planets—as Dad likes to tell it—a miracle happened. Me.

  I notice Mick seems to be processing the information, so I glance down at Cassie.

  “Did you tell your mom and brother about the keynote speaker gig?”

  “I did. Matt’s over the moon.”

  Of course he is. Aside from me, of course, her brother is her biggest supporter.

  “He should be. It’s what you want, right?”

  Her blue-gray eyes flash back at me. I can tell she’s excited about the opportunity even if there is a hint of uncertainty. She doesn’t like to speak in public, but it’s something she’s been working on. Cass is even a member of some toaster club or some shit like that. Although I have yet to figure out how bread has anything to do with it.

  “You going to tell your group about it?”

  Cassie’s forehead creases as she seems to be processing my words.

  “Your toast friends.”

  She laughs. “Toastmasters.”

  “Yeah. That.”

  “I told them about the opportunity already, but yes, I will definitely tell them it’s final the next time I go. I need all the help I can get and they’re very supportive. I’ll need some pointers.”

  “No, you won’t.” Cassie’s brilliant. She can do anything she sets her mind to.

  She offers a small smile. “I’m going to help Theresa clean up.”

  I nod, then glance over to see Dad corralling Mick into the house and Chief walking my way.

  “Hey, old man,” I greet him, hoping to wipe the frown off his face. “Don’t be sad. Sixty’s not all that bad.”

  He barks a laugh. “What do you know? You’re still a kid.”

  “I damn sure don’t feel like a kid.” Sometimes I think my body’s going to give out on me before I turn thirty.

  “Well, you act like it.” His grin widens and I laugh. We’re always trading insults like that.

  “You ready to go in? I’m sure Dad has some Metamucil on hand. Wouldn’t want you
to have trouble processing that chicken.”

  “You just wait, young man. One day you’ll be sipping prune juice and having a Metamucil Popsicle, too.”

  I toss my arm over my dad’s shoulder and lead him into the house. “I can only hope to be that lucky. Although I might pass on the prune juice, but I’m all about Popsicles.”

  Chief stops just inside the kitchen. “Cass doing all right?” he asks.

  I turn to face him, trying to read him. “Yeah. Why? Does she not seem all right?”

  I can feel my father’s intense scrutiny. He’s watching me closely, probably looking for a tell, and that’s when I realize what he’s after.

  With a snort of laughter, I shake my head. “Chief, it’s all good. She and I are still just friends. Nothing’s changed.” Except I’m running around like a smitten boyfriend trying to grant her every wish. But, a bet’s a bet.

  “Good.” His smile widens. “That’s good.”

  I know my fathers love Cassie. They’ve loved her since the first time I brought her home to meet them, about a year after I met her. And I can’t really blame them. She’s one of the coolest women I know, but when it comes to relationships, she does have a warped sense of reality. We all know Betty hasn’t been the greatest role model in that regard, but Cassie seems to be under the impression that the catastrophic fuckups her mother is prone to are hereditary.

  “When you say well…?” Chief cocks his head slightly. “Any chance things are moving out of the friend zone?”

  “Uh…” I look around to ensure no one is within earshot “No. Still just friends.”

  Yes, I might have mentioned at some point that I would like to be more than friends. But only to my dads and I swore them to secrecy.

  Chief’s eyes sparkle with mischief and I have no choice but to accept I walked right into that one. After all, my fathers—more so Chief, I think—have been vying for Cassie and me to get together for years. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times I’ve told them that that’ll never happen.

  “One day, son.”

  “Things are good the way they are,” I tell him because I have to believe that.

  He puts his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t give up on her yet. No smart, heterosexual man will let that woman get away from him, son.”