We might not even have a future together, I remind myself. After all, I’m just a contractor. Girls like her don’t marry guys like me.
Chapter 24
KITRINA
I get a little misty eyed, looking around my house at the Christmas tree, the wreaths, the lights. Scent satchels from Devil in the Details give the place the homey aroma of fresh baked apple pie. Added to that, the smell of the meal I had catered fills the lower level. Grace, Castiel and Jayson gaze back at me as I get ready to announce my surprise. Littering the floor is torn giftwrap. We’ve already opened our gifts, but I have one more present to dole out.
“Whoops! Before you start, I have to go potty,” Cast announces.
I wink with a giggle. This is part of the plan. He ducks out of the living room. I turn back to Grace and Jayson. “I just wanted to let you guys know how happy I am to have you here. Grace, I know you have a flight to catch in the morning. I promise I won’t keep you up too late.”
She laughingly holds up the earplugs I got her as a gag gift. “Hopefully I’ll sleep soundly thanks to these.” I giggle at our inside joke about bumping and grinding.
I use my remote and turn on my new stereo as I talk. “Jayson, I know you thought Castiel and I were putting together something special for you. I regret to inform you that we weren’t, although I do have a surprise for you upstairs,” I say mysteriously.
“Well, now I’m curious to know what you and he were planning,” he says with a laugh.
Out of sight, Castiel taps on the wall near the door that leads to the staircase. “Ready for me?”
“Yeah, gimme just a second. Uh, Jayson, that’s our cue to leave.”
Grace looks at me suspiciously. I struggle to contain my excitement, and I grab Jayson’s hand, dragging his nosy ass out of the living room to give my bestie privacy. When we pass Castiel waiting in the hall, Jayson clamps his hands over his mouth to keep from screaming with laughter. “Shhh!” I hiss.
The music I set up in the living room starts to play. Castiel shimmies into the front wearing a firefighter helmet and yellow firefighter pants held up with red suspenders. All I hear is Grace shrieking in amusement from the living room. I finally let out my own laughter as Jayson and I sneak a peek from the hallway.
“How the hell did you convince him to do this?”
“It’s a long story. Basically, Grace and Castiel have been sparking at each other ever since we ran into you guys at that nightclub. Remember the night we kissed? Well, I had been prying and prying to find out how serious Grace was about him. She finally confessed right after final’s week that she was totally into him, but she told me Cast can be such a clown that she never knows when to take him seriously. Once I told him how she felt about him, it didn’t take much to convince Castiel to put on a show. I’m pretty sure he’s into her, too. Maybe this will convince her to give him a shot.”
“Now,” he says, “about that surprise you have waiting for me upstairs…”
“Oh, that,” I say. I turn my back to the door to the living room where Castiel and Grace get through a comical striptease full of laughter and raunchy hip swaying. I clasp the lapels of the dress I’m wearing and rip it open with a pop of several buttons. Only Jayson can see I’m wearing a lacy red corset and thongs underneath. His jaw drops.
“Santa, baby, hurry,” he groans.
We race up the stairs to take advantage of the loud stereo downstairs that will drown out the sound of us having hot holiday sex. He takes me from behind on the edge of the bed. It’s quick and rough and infinitely satisfying, but when he moves over me for round two, I halt him. “We have guests downstairs,” I remind him with a chuckle at his randiness. The stereo has gone silent, and I hear the faint sound of Castiel joking with Grace beneath us.
Jayson reluctantly rolls over to lie at my side, staring down into my face with a bemused expression. “You’re a constant surprise, Kit Schneider,” he replies.
“All the better to keep you on your toes, my dear. You’ll get to see more of this red number when we have the house to ourselves. About Christmas, I’ve been meaning to ask…” I hesitate.
“What?”
“Well, I kind of told my mother you were coming to a Christmas Eve dinner at her place with me before I thought to ask if you were free that day. She was trying to get a head count.” Jayson sits up, a closed expression on his face. I stammer, “I-if you have something to do, it’s not a problem. I know it was inconsiderate of me to make plans for you like that.”
“It’s not that. I wonder if you might be pushing things with your mom. I mean, we both know she doesn’t really care for me.”
“Right, and I intend to talk to her about that, too. Her reasons are groundless. Once she meets you, she’ll see.”
“No, Kit. I don’t think it’s such a good idea to do this during a major holiday. I’m sure there will be other guests present. She may get upset, and I don’t want you two arguing in front of everybody. This is the time of year where we’re supposed to set our differences aside and come together in happiness. If I go, I can’t see that happening. I think the sort of meeting you have in mind is best left to an intimate occasion between just the three of us in case things get heated.”
“But, Jayson, I met your family without any problems,” I point out. I don’t understand what the big deal is. Whether Mom likes it or not, she has to accept that Jayson and I are going to be together. Christmas is as good a time as ever.
“Darling, don’t be consciously naïve. You’re a grownup. You know how these things work. My family doesn’t look down on you the way your mom looks down on me. We’ve been average, ordinary people our whole lives.”
“What are you trying to say?” I cringe at his choice of words. Sitting up angrily, I pull my dress closed and scoot off of the bed. “Fine, you don’t have to go.”
Jayson stands and forcefully readjusts his pants, exhaling harshly.
“Why do we have to argue about this?”
“I’m not arguing with you!” I retort louder than necessary.
“Yes, you are, and you don’t have to raise your voice to talk to me. I can hear perfectly fine. By the way, Kit, I didn’t make this problem between your mother and me. She did! She took one look at me and decided I was too common for her company. Why you would even tell her I was coming over for dinner is completely beyond me.” He snatches up his shirt and puts it back on.
“Are we arguing?” I ask in a small voice. Tears spring to my eyes. He’s right, but I’m right, too. My mother started this feud, and she’ll keep it going for God knows how long. I’m just trying to make things easier on us all. I’m sick of not talking to my mother. I’m tired of Jayson having to feel slighted by her. I just want us all to sit down to a lovely Christmas dinner and talk to each other like sensible damn adults. How does that make me the naïve one?
Jayson crosses my bedroom in two big steps and grabs me. He kisses my eyelids, murmuring soft words of comfort. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I shouldn’t take it out on you.” He wraps his arms around me, and I lean into his chest, trying to stop the tears. Our first argument. It hurts to be mad at him. He lifts my chin and kisses my lips. “I want to make you happy, Kit. I’m willing to go with you to the dinner on one condition.”
“What condition?” I ask brokenly. I revel in the feel of his warmth. It feels good to make up.
“Promise me, no matter how she acts, you won’t let her get under your skin. I can handle being snubbed. Like I said, I don’t want everyone to witness you two falling out. It’s nobody else’s business. I feel, over time, Candace will probably open up and accept us being together. But this dinner isn’t the place for that battle. If I’m going, I’m just another family friend. I’m not your boyfriend there, understand?”
“You’re asking me to treat us like a secret. That goes against everything I stand for.”
He sighs, drops his head atop mine. “Some secrets have to be kept for the g
reater good of our relationship. If I didn’t think this was necessary, I wouldn’t put you in this position. If we go in there holding hands, playing kissy face, your mother will feel like you’re flaunting our relationship and making a mockery of her. I don’t know her as well as you do, but I definitely don’t think I’m wrong about this.”
“You’re probably right,” I have to concede. I can picture my mom taking obvious PDAs as a personal affront. Anyway, I told her we’e just friends, I think guiltily. It’s not like Jayson’s caution is unwarranted. I sigh and move out of his embrace. “I guess we better run downstairs and see how the two lovebirds are doing.”
He smiles at me. “I think you just want to see how your matchmaking skills fared.”
“That, too.”
We tiptoe downstairs and peer into the living room from a safe angle where Castiel and Grace won’t be able to see us. My best friend smiles at Jayson’s brother as they talk quietly, sitting close together on the sectional. For a change, Castiel seems to be talking to her seriously instead of playing the jester, and she seems to be hanging on his every word. Jayson clears his throat loudly to announce his presence as he walks into the room. “Glad to see all those dance lessons I gave you when we were kids paid off,” he jokes.
Castiel grins. “Boy, you wish you had moves like me.”
Grace and I make eye contact. She flashes me a thumbs up. I giggle as I walk over and sit next to her, and Jayson parks his butt next to Cast. Castiel, still shirtless, doesn’t seem to have lost his pants at any point. Just as I figured, he’s Gracie’s kind of guy—the right mix of charm, unaggressive seduction and laid-backness. They’ll do nicely together, I predict. “Do I deliver, or do I deliver?” I gush.
Grace giggles. “I’ve been asking for a firefighter for, what, two years now? It’s about damn time!”
“Glad I could make your Christmas wish come true,” says Cast. “Well, ladies and gent, it’s late. I guess I better skedaddle on over to my place now that my work here is done.” He leans over and boldly kisses Grace on the cheek. She visibly blushes and looks down sheepishly. I smile, feeling sentimental. Not long ago, that was me and Jayson in la-la-land. Now, here we’ve had our first argument. I share a look with him.
“Let’s let them say their goodbyes,” Jayson murmurs, beckoning for me to follow him. Grace and Castiel walk outside, and I show Jayson the mock-up I’ve been working on for the internship application.
“Do you think we’ll make it?” I ask. Something about having a disagreement puts me on edge. He caresses my face tenderly.
“Of course, baby. I’ve made it through worse. You have, too.”
Next to the mock-up is a printout of my transcript, the grades for fall semester reflecting a GPA lowered by a few points, but still a 4.0. I think about the past few months, some of the worst. Yet, I survived them. I kept my job, kept my house, kept up my grades and still managed to keep this relationship.
“We’ll make it through this meeting with your mom, too. I’m gonna make that woman love me, one way or another,” he boasts confidently. I see a glimmer of doubt in his eyes. I know how tough it is being underestimated. Mom thinks he’s not good enough for me because he doesn’t walk around in a lab coat or a business suit. She thinks I’m a dreamer.
Later that night while Jayson sleeps on my pallet in the bedroom and Gracie sleeps downstairs in her wrought iron bed, I tiptoe out to my balcony and give Candace a call. I know she’s up. She’s a night owl.
“Hello?” she answers, laughing lightly. I hear a male’s voice in the background. I pull away from the phone in surprise.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything!”
“Oh, don’t be silly. I’m just hanging out with…a friend. What is it, Kit? Why are you calling so late?”
“Er, I wanted to talk to you about bringing Jayson over to dinner for Christmas. You never told me. Is it okay if he comes? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable in your own house.”
“Bring your pet, dear. No one will pay him any mind. Why should he make me uncomfortable?”
I frown. “Well, I want to make sure you don’t—you know—treat him like he doesn’t belong.”
“He doesn’t. Kit, I don’t have time to teach you what you should already know. I’ve done a little digging into your boy. Let me just tell you this. Anytime you try to bring someone like him into your world, he’ll be treated like he doesn’t belong. Could you picture him at the country club? Ha! Laughable. You picked him as your friend, Kitrina. You deal with the consequences when you bring him around.”
“I thought we could be adults about this.”
“Darling, we are. Real grownups don’t sugarcoat shit. You still seem to be trying to do exactly that, for all your airs. But, I’ll show the truth about him when you two come to the dinner. Someone has to save you from yourself. Until then…maybe you should ask Jayson if there’s anything he wants to tell you before I do.”
I hang up the phone, feeling disoriented and suspicious. What on earth was she talking about? I reenter the bedroom and crawl into bed next to Jayson. He stirs. I want to ask. But I don’t. I’m sure whatever it is, he’s already told me. My mother doesn’t have anything on him. She can’t possibly.
Part 4
Chapter 25
KITRINA
* * *
A funny thing about becoming a “grownup” is how much we anticipate getting the title, only to realize it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. To a kid, it’s like a fairytale place where you get to do whatever you want, no bedtime, no rules. You spend most of your teen-hood on the edge of your seat asking, “Are we there yet?” By the time the journey drops you off on Responsibility Boulevard, there are no bells and whistles to signal your arrival. There’s no fanfare, no congratulations, no red carpet, and that acceptance speech you’ve been practicing since you turned seventeen doesn’t even apply anymore. The question changes to, “This is it??”
Then you realize you missed a lot, rushing headlong into the unknown. Funny how it feels like forever, and then one day you blink and realize you made it…only you discover that adulthood isn’t one single phase of your life: it’s a series of milestones, a bunch of bumps in the road that make you a little more mature with each hit. Eventually you learn to slow down and take a step back so you can see the big picture, avoid some hazards.
I remember thinking adulthood would automatically bestow upon me everything I needed to know to face the world. I imagined all kinds of ways in which my life was going to change as a result of this magical gift of savvy, but very little changed when I was still living with my mom, doing what I was told. I colored in the lines and didn’t rock the boat or rebel against authority. It wasn’t until I moved out that my life took this dramatic turn. I wish I could say turning twenty taught me to slow down enough to look out for pitfalls. But, when you’re used to doing everything right, you don’t even imagine things can go really, really wrong.
* * *
“How do I look?” Jayson asks.
He turns around in a stylish, modern cut black suit that fits close to his muscular form. The pale blue shirt underneath frames a grey and white striped tie, and a purple kerchief peeks from the left breast pocket. He looks amazing. I cover my quiet groan of appreciation, lips softly parted in surprise at the transformation.
To be fair, Jayson Zephyr looks equally delicious to me in a pair of dusty jeans with a tool belt at his hips, although my personal favorite is when he’s wearing nothing at all. But, dressed as he is, he’s unrecognizable as the blue-collar contractor who wouldn’t pass muster in my affluent neck of the woods. Hell, even my elitist mother might approve of the makeover.
“Definitely dinner ready. Do you think someday they’ll okay tights and sweatpants as formal wear?” I muse with a grin, smoothing hands down my dress.
Jayson gives me a slow once over and licks his lips provocatively. I spin around to give him the full three-sixty view as I flash him an inviting wink. “I bet y
ou could push the movement,” he says. “Your sexy tush in tights on the cover of…”
“Harper’s Bazaar,” I supply. “With a caption saying, ‘The New Sophisticate.’”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” he chuckles.
Kitten heels carry me to his side before the mirror hanging from my bedroom wall, and I examine my reflection in the emerald green dinner dress with ruched netting at the bust, an empire waistline, and a skirt flowing to mid-thigh. White blond hair pulled up in a sleek topknot, makeup impeccable, modest diamond jewelry in place, I feel like a million bucks. In stark contrast, behind me is an unfurnished bedroom, the rumpled pile of blankets we slept on the night before belying my rich wardrobe. (Incidentally, the rest of said wardrobe is in neat stacks against one wall since I don’t own a dresser yet.)
“Hey there, sexy,” I purr to Jayson, “wanna go home with that hot chick in the mirror? Hope you don’t mind sleeping on the floor since she can’t afford a bed yet.”
“Humph!” Jayson chuckles.
I sigh with humor, “Ah, who would ever guess how depressing my financial picture really looks now that I’m juggling real world expenses? You know, I should’ve stuck with acting. This is the ultimate charade.”
Jayson puts an arm around my waist, and in the mirror we look good as a couple. Shoulder to shoulder, we block out the background mess. He says, “It doesn’t matter what we have or don’t have materially. I’ve never slept in a more comfortable bed than sleeping with you. All I need is the softness of your sexy body with the scent of your silky skin leading to wicked, sweet dreams.” I place a perfectly manicured hand to his chest and tiptoe to kiss his lips in exchange for the flowery compliment that isn’t his usual style.
Jayson: A New Adult / Coming of Age Romance Page 19
