by Tiffani Lynn
My eyebrows rise. “Oh.” I didn’t need that visual. It’s been awhile since I was with someone.
My expression must reveal my thoughts. “Stop it, perv!” she scolds and chuckles.
“What?” I feign innocence.
“Like your brain didn’t go to some pervy cheap porno when I said that. I saw the look on your face.”
“You two are grown women. You can do whatever you want. Want some coffee?”
“Yeah, I do, please. Your theory has a hole though because I have a boyfriend, a serious one, and neither of us swing that way.”
“You don’t?” Now I’m really confused.
“No. Marina hates being alone, hates the dark and gets scared in new situations so she likes to sleep curled up with someone. Like a human security blanket or something.” Shrugging her shoulders and glancing at the floor, she continues, “It’s how I can tell when shit’s going on with her. I could’ve stayed with my boyfriend, but I wasn’t going to leave her in case she had that issue last night.”
“She couldn’t stay with the boyfriend too?”
“She could. Reggie doesn’t mind, but his roommate freaks Marina out so she’d never stay there and I won’t put her in the bed with us. It would be too weird.”
“She doesn’t have other friends to stay with?”
“Not that I’d leave her alone with. As you’ve noticed, she picks up the strays. Not dogs, people. She doesn’t like to be alone so she’ll hang with anyone who won’t send her away. I’m pretty much her only normal friend. I’ll find us somewhere to stay. Just give me a day or two. Maybe the landlord will get off his ass and fix the door, then this will be a non-issue.”
“You can stay as long as you need to. I’m leaving tomorrow for a trip and will be gone almost a week. The place will be empty anyway.”
“You’re not half bad. I kind of got the asshole vibe from you yesterday. I know you’ve got history with Marina but I hope you’ll cut her some slack; she’s a good person with a tad too much stuff in her past. She never had much of a chance. If you want us out of here, I’ll work something out. I would put us in a hotel but she got fired yesterday and I don’t have the extra cash to pay for it all.”
“Do you think it’s going to be hard for her to get a job?”
“No. She always finds something. Resourceful should be her middle name.”
Before Dee can elaborate, Marina steps out of the bedroom and the world pauses for the second time in two days. Just long enough for me to notice it’s no longer moving. Except for the tattoos, the woman standing in front of me is the 16-year-old girl I left standing in front of the foster home.
Tousled hair, fresh face, no piercings except for the little hoop on the side of her nose, which without the other stuff is sexy. Her wide eyes watch me hesitantly like she’s afraid I’ll say something mean to her.
This is the girl I lived to see every day when we were teenagers and it’s blowing my mind, like we stepped back in time. All my teenage-boy angst and hormones come crashing through me as I take in the sight of the woman I wanted to protect and love so much more than I ever got a chance to. Circumstances and the fact that I was a late bloomer kept that from happening back then. But this Mari, standing right in front of me, is the same woman I wrapped myself around those couple of nights, wishing it would never end. She’s stunning, almost angelic.
“Um, good morning.” Her hesitant smile reminds me that I’ve been less than friendly when it’s come to her and I’d like to kick myself in the ass. She may be a grown woman with a penchant for trouble but she’s still the sweet, beautiful, young woman I stood up for. The one I secretly loved, but would never tell anyone about.
Clearing my throat and forcing myself back to the coffee pot, I reply, “Morning. Coffee?”
I can hear her tentative footsteps move around the counter behind me as she says, “I can get it. I don’t want to put you out.”
“It’s fine.” I pour the steamy liquid into the cup and hand it to her. Then I wave my hand toward the cream and sugar in case she wants to doctor up her brew.
“Dee and I are going to find somewhere else to stay today. Thank you for giving us a place to go last night. I’ll be sure to clean up our mess before we leave.”
My stomach flops unpleasantly. “I already told Dee before you came out here that you can stay longer. I’m leaving tomorrow to go out of town for a week. You’ll have the place to yourselves. Hopefully during that time your landlord will fix your door. If not, we’ll worry about it when I get back.”
“Oh. You’re leaving?” I can’t help but notice the slight disappointment in her voice.
“Yes, vacation.”
I don’t elaborate about my trip. Only Quinn, Judson and Marv know where I go and why. I don’t like answering questions about it. People always want to hear the gory details and I’m not in the mood for that, nor do I think Marina could handle it.
“Um. Okay, thank you.” It’s all she says and I’m a little taken aback by her quiet demeanor today. So far, every time I’ve been around this woman she’s been full of chatter and life. Her sudden change is weird and leaves me feeling unsteady. I should be happy about it because it’s what I’ve wanted since she reappeared, but now it feels strange and unnatural.
My phone buzzes on the counter and the caller ID shows it’s Leslie. Both women glance down and see the name. They exchange a look as I excuse myself to take the call.
I close the door to my room behind me as I answer. “Hey, Les.”
“You’ll be here tomorrow, right?” Her voice is shaking like she’s been crying for a while. She hasn’t called crying recently so it worries me.
“Of course. Flight arrives at one in the afternoon. You okay? What’s up?”
“Rushton is such a handful right now. I don’t know what to do. I got a call from the school and they want a meeting with me, but I can’t do it alone. Can you catch an earlier flight? I’ll pay the difference. I don’t know what to do with him and I need some backup. Please.”
“Give me a few minutes to work on it, if I can’t get an earlier flight I’ll drive. Let me call you back.”
“I know. I don’t want you to have to do that, but I need you.”
That’s all she ever has to say to me. We hang up and I call the airlines. They can’t move my flight so I buy a whole other ticket through a different airline in order to fly out this afternoon. I promised Larkin I’d take care of his family and I won’t go back on that. When I’m done, I call Les back and let her know the new plan.
That evening I arrive in Tampa. Other than getting the call to get here early, I make this trek every year to do a celebration of life with Stu’s family; this will be the fifth year. Then I spend the week taking Les and the kids anywhere and everywhere they want to go. I’ve never been called to come early so this must be bad.
An intimidating wall of books that reaches from the floor to the ceiling behind the principal’s cheap desk dwarfs the little office. My chair is next to Rushton’s, with his mom on the other side, and we’re facing the principal. The school counselor is seated to my left, angled so she can see everyone. From everything I’ve been told, we’re all sitting here because Rushton’s grades have taken a nose dive and he’s decided that fighting is the best way to handle his problems.
The principal clears his throat and glances between me and Les before he says, “We have to suspend him and if it happens again we’ll be forced to expel him.”
I can practically hear Les sizzle with anger and I wish she were closer so I could calm her down a little. “He’s already having problems with his grades, missing school will only make that worse,” Les replies.
“That’s not our problem, Ms. Larkin. We told you the last time this happened what the punishment would be.”
My head swings to her and then to Rushton. “Last time?” I ask, surprised by this information.
“A month ago. I’ll explain later,” Leslie tells me.
The counselor leans in and tries for a
gentle approach, “Ms. Larkin, perhaps counseling would be a good idea. He’s obviously not adjusting easily to the idea of you remarrying.”
My eyes widen. Remarrying? Is that what she said? I glance over at Les to find her fiddling with a giant diamond ring on her finger that I know Stu didn’t give her. The surprises keep on coming, this being the biggest. “Les?”
Her eyes are watery as she looks at me. “Can we talk about this afterwards? I can’t do this now.”
I feel like the air has been knocked out of my lungs. I didn’t even know she was seriously dating. She mentioned a few dates but when I tried to ask questions she shut me down. I haven’t even met the guy yet. What if he’s a douchebag? What if he won’t allow Uncle Dexter week every year? Will I lose the kids? The thought of not seeing them again is crushing. I breath deep. I need to lock down this rush of emotion that’s so unlike me, to handle the situation at hand, which is getting him out of trouble. My priority is Rushton. I ignore her plea and focus my attention on the counselor.
“I’ll deal with him and make sure he gets counseling, but you need to give the boy a break. Kids fight all the time. When you were young, I’m sure you did too. He’s had a lot to deal with over the last few years and it’s not getting easier.”
We go a few more verbal rounds with the principal and the counselor before I finally agree to work with Rushton while I’m here if they give him a little more time and a reduced sentence.
The ride back to Leslie’s house is silent. When we pull into the driveway I don’t get out of the car right away; instead I tell Rushton, “Go inside and change. We’re going fishing but first I need to talk to your mom. Once you’ve changed, do the dishes and wait for me.” The first thing out of his mouth is an excuse and I hold up a hand and say, “You’re in no place to protest, dude. Go do what I say and I’ll be there in a little bit.”
He hops out of the SUV and stomps inside. As the front door slams behind him, Les says, “Dex—”
I cut her off. “Married? Why didn’t you tell me Leslie? That was a shitty way to find out.”
“I didn’t know how.” She fidgets with her ring and glances out the car window to the neighbor’s yard.
“What does that mean? I didn’t even know you were dating anyone seriously.”
“Well I thought it was weird to talk about after…everything.”
“Les. We aren’t teenagers. I want you to be happy. I love you and Rushton and Skylar. If you’ve found someone that makes you happy then I’m happy for you. I do want to know what this mean for me, though. Can I still see the kids and have Rushton in Colorado every year? I was hoping to add Skylar soon too. I promised Stu I’d take care of you guys and I knew there would come a day we’d face this, but I had no idea it was this close.”
“I just didn’t know how to tell you. Joe and I’ve been dating since this time last year. Right after you left last year he asked me out. I introduced the kids to him a couple of months ago, but he proposed last week. I told him we have to let the kids get comfortable before we get married and he understood. It’s not going to be next week or anything, but Rushton’s grades dropped after he met Joe and the fighting started not long after that. I don’t know what to do. As for your relationship with us, I don’t want that to change.”
“Hon, you’ve got a new man. He’s not going to take kindly to another man coming around.”
“He doesn’t have a choice.”
“You say that now, but when he puts his foot down you may feel differently.”
“That’s never going to happen, Dex. Once you meet him you’ll understand. He knows you come as part of our package. Please trust me.”
“I need to meet him. Did you plan to tell me while I was here or wait until I got home?”
“Of course I was going to tell you. But not right when you walked through the door, especially with Rushton’s situation. There is only so much I can handle at one time.”
I knew this was a possibility. How could it not be? Leslie’s beautiful, intelligent and fun as hell. It would be a waste for her to grow old alone. I just wasn’t prepared for it now.
Standing on the dock of the little lake behind Stu’s parents’ house, it’s just Rushton and me fishing, and he’s brooding. He got that from his dad. When his dad was pissed, it was the same face, same silence, same occasional growl. That’s part of what worked for our friendship. I’m not a big talker, not a share-your-feelings guy which made it easy to keep quiet and wait him out until he was ready to talk or get over it.
“What do you think of your mom’s new man?”
The look he gives me could scare a rabid coyote. I have my work cut out for me.
“So he’s a jerk?” No reply, just the stare. “Is he rude to you and Sky? Because I can beat his ass while I’m here. No one’s gonna treat you guys like crap.” His little brow furrows but still no words.
“Your mom says he’s coming over for dinner tonight. I’ll take care of him. Can you tell me exactly what he did so I can make sure he doesn’t do it again?”
Rushton glares at me before he answers. “He didn’t do anything, exactly.”
“If he didn’t do anything, what did he say?”
“He didn’t really say anything either,” he mumbles.
“Then why do you hate him?”
He makes a big production of being irritated by my questions with an exaggerated sigh. “Connor told me Joe was gonna be my new dad and my old dad wouldn’t count anymore and I wouldn’t be able to see you and you wouldn’t love us anymore because that’s gonna be Joe’s job.”
“Hmmm.” This makes a little more sense. I try to appear as if I’m contemplating what he’s said. “Does Connor have an Uncle Dexter in his life?”
Shaking his head, he answers, “No. None of the kids do. Their dads didn’t die in Afghanistan.”
“Then how the hell does he know what happens to an Uncle Dexter if he never had one?”
“I don’t know.” His eyebrow raises like he never thought of that.
“Here’s the deal, kid. Your dad was my best friend, almost like my brother, and I promised him I’d take care of you guys no matter what. I didn’t say I’d take care of you until your mom has a new man. I didn’t say I’d take care of you until you grow up. No. I promised him I’d take care of you guys for as long as I live and I plan on that being a really long time.
“Your mom told me today that you can still come to Colorado like you do every year. I still plan to come back for your dad’s celebration every year. If you need me in between, I’m here. Stop listening to this Connor-idiot and start calling me when you have questions or issues. If you need a phone I’ll talk to your mom and get you one, but I’ll always take care of you.”
“Why can’t you be my new dad?” There it is. The puppy-dog eyes and quivering lip tell me this is his biggest issue. He looks back to the water while he waits for my answer. Time to clear this up.
“Turn around and look at me.” Reluctantly he turns and squints up at me. “Because your mom needed someone who had nothing to do with your dad when he was alive, or she would always think of your dad while she was with the new guy. We both deserve better than that. There isn’t a replacement for him, your dad was one of a kind, so no one should try to be him. Besides, you don’t need a new dad. You need a friend and someone around to help take care of your mom and Sky. You already had the best dad that ever lived and he didn’t stop being your dad just because he died. No one can ever take his place. Someday you’ll better understand what I’ve said, but do you understand enough to give Joe a chance now?”
He appears to consider it for a second until he finally nods. I ruffle Rushton’s hair and go back to casting my line. Within 10 minutes he starts talking again, about anything and everything, and I’m reminded of the times I spent with his dad, listening to him do the same thing.
When Joe arrives, I greet him in as friendly a manner as I can. After my talk with Rushton today I decided that even if I hated him I couldn
’t show it unless he was a complete douche. What I observe during our pleasant dinner is that Joe is good with the kids and sweet to Les. I almost wish I had something bad to say about the guy, but I don’t. He owns a car dealership so he has money. He’s a little on the nerdy side, but I’m glad he’s not a replica of Stu; that would be weird. We talk football a little and he tells me about himself. Once dinner is over I ask to speak to him privately while the kids are getting ready for bed.
We step out into the muggy night air and sit on the cushioned chairs by the pool. Before I can say a word he looks up at the clear night sky and says, “I was nervous to meet you. All I ever hear about is Uncle Dexter this and Uncle Dexter that, from both Leslie and the kids. I see why now.” He lowers his chin to make eye contact and asks, “Do I have anything to worry about with you? I know about you and Leslie and I’m not sure what to do with that information.”
“She told you about us?” Why would she tell her future husband about the one night we had?
“Yeah, on a night when she’d had one too many.” Joe’s attention shifts back to the sky and I can tell by the way his heel is bouncing, this whole conversation is making him nervous. Granted I’m twice his size and more likely to beat someone’s ass than have a conversation, but he shouldn’t be nervous for this conversation. I kind of admire the balls it took to mention any of this.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about from me as long as you’re good to them. I love all three of them and plan to stay in their lives, but I knew a long time ago that Leslie needed someone different than me in order to move on. We were never the right fit for anything other than friends. I only want them safe, happy and cared for. They deserve it.”
“I agree. Though I realize Rushton doesn’t like me and I’m not sure how to fix it.”
“I spent some time talking with him today and all I can say is the kid will be okay if you don’t try to be his dad. Be his friend with the understanding that you respect and will enforce the rules his mother sets, and it’ll be fine. One day he may think of you as a dad but for now that freaks him out. After our talk today he’s willing to give you a chance. He’s a good kid, I’m certain he’ll come around.”
