Jack: Grime and Punishment: The Brothers Grime, book 1

by Maxfield, Z. A.

  “Thanks.” He couldn’t help it. He saw Dave with fresh eyes. Maybe he was one of the good guys, after all.

  “Have a good weekend, Mr. Romance.” Dave’s sneer was back. “Try not to fuck it up.”

  “You got this.” Eddie patted his back. “Make me proud.”

  “Good luck, Skippy,” said Gabe.

  “Thanks.” With the music still going, he turned and half-walked, half-danced, to his car.

  Late Friday night, the hostess led Skippy and Kelly Ann to a booth in the back of the steakhouse Ryan recommended. He’d done more than make a reservation, apparently, because she seated them at a tasting table covered in an immaculate white tablecloth with a candle lit floral centerpiece. A waiter brought them a silver ice bucket with a bottle of champagne nestled inside.

  “Compliments of Mr. Halloran,” he said as he opened it with only the slightest hiss. He poured them each a glass and left discreetly.

  Skippy was almost afraid to find out what Kelly Ann thought of all this. Since they normally ate at home, neither one of them was used to the royal treatment. Would she think he was trying too hard?

  “Your boss did this?” she asked now, eyes a little too wide.

  “Jack’s man. The nurse.”

  “That’s very kind of him.” Kelly Ann looked so pretty. Her blue cocktail dress made her brown skin glow and highlighted her figure.

  She dazzled him, from her pretty high heels to the hair she pulled up to control, but not restrain, her natural curls. His breath caught when he looked at her.

  “Ryan knows the owner.” He picked up his glass. “To my gorgeous wife.”

  “To a wonderful husband. Thank you.” She picked up her glass and took a small sip before wiping her lips with her napkin. For some mysterious chick reason, her lip color stayed, even though her gloss made a little kiss on the glass. She folded her pretty hands on the table and sighed. He glanced around, looking for something he could comment on.

  “Your nails look nice,” he said. “Pretty color. What would you call that?”

  “Purple.” Her eyes sparkled a little, and then her lashes fluttered down.

  “Goes nicely with the dress.”

  She nodded. He knew her well enough to see she was anxious.

  “Feels weird without Lalo, huh?” he said quietly.

  “I miss him.” She gnawed her lower lip. “Are you sure Jack and Ryan can handle him? All weekend? He’s—"

  “Baby. I trust them. Give it a chance.”

  Their waiter came back. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, we didn’t give you menus. That’s because this is a tasting table, and that means chef will prepare a menu just for you from local, seasonal ingredients. May I ask if either of you has any food allergies?”

  They both shook their heads.

  “Any hard limits?” he asked mischievously, “do you balk at beets? Cringe at carrots? Mandate that mushrooms be left off the plate?”

  They glanced at each other. Skippy answered, “No?”

  “In that case, I suggest you enjoy your champagne, I’ll be out in a flash with your starters, and bon appetite.”

  Did Ryan and Jack do this kind of thing often? Jack was blue collar as they came, and Ryan was a nurse, but from the looks of his house, he came from money. Skippy drank a little more champagne.

  Kelly Ann whispered, “What if all I want is a salad?”

  “I’m not sure we have a choice.” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. It’s what Ryan called a tasting menu. Chef decides.”

  “But it must be expensive. We don’t have to--”

  “Nah, baby. This is a special night for us. I can take you out to a nice place once in a while, can’t I? We’re not gonna make a habit of it.”

  She quirked a little half-smile. “Okay. This once.”

  “Just okay?”

  “It’s very nice.”

  “And?”

  “And...” She twisted her napkin. "What if I worry the whole time? What if I can’t even taste it, because all I can think about is the baby?”

  “Sweetheart, Ryan’s a nurse. Lalo will be fine.”

  “Are you sure you have your phone?”

  “I do.” He placed it on the table between them. “If they need us they’ll call or text.”

  “But—”

  “Is this really gonna a problem for you?” He believed they were doing the right thing—keeping their marriage healthy would help them be better parents. And of course, he wanted time alone with her. He’d looked forward to their weekend so much. But if it made Kelly Ann this anxious, they could pick up the baby and go home. Nothing was worth making her unhappy.

  “No,” she said. “I just feel nervous. I should be watching the baby, shouldn’t I? What if something happens?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like…they go off by themselves and forget about him.”

  “Lalo? He has a way of reminding you he’s there. You gotta admit.”

  She chuckled, “Yeah.”

  “Look. My boss is a responsible guy. You know he used to be a firefighter. Ryan’s a nurse. They’re not reckless dudes.”

  “I just can’t even imagine…” He heard her unspoken words: life without Lalo.

  He couldn’t imagine it either. “I can’t believe spending two nights away as a couple will jeopardize what we have,” he said carefully. “But isn’t about just me. If you really want to go, we can. I want you to be happy.”

  “You wouldn’t think I’m some control freak helicopter mom?”

  “I wouldn’t think that, but it doesn’t matter. I care about how you feel. If it’s too soon--”

  “It’s not though. I’m being ridiculous.” She picked up her glass and took another sip. “All new moms go through this, right?”

  “Dunno.”

  “It’s probably a total cliché. And look at all this. No one will even believe it when I post about it. Our own menu?”

  “Let’s enjoy it, okay?”

  “You think we should?”

  “We can leave. Any time. Say the word. You have that option.”

  “No.” She took a big, deep breath. “We need time together. Just us.”

  “That’s what I hoped you’d say.” He finished off his glass of champagne. After all, that was why they’d taken a rideshare. He didn’t have to be Mr. responsible tonight. He just had to show Kelly Ann a good time.

  They made small talk while in the background, soft, live music played.

  “So what else is in your plans, mister?”

  He winked at her. “Tonight? I figured we’d make it an early night.”

  “Did you now?”

  “Yeah. Because dinner comes in stages, so we’ll be here a while.” He took her hand. “And when we leave, I figure we’ll at least be a little tipsy.”

  “Oh, we are?” She gazed up from beneath her lashes.

  “Then we can go back to the hotel,” he teased, “take off our fancy clothes, and get an undisturbed, restful, night’s sleep.”

  “Oh wow.” She kissed him, and his heart caught fire. “That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

  On Saturday morning, Skippy woke at the usual time. He checked his phone. There was no news from Jack. That was probably a good thing, right? He sent Jack a text, asking, “Everything okay?”

  Jack sent back, “It’s all good. Have fun!”

  He sat in their little arm chair, undecided. He could wake Kelly Ann, and they could go down for breakfast, or he could go down and make her a plate. Breakfast in bed. Boom.

  He didn’t want to leave, though. Didn’t want her to wake up alone.

  She stirred. “What is it? Everything okay?”

  “You want to go down and eat?”

  “Mmph.” She rolled over and pushed her head into the pillow. “Sleeeeepy.”

  He stood. “I’ll bring breakfast. You sleep.”

  Muffled by the pillows, her words sounded like “Fank oo.”

  He checked the room was locked
and headed for the elevator.

  The restaurant the night before was sensational, even if Kelly Ann was a little bit nervous about leaving Lalo. But re-connecting turned out to be harder than he’d expected. Like strangers, they’d stumbled a bit coming up with things to say.

  Of course, there was the baby. They could talk about him all night. But they’d made a sort of pact to talk about other things, and they’d shorted out pretty quickly. They’d acted like two uptight, exhausted people who didn’t know what to talk about unless it was their kid.

  At the buffet, he filled plates with fruit, bacon, potatoes. He added an omelet and a waffle from the hot bar. Carrying everything plus condiments and flatware wasn’t so easy, even with a tray, but in no time he opened their door and placed their food on the table.

  Kelly Ann joined him. She still looked half asleep.

  “I texted Jack, he said everything’s fine.” He gave her the phone.

  She studied the screen. “That’s good to know.”

  “Today, I planned Downtown Disney. We can walk around a little, do some shopping, eat gumbo at Jazz kitchen, and see a movie.”

  “Really?” She didn’t sound thrilled.

  “You love that place, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.” She took a bite of melon and chewed. “You really gave this some thought.”

  “Of course I did.” He forked up a bite of waffle. “Gonna do all the things you love this weekend. Want this to be just about you.”

  “It will be so crowded.” Her expression told him to slow down. They hadn’t gelled instantly the night before, but he could still read her pretty well.

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Normally no.” She flopped against her chair back. “I usually love going shopping.”

  He waited to see if she had more to say. There had to be more, right? If she loved it but she didn’t want to, then why not?

  “But not today?” he prompted. Was it him? Was it because of the baby, and the time they spent apart, and their lack of time together?

  “Being a new mom is a whole different world. And for a while, I was so exhausted, I could barely get off the couch.”

  “I remember.” He wished he’d realized she was depressed sooner. It had never occurred to him.

  “Today, even thinking about Downtown Disney makes me tired. The crowds will make it extra stressful.”

  “I see.”

  “I’m such a mole.” She covered her face. “I’m not fun, anymore.”

  “You are nothing like a mole.” He pulled her hands away and kissed her. “But if you need to stay in and sleep, why not?”

  “I don’t want to sleep. I just.” She spread her hands helplessly. “I can’t deal with that many people right now.”

  “Okay.” He could come up with a plan B. “What about the arboretum? You want to take a nature walk? It’s probably pretty this time of year.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Yes. Please.” She broke into a smile so happy he felt like he could slay dragons. Or tame them. Yeah, he’d tame them and then ride them.

  Instead of planning for some fancy couple’s adventure, his goal should have been to make Kelly Ann happy, whatever it took.

  They might have lost the art of small talk, but he’d rather have silence if it came with Kelly Ann’s smile.

  Maybe he and Ryan had gone about this the wrong way.

  After a long quiet walk and another amazing dinner, Skippy and Kelly Ann strolled past the bars and restaurants of Fullerton’s SoCo district. He told her what he originally planned next.

  “You want to go dancing?” Kelly Ann asked incredulously. “Did you lose a bet?”

  “Dancing was my original plan, but you said you couldn’t face crowds, so now, I don’t know if you want to go.”

  She was intrigued enough to ask, “Where?”

  “My friend Eddie told me about a place one street over. It’s Latin night.”

  “A club?”

  “Not exactly.” Skippy had seen the sign a hundred times and given it no thought at all. “It’s a ballroom, so it wouldn’t be a crush like some bar.”

  “Well, I am dressed up.” Tonight, she wore a red dress that fit her like a glove. It was his favorite. Maybe she knew that?

  “Let’s go look,” he offered. “And then you can decide if you want to stay.”

  She hesitated. “If it’s too crowded can we go back to the hotel?”

  “Sounds great either way.” He lifted an eyebrow.

  “All right. Let’s go,” she agreed.

  They paid a cover at the door and then walked up a flight of wooden stairs to an old disco, where a few dozen couples danced to a driving Latin beat.

  Most were dressed up, but a few college-age kids wore shorts and T-shirts. They had the right idea, because the room was overly warm, even though industrial fans aided an overtaxed A/C.

  There was even a spinning mirror ball, god help them, and flashing lights.

  Skippy’s anxiety ratcheted up. This was the moment of truth. Kelly Ann seemed to like the place. She began to sway to the intoxicating rhythms. Her heels tapped lightly on the wooden floor.

  She turned to him. “Did you check on the baby?”

  He nodded. “After dinner, when you went to the powder room. Jack said everything’s fine.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “About Lalo? Sure. I don’t know if Jack’s fine. He sounded frazzled.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Frazzled how?”

  “Frazzled like a guy who took care of a baby for twenty-four hours. But Ryan’s home from work now. They’re fine.”

  “If you’re sure.” She bit her lip. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  The time had come.

  He started to sweat. Eddie said they mostly played salsa music. Skippy recognized the rhythm. The other dancers did the same moves Eddie taught him. He had this.

  But what if he messed up?

  What if he stepped on her feet, or bashed into someone on the dance floor? He’d faced a lot of scary fucking shit in his lifetime, but this? He shivered, despite the heat.

  This is about Kelly Ann.

  She deserves this. Anything. Everything.

  “Would you care to dance?” He held out his hand.

  Breathlessly, she took it. “I’d love to, mi vida.”

  He guided her among the dancers, looking for an open space to begin. Goddamn his mental image of Beauty and the Beast. Once he had it, he couldn’t get rid of it. He caught her hand just like Eddie taught him and started with the basics. She followed his steps like a dream. Like she was liquid in his arms—no, flames.

  “You really dance!” she exclaimed. “How come you didn’t tell me before now?”

  “I just learned.”

  “How?” He tried a turn and she moved with him.

  “Eddie taught me.” Unlike Dave, Kelly Ann’s hips did a sexy little swivel with each step. Oh, man, that was hot. Skippy turned the next move into a spin.

  “Wow.” She giggled as she went under his arm. “This is amazing. I’m picturing you and Eddie dancing together—"

  “Eddie taught me the steps,” he told her, “but Dave was the one I danced with.”

  Her eyes widened. “The cop?”

  “Yup. Detective Dave.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “It wasn’t that bad, actually.” The music ended and they stepped apart. “Hope the next one’s the same. I only know how to do two dances.”

  “Which ones?”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “Wait and see.”

  Another salsa-tempo song started, and he took her in his arms again.

  His confidence grew as they danced through four more songs. Kelly Ann’s cheeks bloomed with color. Her eyes sparkled. Skippy couldn’t believe he was allowed to hold her like that in public. He inhaled her sweet fragrance and luxuriated in the feel of her body against his.

  This dancing stuff was awesome after all.

  They took a break for some pop, and then the
music changed to a rhumba. He pulled her onto the dance floor and made one of Gabe’s silly faces.

  “Dave calls this ‘the dance of love.’”

  “It’s wonderful. I never imagined a night like this.”

  “With me, you mean. I figured it might show you how much I love you.” He wished he could offer her so much more than a few dances. “That even though I’m still only a thug—"

  “Don’t call yourself that,” she said fiercely. “I’ve never once seen you that way.”

  “I see myself that way.” His throat burned. “Remember how we met?”

  “You were recovering from stab wounds. That’s…unforgettable.”

  “So you know what I mean,” he insisted. ”They can laser off the ink, but the things I did—”

  “You have to live with your past.” She folded his hand in both of hers. “What matters to me is what you do now.”

  “I want to be a good man.” His gaze fell to their joined hands. “Your good man.”

  “You’ve always been that.”

  “But—”

  “I left everything behind, for you,” she said. “I made a baby, with you. You’re the guy who turned it all around for both of us. You want to be a good man? You’re my fucking hero.”

  He closed his eyes. “I love you, Kelly Ann.”

  “Oh, God. Me too, honey.” She pulled him in for a hug. “Try to see yourself the way others see you. Look through my eyes, for a change.”

  “Thank you.” He opened his eyes and found tears shimmering in Kelly Ann’s.

  This was her night. That would never do.

  “Come on, gorgeous. Let me show you some more of my hot moves.”

  “One more dance.” She nipped his lower lip. “And then we can go back to the hotel. You can show me some of those horizontal moves, papi.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah. Bring it.” Her eyes sparkled with happiness and love. “I’m a good enough dancer to follow you anywhere.”

  Grime’s Surprise Baby

  An Extra Bonus Short!

  Jack used his new key to unlock Ryan’s front door. Their key exchange had only happened the weekend before, and he still felt strange entering Ryan’s house on his own.

  Memories of the room at the end hall on the first floor, where Nick had ended his life, still hung over the place. He hoped new memories with Ryan would obliterate them, with time.