by Stacy Borel
I shifted my weight from one leg to another. “Near Savannah.”
“Not too far from here. That’s what, three hours away?”
“Closer to four.”
“I see. You get a chance to visit?” His mind was sharp, but it was clear time was taking its toll on his body. One thing I despised seeing happen with elderly people wasn’t the wrinkles or how much slower they got around. It was how translucent their skin appeared. The crepey appearance and veins that bulged. At least Paul didn’t look gray like my grandpa had in his last few years. Not saying that he only had a few years left.
“Unfortunately, no. I’ve had a lot on my plate, but I’d like to go visit in a few weeks.”
He regarded me thoughtfully. Paul didn’t seem the type to miss much, and I had a feeling he was reading me a little better than most. My grandfather had been the same way. Grandma was the social butterfly of the family, always talking and always having people over for a ladies’ luncheon or book club. Grandpa was quieter and could normally be found in the building behind their house tinkering with something new or working in his garden.
He looked at Foster. “Better get him in to see your grandma or else she’s going to have a conniption that he’s been in this house longer than a few minutes without being offered something to drink.”
Foster laughed. “You’re right about that. We’ll be back to watch the game in a few minutes.”
He led me through a house I’d say was decorated with Southern love—photographs through the generations and strategically placed knickknacks—unlike my grandparents’ home, which felt more like a museum. As a child, I had to be careful traipsing through their house so I didn’t knock over one of my grandma’s crystals. Here, everything that was out appeared to be used, such as a quilt folded over the back of a chair, half-burned candles in mason jars, and dishware in a cabinet that likely came out for company.
All the noise I’d been hearing was coming from the kitchen. Dishes were clanking, and the smell of barbecue permeated my nose. My stomach clenched because I’d barely eaten anything all day. When we got into the kitchen, the space was bright and open. It was not as large as I envisioned based on the outside of the house, but there were plenty of oak cabinets, granite countertops, and an island full of food.
Standing in front of the stove was a short older woman with hair white as snow, tortoiseshell glasses, and a round face. Smile lines around her mouth and creases in the corner of her eyes told me she had a jovial disposition, and she looked every bit the part of a grandma. She was currently yacking away to her female counterparts leaning against the counter across from her who were both sipping on an iced drink. I immediately placed one of them as Ashton’s mother. While she didn’t have dark hair like Ashton did, they damn near looked like twins. On the other side of the island stood two men perfectly content to listen to the women chatter. One was impressively large so clearly hitting the gym was his thing. The other was his spitting image, just leaner and equally as tall.
Foster walked, and I entered the room while he announced us with an exaggerated, “Heyyyy, everybody.” Striding straight to his grandma, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and hugged her tightly. She looked back at him and smiled, bringing her right hand up to cup his cheek.
“Hey, kid. What took you so long? Your dad was just talking about eating your food before you got here.”
He swung around and addressed the leaner man. I was beginning to see that they all looked alike. Strong genetics. “Dad, you’d take food right out of your son’s mouth? Come on now.”
His father blinked. “Your grandma is making brisket,” he deadpanned as if this explained everything.
“Mom, you’d let him?”
One of the women rolled her eyes. She had long brown hair, and for being in her late forties to early fifties, she was physically stunning. “I can’t stop the man. He likes brisket.”
“I can’t believe this family.” Foster chuckled. “Great first impression you’re making for Crew. We all fend for ourselves around here if you can’t tell.”
I smiled. “Noted.”
His grandma elbowed him. “Hush, I’ve made more than plenty.” She stepped around him and approached me. She was a lithe woman who stood no taller than the middle of my chest. “So nice to meet you, Crew. I’m Donna.”
She embraced me in the warmest of hugs and smelled like chocolate chip cookies. “Nice to meet you too.”
“Would you like something to drink? I have sweet tea, lemonade …” she trailed off. Her Southern hospitality kicking in.
“I’ll take a lemonade.”
She beamed. I was annoyed with myself for feeling disappointed that the face I’d been hoping to see wasn’t here. I had no business looking for her or even wanting anything to do with her. If I saw her again, I wasn’t so sure I wouldn’t try fucking with her just to see her flush. God, I was a miserable asshole.
While Donna was getting a glass from the cupboard, Foster’s dad and mom walked over and shook my hand. Both smiled visibly while biting their tongues to hold back the Spanish Inquisition most parents would give. Then the other male approached me, offered his hand, and introduced himself.
“I’m Camden, and this is my wife, Keegan.” I tipped my head toward her. “I believe you’ve met my daughter, Ashton.”
Of course, he was her father. God wouldn’t give a girl like that to just anybody. It had to be someone who would intimidate the hell out of the male species if we breathed the same air as she did. “Yes sir, I have.”
That was why he looked so familiar. I took in the entirety of him, and from head to toe, he screamed dominance. I briefly wondered if Ashton had ever had a boyfriend, and if so, they probably pissed their pants and dumped her the moment her dad introduced himself. He’d probably break all my fingers and remove my head, guillotine style, if he knew I’d proudly pitched a tent in front of his baby girl. His dark gaze looked down at me, not that I was much shorter than he was.
A few others had filed into the kitchen, and they all introduced themselves, but I’d be lucky if I remembered their names. “It’s nice to meet y’all.”
It was quiet for a few short beats, then Keegan filled the silence. “So, Crew, how do you like living here?”
“It’s honestly not much different from home. Only difference is, in Savannah, there are tourists, and here, it’s students.”
“Foster obviously hasn’t run you off yet,” Macie chimed.
I chuckled. “No, ma’am. Other than when I occasionally bump into him, our schedules vary, and I rarely see him. Most days, it feels like I have the apartment to myself.”
“Not that I don’t like ya, dude, but it’s kinda perfect.”
Donna clucked her tongue. “Don’t be rude.”
“I didn’t take any offense. It’s fine. We both seem to like our space. Plus, I’m in and out at different hours.”
“Oh yeah, what keeps you so busy?”
I shrugged. “I work as a mechanic down at my uncle’s shop in town, which takes up a lot of my time.”
“What got you into the mechanic business?” Keegan asked curiously.
I was just about to respond when out of the corner of my eye Ashton sauntered into the kitchen. Her hair was braided and hanging over her shoulder with the exception of a few tendrils that had fallen out. She was wearing a long-sleeved, thin maroon shirt and a pair of jeans with rips in the thigh and a cuffed ankle. I wanted to catch a peek of her skin through those little tears, but one glance at her dad, and I swear the man was reading my mind. She made brief eye contact with me, and her cheeks pinked while she bit down on her full bottom lip. So fucking responsive. Ashton kept her head ducked as she went to stand beside Camden. I willed her to look at me again, but she didn’t. I made her nervous, and I fucking loved it. Her light blue eyes glistened even from across the room.
I spoke without skipping a beat. “It’s family owned, so I’m trying my hand at it.”
“Have you ever tho
ught about doing something else?” Camden’s gruff voice asked.
The look on his face screamed disapproval. My defiance flared, and I wanted to lay it on thick that I enjoyed getting my hands dirty. Especially when I finally decided to touch your daughter. And I would touch her but not until she begged me.
“Yes, but right now, this is what’s in my cards.”
The man had no reason to dislike me other than for how I was currently watching his daughter.
A couple of boys came strutting in laughing. One snagged a cookie off a platter on the counter and stuffed the entire thing in his mouth. The other went over to Donna and gave her a peck on the cheek. She beamed at him.
“Hungry?”
“Starving!” the blond one complained.
The brunette trying to chew everything he put in his mouth looked like a younger version of Macie. “Y’all get this. This asshole thinks he doesn’t need to go to college and get a degree because he’s going to make it big streaming video games live.”
Donna dropped her head, and the kitchen towel she had in her hand hung by her side. “Lord help me, I don’t know how many times I have to tell these children to quit swearing in this house.”
“Boys,” Dodger reprimanded.
“Sorry, Grams,” the brunette stated.
“What on earth do you mean streaming video games?” Keegan asked.
The boy grinned. “I mean push a button on my computer, and I go live to the world, and they watch me play video games, and I get paid for it.”
“Tristan, don’t be a waste of space,” Ashton chided.
Just hearing her soft-spoken voice stirred something inside me, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was trying not to look at me, and it was a visible battle on her face. Her eyes were darting all around her, and she would skip over me while her family continued to speak. Minutes passed and I knew she felt me burning a hole into her because I refused to give her any reprieve from my stare. Eventually, she mustered her bravery and looked at me. All that blue-eyed beauty landed right on me. There was a curiousness to her, and an unspoken question that she seemed to want to ask me but maybe not in front of everyone. It was entertaining to me that Ashton was clearly someone who held her cards out in front of her. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the world’s worst poker player. Ashton wouldn’t be able to bluff her way out of a box if her life depended on it. Her emotions were a script that played out as if her mind were a flashing billboard.
A quality I’d hate were it anyone else.
I’d give my right nut to be alone with her right now. Whether it was a good idea, bad idea, or deranged idea, I still wanted it. I wanted to test her resolve and see if that little innocent girl act was all for show. Had she been touched before? Had she been given orgasm after orgasm till walking wasn’t an option? I hardly knew her, but the very idea of another man touching her—tainting her—made me want to throw them off a ten-story building.
Thankfully, the conversation continued to flow until it was time to eat. The meal we ate was filling, and the company was good. I learned a lot about Foster and Ashton today. I always assumed my family was very close, and we were involved in each other’s lives, but nope, this family was very different. They knew each other. Aspects other people tended to hide, they put out in the open. The kids all spoke freely, and the adults listened, and the parents and grandparents discussed real-life issues that most wouldn’t consider Sunday dinner conversation. I was, for the most part, a silent observer. The occasional question was tossed in my direction, but I took in everything, soaking it up like a sponge.
The Brooks family welcomed me and made me feel like I was one of them. How they did that in such a short period I don’t know. I was enjoying the warmth, but shielding my own sorrow so it didn’t creep its way onto my features. Throughout the forks scraping plates and the sipping of drinks, I noticed one person wasn’t taking part in his family’s commentary.
Camden.
He observed, taking mental note of every time I willed Ashton to look at me. He watched me like a bull elephant watched a starving cheetah circle his baby. If I made a false move or I stared too long, he would stampede across the table and kill me with one swing. He clearly read me correctly because he wasn’t wrong to be leery. If I wasn’t the predator searching for a morsel of his little girl, I’d commend the man for standing his ground. He was an intimidating motherfucker, but I could be equally frightening within my own right.
When dinner wrapped up, and everyone seemed to be moving toward the den, Keegan summoned her husband to help her get some things for Donna out of her car. Reluctantly, he obliged. Aside from Foster, Ashton and I were the only ones left standing in the kitchen. With the three of us alone, Foster took it as his moment to ramble on and on to her about some female he’d had in the house the other day. I kept it to myself that this same blonde had come up behind me while I was making my morning omelet and gave my butt a squeeze. I’d found her number in my jeans pocket later that evening, but I crumpled it and tossed it in the trash.
Ashton listened as she rinsed food from the dinner plates and placed them in the dishwasher. She laughed when he made a joke, and she grumbled at him for making perverse remarks. Their banter was hysterical. At one point, she heard me chuckle, and her head swung around to me. Her mouth parted slightly, and my lovely friend downstairs stirred. God, I could only imagine what it would be like if I actually touched her. It would be explosive. I wanted Foster to go join the rest of his family in the den. Sadly, for me, he stuck around till the kitchen was spotless.
Foster had looked down at his phone and mentioned it was seven thirty.
I had a busy day tomorrow and had planned on going to bed early. I lifted my wrist and looked at my watch.
“You two going to turn into pumpkins if you’re not home by eight?” Ashton teased.
I snickered. “A pumpkin my uncle will carve and toss in a dumpster if I don’t get to the garage tomorrow nice and early.”
Her playful smile fell. “He’s pretty tough on you, isn’t he?”
I wasn’t going to get into it after I’d had a good afternoon. “He’s a little tough, but he’s family, so I tolerate it.”
“I know all about that.” She tried to sympathize.
I gave her a genuine smile. She couldn’t even begin to imagine. Her family was loving and concerned. My uncle came from Assholeville, and he lived on Dickhead Street. There was no comparison. “Maybe you do.” I agreed with her.
“Thanks for coming, bro. I think they liked you.”
Ha! Maybe everyone but one. Again, I wasn’t mad about it.
“You can come back whenever you want,” Ashton added. I wasn’t sure if she meant it, or if she was simply being kind. Either way, it shocked me that she offered.
I nodded. There wasn’t much else to say. Foster had stepped out of the kitchen before I did. Ashton awkwardly shifted her feet, and I knew without the blanket of her cousin nearby that she was nervous being around just me.
“Haven’t been by the apartment,” I bluntly noted.
She looked down and cleared her throat. “Yeah, I, uh, I’ve had a lot of studying to do, and I picked up some extra hours at work.”
I could smell an excuse from a mile away. I knew exactly why she hadn’t been by. I stepped forward, invading her personal space. “Come over.”
I knew I was being a domineering ass right now, but that was okay with me. There was more than a simple interest hiding in her blue depths. If she wanted to test drive me and have a peek under the hood, she was more than welcome. But I wasn’t going to stand here, knowing that words were forming on her tongue but her innocence kept her from saying anything.
She licked her lips, and my eyes watched in rapt attention. “I will. Foster’s place is my second home. Well, here is my second home; Foster’s is more like my third home. Not that he’s third place. I mean, he’s my favorite cousin. And that’s not to say that the other ones are chopped liver.” She paused and took a deep bre
ath, her face turning a whole new shade of red. “That was entirely too much information. I’m sorry.”
I gave her a wide grin. My god, she was stunning. “You’re fine.”
“No, I should probably shut my mouth.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
She was chewing the shit out of her lower lip. “I seem to be in the business of making an idiot out of myself.”
I held my hands up in surrender. “Well, don’t stop on my account. I find it endearing.”
Her eyelids fluttered almost as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. “In that case, you have a good night, Crew.”
I pushed myself even farther into her personal space, setting down the glass I had been holding on the counter behind her. My breath blew across the top of her head, and I saw goose bumps rise on her arms.
“You too.”
I walked out, leaving her standing there, and I went to say my goodbyes to everyone else. They asked me if I was sure I didn’t want to stick around to play a game of baseball, but I really couldn’t. Paul made me promise that I’d come back and play with them sometime soon. Overall, it was a good night. Though I caught the interrogating eye Camden gave me before Foster and I pulled out of the driveway.
He didn’t trust me, and maybe he shouldn’t. Either way, I’d still get to know his daughter. A lot more. I’d dealt with dads before, and I knew my way around them enough to make them like me. Even though I had a feeling Camden was going to be a tougher one to crack, it would be fine.
I was always down for a challenge.
Ashton
THE LOW GRUMBLE FROM MY stomach startled me from my deep concentration. I had been in the library studying for the past three hours and was completely famished. I’d only intended on being here for a little while before I went home to change and go to Foster’s. He had said he was ordering Chinese food when he was waiting for me outside my classroom this morning and wanted me to come over. Plying me with food was low, but I took the bait.
He picked up that I had been avoiding going over there, and he knew why. Even though I had told Crew I’d be there this week, I was still apprehensive to go. I figured with my cousin there, I didn’t have anything to worry about as long as I made sure I wasn’t alone with him. Grabbing my books, I shoved everything in my backpack and briskly walked out the door.
