by Carter Ashby
“I think it’s just because I got shot. Gives me street cred with the kids, ain’t that right?” He tugged at a strand of her hair.
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, stiffening. “I’m not a kid.”
Grey’s eyes studied her profile intently and she was obviously doing everything in her power to avoid looking at him.
The waitress came by and they ordered. Addy and Grey both got salads and then smiled bashfully at each other.
“So, Addy, are you going to be able to come Friday night?” Maya asked.
“Absolutely. I am so excited. But do me a favor and don’t tell my mom I’m coming because she’ll want me to visit and I’m planning on crashing with Zoey. And you,” she said turning to Jayce. “You’re not going to drink, are you?”
“In a room full of drunk women? Why would I need to?”
“Good. Because you get really grabby and flirty when you drink.”
“That’s not his natural state?” Maya asked, winking at Jayce as she sipped her soda. She turned to Grey. “We’re having a Ladies Night charity event for Valentine’s Day, Friday. You should come, if you’ve got the time. Because as Jayce said, there will be a room full of drunk women.”
“And Addy will be one of them. Girl cannot handle her liquor,” Jayce said.
Addy cocked her head and scratched her temple with her middle finger.
“I can’t imagine Addison getting drunk,” Grey said.
“She’s my favorite person to drink with,” Jayce said. “Turns into a dancing queen and she’ll make out with anyone.”
“Jayce, for God’s sake.” She turned to Grey. “I don’t get drunk. Once in high school. And maybe once or twice in college.”
Jayce snorted. “I know I personally made out with you three times in high school, and that would only happen if you were drunk.”
“I wasn’t drunk at my birthday party.”
“You sure about that?”
The two bickered back and forth and Maya suppressed a smile. Jayce was a good friend. He was making Dr. McDaniel jealous. Jayce kept casting knowing grins at Grey who would darken and smile stiffly. Addy wasn’t noticing, but Maya was.
At last, Addy punched Jayce in the shoulder and said, “Stop defaming my character, you tattooed jackass.”
Everyone, Grey included, got a laugh out of that. Maya felt sorry for Addy in that this was likely the most nervous she’d ever been in her life.
“And what is it you do, Maya?” Grey asked, once their food had arrived.
“I’m a barmaid,” she said.
“Needs to be an event planner,” Jayce said. “Reckon you gotta go to school for that?”
Maya stared at him.
“Not necessarily,” Addy said. “Though I’m sure a business degree would be beneficial, don’t you think, Dr. McDaniel?”
He frowned and washed down the bite of salad he’d just taken with a drink of water. “I imagine the same studies that people who want to work in the hotel business would take. The business degree with the concentration in hospitality management. She could get that here in St. Louis.”
Maya’s hand was suddenly covered by Jayce’s. “She’s working on her GED right now,” he said. “Is it difficult to get into a degree program without a high school transcript?”
Dr. McDaniel shrugged. “Not really. She’ll need to take one of the tests, of course. SAT or ACT. I’m not sure how well a GED program prepares you for those, though. She’ll want to take a prep course, if possible. Community centers usually offer programs like that fairly regularly.”
Jayce gave her hand a squeeze. “What do you think, baby girl? You wanna go to school?”
Maya gaped at him. “You haven’t even seen whether my Valentine’s party is a success.”
“It will be. You’ve loved putting it together.”
“I have, but that’s hardly a basis for a career.”
He shrugged. “You can do anything you want, that’s all I’m saying.”
“Including magic up tens of thousands of dollars for a degree?”
“Maybe you’ll get a scholarship. In fact, I’ve been thinking the bar needs to offer scholarship money for its employees. That would help.”
No feelings indeed. A man who only wanted sex wouldn’t be at all concerned with her future.
“Maya,” Grey said, “a single, low-income mom…there’s grant money just waiting for you. Get your GED and I’ll be happy to walk you through the process.”
“Thank you,” she said, deeply meaning it. And then she laughed. “God, I could go to college.” She squeezed Jayce’s hand and stared up at him with tear-filled eyes. He lifted her hand to his lips.
“You get smarter than me, you’ll be able to find yourself a better boyfriend.”
There he was playing dumb again. But even worse, using a term she hadn’t given him. He knew it, too.
He laughed and shook his head. “I mean love slave. A better love slave.”
She grinned, but behind it was sadness and regret. No more Friday nights. She couldn’t do this to him anymore. “No feelings?”
“Hell, no! Do I look like the kind of guy who has feelings? Don’t even worry about it.”
She exchanged a knowing look with Addy.
After they finished eating, Jayce suggested they take the kids to the City Museum for a while. They invited Addy and Grey.
Grey looked at Addy with uncertainty. “I shouldn’t,” he said.
She nodded. “I understand.”
They stood and he took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I enjoyed having lunch with you, Ms. Hart.”
“Likewise, Dr. McDaniel.”
He left with shoulders slumped and head down. Addy fell into her chair and dropped her forehead to the table.
“Aw, come on, kid,” Jayce said, hauling her to her feet. “Shake it off.”
She looked miserable, but she let him lead her outside, and she followed them to the City Museum. They watched the kids play for a couple of hours before heading their separate ways. The drive home was quiet. Jayce kept his hand on Maya’s thigh, but neither of them had much to say.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Maya and Janice were getting more and more excited about their Valentine’s Ladies’ Night. They’d found several guys to serve drinks. Maya had even talked Zoey into lending them Kellen. They were promoting the whole thing as a charity event, donating all proceeds to the local women’s shelter.
On the Tuesday before, Maya had a planning meeting with Janice and the other five waitresses.
“You won’t believe it,” said Angel, a vibrant, bouncy brunette. “I talked to my friend, Tammy…she and two other stylists are willing to come and just set up stations around the bar and give free manicures. You know, we can leave like donation jars at their tables.”
Maya was about to praise the hell out of Angel when Tasha spoke up.
“I’m totally sleeping with this guy who works at Godiva. I can get us a ton of truffles. I thought we could put them in little individual boxes for, like, favors.”
Maya opened her mouth to squeal in delight.
But then Janice said, “I found this great girl band. They rock, like, hard. And they want to play for us so bad. Here’s their CD.”
Maya took the CD and gaped at it. She looked around at all the little changes Jayce had been making over the past few weeks. He’d changed the lighting. There were now sofas and chairs and coffee tables in three little nooks in the building, for a more intimate setting. He’d told her she could decorate however she wanted for the Ladies’ Night.
Just then, a martini glass was placed in front of her. Pink liquid surrounded a quickly dissolving mound of cotton candy. She looked up to see Jayce towering over her. “Saw that on Pinterest. Don’t judge me.” He walked away.
She bounced in her seat and tasted the drink. “Oh, my God, so good!” She passed it around to each of the girls who all gushed.
“Jayce, baby, you’re amazing,” Tasha moaned.
&nbs
p; “all right, all right,” he said, waving off their compliments. He was puttering behind the bar. They were an hour from opening.
“We wanna try the Bomb Pop!” Janice shouted at him.
“Bomb Pop?” Maya asked.
“He told me he was going to make a drink that looks like those Bomb Popsicles, red, white, and blue. I’m not sure it’ll fit with our theme, but it sounds awesome.”
“Another time,” he said from behind the bar. He came out with a tray of shot glasses filled with some kind of pink, frozen something. He set them on the table for everyone. “I call these Blushies. They’re vodka slushies.” Everyone took one, sipped, and moaned.
Maya laughed up at him. “You are so getting into the spirit, Mr. I-Don’t-Celebrate-Valentine’s-Day.”
“You asked for special drinks. I give you special drinks. I got one more.”
He went back behind the counter while the girls finished their vodka slushies. When he came back, he had two martini glasses filled with creamy liquid, one white, one with chocolate swirls in the glass. The rims were dipped in sprinkles in various shades of pink. “I give you the Cupcake Cutie and the Chocolate Cupcake Cutie.”
Maya sipped and passed, sipped and passed. “Where are you coming up with the names for these things?” she asked with a giggle.
“I got in touch with my feminine side. Are they good?”
Everyone nodded and gushed over how good they were.
“Jayce with a feminine side,” Janice said. “Who would have thought.”
Jayce took the empty glasses and walked back to the bar. “I was kidding. I don’t have a feminine side. I asked Sophie for ideas.”
Maya’s heart warmed. “Did you really?”
“Yeah,” he laughed. “The other day I was waiting for Mattie to get ready for the gym. She showed me your Pinterest board and helped me come up with ideas for girlie drinks.”
Maya watched him busy behind the counter, saying in such an off-hand way something that made a profound impact on her. It had been three days since they were last together. He’d hinted, but she’d turned him down. She’d rejected two kiss-attempts and he’d backed off of that, too. Now, he barely touched her, but he was still getting too close. The things he was doing for her, making friends with her kids, supporting her in every way…she needed to tell him that she didn’t plan to sleep with him again. Ever. As disappointing as that was to her lady parts, her heart just couldn’t take it.
After the meeting, everyone but Janice left, since she was opening anyway. Maya asked Jayce for a moment in his office. She didn’t have to work until five. He followed her in, closed the door behind him, and grinned. “Haven’t been alone with you in a while,” he said, looking her up and down.
“Three days, Jayce.”
“That’s three days too many, Maya.”
She smiled sadly. “I just need to clear the air about something.”
His expression went stony, like it did so often. The walls slammed up. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I just wanted you to know that as much as I’ve loved being with you—“
He laughed bitterly and turned away, going behind his desk. He sat down. “It was just sex, Maya. I told you. No big deal. You wanna do it again, I’m your man. If not? No big deal.”
She sat on the edge of the chair in front of his desk. “It’s just, you’re being so kind to me. I want to be up front about my feelings and intentions.”
“Your lack of feelings and intentions you mean.”
She swallowed.
He drummed his fingers on his desk for a moment. “Maya, I know where you are. You’ve been completely up front and honest all along. There’s no problem from my end, okay? We’re just friends having sex. I’m good with that.”
“It kind of feels like you’re…courting me.”
His jaw muscles ticked. “I’m not courting you.”
“You’ve been doing so many things for me. Things that a boyfriend might do. No…things that a husband might do.”
He shook his head and looked away.
“Helping me with Ladies’ Night, being all supportive…?”
He didn’t answer. His eye were stone cold, now.
“Taking Mattie to the gym? Playing with Sophie?”
He refused to look at her. “You don’t want me doing these things?” There was tension in his voice, in the way his jaw muscles flexed.
“I just want to make sure you know that those things don’t affect my feelings.”
He let out a bitter laugh that made her jump, just a little.
“I just mean that I’m not going to feel obligated—”
She didn’t see it coming. It was like a land-mine. He jumped up, grabbed a water glass off his desk, and hurled it at the wall next to him. He shoved his hands in his hair and made fists. With his eyes squeezed shut, he muttered, “Shit, shit, shit.”
Maya sat there, gulping in air and shaking violently.
He turned to face her, more agony in his eyes than rage. “I don’t get to be friends with your kids?” he shouted at her. “You think I’d use your kids to get you to fuck me? Jesus, what an opinion you have of me, Maya.”
Racking sobs heaved out of her. She wanted to answer him, but she was in a state of panic. Jayce got in her face, his hands on the arms of her chair. “Look at me, goddammit! Stop cowering like you think I’m gonna hurt you. I would never fucking hurt you, Maya. I’ve been your friend all this time. I’ve never wanted anything more than for you to accept my friendship. Well, except for you to love me, but God knows I gave up on that a long time ago.” The door opened. “Fuck off, Janice!” he shouted at her.
“You’re scaring her,” Janice said.
Maya let Janice take her arm and pull her out of her chair. Janice led her away and closed the door behind them. He must have thrown something else, because the crash made Maya jump. She collapsed in on herself.
“It’s okay, honey,” Janice said. “You want a drink?”
Maya shook her head. “I’m just going to go home.” Her voice shook. She sounded like she had back when she’d first left Damon. She sounded weak and afraid. Over the course of the past six weeks, being on her own, working for Jayce, her voice had gotten stronger. Now it was shattered again.
“You go on, then, and don’t worry about coming in tonight. I’ll find someone to cover for you.”
Maya needed the hours. She needed the money. But she nodded her thanks and then left to go home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jayce paced and threw things and fisted his hands in his hair. He needed…needed…
Janice came in, fists on her hips. “What the fuck is the matter with you?”
He grabbed her and kissed her. This was what he needed. “Mmm, Janice, let’s go upstairs.”
“Get off me.”
He kissed her jaw and neck, hoping she’d want him enough to give in, just this once. But she shoved him. Then she slapped him.
It made his ears ring and at last he stood still and quiet. He looked at her. She wasn’t hurt or scared…just pissed. “I’m so sorry,” he said.
“You touch me again, asshole, and I’ll sue.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry, Jan. Really.” And then he felt a sick feeling inside of him and his eyes began to burn. He sat back on the edge of his desk and breathed.
Janice sighed. She came to him, put her arms around him, and stroked his hair. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“I hardly ever lose my temper like that.”
“What happened?”
He shook his head, anger welling again. “She wanted to make sure I wasn’t making friends with her kids just so she’d sleep with me.”
Janice stepped back. “That bitch! She should know you’d never do something like that.”
He calmed, some. “It’s a legitimate question. I mean, in a way, I always knew I needed to have a relationship with them if I was going to have one with her. But then, I’ve also always known that she doesn’t feel tha
t way about me. I was just happy she was interested enough to be with me at all. I figured when she was done with me, we could at least be friends. I like her kids. Mattie’s got a mean right hook and Sophie gives the best hugs in the universe. God, I’d like a Sophie hug right about now.”
Janice kissed him on the forehead. “You poor thing. Okay. I’ll go upstairs and give you some pity sex if you want.”
He shook his head. “You’re the best, Jan. I was an asshole, though. I don’t deserve pity sex.”
She rubbed his back.
“I should find her and apologize.”
“You need to give her some space tonight. She was pretty shook up.”
“She’s never going to trust me again. Never.” On that cheery note, Jayce managed to get himself pulled together in time for work.
He was almost glad when Zoey came in to chew him out. It was around five, a little before their evening rush. She stormed in, hit him with her evil eyes, and then hesitated. She detoured to the dartboard where her photo hung, again, and ripped it off. “Whoever keeps doing this is going to pay.” She shoved it in the trash and then headed for Jayce. “She’s been crying for three hours.” This she said in a lowered voice, a consideration she didn’t usually make.
“I’ll do whatever you think I need to do,” he said. “Should I call her? Give her space? What?”
“You should not be an asshole to a woman who’s just getting out of an abusive relationship. She was in shock, Jayce.”
He swallowed and gritted his teeth. He leaned on the counter, his head hung low. “What do I do?”
“I’ll tell her you’re ready to talk anytime. She’ll come to you when she’s ready.”
He nodded. Zoey left. If he knew he was going to get another visitor on that evening, he’d have handed over the bar to Janice and gone home. He was maxed out on anxiety.
But around seven, an older man came in. Jayce glanced at him. Then looked again. The man seemed familiar. He had thinning, graying hair and his skin, drawn tight over his skull, had a yellowed look to it. He might have been average height if he hadn’t been stooped. He looked around furtively before shuffling to the bar.
