Delivered Through the Storm

by Nicole Garcia

  I smile because she always knows the right thing to say to make me feel better, even if I don’t always express what I’m really feeling. “I’ll call you in a few days.”

  “Bye baby.”

  For the next ten hours I try desperately not to think about Madison, but I cannot get her out of my mind. I could always try and drown her out. Yeah, that’s exactly what I need, a really strong drink, maybe two or three. Luckily it’s Friday night and I don’t have to go to work tomorrow. I can drink myself into a stupor and take a cab home, then sleep in the whole day tomorrow. I’ve been doing a shit load of overtime lately and can use a damn break anyway.

  The only reason I’ve been working later hours is because I’m saving to put a down payment on a house. Since I’m not an attorney like my brother Wyatt, or an accountant for a multimillion dollar company like Trenton I have to save every penny I can get my hands on. Of course my brothers would loan me the money for the house, but my dream is to buy my own house without anyone else’s help. I wouldn’t take money from them anyway because they have families of their own. I’m single with no children and have no responsibilities other than my job and sending money to my mother whenever she needs the extra help.

  My brothers and I take turns every month paying her bills so she is able keep our family home. Our father worked hard to save money for their retirement, but after he got sick, most of their savings went straight to his medical bills. We weren’t expecting him to pass when he did, but life sucks like that sometimes. So, the burden fell to my brothers and I to help her live comfortably without worry. Well, I couldn’t call my mother a burden really. She means the world to me and has dedicated every second of her time to taking care of her family for the last forty years; giving back to her is the least I can do.

  I pull into the parking lot of The Slaughtered Sandbox, the seediest bar in town. I think the owner must have been drunk out of his damn mind when he named the place, but I refuse to go to anywhere else. This is the place where the big boys come to play. This isn’t your normal local dive bar. No. It’s much worse than your ordinary, run of the mill neighborhood hangout spot. Getting in trouble is easy enough and the women are even easier, especially the waitresses, who are more than willing to serve you more than drinks.

  I make my way to the pool table, not acknowledging anyone else on the way. I pull a cue off the rack on the wall and rub a piece of chalk on the tip. There’s no one else back here and that’s exactly the way I want it. I want to be left alone to clear my thoughts. They only thing I’ve been thinking about all day is Madison. I’d been so distracted by her I had to double back to three houses this afternoon.

  I bend over the table, taking my first shot. The balls click against each other and bounce off the sides of the table. Not one ball falls into a pocket, but that would just be my luck wouldn’t it? I lift my head from the table and glance across the room at the woman making her way over to me. I roll my eyes and blow out an aggravated breath. Nora. Just the woman who I did not want to see tonight.

  We’ve gone out a few times, but I lost interest fast when I really got to know her. She’s a narcissistic, pain in the ass and hasn’t left me alone ever since I told her I didn’t want to see her anymore. She hounds me every time I come in here and was constantly calling me. I finally had to change my cell number to get some peace and quiet.

  Now, here she is walking toward me. Her low-cut Slaughtered Sandbox t-shirt is two sizes too small and her short tight black skirt is on the verge of being considered underwear. She sits on the edge of the pool table and hovers over me, putting her over-sized breasts in my line of vision. “Hi Ryder.”

  I ignore her flirty behavior and don’t bother to glance in her direction. “Nora.” I pull the stick back and take another shot. I straighten and walk over to the corner of the table. “What do you want?”

  She strolls over to me. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Where’ve you been?” She asks as she runs a long red fingernail over the front of her shirt and leans into me. She plays with the collar of my shirt and pouts her lips. “How come you haven’t returned my phone calls?”

  I shrug her off. I do not want this woman’s hands on me anymore, especially since I found out that her hands have been on practically every guy that comes in here. “I’ve been busy.”

  “Well, I get off in a few hours.” She flips shoulder-length brown hair. “Wanna take me home and have a little fun?”

  “No, I don’t. Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to get back to my game.”

  The expression of disappointment on her face is depressing and I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. I couldn’t care less how she feels because I know it’s all a game to her. She’ll just go find someone else in the bar to fawn over. Girls like her always do.

  I shake my head and watch her make her way over to the men entering the bar. She flashes them a smile and I have to laugh at how desperate she really is. She’s a real piece of work and I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with her anymore.

  “Since when do you turn down Nora?”

  I peer over my shoulder to see my best friend Quito standing behind me. “Since I decided I didn’t want herpes blisters on my dick.”

  He takes a sip of beer from the bottle in his hand, giving me a disgusted look. “Dude. That’s gross. I hope you’re joking and you used a rubber.”

  “I am and I did.”

  “Good, ‘cause sex is always cleaner with a packaged wiener.” He winks.

  I laugh, taking the unopened bottle of beer and shot glass from him. I throw back the amber liquid and pop the bottle open on the side of the pool table before swallowing a long swig.

  “Hard day?”

  “You can say that.”

  “Bro, how hard could you possibly have it? You’re the one with the best route; nice houses, fairly quiet people. I’m the one with the route from Hell; trashed neighborhoods, customers constantly screaming at me that their packages are late, dogs chasing me man. You have it easy.”

  “Have you forgotten I’ve done that route? I’ve put in my dues, so stop bitching already. You only have a few more months until you get switched to a better location.”

  “True. So, what happened on the job today because you’re usually in a better mood than this.”

  “If it’s all the same to you, I rather not talk about it.”

  “Hey, no skin off my back. When you’re ready to talk about this woman who has you all twisted up, I’ll be here.”

  “Who said it’s a woman?”

  He arches a brow at me. “I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to. It’s always about a woman.”

  “Well, it isn’t this time okay.” I throw him a cue. “Can we just play and not talk about women for once?”

  He places his half empty bottle on the edge of the table. “Fine by me.”

  Chapter Four

  Madison

  I rest my chin on my palm, staring at the computer in front of me. I slowly type with one finger as my lids begin to droop. Caleb had a difficult time falling asleep last night and Aiden woke up twice from a nightmare he couldn't remember. I finally gave up around two o’clock in the morning and let the boys sleep in my bed. The two of them slept fine after that, but I woke up with a stiff neck and the worst headache I’d had in a long time.

  I glance at the time in the corner of the monitor. I have to pick up the boys in a couple of hours and I really don’t know if I can handle the rest of the day without passing out from sheer exhaustion. I could seriously use a break, but with all my responsibilities I know I have no business taking one. My kids need me. They need their mother because their father couldn’t care less about spending time with his sons. Now that I look back, he was never really that interested in being a part of their lives to begin with.

  I take my eyes off the screen in front of me and peer over at the door to my office as Tyler walks in holding a styrofoam cup out to me. "Here, you look like you can use a little pick me up. Rough night?"

/>   I take the coffee from him and blow on the hot liquid before taking a sip. "Yeah. The boys didn't sleep well and kept me up half the night. I'm exhausted."

  "Why don't you leave them with me tomorrow night and you can sleep in all day Sunday."

  "Tyler, they aren't your responsibility. I can't ask you to do that."

  "You're not asking, I'm offering. Besides, the boys and I need to engage in some quality male bonding."

  "Ty, you're the best, and I can't thank you enough for everything you do for me, but I think I'll pass."

  “Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know."

  “Besides, how are you supposed to find a great guy if you're toting around two little boys everywhere you go?"

  "I do not have a problem finding willing and eligible men, you on the other hand, can use some help in that department."

  "For your information I am not interested in having a serious relationship at the moment."

  "Who's talking about a serious relationship? I'm talking about sex. You do remember what sex is don't you?"

  "Yes Tyler, I do."

  "No, I don't mean the kind of monotonous sex you had with Mitch. I'm talking about the kind of sex you have when you're both so hot for each other you can't wait. The kind of sex you have on a kitchen counter or maybe right here on your desk."

  "Tyler! This is not the time or place to be discussing my sex life."

  He arches a brow and scoffs, mumbling under his breath. “Or lack thereof."

  "Ty, I don't have the time or energy to even think about having sex with anyone." Now that was a bold face lie, but I was not about to divulge that I’d been thinking about running my fingers all over that hot ass delivery guy for the past two weeks. Otherwise, he'd never stop pestering me about him.

  Since I was an appraiser at the biggest art museum in the city I’ve come in contact with many good-looking, rich, single men just about every day. But, none of them ever got my blood pumping like Ryder did. In that one quick meeting he awakened so many feelings inside me; some I never knew existed.

  Not even Mitch, in all the years we were together ever made my body tingle as much as Ryder had with a simple touch of his hand. I wanted to jump his bones right there in the foyer of my house, but I could never do anything that spontaneous or reckless since I have the boys to think about. Oh who am I kidding? Even if I didn’t have the boys I wouldn’t have acted on my fantasy. Mitch had groomed me into being a boring, predictable, and proper woman. Heaven forbid we had sex on a weeknight, the ground would open up and swallow us whole.

  It’s hard to break out of habit and be spontaneous even though Mitch is no longer my husband. Especially since I have to keep a tight schedule for Aiden to get through normal daily life activities. Everything else just has to take a back seat.

  Tyler snaps his fingers in front of my face. "Hey. You okay?"

  I sigh. "I’m fine."

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to take the boys off your hands tomorrow night? I think you really need to get some rest.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  “Well, okay. I gotta get back to work. I'm leaving early."

  "Oh really? Why are we leaving early?"

  "I have a date."

  I straighten in my chair, now alert and very interested in Tyler's evening. "Dish!" If I can’t get involved with a man right now, I might as well live vicariously through my best friend.

  "Well, you know that tall piece of tail that came in here about two or three days ago?"

  "The guy with the sparkling green eyes and set of long dark eyelashes any woman would kill to have?"

  "That's the guy."

  "Oh my God, you lucky dog."

  He waggles his brow at me and a mischievous smile plays across his lips.

  "Which is exactly the position I plan to be in at the end of the night."

  I laugh. "Tyler! You're so bad."

  "Oh, I plan to be sweetheart."

  I playfully slap his arm. "Get out of here and go back to work."

  I shake my head and smile as he leaves the room. If my best friend was good at anything, it was definitely his ability to cheer me up and make me smile even when I really didn't want to. I wish I could be half as fun as Tyler is and not the boring predictable mom I am. Once, just once I'd like to do something out of the ordinary. Something out of the ordinary and hot with Ryder.

  My heart sinks a little knowing he’s only a fantasy. A fantasy I could never act upon. But that isn’t going to stop me from daydreaming about him. Maybe if I could look into his steely gray eyes just one more time I’ll be able to get him out of my system. The question is, should I? No. Seeing him again would be a really bad idea. But, if it’s a bad idea, why am I still thinking about him? And why are my fingers involuntarily sliding across the keyboard ordering toys for the boys so they can be delivered by the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. Well, Christmas is just a couple of months away and I need to buy the boys presents anyway, so why not?

  I suddenly felt like a creepy stalker doing all this in order to see a man. Which I am of course. I think about changing my mind many times before clicking the submit order button on the screen. There the cursor steadily blinks, over and over, waiting for me to finalize the sale. It’s like it’s taunting me, saying ‘do it, do it, do it, do it’, until I finally give in.

  The next couple of hours I spent kicking myself in the ass for the decision I made. Maybe I should just cancel the order and forget the whole thing, then I wouldn't have to go through the embarrassment of making a complete fool out of myself when Ryder shows up at my door. That's exactly what I’m going to do as soon as I get home. What the Hell was I thinking anyway? Obviously I wasn’t, that’s the problem. For once in my life I finally did something spontaneous and now I’m regretting it.

  After picking up the boys and making them a quick dinner I decide to take a quick shower to relieve some of the tension in my neck. I tried taking some ibuprofen, but that didn't help at all. I’d had a slight headache to begin with and it seemed to linger throughout the day. It had definitely gotten worse when Aiden couldn't do his homework. The substitute teacher he had today failed to explain the lesson to him again as his regular teacher normally would have during lunch time. His teacher is always going out of her way to help Aiden as much as she can, even if it means working on her break or staying after school with him.

  The night had certainly been a tough one for us both and after an exhausting couple of hours I only want to relax. I make my way to the bathroom and leave the door slightly ajar so I can hear the boys if they need me. I undress and turn on the hot water before sticking the plug in the drain. I’d like to soak in the tub instead of the two-minute shower I took earlier. The boys were sound asleep in their beds when I checked on them not too long ago. Hopefully I won’t be disturbed for a while.

  With the tub halfway filled, I pour some bath gel into the water and watch the bubbles form. Aiden had saved his allowance money to buy it for me for my birthday. I had yet to use it once and felt awful it was just sitting there underneath the sink collecting dust. I test the water with my hand and shut the faucet when the tub is filled.

  I lift my leg and place my foot into the warm water, allowing it to soothe my nerves before I’m even fully immersed.

  “Mommy!”

  The sound of Caleb screaming my name is enough proof that I will never get any rest with these boys in the house. I bow my head and let out an exasperated breath. Maybe I’ll be able to catch a break in sixteen years when Aiden will have a job of his own and Caleb will be off at college. Only with my luck, they’d never leave home. I have to laugh at that idea. What else could I do? If I don’t laugh at my problems I will surely go insane. I lift my foot out of the water and throw on the robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door and walk down the hall, leaving wet, drippy prints behind me.

  Chapter Five

  Madison

  I turn my purse upside down over the kitchen counter, dumping all its contents o
ut. Bits of broken crackers tap on the hard surface and coins roll off the marble slab and onto the floor. No keys. I groan. Will there ever be a day where I get to where I’m going on time? Not likely. I have to get to work on time today. I’ve been late every day this week and so has Aiden. He has a hard time keeping up as it is and my tardiness isn’t helping him at all. No matter how early I wake up to get ready there is always something that seems to slow my progress.

  “Mommy, you forgot…”

  I raise my hand up to Aiden, quieting him before he has a chance to finish what he wants to say. Normally I’d let him talk, but I don’t the have time to go searching for something he’s lost when my keys are still missing. “Aiden, not now. I can’t find my keys and we were supposed to be on the road ten minutes ago.”

  “But mom…”

  “Aiden, I said not now okay.”

  Running into the living room I dig between the couch cushions and feel around before lifting them and throwing them onto the floor. I am trashing the house even more than the kids have done this morning and I couldn’t care less at the moment. I don’t know why looking for my keys has become part of my everyday routine, but it has. Heaven forbid I put them in the same place where I can find them when I need them the next day. Unfortunately, with all the chaos that goes on around here, I get sidetracked quite often. Since I’m always trying to help Aiden be organized to make his daily activities easier, it’s difficult to keep my own things in order. It’s become so hectic, I may have to start making a list for myself. I wish I could be as diligent at home as I am at work. Everything would go much smoother.

  The doorbell rings and I rise from my knees, abandoning the task of looking for my damn keys and stomp into the foyer. “Are you kidding me right now? Who the Hell would be at my door this early in the morning?” I freeze as my hand makes contact with the doorknob when I remember what I did last week. I’d been so distracted that night when I came home, I completely forgot to cancel the order I made. It had to be that delivery. Who else could it be at my door? The only person that ever visits me is Tyler and he wouldn’t ring the doorbell because he has a key. I peer out of the window by the door and catch a glimpse of a delivery uniform.