Pucker Up

by Seimas, Valerie

  “Andrews men don’t call anyone by their names. Uncle Dust calls me Harm, ‘cause he says I’m always causing trouble, and Dad calls me Peaches.” The timer went off, and Harmony turned to pull the cookies out of the oven. “Nicknames don’t mean you don’t belong, they mean you do.”

  Faith stopped slicing and put the knife down; her hands practically burned for a guitar. What was it about this house and all the people in it that wanted her to remember, to feel. To persevere.

  “How did you meet them? The Andrews twins.”

  “I was on vacation at the Sorrento Ranch, and they worked there.”

  “Yeah, they did! Gosh, I love that place, don’t you? It’s so pretty and peaceful, and Bea is awesome. Do you know her?”

  Faith grinned. “Yeah, I know her.” That meddling headstrong woman was the reason there was a lemon tree in the first place. Tasked two bickering teenagers with a project and bloomed love along with lemons. It was a precious idea – made a good movie plot, too.

  Faith glanced out the kitchen window and saw another foreign car pull down the driveway, kicking a cloud of dust into the air. Dustin slid out from under her car and wiped grease from his hands as it passed him by and pulled up to the front porch. A tall man in designer sunglasses and an impeccably tailored suit got out and scanned the property. Shit.

  “Can I help you?” Dustin called as he made his way over, studying the new arrival as he approached.

  “Yes, thank you. I’m looking for the owner of that car you were just under.”

  “Who wants to know?”

  “Jackson Shaw.” He held out his hand, not sheepish of the mess of Dustin’s, and they shook. “And you are?”

  “Dustin Andrews. I own this place.”

  “Nice to meet you Dustin, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Really? And—” The loud thwack of the front door caused both men to turn, Faith exiting the house with Harmony not far behind.

  “Jackson, what are you doing here?” Faith asked, coming down the steps towards them.

  “I’m looking for you.” He smiled but Faith was so shocked she couldn’t.

  “Excuse us. Jackson, with me.” She didn’t wait to see if he was following her, just walked away from them towards the gazebo. She rounded on him when they arrived. “What are you doing here?”

  “What do you think I’m doing here? You told me if I hadn’t heard from you in twenty-four hours to come and get you. I waited forty-eight.”

  “I was kidding.”

  “Were you?” he questioned. He took off his sunglasses and peered at her intently. “You look different.”

  “Different how?”

  “Just different. Why was he working on your car? Did it break down?”

  “Yes.”

  Jackson was quiet for a long moment, an accessing stare on his face. “What hotel are you registered at?” She gave him a patronizing look but couldn’t stop fidgeting. “So either he is the most accommodating man I’ve ever met, or you did not give him the divorce papers.”

  “I couldn’t do it,” she mumbled at the floor.

  “What?”

  “I couldn’t do it,” she repeated, meeting his eyes, conviction in her voice. “I thought I could; the whole drive up here I thought I could. But the minute I got here, I realized I was completely kidding myself. I can’t have that conversation with him. I just, I just can’t.”

  “So what’s the plan? We leave, and you send me back out here with the papers next week?”

  Faith ran her hands through her hair and sat down on the step. “I didn’t think that far ahead. I thought maybe I’d just leave them in his office and hope he found them.”

  Jackson sighed and sat beside her. “Hoping things would work themselves out is what got you into this mess in the first place.”

  “I know.”

  “I never wanted you to come out here yourself. I advised against it for just this reason.”

  “I know that, too.” But Faith couldn’t be mad about her decision. She’d needed to see him one more time. A decade of needing closure had led her to this spot. She glanced towards the house and saw Dustin, Peter, and Harmony on the front porch, watching them. Was it closure that she got, or was it something else?

  “Are you ready to listen to me?”

  Faith sighed and met his eyes, unsure if she was ready to put this all behind her. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

  Jackson stood and pulled out his phone. “All right. I’m going to call a tow in for your car. You take mine, I’ll get a car service for me, and then when you’re on the road, I’m going to serve him with the papers.”

  Faith watched him; his direct, no nonsense tone, his encouraging smile, his kind eyes. Jackson was the kind of guy you wanted on your side. Why hadn’t he ever been the kind of guy she wanted in her heart? Her eyes flashed to Dustin. Because, for better or for worse, that spot had been taken a long time ago, and damn, she had no idea how to evict him. She’d leave that to Jackson now.

  She stood, steeling herself for what came next. “Hey,” he said, moving the phone away from his ear, “you okay?”

  She nodded her head and offered him a halfhearted smile she feared wasn’t at all convincing. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” She squeezed Jackson’s arm, and he returned it, the fingers of his free hand comforting, just as they had been when he’d first dropped this bombshell. A deep breath, for strength, and she started towards the house. The final verse of the song. She’d never been very good at those.

  “What do you think’s going on?”

  “He’s a lawyer,” Harmony said.

  “How would you know that?” Dustin asked.

  She held up her phone. “Googled him. President and founder of Magpie Entertainment Law and Management. MELM.” She stared off towards the gazebo. “Does Faith sing that song about magpies?”

  “No, that’s not her,” Peter mumbled.

  Harmony shrugged. “They do look friendly. And he’s cute.”

  Dustin cursed and Harmony sent him a knowing grin. “Back in the house,” Peter ordered. She didn’t even try to argue, but he heard her phone the minute she entered. Conspiring with her sister already, he was sure of it.

  “What do you think’s going on?” Dustin asked again.

  Peter shook his head. “No idea. But I have a feeling you’re finally going to get your answer.”

  Confusion clouded his face. “To what?”

  “To what Faith West is doing here.”

  The twins watched her make her way towards them, her pace slow but determined. “Everything all right?” Peter called when she got within ear shot.

  “Yeah, it’s fine.” But her smile was wane. “Jackson is calling a tow truck so we can get me and my car out of your way.”

  “You’re not in the way, East,” Peter said.

  “Yeah, my presence has caused no upheaval at all.” Her eyes darted to Dustin’s but couldn’t hold his gaze for more than a moment before looking away.

  “Faith, what’s going on?” Peter asked, reaching out for her. She took his hand and held it for a moment before letting his fingers slip from her grasp.

  “Life, I suppose,” she murmured

  “Life?” Dustin asked, his voice gruff with confusion. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Faith shook her head as if pulling herself out of a daze, and smiled. “I promised I’d stay until tomorrow. Tomorrow’s here. Excuse me, I need to go get my purse.”

  She turned, but Dustin wasn’t about to let her escape that easily. He followed her through the front door and cornered her in the foyer. Her hand was unsteady as she grabbed for her bag. So many things between them were left unsaid. So many things he thought they’d resolved just hours ago. He once again felt like he was on the outside demanding to be let in.

  Faith hadn’t noticed him follow her. She was startled when she turned, confronted with his proximity and unable to escape. He watched her bite her bottom lip, trying not to raise her eyes from his chest. �
�Yes?” she asked with forced breeziness.

  “Stop it,” he murmured, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. Instead of letting him tip her head back, she leaned forward, her forehead falling against him. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, feeling the electricity of their nearness as he settled his chin against her curls.

  “Who’s that guy?” Dustin asked, his words barely a whisper.

  “My lawyer,” she replied on a sigh. “My manager. My best friend.”

  “Why is he here?”

  Faith pulled back, putting literal space between them, and Dustin felt the calm he’d had all morning crack and shatter. “To check up on me. To come and get me if I didn’t have enough courage – which I obviously didn’t.”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  “I know,” she said with a sad laugh. She ran her hands through her hair and took another step away. “He will though.”

  “I thought—”

  “What?” she asked. “What did you think?”

  But he couldn’t say it – not with Faith already halfway out the door. She didn’t get to steal his heart twice. “That you weren’t leaving so soon,” he said instead.

  She brushed the unshed tears from her eyes, and his gut clenched, so very close to reaching for her. But he wouldn’t, not if she refused to talk to him this time; he was done with her silence. “Well, I don’t want to see how long before cordial starts to bite us in the ass.”

  She walked across the room, at the door, hand on the screen, when she turned back to him. “Dustin?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Pucker up.” He didn’t respond to her halfhearted attempt at levity; her eyes turned serious. “Kiss me goodbye.”

  Her request felt final, something to end the story. Part of him wanted to deny her, angry and incredulous that she was leaving him again. But the other part knew this was always how it was going to end, foolish to think otherwise, and yearned to touch her one more time. He was at her side in three steps, his hands around her face and lips pressed against hers.

  He kissed her deliberately, trying to memorize the feel of her lips against his, of his tongue sliding against her skin, of the taste of her pulse. He sunk his teeth into her bottom lip, wanting to prove that she was real and not just some figment of his imagination his loneliness brought to life, wanting to leave her with a visible reminder of him like the scar she left on his heart. He tilted her head to the side and deepened their embrace, knowing this would be the last time he touched her, knowing that she needed to remember it just as much as he did. He pulled away out of breath, still wishing he had never let her go.

  Faith pulled his hands from her cheeks and held them between their bodies, her fingers running over his calluses. “You can’t make this easy, can you?” she asked, sorrow clear in her voice. His eyes narrowed, but it was too late; she had already pushed him aside.

  Dustin watched her slip outside and followed, even more confused than he had been before. Faith looked over her shoulder at Dustin, tears glistening in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.” And before he could respond, she disappeared into the car.

  Chapter 17

  Dustin stared at the car heading down the dirt road, at Faith leaving him again. “What the hell is she sorry for now?”

  “I have the answer to that,” Jackson said.

  “Who are you, exactly?” You could always count on Peter to ask the relevant questions.

  “I’m her lawyer.”

  “And?”

  Jackson ran a hand through his hair. He smiled at the men who gave him identical angry stares. “Can we go inside to discuss this?”

  “Right here will do just fine.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’ll want to sit down. And have a stiff drink.”

  “Is that your legal advice?” Dustin said, the words ground to dust.

  “Same advice I gave her four days ago so yes.”

  “What happened four days ago?” Harmony asked. The men turned in surprise to find the teenager leaning in the doorframe, curiosity alive on her face.

  Jackson smiled at her, and Dustin wanted to punch the look right off his face. “I will tell you,” Jackson assured her, before turning back to the men, “if we go inside to talk about this. You really don’t want to hear what I have to say on a front porch.”

  “Front porch has seen worse,” Dustin murmured.

  “Fine, I don’t want to say it on a front porch. Sound carries.” Jackson winked at the girl, and she giggled. Peter’s expression relaxed some, but Dustin’s fury just rose.

  “I just want someone to tell me what the hell is going on!” Dustin bellowed.

  “Let’s go inside and find out,” Peter said. Dustin knew he was being petulant, wanting to flat out refuse allowing this lawyer through the door, but his heart had just been broken again, slowly leaking heartache. He knew Mr. Fancy Suit didn’t bring good tidings, and he wasn’t sure how much more he could hear and remain standing. Maybe a chair wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  Dustin dropped down at the kitchen table, wishing he felt more confident watching the lawyer across it. He’d hoped Jackson would look out of place, see some disdain on his face at the modest surroundings so unlike Los Angeles estates, and be able to feel a modicum of superiority. But the man looked as comfortable in his kitchen as a boardroom; he’d probably blend in anywhere. Why wasn’t there an icy tundra around when you needed it?

  Peter took the seat to his left, and he could feel Harmony lingering in the background. He’d send her away but he wasn’t sure it would help any – there didn’t seem any way to ignore the elephant in the room any longer.

  Jackson took some papers out of his briefcase and looked at the more friendly face. “I wasn’t really kidding about the alcohol,” he said to Peter.

  “I got it,” Harmony said. Dustin would have smiled at her eagerness to help, prolonging her stay in the room, if he didn’t think he was going to explode. All this anticipation was killing him; he knew a bomb was about to be dropped and cursed Faith for leaving him at ground zero while she retreated out of the blast zone. The look on Jackson’s face made him wonder if there was going to be anything recognizable left.

  A beer appeared in front of him, and he downed it in one gulp. He didn’t want to hear any of this – maybe if he got buzzed fast enough, he wouldn’t have to. But Peter knew him better than he knew himself and slid his own beer bottle across the table, out of reach for Dustin to steal.

  Jackson sat there, waiting. His eyes were shrewd, though kind, as he sat across the table contemplating them. It was the kindness that irritated him most.

  “Spill it, suit,” Dustin growled, drumming his fingers against the table.

  “I am Ms. West’s attorney, and some information was recently brought to my attention that needs to be taken care of immediately. It’s highly sensitive. And personal. For you, Mr. Andrews.”

  “Harmony,” Peter said in his best teacher voice, the one that brokered no discussion. She sighed in irritation and retreated. Jackson waited until her footfalls drifted away before turning to Dustin.

  “What happened four days ago?” Dustin asked, cutting off the lawyer before he could speak.

  “I told Ms. West what I’m about to tell you.”

  Dustin’s heart hammered against his chest. So this wasn’t some secret Faith had been keeping from him all these years, not like the name of his baby girl now etched into a porch swing. This was something that had knocked her down as well, if the look in her eyes when she first arrived was any indication. And she’d pulled herself up and came to find him.

  No, he realized bitterly; she hadn’t come to see him. She’d come to see Peter. Jackson handed him a manila envelope full of papers, but he couldn’t look at them, his heart beating so loud he couldn’t concentrate on anything else. He didn’t know what they said; he just knew it wasn’t going to be anything good.

  “According to statements made to me by Ms. West last week, I became conce
rned about the legality of one of your last interactions. Pursuant to the laws of the state of California – ”

  “Stop!” Dustin yelled, slamming his hand against the table. His breathing was labored, and he knew if he didn’t move soon, he was going to be tempted to throw the table across the room. “Is this how you told Faith whatever you’re going to say? Pursuant to legal whatever.”

  Dustin lifted his eyes from the table to look at Jackson. The lawyer’s expression softened, and he didn’t want to think about what he looked like to cause that. “Just tell me straight. Just tell me.”

  “Tearing up a marriage license doesn’t erase it.” After that statement, the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. “You and Faith have been married for the last ten years. You just didn’t know it.”

  Faith brushed the tears from her eyes, the ones that had started falling the minute Jackson’s car pulled out onto the highway. She was thankful for the driver ensconced behind the partition; she didn’t have to think about the road, and she didn’t have to think about what a mess she was since no one could see her. She already had enough on her mind.

  Had she just blown it again?! The way Dustin had kissed her goodbye – every fiber of her being had demanded she stay, swayed by the warmth of his skin. That man was chivalrous and dutiful, but a small part of her still doubted his sincerity. It all went back to that day a decade ago, exactly a decade ago, to a hospital bed and a paper gown.

  She let herself remember that moment. The doctor told them she’d lost the baby, and she’d cried herself dry as Dustin held her, stoic as ever. She’d seen sadness in his eyes, mirroring her own, and wondered how a day that was to be the happiest of their lives had ended up so wrong.

  She’d drifted off to sleep for a few moments, the whole experience draining, and when she awoke Dustin wasn’t by her side, but there were voices in the hallway.

  “Let her sleep,” Dustin had murmured.

  “Is she okay?” Peter had asked, sounding concerned.