The Reward

by Jade A. Waters

  “It feels good.”

  “Who would’ve thought you two would end up like this? I mean, I was intrigued the day you said ‘unbelievable eyes’ and ‘architect,’” she said, dropping her voice into a low purr and making it impossible not to laugh at her antics, “but damn, Maya. Hot stuff!”

  “Thanks.” I continued on the machine, well aware of the spike of warmth in me at the whole prospect. While the machine resumed its brisk, loud whir once more, I gazed back at her. “Is Henry home with Timothy, or what?”

  She refocused on the topic of her sick son. “No, he’s got too many appointments today. Timothy was a wreck yesterday, but this morning he seemed A-okay. So, we sent him off to school like responsible parents,” she deadpanned, lifting her phone again. “All fingers crossed I don’t get a call that he’s puking everywhere and needs to be picked up.”

  I raised both my hands with my fingers crossed.

  “Exactly. Okay, I should dive in,” she said. “I’ve got too much to do, but I want to catch up with you later. Lunch, maybe?”

  “Can’t. I’m on the hunt for Selby’s precise shade of cinnamon ribbon to pick up after work.”

  Maddie raised an eyebrow. “For?”

  “Wedding favors. The stash she gave me was short, and I’m not about to freak her out by telling her.”

  “God.” Maddie rose from the stool with a firm sway of her head. “City Hall. Best wedding plan ever.” She and her husband, Henry, had met in an airport seven years prior after she’d returned from what I understood to be a bland corporate gig in Chicago. Not two months later, they’d upped and gotten married.

  “Sounds easier, for sure.”

  “Keep that in mind.”

  Maddie winked, and I snorted. “You’re hilarious. Oh! Did I tell you I’m going to take Friday off to help out? I had to shuffle my appointments around, and I may need to tweak our conference call time tomorrow afternoon. Is that cool?”

  “All good. Let me know what works. All my appointments are in the morning tomorrow,” she said, backing toward the door. “And you’re a good friend.”

  “She’s my bestie! This is a no-brainer.” Before Maddie left, I said, “Hey, nice skirt, by the way. Very chic. Is it new?”

  She curtsied. “It is! The blouse, too. I squeezed in a speedy shopping spree before I came home to my adorable hurling child.”

  “Yuck.”

  “That it was.” She left the room with a wave, and I tapped my fingers on the copier.

  I loved my job, even though it could get intense with the number of women who came to us for help with their abusive environments, and what we saw them suffer through.

  Thankfully, Maddie had a gift for lightening the mood.

  * * *

  “How’s it going so far?” Dean asked.

  I adjusted my earpiece, appreciating the easy sound of his voice Tuesday night while I steered my car toward the Oakland Airport off-ramp. “I think you best men get the easy end of the deal.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  “No fair,” I said, braking as I exited and approached the intersection that marked the border of airport property. Encouraging Ryan to fly in so I could pick him up after work might have been the dumbest idea ever, considering how terrible the commute-hour traffic had been, but we’d been trying to alleviate his jet lag coming in from the East Coast at an even later hour. “Yeah. I’ve run a ton of errands, and I have a bunch of other things to help with. What was your to-do list like? ‘Supply alcohol at bachelor party’?”

  “Basically.”

  “Nice.” I laughed. “What about everything else? Week going okay?”

  “Yes. Working, the usual. And thinking of you.”

  His sentiment brought a smile to my face. “I’m still pretty gushy about that whole drawer maneuver, you know.”

  “Good. I’m glad. Now for you to get back over here and fill it.” The two of us were quiet a few seconds, and though I was thrilled for Selby’s wedding and all the things I was helping with in preparation, the ongoing challenge of the commute between Dean’s and my house felt heightened this week. We’d gotten in the habit of sneaking a weeknight date in whenever we could to curb the distance, but it wasn’t happening with everything that was going on. At least our Thursday dinner with my brother would be good, as would the big social mash of the rehearsal dinner Friday and the wedding the next day—but I wanted to see my sweet, sexy boyfriend alone again, soon.

  “Mmm... What if I came over Saturday for that?” I asked.

  “After the wedding?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “You’re not worried about your brother?”

  “No way. Ryan is plenty capable of entertaining himself, and he’s here for a month. I’ll see him tons when he’s not rehearsing. He’s going to be around the corner housesitting at Selby’s, remember?”

  “That’s true.”

  “Yep. You should take advantage and grab me all to yourself for the night.”

  “Sounds divine.”

  “It does. Plus, I get super frisky at weddings. You’ve been warned.”

  Dean released a sexy grunt and I drove into the arrival lane of the terminal. “It’s the bouquet, isn’t it?”

  “It’s the whole thing—weddings are romantic and crazy.” I lowered my speed, reminiscing on the many wedding hookup shenanigans I’d managed in my twenties. They’d been a ton of fun, but they didn’t compare to my escapades with Dean.

  “I guess I’d better take heed and grab you, then,” Dean said, and I grasped my steering wheel tighter.

  “Please do.” I started to maneuver toward the pick-up lane and sighed. “Sadly, I should go. I’m almost to the end of the curb...”

  “No worries. I know you’re excited to see Ryan.”

  “Very. And for you to meet him Thursday night.” The prospect lit me up. “I think you two’ll get along great.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting him.” Dean’s voice came warm through the phone, and I savored how strong our connection had become. I’d met his brothers over the Christmas holiday and had since gone sailing with the whole Sova crew a few times, and I’d even met Dean’s father figure, Niko, and his wife, Cassie, a while back, too. Though we hadn’t met each other’s parents yet, we’d talked about me flying with him to Maryland, and him heading up to Seattle to meet mine. Him meeting my brother first felt like the next great step, and maybe it was the impending romance of Alex and Selby’s wedding, but I felt way giddy before Dean tugged my thoughts back with his throaty last words. “Okay. Guess I should let you go. Until I see you, I’ll be daydreaming of your frisky post-wedding self.”

  “Good plan. I love you.”

  “Love you, too. Tell him I say hi, and have fun.”

  “Will do!”

  Dean’s end of the line clicked off, and I spotted Ryan on the curb half a block down. He had his guitar case slung over his shoulder with his old gigantic duffel bag at his feet, and he appeared casual as ever in his rocker T-shirt and holey jeans. Same old Ryan.

  Seeing him had me squealing before I threw the car in park and jumped outside to greet him. “Hey!”

  “Maya!” He shoved his guitar to his back and threw his arms around me, squeezing me with the affectionate hug I’d missed for way too long. He leaned back, his warm, familiar glow covering his freckled cheeks. He looked so much like Dad, it was unreal—fair skin, small, upturned Irish nose, brown hair light enough it could pass for blond in the right light. But his smile was different, softer, one he’d gotten from his mom, whom I hadn’t seen since I was in middle school. She’d had no reason to come by after that, with him so much older and moving out of the house right after high school.

  “How are you? How was your flight?” I asked.

  “Fine. Long. You look
great, kid.”

  “You, too.” I bent to grab his duffel bag, but he swatted my hand away.

  “I got it. Don’t even.”

  “Okay, okay.” I grinned at the brother who’d watched out for me through my younger years, and once I popped open my trunk, he tossed his duffel bag inside, then carefully packed his guitar case beside it to keep it from shifting around. I was well versed in his guitar care, having watched him play for decades. He was six years older, and as a kid, I’d idolized not only his talent, but him in general.

  He gestured at my car. “How are you still driving this clunker?”

  “Come on! It’s doing fine.” The traffic guard blew his whistle and waved us along, so we shuffled in, and Ryan patted my hand before I pulled off the curb for Alameda.

  “It’s great to see you. Man.” He shook his head. “Good to be back. For Selby. Damn. How’s she doing?”

  “She’s ecstatic! Freaking out, but ecstatic.” I swapped lanes, managing to speed up as we exited airport property. “She’s going to die when she sees you,” I said, reaching out for the long strands of his hair that hung below his chin. “This is going to kill her.”

  “What? I’m an artist.”

  “But there’s, like, gray in there!”

  “Hey!” Ryan poked my arm. “You got lucky inheriting Isabelle’s mane.”

  “Uh-huh. Sure. That’s it.” Though my mom did have an amazing head of hair, whereas my dad’s first wife—Ryan’s mom—had gone gray pretty young. Ryan was destined for the same with our dad hardly keeping the blond in his hair at this point. “Oh my God. We have so much to talk about, but are you hungry?”

  “Yes. The in-flight meal was a joke. Can we go to Philly’s?”

  “Yes!” The diner had been our favorite growing up, a classic fifties-inspired joint downtown we’d been able to walk to from both school and home. They had the best burgers and shakes in the city, and I’d venture to say in Oakland, too. “Fab idea. I’m starving. I skipped most of lunch.”

  “Since when don’t you eat?” he asked, frowning.

  “Since I’m running around like a crazy person helping my best friend get ready for her wedding. I was on the phone with her three times at lunch!”

  “Oh, Selby.” Ryan rested his head back and released a heavy breath. As I peeked at him, he appeared happy for her, but tired, too. It’d been almost two years since I’d seen him, but he looked puffy in the eyes. Tired, maybe?

  I kept him going. “How are things? Work?”

  “It’s work. It’s boring.” He reclined the seat and rubbed his forehead. “I had to bust my ass to pull off this trip.” Ryan’s passion was guitar, but after high school, he’d apprenticed and attended a trade school in Emeryville to get his electrician’s license. It was how he’d paid the bills alongside his budding music career, and it’d turned out to be a useful skill once he’d abandoned his regular haunts and followed his present girlfriend, Clara, to New Jersey, on what’d felt like a whim to me.

  “Hopefully the gigs you have here will help?” I said.

  “Some. Most are just for fun. There are a few bigger ones I’m working on, but I have one or two things lined up with my buddies from school. Do you remember Rico?”

  “Rico! Yes, I loved that guy. You two kept in touch?”

  “Hell yeah. He’s been playing with The Griffins.”

  “No.” I glanced at Ryan, who casually lifted his head. “I see them on flyers all the time! He’s with them?”

  “Yep. He made it pretty big.”

  “Shit. Is he single still? I’m sure he’s loving that. Women must eat him up.” Rico and Ryan had been best friends in high school, and though Rico’d never topped more than five foot seven, he had this sexy, muscular body and eyes I’d seen plenty of girls swoon over. I’d had a crush on him until Ryan had basically banned me from even daydreaming about it in his ever-protective way.

  Of course, I had been twelve at the time and they’d been about to graduate, so there was that.

  Ryan said, “They do, and he loves it.”

  “Nice. You’ll do some shows with him?”

  “Yes.” Ryan peered out the window and we pulled off the Bay Farm Island Bridge to head toward the main downtown drag. My stomach grumbled. Thank God the airport was a mere fifteen minutes from where we needed to be. “Technically, I’ll be dragging him away for the smaller venues we’ll play.”

  “I think he’ll be lucky to have you there,” I said, confident in Ryan’s talent.

  “You’re sweet, kid.” He leaned his head back on the headrest again.

  “You tired?”

  “It was a long flight.”

  “Then we’ll keep it chill tonight. When are you getting the rental?”

  “Thursday. I didn’t want to be a pain with all the stuff you’re doing.”

  “You’re not a pain!”

  He rolled his head to face me. “Okay. You’re stuck with me till I take over Selby’s place.”

  “Man. So rough,” I said, faking a distraught face to bring a chuckle from him. “I didn’t want to book you for anything even if you’re crashing over.”

  “But we have dinner with Selby tomorrow, yeah?”

  “Yep. And Thursday, dinner with Dean.”

  I beamed under the weight of Ryan’s eyes when he checked me out, but I focused on the parking space I’d found a block down from Philly’s. With its green-and-pink flashing bulbs lining their sign, the diner stuck out between a high-traffic bookstore and a ritzy mortgage company. Somehow, the place had thrived for decades in a neighborhood that kept getting more upscale.

  “Hmm...the legendary Dean.” Ryan leaned closer after I threw the car in park. “Very curious about this one. It’s been a long time since you’ve had a boyfriend. You two have been going strong for, what, a year?”

  “Plus a few months.” I unbuckled my seat belt and pivoted to face him. “I’m excited for you to meet him. Just keep it calm, ‘kay?” Ryan had shown up on campus once or twice in high school to scare the shit out of a number of my boyfriends in his attempt to make it clear that he’d rough them up if they messed with me.

  Now, his face grew dark with seriousness. “As long as he’s no Charlie.”

  “He is no Charlie. Guaranteed.”

  Ryan took this in, his lips pinching. “I’m still sorry about that. I should never have introduced you—”

  “Stop. You didn’t know him. Not well. And I made my own choices. I was just young and stupid.” I dipped in for a loose hug, hoping he understood there was no way he could’ve predicted that what happened would. He’d met Charlie through a friend of their band back in the day, and introduced us at an after-party because Charlie had expressed interest in me. “Honest, Ryan, I’m so past that. I’m healed, he’s gone, and more importantly,” I said, pulling back to see the lightening of his face before I popped open the door, “Dean is amazing. Seriously. I’m in love.”

  He snickered. “Who are you?”

  “Your hungry sister. So shut up and come on!”

  We got out of the car and headed inside. After the hostess sat us in a back booth and we ordered up bacon cheeseburgers and milkshakes—strawberry for me and chocolate for Ryan, like we used to get—we dove right back into our conversation like we hadn’t been living across the country from each other this whole time. We worked out the details for his stay at my house before he’d head over to Selby and Alex’s, and shared more about how life was between work and home. We’d wolfed down most of our burgers when it occurred to me he hadn’t said a damn thing about his girlfriend, which was weird.

  I wiped my mouth and grabbed my glass. “What about you and Clara? Why haven’t I heard anything there?”

  Ryan swallowed his bite, then took a swig of his shake and nestled into his booth seat. “Because we b
roke up.”

  “What?” I slammed down my shake. “Are you fucking joking?”

  “Nope.”

  “What the hell happened? When?”

  “About a month ago.”

  I reeled. “Are you okay? You didn’t say anything.”

  Ryan set the last hunk of his burger down and snatched up a handful of fries, the most defeated expression covering his face. “Let’s say your worries about her were valid.”

  “Oh, fuck.” I’d tried to keep my concerns to myself, but before Ryan had moved, I’d once slipped while tipsy and called Clara too much of a groupie to be a good enough girlfriend for him. Ryan, a romantic at heart, had never been one for hookups with the groupie type. That was why when he’d fallen for Clara and introduced her to both Selby and me at a show, we’d done a double take. “Did she...?”

  The trail-off of my question didn’t deter him, though his voice grew shallow. “According to a buddy, yes, with three other dudes who played a good club I had a couple of gigs at.”

  “Dammit! I’m so sorry.”

  “I should’ve known. But I thought—”

  “That if you were moving across the country for her, she could maybe act like a real girlfriend?” I was so mad for him then, I smashed my burger between my fingers. “What a bitch. That sucks! Are you really okay?”

  “I’m dealing.”

  “Ah, Ryan.” His jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything more. “Are you going to stay over there?”

  “I’ve got no idea. That’s part of why I booked all the gigs here. I figured I’d check out the vibe and see if I could fit in the market anymore.”

  “It’d be cool if you came back.”

  He lifted his shake glass and tilted it toward me. “Don’t get too excited, okay? I do like it over there, a lot, actually.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I’m sorting out my living space since I left, but it’ll be okay.” I frowned, and he said, “I didn’t want the fight.”

  I could sort of understand that. I’d reasoned the same with Charlie, though our breakup had been for drastically different reasons, and I’d needed to get out fast. I’d packed my stuff in boxes haphazardly and crashed between Selby’s studio and my parents’ place for weeks until I’d found a room for rent in someone else’s apartment. The idea of having to move out on the other side of the country away from my close friends and family, though? Rough.