The Best Thing

by Zapata, Mariana

  I made sure to look him right in the eyes. “If you ever want to try and be my friend again, you know my number, and if you don’t, I don’t know what to tell you. But I hope you’ll be happy and quit doing dumb shit like not doing enough cardio before a fight and then you end up running out of steam too fast.”

  Taking a step away, I thought of something else and added, “You probably shouldn’t try talking to my grandpa anytime soon. Just saying.”

  I wished I could have said that his face wasn’t bitter and angry as I gave him one last look, but it was. And as I weaved my way through the tables by the juice bar, going forward some more and alternating eye contact between my gramps and Jonah—who both had no shame because they didn’t even try to pretend like they were around for any other reason other than to snoop—I thought about life and how it worked out.

  When I got to the table that held three of the five most important people in my life, I was already shaking my head at the two older ones even as I drew an arm over Grandpa Gus’s shoulders. “You two are the worst,” I said to both of them as I leaned down and started kissing the old man’s cheeks over and over again, hugging him tight in basically a chokehold.

  “What are you doing?” He tried to squirm away.

  I started kissing his other cheek repeatedly. “I love you so much, Grandpa. I love you, I love you, I love you.”

  He made a choking sound and attempted to lean away from me. “Why are you doing this to me?” he tried to ask but started laughing almost instantly.

  “Because you’re the best grandpa in the entire world, Count Chocula.” I pecked him on his forehead, one kiss after another after another as he pretended to try and get out of the hold I had him in.

  But I knew he was just faking it. He was eating this shit up. He used to do this to me all the time.

  “I just love you so, so much,” I told him, giving him two more kisses as he whispered, “Mo, help me.”

  I laughed as I pulled away, seriously flying inside by the fact these two stalkers cared about me enough to be so meddlesome.

  Grandpa moaned as he sat there, eyeing me like he was expecting me to give him another kiss attack as he said, without any remorse or embarrassment, “That’s my payment for making sure you didn’t do anything dumb?”

  I kept my arm around the top of his shoulder and looked down at his old Dracula face before glancing over at Jonah, who was still sitting there with that weird look on his features. “What would I do that’s dumb?”

  “You decide you loveee him or something,” Grandpa answered with a sly, knowing look in his eyes, and I witnessed a nerve under Jonah’s eye start to jump.

  Did he… know? How I felt? I wondered, eyeing my grandpa suspiciously.

  I wasn’t even sure why I was wondering it. Of course he knew. He had more than likely known before I did.

  “Sure, because that’s me, falling in love left and right,” I said, glancing over at Jonah right as that nerve popped once more, and being pretty damn gleeful over it.

  Grandpa tilted his head to the side and looked up at me in this way that warned me that he knew.

  Hm.

  I was going to give him shit over his temporary truce or new bromance later in private. And tell him what Noah had said too. He’d ask.

  I pecked him on the cheek once more, set a hand on Jonah’s shoulder, hesitated for point five seconds, and then pecked him right beside his mouth as he eyeballed me quietly. Finally, I picked Mo up out of her dad’s arms, gave her a snuggle as I told her how amazing she was and then landed a couple kisses on her neck, forehead, and both hands.

  With my mouth to her cheek, I glanced at both of them. “I’m going to leave in a minute. I’ll see you at home?”

  I didn’t miss that Jonah didn’t say anything as my grandfather smirked, looking pretty pleased with himself, and said, “Yeah, yeah, see you at home.”

  Noah was nowhere to be seen as I headed to the manager’s office after leaving Mo with her two protectors, and I couldn’t say I wasn’t glad that he didn’t witness me smiling on the walk there.

  Chapter 19

  Subject: I’ll pay you

  Lenny DeMaio:

  Wed 3/22/2019 1:29 p.m.

  to Jonah Collins

  I will literally pay you if you could just respond back to me. You don’t even need to say anything. I can do all the talking: $100 for 15 seconds of your life, Jonah. It’s the least you could fucking do.

  About an hour later, after getting a call from Luna who wanted to do something on Saturday, grabbing my things from the office, and making a quick stop at the store, I was finally pulling up at home to find that there wasn’t a rental car parked anywhere on the street.

  Grandpa Gus’s Camry was in the driveway. Peter was still at Maio House like usual. He didn’t get back home until nine on Thursdays.

  I got out of my car, fighting back the flare of disappointment that Jonah wasn’t around, grabbed my backpack on the way out, and opened the door in the kitchen, straining my freaking ears to listen to what could be going on. The second I had it open, I found Jonah and Grandpa both standing at the stove, with Jonah stirring something, my grandpa watching him. Mo was sitting on the floor, a toy in each hand, apparently the only one who heard me open it because her gaze was instantly on me, shouting out with glee, “Ma!”

  “Hey, booger,” I called out, swinging the door fully open and heading straight for that little body.

  She babbled, really excited and animated, as I picked her up, going straight for that baby neck as she pulled at my hair like it wasn’t tied up in a ponytail.

  “Your day was that good? What else happened?” I asked her, eating up the baby sounds coming out of her and how good she smelled and putting one baby fat wrist in my mouth and pretending to munch on it. “Oh my God, I can’t believe your poopy-face Grandpa did all that with you. Wow.”

  “Are you going to give poopy-face Grandpa a hug or am I going to die before I get one?”

  I groaned as I turned with Mo toward the stove where the two men were, but instead of looking at whatever was being cooked in the pot, they were watching us.

  “Yeah, poopy face,” I said before going toward them, shifting her to one hip and giving Grandpa Gus, who was the closest, a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek, getting one back in return.

  There was no hesitation in me before I let go of him and went for Jonah, wrapping an arm around his waist, surprising him if the way he tensed at the contact meant anything.

  But just as quickly as he tensed up, he relaxed and put one arm around the middle of my back, his mouth being the one that dropped to my cheek—the corner of my mouth, really—before mine did that to his.

  When he moved his face to Mo’s and kissed her too, I tried not to let my heart do anything.

  I failed.

  That pink mouth touching that soft face….

  Yup. I was gone. This was over.

  I had thought about it the entire drive home. I loved him, there was no arguing it. It worried me, sure. I wished that I didn’t, of course.

  But I did.

  And I was 90 percent sure he liked me a lot. Enough to get jealous over Noah. Enough for him to come spy on me.

  To come here.

  I didn’t need much more than that. It was something to work with. Not that I knew what the fuck I was doing or what the fuck we could do or even what the fuck was going to happen sooner than later when he had to get back to work.

  But I wasn’t scared, and I sure wasn’t about to give up on something good because it wasn’t going to be easy, especially not when he didn’t seem to want to give up on me—us—either.

  Fucking please.

  I had this. I’d been made for this. It was all good.

  So when Jonah’s eyes drifted over to me as he pulled away from our girl, I couldn’t help but not make total and complete eye contact with him.

  And this fucker, who hadn’t even told me bye because he’d been so aggravated earlier, gave me a t
iny and possibly apologetic smile.

  I wanted to punch him in the stomach and kiss him at the same time. That sounded about right. Sounded great, actually.

  “Hi,” he said in that soft voice that I was a total sucker for, even now, when I should probably be mad but wasn’t. Not even a little bit.

  “Hey,” I told him, keeping my face straight. “Is Grandpa teaching you to make poison?”

  Gramps snorted from behind.

  “I’m showing Jonah”—the fact he even called him that surprised me, but I kept that to myself—“how to make Mo’s food.”

  Jonah sucked in a breath. His eyes widening, and he temporarily forgot he was annoyed because he mouthed, Did he call me Jonah?

  I nodded.

  The adorable little jealous shit grinned.

  I grinned too as I peeked into the pot to find there was beans and quinoa inside, just on the verge of becoming mush. Then I glanced at my grandpa with a face that said oh, he’s Jonah now? And the face he made back at me said yeah, so? I felt the smirk on my face and saw his own.

  Honestly, right in that moment, I couldn’t remember ever being happier.

  “I got you something,” I told Jonah.

  His eyes lit up. “Yeah?”

  I nodded. “It’s in the front pocket of my backpack. Get it.”

  Giving me a suspicious look, he went behind me since I still had it on, and I heard the zipper open. There was a pause and a slight jerk as he stuck his hand inside and then… “Len!” He burst out laughing.

  “You like it?”

  Jonah groaned as he stepped around to the side and held up the can opener I’d bought him. “Thanks, love,” he chuckled before bringing it up against his chest with a grin. “I’ll never go hungry again.”

  I grinned at him just as the old vampire let out his own groan.

  “Your turn to make dinner tonight, Len. What are you making us?” Grandpa asked.

  “Depends.” I glanced at my girl’s dad. “Where’s your mom and Natia?”

  Those honey-colored eyes were bright and moving back and forth between the little monster in my arms and my own face. “On their way. They should be here soon, but you don’t need to worry about them. If you show me how, I can order a pizza.”

  I slid him a look. “There’s enough. I’m just going to prep to have bowls for dinner. If they don’t want it, then order the pizza, but your sister didn’t cry about our veggie cheese-less pizza last night, and I saw your mom eat vegetables. They’ll probably like it.”

  “You don’t—”

  The doorbell rang, cutting him off.

  “I’ll let them in,” Jonah said before giving me another tight, small smile and heading out the kitchen door after setting his can opener down on the island.

  The door had barely begun to swing shut when I glanced at Grandpa and asked, “Are you doing anything Saturday night?”

  “Allen is coming over with Lydia. We’re going to play cards. Why?”

  Play cards. It was easy to forget this man who still played fucking basketball once or twice a week did something like play cards with his longtime friends. “Luna asked if I wanted to go to that bar by her job for her coworker’s birthday,” I explained. I didn’t insult him by immediately suggesting I’d contact a sitter. I knew better.

  Grandpa didn’t let me down either with his words or his eye roll. “We can keep her.” He even shrugged. “You can never be too young to learn how to play poker.”

  I snorted. “That sounds like the beginning of a gambling problem.”

  He was still rolling his eyes when the sound of voices coming warned us that the door was about to be opened. Jonah came through first, holding it wide as his sister followed right after, with his mom trailing behind, saying “Why would you do that, Jonah?”

  His gaze was on the floor as he replied with, “Can we talk about this later, please?”

  “No,” Sarah answered immediately as she headed straight toward the three of us. She gave Mo a kiss on the cheek that my kid only slightly tried to dodge, shook my grandfather’s hand, and then gave me a nod before going straight back into it with her son like she didn’t give a single fuck that whatever they were talking about he was trying to keep private. “Why would he need to go through Garrett to speak to you? You have to harden up. You can’t ignore his calls anymore. Do you have any idea how upset he was with you after your injury? We had to plead with him to take you back.”

  Had to plead with who? And what the hell were they talking about?

  Jonah let the door close, and he finally looked up, making eye contact with me first before switching it over to his mom. “Mum, he makes more than enough money off me. Your pleading wasn’t necessary. And I will speak to him when I’m ready.”

  His agent? Who else would make money off him?

  Natia flashed her teeth at me as she came over and gave me a hug, gesturing with her hands for Mo. Someone had experience with them discussing shit. I nodded and handed her over, still listening.

  Sarah was fully facing Jonah again; she even had her hands on her hips. “When you’re ready? Jonah, the season starts in two months. You have to make a decision now. If you wait too long, the rosters will be filled and then what?” Her back straightened, but somehow her head went forward and her voice got creepy quiet—I noticed Natia stopped walking and just stood where she was, looking too—and asked, “You are planning on playing this season?”

  Jonah’s face got pink at the same time it all clicked.

  They were talking about his plans for the future with rugby and how he really hadn’t made a decision yet on what he was going to do.

  Because really, what were his plans? He hadn’t said a word to me. Then again, I hadn’t asked either because I didn’t want to know yet. Even though I should.

  Jonah’s hand went to the back of his head, and he said quietly, “Can we discuss this later? I should get the bags you left in the boot. I’m sure Mo would love to see what you bought her.”

  Being raised around someone who didn’t give a fuck had prepared me for her answer. “No. Her gifts can wait. We need to talk about this now. You need to make a decision now. Garrett said that there’s a team in Japan interested in you, another club in France has reached out. I reckon that, if you can get past this issue you and your brother are having, he would be more than willing to talk to the selectors in Auckland about you coming back.”

  Goose bumps broke out across my arms, and I found myself holding my breath. France, Japan, or New Zealand? That shouldn’t be such a surprise. It wasn’t like there were any teams any closer, unless he went to the UK. Even then, that was still an eight-hour flight.

  Why was my heart beating so fast?

  I looked up at the ceiling. Well, none of those places were fucking Mars. There were planes, and I didn’t have that many expenses other than Mo, insurance, my car note, cell phone, and the electricity and gas bill. I swallowed and lowered my gaze, but as I did it, I caught a pair of honey-brown eyes across the room.

  I smiled at Jonah. A real one. One that I hoped said he shouldn’t worry about us.

  I was too busy looking right into my favorite eye color in the world that I didn’t notice his mouth start to move until he said my name. Then, “What do you think I should do?”

  Who? Me?

  “Yes, you,” he said in that quiet, strong voice. “What do you think I should do?”

  His mom turned to look at me, so did Natia, and I was positive Grandpa Gus was mentally doing binocular hands.

  “Whatever you want to do?” I offered, not knowing what to say.

  One of those dimples popped, and he was partially smiling as he asked, “But what do you think I should do?”

  I didn’t mind being put on the spot, but in this case, I didn’t want to. So I shrugged at him. “Whatever makes you happy, Jonah with a little j.”

  His other dimple came out to party, and he wasn’t even trying to hide his big-ass grin.

  “Seriously, go wherever you wan
t,” I said. “Go to the team that offers you the most money and has the most potential for winning. Or go where they offer you less money if it’ll make you happy. Do whatever you want. We’ll support you anywhere you are.”

  “And what if I decide to retire?”

  I’d swear the neighbors were able to hear the gasp that Sarah let out. Hell, the neighbors down the street might have been able to as well.

  But Jonah put a hand in between him and her and said, “Mum, wait.” He speared me with a look. “What would you say if I told you I wanted to retire?”

  Now I could see why he wanted to have this conversation in private. I didn’t even want to be a part of it. But… he was asking me to be involved, and I wouldn’t tell him no. So what I did was tell him the truth.

  “If you want to do that and it’ll make you happy and you won’t regret it, then do it,” I said. “But, if I were you, I wouldn’t be a little bitch and quit. I’d play as long as I could if I still enjoyed it and it didn’t screw my back or my knees up too bad. You don’t give up on shit you love, Jonah. Not until you don’t have a choice. But that’s just what I think, and I told you, we’ll support you with whatever you decide to do or wherever you decide to go.” I looked at my girl sitting in her aunt’s arms and said, “Right, Mo?”

  And Mo agreed with a very loud, “Da!”

  * * *

  Hours later, after giving Mo a bath that ended up with Jonah and me both nearly soaked, putting her to bed, and walking Jonah out to the porch so he could leave with his mom and sister, I went and found Grandpa. My lips were still tingling from the kiss Jonah had given me before taking off. He was sitting in front of the television with a basketball game on the screen, one of his romance novels spread open facedown on his lap. He didn’t even look up as I sat on the couch next to the love seat he was on.

  What he did do was jump right into it. “That was an awkward dinner.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. It had been awkward as fuck after Jonah had asked me what he thought he should do. His mom had kept trying to bring it up, but my girl’s dad hadn’t let her, changing the subject and telling her that he would make a decision when he was ready.