“Listen,” I say, stepping toward him at my full height. “Kaylee has nothing to do with me. Leave now before I...” Eloise whimpers and I decide not to threaten to cave his face in. “Before we phone the police and tell them you’re breaking the restraining order. Get your phone out, Jewel, and get ready to dial 911.”
“Cocksucker, you’re the one with the restraining order on you,” Marshall grumbles and turns away. He disappears around the corner of the building. I’m amazed how easily it was to get rid of him.
I spin around, intending to hold Eloise but she’s standing with her arms crossed over her chest, hugging herself.
“Don’t worry about him,” I say.
“Who was that? What’s going on with Kaylee? What did you mean a restraining order?”
“Come inside, I’ll tell you the story.”
“I don’t know that I want to. Do you have a restraining order on you?”
I exhale sharply and shake my head. “It’s a long story.”
“I’m listening.”
“Come inside, I will make you a drink.”
“I don’t want to drink, I want an explanation. That guy was crazy.”
“Exactly. He’s a crazy motherfucker who’s being a pain in my ass since I moved back here.”
Her eyes search mine, and I remain motionless. It must be a shock for her, she’s probably never even witnessed anything like that before.
“I thought you were going to hit him. I didn’t know you were like that. Right now I’m wondering who the real you is.”
“The real me is the guy who was at the house.”
Our eyes lock, and her chest heaves with her breath. She throws her arms up, and lets them fall back down.
“Fine, let’s go inside but you have to tell me everything.”
“I fired Kaylee that morning you first came here because I found out she was stealing from me. That’s why I made her leave immediately,” I say as I unlock the door to my apartment.
“So why was he mad?”
Eloise starts climbing the stairs, and I followed behind her.
“He subsequently hired her. That’s not my problem, he didn’t ask me for a reference.”
“But why didn’t you report her to the police?” She stops mid step, and twists around to face me.
“Let’s sit down first.”
“I don’t care about sitting down, I want answers.”
“And I told you, I will tell you everything but let’s sit down first.” I want her to calm down before I start telling her what she wants to know.
Eloise turns back and runs up the rest of the stairs. I hurry to keep up with her. She flops down on the La-Z-Boy, and crosses her arms in front of her.
I’m disappointed she didn’t sit on the futon. I stand in front of her chair before deciding it’s probably not good to tower over her, and I sit on the futon.
“When I moved here and opened my parlor, Marshall was pissed off he’d have more competition and so he smashed the windows in the front of my parlor. That’s why I have a restraining order against him.”
“But why does he have a restraining order on you?”
“Because when he was smashing the glass I was here, and I went down and confronted him.”
“You beat him up?”
“Yeah, but not until after he threw the first punch.”
“I don’t understand. There are more tattoo parlors in Rochester than just you two, why did he attack yours?”
“Because I was new. He was trying to scare me from opening. He’s a psycho.”
“And that’s why you didn’t tell him about Kaylee?”
I shrug. “He’s got a restraining order on me, I’m not allowed to contact him.”
“Plus you don’t care.”
“That too.”
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell the police about Kaylee. She broke the law. She stole from innocent people. You have an obligation to tell the police.”
“It’s not that easy. I hate her, I’d love to see her arrested. But she’s a single mom. I’m not going to be the one responsible for taking her son’s mother away. Kids need their parents.”
Eloise’s jaw softens, and she stands.
“Is that really the reason?” she asks, her voice soft.
I stand, and wrap my arms around her. “It is.”
“You really are the man from the lake house.”
“I am. I wish you hadn’t doubted me.” Why did she doubt me? I thought she could see who I am.
“It was the shock of that man coming here and yelling at us. Sorry.”
I lean over and press my lips against hers. I close my eyes, soothed by her. Eloise. The only person who’s ever been able to comfort me. Everything with us is perfect, I just have to get through the dinner with her parents.
Eloise
“I’m glad you stayed over last night,” Gabe says and kisses my cheek.
“You’re very persuasive.”
I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave if I came inside last night, but after Marshall’s screaming fit, I had to have an explanation. At least now I know the real reason Kaylee left.
Gabe is a kind man for not reporting her. Losing his own mother was hard for him. It’s easy to see all the ways it’s influenced his life.
“See you tonight,” Gabe says, and opens the door of my car.
“Bye.”
He shuts the door and I realize how painful the next nine hours are going to be because he won’t be with me. I can’t wait until I can move my days off, but I have to get all my existing appointments moved first.
Before I know it, I’m pulling into the parking lot. I drove all the way to work on autopilot, my mind too busy thinking about how amazing the weekend was.
I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Every second I spend with Gabe makes me care about him more and more. There’s no denying, I am completely and utterly in love with him.
And I’m glad I am.
I can’t wait to introduce him to my family. They are going to love him as much as I do, I know they will.
“Morning, Eloise,” Marcy says the second I set foot through the door.
“Morning.”
“Did you tell your parents? Or did you leave it for me to do?”
With a fake smile plastered across my face, I say, “I told them all right.”
“And?”
“And they’re letting me change my days off to his, and invited him to dinner on Saturday.”
“They know about what you did in your room?”
“Why do you think they moved my days off?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter to me because I gave my two weeks’ notice this morning anyway.”
“Good for you.”
“Yeah, I can’t work in such a place any longer.”
“Which is good, because I can’t handle you working here any longer either.”
I walk away, proud my cheeks didn’t even go a little bit pink.
All week, I stay at Gabe’s. I don’t think I could sleep without him holding me in bed at night.
It’s Saturday and I’m at my apartment. Gabe worked and I spent the day doing laundry and reading. Now I’m waiting for him to pick me up for dinner at my parents.
There’s a knock at the door, and I open it.
“Hi,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck.
He runs his hand down my back and over my butt, leaving a trail of sparks from his touch.
“We should stay here and get naked.”
“There is plenty of time for that later,” I say, pulling away. “Let’s get going. I can’t wait for you to meet my family, you’re going to love them.”
Gabe’s shoulders drop, as do the corners of his mouth. He looks like a condemned man, but he has nothing to worry about, he’ll realize that when he gets there.
Other than when I give him directions, we drive in silence. His hand moves nonstop on the center console, jiggling with nerves. I suppose it’s normal to
be nervous about meeting your girlfriend’s family for the first time.
We pull into the driveway and I hop out of the truck. Gabe stays seated behind the wheel, his door closed. I move around the truck, and open his door.
“Come on,” I say, tugging as his hand.
Gabe sighs loudly, and gets out of the truck. I lace my fingers through his and lead him to the front door.
As soon as we reach the doormat, Sophie flings open the door.
“Hey,” she says. “Come on in, Gabe.” Sophie grabs both our hands and pulls us through the door.
“You remember my sister, Sophie, from our first date,” I say to Gabe.
Gabe nods at her.
“Let’s shoot some stick, I hear you’re good at it, but I bet I’m better.” Sophie drags us down the hallway.
“Where are Mom and Dad?”
“In the kitchen, cooking. They said they’d call us when dinner was ready.”
My brow knits. That’s not like them. They always at least say hello to a new guest.
“The table’s all set up,” Sophie says, handing Gabe a cue.
She breaks, a light tap that only separates three of the balls. It’s her style, she means business with the serious competition break.
Gabe leans over and blasts the white ball at the cluster of unbroken balls. They roll and spin around the table, bouncing off the bumpers and each other. Two solids sink. The three of us stand in silence, watching the balls rolling across the table. It seems to go on forever.
Finally the last ball comes to a standstill, and Gabe takes another shot, sinking another solid.
Sophie stands beside me and leans close to my ear. In a low voice, she says, “He’s quiet. Does he talk?”
“Of course.”
“At least we can enjoy the view when he’s bending over the table.”
Gabe looks back over his shoulder and smirks. I can’t resist the view any longer. I move to him and squeeze his butt.
“Hey, we’re not here to re-create your first time at a pool table together,” Sophie says, laughing.
“We could if you left,” I say, surprised at myself for not being embarrassed. I guess being with the two people I care most about relaxes me.
Gabe beats Sophie and the two of us play next. I’m ahead by two balls when my father calls us for dinner.
“This game isn’t over, we’re finishing it after dinner,” I say.
Gabe still hasn’t said much since we got here, and ignores the comment.
“Finally, I’m starving,” Sophie says and leaves the room.
“Let’s go,” I say, and run my hand across his back.
His heart is pounding, and my hand flinches in surprise. Gabe turns away from me. He moves to the door and stops. I assume he’s waiting for me to lead the way, and I hurry to him.
I take his hand to lead him to the dining room, and I wonder if I’m imagining his palm being sweaty.
Sophie is sitting at the end of the table instead of her usual spot. I guess so Gabe and I can sit beside each other. Neither of my parents is in sight.
“Have a seat,” I say, “I’m going to see if Mom and Dad need any help.”
I turn to go to the kitchen, and my dad appears holding a bowl of salad.
“Dad, finally. I’d like you to meet Gabe.”
Gabe stands, and my father places the salad on the table. Gabe sticks out his tattoo-covered right hand and my dad takes it.
“Welcome,” my dad says. Gabe nods, and sits back down.
A few seconds later, my mother walks through the doorway. She’s wearing oven mitts and carrying a hot casserole dish.
“Gabe, nice to see you,” my mother says, her eyes flicking between Gabe and my dad.
Gabe smiles and nods but says nothing. I sit down in the chair beside him, and run my hand over his thigh. He shifts in his seat, his feet fidgeting on the floor.
My mother spoons some of the beef casserole onto Gabe’s plate.
“Would you like more?” she asks.
“That’s enough,” Gabe says.
She scoops some casserole onto my plate and then onto Sophie’s. She carries on around the table and dishes out the casserole onto my father’s plate and hers. She repeats the entire process with the bowl of salad. Everyone sits in silence, watching her hands work.
Gabe’s knee bounces up and down, and I’m angry at my parents for not making him feel more welcome. It’s not like them, and I wonder if it’s because of all his tattoos.
Finally, my mother sits down and quietly says, “Let’s eat.”
I leave my hand on Gabe’s thigh, and pick up my fork. Sophie and my father start eating. Gabe doesn’t touch his fork. Neither does my mother. The food smells delicious, but the tension makes me lose my appetite.
“This is delicious,” Sophie says.
“It is. One of your best, Miranda,” my dad says, patting my mom’s shoulder.
Sophie and my dad chat as they eat, but I can’t follow the conversation. All I can do is look between Gabe and my mother and wonder why they aren’t eating. At least they’ve both picked up their forks, but I haven’t seen either take a bite.
“Gabe’s a great pool player, you guys should play doubles after dinner,” Sophie says to the table.
“Great idea,” I say, thankful Sophie has found a way to break the tension.
“Oh, I have to do the dishes,” my mother says.
“I’ll do them,” Sophie says.
My mother takes her first bite of food.
Gabe’s knee bounces faster. I give Gabe’s thigh a reassuring squeeze. I know everything will be okay once he gets to know my parents.
Gabe pushes his plate away, and says, “I can’t do this.”
Eloise
My heart is in my throat. Why did he say that?
“I’m sorry, Eloise. I tried, I really did, but I can’t do this,” Gabe says as he stands.
“Gabe, please,” my dad says.
“It’s okay, it is. I promise,” I say, standing. “You just have to get to know them, is all.”
“Know them? They’re acting like they don’t know who I am.” Gabe’s voice is forceful, and I sink back into the chair, confused.
“You know them?” I ask.
Gabe turns to my mother, his eyes boring into her skull.
“I can’t believe you. I come to your house and you avoid me. I sit down and you pretend like I’m a stranger and that nothing ever happened,” he spits.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“You think this isn’t hard for me?” my mother says, her voice quiet.
“Would someone tell me what is going on?” I ask, louder.
“Eloise, I wanted this to work. I really do, but your family is too important to you. You said so yourself. You can’t have a relationship with someone without them being involved with your family and I tried, but there’s no way this is going to work. I can’t walk in here and pretend everything’s okay when your mother is the reason my own mother is dead.”
Gabe takes my hand, and I scramble to get away from my chair. Tears form in my eyes and my body feels like it is crushed under a thousand pounds of cement.
He leads me to the front door, and I force my feet to move to keep up. My knees threaten to buckle with each step, and my mind is racing so fast I can barely concentrate on where I’m going.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask through my tears.
“I didn’t want you to feel bad. I was hoping I could pretend the past never happened, but I can’t. You’re wonderful and amazing, and you’re lucky to have a family who love you. That’s the most important thing in the world. I know, I used to have the same thing. But as much as I want to, I can’t see a future for us. I can’t deal with your parents, and you need them in your life. There’s no way around it.”
I wipe the tears from my eyes, desperate to see him clearly.
“Let’s go,” I say. I want to go with him, to clear our heads and figure out something.
&n
bsp; Gabe shakes his head. “No, it’s better if I just go. We had a good time, let’s leave it at that.”
My body heaves with sobs as he opens the door.
“Don’t go.”
He lets go of the door, and my heart flutters with hope. Gabe draws me into him, and I let my body melt against him.
In a low voice, he says, “I’ve loved you since I was a little kid. I will always love you, but this isn’t meant to be.”
“Nothing’s ever felt so right,” I say, my voice pleading.
“It doesn’t matter how right it felt, it’s impossible. I refuse to ask you to give up your family and I can’t be near them without remembering how I don’t have a family because of them.”
“But...” I start but Gabe lets go of me and rushes out the door.
My legs collapse and I slump against the floor.
“Honey,” my mother says, crouching beside me.
“Why did he say those things? Why didn’t you tell me that you knew him? Why does he think his mom died because of you?” I begin to wail.
“Because she did,” my mother says softly.
A great welling of rage balls up in my stomach, and I erupt. “And you never felt the need to tell me that?”
“I missed the cancer.” My mother carries on talking but I don’t hear anything she says.
All I can think about is Gabe. He left. He left me and doesn’t want to see me again.
Can that be real? Did that really happen?
I push myself to my feet and open the door to leave. I step over the threshold and realize my car isn’t here. My heart sinks again, and I turn and, in a trance, walk to my childhood bedroom.
Slamming the door behind me, I collapse on the bed and pull the pillow over my head.
My body physically aches for Gabe. I’m desperate for his embrace, but all I can do is cry until my tears are drained.
There’s a light tap at the door, and it opens.
“I brought you your phone,” Sophie says gently.
I can’t move or say anything, but a sigh leaves my body. Sophie sets the phone beside me on the bed. She strokes my arm, and fresh tears fall from my eyes.
“I want to go home.”
“You are home.”
“But I want my own home. I want to be at Gabe’s home.”
Pierce Me: Satisfied by the Bad Boy Page 14
