by Amy Sparling
Great. Now my own private office isn’t private. I close my eyes briefly and shake my head. “Okay, whatever. Bye.”
I turn to go but I’m stopped by a hand on my bicep. “Hold on, Mr. Adams.”
Natalie spins me around, gripping my arm with one hand. Her other hand slides up my chest and she’s hovering so closely I can smell her shampoo. “You have something…” she murmurs, leaning in close. I try to back up but hit the wall. “Right…here..” she says, pulling off the smallest little string from the neck of my shirt. “There,” she coos, smoothing her hand over my collar. “Now you’re perfect.”
“Natalie, stop.” I step into the hallway, so fucking fed up with this chick that I’m about to lose my mind. “Your job is not to pull strings off my shirt and it’s not to sit in my office chair.”
Her bottom lip pokes out. “My job is to assist you with anything you need.”
I grab her wrist just as she reaches for me again and I push her hand down. If she’s going to treat me like all I am is a piece of meat, then I’ll treat her with the same courtesy—by making her my maid.
“Yeah okay,” I say, stepping into the hallway. “Since you have a key to my office you can stay late and clean the place up. A vacuum and duster are in the closet down the hallway.” I tap the metal door frame with my fingers. “And don’t forget to wash the glass in my picture frames. They’re really dusty.”
Natalie’s eyes light up as if she’s actually thrilled that I just gave her a ton of things to do after closing time. “I would absolutely love to do that for you,” she says.
“Great,” I say with a straight face. I close the door behind me and head out to my truck. She might be smiling now, but if I make her job the worst one she’s ever had, maybe she’ll be forced to quit. And if not, at least I can have fun trying.
Chapter 8
When I get home, I walk straight into a weird scene: Bayleigh wearing a turquoise bathrobe and rainbow colored socks, sitting on the floor with her back against the couch. The coffee table has been shoved several feet away and in front of her, spread out all over the floor are dozens of those small free magazines you can find in front of shopping malls. Jett is sound asleep in his baby carrier next to her, dressed up in little baby jeans and a shirt. He’s even wearing shoes. Bay’s foot rocks the carrier back and forth as she works, filtering through the magazine pages, ripping some of them out and setting them in different piles.
“I feel like I’m missing something…” I say, hanging my keys up on the rack on the wall.
Bayleigh laughs. “The coffee table just wasn’t big enough so I had to get rid of it.”
I walk over to her and she throws her head backwards to kiss me. “What do we have here?” I ask, dropping to the floor next to her.
All of the magazines are covered with small square images of houses. Bayleigh draws in a deep breath and sighs. “I want a house.” She looks at me, her features all twisted and sad so I smile at her.
“I want a house, too.”
This doesn’t make her smile back.
She sighs again and shoves the magazines away. Jett starts to whimper when her foot stops rocking him so she grabs the carrier, drags it over in between us and rocks it with her hands. “I’m just tired of living in this tiny apartment.”
“Baby, we’ve talked about this. I thought we wanted to find some land and build a house like Ash and Hana did. Remember how much you liked the idea of choosing everything yourself?”
She shrugs. “I just want a house. I’m tired of putting it off.”
“Okay. Let’s get a house. Have you found anything?”
Her eyes gaze over the magazines and then she slowly looks up at me and frowns. “No.”
“What about this one?” I ask, taking a ripped out page from the floor. She’s circled a white two story house that’s on the other side of town.
“It’s too old. I can’t live in a house that’s going to have stuff breaking all the time.”
“Well you’re not the only one living in it,” I say, bumping my shoulder into hers. “I can fix stuff.”
“What if you’re not home?”
“Then you call me and I’ll come home. If it’s like an emergency water pipe breakage then call me and a plumber.”
Her eyebrows shoot up her forehead. “A water pipe breakage? I haven’t even thought of that! Ugh, there’s so many things that can go wrong with a house.” Her shoulders slump and she leans back against the couch. “Maybe we should just rent forever.”
“Honey, what brought this on?” I slide my hand across her shoulders. Now that I think about it, Bay has been in a terrible mood for the last few days. I lean over and kiss her cheek. “What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing is wrong. I just thought I would look up houses but that was a stupid idea.”
I get the feeling like this is the kind of day where anything I say will be wrong. “Why is Jett all dressed up?”
“I forgot to tell you,” she says. She leans forward and begins picking up the magazines. “My mom wanted to get him for the night. She gave me this huge guilt trip for not coming to visit her in a while and I said I didn’t feel like driving so she’s coming here instead.”
“How long is she keeping him?” I ask.
Bayleigh stands and throws the magazines into the trash can. “I don’t know, like a few hours.”
I smile because I’m getting an awesome idea. “And when will she be here?”
Bayleigh looks at the clock on the wall. “Soon.”
I jump to my feet and walk over to her, sliding my hands around her waist. “Do you know what this means?”
She rolls her eyes. “It means my mom won’t have to bitch at me for another week or so?”
“It means we can have a date night.”
“Oh,” she says with a shrug. “Yeah, okay. Sure.”
“Babe, that’s not the kind of reaction I was hoping for. We haven’t been on a date in a long ass time. I can’t even remember the last time we did anything with just the two of us.”
“Last month at the Mexican Grille.” Bayleigh steps away and pulls a hair tie off her wrist. “We had that skanky waitress who couldn’t keep her stupid skank eyes off of you.”
I lift an eyebrow. “I thought we had a good time?”
She snorts. “Yeah, I’m sure you had a good time! Who wouldn’t have a good time when some bimbo flirts with you all night?”
“Baby, you have to tell me what’s wrong. I honestly can’t even remember the waitress so I’m pretty sure she wasn’t flirting with me.”
She pulls her hair back into a messy bun. “You get flirted with so much that you’re probably just so used to it that you don’t even notice it anymore.”
She stare at the floor as she talks and I’m just so fed up with how she’s been treating me the last few days. I don’t mean to shout, but I do. “Bayleigh, stop!”
Her eyes go wide and the baby makes a noise from his carrier and I immediately feel like shit for talking to her that way. I sigh and lower my eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell I’m just…”
She folds her arms in front of her chest. “Well?”
“I’m just worried about you babe. I’m worried about us. It feels like you’re mad at me and I don’t know what for.”
I pause, hoping she’ll jump into the conversation, tell me she’s not mad at me and make me feel better but she doesn’t. She just stands there, arms crossed over her chest, staring at me with a blank expression on her face. I reach up and touch her cheek. “Bayleigh, I don’t know why you’re so mad at me. I love you so much and I would never do anything to hurt you. At least not on purpose. What’s wrong?”
She’s silent for a moment and the only sound in the room is Jett making little baby noises from his carrier on the floor. Finally after what feels like hours, she reaches up and covers my hand with hers. When she meets my gaze there are tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. �
�You haven’t done anything wrong…it’s…it’s me.”
My heart stops cold in my chest. “What have you done wrong?” I ask, suddenly terrified to know the answer. Bayleigh wouldn’t cheat on me—there’s no way. Our love is strong. At least I think it is.
She swallows and shakes her head. “It’s not like that,” she says, taking a step forward to close the distance between us. Her head leans against my chest and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close to me. “I haven’t done anything baby…I can’t believe you would think that.” She chuckles with her face buried against my shirt.
Hearing her laughter puts my mind at ease, but only a little. I pull back, lightly holding her face in my hands so I can look at her. “Honey please tell me what’s wrong.”
For a split second I think she’s about to tell me.
And then the doorbell rings.
We break apart and Bayleigh wipes her eyes, drying them. “Will you get his diaper bag from his room?”
“Sure,” I say, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before dashing off to Jett’s room. She lets her mom inside and when I return to the living room Bayleigh is all smiles, cooing at Jett and updating her mom about some girly television show they both watch. It’s as if she wasn’t the least bit upset a few minutes ago.
“Hey, Ms. Maize,” I say. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, dear,” she says, pulling me into a hug. “I should get going soon because it’s about to storm out there. I’d like get home before it does.”
“It is?” Bayleigh says, rushing to the window and peeking out through the blinds. “Is it safe for you to bring him back home later?”
I check the radar on my phone. “Yeah, it’ll blow over in an hour or two. You’re good,” I say to Bay’s mom who seems all to relieved to have the green light to take Jett. Bayleigh bites her bottom lip.
“Drive save, Mom,” she says. It’s the same warning tone she uses every time I take the baby somewhere. In her eyes, no one can be too careful when caring for Jett.
“Do you guys have plans?” Ms. Maize asks. I hand her the diaper bag which she slings over her shoulder and she takes the carrier in both hands.
“We’re going on a date,” Bayleigh says, a twinkle of light in her eyes. I can’t even put into words how great that makes me feel. Whatever happened between the time her mom got here and now, I’m grateful for it. My wife is in a much better mood.
We take turns kissing the baby goodbye and then suddenly, for the first time in a month, we are alone.
“Ready for that date?” I ask. I know better than to question her sudden mood change.
Bayleigh throws her arms up, gesturing to her purple bathrobe. “I’ll be ready in like ten minutes.”
I roll my eyes. “Since when are you ever ready in just ten minutes?”
She throws a playful punch at my stomach. “Fine, twenty minutes.”
Chapter 9
I can’t remember the last time Bayleigh rode in the middle seat of my truck. But it feels good to have her there now. We hit the highway and cruise for several miles because all of the good restaurants are way out of our small ass town. I throw my arm around her shoulder and hold her close.
She’s wearing a black sleeveless dress with a wide sparkly belt and it looks hot as hell on her. I slide my hand up her thigh, under the hem of her dress. I slide it further, until she giggles and pushes my hand away.
She seems a lot better than she was earlier, and although I wish I could have been the one to cheer her up, I’m happy regardless.
“So do we want Italian or Mexican?” I ask.
Bayleigh looks at me and grins. “I dunno, surprise me.”
“I’ve missed that smile,” I say, leaning over and kissing her forehead. She looks back at me and the grin is wider than ever.
“Oh stop it,” she says, pushing my arm. “I smile all the damn time.”
I bite my lip and focus on the road ahead of me. This might be a good time to bring up why she was so upset lately, but then again, the last thing I want to do is piss her off right before dinner. I draw in a deep breath and let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Bay asks. She plays with a piece of thread that’s sticking out from the knee of my jeans.
“Nothing’s wrong, baby.”
She turns toward me with one eyebrow lifted. “Umm…people don’t just make a big freaking sigh like that if nothing’s wrong.”
For some reason this makes me laugh. I shake my head. “Seriously, nothing is wrong. I was just sighing for fun. I’m really really excited for dinner tonight.”
“It’ll be nice eating something without constantly checking on Jett.” She squishes her lips to the side of her mouth and looks down at her hands. “God. Does that make me a terrible mom? That I’m actually excited about having a few hours away from him?”
“No way, you’re an amazing mom.” I reach over and grab her hand, pulling it into my lap as I drive. “Every parent needs a break every now and then. You can’t feel bad about it. Besides, your mom begged to take Jett so it’s not like you pawned him off so you could party.”
She laughs. “We’re not really party people, are we?”
“People go to parties to get wasted and sleep with strangers. So no, we’re way better than party people.”
I choose the Mexican restaurant and the way Bay’s face lights up lets me know I’ve chosen the right place. It’s a famous restaurant located on a manmade circular river surrounded by a boardwalk.
“This place is so beautiful,” Bayleigh says as I pull into a parking spot and cut the engine.
“I need a margarita,” I say.
She slaps my arm. “So you chose this place for your own selfish whims and not to surprise me?” Her eyes pierce into mine and then she starts laughing. “Ugh, I can’t stay mad at you.”
“You’re not mad at me, dork.”
She rolls her eyes. “I know. But it’s not fair that you can drink and I can’t.”
I take her face and bring her lips to mine. “Take that up with the government. I don’t make the laws.”
We get out of the truck and head to the restaurant. I take her hand as we walk. “I still have two years until I can legally drink. This is such crap.”
“I’ll order two margaritas and slide one over to you.”
Her eyes go wide. “Oh my god, Jace. You’re not serious?”
“Why do you say it like that? I really don’t think you’ll get in trouble.”
“Babe I can’t drink,” she says, sliding her arm around my elbow and holding me close as we reach the host stand. We’re third in line to get a table.
“Why not?”
“I’m breastfeeding,” she whispers. Her cheeks go pink.
“Oh, right.” I feel like a complete idiot but she doesn’t seem to mind.
We get a table outside and sit right next to the railing that overlooks the water and all of the people walking past. There’s a cool breeze out and it’s the perfect temperature for eating outside. At the far end of the patio a mariachi band plays and Bayleigh’s fingers drum to the beat.
Our waiter is a polite man in his forties and he seems to understand that we don’t want to chit chat and would rather be alone. The chips are delicious and the queso is even better. It’s as if all of the elements are coming together to give us this wonderful night together.
“I want, like, one of everything,” Bayleigh says, looking over the menu. “Let’s order one of everything.”
I wink. “Do it.”
My phone beeps from inside my jeans pocket. “Shit, babe, I’m sorry,” I say, sliding my hand in my pocket to silence the phone. “I forgot to turn this off.”
She waves my words away with her hand. “You’re a busy man, I get it.” She gives me a genuine smile. “Answer it, I don’t mind.”
“Really?” I take out my phone. “I mean, it’s probably nothing, but maybe I should check just in case Park got in a wreck or something.”
Bayleigh r
olls her eyes. “I seriously don’t mind, babe. We’re married now. It’s not like our dates need to be some formal event.”
She might act like I’m being silly by questioning her intentions, but she doesn’t realize I’ve been walking on eggshells ever since she was so pissed off for seemingly no reason the other day. I love having happy Bayleigh back but now I’m constantly worried that I’ll say something, or do something, and it’ll set her off again and she’ll be crying in the cab of my truck and I won’t know what to do to make it better.
I glance down at my phone and find a text from a number I don’t know. “Must be a client,” I say as I click on the message.
A pair of pale boobs with a bikini tan line fill my phone’s screen. My heart runs cold. I scroll down the message to read the text at the bottom.
There’s plenty more where this came from, boss. Xoxo
Oh shit. Natalie is completely off the rails.
“What is it?” Bayleigh asks over the top of her menu. “Everything okay?”
I shove the phone back into my pocket. “Fine, yeah, totally. Nothing’s—nothing’s wrong.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “It doesn’t seem okay.”
I shake my head, probably a little too much. My heart is pounding and my mouth is dry. This bitch of an assistant is really pissing me off. I don’t even know what her goal is, besides being an annoying skank, but now she’s affected my life outside of work.
“Everything’s fine babe.” And I mean it. First thing tomorrow I’m going to tell that bitch exactly what she can do with her dirty messages.
Chapter 10
I’m fuming about Natalie’s text message for the rest of the night. I don’t think Bayleigh notices because I do an insane job of hiding it beneath a multitude of smiles and kisses and hand holding as we walk along the river walk after dinner. I’m happy to be spending a wonderful night with my wife. But I’m still pissed.
“These heels are killing me,” Bay says, stopping in the middle of the wooden pathway next to the water. We’ve made two loops around the manmade lake and are nearly back to the restaurant where we’re parked. She looks up at me, biting her bottom lip. “I have a huge blister on my heel. Do you think we could sit down for a minute?”
