by Tiffani Lynn
“Oh, hi,” she says in a soft feminine voice. “You must be Shay.”
She knows my name… But how?
“Hey, Mom, did you grab the bag in the second room?” I hear Pax call from somewhere in the house.
Her smiling eyes never leave mine as she replies louder than she greeted me. “Yes, honey, I got it.”
“Thanks, Mo—” Paxton starts to say as he comes out the front door and finds me face-to-face with his adoptive mother. I glance between the two of them as he sets his bag down. His eyebrows pull together.
“Is everything okay? Did they come back?”
“Um…no. I just…heard a car and wanted to make sure it wasn’t those guys coming to your house this time.”
His face relaxes and I glance at his mom, who is grinning at me like I brought a suitcase of money over to deliver. She clears her throat.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Mom, this is Shay, the girl who grew up next door. Shay, this is my mom, Audrey Pearsal.”
I smile back, feeling a little shy, and reach my hand out to shake hers. “Hi, Mrs. Pearsal. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, dear,” she drops one of the bags she’s holding and wipes her hand on her leg, “just call me Audrey. It’s very nice to meet you too. I’ve heard some very nice things about you.”
I blush to my roots, wondering what he told her. Unsure of what else to say, I ask, “Do you live nearby?”
“Oh, we live over in Ocala. It’s not too far. I just thought this guy could use some help. Once he told us what condition the place was in I knew it would take more than one person. I wasn’t wrong. It’s filthy.” She wrinkles her nose and Paxton busts up laughing.
“Mom, you are too much. I didn’t ask you to help because I knew it would gross you out. It’s bad in there.”
“I’m not leaving you to do this alone.”
I watch their exchange as a warmth spreads through my belly. Pax deserved to have a family like this. He should have had it years and years ago, but at least he has it now. I can see why he grew up to be such a good man. He finally found support and love and people who believed in him. If my heart could smile, it would.
Before I can really think it through, I blurt, “I can help!” Both heads swing my way. Taking a step back I blush again, realizing they may not want my help. Why did I open my big fat mouth?
“Ohhhh, that would be lovely.” Audrey grins at me and then back at Paxton.
“Really?” He squints at me, both questioning my sincerity and giving me an out.
“Well, only if you want me to. I mean, I don’t want to intrude or anything.”
“No way! You wouldn’t be intruding,” Audrey says. “Right, Pax? We can use all the help we can get. My husband is even coming over once he gets off the golf course.”
One side of his mouth lifts in a half smile and he tells me, “I’d love to have your help. I just don’t want you to feel obligated. It’s pretty bad in there.”
“It’s no problem. I don’t have anything else to do besides pull weeds and those will still be there tomorrow.”
“Great, let me grab you a pair of gloves. I have no idea what you are touching in there so you need to have your hands covered. Also, be careful; I’ve found a few old needles lying around and I’d hate for you to get stuck with one. There is no telling what’s on those.”
He jogs down the steps and throws the garbage bags in the back of his truck. I can’t help but notice the flex of his arms and his mom must catch my ogling. “He’s grown up to be quite the handsome man, don’t you think?”
My eyes widen as I glance at her and I blush again. Damn it! Why does my embarrassment have to be so obvious? “I was just waiting for my gloves,” I say stupidly. Damn, I feel like an idiot.
A giggle follows her back into the house. She totally caught me.
Paxton returns to the porch with gloves and a couple of garbage bags. “The only things we’re keeping are any pictures you might find. Everything else is getting trashed.” I can’t hide my surprise. I know they were crappy parents, but the fact that he doesn’t want to keep anything seems excessive.
He must read my mind because he gently squeezes my shoulder and explains, “Once you go inside you’ll understand. I’ve been in some scary places in my life but never one this filthy. Nothing survived really. I’ll be lucky if we even uncover any pictures, but that’s about the only thing sentimental that might be salvageable.”
I nod to show I understand, but I don’t speak. This makes me so sad for him. I can’t go in the house I grew up in yet, but I know when I do, everything will be nice and neat, waiting like it was the last time I saw it.
When I walk through the door, I’m hit with a terrible odor. I’ve never smelled anything like it. “Oh, man! Ugh.” I gag a little.
“You get used to it, sweetie. It’s bad though. I’m going to go home and rinse my nasal passages when we are done. It’s the rats. They pooped all over the place and there were some dead ones. Then there is all the garbage and rotten food in here. Nasty. I think he should just tear it down and forget about it.”
“Mom, I told you I would, but I want to make sure there is nothing in here I want to keep. If there is, it will be buried under the layers of filth Jared and Brenda left.”
He’s right. If there is anything in here he might want, it will be buried.
We work for hours and get quite a bit done. I’m back in what was Jared and Brenda’s room when I hear a very deep voice coming from the living room. “What the hell is that smell? Audrey, y’all are gonna die of fume inhalation. Son, didn’t I tell you to open the windows in here? Good God, this is horrible.”
“Dad, we couldn’t run the air conditioner with the windows open and the heat was worse than the smell. We’ll be fine. I’m about to send Shay and Mom home and you can go with them. I’ll be fine. I only have about another day of work to do.”
“Shay’s here? Are you trying to scare that girl away?” I hear him ask with humor in his voice.
“Dad,” Paxton’s tone a warning.
“Okay, okay. Why don’t we work for a bit and then I’ll take you all out to dinner?”
“Sounds good to me,” I hear his mother answer in her sweet voice.
Loud footsteps come down the hall to where I’m working and when I look up, Paxton and Mr. Pearsal are standing in the doorway staring at me.
Pax steps into the room. “Shay, I want you to meet my dad, Ray Pearsal.” He gestures between us and I remove the glove on my right hand before I reach out to shake his hand. “Shay Baird. Nice to meet you.”
“Good to meet you too.” His handshake is warm and firm; it’s perfect.
“Listen, I’m not letting him expose you to these fumes much longer. I plan to take you all out to dinner. Do you have any preference on where?”
My mouth drops open. I’m not sure what to say. It’s been years since I’ve been out to dinner. I’ve been through a late-night drive-thru but not out to a real meal. What if people recognize me and bring up my family or call me ‘Crazy Shay’ again? I couldn’t stand to be humiliated in front of this family that way.
“I haven’t been out to eat in a long time so I don’t think I would be good for making a recommendation. And thank you for the offer, but I’ll just grab something to eat at my house.”
My face flames again and I turn away, not wanting them to see my humiliation. How embarrassing that a 26-year-old woman hasn’t been to dinner in her own hometown in years and can’t seem to get up the courage to go now.
“Dad, can you excuse us?”
“Sure, son. Shay, I hope you’ll reconsider. We’d love to spend some time with you.”
My heart hurts a little with that. When was the last time someone wanted to spend time with me? At least five years ago, and it was my granny. She was the last one.
Ray’s heavy footsteps move away from the room and Paxton’s quieter ones move close behind me. His hands land on my shoulders and smooth down my arms in a gesture so comfort
ing I almost cry.
“Shay,” his voice is quiet and gentle, “you mentioned that you don’t go out unless it’s late at night. No one is going to hurt you with me around. We all want you to come to dinner. It’ll be a nice change.”
“I—” I start to protest, but he cuts me off.
“Believe me, I understand why you’re nervous, but think about this: You’re 26. You could live for another 50 to 70 years. Do you want to be looking at the same four walls, eating the same things, alone for that long? I’m guessing if I could dig into that brain of yours I’d find out you’ve been lonely for the past five years since your granny’s been gone. Please let us take you out. You won’t find nicer people than my parents. Come on, Shay,” he pleads softly.
Should I? What if someone recognizes me? What if people whisper about me? What if…
“Quit thinking so hard,” he quietly scolds.
“Okay, fine, but I haven’t been out in public in daylight for years. I may embarrass you guys.”
“Never,” he says gently. He kisses my hair and strides out of the room, yelling, “Thirty minutes until we stop for the night. Shay’s going to dinner with us.”
“Fantastic!” I hear his mom exclaim, and once again I grow warm inside, feeling wanted. Now I have to figure out how to enjoy dinner without having a nervous breakdown in front of them.
Six
Paxton
There isn’t a word to describe what I see in Shay’s eyes as I try to talk her into going with us. Skittish comes to mind, but there is a bit of excitement and the fight for bravery at the same time. If you would’ve asked me prior to looking into Shay’s eyes just now if this exact expression existed, I would have said no, but now I know better.
When we were kids, Shay’s excitement for different adventures was cute. She would bounce on her toes, her eyes shining with anticipation, ready for whatever we decided to get into. I could see a little of that when I mentioned dinner out with us, but just as quickly fear joined in too. Scared wasn’t part of Shay’s vocabulary when we were young. Why would it have been? She had a perfect life with a close-knit, happy family. At school, she was liked by both students and teachers, and the rest of her time was spent on the farm where she was protected and adored. The fact that I saw fear cross her face makes me angry and to know that Jared and Brenda made that happen makes me want to hunt them down and kill them both in the most torturous way possible.
When I realized how nervous Shay was about going out I decided to walk with her to her house while she grabs some shoes so she doesn’t have a chance to chicken out. As we’re making our way to her place I decide to go with my gut and grab her hand, intertwining our fingers. A slight intake of breath is the only reaction she gives me so I glance over at her and see her trying to hide a small smile.
When we reach her granny’s house I release her hand so she can do what she needs to.
“Shay, make sure you grab a key to lock up. With those Costa guys running around I want to make sure you’re protected. I don’t trust them.”
“You think they will do something?”
“Probably not, but I don’t want to take a chance with you or your granny’s house.”
She nods and walks away, returning soon thereafter in a clean T-shirt and a pair of sandals in her hand.
Once she’s done putting on the shoes she goes to a drawer in the kitchen, opens it and pulls out a key on an old plastic key ring that her granny probably got at a car dealership 30 years ago. She locks up and comes down the couple of stairs so we can walk back to my house and take my truck.
“Will your parents be riding in the truck with us?” she asks quietly, and I can tell the fear is winning again. I grab her hand again and grip it firmly to let her know I have her back.
“No, they’ll drive. They are going back home after dinner. They just came to help for a little bit. I think they were worried about me after I told them how crappy the conditions are.”
“I can understand that. It is pretty gross. If I would’ve known it was still going to be yours one day I would’ve snuck in there years ago and cleaned it out. I still know where the hidden key is, unless you moved it.”
“You remember that?”
“Of course! It’s not like it was in a normal spot like under a fake rock or under the mat. You hid it so it was in a super sneaky spot under the porch.”
I chuckle, thinking about us trying to find the perfect spot. My parents were known for locking me outside and forgetting about me. A couple of times they left me outside overnight, so I got smart and hid my key so I could sneak in when I knew they’d passed out.
We are quiet as we approach my parents, who are standing by their cars talking quietly. My dad is the one who turns to us and says, “Ben is over here working at the power plant this week, so he’s going to join us for dinner. Is the Lobster Lounge okay?”
I glance over at Shay. “Ben is my brother. What do you think?”
“I’ve never eaten there, but I’m willing to try it,” she says, her voice quiet, unsure.
“It’s mostly seafood. Is that something you like?” I ask to make sure.
She nods. “My granny loved seafood so we ate a lot of it.”
“Lobster Lounge it is.”
She’s quiet on the way there and I resist the urge to talk to loosen things up. Glancing her way, I notice her hands clenched together in her lap and I can’t help myself when I reach over and pull her left hand into mine as gently as possible. Her head whips around, eyes wide, and I can’t tell if I’ve freaked her out or simply surprised her.
“Is this okay?” I ask quietly, keeping my eyes on the road.
“Um…yes. Um…sure.”
After we arrive at the Lobster Lounge and it’s time to sit down, my dad and I exchange a look and one nod of my head. He then shuffles my mom to sit on the other side of Shay. My mom’s ability to soothe the most battered of souls just by being who she is will come in handy today for sure.
My mom opens her menu and states, “They have the best grouper sandwich here. I think I’ll have that. What about you, Shay? Any idea what you want?”
“Maybe shrimp? I haven’t had it in ages and I always loved it.”
About that time, my brother approaches our table with a big grin on his face. The guy teased me mercilessly when we were kids, making me feel like a member of the family the instant I arrived in the Pearsal house, while also annoying the crap out of me. I can tell by the expression on his face it’s likely he will do the same now, even with Shay present. I forgot to warn her that my brother is like that. Shit, I hope it doesn’t freak her out.
“Hey, bro!” he says as I stand and embrace him hard. I love all my siblings, but I’m closest to Ben.
“Hey, buddy. Glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, they finally released the chains holding me to my chair in that meeting, but from what Dad says it’s a good thing I didn’t make it out to help at your house. I think his exact words were ‘giant shithole.’”
I turn to my dad and raise an eyebrow.
Dad shrugs. “What? It’s true. You know you want to just bulldoze it and start over.”
“Yeah, I do, but that takes time I don’t have yet.”
“Who is this gorgeous ginger?” Ben turns his full attention to Shay and right as I’m about to pop him in the back of the head for being rude, my mom smacks him on the butt. “Benjamin Pearsal, use your manners!”
Being the charming, smartass bastard that he is, he turns to Shay and offers his hand. “I’m sorry, my lady.” Shay takes his hand, but instead of shaking it he lifts it to his lips. I grit my teeth, thinking of all the ways l could break his fingers. Ben continues, “What did I do to deserve the presence of such a beautiful woman at my dinner table?”
She giggles. “I was invited by your family.”
“They do know how much I love a woman with red hair. It’s as if they brought me an early birthday present.”
She giggles again.
“Hey, jackass, quit ogling Shay. She’s a woman, not a piece of meat, and she’s my guest. You have a gorgeous wife. Should I call and tell Jenny that you’re having dinner with a different redhead?”
His eyes narrow on me. “Jenny knows I adore the ground she walks on. Keep her out of this. I was just appreciating our dinner guest. Now that I know you invited her I think it’s safe to say there are some things you left out of our last conversation.” He winks at me and takes a sip of my dad’s beer.
“Get your lips off my beer, son,” my dad scolds, taking the beer back. Shay laughs out loud and I glance over to find her amused with my crazy brother, and I relax a little, sliding my arm across the back of her chair. Not because I’m trying to claim her. Nope. Not at all. It just seems far more comfortable.
Once we order our food my parents talk about our siblings, telling Shay a little about all of us. The only biological child of theirs in our brood is Courtney. She was born before I arrived but after Ben and Renaldo were already part of the family. After me, Farris and Chris came. Courtney couldn’t find another female besides my mom within miles until we hit high school and then magically the girls always wanted to be her friend and sleep at our house.
As our food is arriving, Mom is telling Shay about the time Ben, Renaldo, and I snuck out of the house to swim in the neighbor’s pool and got busted…naked. Groaning, I try to change the subject to the food now piping hot in front of us but my mom is having none of it and Shay can’t seem to stop giggling. I wonder how often she laughs. It’s such a sweet, carefree sound, but she keeps covering her mouth like she’s embarrassed by it.
As we eat, things grow quieter, the mood mellow. My plate is almost cleared when I hear a male voice behind me say, “Paxton.” I turn around to find Mike Wade coming toward me.
