by M. C. Decker
“Roller-skating?” Mom asked, concern in her voice. “Are you sure that’s something you should be doing at your age?”
“Thanks, Mom, I’m thirty-five. Not dead. I think I can handle a few laps around a roller rink. You know, I even started yoga last week,” I lied, hoping she’d drop it. Truthfully, I wasn’t really the most physically fit person. I did own a treadmill, but it served more as a clothes rack ninety-five percent of the time. It was a good thing with my work schedule that I didn’t really have time to eat and I survived solely on coffee and protein bars–chocolate-flavored of course.
“Oh, I love yoga! We should go together sometime!” she insisted. Well shit, that backfired. I should’ve known my mother did yoga. When I was a child in the eighties, she was always the first one to buy the latest gimmicks in exercise gear. I think she was the second person behind Suzanne Somers to own a Thigh Master and she was the first to “sweat to the oldies” with Richard Simmons. Before she could ask any more questions about my daily exercise routine, we were interrupted by an incoming call from Brad.
“Gotta go, Mom. I have another call coming in–looks like it’s someone from work,” I said. Don’t judge, technically, it wasn’t a lie.
“OK, Baby, get back to me next week about the yoga and lunch. Love you. Oh, and Daddy said ‘hi,’” she said.
“Love you and Dad, too. Bye, Mom,” I said, switching over the call.
“Hey Brad, thanks for saving me,” I said.
“You’re welcome, I think,” he chuckled.
“Mom was on the other line when you called. She wants me to go to yoga with her, but you buzzed in before I could respond. I already lied to her about going to yoga alone. I didn’t really want to lie to her twice in the same conversation. I feel like there are unwritten rules about how many times a daughter can lie to her mother in one phone call.”
“You’re probably right about that,” he responded. “You’re still coming to the roller rink with me later? I wasn’t sure you’d be feeling up to it after your little incident yesterday.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there. I’m actually feeling a lot better.”
“That’s good to hear. Hey, just so you know, I may have given Carson your address,” he confessed.
“Yeah? Why would you have done that?” I asked, hiding from him that I already knew his secret.
“He mentioned wanting to send you delivery take-out. I didn’t think you’d turn down free food.”
“He did get me delivery. In fact, Carson delivered it right to my house last night,” I told him.
“Shut your face! Doctor Sexy was actually at your house last night? Did he stay?”
“Yeah, we had dinner together.”
“That’s it? You know you can’t leave me hanging like that. I need the dirt, Girlfriend!”
“We had a good time. He beat me at Scrabble and then we watched a movie. I fell asleep and he let himself out. That’s it.”
“Wait, he didn’t let you win? He’s competitive and delicious on the eyes. Doctor Sexy is just the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t he?”
“You’re ridiculous,” I laughed.
“So, you didn’t have wild passionate sex on the dining room table?”
“No, we didn’t even kiss. He may have pecked me on the forehead after he carried me to bed, but I could have imagined all of it. I don’t know. Honestly, it’s all really confusing, and I’d rather not talk about it anymore.”
“There you go again. Always shutting me out just when it’s getting juicy,” he pouted.
“I’m sorry. You know I just have a hard time talking about that kind of shit,” I tried explaining. “Anyway, I should probably hop in the shower and get ready for the party. I’ll meet you at the rink in an hour.”
“Sounds good. Love you,” he said.
“Love you too.”
“Oh, and Ash, you know I’m not actually letting this go that easily, right?”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else. Bye, Bradley,” I said, ending the call.
Lacing up my skates, a familiar face caught the corner of my eye. Offering a friendly wave, I was surprised when Carson completely ignored the gesture. What the hell was he doing at the roller rink and why didn’t he mention it when I’d told him my plans the night before. I was certain I’d told him that I’d be there. Before I had a chance to skate over to him, Brad skated in front of me, interrupting my thoughts.
“You ready to get this party started?” Brad asked, shaking his bootie. I couldn’t help but laugh at his choice of clothing.
“You look like a unicorn just threw up a rainbow,” I joked.
“Whatever, you just wish you looked this hot. No one can pull off glitter as well as I can,” he said, doing a pirouette.
“The eighties called, and they want their leg warmers back.”
“Did you forget we’re at a roller rink? This is like an eighties nirvana,” he quipped, as the best of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John began playing over the loudspeaker.
“Of course, what was I thinking? I’m not sure what’s brighter though, your shorts or the disco ball,” I laughed, pointing toward the ceiling.
“Don’t mock the disco ball. That would look awesome in my bedroom. Can you imagine getting lucky under that thing?
“You’re so extra,” I said, shaking my head. “I suppose you think I should’ve worn blue eyeshadow and put my hair in a Scrunchie?”
“Oh god, no. Those should’ve been banned thirty years ago, Honey,” he said like I’d just insulted his beloved decade.
“Where are your sister and the kids anyway? I thought this was a birthday party,” I said, stepping slowly out onto the rink.
“They’re on the way. She just called and said they were stopped in some construction. I went ahead and placed an order for some pizzas so it’s all ready when the girls arrive. Oh, and I ordered a pitcher of margaritas for the grownups. God bless a skating rink with a bar.”
“Uh huh, sounds good,” I said, focusing on the blond woman and young boy who just appeared at Carson’s side. I’d spent the entire evening with Carson and he’d never so much as mentioned a child or another woman.
“You all right in there? I just said pitcher of margaritas!” he screamed, shaking my shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just still a little worn out, I guess. I’ll be fine,” I said, suddenly feeling nauseous. “You sure? You seem distracted today. Even more so than usual,” Brad joked.
“Yeah, I said, I’m fine. I think your sisters and the kids just got here anyway,” I said, pointing toward the skate rental counter, thankful for the distraction.
Taking a few laps around the rink, I tried not focusing all my energy on watching Carson playing with the young boy–the two laughing as he skated with him on his shoulders. Was it his son? His girlfriend’s son? I’d spent so much time answering all his questions the previous night that I guess I’d failed to ask too many of my own. Not that, ‘Do your girlfriend and son know you’re spending the entire night at my place’ would have come up in conversation. This is why I didn’t let men in my life. They just ended up hurting me.
Somehow Brad hadn’t noticed Carson, or if he had, he didn’t mention it. And, Carson completely ignored us both as if he’d never seen us a day in his life. I knew it shouldn’t, but it hurt. It fucking hurt—a lot.
“I think I’m going to get going,” I said, as Brad circled past me for the hundredth time. I would never admit this to her, but my mother was right. The days of roller-skating were well past me. “I think I need to hit the gym for a year before I let you drag me back to this place,” I added with a laugh.
“OK, go home and get some rest. I’ll see you at work on Monday,” he said, blowing me a kiss before his niece skated over, pulling him back into the middle of the rink.
Unlacing my skates, I looked back toward the table where Carson and his little surprise family had been sitting, only to see it empty. He’d left without saying a single word.
Ashl
ynn
“REMIND ME AGAIN why I agreed to go out with you tonight?” I asked Brad as I sat in a dingy downtown Karaoke bar. I didn’t come out this way often. I tried sticking near the west side of town, closer to my house and work when I went out. This was definitely outside my comfort zone. “And, why on Earth did you want to come here of all places?”
Even though the statewide smoking ban had been enacted nearly a decade ago, the walls of the bar still held onto the yellow hue from the smoke and the carpeting reeked of stale cigarettes. It was in need of a fresh coat of paint and a deep cleaning in the worst way.
“This place could definitely use a makeover,” I said, taking a sip of gin and cranberry. “I’m pretty sure my grandma had that linoleum in her kitchen before I was even born,” I added, pointing toward the floor covering behind the bar.
“And here I thought I was the prima donna, Judgy McJudgerston,” he said, exasperatedly. “Sure, this might not be the most glamorous of places, but trust me when I say it’s where you can find the hottest slice of man meat. Just you wait until you hear their silky voices. They’ll have you itching to crawl into bed before they even finish the first verse.”
“You know this isn’t a gay bar, right?” I laughed, directing his attention to the group of men who’d been outwardly flirting with the women sitting at the bar across from us.
“Girlfriend, I’ve never had a problem finding a new boy toy here. Besides, I thought you could use a little fun yourself. Unless you and the good doctor are exclusive now?”
Brad had been fishing for answers about Carson and me for the last week. I didn’t like divulging information about my personal life, but, truthfully, I wasn’t actually sure where Carson and I stood. We had a great time at dinner the other night, but then he completely ignored me at the skating rink over the weekend. Not to mention, I had no idea who the blonde or the child were with him.
I’d spent the entire afternoon on Sunday trying to come up with a reasonable explanation, but nothing came to mind. I wanted to give Carson the benefit of the doubt, but it just didn’t look good. I planned on talking with him about it at work, but I’d only seen him briefly before he was called away from the building on an emergency case. He hadn’t returned to the office before Brad dragged me out.
“No, definitely not exclusive. We’re hardly even speaking,” I admitted.
“What happened? I thought things were full steam ahead with you two. I was already planning my Man of Honor outfit.”
Shaking my head at my best friend, I responded. “I don’t know. I guess he couldn’t handle my crazy after all. He didn’t even acknowledge me at the birthday party on Saturday.”
“Wait. Doctor Sexy was at my niece’s party? I never saw him. Why didn’t you tell me? You know I would’ve marched right over there and given him a piece of my mind for ignoring you. My job be damned.”
“I know you would have and that’s why I didn’t say anything. I can’t risk losing my partner in crime at work. I can only imagine how boring my days would be,” I laughed.
“That’s my bestie always looking out for me even if she really is just looking out for herself,” he singsonged.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” I chuckled.
“Shhhh,” Brad said. “The first singer is about to come on.”
Turning to face the stage, my mouth dropped as an attractive blond man hopped up onto the platform. His sculpted arms filled out the sleeves of his black V-neck and his thighs resembled tree trunks in his faded blue jeans. The cowboy boots he wore left me guessing that he was going to sing a smooth Chris Stapleton or Luke Bryan ballad.
“You weren’t kidding,” I whispered in Brad’s ear just as the first beat of the song began. I was nothing but surprised that instead of the country tune I’d been expecting, AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” blared through the speakers. That I was shocked was putting it mildly when instead of a deep baritone, the shrill falsetto of my favorite childhood cartoon character came squawking through the microphone.
Turning toward Brad, we both broke into hysterics.
“Why does he sound like Donald Duck?” I gasped, trying to catch my breath. “I thought you said these guys would have me wanting to crawl into bed, not run to the bathroom to stop my bleeding ears!”
“I’ve never seen this guy here,” Brad shouted over the loud quacking, tears streaming down his cheeks. “He’s so bad!”
In an attempt to escape the screeching, I excused myself to the ladies’ room. Powdering my nose, I was relieved when the noise stopped, and a familiar melody echoed through the restroom walls. Deciding to give these Karaoke singers another chance, I stepped back into the dimly lit room.
I hadn’t caught a glimpse of the singer on stage, but his rendition of Maroon 5’s “What Lovers Do” was everything I’d expected from the first performer. This new voice was strangely familiar too, but not from childhood cartoons. I knew I recognized it, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Turning the corner, I looked over toward Brad who had turned in my direction with a gaping mouth. His eyes widening as I came into view, he pointed behind him toward the stage and mouthed the words “Doctor Sexy.”
Convinced I’d misunderstood what he was trying to tell me, I glanced toward the platform, my eyes locking with a pair of familiar gray orbs. Continuing with the lyrics, Carson didn’t break our gaze as he finished the song as if I were the only other person in the room. The room erupted in applause as he stepped off the stage, my only reminder that we weren’t alone.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Carson whispered in my ear.
“I could say the same about you. Come here often, Doctor?” I asked, suddenly forgetting that I’d been mad at him.
“Just when I need to unwind. I’ve always enjoyed singing, and usually, I go unrecognized here these days anyway. I did my residency not too far from here. I haven’t run into a colleague or patient here in ages,” he explained.
“Yeah, honestly, this isn’t really my type of place. Brad dragged me out of the office,” I said, pointing toward Brad who was obviously gawking at our exchange. Carson waved in Brad’s direction before turning his attention back on me.
“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked, surprising me with his offer.
“I probably shouldn’t just up and leave Brad. Besides, after the other day, I didn’t think you really wanted anything to do with me.”
Scrunching his face in confusion, “I’m sorry I don’t quite understand. I thought we had a great time the other night. I’m sorry I haven’t really followed up with you over the last few days but catching up on Joleen’s caseload has me extra busy.”
“I see. So busy that you had time to show off your moves with a beautiful woman and her son the other night at the skating rink. Or maybe it’s your son. We’ve never discussed children before–and why would we.”
Shaking his head in a sudden understanding, “Oh, I think I know what’s happened here.”
“You know what–never mind. On second thought, you really don’t owe me any explanation. But, just for the record, you can dance as well as you sing. You really seem to be the perfect package, Doctor. Too bad it seems you like playing the field, and I’m not really interested in being the other woman,” I said, turning to walk away.
Lightly grabbing my forearm, Carson stopped me before I could get out of his reach. “Trust me, Ashlynn, when I say I’m only currently interested in one woman. And, since I dance like I have two left feet, I can almost certainly guarantee that it was my twin brother, Camden, that you saw at the roller rink. Not me.”
“Twin? You have a twin brother?” I asked, sheepishly. Even with all the possible scenarios I’d come up with the previous day, a twin brother had never come to mind.
“I do. And the woman he was with was probably his ex and their son, Sam.”
“She didn’t look like his ex,” I muttered.
“They don’t know what they are most days.”
“I’m sor
ry. I didn’t know you had a brother let alone a twin,” I said.
“And how would you, if I never mentioned him?”
“Are you two not close?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t prying.
“Yeah, we’re both just really busy so we don’t see each other often. He’s actually a doctor, too–a pediatrician. He was actually traveling for a while with Doctors Without Borders. He hadn’t called to tell me he was home though. Looks like I’ll have to find out what that’s all about.”
“Oh, wow,” I said, suddenly feeling guilty for ever doubting him. “Two doctors in the family, huh? Just a small difference between a sex therapist and a pediatrician though.”
“Ha! We get that a lot. They’re really quite similar when you think about it. If it weren’t for me helping to make the babies, then he wouldn’t have any patients to treat. My brother should really be thanking me,” he chuckled.
“I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way,” I said, smiling.
“No, not so much. Anyway, now that we’ve cleared that up, I do need to apologize for just leaving the other night. I didn’t want to wake you and I really didn’t know what else to do.”
“Oh, no need to apologize! I’m sorry for falling asleep. I didn’t drool on you, did I?
“Nothing a washing machine couldn’t take care of,” he said, winking.
“Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed,” I said, my hands covering my face.
“I’m just kidding. You can relax, knowing I left your place drool-free.”
“Well that’s a relief,” I said as Brad walked toward us, his arm wrapped around a man who resembled a Ken doll.
“You ready to blow this popsicle stand? I’ll drop you off before I head over to Nick’s place.”
Eying him suspiciously, I whispered into his ear. “What about Everett? I thought you two were getting close? I remember something about the talk of a ‘third date.’”
