The Rest of Forever

by Kitty Berry

  “Don’t worry about me, what’s going on with you two?”

  “I heard him out. I believe him. The doctor’s report helped.”

  “Amanda and I said our peace, and I apologized,” Brian says as he tears up once more. “I really am so sorry and embarrassed beyond belief. Nothing like that will happen again, I swear.”

  Justin nods, then says his goodbyes before heading back next door to be with his family.

  I look to Brian for further explanation. “We’ll talk in the car,” he says.

  I reluctantly leave the B and B and Jordan behind for the time being, but this thing between us isn’t over and she will hear me out, like it or not and sooner than later.

  Once in the car, Brian fills me in on the conversation I missed. “Amanda left crying, but I think it was more over Todd than us, which was always the problem in our marriage. I hope she can keep him out of this one or they’re doomed too. Justin sees it, he’s just ignoring it like I did. After she left, I told him that.”

  “Bet that went over well.”

  “He knew and admitted it. He’s in love with her as much, if not more, than I was. I hope it ends better for him than it did for me.”

  I nod. I do too. “Elliot says she’s different now. She was in a bad place back then.”

  “I know. I take some of the blame,” Brian says as I’m pulling up outside of Colleen’s place. “My focus was on my job when it should have been on her and our marriage. I knew she was in love with her ex when we met, and I knew she still wasn’t over him when we married. I was a fool to think that I was going to change that.”

  I climb out of the car and immediately notice a political campaign sign that wasn’t there when we left. It’s months away from the election season, so it strikes me as odd. Closing in to get a better look, I read the name Maxwell James in bold print. As I scan the rest of the sign, it becomes clear that Maxwell James has no intention of waiting until November to take office.

  “I wonder if he’s related to that girl who is trying to push through the revitalization?” Brian asks.

  I turn to walk into Colleen’s shop with Brian on my heels. As I swing open the door, the loud booming of voices, the smell of coffee and chocolate, and the sight of a mass number of people assault me. All things, especially combined, that bring out the worst in me. “What the fuck is going on here?” I demand. “Where’s Colleen?”

  “I’m right here, baby. Calm down. Callan Black, these are the James siblings,” she makes the introductions. “Mason over there is the oldest.” Colleen indicates the large, gloomy looking man Elliot and I saw at the diner. “That one over by the fudge, that he shouldn’t be eating, is the baby. But Matty you probably recognize from his last movie. Fancy pants over there is a big Hollywood star.”

  I raise an eyebrow then roll my eyes at the man that now has a mouth full of fudge.

  “It’s too fucking good not to eat. I don’t care if I get fat. My agent can suck my dick.”

  “I’m sure she has,” Kevin Travens pipes in. I know Kevin from running into him here. He’s engaged to Mallory James, the girl who is trying to revitalize Falls Village and, apparently, the sister of these three imposing men. “Right alongside the rest of them.”

  “The brooding one who barely has raised an eye to you is Maxwell,” Colleen informs me as she pushes a cup of tea, just the way I like it my way then asks Brian what he’d like. I notice Kevin and Matthew James are engaging in the same male ribbing Elliot, Ace, and I enjoy. “He’s been living in DC and has forgotten his New England manners.” She delivers a smack to the back of the head of the man she’s referring to.

  “Ow! Oh! Hey, Coll, what the fuck?”

  “Show your manners,” she scolds. “If you’re going to be the leader of this community, you need to learn how to relate to the people.”

  “I can relate. I grew up here. I am Falls Village.”

  “Yeah, when they have a pussy you want, you relate just fine.”

  “Travens, you’re fucking our sister and still alive. You really want to push your luck?”

  Kevin laughs then pulls Mallory James into his side and plants a kiss to her temple.

  “They grew up together. Kevin is like one of the James boys.”

  I nod then look to Brian to see if he’s as confused as I am. Most times, others pick up on social cues that I miss so they fit in and join the conversation that was happening before they arrived. I, on the other hand, am never sure just how to do that.

  “Why are they all in here and why is there a sign in front that says he’s going to be the new mayor? Aren’t the elections months away?”

  Maxwell James perks up at the mention of the elections and approaches me with an outstretched hand.

  “Here we go,” Matthew mocks his brother with an eye roll. “Someone find a fucking baby for him to kiss.”

  Kevin reaches for the snap on his jeans. “I have a baby right here he can kiss,” he says mooning the room.

  “Kevin!” Mallory scoffs. “Jesus, what happens to you around them? Put your pants back on.”

  “Not what you’re usually asking for when my pants are off,” he deadpans then complains when Mason punches him in the arm but shows no emotion whatsoever.

  Matthew shoos them off with a wave of his hand then pulls out a chair for me to sit. “And you are again?”

  “Callan Black,” I state.

  “Oh, the guy staying upstairs?”

  “For now.”

  “Brian Edwards,” Brian says as he shakes Maxwell’s hand. “I’m new to town as well. I’ve been speaking with your sister about a nightclub I’m looking to open.”

  “Oh,” Mallory says as she makes the connection. She and Brian have only ever spoken on the phone. “Nice to put a face with the name. Welcome to Falls Village. Have you had a chance to meet with Beckett Fischer and see the space?”

  “He might not have, but you know who has shown Beckett her special place?” Matthew asks with a smirk in Kevin’s direction.

  “Asshole,” Kevin says then shakes his head at the man that is clearly his friend. I know that because the vibe I’m getting from these men is the same I get from Ace and Elliot and we’re friends. Best friends.

  “Maxwell is taking over office as soon as he can get a hearing to remove Mitch Langley from his throne. That guy is such a douche.”

  “With the list of women coming forward, it won’t be long,” Colleen says.

  Mallory looks sadly toward my new friend and asks, “Is Taylor ready to talk yet?”

  Colleen shrugs. “I’m working on it. She’s planning to speak with Hannah today then see how she wants to proceed. She doesn’t want to bring any bad publicity to Lollipop Preschool.”

  “I signed Amber up last week. Thank God there was a last-minute drop out.”

  “Oh, she’s going to love it. Taylor is a great teacher, and Hannah is really sweet. In fact…”

  “Nope. Stop right there, Coll. You’re not playing matchmaker this time,” Mason James says. “I’m fine alone. I had my time for love and that’s done.”

  The room goes silent, and I’m sure that means there’s a social cue to pick up on. Not being able to figure out what that could be, I blurt, “If you did something to piss your wife off, maybe you should tell her you’re sorry and she’ll take you back. My girlfriend is pissed but…”

  “My wife isn’t pissed,” Mason states as he gets into my personal space. “She’s dead. Now everyone drop the shit about me needing to move on and get laid.”

  Mason turns and storms out of the shop while all eyes turn toward me.

  “What? Did I say something wrong?” I ask.

  “He lost his wife a few months ago to cystic fibrosis. They were college sweethearts. Mason isn’t handling it very well.”

  “Oh,” I sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a dick.”

  “It’s okay. He’s been a dick since we were kids,” Kevin says. “Mall, I need to get back to the studio. You coming?”

>   “Yeah,” Mallory says. “Sorry, to meet you and run, Callan. I hope you’ll stay in Falls Village for the grand opening of my art gallery. It’s going to feature Kevin’s work and a few other local artists. It’ll kick off the revitalization.”

  “We’ll see. I’m working on fixing something. I’m not sure how long that’ll take, but I’m not leaving until it’s resolved.”

  Colleen smiles at me. “You’re welcome to stay on here as long as you need, honey. But remember, construction begins on Monday. I know you don’t like change and all that, which I’m understanding better now. I can’t believe a bookstore is going in right down the street. So much for Spill the Tea serving drinks and offering books.”

  I groan. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks, Coll. And you can still do a place in here for people to read. I love to read.”

  Colleen shrugs. “I guess I could put in a reading nook of sorts, we’ll see.”

  “Max,” Matthew calls from across the room. Looking at his watch. “We should roll, too. We’ve got that meeting in a few.”

  “Shit!” Maxwell swears. “Let’s go.”

  They both wave over their shoulder at Colleen while saying their farewells to me and Brian.

  “So what are you going to do now?” I ask Brian. “You mentioned still wanting to open the nightclub.”

  “Yep. I spoke to Justin and Amanda about it and they’re cool with it as long as I don’t do anything like I did. I have the backing from the bank and the space. Mallory has already agreed to the construction plan and Mason is on board with the build.”

  “I’m excited to see what Falls Village can become,” Colleen offers. “When I was growing up here, summers were amazing. Families from all over came to spend a week or a month, even a few famous people,” she states but then her attention gets drawn to the television once more and a far away look finds its place back on her face with a deep sigh.

  “NBA star and most eligible bachelor, Teyler Walker announced his retirement earlier today. The phenom son of the former Maine Rockets Terrel Walker was injured last week in a record-breaking twenty-six-year career. Even though the multiple time named MVP of the game had spent the last few years of his career only getting minimal minutes due to injuries, he was still a game-changer up until his last. The game will never be the same without a Walker on the court, and we at ISAN will miss watching the superstar. We wish him all the luck and happiness in his future endeavors.”

  I look at Colleen and try to figure out why she’s so invested in the sport. I mean, I get it. I love the statistics of the game, the hype around the draft, and even the fantasy leagues, but this just seems more than that to me and if I’m picking up on it, it must be something overt and serious.

  “Do you think Walker will head our way? Come and sit on a panel somewhere and report the game?” one of the broadcasters, an ex-NBA player himself, asks.

  “I heard a rumor that he wanted to return to a simpler life. He’s been in the limelight since he was born. By college, everyone knew he’d be drafted and went as the top pick.”

  “His family used to vacation in this small town in Maine” I look at the screen then back at Colleen again. “A source close to Walker has speculated that he has unresolved issues stemming from his summers there.”

  And then the door to the shop opens and Colleen’s daughter Taylor walks in. My eyes quickly land on her facial features as it’s all coming together, then for confirmation, they return to the screen and stare at the picture of Teyler Walker.

  Colleen is fair with light hair and bright blue eyes. She’s short and if I had to guess has gained her weight over the hard years of raising her daughter alone in what has become almost a ghost town. Her male options were limited, and her job provided the extra calories in sweets. If I had to put my money on it, I’d bet Colleen was strikingly attractive in her younger years. She’s still beautiful now, just more mature than my liking as a man in his twenties.

  But other than the short stature, Taylor looks nothing like her mother. Where Colleen is fair skinned, Taylor’s skin is olive year-round. Colleen’s blue eyes stand out from her features while Taylor’s cocoa colored orbs light her face up when she smiles. Colleen may dye her hair to hide the gray at the roots, but her locks are as straight as an arrow, thin, and blond. Taylor has jet black hair with full body curls.

  “I hope he finds what he’s looking for. His basketball training app is about to go live. The early reviews have him hitting the jackpot.”

  “Talk about settled for life.”

  My eyes find Colleen’s and she sees that I’ve figured out her long-held secret.

  “Money and fame aren’t everything,” she says and smiles at her daughter.

  Chapter Seven

  Even in Falls Village, Maine, the oppressive heat of summer has hit and sent the girls into their bikinis while sipping drinks by the pool. Courtney and Elliot make the rest of us sick to our stomachs as they relive their beginning on Jonesie’s island, Elliot playing the role of Courtney’s pool boy and servant, on our first day outside by the water.

  “Do you work here?” Courtney asks from her lounge chair while Elliot stands at her feet, her sisters in their bikinis as well and on loungers of their own.

  Bridget turns her head then smiles at her husband and soon to be baby daddy. “Oh, here we go again,” she says.

  “Work…” Elliot chuckles with a knowing smirk to his new bride. “Yeah, sure. I work here. Can I get you anything?”

  “Yes, something slushy with ice and booze. A little fruit.”

  “You want your drink slutty?” Elliot retorts and all eyes fly to him.

  “Did he honestly just ask if she wanted a slutty drink?” Jordan inquires. When I try to answer, I get a hand in my face and a warning to keep my distance if I want to be allowed to sit on the lounger next to her.

  “I want a slutty drink,” Jenny states. “It might help me. I mean, I didn’t get laid at the wedding, so I guess the Knight/Collins sister slut vibe didn’t get passed down to me.”

  I look toward Jordan’s little sister. What the fuck was this girl thinking? I make eye contact with her brothers-in-law and the three of us growl over her overabundance to throw her V-card at the first guy that spreads her legs.

  “Excuse me?” Courtney asks.

  Jenny attempts to defend herself when she’s ignored by her sister who appears to be in a couples only bubble with her husband.

  “Slushy,” Elliot corrects as he interrupts Jenny who then pulls her beast of a mutt to her face and allows the animal near her lips.

  Gagging back vomit, I hear Courtney say, “Oh, yeah, whatever. I don’t care.”

  Ace and I don’t miss Elliot shifting his dick in his shorts and fight to be the first to tell him to keep it to himself while the other girls are around. When I fumble over how to refer to Jordan, I can’t call her mine now, regardless of how badly I so wish that I could, Ace beats me to it. “Can you not let my wife see your hard-on over your wife?”

  “What?” Courtney knowingly asks as Elliot unabashedly shifts left in his shorts.

  “Nothing.” He smirks as he shamelessly adjusts his junk again before turning to head into the house.

  “What the fuck is wrong with them?” Ace asks Bridget.

  “I don’t know. Let me enjoy the sun and the sound of the water. I’m trying to memorize this for when I’m squeezing your baby out of my vagina.”

  “Oh, hey…” I sputter. “We don’t need that kind of visual.”

  “You don’t need to visualize my wife’s pussy ever, dude.”

  “Hard not to when I’m privy to it,” I retort a second before I’m flipped off my chair and, on the patio, rolling around with one of my best friends.

  Elliot returns with a tray of frozen pink drinks for the girls and beers for the guys. “You sure you want that drink slushy?” he asks his wife who is now shamelessly rubbing her tits. “It looked like you were already chilled.”

  “Why don’t you let me worry about
myself?” Courtney asks.

  “Elliot,” he says. “My name is Elliot.”

  “Christ!” Ace exclaims. “Do we need to be here for this role playing that we all know is going to send the two of you to fuck in the bathroom of the pool house?”

  “Mom was a child of the 80s, huh?” Courtney asks with sass that I know will have her husband spanking her ass red in that bathroom.

  Elliot hands Bridget her drink first, clearly the only one without alcohol then gives everyone else theirs, saving Courtney’s for last.

  “Mmm,” Jordan moans when she sips from the straw between her lips like it’s my cock and I harden in my shorts, tenting them in front of the others with zero fucks to give. Well, until Jenny’s eyes land on my dick and she groans.

  “Jordan,” her sister says, “if you’re not going to use that, can you share?”

  “What?” Jordan exclaims. “No! Stop looking at his…” Jordan catches her breath. Her tongue sneaks out and she collects a small drop of her drink then bites that plump bottom lip I want between my teeth and it only makes matters worse, my dick now throbbing and bouncing in my shorts.

  I shift to my side so Jenny’s view becomes my back and Jordan’s eyes can roam over my erection all she wants. “How’s your drink, baby?”

  Jordan clears her throat and tries to act unaffected by my arousal. “It’s an interesting flavor. Maybe watermelon mixed with mango, definitely the right amount of alcohol.”

  Jenny sucks half of her drink down before letting Beast lick her straw. “Not too much, baby. Mommy doesn’t want her wittle prince to get sickies.”

  I look to Elliot and Ace for an explanation of her behavior, but they seem as mind boggled as I feel. But if that dog stays on her chest and doesn’t sneeze on me again, I’m not going to question it aloud. If I do, I can see that Jordan is waiting to pounce and I’ll wind up with the animal on my lounger. It’s bad enough that I’ve taken to having oven mitts on me when at the B and B in case I’m forced to touch him. Beast is obsessed with peanut butter as much as Jenny is obsessed with him, so I also carry some of it with a long-handled spoon in case I need to distract the mutt and make my escape.