by K B Cinder
I reached into my pocket, pulling out my cell and the slip of paper, saving the number and tossing the scrap in the flames. I still had to think of what stunt I could pull, so I set my phone down on my knee while I plotted.
“So, any insight on why you let Josie Roberts into your brewery, let alone the fucking VIP section?” Ethan asked, not pulling punches.
“I like her kid,” I admitted, shrugging. I did like the tiny version of her. It wasn’t every day that a kid offered a handshake.
But I also had a soft spot for his mom and her incredible ass.
“Oh yeah?” He took a sip of beer, one from the first case of Barrett’s Signature I brought home. “What’s the kid’s name?”
“Lincoln,” I replied, passing his stupid little test.
Ethan was the first to call everyone on their bullshit but the last to reveal any of his own. All the fucker ever did was work, win, paint, and be right.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a cigarette, earning a groan from Jason. “Are you ever going to quit?”
I lit one up and took a quick drag, smirking at my older brother. “I did always say I’d quit smoking when you got married again. I guess quittin’ time is coming.”
“The sooner, the better,” Ethan grumbled. “Especially if you’re hanging around a kid. So what’s the real deal with Josie? You were over there for a while last night.”
“We already went over that.” I blew a cloud of smoke in his direction. They’d dragged me through hell, insinuating I fucked her and wasn’t dishing on the details. In truth, I wouldn’t have minded a taste, but I’d never admit it to them. They’d flay me themselves after everything she put me through.
Ethan wasn’t letting me off that easy. “Spill it, Luke.”
“There’s nothing to spill,” I assured, shrugging. “I went over, grabbed Tally, and we argued as usual. She was belligerent. I told you: I don’t have a girl next door; I have a crazy loon.”
“A hot crazy loon,” he added, grinning before throwing back another gulp.
“I did tell her everyone thinks she’s a MILF, so that probably didn’t help.”
Ethan shrugged. “She is a smoke show. I’d hit it if she weren’t toxic.”
“You guys are being jackasses,” Elena grumbled, cuddling against Jason’s chest. “She seemed perfectly nice.”
“There’s a history there, babe,” Jason murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “A messy one.”
“Oh, like ours isn’t?” she huffed.
He laughed, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Messier.”
I looked away, the two lovebirds making me sick. There was too much cute floating in the air for my liking.
I grabbed my cell to have my fun, fueled by the lack of decency from the blonde beauty that proved to be more of a jagged jerk. A little bit of poking never hurt anyone, and Josie deserved a hell of a lot more than poking.
Nice seeing you again, Josephine.
“You texting another fling, manwhore?” Jason asked. “Surprised there wasn’t one here when we arrived. Fuck, I’m surprised there isn’t one here now.”
I flicked ash into the fire, shocked to feel my phone vibrating on my thigh so quickly. “I’ve been celibate for over two weeks, brother.” I wasn’t proud to admit it, but it was noteworthy. I rarely went a day before that without sticking my dick in something.
“Damn, what’s the occasion?” Jason laughed.
“He’s got his sights set on the past,” Ethan observed, fully earning the middle finger I waved his way as I checked my phone.
Josie: Who’s this???
“Don’t be mad because I’m calling you on your crap. It’s amazing how promptly you forget betrayal when pussy is involved.”
“Did you miss the part where I said I’m celibate?” I asked. “Therefore, no pussy is involved.”
A secret admirer.
“But you feel pussy is possible, so you’re waiting it out.”
Any guy in his right mind would fuck Josie if given a chance, and I wouldn’t deny it. I also wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting he was partially right, either.
Jason grinned. “Well, I’m happy with the nookie news. I’m glad we aren’t navigating a cum-crusted house.”
I chucked my cigarette butt into the flames. “I scraped it all up and spread it across the spare bed just for you. Whatever was left got slathered on the couch for Ethan.”
“How sweet!” Ethan cooed, earning a head tilt from Tally.
Josie: Not funny. Who is this?
A part of me wanted to up the ante, but I resisted the urge.
Guess?
Ethan stood, stretching his hands high, his shirt lifting enough to reveal abs that made mine and Jason’s look like pudding. “Just be careful. You’re always impulsive.”
“Am not.” I was full of shit, and we all knew it, everyone exploding with laughter.
Josie: I’m not playing games. Tell me who you are, or you’re getting blocked.
Well, damn, someone was getting testy.
Your parents love me, you know?
“I’m headed to bed,” Ethan announced. “The morning brings more opportunities for day-drinking.”
“And boating,” I added. I was headed into the brewery for the dinner hour rush. Before that, I was dead-set on cruising around the inlet all afternoon. “It’ll be my first time out this year.”
“I guess we’re all boating and day-drinking, except our captain, of course,” Jason chuckled, standing and pulling Elena up alongside him. “We’re heading in, too.”
“I see how it is. The party gets home, and you fossils turn in.”
“We were up before you,” Jason reminded, flipping me off. “Some of us still exist on adult hours.”
I rolled my eyes. “Take Tally with you. I don’t want her to wander off and scare any psychos again.”
I needed time to unwind outside of everything crazy. Sometimes the only way to relax was to hang out under the stars.
“Tal, come on!” Ethan called.
She ignored him, throwing her head back dramatically to look at me, ears flopping.
I reached out and gave her a few rubs before snapping my fingers toward the house. “In.”
She did as she was told, hurrying up the deck stairs toward the house.
“Don’t stay up too late, Captain,” Ethan teased, patting my shoulder before shuffling in behind the lovebirds. “You have more questionable decisions to make tomorrow.”
I laughed. Did I ever.
Josie
Going to Mass for the first time in over a decade was rough, but mixed with my parents’ bickering and Lincoln’s nagging, running for the hills looked better and better.
Someone had to be prepping their boat first thing in the morning, too, the sight catching Lincoln’s eye as we headed out to the car in our Sunday best. He jabbered nonstop on the way into town, desperate to ride around with his friend, Luke.
That’s right.
Luke was his friend.
I was chopped liver.
Meanwhile, Mom and Dad took icy relations to a new level, snipping and snapping at one another in Mass, God’s house not even safe from their wrath. And while Mom sent nothing but smiles my way when I shot her a look, Dad kept things as cold as ever. I shouldn’t have agreed to come when Mom asked the night before, but Linc wanted to spend time with them.
We settled in for breakfast at the Scoop, the only diner in Briar with breakfast worth eating, not that there was much competition. I kept Linc at my side in case we had to bolt, expecting the worst. Dad was too on edge for the meal to go over smoothly.
Mom rattled on about her book club that she signed me up for, not that I minded. I needed to make new friends and craved adult conversation. There were only so many times I could talk about Aquaman in a day.
“What were you doing Friday night?” Dad asked, interrupting Mom mid-sentence.
She stiffened, setting down her fork, her normally gentle e
yes narrowing harshly. “Ed, leave her alone.”
An oddly specific question for him, especially since he rarely addressed me directly.
“We had dinner at the opening, played catch, and I worked. Why?”
I wasn’t mentioning the bit about Luke. I was more than a little tipsy at the time and still embarrassed I berated him about a girlfriend that turned out to be a dog.
“We ran into Luke Barrett yesterday, and he mentioned you two were together. It’s almost like you want to ruin your life.”
I turned to Linc, who was oblivious to the conversation as he happily munched away on blueberry French toast. “Linc, adult talk.” His little hands cupped his ears obediently, a routine we had on lock.
“We’re not talking about this,” I warned, shooting razor blades my father’s way. “What I do in my personal life is none of your business. I talked to him at the opening like you did, and I talked to him later that night because his dog was on my property.”
“It’s my business when it concerns me and my name!” he shot back, red creeping up his neck to his face.
“In case you’re unaware, I don’t have your name anymore.” I hadn’t been a Roberts for years, and I’d never been happier than the day I waited for hours at Social Security to change it.
“People know you’re my daughter, and I won’t let you drag it through the mud by slumming it with a Barrett.”
“Doesn’t he own two businesses in town?” I asked, not wanting to go toe to toe about Luke but doing so out of principle. “Doesn’t sound like I’d be slumming one bit!”
Was it ridiculous to argue over a guy I wasn’t dating? Maybe.
Did I give a rat’s ass? Nope.
Dad flushed a deep shade of purple, crumbling the napkin in his hand until his fists turned white. “Dan Sutton is worth more, and he likes you, but you won’t give him the time of day!”
“Oh, you mean the guy that talks to my parents about all the alleged time we spend together?” I scoffed. “It’s my life and my choices. Back off.”
I was also fairly certain he was the creep sending me texts past midnight. Not exactly someone I wanted around my kid or me.
“See, this is what I was talking about with you coming home,” he sneered, the veins in his neck rising like rivers of rage. “You always make stupid decisions and need other people to save you.”
I gripped the edge of the table, wanting nothing more than to toss my orange juice in his face. “What did you ever save me from?”
He’d thrown me to the wolves, sending me to live with his militant brother until I scrounged enough money to rent a room from a crazy lady with twelve cats.
“The Barretts. Jail. The moron you called a husband. Anything else?”
“You.” I shook my head and met his eyes, refusing to let him upset me further. “My husband’s name was Scott. He made me breakfast in bed every Sunday and took care of me when I had no one. You can hate him all you want, but he’s a part of Linc, and he’s a part of me. I’m sorry that you’ll never know how wonderful of a person he was.”
At one point, his barb would have pierced my armor, but I’d erected an impenetrable shield around Scott.
“A druggie? Yeah, real wonderful. At least you have a predictable type. Maybe Dan should lie and tell you he likes dope.”
“Are you done yet?” I asked, not giving him the reaction he so desperately craved. “We’re trying to have a nice family breakfast, and you’re making it difficult.”
He didn’t answer, and after a few seconds, I gave Linc the clear.
* * *
Dad didn’t speak for the rest of the breakfast or say goodbye, not that I cared. A naïve part of me hoped he’d be different once we stepped foot in Briar, but I should have known better. There would always be a strain.
On the way home, we passed a shirtless Luke on the dock, his boat now in the water with family members and Tally onboard. Luke was winding a thick rope, his inked muscles bulging with each rotation of his arm.
“Mommy, can I say hi to Mr. Luke?” Linc asked as I slid into park, trying to keep my eyes to myself.
I wasn’t sure which male would be the death of me first: the tiny terror or the towering traitor.
“He’s with his family, honey.”
I couldn’t face him fully clothed, let alone half-naked and handsome as hell again. The last time nearly melted me where I stood.
“Please, Mommy,” he whined, pressing his hands together. “Please! Please! Please!”
“Okay,” I agreed, hoping the quick hi would quiet him down. I had a few projects to get done, and a happy Linc meant I could work in peace. “But let me help you cross the street.”
He was out of his booster seat and outside the car before I unhooked my seat belt, bouncing on the gravel like he had an invisible pogo stick. I wished I had half the energy he did, my ass still dragging from working late.
“Hand!” I ordered, and he obediently grasped my fingers, thankfully not bounding too fast down the driveway towards the road. If I took a tumble, the gravel would make Swiss cheese of my knees, all in front of Mr. Sexy and Co.
“Mommy, what if we see a whale?”
“We’ll try to get a picture for Aunt Liv,” I declared, patting the cell phone hidden in my purse.
He fell quiet, eyeing the water ahead carefully as we walked. “What if we see a shark?”
I sighed, sensing Linc’s latest round of fifty-questions gearing up. Hopefully, this time, it wouldn’t include anything too rough. The night before, he wanted to know why some people get sick and others don’t. Not a chipper subject at bedtime. “We run.”
“But we’re on land?” he pushed, eyes darting from the waves to my face.
I shrugged, ready to have fun with him. “I like to be careful.”
He chewed at his lip, a gust of wind catching his hair, highlighting that he needed a haircut. “Why?”
We came to a stop at the road’s edge. “Because it might think I look tasty.”
His face scrunched, finally catching on that I was pulling his leg.
“What’s the rule for crossing the road?” I asked, flipping the question game on him.
He held his free hand up, a thumb high in the sky. “Look both ways twice and hold Mommy’s hand.”
“Good job, bud.”
Once we crossed, I released the ball of energy, and he flew toward the dock while I took my time, church pumps not the best footwear for lumpy grass. I couldn’t wait to change.
When I was younger, jeans were frowned upon, and if someone wore shorts, they’d practically be drug out of the church by the ear. Now both mingled in the pews.
“Mr. Luke!” Linc screeched, arms wide as he soared onto the wood, his dress shoes slapping off its surface.
“Hey, Lincoln,” he greeted. He set the rope over one shoulder to shake his hand. “What are you up to?”
“We went to church with Grams and Grandpa,” he explained, his eyes transfixed on the boat as it bobbed with each wave. “And we got French toast.”
“I love French toast.” Luke smiled down at Linc as I came to a stop at the edge of the dock. He looked like a giant next to my little guy. “Your mom does too. With bananas.”
At least I wasn’t the only one that remembered past favorites. In fact, I could recall way too many facts about the tattooed statue.
How he liked his eggs: scrambled with cheddar.
His favorite color: gray.
How he slept: naked.
Linc lit up. “Mommy LOVES bananas.”
“That she does,” Luke laughed, finally flicking his eyes to meet mine. “Big bananas.”
I waved at his family in the boat, ignoring his immaturity and the way Ethan openly glared at me. I wanted to return the favor to both of them and flip them off, but I kept my cool.
“Why don’t you come out on the boat with us?” Elena called from her seat beside Jason, a tiny thing now that I had a chance to really see them together. “It’s a perfect day.”
She wasn’t wrong. It was already hot at eleven o’clock, a rarity so early in the season, and the water wasn’t that choppy. But I wouldn’t risk puking my life up again.
Forever honest, Linc piped in, “Mommy can’t go on boats. She barfs everywhere.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke asked, grinning wildly. “How does she do that?”
“Like this.” Linc opened his mouth wide and stuck his tongue out, shaking his head side to side violently with fake vomit noises and all.
I smirked at my tattletale son. “Thanks, Linc.”
“She falls asleep, too, and Alex has to carry her. He banged her leg. She has a bruise, see?” He turned and pointed at my exposed shin, the black and blue line fading to an ugly green and yellow.
While he was distracted, Luke looked my way and mouthed, “Can we take him?”
I hesitated, eyeing the boat. It was a decent size and seemed like it could hold another six people without a problem.
As much as I had my own issues with Luke, his past sins were behind him, judging by his current situation. He might’ve been a liar, but he’d never hurt my son. Besides, Jason and Ethan were with him, the two more level-headed and responsible than he’d ever been.
I glanced back at Luke, planting hands on my hips. “Only if he wears a life jacket.”
Linc perked up at my words.
“Go throw on shorts and a t-shirt.” Luke turned from Linc to me. “We have sunblock. Casper over there needs to be spackled with it.” He gestured at Elena, the only one without a deep tan.
“Thank you!” Linc beamed, sprinting to take my hand, practically dragging me to the house.
He changed in record time, leaving me more than ticked that it took him ten minutes to put his dang shoes on when I asked him to.
When we returned to the dock, Luke was loading the last few items onto the boat, inked biceps and pecs on display like a work of art. I hated that he looked so good, and I hated it more when he caught me staring, having the audacity to wink.
Linc raced to Luke’s feet and turned back to smile at me, holding two thumbs high. The sight killed the daggers I had for Luke, turning my heart to jelly.
