by J. L. Drake
Strange.
I crossed and picked up the pace toward the rec center doors. Once inside, I bypassed the intercom and quickly punched in the six-digit code for the doors to open. I was instantly met with six pairs of grabby hands and smiling faces.
“Ari!” they all yelled, and one little girl tried her best to wiggle into my arms as I knelt. All my stress and paranoia lifted from my body as I embraced the little rug rats.
“Hey, guys.” I hugged each child, making sure I gave the same amount of attention to their eager little faces by asking questions and making eye contact. These poor little kids were so starved for love, I was determined to give them every last drop I could.
“Yes, yes, yes, the soft-hearted one is here.” Jessi laughed, shooing them away from me. “Time to wash up, Travis.” She pointed to our thirteen-year-old helper. “The popcorn is ready to go in the microwave. You just need to pop it.”
“Sure thing, Miss Jessi.”
“Hey,” Jessi made a crazy face, “I’m just going to jump into this.”
“’Kay.” I dropped my purse on the counter.
“These arrived today.” She left to go into the next room and returned with a bundle of yellow roses surrounded in baby’s breath. When she saw me stand up straight, she gave me a knowing look. “Okay, let me give you the details first. They were on the doorstep, no note, and the barber across the street said it was some kid who dropped them off.”
“I don’t want to go there,” I whispered, unsure if I should be freaking out or if it was nothing, “but that’s the second bouquet of those I’ve seen today. But maybe it’s like that whole, you tune into seeing a particular red car and that’s all you can see for days afterward.”
Jessi put her hands on my shoulders to study me. “Let’s not go there yet. I just wanted to bring it to your attention. Let’s not forget how he was the last time you pissed him off. And from what you told me you pulled off at his work, well, let’s just not have you walking in any dark alleys for a bit.”
“Yeah, okay.” I looked over her shoulder at the kids in the next room. It dawned on me that if it was Myles, it was pretty messed up, frigging with me at the rec center.
The buzz of the intercom had Jessi hopping over to the security cameras.
“Perhaps this will help a little.” She stepped aside so I could see Walker and his grandfather at the door.
“Let’s hope.” I pressed the button and raced to meet him at the door.
“Ari!” Walker raced across the room and dove into my arms.
“Hey, buddy.” I kissed his little head and shifted him to rest on my hip as I greeted his grandfather. “Good evening, Roland.” I waved for him to come in.
He wasted no time taking a seat on the bench and removing his hat.
“May I get you something? Maybe a water or hot tea?”
“A tea would be lovely, thank you.”
Jessi lifted a hand, offering to get it.
I took a seat across from him and sat Walker on the floor, but he quickly crawled back up on my lap. “I missed you, buddy.” He nodded and held on to my arm like I might put him down again.
“You’re so good with him.”
When I looked up, I saw something like pain flash across his face.
“Yes, we have a great bond. Don’t we, Walker?” I squeezed his little body, making his eyes light up.
“Thank you.” He smiled as Jessi handed him the tea. She then held out a bowl of popcorn to Walker as she tried to lure him to the movie that was happening in the next room. It worked, but only because Jessi assured him that he could see us from where she was going to sit him.
I noticed Roland fiddling with his hat.
“Roland,” I said gently, “is everything okay?”
His shoulders sagged like the weight of the world rested on them, and with what he’d been through, I could understand that.
“He cries a lot at night.” He rubbed his eyes like he had a really bad headache. “He asks for his momma. We tried our best to explain that she has gone to be with the angels.”
“That’s got to be hard.” I moved to sit closer to him to offer some kind of comfort.
“Hard, yes. But not in the way you think.” I noticed his hand shook as he placed the cup on the table. “It took us three nights to understand who he was really asking for.”
“Who?” I was curious. Who else on this Earth brought him comfort?
He blinked away some emotion. “He’s asking for you, Miss Arizona.”
“Me?” My heart burst then pulled back together all in a millisecond.
“Yes. But please, we’re not upset by it or anything. His grandmother and I were never in his life much, but you…well, you’ve mattered to him ever since he was a baby.” He fiddled with his hat again then spoke without looking at me. “I have a really big favor to ask you.”
“Of course.”
“Is there any way he could spend a little more time with you? Nothing major, just a few hours here and there.”
That, I could do.
“I’d be happy to spend some time with Walker at any point. Just call me.” I handed him my card, and he stood, calling out Walker’s name. “I wish I could let him stay longer, but we were out all day, and I decided to stop by just to let him say hello and for me to ask you that.”
“No problem. You’re both welcome here any time.”
“Thank you.” His smile lifted and warmed his eyes for a moment before they dropped back down with his stress. I gave Walker a hug before they left in the Uber Jessi called for them.
“He’s a really good kid.” Jessi wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“One of the best.”
Chapter Nineteen
Arizona
I took a moment to admire my red dress. Its long, flowing sleeves stopped at my elbow, and the same flowing style continued to just above my knee. Brown over the knee boots paired nicely with my cream-colored purse. My hair hung long with a heavy wave through it. The whole look felt classy and put together, perfect for a December day.
I glanced at the clock’s reflection in the mirror and saw I needed to speed things up. I pulled my phone off the charge cord and dropped it into my purse as I hurried out of the apartment and onto the elevator. When the doors opened on the lobby, anything bad or stressful immediately floated away.
Carter’s back was to me as he talked on the phone. He wore a pair of dark slacks under a long woolen dress coat, and one hand rested in his pocket as he looked out the lobby window. I could have spent at least another ten minutes admiring my view, but he must have sensed me because he turned and graced me with one of his famous smiles. It hit me like molten lava right in the center of my core.
“I’ll see you soon.” He hung up the phone as he casually strolled up to me. “My, my, my, don’t you look mighty pretty this afternoon.”
“Well, thank you.” I did a little spin, and he took my hand to tug me in closer. He leaned in and softy kissed my lips.
“Ready?”
“I am.” I returned his kiss before he took the coat that was draped over my arm and helped me pull it on.
I knew Carter’s parents had a lovely house in the Hamptons, right on the shoreline. I was eager to see it, and as we approached along the long, curved driveway, I could see four white pillars that held up a large stone portico in front of the house. As we pulled under it, a man dressed in a formal winter coat and hat opened the door to the town car they had sent for us and offered a hand for me to take.
“Thank you.” I smiled warmly and tried not to gawk at how gorgeous the house was. “You truly failed to mention that you grew up in the Hamptons? In a house like…this.”
“I didn’t.” He took my hand and led me up the stairs. “They bought this once my sister and I moved out.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“Not really. This is great but not really me.”
I smiled up at the man I was falling hard for and loved that he didn’t need a lot of material things to be happy. We both were lucky to have had a great upbringing, but we both had come away from it with a desire to immerse ourselves in public service in our own way. We had found our place deep in the bones of our community.
With an indrawn breath, I stepped over the threshold and was immediately grounded when I heard the classic Christmas song Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree playing in the background.
“Bullshit!” someone yelled from the other room, and Carter laughed and shook his head at me. “That would be my Aunt Emily. I’m giving you a fair warning, she has zero filter and always goes for the shock factor.”
“And she’s officially my favorite.”
“I figured.” He removed our coats and hung them on an old-fashioned coat rack in the corner.
I thought he would take me into the living room to meet everyone, but instead he tugged me toward the kitchen where the staff were preparing dinner.
“Mick! Merry Christmas.” Carter hugged the chef then introduced me to him as one of his oldest friends who worked in the house. “Mick here always has my back.”
“Sure do.” He handed a bottle of something to Carter. “They’ve been hitting the sauce since noon.” He winked. “This will help.”
“Thanks, man.”
Carter grabbed two glasses and poured us just enough of the amber liquid to cover the bottom of the glass.
“Cheers.” He waited for me to take the shot before he took his.
“Sweet mother of smoothness, that’s strong.” I grinned when Mick laughed out loud.
Carter gave me another and waved for me to take it. “Trust me.”
“This isn’t a good start, Carter.” I hiccupped. “I haven’t even met your parents in person yet.”
“Oh, I know.” He tucked the bottle away, thanked the staff, and once again whisked me away, this time through a back door. By the time I thought we were lost, we suddenly popped out into the back of the living room.
“Holy Christmas,” I whispered as I took in all the bright decorations that were actually muted by some of the horrific outfits that hung off some seriously stunning people.
“Now you know why we needed the drinks.”
“It’s like the Christmas department at Walmart had a sale and everyone who bought an outfit is right here in this very room.”
“I hate you,” he muttered.
“I think this might be my new favorite place.”
“Marry me.”
“Ha!” I laughed at his joke while my eyes took it all in.
Antlers with bells on headbands jiggled, cat and llama sweaters flashed colored lights as the men moved about. Woman laughed and talked together in dresses made from almost anything from wrapping paper to tinsel to frosted fabric.
“Has Cook ever seen this?”
“Nope, and he isn’t going to.”
“Right.” I covertly snapped a few photos with my phone as Carter glared down at me.
“There you are!” A blonde bombshell who was dressed to impress in ribbon held her arms out and wrapped them around Carter before she did the same to me. “Oh, my goodness, would you look at her.” She stepped back to admire me.
“Arizona, this is my mother, Pam.”
“Lovely to meet you, Pam.”
“You as well. I have so many people I’d like you to meet, but first I have to go check on the kitchen. Please grab a drink and relax. We’re all family here.”
A little boy with a tray full of cookies raced past us with a small dog hot on his heels. My mind boomeranged from my first impression of the outside of this house. I was worried it might be a little stuffy for me, but this crazy-festive chaos was just what I needed, and I felt like I could fit here.
“Merry Christmas.” A pair of hands covered Carter’s eyes before a woman popped out from behind him.
“Sarah?” His face lit up when he saw his sister was here and not away like she was supposed to be. “Why aren’t you on a beach somewhere?”
“The boy,” she smirked, referring to, I supposed, her boyfriend, “needed to come home because of some crisis at work.” She moved her attention to me. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell her to dress in Christmas crap.”
“I needed to get her here before I scared her half to death.” They chuckled together.
“Well, I need to go find my daughter, who has apparently slipped away from me.”
“Lucky her.” Carter dodged her swat but cleared his throat as someone with a huge black cat on her sweater came toward us. “Don’t leave me alone, Arizona.” Carter rubbed his nose as he spoke.
“Look at you!” An older woman with short salt and pepper hair wrapped her arms around his shoulders and planted a huge kiss on his lips. “Just as handsome as the day you popped out of your mother’s slip and slide.”
“Well, that image will forever be burned into my memory,” Carter hissed. “Arizona, meet my Aunt Emily.”
“I heard you were bringing a date.” She eyed me like a challenge. “You like my pussy?” She stroked the fuzzy cat that filled the entire front of her sweater.
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’d pat your cat, but I’m allergic.”
“Ha!” Her voice echoed throughout the room, and before I knew it, I was being wrapped in a hug, and apparently, I had passed some test.
“I’ve loved this boy since his parents played hide the cannoli.” She gave Carter a smack. “Do you play Mahjong?” She eyed me with anticipation.
Before I could answer, we were saved by a call to the table.
Dinner was amazing, but I noticed Sarah kept checking her phone and glancing at the empty seat next to her. I felt bad for her. I had been in her shoes multiple times with Myles.
Carter’s father had the best laugh, which quickly made me realize Aunt Emily was his sister. Dessert consisted of many different treats, but the little peanut butter balls were my favorite. When we were all too full to sit, we headed back into the living room where even more people were joining in the fun.
After that, I was toured around the room by Carter’s mom, meeting more people than I could keep track of. Carter stayed close, but he too was often pulled into side conversations. I made sure I smiled over at him now and then to let him know I was fine. His family were more than friendly, and every so often a hysterical comment would be made, and my mouth would drop open in laughter.
That was, until Sarah rushed her boyfriend up to me, and I nearly fell flat on my face.
“Arizona, this is Jason.” She beamed like a teen in love while I mirrored the polar opposite.
His mask slipped for a half a second before he reached out to shake my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Arizona.” I was stuck, unable to move while my head screamed everything I ever wanted to say to the man who had participated in the sordid cheating sex with my husband and his female work friend.
“Are you all right?” Sarah seemed concerned as her tone dropped and she touched my arm.
“Yes, sorry. You just reminded me of someone.”
“I get that a lot.” He smiled and had the grace to look a little sick himself. I wanted to pour my drink down his front and light a match.
“Sarah?” her mother called, and she held up a finger to us before she excused herself and moved away, leaving me with Jason.
“Ari—”
“Don’t even,” I snapped and glared at him. What the fresh hell just happened? This was our moment of fun, and now in an instant, it was ruined? No!
“Arizona.” He grabbed me by the arm and roughly moved me to the side of the room. He smelled just as I remembered of old cigarettes, strong cologne, and scotch.
“Don’t fucking touch me.” I ripped my arm
away, feeling like my skin was on fire.
“Please don’t make a scene. I can spin one hell of a story.”
“Seriously?” I gritted my teeth with a finger in his face. “Just try.”
“Don’t screw this up for me, Arizona. I really like Sarah.”
“That’s rich,” I snapped. “You didn’t seem to care if you ruined my world.”
He set his beer down on the table and cleared his throat, coming too close for comfort. He leaned in with a false smile as if to whisper a secret. I tilted my chin and glared into his soulless eyes.
“Do you really think I was the first with Myles? Or that your bedroom wasn’t used as a god damn sex room? Shit, half his staff was either under him or behind him.” He let out a chuckle as he looked around the room, and my fingers curled into a ball. “I wonder what he’d think about you and me at the same party, dating the same family?” He laughed heartily, enjoying my discomfort.
“And what about Sarah?” I challenged.
His nasty fingers wrapped around my arm and held it up as if to inspect it.
“I can deny a lot, but can your bones take another break?”
I tried to pull my hand away and caught Carter’s worried gaze from across the room as he started to come toward us.
“My bones healed, but will her heart?” I tried to sound in control, but inside I was shaking.
“I will make your life a living hell if you so much as open—”
“Something wrong?” Carter said from behind Jason, who jerked his head around in surprise.
“Not at all. How are you, man?”
“I’d be better if you’d let my girlfriend’s arm go.”
“Oh,” he dropped me like a dead weight and laughed, “We were just laughing about something.”
Carter wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me in close. I sagged into his side, happy to be in his hold.
“The car is out front,” he said to me. “We should get back into the city.”
