I take our bags full of cake and allow James to lead me out of the bakery. It’s close to six pm now, and I reach into my pocket to check the subway schedule. We walk in silence until I realize I’ve just missed my way home. “Crap. I gotta call my sister to come get me.”
“I can take you home.” I look up at him with a tentative look on my face. He drawls, “That is, if it’s not weird for you.”
Dude, he already knows where you live from your paperwork. What gives?
I guess so. But something feels off. My silence is making this awkward. “Um, sure. Only if it’s not out of your way.”
He asks, “Where do you live?” I prattle off the address and he assures me, “That’s actually on my way, so no biggie.” We walk down the street to the center’s parking lot. He walks over to red family sedan and unlocks it. I smile to myself. This is not the car I envisioned him having. When we’re both seated, he catches my smile. “What?”
I shake my head. “I thought you’d have a truck, or something manly.”
He shrugs. “This was my mom’s car.” Then he grins sheepishly. “My truck’s at home.”
“I knew it!” I clap my hands together and whoop.
We drive out of the parking lot. “Yeah, yeah. You win at life. Congratulations.”
I laugh out loud. “Oh my God, you’re, like, so funny.” As he drives, we talk about work. James explains tomorrow will be a busy day, as Wednesdays usually are. We talk, laugh, and joke, and it feels like only minutes before we’re at my apartment building.
He pulls into one of the free spaces and I free myself from the seatbelt. I smile over at him. “Thank you so much. I had so much fun this afternoon.” I think a moment, and admit reluctantly, “I have a lot of fun with you, James.”
“You’re welcome. Anytime you need help with something or don’t know where something is, let me know. I’m volunteering to show you around.” He pauses a moment before adding, “I have a lot of fun with you too. I didn’t know when I hired you I’d be making a friend.”
My heart swells. Before I have a chance to think on it, I lean forward and throw my arms around him. I hug him hard. “Me too. And you don’t know how much I needed a friend, so thank you.”
I feel him hesitate, but his arms slowly come around me. I rest my chin on his shoulder as he mutters, “You’re welcome.”
And that’s about the time a harsh knock sounds at my door. My heart jumps in time with my body. I squeak and turn around to see Ash staring into the car window. I wave and smile. He doesn’t smile back.
Oh hell. He’s pissed.
The car door opens, and my cupcakes and I are pulled outside. He growls, “Get inside. Now.”
What the hell? Where is this coming from?
James’s eyes fixate on Ash. He glowers at him and utters in false calm, “I wouldn’t do that again if I were you.” I’m so confused right now.
Asher stands just outside of the open car door. “Mind your own fucking business, jerkoff. You make a fucking habit of driving home your employees and getting touchy with ‘em in dark parking lots?”
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! My eyes widen. I tug on Asher’s arm. “It wasn’t like that, Ash. God! You don’t even know him!”
But he doesn’t even hear me. He grins cruelly towards James. “I think you just lost your job, boss.” He points upward towards the security camera pointed directly at the car.
Fuck! He would dare!
…would he?
Panic turns me into a crazy woman. I pull Asher back by his arm enough to get him away from the car, and then I push at his chest with all my might. He finally looks down at me with a scowl. I push him again and snarl, “I am not my sister. You don’t have the right to pull shit like this! Get out of here, Ash! Just leave!”
Ash just blinks at me. “You serious? He’s fucking playing you, Lena!”
My body shakes with anger. I hiss through gritted teeth, “Not everyone is like you used to be, Ghost.”
The shot hits its target. His eyes widen a moment. He looks ready to attack me, but then a bored look replaces Asher’s concern. “You know what?” He starts to walk away. “Forget about it.”
I quickly look towards James. “I’m so sorry. He’s not usually like that. He was way off. I promise you you’re not going to lose your job.”
James doesn’t look at me. Jaw steeled, he looks down at the steering wheel and mutters, “He’s right.”
“What?” I’m shocked.
He looks over at me. “I said he’s right. I shouldn’t be treating you the way I am. I shouldn’t have put my arm around you today, and I definitely shouldn’t have put my arms around you just then. If anyone had seen us, I’d have been in deep shit. I’m sorry, Helena, for being so inappropriate with you.”
His change of demeanor is making my heart hurt. Have I just lost my friend? “But I liked it,” I assure him wholeheartedly.
He smiles sadly at me. “That’s the problem.” He starts the car. “I did too.”
He reaches over and closes the car door before driving away, leaving me standing in the middle of the parking lot, wondering if I just lost my job as well as my friend.
I don’t know how much time passes before I hear a car beep behind me. I turn to see Nat smiling and waving at me through her car windshield. As soon as she sees my expression, her face falls. She quickly occupies the parking spot James had used and jumps out of the car. “Okay. Whose ass do I need to kick?”
I’m still in shock. I can’t believe that just happened. Shaking my head, I tell her, “No one’s. Just a shitty day.”
She wraps an arm around me and coos, “Naw, cheer up, glum chum. We’re going to Tina’s for dinner!” She shakes me back and forth in a silly dance, and cheers, “Yay! Free dinner! Poor people love free dinner! You should be ecstatic!”
Stupid sister, making me laugh when I really want to cry. “You’re a dork.”
She bunches up her nose. “Yeah, well, you smell bad. And that’s not even a joke. Get upstairs and wash your stinky butt.” We make our way upstairs together while I half-listen to Nat tell me about her day. When we reach our apartments, she pushes me to my door. “You got a half-hour to get ready. And by half-hour, I really mean twenty minutes.”
As soon as I unlock my apartment door, I fish my wallet and work ID out of my pocket and throw them onto the counter. Holding my cell in my hand, I quickly type out a text.
Me: I’m so sorry, James. I understand you’ll probably want to stay away from me, but I need to know. Are we still friends?
A minute passes before my cell pings.
James ‘The Boss’ Whittaker: Of course.
My gut clenches. Great. From hugging and joking, to a two-word response. Talk about being demoted. I walk from the kitchen into the bathroom. I throw on the light and step inside. “Motherfucker!” I shriek as I’m attacked from behind. Needle sharp teeth bite into my ankle and teeny claws firmly wrap around my foot. As I lift my foot high in the air and shake it, kitten securely attached, I wonder if today can possibly get any worse.
Surely not.
At least, I hope not.
Chapter Sixteen
Helena
“I mean, I just don’t see the need for them, is all. They look so poofy and stupid. Who the hell uses them these days anyways?” questions Nat. I’ve only been half-listening to her as we drive from the apartments to Nik and Tina’s house. “Hello? Earth to Helen!”
That catches my attention. “Don’t call me Helen, bitch.”
She turns in her seat to look at me in the back seat while Ash drives. “We’re discussing something serious here. I need you to tell me I’m right.”
Looking out the car window, I rest my chin on my balled fit and sigh. “Sorry. What are we discussing?”
“The banning of the cravat worldwide.”
I bunch my nose. “We’re Croatian. Croatians invented the cravat. In fact, cravat is a French term meaning ‘in the style of the Croat’. I don’t want
to ban the cravat. Ties exist because of the cravat. I like the cravat. I like ties too.”
This has peaked her interest. Her brows rise. “No shit?”
I nod. “No shit.”
She turns in her seat. Then she announces, “I say we get the cravat back into fashion. I’ll discuss with Tina.” Smirking, I look into the rearview mirror to find Asher looking at me. My smile falls and I quickly look away. Stupid man. Stupid, nosey man. Ruining my life and such.
Finally, we arrive at Tina’s house. As soon as we’re parked, Nat jumps out and heads towards the front door. I move to follow, but a hand at my elbow stops me. “Wait.”
My shoulders stiffen at Asher’s urgent tone. “What?”
“We need to talk.”
Snatching my elbow from his grip, I walk away from him. “No. We most certainly do not.”
When I walk inside, I find Tina there rubbing her swollen belly. She smiles at me. “Hey, sweetie!”
I hug her tightly. “Hey, sexy mama.”
She squeezes me. “I feel so bad for not having you over earlier, but with the kids, and work, and everything in between,” she frowns, “I really don’t have a good excuse other than I’ve been busy.”
We pull away from each other and I reach for her hand. “You’re busy incubating my nieces or nephews. You’re forgiven. A thousand times over.”
It’s almost as if she can’t help herself. She grips my cheeks and kisses them both. “I love you.”
“Love you more, Teeny.”
Mimi spots me and winks. “Shake that ass, baby.”
I grin at her and add a little sway to my step. When I reach her, I turn. She places both hands on my butt cheeks and squeezes. A silence encompasses the room. I look around to find all the men in the room looking down at Mimi’s hands. Trick, Nik, and Max have an identical dreamy look on their faces, while Asher’s lips twitch. Trick suddenly announces, “I have to use the bathroom,” at the same time Max states, “I’m needed in the kitchen.”
They both scatter, and Mimi cackles. “Fucking amateurs,” she taunts, then she kisses my cheek. “How you doing, babe?”
Thoughts of this afternoon swarm my head. I force a smile. “Fine. Just fine.”
A look of confusion crosses her face. She sniffs the air and utters, “I smell bullshit.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s nothing.”
Before she can dig, I move over to Lola and wrap my arms around her from behind. “Lola, why are men dicks?”
She pats my arm, leans back into me, and laughs through her nose. “I realize I should have the answer to this question, being that Trick is Trick, but I don’t.” She pouts. “Sorry.”
Speak of the Devil. Trick appears in front of us. He looks up and spots me. He fakes offence, “Did you sneak in here without saying hello to me? What kind of monster are you?”
I play insulted. “I would never!”
He takes a finger and taps his cheek. “Pucker up, sister.”
I reach over to kiss his cheek, but at the very last second, he moves and I kiss his lips. I squeak and slap at him while Lola laughs out loud. “Get out of here, you little shit!” Both laughing, Lola looks to me and says, “I’d apologize for him, but,” she shrugs, “you totally fell for it.”
A chuckling Trick runs away, then he bursts into song. “You make it hard to be faithful, with lips of an angel.”
Nik comes out of the kitchen holding an oven tray full of ribs. He places them on the dining room table before engulfing me in a bear hug. He holds onto me, rocking me back and forth. “Hey, little one. How’s work?”
“It’s great. I love it. I’m so glad I took a chance.”
His dimple makes an appearance, and although it’s a nice dimple, it doesn’t make my belly turn like Max’s does. “I’m glad you took a chance too. Now I get to see you and all my girls happy. And seeing my girls happy…well…that makes me happy.”
I tut. “You need to stop with all the sweet. I can’t fall in love with a married man, Niki.” I lean forward, take his oven mitt-covered hands in mine, and whisper with regret, “It would never work out.”
He chuckles and leans down to kiss my forehead. “Goofball.”
Arguing from the front door has all our heads turning. “Don’t you turn away from me.” But she does. Ceecee comes down the hall and into the living area, and without greeting a soul, she wheels past us all and down the hall leading to the kids’ bedrooms. “Ceecee, get back here. I’m not done talking to you!”
Whoa. I’ve never heard Max talk to his daughter that way. I’m guessing whatever happened it wasn’t something small.
Nik mutters, “Excuse me,” then joins his brother down the hall.
I move over to where Nat stands and try to ignore the heated exchange between the brothers, but it’s not easy. Also, I’m nosey. I whisper to Nat, “What do you think’s happened?”
She responds quietly, “Who the heck knows? She probably disappeared again.”
Wha—? I whisper shout, “What? When did she disappear?”
Geez, Louise, my sister loves gossip. She discreetly looks around before leading me a few steps away from everyone and explaining, “You know the weekend you arrived and we all went to The White Rabbit?” I nod, so she continues, “Well, the kids were getting packed up and ready to go, but no one could find Ceecee. They looked everywhere in the house for her, and Max was just about to head out onto the streets looking for her, when Nik spotted her at the front of the yard.” Nat’s face turns annoyed. “She had to have heard them all calling her, but she didn’t call back to let anyone know she was okay. Max was so shaken over it he skipped work. And he never skips work.”
Mouth parted, I swallow hard and mutter, “I thought he was a just a slacker.”
Nat snorts. “Max? You’re kidding, right? The guy is seriously ambitious. And he’s a good guy, and a great dad too.”
I’m beginning to see that. Also, I’m a judgey bitch. Shame makes my middle tense. Shaking my head at myself, I sigh. “God, can I be more wrong about a person?”
Nat bumps her shoulder into mine. “I really wish you would give him a chance.”
“I am.” I look over at her and promise, “I will.”
Noise from the hallway calls for my attention. Max walks over to me, smiling a totally fake smile. I’m immediately wary. He starts, “Hey, cupcake, you got a sec?”
My eyes search his face. He looks drawn and tired. I respond, “Sure, what’s up?”
He quickly looks around before leaning down to ask quietly, “Can we talk in private?”
Nodding once, I follow him down the hall. He talks as we walk. “Let’s go to my place.” Nat told me Max recently moved across the street. He opens the door for me, and we walk down the driveway. Sounding strained, he apologizes, “Sorry for making you walk like this.” He stops suddenly, turns to me, and in all seriousness, he asks, “You want a piggyback ride?” I’m not sure if he’s serious or not. He adds, “I can carry you. You weigh what? One hundred and twenty-five pounds?”
One hundred and forty-nine-point-seven, actually.
Bless his heart.
I’m still blinking at him when he turns his back to me. He pats his lower back. “Jump on.”
That snaps me out of it. “Max, I’m not jumping on your back.”
“Why not?” He actually sounds perplexed.
I snort a little. “Because I’m a grown-ass woman and I can walk.”
He turns to face me, and replies, “I know. But why would you, when you can ride me?”
Oh dear Lord. The images. Make them stop. Sweet Jesus, make them stop!
I look up into his bright amber eyes and swallow hard. I whisper, “I’m not going to ride you, Max.”
He nods. “Okay. Suit yourself.”
Not a second passes before I’m swooped up bridal-style and being walked down the driveway. I yelp and wrap my arms around his neck. He smiles down at me with his gleaming, straight teeth. “There. See? You weigh about as much as
a pillow.”
I glare at him. “Put me down. You know as well as I do that I do not weigh as much as a pillow.”
He concedes with a tilt of his head. “Okay, four pillows, then. Happy?”
With his strong arms around my back and under my knees, wetness seeps from where wetness should not be seeping right now. His rock-hard chest and abs feel warm against me. He smells amazing too. All it would take for me to kiss him is to lean up a little. “Please put me down.”
He purses his lips. “Nah.” He looks down at me and grins. “I like you in my arms.”
Those words both annoy and excite me. “Why don’t you ever listen?”
He pauses a moment to throw me up in his arms a little, then shrugs. “Because I like getting my way.” The honesty of that answer makes me pause before I laugh. He utters, “Good answer, right?”
Realizing I won’t be getting my way, I settle in his arms and allow him to carry me. “Yeah, it was.”
At the end of the driveway, he settles me on my feet, but reaches down to entwine our fingers. “We’re just across the street here.”
The house is amazing. It’s just as big as Nik and Tina’s. I had no idea Max had this kind of dough. I hate to say it, but it’s kind of a turnoff. He unlocks the front door and ushers me in. Everything is perfect. Paintings hang on almost every wall, and the smell of fresh paint assaults me. The deep apricot color of the walls is intimate and inviting. Picture frames are scattered everywhere, but mostly things are still in boxes. “Max, this place is amazing.”
His reaction earns him serious points with me, even if he didn’t know I was scoring him. With a shrug, he walks deeper into the house. “It’s just a house.” My heart smiles that he’s not all about money. It’s a relief. He turns on a light and I follow him into the kitchen. He pulls out a stool for me to sit on, then walks to stand on the opposite side of the counter. He paces, looking unsure of himself. “Okay. So, you know I’ve been having issues with getting Ceecee to work out. Well, today she’s stepped up the rebellion.” He looks me in the eye and reveals, “She skipped class today. Not one. All of them.”