“Is my tie straight?” he asked, changing the subject.
I couldn’t contain the small laugh that escaped. It amazed me how he could go from hot to boyish in a matter of two seconds.
I reached up and fixed his black and gray tie and then straightened my back, again checking my dress and my hair.
But he tipped my chin back up, locking eyes with me. “You’re perfect,” he assured me. “Everything about you is perfect.”
But then I gasped as he spun me around and forced me to bend over. I had time only to twist my head to see what he was doing behind me before he yanked up my dress and slapped me on the ass.
“Wha—!”
He pulled me back up, my ass pressing into his groin as he smoothed my dress down and palmed my behind, breathing against my neck.
“Except that little episode at my office on Saturday,” he growled low in my ear. “Don’t ever mouth off to me in public again.”
And then he let me go and walked for the door, stopping once he’d put his hand on the door handle.
“I’ll see you soon, Ms. Bradbury.” He smirked and walked out, the sound of the janitor’s cart rolling down the hallway outside my door.
I stared at his back as he left, my stomach churning at his commands and confidence, and I shot out my foot, kicking the leg of my chair.
He had spanked me.
He’d spanked me!
I looked over at the windows, the angry sky dark with the promise of rain and the trees’ leaves dancing wildly.
Smooth sailing, my ass.
EIGHT
TYLER
“
H
ey,” I greeted Christian as I walked into the dark kitchen. “How did practice go?”
He was sitting at the granite island, leaning back in his chair with his thumbs jutting out furiously on his phone.
“Fine,” he replied, not looking at me.
His eyebrows were pinched together, heavy in concentration on whatever he was doing, or maybe he was just trying to look like he was busy.
He grabbed a piece of popcorn out of the bowl in front of him and tossed it into the air, catching it in his mouth.
I glanced down at the floor, shaking my head and smiling at the evidence that he wasn’t a perfect shot every time.
I walked around the island and opened the refrigerator, grabbing a beer.
“The rain is starting,” I told him. “Do me a favor and make sure the shutters in your bedroom are drawn and all of your windows are locked.”
“Mrs. Giroux already made the rounds to all the rooms,” he told me, continuing to type on his phone.
“Good.” I nodded, twisting the lid off my longneck. “I don’t think the hurricane will hit us, but I want you to stay inside unless you’re in school or with me.”
The storm had entered the Gulf, but its trajectory showed it heading toward Florida, so, at most, we were looking at a tropical storm.
“There is no school.”
I swallowed the beer and gave him a questioning look. “What are you talking about?”
He looked up at me as if I was supposed to know. “They canceled school until Thursday,” he announced. “They’re anticipating some flooding, so I’m off for the next two days.”
I set the beer down with a clunk and placed my hands on the island, staring at him.
“Do they send home notes letting parents know this sh—” I stopped myself. “Stuff?” I corrected.
“Yeah,” he answered, sounding sarcastic as he put his hand on the paper on the island and pushed it over. “They also e-mailed the parents, if you cared to check.”
I picked up the light blue piece of paper and read the notice.
The school sat in a depressed piece of land, and due to the heavy rains expected, they didn’t feel it was safe for students or teachers to be traveling the streets to and from the school.
“Oh,” I mumbled, calming down. “Well, that’s a nice surprise, I guess. I used to love surprise days off as a kid.”
“I’m not a kid,” he shot back, grabbing his Dr Pepper off the counter and taking a drink. “You missed that part, remember?”
I set the paper down, loosening my tie and slipping off my jacket.
What was he trying to accomplish with this behavior?
I took a deep breath and let it roll off me.
“Well, the Saints are playing tonight,” I said, looking over my shoulder at him as I grabbed a sandwich off the plate in the refrigerator. “I was thinking we could hit Manning’s for a bite to eat and watch the game.”
He hopped off his chair and picked up his soda. “Marcus’s dad is taking him to their cabin in Mississippi to fish for a couple days to get away from the rain. They invited me.” He started to walk out of the kitchen. “They’ll be here to pick me up in half an hour.”
What?
I slammed the refrigerator door closed and charged after him.
“Stop!” I barked, following after him down the hallway. “I didn’t give you permission to go anywhere. Do you even know how to fish?”
He rounded the staircase and stopped to look at me, disdain written all over his face.
“My dad has taken me fishing,” he pointed out, talking about his stepfather. “Many times. And I’ve been to Marcus’s cabin. Many times since elementary school. I wonder why you don’t know this,” he sniped, and continued jogging up the steps.
“Christian, stop!” I ordered again, my fist wrapping around the banister as I glared up at him.
That prick was not his father. I was.
“Goddamn it, Christian,” I gritted out, talking to his back. “I know nothing about you. I know that.” I tried to slow my breathing. My pulse was raging. “I messed up a lot,” I added. “And I was never there. I never put you first, and I’m sorry.”
I lowered my eyes, knowing he had every reason to hate me. Who was I to him anyway?
“I need you to start letting me in.” I spoke quietly. “Let me get to know you.”
I heard footfalls and looked up to see him continuing up the stairs away from me.
“When you start trying, maybe I will,” he called back before disappearing around the corner.
I started after him, but then Jay’s voice came from behind me. He’d just stepped out of my office.
“Just let him go,” he urged.
I stopped, looking up at the top of the stairs. “I’ve been letting him go.”
“So what are you going to do?” he challenged. “Keep him from going, so you can take him fishing instead?” I heard the teasing note in his voice. “Or hiking?” he suggested, knowing all too well that I didn’t have time to do either. “We have work to do, Tyler.”
I closed my eyes, feeling fucking defeated.
Jay was right.
I could chuck everything and spend the weekend fishing with my kid with my phone turned off and the laptops abandoned at home, and we’d have a great time.
But then e-mails would back up, production would stop because I wasn’t there to hold hands and make decisions, and Mason Blackwell would have more endorsements, because he’d stayed home and kept working.
I could tell my kid that things would calm down after the campaign.
And then I’d promise him I’d be there after the election.
And then there’d be this trip or that, and he would realize as well as me that the choices I refused to make still had consequences. They already did.
I walked back down the stairs, refusing to look at my brother as I passed him.
“Go home,” I told him.
Christian left around six, and I spent the rest of the evening in my office, going over quarterly budgets and making calls to set up new contracts.
I e-mailed my assistant, Corinne, to make flight arrangements first thing tomorrow for a trip to Asia in late November and to begin making arrangements for a luncheon I wanted to host at the house in a couple of weeks.
We could try to make it a family affair. Christian mi
ght like being able to invite friends.
It would probably be the only way I could get him to attend.
Then I researched some information online and faxed Jay my notes to add to the speech he was editing for me for a city council meeting later in the week.
“Mr. Marek.”
I glanced up from my desk to see Mrs. Giroux, the housekeeper, standing in the doorway.
“Hi.” I stood up, walking to the bar to fix a drink. “What are you still doing here?”
She entered, carrying something under her arm. “I went out for supplies, just in case.” She smiled, her blond hair – graying around her face – tied back in a low ponytail.
“We weren’t stocked with batteries or water, among other things,” she added. “You should be good to go now if the storm intensifies.”
“Okay, good,” I commented. “Thank you.”
I was glad she had thought ahead. Most residents of New Orleans – especially people like me, who’d lived here their whole lives – knew to keep bottled water, canned goods, and things like flashlights, batteries, and first aid supplies on hand. We were used to storms and torrential rains, so when we could stay in the city and weather it, we did.
When we couldn’t in safety, we left.
The rain wasn’t terrible yet, but it would be a monsoon out there tomorrow.
And by Thursday we’d have streets full of leaves, trash to clean up, and mud puddles to avoid.
I replaced the cap on the Chivas and walked with my glass back to my desk.
She approached. “I was just heading out, but I found Christian’s laptop in the TV room.” She handed it over. “I’m not sure where his charger is, and I didn’t want to leave it on the floor.”
I took it and set it down on top of my closed one.
“Thank you.” I smiled. “Now get home before your husband comes down on me,” I teased.
She rolled her eyes and waved me off. “All right. I’ll see how the weather is the day after tomorrow. If you need anything, let me know.”
“Will do.”
I watched her leave and then picked up the laptop, ready to set it aside, but then I stopped, hesitating for a moment.
Social media groups.
Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I set the laptop back down and opened it up.
I powered up the computer and brought up the Internet. Facebook was the home page, and I held back, feeling guilty about invading his privacy.
But I wasn’t prying unnecessarily. I was researching. I wanted to know what my son was like.
There was a shit ton of selfies, mostly young girls, and I immediately scrolled quicker, suddenly feeling like a perv for nosing around their adolescent world.
I caught sight of his groups on the left and saw MS. BRADBURY FIRST PERIOD and clicked on it.
Scrolling down the posts, I saw photos of student work, discussion threads about what they had talked about that day, and even parents commenting with their opinions on a historical event.
The participation was widespread, and everyone seemed excited.
I couldn’t help feeling like shit.
Christian was in this group, interacting with his peers, their parents, and his teacher, and I was nowhere.
I saw a message from Ms. Bradbury posted about two hours ago, wishing the kids a pleasant and safe few days off and to not forget to work on their assignments which were still due Friday.
Some of the students commented with pictures or jokes all done in good humor. They seemed to like her.
And I still knew almost nothing about her.
I closed the laptop and set it aside, opening up my own again.
I hesitated for only a moment, and then brought up my web browser, typing in “Easton Bradbury.”
NINE
EASTON
I
tore open the bag of microwave popcorn, a steam cloud full of the scent of butter and salt bursting forth as I shook the contents out into a large glass bowl.
“Always” by Saliva played on the iPod, and I bobbed my head to the music. Tossing the bag away, I grabbed two Coronas out of the refrigerator.
“All right. Your windows are all secure,” my brother called as he pounded down the stairs. “I’m surprised you don’t have shutters, though. I thought you’d think of that, Miss Self-Sufficient.”
I shook my head, handing him a beer. “Well, consider it my next project.”
He grabbed the bottle opener out of the drawer and popped the top. “There’s no way you’re hanging out the windows to install them yourself, Easton. You’re hiring someone to do that job.”
I shook more salt onto the popcorn. “I was going to.”
“No, you weren’t,” he deadpanned.
I laughed to myself. No, I wasn’t.
Installing shutters sounded fun. Of course, I’d have little knowledge of what I was doing, and by the time I was done, the house would probably look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, but it’d be something new to learn.
And it would get Jack off my back.
I think it honestly bugged him that I didn’t need his help more, which was why he reveled in situations such as these. It gave him the opportunity to hover even when I’d assured him the house was ready for a storm. Windows and doors secure, batteries and flashlights stocked in the kitchen drawer, and food and water shelved in the pantry if need be. That was about all we could do.
The ominous clouds this morning had turned into a light rain this afternoon, and after considering the forecast for the next forty-eight hours, most schools in the parish had decided to close. E-mails and letters were sent home to parents, and I posted in the Facebook groups, reminding students that the chapter test was still set for Friday and to continue with their reading to prepare.
I’d come home, changed into some pajama shorts and my Loyola Wolf Pack T-shirt, and then downloaded some scary movies. Jack had rushed over to make sure I was safe.
“Maybe I should stay here,” he offered, leaning against the counter behind me.
I picked two cloth napkins out of the drawer and then popped the top on my Corona. “Jack, when was I born?” I asked, not looking at him.
“November seventh.”
“What year?” I pressed.
“Nineteen ninety-one.”
“Which makes me how old?” I ran my hand over the napkin, smoothing the folded rectangle as I waited.
“Twenty-three.” He sighed.
I turned and looked at him, his contrite expression telling me he understood everything I didn’t say. He didn’t need to hold my hand during a rainstorm or worry that I’d cross paths with a black cat.
“I’m twenty-three,” I reiterated. “I don’t worry that you can take care of yourself.”
“I haven’t gone through what you’ve gone through,” he said, sounding defensive but sad. “You were sixteen when he started…”
I looked away, swallowing the lump blocking my airway.
“When he started following you, texting you, terrorizing you…” Jack went on, looking pained.
I shook my head. “Jack,” I warned, wanting him to stop.
“You never knew what was coming.” He squeezed the neck of the bottle in his hands. “You never knew whether he was going to show up in —”
“Jack, stop,” I gritted out, cutting him off.
“I know you have guilt about Avery and our parents… about that night —”
I snapped my eyes up to his. “Enough!” I ordered.
He held my eyes, both of us frozen in the kitchen as the sound of fat raindrops pounded the roof and windows.
His expression hardened, turning from sad to challenging, and he set down his beer and powered into the living room, going straight for the bookshelf.
My arms heated with fear, and my throbbing heart pounded harder as I watched him reach onto one of the shelves and unearth the small wooden chest nestled there.
He turned around, gesturing to the locked box.
“
What are you keeping in here?” he demanded.
But I clamped my jaw shut. He was invading my privacy, and I refused to give in.
“Open it,” he ordered, knowing that I had the key.
I tipped my chin up and tried to calm my racing heart. “No,” I answered calmly.
“Easton.” His jaw flexed. “Open it.”
I looked away. How the hell had he known something was in there?
My eyes burned, and I blinked long and hard. I can’t open the box. I wouldn’t. It hadn’t been opened in five years, and this was none of my brother’s business.
“No.”
He stared at me, shaking his head, probably not knowing what to do.
He walked over, speaking quietly. “You keep the past too close. You’re not moving on.” His eyes searched my face, almost pleading. “I don’t know what’s in there, but I know it’s too heavy a weight for you to carry around with you. You’re twenty-three. You say you’re a woman, but you still live within the lines as if you were a child.” He dropped his eyes, whispering in a shaky voice, “You don’t step out of the box, Easton.”
I let out a breath and turned, walking back to my popcorn. “That’s not true.”
“Do you have any friends?” he challenged, following me. “Who was the last person to make you laugh? When was the last time you went to bed with someone more than once?”
I ground my teeth together, picking up the snacks and walking back to the living room.
But Jack kept pressing, “Has anyone other than me ever been in this apartment?” he asked.
I slammed my food down on the coffee table and picked up the remote.
“I’m tired of seeing you alone,” he burst out. “I’m ready to burn this fucking place down and everything in it, so you’re forced to leave the safety of your little shell!”
“Ugh!” I grabbed a handful of popcorn and flung it at him, the popped kernels hitting his face.
He jerked back, struck dumb by what I’d done.
Dropping his gaze, he arched an eyebrow, looking down at the white puffs on the floor.
I snorted, trying to contain my laugh, and he couldn’t keep from smiling either, as he looked up at me.