Show Me the Scary Part, page 13
“Alright, I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
I hung up.
It wasn’t a big deal; his father’s colleague lived on the complete opposite side of the community. I knew he feared his father finding out, and I understand that, but I can’t be the only one who makes sacrifices.
“What are you up to?”
Nadine walked into my room.
“Scott’s coming over to see Ryder,” I said.
“He is, that’s good, I’m sure Ryder would like that. You know if he knew what was going on,” she says.
I laughed. “I’m happy he doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to stay out of your guys’ way. Scott probably doesn’t like me much after our last encounter.”
“You don’t have to stay out of the way. I’d prefer it if you were there with us. It doesn’t matter what he thinks; he should be happy that someone cares that much for his son.”
“I do care about Ryder, but I care about you also. I just don’t want him hurting you guys,” she says.
I smiled. “He doesn’t have the power to hurt us; we have you.”
“You do,” she assured.
She stood there for a moment, not saying anything.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that Deena enjoyed getting to know you at dinner.”
I knew that’s not what she wanted to say, but I just went with it. Ever since that night my mother slapped me, she has been extra doting. Our relationship has grown significantly. Right now, she was the closest person to me.
“That’s nice, I liked getting to know her too, I could see why she’s your best friend.”
“She’s a great friend, and I’m glad you two got along.”
“Did you not expect us to get along?” I questioned.
She laughed. “No, I expected you two to get along. You just never know how this stuff is going to go; you two are very different from each other.”
“You’re very different from her,” I observed.
“Yeah, I guess so, I’m going to go now.”
I smiled as she left the room. She was acting weird. I laughed it off because Nadine had her moments, and I didn’t completely understand her. I was still getting to know her, and the more I knew, the more I liked her.
She just gets so weird around me sometimes.
Thirty minutes passed, and Scott called, telling me he was here. I picked Ryder up from his bouncer, I carried him downstairs, and I opened the front door for Scott.
“Hello,” he says.
“Hi, did anyone see you?” I asked sarcastically.
He rolled his eyes. “No, no one has seen me. Besides, no one will recognize me in that thing.”
He pointed to the car parked out front. I looked and I saw a Prius. He was right, he would never be recognized driving that, he drives a Mercedes.
“Whose car is that?” I asked as he stepped inside.
“A fellow resident, I told him I’d do his scut work for a week if he’d let me hold it. I should have just handed him a hundred. I’m not looking forward to that,” he says.
“You went through so much when you could have just driven your car. The homes here are nearly half a mile apart; no one is going to see you.” I said.
“You could never be too sure,” he says.
I just rolled my eyes.
His attention goes to Ryder. “Hey, little guy, come to Dad.”
He hands for him, and I pass Ryder to him.
Scott and I went to the living room and took a seat.
“So, I was thinking next weekend you, Ryder, and I could go out of town to get away from everything.”
My eyebrows went together. “Why?”
“I have next weekend off, and I don’t think you’ll let me take Ryder for an entire weekend. I want to spend time with him, real time. I would like to spend time with you also.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t let you take him for an entire weekend. I do understand you wanting more time with him, but why do you want to spend time with me?” I asked.
“I like you, Whitney, I always have, even before all of this. We’re parents, and we will always be in each other’s lives because of this little guy. It shouldn’t be a big deal for us to go out of town together,” he says.
I thought about it, and I wasn’t totally against it. I liked him too. I just never put too much thought into us hanging out.
“I have to ask the Thornton’s if it’s alright, but it doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
I couldn’t just leave without asking for the Thornton’s permission.
“Of course.”
“Where were you thinking about going?” I wondered.
“I was thinking that we could go to the coast. I remember you saying that you always wanted to go to the beach.”
I smiled. “I have always wanted to go there.”
That was another thing we weren’t allowed to do; everything my mother hated, we were forbidden to do.
“Our family has a nice beach house; they only go there during the summer, so it’s empty.”
“I guess that would be nice. Okay,” I agreed.
He smiles widely. “Great, I’m looking forward to it.”
He turns his attention to Ryder, and I watch the two of them. Scott seemed excited to see Ryder. Ryder smiled at him a lot, but he was a smiley baby.
“I want to be around more, every chance I get, I’m going to see him,” he said.
“That’s good, I’m happy that you want to be there for him.”
He looks at me. “What about you? Can I be there for you, too?”
“As friends, sure. I hope we can be friends.”
He nods his head slowly. “Yeah, we can be friends.”
He stayed and played with Ryder until he started yawning and crying for something to eat.
“I guess that’s my cue to go.”
Nadine
I was walking downstairs. I figured Scott had left by now; he never stays that long, so I didn’t expect to see him still here. He was holding Ryder, and he was fussy; it sounded like his hungry/tired cry. He stood up and handed the baby to Whitney, leaned down, and placed a kiss on his forehead.
“I’ll let myself out,” he says.
“Okay,” Whitney says.
“I’m going to try and make it back again this week. You can tell me what the Thornton’s say about our trip,” he says.
What trip?
“Yes, I will let you know what they say.”
I watched as he leaned down and kissed Whitney on the cheek.
“I’ll see you later.”
I looked at Whitney to see her reaction, and she was blushing.
Whitney never told me how deep their relationship went; she may have serious feelings for him.
When he finally left, I decided to make my presence known.
“That looked friendly,” I said.
Whitney looks at me and smiles. “It is friendly, he’s my child’s father. We should be friendly, right?”
“Of course, but I think his friendly and your friendly are two different things,” I said.
“He’s always been friendly,” she mentioned.
I laughed. “I’m sure he’s very friendly, friendly enough to put a baby in ya.”
“I know better this time,” I said.
“Yeah, I hope so, or Ryder’s going to have a little brother or a sister soon.”
“Trust me, I know better, and I don’t want to go through this again,” she assured.
“So, what trip?” I asked.
“You were listening?” she wondered.
I shook my head. “I walked in at the tail end of your conversation, and I heard him say something about a trip.”
“He wants to take Ryder and me to the beach next weekend,” she shares.
I wasn’t expecting that. The beach is five hours away from here.
“Oh, that’s nice. What brought that on?” I inquired.
“I don’t know, he wants to spend more time with Ryder, and I’m not comfortable with him staying overnight with him. Do you think it’s a bad idea?”
“You can make your own decisions, Whitney. If this is something you want to do, you should do it. I don’t know Scott, but he seems to genuinely care about Ryder and you.”
“Okay, but do you think I should go?”
I go over and take a seat beside Whitney, and I look at her.
“You just came from a place where they told you what to do, what to say, and what to think. I’m not going to do that. If you want to go, you should go. All I ask, Whitney, is that you be careful,” I smile.
She returns my smile. “I want to go.”
“Then you should go, with my parents’ permission, of course.”
“Of course.”
Ryder started to have a full-blown fit in Whitney’s arms. He was hungry and tired—a deadly combination.
“I’m going to take him up; he’s ready for bed,” she says.
We both get up from the couch.
“Goodnight, Whitney.”
She gives me one last smile before going upstairs.
“Goodnight, Nadine.”
I watched as she ascended the stairs, then I went to look for Lenny.
“Nadine, do you need anything? I was just about to leave?” she asked.
“He wants to take her away for the weekend,” I blurted.
She looked confused. “Who wants to take someone where?”
“Ryder’s father wants to take them away for the weekend. I’m trying to be calm, but in all honesty, I’m freaking out,” I admitted.
I didn’t want her going anywhere with him. I see the way he looks at her, and I can’t help but feel angry.
“I knew you were going to catch feelings for her.” Lenny gives me a stern look.
“I care about her and Ryder, that’s all, I just don’t think her going out of town with him is a good idea,” I said.
“Why is that, Nadine?” she inquired.
I hesitated.
“He’s the father of her child, and Whitney cares about you, but it’s natural for her to want to explore things with her child’s father. It may make you angry, but that’s the reality of it. Besides, she may just want to build a relationship with him, nothing more,” she voiced. “My point is, just support her or just leave it alone. She’ll figure out what’s right and wrong for her.”
“I know that, Lenny, I just didn’t think this would affect me this much.”
She shrugs. “These sorts of things just sneak up on you.”
“She sneaked up on me like a tornado,” I exaggerated.
She laughs. “Whitney’s going to be okay, and you’ll be okay too. You’ve never felt what you feel for her, and I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem, hon,” She hugs me, then she goes on her way.
I just stood there, exhaling a deep breath I took, I just needed to deal.
* * *
“Where are you off to?” Whitney asked, holding Ryder in my doorway.
It was Friday night, and I had just gotten ready for my date with Maggie.
“I have a date tonight,” I shared.
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, is it the same girl you met at that party?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“That’s great.”
“We’re just getting to know each other. I’m not looking for a relationship,” I said.
“Then what’s the point of going on the date if you don’t see anything more coming from it?” she asked curiously.
“You date people to get to know them; the first date is to determine whether there will be a second date,” I explained.
“I guess you know more about it.”
“Were you looking for a relationship when you got with Scott?” I asked curiously.
“At the time, I think I would have liked to date him, but what we had needed to be kept a secret,” she says.
“You never thought about dating someone you don’t have to keep a secret?”
“Any romantic relationship I’d have would have been a secret; I wasn’t allowed to date.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to be a secret anymore; you can date,” I pointed.
“No one’s going to date me, I have a baby.”
I looked at her and I smiled. “You cannot think like that.”
“Why not? It’s true.”
“You’re not going to make me say it, are you?”
“Say what?”
“Whitney, you are great and nearly perfect in every way, not only that—you’re drop-dead gorgeous. Anyone would be lucky enough to be with you, and Ryder will not change that. To love you is to love him,” I spoke honestly.
She was a little taken off guard by that statement.
“Is that what you think?”
“It’s what I know.”
She gives me a soft smile. “Thank you for saying that.”
“No problem, I should get going.” I looked at Ryder in her arms. “Bye, my Marshmallow.”
He smiled widely at me, and I kissed his chubby cheek.
“I’ll see you later, Whitney.”
“Have fun.”
* * *
I had a nice time with Maggie; she was nice, but I knew almost immediately that I didn’t want a second date. There were some things she said during our conversations that didn’t sit right with me.
She came across as a bit materialistic, which isn’t uncommon for the kids who attend my school. Most of them come from affluent backgrounds, so most of them are snobs. She valued material things more than what actually matters.
Being with Parker has taught me some vital lessons about dating—that was to look for signs. There are always signs on the first couple of dates that make you steer clear of that person. I noticed how overly friendly Parker could be with people, and I took it as if she were just a social and nice person. I was wrong, I ignored such a blatant sign, and I ended up in a terrible relationship.
I will not be ignoring the signs this time.
“So what do you think about doing this again?” Maggie asked.
We were parked in front of her house.
I didn’t want to do this again, and the last thing I wanted was to lead her on.
“I had a great time, Maggie, and liked getting to know you, but I’m honestly not feeling this. I think we’ll be better off as friends.”
I hope that was an easy letdown.
“Oh, so you don’t like me like that?”
“I’m sorry, I just don’t feel it.”
“It happens, I guess. I was feeling you, so it sucks that you don’t feel the same.” She appeared sad.
“You’re great, Maggie, and I would like to be friends if you’re up to it,” I offered.
“Yes, of course; I’m going to leave now. Goodnight, Nadine.”
“Goodnight, Maggie.”
Maggie got out of my car, and I watched her until she got into the house safely, then I pulled off.
Yeah, I wasn’t dating for a while after this.
* * *
Whitney
Nadine and I were sitting at the table Saturday morning, eating breakfast that she had prepared. Lenny didn’t come on the weekends because she spent that time with her family.
Teresa and Alexander took a weekend trip; they were so in love with each other, and it was nice to see. My parents were never very affectionate with each other; they only seemed into one another when there were people around.
“Thanks for breakfast, this is great,” I said.
She smiles at me. “I’m glad you like it.”
“So, how was your date? You haven’t talked about it,” I asked.
She shrugs. “It was okay, but we didn’t mesh well. She’s a nice girl, but she’s a bit too materialistic for me.”
“That sucks. There are other girls, right?”
“There will always be other girls, I just don’t want any other girl. I want the girl, you know?”
“She’s out there.”
She looks at me. “Yeah, I know she is.”
Nadine went back to her food, and I could tell that she was thinking about something.
“My parents said it’s okay for you to go out of town with Scott next weekend. Are you excited?” she wondered.
“I’m a little nervous, I’ve never actually been alone with Scott for more than a couple of hours. I’m having second thoughts about going. I don’t want to be alone with him,” I confessed.
“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to; I can take you to the beach,” she offers.
I smiled. “I would rather go to the beach with you, but Scott wants to spend time with Ryder. I can’t not go.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I was thinking…maybe you can come with us,” I suggested.
I didn’t like the thought of being away from Nadine. I catch myself missing her when she’s not around.
“You want me to go with you and Scott?” she questioned.
I nod. “Yes, will you go with me, Nadine?”
She didn’t seem to think about it long.
She smiles at me. “Sounds fun.”
I returned her smile, and now I was looking forward to it.
THIRTEEN
Nadine
I am on the road on the way to Scott’s beach house. Seriously, how did I end up here? Oh, I know. Whitney asked, and I had to say yes.
It was so awkward, I didn’t realize I would have to ride up front with Scott. Whitney sat in the back with her son naturally.
We were two hours into the trip, and I looked back to see Whitney sound asleep. That wasn’t at all shocking. She naps whenever she gets the chance, and Ryder was screaming for the first hour of the ride. He hated car rides.
“Is she breathing? You’ve been looking back there a lot?” Scott said smugly beside me.
I just looked at him.
“What’s up with the two of you anyway? I was confused when Whitney called asking if you could tag along,” he says.
“Tag along? Sounds like I begged to come with you guys. Whitney wanted me to come, so I said yes.”
“You couldn’t have said no?”
“I don’t say no to her,” I said simply.
He looked from the road for a second to shoot me a look.
