Miles for Love Series Box Set, page 65
“So, how do you do that?”
“What? Invest it, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll give you the contact information for my investment banker. The whole family uses him. He’s great. Comes to my parent’s Christmas parties and stuff. Or you can research your own. But I recommend an investment banker. Depending on how much you inherit, there’s a lot of red tape, and you have to watch because you’ll get hosed by the government with taxes and stuff.”
She smiles, exhaling deeply. “I’m so glad I told you.” I can hear the relief in her voice.
“Having money can be like having a full-time job if you don’t manage it properly. I’m glad you told me too.” I lift her hand to mine and kiss it. A warm glow comes across her face and I swear to God I want to lean over and kiss her lips, but man, I’m so not sure if that will mess things up between us. I so don’t want to do that. I love where we are right now. Clearly, she trusts the crap out of me. Like…a lot. For her to share with me what she just shared, she has to trust me like gold. I would never trust anyone enough to tell them that.
“Thanks.” She says. “Now you understand why I couldn’t tell Darlene.”
“Absolutely. And you understand why I didn’t want anyone to know about me before that kid at the school screwed me over.”
“Yeah. Money and sex. Taboo topics to talk about.”
I lift a brow and cock my head in agreement.
When we arrive at Ashley’s house, I get the distinct impression that her dad wasn’t given the promised preamble. He’s too bubbly and he uses the phrase ‘you two’ a lot. When Ashley leaves us to go put a load of laundry into the washing machine, Randy turns to me. “So, how is school?” he asks.
“Fine. Good. Ashley was helping me study some material on the way here the other night, as a matter of fact. She’s a smart girl.”
“That she is. Her mother was, too.” He concurs. “I never excelled in school.” He seems a little nervous. “Would you like something to drink?”
I lift a hand. “No, I’m fine, thanks.”
He lowers his voice. “Ashley told you that her natural father died recently, right?”
“Yes, sir.” I nod once.
“How is she taking it? I haven’t been speaking to her much.”
“She seems okay.” Another nod.
“I worry about her. She’s been distant with me lately.”
“I think she’s okay, sir. She’s got a lot of schoolwork on the go is all.”
He purses his lips together. “You’re right.” Randy is tall and slender, but he has a small ponch in front. His thick salt and pepper hair is kept short and tidy, and he has big blue eyes, hampered with a yellowy tinge, reticent of a drinker. His skin is tanned but sallow, another indicator of a man who enjoys the sauce.
Ashley returns, “Dad, do you need anything while I’m here?”
“No, sweetheart, I’m fine. Your mail is over there on the table.” He rises, showing her the small pile of envelopes with her name on them. Shuffling through them, she sees that there isn’t anything that stands out. “Did you want to take that box of letters that we spoke about last time?” he gives her an encouraging nod.
“Maybe next time.” She shivers a little.
“Okay, dear. No pressure.” He pats her back. “I didn’t see anything important in the pile. That’s why I didn’t mention it.”
“No, there’s nothing in here that needs to be opened. We can shred it all.”
“Okay. I’ll do that for you later.” he changes the subject. “Did you get everything straightened out with the lawyer, dear?”
“Yes. I just have to go sign a couple of things when the paperwork is complete. He’s going to call me when it’s all ready.”
I want to crawl into a corner. She’s looking at Randy with widened eyes, and I catch it. She knows this is awkward, but he’s just prattling on. Regardless of whether or not he knows that I know what they’re talking about, it’s still highly inappropriate to be discussing such personal and sensitive matters with a guest present. Especially a guest he just met. Tact, Randy…ever heard of it?
Ashley has the sense to change the subject, seeing as dear old dad isn’t getting the message. “How’s the job search going?”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’ve got a job interview on Monday.”
Her face brightens. “Really? What’s the job?”
“Oh, the usual. Just cleaning offices. This is a night job, so it’s a bit better money.” He’s not proud. Not even a little bit. He can’t even look at his own daughter.
“Dad, don’t take the job.” She says flatly. “I know how much you hate doing that. Why don’t you take a course or something? Upgrade your education, and then you can do something you really enjoy.”
He chuckles mirthlessly and gestures to me. “Like I was just saying to Christopher here…I never did well in school.”
“But a night course is different, dad. It’s not full-time school. And it would be worth it if you didn’t have to clean offices.”
The house is very small, but cute. Like a little old lady’s house. It’s very lived in, with scuff marks on the baseboards, frayed carpeting, and slightly grimy windows. He keeps it clean, or Ashley does, when she comes home. There are back issues of magazines on the coffee table, but they’re arranged in an organized fashion. A small stack of newspapers and weekly flyers lays on the dining room table, but it’s organized into a neat pile. There are no funny odors or dust bunnies in the corners.
The living room and dining room are combined, and the tiny kitchen is off a small foyer at the front door. Two bedrooms are in the back of the house, and a lone, three-piece bath leads to the bedrooms. The basement is off the side entrance. I’m guessing that’s where the laundry facilities are, because there is no place for a laundry room on the main floor.
After Ashley gives up on convincing her dad to go to school, she invites me to give her a hand in her bedroom, so she can grab clothes to take with her. Randy turns on the television and makes himself at home. Her bedroom has a small, twin bed, a tall dresser, a five-tiered bookcase jammed with textbooks, photo albums and various notebooks and diary-like volumes, and a china cabinet filled with little trinkets. The china cabinet is all glass, and it’s backlit, displaying an array of cute little ceramic ornaments.
“My mom collected these, and when I was born, she gave me one for each milestone. They’re called Precious Moments.” She explains, showing me the various milestone gifts for each birthday, baby’s first Christmas, Kindergarten graduation, all the way up to twelfth birthday, which is where they seem to stop. Then I remember Ashley mentioning that her mother died when she was twelve. “And the rest of these belonged to my mom.” She says, pointing to the much more robust collection of everything from graduation, to first baby, and so many others I couldn’t remember if I tried.
“They’re cute.”
“They are. My dad gave them all to me after my mom died. These used to be in the living room, but I liked them better in here. It helped me focus sometimes.”
“And you never brought any of them with you to school?”
“No. They’re way too fragile, and irreplaceable. I have all the original boxes for them in the basement. Whenever I get my own place, I’ll pack them all up in those for safe keeping.”
Her bedroom is very tidy and organized. It doesn’t take her long to get what she wants to take with her. We hear Randy tap on the door, even though it’s wide open. “I can take care of the rest of your laundry, love. I don’t want to keep you if you need to get back.”
“No, that’s okay, dad. I have to bring most of it back with me. But thanks.”
Randy shrugs. “Okay. Are you guys hungry?”
I shake my head no.
“No, we ate before we left.”
“Okay, love. I have to slip out and get some food into this house. I have nothing. I was going to offer for us to go out and eat together, but if you’re not hungry, I’ll head out now.”
“Okay, dad. We might be gone by the time you get back.”
He goes over and gives her a hug. “Okay, love. I’ll see you next weekend?”
“Probably. But I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. It was nice meeting you, Christopher.”
“Likewise, sir.”
He smiles before walking out. It’s weird that he’s leaving when she’s only home for a short time. And I wonder if he’s leaving because of me.
When her clothes are done, we leave, and I note that Randy has not returned. I leave her to get her clothes unpacked and organized when we get back to my house.
I’m putting together a seafood salad for two when I hear the doorbell ring. As I approach the door, I hear Grant’s voice on the other side of the door. He knocks softly, as he always does. He’s on his phone as I open the door. “Hey man,” he takes the phone away from his mouth. “You busy?”
“No, come on in.” That’s the thing about family. Rarely do they call before their arrival.
“Yeah, dude, I got it.” He says, and his voice raises an octave. “Ty, I got it, man. I’m at Christopher’s house now.” A pause. “Okay, see you soon.” He hangs up. “You’ll never guess who came home.”
“Mallorie?” I guess.
“Na, she’ll be home next week.” He leans over to remove his shoes. “Fuckin’ Brent’s home.” Brent is my sister Mallorie’s…err…boyfriend? He’s Henry’s dad.
My eyes widen. “No shit.”
“Yeah. He’s over at mom’s now with Henry.”
“Wasn’t he like…deployed?”
He chuckles. “Yeah,” he nods, following me to the kitchen. He sees that I’m cooking, and he pulls a piece of shrimp out of the pan and eats it. “He got shot.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah. He must be if he’s over at mom’s. I guess. Mom said he’s blind in one eye, too.”
“Oh…wow. Does Mal know?”
He gives me a look. “Mom said if Brent ruins Mallorie’s vacation, she’ll kill him. Apparently, she’s been talking to Larissa, and Mallorie’s been staying at this guy Aleks’s place. Looks like she’s got it bad for him.”
“Shit. So, what now? Does Brent know where she is?”
“He does now, mom had to tell him. Actually, Brent’s dad already knew, so he told him.”
“Ouch.”
“Anyway, that’s not why I’m here.” Grant says, pulling another piece of shrimp out of the pan.
“Hey, take it easy, man.” I chide. I half wonder if Ashley will stay upstairs while he’s here. Then I don’t have to take the guff from him. I think about taking him outside so we can chat. But I don’t want it to seem that obvious. “What else is going on?”
“Your birthday.”
I roll my eyes. “So?”
“So, what do you want to do for it?”
“Party at Buz’s. Play some pool here. I don’t know, man. Whatever.”
“It’s your twenty-fifth, man. We should do something epic.”
“Twenty-five is not a milestone. We did that when I turned twenty-one and we went to Vegas.”
Grant’s eyes light up. “Oooooo…Vegas!”
“I can’t ditch school this time, man. I’m so close to getting my residency. I don’t want to mess it up this time.”
“It’s on a long weekend. We can still go.” Grant shrugs.
“I don’t want to do that again. Look, let’s just hang at Buz’s.”
“But you always do that.”
“So? I like it there.”
“Fine. You gonna ask that Ashley chick to come?”
“Maybe. Why?”
“Well, you might lower your chances of getting laid if she’s there.”
My eyebrows knit together. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you act…different around her. You’re not your usual ‘what’s the quickest way to get into her pants’ kinda guy when she’s around.”
“Did you ever think that maybe I acted that way because mom and dad were there, too?”
“I’m not talking about at dinner. You’re different with her. Not saying it’s a bad thing, but if you want to get laid on your birthday, unless you’re going to fuck Ashley, if she’s there, it’s probably not going to happen.”
“Whatever, man. Let’s just keep it low key. We’ll go to Buz’s, have a few beers.”
“Okay. Cool, man.” He pats me on the shoulder. “I should go. I’m meeting Ty so we can pick up some stuff to fix our toilet. Fucking thing overflowed last night.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” I feel relief wash over me, since it looks like I dodged a bullet. I know that I’ve got to tell my family sooner or later about Ashley living with me, but I’d rather it be later, frankly.
Grant walks out the door and I get back to cooking lunch. Just as I’m cleaning the dishes and putting the food on the plates, she appears in the kitchen. She looks a little out of it. “You okay?”
“I fell asleep. That bed is lethal.” She says. “It smells heavenly in here. What is it?”
“Seafood salad.”
She looks at me like it’s unbelievable. “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
I smile at her. “Eat up. It doesn’t taste good if it’s been sitting.”
“You’re going to have to show me that gym of yours downstairs if I’m going to continue to eat like this.”
“Gladly. I’ll show you after lunch.”
Her phone beeps from her pocket and that gets a little eye roll.
“What’s up?” I ask, taking a bite of salad.
“Darlene.”
“Ah,”
“I’m not finished being mad at her.”
“Not my business, babe.” I say flippantly.
“You know she wanted to sleep with you again?” she pauses, widening her eyes at me. “The nerve of her!”
“Rest assured. I won’t do that again.”
“Good. She would just be using you to get back at Will, anyway.”
I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m over it. Time to change the subject. “Are you busy next Saturday?”
“Like…a week today?”
“Yeah,” I nod.
“No, I’m not busy. Why?”
“Well, you just missed my brother. He kindly reminded me that it’s my birthday.” I pinch my lips together.
“Oh, I must have really been out of it. I didn’t even hear you guys.” She smiles. “What are you doing for your birthday?”
“Just going to Buz’s. Nothing special.”
“Well, I’ll be there.” Her smile warms. “What do you want for your birthday?”
“I’m not big on them. Not much for gifts, either. My brothers will likely get me tanked, so I’ll expect you to take responsibility for getting me home and into bed. That’s your present.”
She lifts a brow. “Aren’t you going to go home with someone else?”
I just chuckle, feeling my cheeks heat.
Somehow, I think I’d rather just have Ashley tuck me in.
Chapter 13
Ashley
After lunch, Christopher showed me the gym and we both did a little workout. Him with weights, me on the treadmill and bike. As much as I tried not to watch him, I couldn’t help it. Afterwards, he offered for us to take a swim, but I just couldn’t handle that. At least he was wearing a t-shirt while he was lifting weights, but if he’s in the pool, he won’t be. So instead, I said I had some homework and studying to do.
Darlene is relentless. She has called and left like ten messages on my phone, and about the same amount of text messages. No apologies. No explanation. Just nosy, self-centered messages, asking how things are going with Christopher. I’d bet money on what shade of green she is. I’d also bet money that I was right. That she isn’t over Will, and that she only wanted to sleep with Christopher for revenge.
When I hear the tearful message left at about four o’clock in the afternoon, just as I close my textbook and rub my tired, overworked eyes, I cave.
Christopher is downstairs in the study, doing his homework, too. He lifts his head from his textbook when he sees me. “Do you mind giving me a drive over to the dorm?” I try to keep the pathetic tone from my voice.
He doesn’t hesitate. “Sure.” I love it that he knows when to not ask questions. We say nothing on the ride over. “You okay?” he asks when we pull up to the barren lot. Saturday classes are over for the day, and there are only a handful of cars peppered around the area.
“I’m fine. Thanks for everything.”
“I’ll be home. I’ve still got a load of studying to do, so don’t sweat it.” He says. The look on his face is odd. I’m not sure what to make of it. But his eyes slide down to my lips for a second, and I think that maybe he’s looking for a kiss goodbye?
“You mean you’re not going on a crawl for some action tonight? It is Saturday, after all.” I tease.
He gives me a quirky grin that’s kind of sexy. “I tell you what. If I’m going out, I’ll text message you to tell you where I’m leaving the key. I’ll get you one made once I drop you off.”
I snuffle a little laugh. “Okay.”
“Don’t kill each other.”
“I’ll see you later.”
Darlene is sitting at the desk when I open the door. She’s pouring over schoolbooks, but her face is flushed, and her eyes are puffy from crying. When she sees me, she rises to give me a hug. “Hey,” she says. “I’m sorry for being such a bitch yesterday.”
“It’s okay. We’ll blame it on Will. That prick.”
“He is a prick.” She snarls.
“See? I told you you weren’t over him.”
“That son of a bitch showed up here with fucking flowers…flowers! As if that’s going to smooth over him fucking that girl up against the wall!”
“Are you serious?” I almost laugh. How pathetic.
“Yeah. And I heard through the grapevine that his little friend doesn’t even go to school here. She’s some slut visiting another slut in one of his classes. I bet she doesn’t even go to University.”
“Even better. She’s a stupid slut.”
“Yeah,” she wipes her nose. “So, how are you doing?”
There’s my girl.
“Good.”
