Here With Me (Paloma's Edge) (21 page)

“Jake!” I was sure that they’d had a discussion about how to broach my mommy issues with me. Jake had deviated from her plan.

He turned off the stove. I looked at the counter, where there were three platters filled with cut slices of white cheese, boiled eggs, and bacon on top of a spinach wrap. My favorite breakfast dish.

“It’s true!” he insisted, and gestured for me to take a seat. “Luckily, it’s not too far from the dollar store.”

I swigged some lemonade, aware of the non-verbal communication between Jake and Mariska. “Taking all of the stuff from the kitchen was really shady on her part,” I murmured in agreement. “But that’s what she did.”

Mariska gave Jake a disapproving look. As she and I started to eat, Jake slumped his broad shoulders. He really could be Jared Leto’s doppelganger, minus the body build. He had the most alluring maroon eyes I had ever seen. It looked like he put eyeliner to heighten the almond shape, but it was natural. He had his mom’s eyes, a fact he took pride in.

“I’ve got the whole day free,” Jake told me as he spread his arms out. “Mariska doesn’t start work at Luigi’s till twelve. I can drive you around so you can apply for jobs after I drop her off.”

I nodded.

“Good thinking,” Mariska said, cocking her head at me. “I can talk to Francine—”

I covered the front of her hand with mine. “Francine and Steve can only handle having you and Tom working there with the regular employees. They have enough on their plate.”

Months ago, Francine and her husband, Steve, the owners of Luigi’s Pizzeria, had informed me that they couldn’t guarantee me a summer job. I’d worked there part-time for three years during high school. Luigi’s had downsized; the major building that Francine and Steve had operated in for years was now half its size, while another business had taken up the other half of the building.

Jake folded his arms and pulled his eyebrows together. “Hmm…if you took that TA position your advisor offered you, you wouldn’t have had to pay for room and board for the summer?” I gave a brisk nod. “And you only woulda had to, uh, feed yourself and get around on your own?”

“Yes,” Mariska answered for me in an irritated tone. “Jake is gonna pick me up from work tonight. We’ll see what your next move should be.”

“You guys don’t have to worry. This is my mess. This”—I motioned my hands to the counter where there was now some basic kitchenware—“is really great. I appreciate that you guys got me what I needed for the kitchen. It’s one less thing for me to think about. I have your support, and that’s what makes this less mortifying.”

Jake gave a sharp shake of his head. “You got nothing to be embarrassed about. Cindy should be ashamed of herself.” He got up to get a paper towel from the counter and pressed it to his forehead. Mariska narrowed her eyes at him, but he just stared at her defiantly. “So it was fine that you put your life on hold to be with her, but her love life couldn’t take a back seat?” His gaze drifted to my suitcases right by the door that I hadn’t unpacked yet.

Mariska shot a droll look at the back of his full head of chestnut brown hair. I started to collect our dishes, but Jake stopped me. She went with me to my room.

***

“THAT WAS HARDER FOR you than I thought it’d be.”

Jacob ran his fingers through his chin-length glossy brown mane after he parked his Explorer. Jake had driven me all around Franklin Parks. Most places were fully staffed. I may have to dip into my funds, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t. Depending on which bills weren’t paid yet, I also realized that I might have stretched out my budget too much when I’d taken Mariska and Jake to Copollas, the only fancy Italian restaurant in Franklin Parks, as an early graduation celebration during my spring break.

Ambling towards the door in the way that made him look like he was gliding towards it, he held the door open to the Franklin Parks Child Development Center, and the women warmly smiled “thank-you.” Of course, he broadened his smile and stood there for a few seconds more than he had to, knowing that they’d look at him when he entered the CDC. Heat scorched their cheeks as they saw that he had expected it. Shamelessly, they gave him another thorough once-over. It probably hadn’t entered their consciousness that their daughters and probably their sons had had crushes on Jake, or still did. Since he was eighteen, I guessed they figured that it was acceptable. It was the same sort of look Mariska had received when she began to really bloom. And that was before she was legal. It seemed like everyone was a victim to a voracious lust these days, and I was out of the loop.

When we were both inside, I rolled my eyes at him, and the corners of his mouth curled up. Sometimes it was hard for me to accept that Jake wasn’t my scrawny friend anymore. Indeed, he had grown and worked out his forty-pound gain into an eye-catching physique.

About twenty children were on the soft mats. Some slept quietly. A couple snored softly.

“Remember when we used to put the mats on top of each other and tried to hide from Mrs. Muldoon so we could sleep longer?”

I nodded. “Nap time was the best part of the day.”

I caught Pete’s rich caramel gaze. He blinked a few times, realizing that we were actually here. He ran over to us. Mariska hadn’t told me that her parents had enrolled him in the summer program. It was a wise choice. Usually one of them, or Mariska, cared for him around the clock during the summer. He was with other children his age and he’d make friends, maybe even long lasting friends like I had.

“Beth!” Pete pulled at my hands and I bent down. Over the past few months he had gotten taller and filled out more. Soon he was going to be the tallest kid in class, just like Mariska had been the tallest from the second grade up until our sophomore year of high school, where she had just been the tallest female.

I placed my finger over my lips and he nodded. Jake edged closer to us and mirrored my position while he ruffled his hands through the Pete’s wavy black mane. “Whadda ya doin’ here?”

“I came to see Mrs. Muldoon,” I told him. “And I was gonna check up on you before I left.” A deep flush crept over his entire face and I had to grip the back of Jake’s shirt before he laughed in Pete’s face. “Are you making friends?”

He covered his face in hands and he shook his head, causing Jake to chuckle. “That’s good, buddy,” Jake encouraged. “I met your sister and Beth here when I was your age.”

I missed seeing his growth. He was always in school, in speech or OT therapy, or asleep when I had been here during my school breaks.

Before Jake could respond, someone trotted in our direction. When I lifted my body up, Suzette Aiken shot me a baleful glance. Anger radiated off of her in waves. This must have been whom Jake had seen last night. Most people in Franklin Parks thought that either Mariska or I were dating Jake, or that one or both of us had dated him at some point. Suzette wasn’t the exception. No one here seemed to understand how two girls could be friends with a guy and not have some carnal benefit. Jake was like a brother to me and he was handsome in a flawless way. And I wasn’t responsive to that.

“Did you ask one of us permission to get up?” Suzette asked Pete in a chiding tone.

He ducked his head in the same way Mariska had when she was little. “No, Miss Aiken.”

“Certainly,” Jake started, and grinned—it was like watching Cindy flirt with one of her boyfriends, “he can be excused for not following the rules this one time, no?” He closed the small distance between them. She visibly shuddered as his breath fluttered over her neck. It was ridiculous. Was that what was shudder-inducing these days?

Suzette’s face relaxed and she seemed to forget that I was here. “Pete always follows the rules.” Jake lifted his broad shoulders and tipped her chin with his index finger. “I mean, how could he not when he’s got you to listen to? I’d be a very good boy if I were in his shoes.”

I rolled my eyes as Suzette gulped. Pete’s tittering slightly broke her away from her spell. She flicked her gaze in Pete’s direction, while the rest of body betrayed her reluctance to pay Pete attention. “Go back to your spot.”

“Yes, Miss Aiken.”

Hesitantly, Pete reached for my hand and looped his finger around one of mine before he darted towards his giggling friends.

“Last night…was amazing.” Suzette’s husky whisper caught my attention. As she trailed her fingers from his chest down to his definition of his lower abdomen, a cocky mien returned to Jake’s face.

“And you might have yourself a repeat performance,” he told her with a hint of humor in his voice.

***

MRS. MULDOON’S OFFICE WAS covered in collages from various children. All sorts of toys and drawings covered her desk. She had faint lines on the corners of her deep forest-green eyes and a long emerald skirt that complemented them. Her gray hair was half down. I couldn’t imagine her without gray hair. She was one of those women who looked stunning with her aging hair.

“Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Muldoon.”

“It’s always a pleasure to get a visit from my former students.” Her face warmed. “Good to see you’re still friends with Jake and Mariska.”

“Yes, it’s good,” I agreed.

“Take a seat.”

I complied and sat on the chair opposite me. “Your résumé and letters of reference make for a stand-out application. Unfortunately, we don’t have any openings at this time.”

She slid me a discomfited glance. My stomach clenched. Had I upset her? And if there weren’t any openings, then why did she ask me to sit down like we were going to have tea? It was pretty busy on the main floor.

“There’s something you should know.”

I cleared my throat. “Yes, Mrs. Muldoon.”

For an inordinate amount of time, she was silent, and then she said, “Your mom left town with John Baxter.”

I shot up from the chair, feeling the blood drain from my face. “But he’s married.”

Her mouth thinned grimly and my knees felt weak as I sank back onto the seat. “And understandably, Mrs. Baxter is beyond irate. I’d only found out because Denise, who cashiers at the Oscar gas station, had seen them kissing each other yesterday morning before they left town. She’d told…some people.”

Obviously, Denise had told everyone. Right after her mom, Opal, Denise was the biggest gossip in town. I was surprised I hadn’t found out about Cindy and Mr. Baxter as soon as I’d arrived home last night.

Out of all of the things that I thought Cindy was capable of, I really hadn’t thought that she was capable of being with a married man. Maybe I was naïve. One of the Baxter kids was playing with Pete as we were speaking. This was messed up. As a little girl, Cindy had told me countless times that family was important and that women needed to stand by each other. She had violated those principles. And I had to suppress the bile in my throat. The Baxter kids probably wouldn’t see their dad often or at all. I understood how not having a consistent male presence could make a kid feel lacking in some way. And the scandal about why Mr. Baxter left town would make the Baxter kids feel like they weren’t enough reason for him to stay.

Ireful, I fisted the sides of my slacks in order to maintain some composure. It wasn’t the messenger’s fault. Mrs. Muldoon had been my pre-school and afterschool teacher in my youth. She was doing me a favor by informing me before someone else did. And, yet, it wasn’t comforting at all.

My voice dropped. “Isn’t he always on the road?”

“He stopped trucking”—she waved her hand—“about five months ago when he was promoted to regional manager. All folks ’round here know is that the position is in Florida, but we don’t know exactly where.”

I sighed, releasing the sides of my slacks from my hands. “Goodness,” I hissed.

She blew out a ragged breath and crossed her arms at her employees, who were obviously watching us through her wide window; immediately, they acted like they were busy watching the children, like they should’ve been doing in the first place. Jake no longer had Suzette with him. He gave me a reassuring nod, which meant that he had just heard the news too. “I didn’t want you going around town unawares.”

I managed a small grin. Mrs. Muldoon could lose some business if she hired me. I knew she would. And despite Franklin Parks being a small town, there were one or two housewives with just as good of a reputation as her who would happily take business from her.

“I’ve been in touch with your Uncle Anton recently.”

“Ummm…okay,” I murmured. “I haven’t seen him for years.”

Mrs. Muldoon handed me his business card. “And he wants that to change.”