Redemption (20 page)

A week passed before Oliver and I finally got the opportunity to tell Maisie and Shaun about our relationship. We probably could have told them sooner, but there was some fun to be had in sneaking around, at least until it got in the way of us having sex.

One evening we took them both to an American restaurant chain for dinner because Maisie was complaining about the lack of melted cheese and bacon which usually formed part of her meals back home.

We agreed that I would take the lead in telling them, because Maisie was the bigger risk. I honestly had no idea how she would react. She could be pleased for us, but it was more likely she would be a bit freaked out. Her brother and her sister were dating; that wasn’t something every teenager went through, but Maisie had coped with worse.

I waited until we’d finished eating and were waiting for our desserts before breaking the news. “Maisie, I don’t want you to be freaked out, but I have some news for you.”

“Okay,” she said, stretching out the word in a way that only teenage girls could. “Good news or bad news?”

“I think it’s good news,” I said.    

“So do I,” Oliver added.

“You see, Oliver and I have become close over the past few weeks, and well, we’re dating.”    

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Shaun look briefly surprised, but then he smiled at Oliver and went back to drinking his soda. Maisie’s face didn’t give anything away. She let the pause drag on uncomfortably long before finally speaking.

“Oh my God,” she said loudly. “That is completely new information. I am
so
surprised.”

Oliver snickered, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re being sarcastic aren’t you?”

“Not at all. I had no idea you two had been sneaking around having sex for the past week while Shaun and I played rugby. No idea at all.”    

“Alright, missy, no need to show off.”

“Congratulations,” she said, being serious this time. “I’m very pleased for both of you.”    

“You don’t find it… weird?” Oliver asked. “We weren’t sure how you’d take the news.”

“Nah, you’re cool and just what Michelle needed.” Maisie leaned towards Oliver as if she were going to whisper a secret, but she spoke loud enough for us all to hear. “She’s been walking around with a spring in her step for the past week, and she’s much happier now that she’s had a good—”

“Who ordered the banana split?” our waiter asked, standing by the table with no idea how much I appreciated his timing. He’d be getting a good tip tonight.

After the meal, the four of us took a walk, with Oliver donning a San Diego Chargers cap to avoid getting recognized. I wouldn’t usually be seen dead with someone in a Chargers cap, but Oliver had never seen a game of football in his life, and likely had no idea who the Chargers were, so I let him off.

No one recognized Oliver, although it probably helped that we were walking around with two teenagers—hardly the glamorous life you’d expect of the rich and famous.

“What’s going on over there?” I asked, as we approached a bookstore with a line coming out the front door.    

Maisie usually couldn’t be less interested in the contents of a bookstore, but she squeezed past the crowd and peeked through the window before letting out a loud squeal. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me back.    

“We have to go in here,” she exclaimed.    

“Why do you want to go into a book store all of a sudden.”

“There’s a book signing.”

“We’re not getting in line for an hour so you can get some member of a boy band to sign a book he didn’t even write.”

“It’s not a member of a boy band,” Maisie said excitedly. “It’s Victoria Marshall.”

“And she is…?”

Maisie sighed. “You’re so out of touch. She’s a YouTuber who hosts a cooking show.”

“When have you
ever
cooked?” I asked.

“I can cook,” Maisie protested.

“No you can’t,” I insisted. “Last time you helped in the kitchen, I asked you to cook half an onion, so you put it in the microwave. And somehow you still managed to burn it.”

“I watch her channel because she’s funny,” Maisie said. “The cooking thing is just part of the show. Come on, please can we buy a copy and get it signed? When do I ever get the chance to meet celebrities?”

“Oh, thanks,” Oliver replied.    

“You know what I mean.”

“Sorry Maisie, we’re not lining up for an hour.”

Maisie put on her sulking face, but then smiled. I didn’t like the look of that smile. “We won’t have to wait in line.” Maisie reached up and yanked the baseball cap off Oliver’s head.

Oliver tried to snatch the cap back, but Maisie was too quick for him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm, dragging him towards the door and past the line of people, who quickly recognized him.

“Excuse me,” Maisie yelled as she entered the store. “Famous person coming through.”

Oliver’s face was bright red by the time Maisie had dragged him all the way to the table where a young woman sat signing books, while her rather attractive manager lingered behind her.

“I’m so sorry about this,” Oliver muttered, half to the young woman and half to the long line of people we’d just walked past. None of them seemed to mind. The men were taking pictures and the women were gawking at him.    

Victoria’s manager didn’t seem so pleased to see us. “You all need to leave,” he said sternly. People didn’t often speak to Oliver like that. He had some balls, I had to admit. “There’s a line of people waiting patiently and you just walked right past it.” Was that an American accent?

“Caiden,” Victoria said, “it’s okay.” She pulled him away with a tug on his arm that looked more affectionate than I’d been expecting between author and manager, or bodyguard, whoever he was. Something was definitely going on there. “You’ll have to excuse him,” she said to Oliver. “He’s American. He doesn’t know a thing about rugby and is quick to violence.”

“I am sorry about this,” Oliver said. “I’m at the mercy of two Americans myself. It’s not easy, is it?”

“Um, hello, we’re right here,” I pointed out. Maisie would usually have said something, but she wanted her signed book and didn’t much care how she got it.

Victoria smiled and introduced Oliver to Caiden. She seemed almost as excited to meet him as Maisie was to meet her. Maisie got a signed book and spent the whole trip back to the hotel trying to explain to me what was so cool about this Victoria woman.    

Oliver and I could have spent the night together now that things were out in the open, but we decided it would be best to stay apart and ease Maisie and Shaun into the whole thing.

“Are you really okay with Oliver and me?” I asked once we were alone in Maisie’s room.

“Of course,” she replied. “Why do you think I wanted you to come with me?”    

“Because Mom wouldn’t have let you go otherwise?”

“Yes she would. I could have convinced her. I wanted you to come because that way you would have to meet Oliver. He always asked after you when we spoke online.”

“I should have spoken to him,” I said. “But when we left him things were… weird.”    

“Well, I’m glad you’ve finally hooked up with him.”

“I prefer the term dating,” I said.

“Whatever. There is one thing that worries me a bit though.”

“What’s that?”

“What’s my relationship to Shaun now?” she asked nervously.

“Oliver adopted Shaun, so I guess technically you’re his step-aunt. Is that a thing?”    

“Ugh. I don’t like the sound of that. Shaun says they are more like brothers, so maybe he’s like another step-brother. But then if you marry Oliver, I’ll definitely be his aunty.”

“I’m a long way from marrying Oliver. Anyway, why all the questions?”

Maisie took a deep breath and then blurted out “Shaun and I are going on a date.”

“Aren’t you a bit young to be dating?”

“Would you rather we ‘hooked up?’”

“Good point,” I agreed. “Well, I guess that’s fine.”

“On a completely unrelated note, can you take Oliver out tomorrow night so that we have the place to ourselves?”

“Hell no,” I replied. “In fact, I think Oliver and I just so happened to have plans to hang around his house tomorrow night as well. We can make it a double date.”

“That’s not what I had in mind.”

“I don’t want to know what you had in mind. But you two can still have fun. Okay, I need to get to bed.” I walked towards the door, but then turned and said “thank you.” I didn’t know what I was thanking her for, but I felt like saying it anyway.

The evening had gone about as well as could be expected, although Oliver wouldn’t be too happy about spending tomorrow evening chaperoning Maisie and Shaun. We’d sneak in some fun though. Oliver always found a way.

Michelle and I spent a few hours cramping Maisie’s style while she was trying to enjoy her date with Shaun, but when they started to watch a movie I insisted we go out for a walk to give them a bit of time alone.  

Shaun found it difficult enough to relax around new people at the best of times, so he wouldn’t enjoy his time with Maisie if Michelle was hanging around as well. Hopefully if the two of them spent some time alone they would become friends.  

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Michelle asked, as she slipped on a pair of flats. “We’ll be leaving two horny teenagers on their own.”  

“They’ll be fine. Shaun’s a good kid and Maisie isn’t anywhere near as aggressive as she makes out. Besides, we would also get some alone time, and I know I feel a bit like a horny teenager myself right now.”

Michelle smiled and bit her lip. She looked sweet and innocent, but I knew her well enough to know that was just an act as well. At least around me it was.  

Michelle held my hand as we walked down my drive and then headed to the park nearby. We’d picked a rare night where it was warm enough to walk around without a jacket or jumper even after dark.  

Whenever we walked past another couple or someone overtook us on the path, Michelle would clutch my hand a little tighter and move slightly closer to me. Even after eight years, she was still nervous about people coming out of the dark, and I couldn’t blame her. If only I had been with her that night, holding her hand like I was now, I would have been able to stop the attackers before they threw acid at Maisie and Michelle.