Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
West
B lue’s head rests on my shoulder as she scrolls her phone, killing time before the infamous Seth shows up. Today will be our first time meeting, and I promised I’d be on my best behavior. I’m not the kind of husband who gets his nuts in a knot just because his wife’s building a professional relationship with another man. However, I am the kind of husband who will fuck some guy’s shit up if he steps out of line.
But I’m keeping an open mind. If Blue thinks everything’s on the up-and-up, I’ll trust that until Seth gives me reason to believe otherwise.
“Of course,” Blue sighs, and I glance down at her phone screen to see what’s up. “Someone spotted us at the gas station in North Brook, now they’re speculating why we were there.”
I’m honestly sick of this shit. Yeah, we chose Dr. Tyler because he’s an amazing doctor with an incredible success rate, but let’s be honest. We chose him because he’s three hours outside of Cypress Pointe in North Brook. We thought a buffer like that would afford us a bit of privacy, but apparently the decision to stop at the gas station before hopping on the freeway shot that plan to hell.
“Do you think anyone saw us leaving his office?”
Blue peers up at me, the worry in her eyes tearing me to shreds. Placing my hand on her cheek, I kiss her forehead.
“No, Babe. I don’t think anyone saw. If they did, Pandora would’ve been all over it.”
She’s quiet, and I hate this—her worrying when we got so much good news today. We should be celebrating getting to move forward with treatment, but here we are, worrying that someone will find out we’ve sought help to grow our family.
A fact that shouldn’t bring even an ounce of shame because everyone’s journey is different.
“They didn’t catch us this time, but… what if they do next time?” she asks, and the fear in her voice has me wanting to burn this entire city down just for a chance to smoke out Pandora.
“Then, if that day ever comes, we’ll face it together. You and me. You have my word.”
She peers up again, those vivid blue irises staring back at me. When she nods, I kiss her forehead again.
At that very moment, the chime at the entrance of the diner dings . Blue and I both glance that way. I’ve seen Seth in the many pics Pandora has posted of him and Blue over the weeks, so I recognize him right away. And as if he wants me to kick his ass, he’s got this eager grin on his fucking face as he scans the diner, looking for Blue. It takes him a moment, but he finally sees us sitting here, and I almost laugh out loud, watching his grin fade as he realizes she’s not alone today.
“Hey!” Blue says, waving him over. She’s so used to being nice to everyone , she has no idea this guy is probably reading more into it.
Walking this way, he puts that smile back on, but it’s more tense now.
“Be nice,” Blue says under her breath, and I intend to be a man of my word, but the protective side of me has me on high alert.
I stand when Seth walks up, and his eyes widen a bit. I’ve been told I’m larger and more intimidating up close, and in this case, I’m perfectly fine with that. Maybe it’s best he gets a good look at the guy who will fuck him up on sight if he steps out of line.
“You must be West,” he says, shaking my hand.
“And you must be Seth. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Likewise,” he says, clearing his throat right after.
I lower into my seat when he does, draping my arm across the back of mine and Blue’s side of the bench. The tension is more than thick.
“So… how’s your week been? Both of you,” he adds, shifting his gaze from Blue when he remembers there are two of us seated on this side of the booth.
“Good. Just busy,” Blue says. “Yours?”
“Same, same.”
He goes silent after answering her question, and I have the feeling he’d be a whole lot more talkative if it were just my wife sitting here. But I digress. I’m supposed to stay on my leash, right?
“So,” I sigh, “how long have you been in this line of work, Seth?”
Honestly, I don’t care even a little, but I’m pretty sure small talk is supposed to warm people up.
“Depends on how you count up the years,” he answers. “I started shadowing my uncle on job sites when I was thirteen, but I established myself as a professional a decade ago, when I turned twenty.”
I nod, still not caring, but hopefully this makes it look like I do.
“Nice.”
“I hear you’ve played football since high school,” he says. “I imagine you’re always on the go since going pro, though. Ready for the upcoming season?”
I nod, remembering Blue’s plea that I play nice as I soften the look on my face a bit. “I am. Training camp is coming up, then we’ve got the season opener in about six weeks. Feels like it flew by.”
“I’ve never been much of an athlete myself,” he says, “but I’ve always appreciated the physicality, the dedication to the game. It’s admirable, I… just don’t think I could cope with the lifestyle.”
My brow arches. “The lifestyle?”
He nods, then leans forward to rest his elbows on the table when he gets a little more comfortable. “Yeah, I mean, all that traveling? That has to wear a guy down. I just don’t think I’d be cut out for it, especially if I had a wife I had to leave home, or God forbid kids. It just seems like a lot to juggle, you know?”
I’m not sure if there was a hidden meaning in that statement, but it feels like it, so I decide to trust my gut.
“And yet, so many of us juggle it just fine, Seth. Guess it just takes a particular kind of man to manage a high-stakes career while still being able to take care of his wife. I appreciate your insight, though.”
Blue gives my thigh a light squeeze underneath the table, and I suppose that means I’m misbehaving.
“Right,” Seth says, an uncomfortable smile forming on his lips. “I’ll make sure I check out a few of your games once the season starts.”
I smile back, holding his gaze. “You do that.”
Scar’s timing is perfect as she walks up to our table, flashing a weary smile when she glances toward Seth. There’s a Joss lookalike trailing behind her in one of those powder blue uniforms Blue still has nightmares about.
“What’s up?” Scar says, and I don’t miss how she shoots Seth another quick side-eye. It reminds me of what Blue mentioned about her sister getting the same impression I got.
That Seth wants more from Blue than her business.
“Hey, Peyton,” Blue says, peeking around Scar. “Look at you, moving up from hostess to waitress.”
Peyton offers a shy wave. “Hey. Yeah, I’m shadowing Scar this week, then Dusty thinks I’ll be ready to fly solo after that. Fingers crossed,” she smiles.
“You’ll do fine. If I could wait tables here, anyone can do it,” Blue laughs.
“She isn’t lying,” Scar mumbles, then smiles big. “You guys ready to order?”
Blue reaches across me to thump her sister on her knuckles, prompting Scar to snarl as she shakes off the sting.
“Correction,” Scar says, “is anyone who isn’t Blue ready to order?”
Seth smiles. “Just coffee for me.”
“Water with lemon,” Blue says, prompting Scar to glance toward me next.
“Same, but no lemon.”
“No one wants actual food? Uncle Dusty says it’s on the house,” Scar adds.
Blue glances toward me and Seth to see if either of us wants to add anything. Then, she shakes her head. “Nope, all good.”
Scar shrugs. “Cool. Be back in a sec.”
Before Seth and I can venture off into another rousing conversation, Blue speaks up.
“So, bring me up to speed. I want to hear everything.”
“Well, my guys got a lot of the demo work done, but we can’t touch anything other than drywall, flooring, fixtures. It’s the best we can do since we’re not allowed to get to the structural features until we cut through the last of the red tape. We’ve been clearing debris as we move along, though, keeping the worksite safe.”
“Perfect. When are we expecting the last permit to come through?”
“Three to five business days was the estimate,” he reminds her.
Clasping her hands with excitement, Blue’s face lights up. “Music to my ears.”
Seth flashes a half smile, but my question cuts off his response.
“Are there any hiccups we can expect from the inspection?”
It’s clear he doesn’t want to answer to me, but I’m emotionally invested. More than anything, it’s important to me that my wife gets everything she envisions. I’m here for support when she starts to doubt, here to bankroll the project so she has whatever she wants or needs. So, whether Seth likes it or not, I like to think of myself as a silent partner.
Then again, today, I guess I’m not so silent.
Scar and Peyton return with our drinks, then we’re focused again, and I’m awaiting Seth’s response.
“Not… that I’ve come across so far,” he stammers. “But I always do a walkthrough twenty-four hours before the inspector shows up. Just to make sure I’ve tied up all the loose ends, tightened things up as much as possible.”
I nod. “Good idea.”
“What’s next?” Blue chimes in.
“I’d love to tell you we’re ready to prep the interior for framing, but we can’t really take that step until the permit is in hand. So, in the meantime, I’ve got some material orders to finalize, and when the weather is nice like it’s been, I like to get a jump on clearing the lot—getting the overgrowth cut back, getting trash and stumps removed. Things of that nature,” he says. “Not enough to make it pretty, but enough that things look a bit more presentable. It also helps keep things out of the way while we’re working.”
“Oh!” Blue says. “Speaking of landscaping, my uncle mentioned that a lot of his regulars are excited to see something finally being done with the old building. Apparently, they’re interested in pitching in when it’s time to plant flowers and get the painting done. Is it too soon to start organizing that?”
“The timing’s perfect, actually. I’ll email you a list of tasks that are safe for volunteers, and I’ll also send a signup sheet you can print and use to collect their contact info.”
My wife is beaming, and I know it’s because she loves this, being involved with the community.
“Great! I’ll get started on it right away.”
“No problem,” Seth nods. “Call if you think of anything we forgot to discuss.”
A huge smile curves his mouth as he stares at her, and it’s confirmed. I fucking hate this guy.
He stands, and I do the same, accepting his hand to shake it when he extends it to me.
“Nice meeting you, West.”
“Same. And thanks for keeping the project on track.”
He nods once, then shifts his gaze toward Blue. “I’ll see you in a few days.”
With that, he waves, then he’s finally gone.
I watch as he heads back to his pickup, looking like he breathes a sigh of relief as soon as he closes himself inside. I look away from him when my wife stands beside me, slipping her hand into mine.
“I’m proud of you,” she says, “even though things got a little tense for a bit.”
Things being a little tense was mild. If I hadn’t made that promise, today would’ve gone a lot differently.
“Ready to take off?” she asks, and I nod, kissing the back of her hand. I drop a hundred-dollar tip on the table for Scar, like always. It’s an inside joke, a reminder of when I did something similar in support of her homemade cookie endeavor.
We wave at Dusty hard at work behind the grill, then we head out to the parking lot just as Seth pulls off.
I’m not convinced I won’t have to one day put Blue’s new business partner in his place, but for now, I’m committed to not making this harder on my wife.
Because in every situation, her happiness is my only concern.
@QweenPandora:
What an interesting turn of events. First, the King and Queen of Cypress Pointe were spotted filling up their tank at a gas station in neighboring North Brook. Now, it appears they had a coffee date with everyone’s fav smoke-show contractor.
There were no homicide codes on the police scanner, so it seems #KingMidas didn’t have to come down from his throne for a beheading. However, if he’s seen what we’ve seen in the images submitted, I’m not certain he’ll always be so cordial.
Stay tuned.
Later, peeps :)
—P