3.
Z ANE
I took a sip of my coffee before I broke a muffin in half and handed a portion to Courtney. Just before I took my first bite, I requested, “Tell me about this sister-mama situation.”
Courtney shook her head as she broke off her own bite and said, “I can’t do that.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both, really. I’m digging the flirty banter we’ve got going on, and I really want to try all of those goodies on your tray.
If I explain the dynamics of my family situation, you’re going to get uncomfortable and find an excuse to leave, and that will put an end to both the banter and the goodies. ”
“What if I promise that there’s probably nothing you can say that would make me want to get up and run .
. .” I thought about it for a few seconds before I said, “Okay, there are a few things you could tell me that might send me running for the hills, but they aren’t related to a family dynamic, more just a monstrous human problem. ”
“Such as?”
“Does your criminal history include charges that force you to register for life and would keep you from living near a church or a school?”
“God, no!”
“Obviously, you don’t beat your children, because if you were the type, you’d have beat the shit out of that mouthy little boy right there in the middle of the street the first time I met you.”
“Does it count that I really, really wanted to?” Courtney asked.
“Sweetheart, I talked to him for all of fifteen minutes and found myself pondering if the sentence was worth the crime.”
She burst out laughing and hiccupped before she slapped her hand over her mouth. She hiccupped a few more times before she said, “I’m so glad you said that because I weigh that out at least a few times a week.”
“I do have one last thing that would help me figure you out - mind you, there are more questions further down the list that would ensure I just avoid you in the future. Those are also the ones that would most likely make me get up and walk away right now.”
“They're perfectly reasonable questions, especially since I have a house full of children.”
“I agree,” I said as I pulled my phone out and scrolled through my photos until I found the video I was looking for.
I pressed play and then turned the screen toward her. I got the reaction I had been anticipating. In the same tone of voice and mannerisms my sister had used when she saw the video, Courtney whispered, “Oh my goodness! Look at the sweet babies. So cute! I want to snuggle them so bad.”
“They’re skunks, Courtney.”
“Poor little things. Look how scared they are! They just need some love.”
“Like I said, they’re skunks. Although, I have to admit that they’re adorable. That was my first thought when I found them by my mailbox, especially since I’d just passed a dead one on the road leading to my house.”
“How long ago was that? Are they bigger now? Where do they sleep?”
“At the wildlife rescue center where they belong.”
“You didn’t keep them?” she asked in outrage. “You were the one who found them, so isn’t it your responsibility to take them in and nurture them until they can care for themselves?”
“That answers a major question I had.”
“What was the question?”
“Do you have a big heart? Obviously so.” I put my phone on the table and chuckled before I said, “That explains how you ended up with all of those children that you didn’t give birth to.”
“Dayton wasn’t always the way he is now.”
“I believe it. Some kids coast through puberty without turning into horrible demons, and some kids don’t.”
“We had a few bumps in the road, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Then our mother started dripping her poison everywhere she could, and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”
“And you understand him because you fell for it once or twice, too, didn’t you?”
Courtney nodded eagerly before she said, “You do understand!”
“I get it. I’ve never been in that situation before, but it’s not hard to see the writing on the wall.
I’m thirty years old and firmly believe that my mom is a saint who can do no wrong.
If she started filling my head with shit, I’d believe her because she’s my mom. Luckily, she’s not that kind of woman.”
“You are a mama’s boy?”
“I am, and I’m not embarrassed about it. I’m close to my father, too, though. I can’t leave him out.”
“Did you see him often growing up?”
“Every morning over breakfast and every evening at dinner.”
Courtney whispered, “Whoa. That’s rare.”
“I know it’s not the norm, and I’m not even gonna pretend there weren’t some close calls, but every couple in my family and extended family is still together.
” I thought about it for a second before I added, “I’m talking about my parents' generation. My generation has had a few hiccups here and there, but we know that when something is right, you persevere and stick with it through thick and thin.”
“I’m still stunned that you like talking to your mother.
I’ve heard that’s a thing, and I work diligently to make sure my kids know they’re loved by me.
I want them to become adults who know how to give and receive love.
” Courtney laughed bitterly before she said, “Although, I have to admit that I have no idea if I'm doing this right, especially when I look at what Dayton’s becoming.”
“He hasn’t always been a little asshole?”
“No. Yes. No. Okay, maybe sometimes, but my mother got in contact with him somehow. I have no idea how or when, but he’s gradually gone downhill since then, and I’m sure she’s still talking to him now.”
“I assumed since you had custody of her children that your mother had passed away.”
“Not yet, but a girl can dream, right?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the venom in her voice and finally asked, “And you’re raising all of her kids?”
“All of the ones who aren’t adults yet. Two of my brothers went straight into the military as soon as they were old enough, and our brother, Dawson, plans to follow in their footsteps when he graduates. Hopefully, Dayton will get his shit together. I just hope he doesn’t end up in prison.”
“If he keeps boosting cars, he might.”
“I have a feeling that my mother’s influence had something to do with that.”
“How can you keep her away from him?” I asked.
“You’d think it would be easy since the bitch is in prison, wouldn’t you?”
“What did she go to prison for?”
“Welfare fraud, child neglect, and a multitude of theft and drug charges.”
“She sounds like a peach.”
“A rotten one infested with worms,” Courtney replied before she put another bite in her mouth. When she finished it, she said, “I think this might need just a pinch of salt to counteract the sweetness. What do you think?”
“Salty and sweet pair well together. I think that’s what makes you so easy to talk to.”
◆◆◆
COURTNEY
The running commentary in my head during the comfortable silence between me and my new friend ran the gamut from curious to insane to regretful.
When was the last time you shaved your legs?
Why would you just throw that bitch out into the mix when you generally just say that she’s passed on in a tone of voice that makes people too uncomfortable to ask any more questions?
Did you really admit you sometimes have to fight the urge to beat Dayton like a dirty rug?
What’s his endgame? He knows you’re raising a bevy of kids and have a crazy family dynamic, but he’s still sitting here.
You know the man just wants to get laid, right? He doesn’t care about all of your answers.
Seriously, when was the last time you shaved your legs?
“You’d better slow down.”
I looked up at him and instantly forgot the question. The man was that freakin’ hot. “Huh?”
“What are you thinking about?”
“This wonderful food and how I can get more of it.”
“Bullshit,” he said as he split another muffin in half for us. “Your brain’s going ninety to nothing. I can almost see smoke coming out of your ears.”
“I was wondering what prompted you to sit down and talk to me. I’m trying to figure out your motivation.”
“You’re a beautiful woman sitting all alone, and it’s not like you’re a stranger, considering I’ve talked to you twice before.”
I tried to ignore the “beautiful woman” comment because that only strengthened my suspicion that he was trying to get laid.
I didn’t want to admit that was the case because the man was way too handsome to hate.
He looked like the kind of man who made usually rational women forget that they didn’t have time for smooth talkers who wanted nothing more than a quick fuck and an even quicker goodbye.
He didn’t look like the type of man I was usually interested in.
You are seriously bullshitting yourself, Courtney.
Don’t lie! He’s exactly the type of man you’re interested in.
You’ve just been able to resist your baser urges and restricted yourself to spending time with men who have their shit together and don’t look like a walking billboard for sin and debauchery.
Although, sin and debauchery had never seemed quite as appealing as they did right now.
Zane Duke was sex personified. His long hair looked clean and silky, with the top half pulled away from his face haphazardly.
His thick beard matched his hair, the auburn color glinting in the light from the window next to us brought out glimpses of lighter reds and an occasional glimmer of dark blond.
I let my gaze roam down over his chest and then to his hands as I watched him brush away some stray crumbs that had fallen when he split the last muffin.
His hands were large and strong with thick fingers and blunt nails, but they had an unexpected elegance to them, considering his knuckles bore quite a few scars and both hands were covered in tattoos.
I studied the ink on his rippled forearm that led to a massive bicep and wondered what he looked like shirtless. Probably breathtaking. I could almost guarantee it.
“What’s next?”
A quickie in the bathroom?