12. Weston
12
Weston
T he sea is cold when I plunge into it in the early glow of morning. After last night—after removing my wedding band for the first time since Lydia died—it feels like a rebirth. And while that thought scares me, it also excites me.
I swim with more energy than usual, plowing through the salt water with renewed vigor, preferring the freedom and wildness of the ocean to the pool. I swim in city pools every day, so when I get the chance to swim in the ocean I take it. The sea below me, the sky above… I feel alive here.
Inside my room I shower and dress, then wander into the kitchen to brew coffee. It’s still early, and I don’t expect the others will be up for a while. Daisy no doubt forgave Jess for going out and spent the night with him, because she’s not the kind of person to hold a grudge. She’s too sweet for that.
I pour cream into my espresso and slide onto a stool at the breakfast bar, wishing I was having one of Daisy’s beautiful creations at Joe’s. Raising the cup for my first sip, I hear Jesse’s low voice in the hall.
“Just go, okay?”
I frown, setting my coffee down. Why would he ask Daisy to leave?
“Come on, Jess,” an unfamiliar voice purrs.
I rise from my stool before I even know what I’m doing. When I round the corner into the hall, I find Jesse ushering a half-dressed blond out the front door, and my jaw falls open in shock.
“What the—”
“Bye!” Jess shoves the door shut and spins around, wide-eyed. “Morning, Dad.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “Who was that?”
He swallows audibly, glancing past me down the hall, and I grind my molars, hands clenching into fists at my side. He’d better have a damn good explanation for why I’ve caught him saying goodbye to a woman other than Daisy this morning.
“If you don’t tell me who the fuck that was right now , Jess, I swear to God—”
“Okay, okay.” He motions for me to keep my voice down, glancing past me again. “She was some chick I met last night, okay? Nothing happened, we just—”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I drag a hand down my face, rage flaring in my veins. What is wrong with my son? How could he do that to Daisy?
“Nothing happened,” Jesse repeats, wringing his hands.
“Then why was she here?” I explode.
He looks past me down the hallway in panic, then steps forward, trying to calm me down.
“That doesn’t even matter, Jess.” I shake my head, nostrils flaring as I stare him down. “You crossed a line, big time.” And I’m not even sure I believe him. No twenty-three-year-old guy brings home a half-dressed blond just to chat.
“Please don’t tell Daisy,” Jesse pleads, and I scoff in utter disbelief.
“Of course I won’t.” Relief washes across his features, and I shake my head again, clarifying. “ You’re going to tell her.”
The blood drains from his face. “You can’t be serious.”
I growl and step forward, vibrating with fury. I thought I’d raised my son better than this. “I’m dead serious. That’s the least she deserves.”
“What’s going on?”
I spin around to find Daisy behind me, rubbing her eyes. She’s in her yellow pajama tank with the matching bottoms, dark hair in long messy waves over her shoulders. She’s never looked more angelic, and I turn back to my son in disgust. How could he do something so hurtful? Even more baffling, how could he risk losing her? What man in their right mind would do that?
“Either you tell her,” I grit out, “or I will.”
The fear and guilt on Jesse’s face gives way to anger as his eyes darken. “Fine.” He leans past me to glare at Daisy. “I met someone last night.” He shoots me a defiant look. “Happy?”
I give a slow, furious shake of my head. “Tell her what you did.”
Jesse rolls his eyes, glancing back at Daisy. “I brought her home, because you refuse to—”
“I’m sorry, Jess.” Daisy cuts him off with a muttered apology that has me stepping back in disbelief.
“Why are you apologizing? Jess is the one in the wrong.”
She shrivels, her face pink as she examines the floor.
“I can’t believe you, Jess.” I stare at my son. “Daisy has been nothing but good to you. She even got you a job, for Christ’s sake.”
Jess grimaces, and an icy feeling washes over me.
“Don’t tell me. You fucked that up, too?”
His chest rises and falls with his heavy breathing. “It wasn’t working out, okay?”
“Jesus.” I raise a hand to my face, shock and disappointment a heavy knot in my chest. “You’re twenty-three, Jess. It’s time for you to grow up, and—”
“You know what?” he spits in rage, his gaze moving swiftly between me and Daisy. “I’m so sick of this. Sick of you trying to run my life. Sick of you, Miss Uptight, who only wants to fucking talk all the time instead of actually fuck. I don’t need this. Rex will drive me back to the city, away from both of you.” He looks from me to Daisy, his expression dark. “We’re done.” Then he storms past us to his room.
When I look back at Daisy, she’s shaking. Her cheeks are streaked with crimson, her eyes fixed on the floor.
“Shit, Daisy, I’m so sorry.” It takes all my strength not to reach for her, to soothe the hurt my son has caused. “I can’t believe he did that.”
“No, it’s…” She swallows, backing away from me. She almost crashes into Jess as he rounds the corner again, his duffel bag over one shoulder. He doesn’t say anything as he pushes past us, slamming the front door behind him. The sound reverberates through the house, and for the first time ever, I’m glad to see the back of my son.