UNLoved: a bay falls high novel, page 14
“Bullshit,” Kip said.
“What?”
“Why would you want her to get better? If she’s only going to hurt you?”
“Maybe I’m used to being hurt,” I said.
The answer came out so sudden and so honest, I gasped.
“Fuck, girl…”
I swallowed hard and blinked fast.
A tear fell from my eye and landed right on Kip’s chest.
Fuck.
That wasn’t part of the plan or whatever this was.
“Tinsley,” Kip said, actually speaking my name.
I jumped back and jumped up.
I turned – without the big, comfy towel – and I ran.
Everything Gi and Iris said ran through my head as I stood on the beach.
I wiped my eyes, feeling worse than I did before.
The ocean could soothe the most achy soul or it could just add to it.
The same soft sound of the waves that proved things come and go was the same sound that reminded you everything just kept changing and would keep changing.
I knew Kip would follow me.
He was my ride out of here anyway.
So if I could just take my tears with me and control myself, I’d be fine.
Of course, Kip being Kip, when he came after me, he turned me to face him and put his hands to my cheeks.
His blue eyes made me want to cry even more.
And that was just fucking weird. And sad. And it made me want to go back to where I came from. Fix things with Ruby and Amelia. Go back to being poor.
Then Kip kissed me.
A soft kiss.
For a second.
He kissed me harder, deeper, offering the same promises his eyes did. All of which would be broken the second he touched me and took me.
I was ready.
Right there on the beach.
End the Rulz and their bullshit game once and for all.
And turn my stupid tears into laughter before I bailed on BFH.
There were too many racing thoughts as Kip kissed me.
It was impossible to make anything make any kind of sense.
His thumbs stroked a few tears and that was that.
There were no more tears.
My emotions were focused somewhere else.
My fingertips against the bare skin of his chest. Feeling the hardness of muscle. And the subtle curves as muscle touched more muscle. All the way down to the top of his board shorts.
Kip pulled my hands from where they were going and moved them to his back.
He pulled my body against his and kissed deeper.
I felt something splash against my face and thought it was more tears.
But that wasn’t possible.
I wasn’t crying.
No fucking way.
Kip broke the kiss and looked up. “Oh shit…”
I looked up.
Water hit my face again.
And again.
It was starting to rain.
Well… it went from starting to rain to pouring rain in five seconds.
I darted from Kip to get my hoodie from the sand.
He took off the other way to get the towels from the little cove.
The rain poured so hard, I started to yell as I ran toward Kip’s ride.
I jumped into the passenger seat and tried to hide myself as though the rain was going to burn my skin.
Kip strolled up the beach, getting soaked, looking right at me as he walked.
When he got into the driver’s seat, he opened one of the towels to reveal the second one, which was dry.
“Here, girl,” he said. “For you.”
“Thanks, Kip,” I said.
I wrapped the towel around my body and hugged my knees.
The rain came down fast but came down in a straight line.
It was actually kind of pretty.
In a sad way, I guess.
Kip leaned toward me and nudged his chin to my shoulder.
I looked back.
Those blue eyes were right there in my face.
“I don’t know what you think about yourself, girl, but you’re pretty damn special to me.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’ve never brought anyone here before?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“So this is your spot, Kip. You take a girl up here and make your moves and then…”
“And then,” he said with a grin. His eyes looked to the backseat and then to me.
I moved my eyes to the backseat and then back to Kip.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
I started to open the towel.
In the backseat of his ride… in the rain… next to the beach…
A big crack of thunder shook the ground and I jumped.
The rain then suddenly started to go sideways, coming right through Kip’s ride. And there was no stopping it because there were no doors.
A flash of lightning climbed across the sky a second before a bigger crack of thunder sounded.
“Fuck,” Kip said. “We have to get out of here.”
“I guess so,” I whispered.
I licked my lips and tasted rain and Kip.
He started his ride and took off, leaving me grabbing for the metal bars again.
He drove fast through the storm, the rain and wind and thunder and lightning doing whatever the hell it wanted to do.
Honestly, it was fucking scary. And fucking dangerous.
But at one point, I looked at Kip and started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” he growled at me.
“This,” I said. “Your ride is getting soaked. I’m getting soaked.”
“Laugh it up, girl,” Kip said.
And I did.
All the way back to Claire’s.
When Kip stopped, I jumped out of his ride. I tossed the towel to the seat and grabbed my hoodie.
“This isn’t over, girl,” Kip said as the rain continued to pound down.
“No?” I called out.
“Not even fucking close.”
He didn’t smile.
He didn’t laugh.
And his blue eyes were still blue but a different kind of blue.
Which was impossible but still…
Kip sped away, his tires skidding on the wet pavement of the driveway.
I stood there long after he was gone, getting wetter by the second.
Thunder rumbling overhead.
Thunder rumbling in my heart.
I could have been looking for my clothes in Kip’s backseat by then.
I grinned and turned, walking toward the house.
Toward home.
Maybe I could find a way to stay in Bay Falls High for as long as I wanted.
fourteen
As I sat up in bed, freshly awake, I thought about everything my life used to be. It was like the sudden and giant rush of thoughts and memories that hit me all at once. I thought about Ruby, I missed her. I told myself I would reach out to her - or at least try to - but I know I probably wouldn’t. Not after what happened the last time I tried. She and Amelia made it very clear that I was no longer welcome there.
But the years of memories just kind of sat there in my head.
Like, what was I supposed to do with them? Those memories were my life.
Just like the memories with my mother.
We had a game called fast monster.
You’d think being a kid hearing the word monster would scare me… and believe me, it did… but I had gotten used to it because Mom knew how to take care of the monster. It was sad to think that in some ways she was kind of a hero to me for always making the monster go away. The reality though was that she was the monster.
No matter what I was doing in the apartment, if Mom said the words fast monster, I had to run. If I was playing with toys in the living room, I had to run. If I was eating cold, crooked chicken nuggets on a flimsy paper plate, I had to run. There was one time I was in the bath, making a white beard with bubbles, and Mom opened the door and said the words.
That meant I had to grab a towel and run.
And by running, I had to go to my room and get under my bed.
All the way under my bed.
I wasn’t allowed to move. I wasn’t allowed to talk. I wasn’t allowed to make any noise at all.
Since it was so crammed under my bed, I would try to close my eyes and think about happy things. I would write my Christmas list, knowing not a single thing on that list would show up from Santa. In fact, the only time Santa actually brought me decent presents was when we lived in the apartment that Claire owned. I always assumed Claire must have had a connection to Santa, but it was obvious when I got older that she was the one helping to preserve something that looked like my innocence.
But that was the game.
Fast monster.
And the monster was always the person bringing Mom the stuff she needed. I was always told to hide because if something went wrong, Mom could get hurt. Or I could get hurt.
All those memories just floated around in my head as I sat in the biggest bed I had ever seen in my life. In the biggest house I had ever been in. Living for free. Eating for free. Driving a really expensive vehicle. And there was no reason I couldn’t stay as long as I wanted to stay.
As if I needed more convincing I threw the covers off my body and walked to the window. The view right from the window… the ocean…
“Damn,” I whispered.
Movement caught my attention and I leaned forward and looked down.
The pool water was crystal clear.
But that wasn’t what I was looking at.
It was Claire.
Standing next to the pool in a black work dress. Her hair pulled back tight. Looking devilish and beautiful. I bit my lip, wishing she was my real mother.
She was on her cellphone, her left hand animated as she gave orders.
I loved her attitude. And her style. She held herself on her own and built herself a little empire.
Claire pulled the cellphone from her ear and shook it in the air.
Just like that the call was over.
But Claire wasn’t done though.
She started talking to someone.
I couldn’t see who the person was though.
She looked really irritated too.
Pointing. Yelling.
And then walking away.
“Rough morning,” I said to myself.
With Claire gone, the mystery person stepped forward toward the pool.
It was a man.
With his hands in his pockets.
Staring down at the water.
He took his right hand from his pocket and ran his hand through his hair.
When he turned his head and I saw the side of his face, I let out a gasp.
It was the man from the car…
I stared intently, trying to figure out who the man was. He didn’t look familiar to me at all though. I couldn’t put him anywhere in my mind or memory.
The man looked left to right, then he started to nod.
Then he turned around and looked up.
Right at me.
Our eyes met.
I jumped back.
* * *
My heart slammed so fast in my chest I could hear it.
I looked at the bedroom door and wasn’t sure if I should lock the door or go downstairs and casually poke around and to see if I could figure out who that man was.
Option two was the crazier one, so I chose that.
Why not?
I threw a hoodie on to cover myself up and I shuffled my way through the giant house down to the kitchen.
But there was no sign of the man.
At all.
Anywhere.
There was a man in the kitchen though.
Sitting with some financial newspaper up, covering his face.
“Coffee?” a woman’s voice asked me.
It was one of the morning chef’s.
A pretty young woman with bright blonde hair and brighter blue eyes.
She made me think of Kip.
Of course.
“Yes, please,” I said.
The newspaper fell and I guess I just assumed it was going to be Will.
It wasn’t.
Pres’s father wasn’t the man reading the newspaper.
And it wasn’t the man I had seen outside at the pool.
This was a different man.
He had short, black, curly hair. A thick, well-kept black beard. Really sharp and piercing eyes. A smile that could sell you the worst car on a used lot.
He slowly folded the newspaper and set all of his attention on me.
He wore a white t-shirt that pulled tight to a well taken care of body.
“You’re Tinsley,” he said.
“Depends on who’s asking,” I said.
“Jeff.”
“Who’s Jeff?”
“I’m Jeff.”
“And what does Jeff want with Tinsley?” I asked.
“I’ve always wondered what Claire’s kid would be like.”
“Kid?” I asked.
“Excuse me,” Jeff said. “Teenager?”
“Adult,” I said.
“Daughter,” Jeff said.
“Daughter?” I asked.
Jeff laughed. “I’m out of words to keep that game going.”
He lifted a coffee mug to his lips and sipped it. His eyes never left me.
I took my coffee mug and did the same thing.
“So, wait a second,” I said. “You think I’m Claire’s daughter?”
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of these hippie universe ones that don’t believe in parents and all that?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, then, yes, you’re Claire’s daughter.”
I wasn’t sure how to take that comment.
So I didn’t respond.
I just observed.
And by observing, that meant observing the look of shock on Claire’s face when she entered the kitchen.
“There she is,” Jeff announced. “My black dress vixen.”
“What…” Claire pointed at me. “Are you okay?”
“Perfect,” I said. “Just getting coffee and chatting up Jeff here.”
“There is no real warning about me for her, is there?” Jeff asked Claire referring to me.
“Nope,” Claire said.
She walked toward Jeff and he quickly reached for her.
Jeff pulled Claire right to his lap. His hands around her waist, holding her possessively tight.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said to her, kissing her cheek.
I grinned, not sure what I was watching.
“Jeff is flying back to Seattle,” Claire said.
“And this one won’t come with me,” Jeff said. “I’ve been trying for years to get her to move up there with me.”
“Years, huh?” I asked.
Claire smacked Jeff’s shoulder. “Stop. This is my home. Especially with Tinsley back home too.”
“Right,” I said. “Hopefully I won’t be here long and mess up anyone’s plans.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” Jeff said. “I’ll never get Claire out of here.”
“And you’ll never leave Seattle,” Claire said.
“Long distance must be tough,” I said.
“We make it work,” Jeff said. “Plus, I travel so much anyway… I’d never be home. It would never work.”
Claire dug her hand into Jeff’s beard. “But we make it work, right?”
“Always,” he said. “I’m just happy to finally meet Tinsley.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I had no idea you were even here.”
“Surprise visit,” Jeff said.
“He showed up last night,” Claire said.
“Could only wait so long without Claire,” Jeff said.
“Must be hectic flying,” I said. “Grabbing last second flights and all that.”
Jeff laughed. “Ah, she’s humble. I have a private jet. I use that more than I use a car.”
“Oh,” I said.
“If you ever need to go somewhere, you let Claire know and I’ll arrange it,” Jeff offered.
How about a time machine so I can go back to my old life?
The voice that said stuff like that was getting smaller by the second.
“Well, I’ll let you two be,” I said.
“Stay and eat,” Jeff said. “In fact, I’m going to grab a shower. Coffee isn’t cutting it.”
“Long night?” I asked with a grin.
Jeff laughed.
Claire looked flustered.
She stood up and kissed Jeff.
He nodded to me and exited the kitchen.
Claire ran right at me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the piano room.
“Something wrong?” I asked with a playful smile.
“Don’t.”
“Daughter?”
“I said don’t.”
“No,” I said. “You have to tell me something about that one.”
Claire sighed. “Jeff… he’s the one.”
“The one?”
“The one who gets to me. Okay? He’s the one who reduces me to nothing. In a good way.”
“You love him?”
“Yeah,” Claire said. “Okay? I love him.”
“Then what about Pres’s father?”
“Don’t say it like that,” Claire said. “His name is Will.”
“I know you two…”
“It doesn’t matter, Tinsley,” Claire said. “My life. My business.”
“I get it,” I said. “I’m not judging. I was looking at the ocean this morning and saw someone…”
Claire’s eyebrows tilted together. “Oh?”
“That man in the car,” I said. “And then he was standing at the pool. He works for you. But he looks at me weird.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Claire said.
“My point is it startled me and that’s why I came downstairs. And then Jeff just started talking to me.”
“That’s what he does. The gift of the gab, right?”
“Sure,” I said.
“He knows about you,” Claire said. “He has a way of… I don’t know. I just talk when I’m around him. Sorry that kind of surprised you the way it did.”
“Well, I’m happy you have someone you love. Wish you two were closer. Or could really be together.”
“Me too,” Claire said. “But we agreed to not let life get in the way. Not to think about what we can’t have and all that.”
“What?”
“Why would you want her to get better? If she’s only going to hurt you?”
“Maybe I’m used to being hurt,” I said.
The answer came out so sudden and so honest, I gasped.
“Fuck, girl…”
I swallowed hard and blinked fast.
A tear fell from my eye and landed right on Kip’s chest.
Fuck.
That wasn’t part of the plan or whatever this was.
“Tinsley,” Kip said, actually speaking my name.
I jumped back and jumped up.
I turned – without the big, comfy towel – and I ran.
Everything Gi and Iris said ran through my head as I stood on the beach.
I wiped my eyes, feeling worse than I did before.
The ocean could soothe the most achy soul or it could just add to it.
The same soft sound of the waves that proved things come and go was the same sound that reminded you everything just kept changing and would keep changing.
I knew Kip would follow me.
He was my ride out of here anyway.
So if I could just take my tears with me and control myself, I’d be fine.
Of course, Kip being Kip, when he came after me, he turned me to face him and put his hands to my cheeks.
His blue eyes made me want to cry even more.
And that was just fucking weird. And sad. And it made me want to go back to where I came from. Fix things with Ruby and Amelia. Go back to being poor.
Then Kip kissed me.
A soft kiss.
For a second.
He kissed me harder, deeper, offering the same promises his eyes did. All of which would be broken the second he touched me and took me.
I was ready.
Right there on the beach.
End the Rulz and their bullshit game once and for all.
And turn my stupid tears into laughter before I bailed on BFH.
There were too many racing thoughts as Kip kissed me.
It was impossible to make anything make any kind of sense.
His thumbs stroked a few tears and that was that.
There were no more tears.
My emotions were focused somewhere else.
My fingertips against the bare skin of his chest. Feeling the hardness of muscle. And the subtle curves as muscle touched more muscle. All the way down to the top of his board shorts.
Kip pulled my hands from where they were going and moved them to his back.
He pulled my body against his and kissed deeper.
I felt something splash against my face and thought it was more tears.
But that wasn’t possible.
I wasn’t crying.
No fucking way.
Kip broke the kiss and looked up. “Oh shit…”
I looked up.
Water hit my face again.
And again.
It was starting to rain.
Well… it went from starting to rain to pouring rain in five seconds.
I darted from Kip to get my hoodie from the sand.
He took off the other way to get the towels from the little cove.
The rain poured so hard, I started to yell as I ran toward Kip’s ride.
I jumped into the passenger seat and tried to hide myself as though the rain was going to burn my skin.
Kip strolled up the beach, getting soaked, looking right at me as he walked.
When he got into the driver’s seat, he opened one of the towels to reveal the second one, which was dry.
“Here, girl,” he said. “For you.”
“Thanks, Kip,” I said.
I wrapped the towel around my body and hugged my knees.
The rain came down fast but came down in a straight line.
It was actually kind of pretty.
In a sad way, I guess.
Kip leaned toward me and nudged his chin to my shoulder.
I looked back.
Those blue eyes were right there in my face.
“I don’t know what you think about yourself, girl, but you’re pretty damn special to me.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’ve never brought anyone here before?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“So this is your spot, Kip. You take a girl up here and make your moves and then…”
“And then,” he said with a grin. His eyes looked to the backseat and then to me.
I moved my eyes to the backseat and then back to Kip.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
I started to open the towel.
In the backseat of his ride… in the rain… next to the beach…
A big crack of thunder shook the ground and I jumped.
The rain then suddenly started to go sideways, coming right through Kip’s ride. And there was no stopping it because there were no doors.
A flash of lightning climbed across the sky a second before a bigger crack of thunder sounded.
“Fuck,” Kip said. “We have to get out of here.”
“I guess so,” I whispered.
I licked my lips and tasted rain and Kip.
He started his ride and took off, leaving me grabbing for the metal bars again.
He drove fast through the storm, the rain and wind and thunder and lightning doing whatever the hell it wanted to do.
Honestly, it was fucking scary. And fucking dangerous.
But at one point, I looked at Kip and started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” he growled at me.
“This,” I said. “Your ride is getting soaked. I’m getting soaked.”
“Laugh it up, girl,” Kip said.
And I did.
All the way back to Claire’s.
When Kip stopped, I jumped out of his ride. I tossed the towel to the seat and grabbed my hoodie.
“This isn’t over, girl,” Kip said as the rain continued to pound down.
“No?” I called out.
“Not even fucking close.”
He didn’t smile.
He didn’t laugh.
And his blue eyes were still blue but a different kind of blue.
Which was impossible but still…
Kip sped away, his tires skidding on the wet pavement of the driveway.
I stood there long after he was gone, getting wetter by the second.
Thunder rumbling overhead.
Thunder rumbling in my heart.
I could have been looking for my clothes in Kip’s backseat by then.
I grinned and turned, walking toward the house.
Toward home.
Maybe I could find a way to stay in Bay Falls High for as long as I wanted.
fourteen
As I sat up in bed, freshly awake, I thought about everything my life used to be. It was like the sudden and giant rush of thoughts and memories that hit me all at once. I thought about Ruby, I missed her. I told myself I would reach out to her - or at least try to - but I know I probably wouldn’t. Not after what happened the last time I tried. She and Amelia made it very clear that I was no longer welcome there.
But the years of memories just kind of sat there in my head.
Like, what was I supposed to do with them? Those memories were my life.
Just like the memories with my mother.
We had a game called fast monster.
You’d think being a kid hearing the word monster would scare me… and believe me, it did… but I had gotten used to it because Mom knew how to take care of the monster. It was sad to think that in some ways she was kind of a hero to me for always making the monster go away. The reality though was that she was the monster.
No matter what I was doing in the apartment, if Mom said the words fast monster, I had to run. If I was playing with toys in the living room, I had to run. If I was eating cold, crooked chicken nuggets on a flimsy paper plate, I had to run. There was one time I was in the bath, making a white beard with bubbles, and Mom opened the door and said the words.
That meant I had to grab a towel and run.
And by running, I had to go to my room and get under my bed.
All the way under my bed.
I wasn’t allowed to move. I wasn’t allowed to talk. I wasn’t allowed to make any noise at all.
Since it was so crammed under my bed, I would try to close my eyes and think about happy things. I would write my Christmas list, knowing not a single thing on that list would show up from Santa. In fact, the only time Santa actually brought me decent presents was when we lived in the apartment that Claire owned. I always assumed Claire must have had a connection to Santa, but it was obvious when I got older that she was the one helping to preserve something that looked like my innocence.
But that was the game.
Fast monster.
And the monster was always the person bringing Mom the stuff she needed. I was always told to hide because if something went wrong, Mom could get hurt. Or I could get hurt.
All those memories just floated around in my head as I sat in the biggest bed I had ever seen in my life. In the biggest house I had ever been in. Living for free. Eating for free. Driving a really expensive vehicle. And there was no reason I couldn’t stay as long as I wanted to stay.
As if I needed more convincing I threw the covers off my body and walked to the window. The view right from the window… the ocean…
“Damn,” I whispered.
Movement caught my attention and I leaned forward and looked down.
The pool water was crystal clear.
But that wasn’t what I was looking at.
It was Claire.
Standing next to the pool in a black work dress. Her hair pulled back tight. Looking devilish and beautiful. I bit my lip, wishing she was my real mother.
She was on her cellphone, her left hand animated as she gave orders.
I loved her attitude. And her style. She held herself on her own and built herself a little empire.
Claire pulled the cellphone from her ear and shook it in the air.
Just like that the call was over.
But Claire wasn’t done though.
She started talking to someone.
I couldn’t see who the person was though.
She looked really irritated too.
Pointing. Yelling.
And then walking away.
“Rough morning,” I said to myself.
With Claire gone, the mystery person stepped forward toward the pool.
It was a man.
With his hands in his pockets.
Staring down at the water.
He took his right hand from his pocket and ran his hand through his hair.
When he turned his head and I saw the side of his face, I let out a gasp.
It was the man from the car…
I stared intently, trying to figure out who the man was. He didn’t look familiar to me at all though. I couldn’t put him anywhere in my mind or memory.
The man looked left to right, then he started to nod.
Then he turned around and looked up.
Right at me.
Our eyes met.
I jumped back.
* * *
My heart slammed so fast in my chest I could hear it.
I looked at the bedroom door and wasn’t sure if I should lock the door or go downstairs and casually poke around and to see if I could figure out who that man was.
Option two was the crazier one, so I chose that.
Why not?
I threw a hoodie on to cover myself up and I shuffled my way through the giant house down to the kitchen.
But there was no sign of the man.
At all.
Anywhere.
There was a man in the kitchen though.
Sitting with some financial newspaper up, covering his face.
“Coffee?” a woman’s voice asked me.
It was one of the morning chef’s.
A pretty young woman with bright blonde hair and brighter blue eyes.
She made me think of Kip.
Of course.
“Yes, please,” I said.
The newspaper fell and I guess I just assumed it was going to be Will.
It wasn’t.
Pres’s father wasn’t the man reading the newspaper.
And it wasn’t the man I had seen outside at the pool.
This was a different man.
He had short, black, curly hair. A thick, well-kept black beard. Really sharp and piercing eyes. A smile that could sell you the worst car on a used lot.
He slowly folded the newspaper and set all of his attention on me.
He wore a white t-shirt that pulled tight to a well taken care of body.
“You’re Tinsley,” he said.
“Depends on who’s asking,” I said.
“Jeff.”
“Who’s Jeff?”
“I’m Jeff.”
“And what does Jeff want with Tinsley?” I asked.
“I’ve always wondered what Claire’s kid would be like.”
“Kid?” I asked.
“Excuse me,” Jeff said. “Teenager?”
“Adult,” I said.
“Daughter,” Jeff said.
“Daughter?” I asked.
Jeff laughed. “I’m out of words to keep that game going.”
He lifted a coffee mug to his lips and sipped it. His eyes never left me.
I took my coffee mug and did the same thing.
“So, wait a second,” I said. “You think I’m Claire’s daughter?”
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of these hippie universe ones that don’t believe in parents and all that?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, then, yes, you’re Claire’s daughter.”
I wasn’t sure how to take that comment.
So I didn’t respond.
I just observed.
And by observing, that meant observing the look of shock on Claire’s face when she entered the kitchen.
“There she is,” Jeff announced. “My black dress vixen.”
“What…” Claire pointed at me. “Are you okay?”
“Perfect,” I said. “Just getting coffee and chatting up Jeff here.”
“There is no real warning about me for her, is there?” Jeff asked Claire referring to me.
“Nope,” Claire said.
She walked toward Jeff and he quickly reached for her.
Jeff pulled Claire right to his lap. His hands around her waist, holding her possessively tight.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said to her, kissing her cheek.
I grinned, not sure what I was watching.
“Jeff is flying back to Seattle,” Claire said.
“And this one won’t come with me,” Jeff said. “I’ve been trying for years to get her to move up there with me.”
“Years, huh?” I asked.
Claire smacked Jeff’s shoulder. “Stop. This is my home. Especially with Tinsley back home too.”
“Right,” I said. “Hopefully I won’t be here long and mess up anyone’s plans.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” Jeff said. “I’ll never get Claire out of here.”
“And you’ll never leave Seattle,” Claire said.
“Long distance must be tough,” I said.
“We make it work,” Jeff said. “Plus, I travel so much anyway… I’d never be home. It would never work.”
Claire dug her hand into Jeff’s beard. “But we make it work, right?”
“Always,” he said. “I’m just happy to finally meet Tinsley.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I had no idea you were even here.”
“Surprise visit,” Jeff said.
“He showed up last night,” Claire said.
“Could only wait so long without Claire,” Jeff said.
“Must be hectic flying,” I said. “Grabbing last second flights and all that.”
Jeff laughed. “Ah, she’s humble. I have a private jet. I use that more than I use a car.”
“Oh,” I said.
“If you ever need to go somewhere, you let Claire know and I’ll arrange it,” Jeff offered.
How about a time machine so I can go back to my old life?
The voice that said stuff like that was getting smaller by the second.
“Well, I’ll let you two be,” I said.
“Stay and eat,” Jeff said. “In fact, I’m going to grab a shower. Coffee isn’t cutting it.”
“Long night?” I asked with a grin.
Jeff laughed.
Claire looked flustered.
She stood up and kissed Jeff.
He nodded to me and exited the kitchen.
Claire ran right at me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the piano room.
“Something wrong?” I asked with a playful smile.
“Don’t.”
“Daughter?”
“I said don’t.”
“No,” I said. “You have to tell me something about that one.”
Claire sighed. “Jeff… he’s the one.”
“The one?”
“The one who gets to me. Okay? He’s the one who reduces me to nothing. In a good way.”
“You love him?”
“Yeah,” Claire said. “Okay? I love him.”
“Then what about Pres’s father?”
“Don’t say it like that,” Claire said. “His name is Will.”
“I know you two…”
“It doesn’t matter, Tinsley,” Claire said. “My life. My business.”
“I get it,” I said. “I’m not judging. I was looking at the ocean this morning and saw someone…”
Claire’s eyebrows tilted together. “Oh?”
“That man in the car,” I said. “And then he was standing at the pool. He works for you. But he looks at me weird.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Claire said.
“My point is it startled me and that’s why I came downstairs. And then Jeff just started talking to me.”
“That’s what he does. The gift of the gab, right?”
“Sure,” I said.
“He knows about you,” Claire said. “He has a way of… I don’t know. I just talk when I’m around him. Sorry that kind of surprised you the way it did.”
“Well, I’m happy you have someone you love. Wish you two were closer. Or could really be together.”
“Me too,” Claire said. “But we agreed to not let life get in the way. Not to think about what we can’t have and all that.”
