Jaci Burton, page 22
part #3 of Play-by-Play Novel Series
She rolled her eyes at Ty and they walked on down the hall. “This is my room. Prepare yourself.”
He opened the door and it was as if time had stood still. It was precious. A twin bed sat under the double window and the room was painted a bright blue. Trophies of all kinds filled the shelves on the walls. A small desk cornered one end of the room. Photos of Ty at different ages filled several shelves on the walls. She stepped in the room and scanned the photographs of Tyler missing a front tooth, one of him with his hair falling over his eyes like it still did today, and one of him as a baby.
She put her hand over her heart and looked up at him. “This is so sweet.”
“I’ve tried to get her to let me pack up all this stuff and put it in the attic, but she won’t let me. It’s creepy.”
“It is not. She obviously loves you.”
“She could turn this into a guest room.”
Jenna sat on his bed. “Why would she?”
“Because people need to move on. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Maybe she loves these memories of you. Look at all these trophies and certificates.” She stood and scanned the framed certificates listing Ty’s accomplishments on the Honor roll, dean’s list, even his academic scholarship letters.
She turned to him. “Weren’t you a smarty?”
He crossed his arms. “Not just a dumb jock, ya know.”
She was learning more about him every day, and she liked what she saw.
“Your mother is very proud of you.”
“She could be proud of me by putting my crap in a scrapbook.”
She laughed. “My parents have the trophy room in our house. Stuff from Mick and Gavin and my childhood, all the way through high school and college. Remind me to show it to you sometime.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. A room dedicated just to us kids and our accomplishments. So believe me, it’s not just your mom. And it’s as embarrassing for us as it is for you. Some parents like to show off their kids. Your mother is not creepy.”
He shrugged. “Maybe not. But I’d be happier if this room had a futon and maybe an elliptical in it. Something for my mom. It’s like I died or something and she’s afraid to touch anything in here. She’s enshrined it.”
Jenna snorted. “It’s a parent thing. Get over it.”
They went back downstairs and through the dining room, which held a tableclothed rectangular cherry table with matching china cabinet and hutch. The furniture had to be antique. Ty led her through the doorway into the kitchen, which obviously had been remodeled. There were dark gray granite countertops, cherry cabinetry, and stainless-steel appliances as well as lots of open window space.
“Oh, I love your kitchen, Louise.”
She turned and smiled. “Thank you. When I’m not sewing I’m trying out a new recipe, so I spend a lot of time in here. I remodeled a couple years ago, got rid of the ancient appliances and tacky countertops. Out with the old, in with the new is what I say.”
“Except for my room,” Ty grumbled.
“Hey, I like your room,” Jenna said, taking the glass of wine Louise passed to her.
“So do I. Some of my best memories are of Tyler’s childhood. And I want him to feel at home when he visits, which isn’t often enough.”
“Because I’m too tall to sleep in that twin bed,” Tyler said, rolling his eyes at Jenna when his mother’s back was turned.
Jenna grinned at him.
Ty’s mother led them into the living room, where they sat and drank.
“You are not too tall for that bed. It’s extra long,” his mother said as she sipped her wine.
“My memories are fine without you leaving my room the same way it was when I was six years old.”
Louise turned to her. “It’s a constant point of contention between us. He doesn’t like that I won’t pack up his things and shove them in the attic. But I love those memories of his boyhood.” She took a sip of wine. “Life was simpler back then.”
Jenna slid Ty a look. He shrugged.
“I saw your sewing room, Louise. And your bedroom is amazing. Did you make the spread and window coverings yourself?”
She beamed a smile. “I did. My mother taught me to sew. It’s not something I had time to do until I retired a few years ago.”
“Oh, how nice for you. What did you do before you retired?”
“I was executive assistant to the president of one of the banks. Years ago I started out in clerical work, then as a secretary. Worked my way up over the years into executive work. It was nonstop busy, and I’m glad to be out of it.”
“It sounds very exciting.”
“Oh, it was,” she said, inhaling and letting out a sigh. “But my real joy has always come from sewing. Now that I have the time to do it, I love to make things for the house. I even have friends asking me to redo some of their rooms.”
Jenna saw the excitement on Louise’s face as she talked about designing for her friends.
“Do you have your own business?”
She laughed. “No. It’s just something I do for fun.”
“You’re very good at it. You could go into the design business.”
She seemed to ponder the idea. “I could, couldn’t I? I hadn’t thought about it. It was just a hobby.” Then she waved her hand in the air. “But it’s too late for me to do something like that.”
“No, it’s not. It’s never too late to start your own business. You’re still young and you obviously have the talent and the ambition.”
“You think so?” Her eyes lit up. “I don’t know anything about starting my own business.”
“My family owns their own business. I could give you some pointers on what you’d need to do.”
Jenna and his mother spent the next couple hours—including through dinner—discussing small business ownership. Ty had expected the worst. His mom had never liked any girl he’d ever brought home. She’d been rude and unpleasant and had found something about the girl to pick apart. Then again, the last girl he’d brought home had been when he was in his early twenties and still in college. She’d wanted him to focus on school, not on women. And she’d still been bitter over the divorce.
He’d just assumed his mother would always be bitter.
She was different now. More mellow. Or maybe it was Jenna who brought out a different side to her. Jenna didn’t hang on him or put a possessive stamp on her relationship with him. She seemed genuinely interested in getting to know his mother, not trying to make his mother like her, or trying to make his mother see that she and Ty were a couple.
But that was who Jenna was. She was good with people, knew what it took to make them at ease. That’s what made Riley’s so successful. She made her customers happy, and it wasn’t just serving them drinks.
After dinner they had dessert, and Jenna told his mom all about her family.
“So you have brothers who play sports, too?”
“Yes. Mick plays football and Gavin plays baseball.”
“Did you ever play sports?”
“I played basketball and volleyball in high school. These days I only play when the family forces me into a basketball game at the house.”
His mother laughed. “I can imagine it was difficult growing up with those boys.”
“It was a challenge. But I held my own.”
“I’m sure you did. I’ll bet you can handle my son, too.”
Jenna looked at Ty and smiled. “Nothing to handle. You raised a fine son, Louise.”
His mom blinked rapidly a few times. “Thank you. I’m very proud of him.”
Uh-oh. He needed to get them out of there before the waterworks started. “Well, we need to go.”
“So soon?”
“Sorry, yeah.”
They stood and Tyler went to get their coats.
Jenna hugged his mother. “It was such a pleasure to meet you, Louise. I hope I get the opportunity to again. But you have my number. If you’re serious about getting that business started, call me.”
His mother hugged Jenna tight. “I will definitely be calling you.” She held on to Jenna’s arms. “I don’t often say this, in fact, I don’t recall ever saying this about any woman my son dated, but I’m very glad to have met you, Jenna Riley. And I hope I get to see you again.”
“Likewise.” Jenna grinned and headed out the door.
His mom pulled him into a tight hug. He bent down so she could kiss his cheek.
“I don’t know where you found this girl, son, but don’t let her go.”
TWENTY
ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO. THEY HEADED DOWNTOWN where his dad and stepmother had a condo.
“I have no idea why you were so afraid for me to meet your mother.”
He glanced over at Jenna. “I never said I was afraid.”
“You intimated that she was some maternal version of Medusa.”
“I did not.”
“It was close.”
He shrugged. “She’s changed. She used to be more uptight.”
“She’s a wonderful, warm, and friendly woman. I had a great time with her.”
“Obviously she’s gotten over her bitterness about the divorce, because believe me, I expected something completely different.”
Jenna laughed and patted his hand. “You worry too much.”
“Probably.”
“Okay, now tell me about your dad.”
“He’s a big, friendly bear of a man, who uses his—I don’t even know how to explain this—overly sociable nature to mask any sense of unease or diffuse an uncomfortable situation. That’s how it had always been. If there was stress, Sean Anderson would crack a joke to allay it. Always laugh your way out of a problem. He’ll also insult you with a smile and an easy laugh. His way of thinking is, if he’s smiling while he’s calling you a bitch or a useless asshole, then it’s okay.
“Of course it hadn’t worked so well when my mom and dad had been fighting. My mother hadn’t found Dad’s sweep-it-under-the-rug-and-laugh-it-off way of dealing with their problems a good solution.”
“Hmmm, I imagine not,” Jenna said.
“But I think he’s learned a thing or two over the years, because my stepmother, Gloria, is great. They’ve been married for ten years now.”
“Do you like her?”
“Yeah, I do. A lot. She never tried to be my mother, only my friend. She knew what the boundaries were, but she had always been there for me if I needed her. And she doesn’t put up with my father’s bullshit, which I admire.”
“Sounds like they make a good match.”
“They do. But I have to warn you, you just can’t prepare yourself for my dad because you have no idea what’s going to fly out of his mouth.”
“Uh, okay.” She had no idea what that meant.
They took the elevator up to the sixteenth floor of the condominium complex. Tyler laid his hand on the small of Jenna’s back as he rang the bell.
Jenna’s jaw dropped as the door was opened by an older version of Ty. While his mother was petite, this man was tall, with wavy dark hair that held a peppering of white throughout and at the sideburns.
“Hey, boy, come on in.”
He pulled Tyler into a hug, and Jenna noted they were about the same size, though Tyler was maybe an inch or so taller than his dad. Sean was broader, not as lean and muscled as Ty. As she walked in, she couldn’t get over how similar they looked. Sean Anderson was strikingly good looking, still in great shape, and his wife, Gloria, was a knockout of a redhead with a curvaceous figure and bubbly smile.
Gloria hurried over to give Tyler a kiss and a hug and enthusiastically shake Jenna’s hand.
“We’re so excited to meet you, Jenna,” Gloria said. “Please come on in.”
The condo was modern, with white-and-black furniture and a piano that sat above the sunken living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the city and the lake.
They took a seat at a table near the windows.
“I thought since you’re not a native to our city, you might enjoy the night view,” Gloria said. “Especially since we’re lucky enough to have a clear night tonight.”
“It’s beautiful,” Jenna said. “You must love it here.”
“We do. We take walks by the lake in the summer. There’s a gym downstairs that we use in the winter. Have to stay active, don’t we, boy?” his dad said.
“You bet,” Ty said.
His dad patted him on the back. “Of course this one stays active on the ice. Couldn’t be prouder of you, even though you beat my team the other night.”
“Sean,” Gloria said, shaking her head before turning to Jenna. “I don’t know how he can root for the other team when his own son plays for the Ice.”
“Hey, I’ve always rooted for the local boys. Besides, Tyler gets traded a lot. How the hell am I supposed to keep up with what team he’s playing for this year? I have my loyalties. Tyler understands that, don’t you?”
“Sure I do, Dad. But I wouldn’t bet against me.”
Jenna laughed.
“That’s what I keep telling him,” Gloria said. “My money’s on you, honey.”
Tyler leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Gloria.”
“Hey, the kid’s tough. He can take a little competition. And he knows I’m always pulling for him.” He turned to Jenna. “So, Jenna. Tell me about yourself.”
Whoa. Lightning-fast change of subjects. She found it hard to keep up, but she managed to hold her own. She told Sean and Gloria about the family bar and her part in it. They shared a few cocktails, and Sean kept them entertained with jokes and funny stories about Ty’s childhood, but Jenna could see Ty was restless and uncomfortable.
“So, Sean, what do you do for a living?”
“I own several car dealerships in town. Still in business after forty years.”
She could so see him in sales. “How interesting.”
“He even has commercials on TV,” Gloria said, pride evident in her beaming smile.
“Oh, that’s exciting.”
Sean grinned. “Yeah, we buy a lot of TV time. Have to keep your name in front of the people or they forget all about you.” He slapped Ty on the back. “Isn’t that right, son?”
“You bet, Dad.”
“That’s why you have that fancy agent getting you those deodorant and shampoo spots. Keep the fans interested. Get them coming to the games. Make the men want to be like you and the women want to get you in the sack.” He shifted his glance to Jenna. “Whatever it takes to keep my boy in the limelight, right, honey?”
Jenna blinked. “Sure.”
Ty’s father was exhausting. She wasn’t certain he was all that interested in Tyler’s career, only that he stayed “on top.” No wonder Ty was uncomfortable.
They managed a couple hours, then Ty stood.
“We’ve got an early flight tomorrow, so we’d better head out.”
They said their good-byes.
“Such a pleasure to meet you, Jenna,” Gloria said. “I hope we have a chance to see you again.”
“I hope so, too.”
Sean shook her hand. “You’re a sweet girl. Tyler has great taste in women. Always has. Just like his old man.” He put his arm around Gloria.
Tyler led Jenna to the door. “See you later, Dad.”
They rode down the elevator in silence, and it was much the same on the short ride back to their hotel. When they got back to their room, Jenna came up to Tyler and put her arms around him.
“What’s this for?”
“No reason.” Maybe she needed it more than he did, but she figured he needed it, too.
“My dad can be an asshole.”
She leaned back. “No, he’s not.”
“Yeah, he is.”
“Your parents are night and day different. Your mom’s kind of quiet and reserved. Your dad is very boisterous. I can see why they didn’t mesh well.”
His lips lifted. “That’s being kind.”
“I like Gloria.”
“So do I. And my dad likes to impress people. He just doesn’t know how to do it, so he comes across as a prick. His social skills need work. My mother worked for most of her life. And when she wasn’t working, she was catering to me and my dad. She didn’t know what to do with herself after the divorce so she stayed in the house and kept her memories of me alive like some goddamned shrine. She sews and bakes and has a small circle of friends that she’s had forever, but she never remarried. She took back her maiden name because she hates my father that much. She just never figured out how to move on and carve out a new life for herself. She’s frozen in that house. I think you might have helped her with that tonight. Thanks.”
