Page 48 of A Taste of Whiskey
Tina:Something came up. I need you to come get Gus.
Fucking Tina. He thought about the extra effort it had taken to get Gus excited to see his mother for the weekend on Friday morning when he’d taken him to camp and made a mental note to talk with Tina again about her unreliability.
“Looks like the ride is out. Tina needs me to pick up Gus.”
Sasha’s mouth pinched. “I swear that woman has no shame. Isn’t she supposed to have him until four? What’s her excuse this time? A yoga class? Drinks with a friend?”
“She didn’t say, but it doesn’t matter. I get time with my boy, and that’s a win for me.”
“It’s definitelyherloss. I’d ask if you want me to watch him while you go riding with the guys, but I know you won’t go.”
“You know me well, Bo Peep.” When Tina pulled this shit on her weekends, Ezra tried to give Gus extra attention to make up for it.
“It’s supposed to be a beautiful day. Why don’t you do something special with him? You could take him to the water park or the climbing park.”
“The water park is a great idea. Why don’t you come with us?”
“I would love to, but you should probably ask Gus first, in case he wants time alone with you.”
“As if he ever chooses me over seeing hisSugar.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll text you after I pick him up.”
“Wait.” She opened the door a few inches and peered out. “Okay, the coast is clear.Go.”
“Way to make me feel like your dirty little secret.” He pulled her behind the door and kissed her breathless.
Half an hour later he pulled up in front of the two-bedroom rambler Tina rented and parked next to her boyfriend’s car. He gritted his teeth against the anger eating away at him. She was too fucking busy for their son but not for her boyfriend? Tina had a thing for clean-cut guys with money, and she usually had a new boyfriend every few months, although her latest had lasted seven or eight months. Ezra made it his business to have those men checked out by Maya’s older brother, Hector “Hazard” Martinez, a local cop and fellow Dark Knight. Tina’s latest boyfriend, Collin Frye, was a well-to-do real estate agent. Ezra had wrongly hoped the guy might help her settle down and become more responsible where Gus was concerned.
He headed up the walk, tension rising in his shoulders as he knocked on the front door.
Tina answered wearing a black sleeveless dress and heels. At twenty-nine, she was classically beautiful and turned heads everywhere she went with her slim figure, flawless olive skin, perfectly applied makeup, and long, glossy dark hair that fell to the middle of her back in carefully coiffed waves. But to Ezra, the way she treated Gus irreparably marred that beauty.
“Hi,” she said with fake cheeriness. “Thanks for coming to get him. Collin’s parents invited us to brunch at their country club.”
“Dad!” Gus bolted out the front door and threw his arms around Ezra’s legs. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, buddy. Why don’t you wait for me in the truck so I can talk to Mommy for a minute.”
“Okay!”
As Gus ran to the vehicle, Tina called out, “See you Tuesday!”
“Okay!” Gus hollered as he scrambled into the truck.
Ezra turned back to Tina, taking Gus’s backpack from her. “You couldn’t take Gus to brunch?”
“You know how rambunctious he is. I don’t want to make a bad impression.”
“I thought you spent Thanksgiving with his parents and that was why you didn’t take Gus for the holiday.”
“I did, but I just told you we’re meeting them at theircountry club.” She said it like it should answer any and all of his questions.
“Right, and people who are members of country clubs don’t have kids?” He was being a sarcastic dick, but he couldn’t help it. He hated when she pulled this shit.
“Of course they have kids.” She crossed her arms with an irritated expression. “I thought you’d be happy to take him. Would you rather I called a sitter?”
“No. I’d rather you’d stop putting our son second and start making him a priority. This kind of thing can affect every relationship he has as he grows up.”
She rolled her eyes. “Stop being so melodramatic. He’s fine, and I’m not your mother. I’m not abandoning him.”
