Page 44 of Absolute Valor

Be the kind of woman who when her feet hit the floor, the devil says, oh crap she’s up.

Priscilla sounded so broken when I cancelled on her the last time she’d invited me to the house. I didn’t lie to her exactly, Grace did have a fever, but it was due to a molar she was working hard on cutting. Lainie had visited me several times since she had returned from her honeymoon, showing me pictures of Claire’s engagement. She had also warned me not to cancel on this party as it was her reception, and she would never forgive me for it.

The day before the party, Dylan pulled me to the side and said to wait for him after closing, said he had something he wanted to discuss with me. I worried one of the jobs I had applied for called him for a reference. While I was looking for something else, there were no jobs available that paid as well as Dylan did.

“Audrey, you know I would never ask you to do anything to get you hurt or in trouble.” After work, and once Chase headed home, Dylan came into my office carrying a pink bag in his hand. “I need you to do something for me at the party tomorrow.” Reaching his hand into the bag, he pulled out what looked to be a few scraps of clothing. “I need you to stay by Lainie and Claire and put this on.” He handed me the fabric, which felt heavy and thick in my hand. “There’s a pair of shorts in here, too. I need you to wear this until Claire tells you to remove it, okay?”

Dylan left me sitting in my chair, my mouth open and eyes wide. Was he crazy? Asking me to wear less than underwear out in public, and especially around his parents. I drove home from picking up Grace from daycare, a place I really hated taking her to. She had been bitten by another little boy, and somehow managed to get gum in her hair last week. But until I could find another job, she would have to stay there since Chase made it clear she made him uncomfortable. Which was another reason I had both cancelled on Priscilla, and been looking for another job. No matter how much I had grown to care for him, I wouldn’t push myself, or Grace, into anyone’s life.

In the weeks since moving into the cottage, Grace and I had fallen into a routine. As soon as we arrived at home, I would heat up dinner as she told me about her day. After we ate and had a bath, we would lay on the floor in my bedroom, while I gave her pieces of advice, or maybe it was a way of reinforcing my goals, hearing them said out loud.

“Tomorrow, we are going to Miss Priscilla’s house, but we are only staying for a little while.” Grace laid on her back, her feet in the air as she reached for them. “You get to wear your new bathing suit and use the floaty Miss Molly gave you.” Some evenings, when it was especially hot, I would take Grace out to the pool we shared with Miss Molly. She would always be out there enjoying a mint julep and listening to music. The other day, she gave Grace a swimsuit with a floaty.

“Mr. Dylan wants Mommy to wear her new clothes, but she ain’t so sure about them.” I’d gotten a good look at what was in the bag, and I wasn’t sure why Dylan wanted me to wear it. I planned to park at the end of the drive, so I was able to make a quick exit if it turned out to be a joke.

“Oh, Grace, Mommy wishes things could have been different. I wish your father would have been willing to let me go when he decided he didn’t want us anymore.” Losing Lucas was a double-edged sword, where it was a relief for him to be gone, I felt guilty my sweet baby would grow up without a dad.

“But you know what I wish more than that?” I picked her up so we could head to bed. “I wish the sweet words Chase spoke to Mommy were real and not part of the role he played.”

“Enjoy the pool and have fun.” Lainie encouraged, as I tried to hide my legs. Wearing the clothes Dylan had given me, left me feeling practically naked in the cut off shorts and white tank top. “But whatever you do, don’t look at Chase.” Claire warned, the sparkle of the huge diamond on her hand, matched the mega watt smile she wore.

Priscilla had practically jumped out of her skin as I came down the walkway, pulling Grace from my arms and covering her with kisses. “When we tell you to take off those shorts, pretend as if they are wet or too tight.” I wouldn’t have to pretend, they were tight as hell. So much so that I was willing to give them to Grace to wear.

Dean joined us, kissing me on the cheek and stealing Grace from Priscilla. “Audrey, with all of this behind us now, I’d like to help you get the trailer and his truck off your credit.”

I’d tried to buy a new car last week, but when they ran my credit, the default of two loans kept me from it. The credit manager told me to hire an attorney who could force the credit company to remove the mark on my credit. When I called the only good attorney I knew, he asked me to give him a minute to find out what he could. “We can meet this week and discuss what you found.”

“Okay, Audrey. I need you to focus on me and slowly remove those shorts.” Dean looked behind me, shaking his head with a wicked smile. “Don’t you ruin this, Daddy.” Since the engagement, Claire had started calling Dylan’s parents Momma and Daddy.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he returned, taking a grape from Grace’s fingers then growling like a bear.

“Slow and steady.” Lainie instructed as she took her place on the lounge chair. Priscilla had done an amazing job putting this together, as I continued to shimmy the shorts off, I let my eyes roam over all of the guests who had arrived. “Okay, let them drop to the ground, and then slowly pick them up as if you’re gonna fold them.”

Following her instructions, I had just bent over when I heard the distinct sound of something hard crashing to the ground, followed by a sharp, yet explicit, “Fuck me.” I’d know his voice anywhere. Even with everything going on, hearing him speak did things to me.

“He’s fine, Audrey. You keep those eyes this way.” Claire said, a hint of amusement in her words. I heard Dylan say something, but I couldn’t make out the words. Laughter followed, so it couldn’t have been anything bad. “Now, slowly remove the tank top and get ready to take Grace for a swim.”

I did everything as Lainie instructed, even taking extra time applying sunscreen to my legs and shoulders. Priscilla covered Grace with a cute pink hat and sunglasses, which wrapped around her head. She loved to be in the water, splashing and kicking for as long as I would let her. Priscilla climbed in the water, having stolen Grace back from Dean. Once Grace was happy in her floaty, Priscilla turned to me and said, “Audrey, it is my experience there is an art to seduction, one many women never master. God gave you hips, and a heart, more than enough to turn the head of a certain Marine.”

I hated having so much skin showing and was grateful for the level of the water to help hide my body. Playing with Grace had kept my mind, and eyes, off Chase. The temperature seemed to rise and the sun moved to the center of the sky, making Grace fuss when we pulled her from the water to apply more sunscreen. Priscilla took her around to meet her friends, introducing her as the ‘new grandbaby.’ Grace was showing all the signs of being ready for a nap, but wanted to get back into the water.

“Hello, I’m not sure if you remember me.’ Startled, I turn in the direction of the man holding a red solo cup. Sunglasses covered his eyes, but I would recognize him just the same.

“Mr. Siever, correct?” Extending out my hand to shake his, a red solo cup lands in my hand instead.

“You look like you could use a cold sweet tea—I find most southern women bleed the stuff, it’s the reason they stay so polite.”

Taking the cup, grateful for the cool refreshment it granted me. “Thank you, I was actually contemplating getting out of here and finding myself something.” I admitted, raising the cup to my mouth. The sweetness hit my tongue, sending the cool sensation my body was so desperately in need of.

“Well, now you can stay in the water and talk with me. After all, you still owe me a dinner date.” Raising his cup he stepped closer, his proximity raising flags with my comfort zone. “I’d really love to get to know you better, take you somewhere nice.” He looks over his shoulder to where Grace is, “And kid friendly, of course.”

This was the second time he’d asked me to go out with him, but this time I lacked a reason to decline. Chase had changed his mind when he discovered I had a baby, not that I could blame him. Dating a single mom is quite an undertaking, and not everyone is up for the job. “You know what, Mr. Siever, I think I would enjoy that.”

His smile increased as he raised his cup and tapped mine. “Well, since you agreed, please call me Jackson.”

Dean brought Grace back over, placing her back in the floaty as Jackson and I continued to talk and get to know one another.

“I’m your walking, talking example of roads paved with good intentions.” We had started to push Grace back and forth between us in an attempt to get her worn down and tired enough to take a nap. “Everyone assumed I would head off to California or New York, but all I ever really wanted to do was have a house and a family. What about you, Audrey? What do you want?”

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