JEANNIE HAD AGREED to meet him at the park. It was always somewhere other than the house. Never the house. Since the divorce, he had never crossed the threshold of what was now his ex-wife’s home. He doubted it had changed much, since it was the same house they lived in while married. Still, it was sad that he was no longer welcome in a house for which he was technically still paying. He just shook his head as he stepped out of his truck and into the April sunshine. No sense in drudging up my financial loss and her gain.
The day was bright with a slight breeze keeping the sun from being unbearable. Winter never lasted long in Florida if it even showed up. April was back into the high seventies and low eighties, a perfect day for the park. Children were taking full advantage of the Saturday as they swung from jungle gyms and screamed down slides. Parents, mostly moms, sat on benches or stood at the edge of the playground, keeping an eye on their children, while chatting amongst themselves. The children, however, were, for the most part, lost in their games with kids they had just met. If only adults could get along as well as children did at that young age. There were no prejudices, no hate. They just ran around and had fun, accepting anyone who came up as long as they were nice in return. Adults had ulterior motives. Their loyalty lasted as long as they could get something from you. Ah, Morgan, you have become one jaded fellow. Perhaps that was why he never really allowed people to get close. He stayed with the superfluous relationships, shallow and over quickly. He had tried the deep relationships—twice—and those both ended in flames. Of course, he had to admit, he had never really gone that deep with either Jeannie or Melissa. When the relationships had run their course—usually due to where his pants were on his legs—he simply shrugged and moved on. He would tell people he had tried, but he knew the truth. He had never been completely committed in the first place.
“Daddy!” He heard the sound of Dustin’s voice before he saw him. The little guy was running up, arms outstretched, calling out to his father.
Morgan dropped to his knees, his own arms out wide, waiting for the impact of that excited bundle of little boy. It was because of the towheaded little guy in front of him that Morgan never had another relationship. Oh, he had lovers. He was always quick to hop into bed with someone. Yet, Dustin no longer had a dad at home and Morgan was not going to risk that with another child. He knew he wasn’t going to cease his roaming ways anytime soon and he refused to break up another home because of his quick zipper. Dustin has at least made his father grow up that much.
Dustin hurled himself into his father’s arms, the boy’s own tiny arms wrapping around Morgan’s neck and squeezing for all he was worth. “Hey, Squirt.” Morgan squeezed his son back. No matter what was going on in his life, his son could center him like no one else ever had. “You being a good boy for your mother?”
“Uh huh. We had pancakes this morning.”
Jeannie was standing behind Dustin, her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. Morgan smiled up at her. She wore white shorts with a green tank top, her dark hair straight around her face and falling down her back. She was paler than he remembered, but then, being a single mom probably didn’t allow much time for laying out in the sun. He wished she would smile more. Yet, she never really did have a chipper disposition.
He glanced back down at Dustin. “Pancakes sound wonderful. Sorry I missed out on those. I was thinking hot dogs for lunch from that place you like over by the mall.”
“Yay!” Dustin squealed as he squeezed Morgan again.
“Now, before we leave, why don’t you go play some more, so Daddy can talk to Mommy a minute.”
Dustin didn’t argue and with a quick “I love you” was off to find the kids he was playing with. Morgan just smiled as he watched him run off. Four-year-olds had way too much energy.
As Morgan stood to his feet, dusting the knees of his pants off, he smiled up at Jeannie. “I don’t know how you keep up with all that energy. He never stops, it seems.”
Jeannie glanced back the way Dustin had run off. Still no smile. “You do what you have to do, I guess.” She turned back to Morgan, her expression waiting.
He slipped his hands into his pockets and took a sigh. “Neal has me in Biloxi overseeing a new project and beginning a new office. I’ve rented an apartment. I came back this weekend to pick up some things and get stuff settled here. I’ll come back to see Dustin as often as I can and I was hoping you’d be flexible on me seeing him. I’d also like to fly him out there to spend some time with me, maybe bring him up for a week. I don’t want to disrupt his schedule too much, but I also don’t want to go long periods without seeing him.”
“Then you should have told Neal no. I don’t like the idea of Dustin on a plane alone. There’s too many evil people these days.”
“Then I’d drive down and drive him back up. Biloxi is a nice area. I’d even bring you up and put you up in a hotel, so I could spend some time with him. You could have a small vacation.” He kept his hands in his pockets, trying his best not to look argumentative. Jeannie never missed a chance to fight, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. “I really think we can work this out—for Dustin’s sake.”
He could tell by her face that she wanted to say something smart back to him, but held it in. It was probably the idea of a free vacation. She nodded. “I’m sure we can work something out. Once you know your schedule and get settled, we can set something up.”
He put on his most appreciative smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. This whole trip wasn’t something I had in mind. I’ll do my best to work around what we already have set up, so as not to disrupt his routine too much.” He turned back to watch Dustin as he slid down the slide, his small arms straight up in the air. “He looks great. I know it’s not easy on you.”
She took a deep breath, a smile appearing on her face. “He’s a really good kid. He makes it easy.”
Morgan glanced over at her, a quizzical look on his face. She never missed a chance to tell him how difficult it was to be a single mom. He took her in while she stood there, staring at Dustin. She seemed healthier than normal, skin tone notwithstanding, as if she had been taking care of herself. Her body still enticed him, and he had to admit that if she said yes, he would be quick to jump back into bed with her. Of course, the emotional entanglements would kill him afterward, but he never thought with the upper head during those moments. And then it clicked. “You’re seeing someone,” he said with a smile.
She blushed as she ducked her head a little with the embarrassment of being called out. She tried not to look at him even when he turned to face her, making her blush even more. “Not really. We’ve only been out twice.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Good for you. No, seriously,” he added when she shot him a disbelieving look. “I’m happy for you. You deserve to have someone in your life.”
“Thanks. He’s taking me out tonight, as well.”
“Do I know him?”
She shook her head. “We met at a divorce support group.”
“I didn’t know you were going to one of those. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t my idea. It was my mother’s. You know how pushy she is.”
He just laughed. “I’ll leave that alone.” When she turned and faced him, still blushing slightly, he smiled even more. “Really, I’m happy for you. You sure it will still be okay to drop Dustin off at eight in the morning? I could keep him longer if…you know.” The grin he gave her expressed the “you know” part of his sentence.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure. Thanks. Not every male is as horny as you.”
He laughed. “Oh yes, they are. Some are just more patient.”
Dustin came running over. “Daddy, can we get hot dogs now?”
Morgan tousled his head. “Sure thing, Squirt. Give your mom a hug and tell her you’ll see her in the morning.”
He watched as his son hugged his ex-wife. He had meant what he had said. She deserved someone in her life to make her smile and feel special. Everyone did. He had failed in that area in a family-crashing way. He felt the smile on his face as he watched them, what was once his family. He wondered if this was the guy to step in and take his place. As he stared at Jeannie, he also found himself wondering how he felt about it if this man was the one.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“What are you working on now?” Jacqui’s father sat in the recliner, staring at a newspaper that she doubted he even read. Still, he had held one every morning since she was old enough to remember. It was always the morning paper and a cup of coffee with her mother, the two of them so busy talking that neither would ever read the paper and the coffee always grew cold before it was sipped. Yet, they did it every morning—right up until the cancer claimed her mother’s life four years ago.
Her father had finally come out of his room after lunch, acting as if nothing had happened, grabbed the paper and slid himself out of his wheelchair and into the recliner. He didn’t mention the earlier incident, only asked for a cup of coffee as he flicked the paper open. She had only rolled her eyes as she got out of her comfy spot to get him his coffee. It was better than listening to him grumble again.
Jacqui glanced up from the stack of files she had been thumbing through. “The final notes for the community center. I told Lily that I would have some things jotted down for the Groundbreaking Ceremony when I arrived Monday.”
“It’s Saturday. Saturdays are meant for fun. Not work.”
“Sometimes, you have to work. I seem to recall you working on many Saturdays as I was growing up.”
“And I hated every minute of it. I did it because we needed to eat. You have plenty of money and you barely eat. You don’t need to work on Saturdays. Hell, you don’t need to work period.” He folded the paper in his lap and stared at her. “You should quit. Let others run things. You have enough money to travel. Take a few trips.”
“I don’t have time to take a trip. You know that. There’s too much to do here.”
“What? What is there to do here? Biloxi is not some third world country, Jacqui. People work. Those who wanted to rebuild have done it already. It’s been ten years since that damn hurricane came through. You’ve done enough. It’s time to live before it’s too late to have a life.” His face softened and she could see the concern in his eyes. “I worry about you. The way you push yourself just isn’t healthy. Katrina was not your fault. Stop acting like it was.”
She felt the familiar lump in her throat and the tightening of her chest. “I owe it to Marc to keep his dream alive, to finish what he started.”
“You don’t owe your dead husband a damn thing. You’ve accomplished everything he wanted. It’s time to move on.”
“I owe him for not being with him when the plane crashed.”
“For what? To die as well? You have to stop punishing yourself for something that wasn’t your fault.”
Just as she opened her mouth to say something back—something she probably would have regretted—the doorbell rang. Her father just looked at her, his eyes demanding she listen to him. He just didn’t understand. He had been beside her mother when she had passed away. He did everything he could to stem off the disease. He had been with her to fight the battle, holding her hand the entire time.
Jacqui had been in bed, hung-over, when her husband and daughter perished in an exploding ball of flame.
She pushed herself off the couch, setting the files on the coffee table in front of her. She had no clue as to who would be at her door. No one ever came over except Brent or Lily and they both knew to call first. All normal people knew to call before dropping by uninvited.
As she opened the door, she wished she would have peeked through the peephole first. Standing in front of her was Vince Andrews.
They stared at each other a moment, Jacqui confused as to why the man was standing there. It had been over a year since he had walked out of her life and left The Karston Foundation. Both because of her. They had crossed a line and, because of that, she had bought him out. He left without a fight and, until yesterday, she hadn’t seen him since.
She stepped out onto the front porch, closing the door behind her. With her arms crossed over her chest, she stood there, wishing she could bolt. She would have been happy never seeing him again.
Vince had his hands stuffed in his back pockets. Instead of the stoic, strong man she remembered, he appeared as a little boy, shy and bashful. She didn’t say anything, waiting for him to speak his mind. He just shuffled in place.
Finally, he took a deep breath and glanced up into her eyes. He slid his dark sunglasses on top of his head, pulling his bangs up with them. “I’m sorry for just showing up on you like that yesterday. I didn’t think you’d be there.”
She nodded. “And so you decided to give it a repeat performance today? Why were you even there? For that matter, why are you here?”
He shrugged, his head dipping a bit with insecurity. “I’ve kept track of you since…well, since back then. You’ve done real well for yourself. When I heard about the community center, I wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t think we’d run into each other if I worked for the company doing the construction.”
“Well, we did. If you know me at all, then you know I’m very hands on with my projects. I’ll be even more so with this one.”
“I wasn’t thinking.” He glanced back up at her. “Look, I can tell Morgan to find someone else. I can even suggest someone competent enough that you would approve. I didn’t mean to barge in. I just felt…”
“What? What did you feel, Vince?” Her anger flared as well as her embarrassment at how weak she had been back then and how she betrayed her late husband with his best friend. “You don’t need to feel anything. You’ve been out of my life for over a year. There is no need to come in now all sad and regretful. What’s done is done.”
“But I owe you an apology. I owe Marc. I should never have crossed that line.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We both crossed it, Vince,” she said, her voice softer, more sympathetic. “I would love to blame you and scream that you took advantage of the situation and for quite a while I did just that. Yet, the truth is, I crossed it as well. I was hurting. I was numb and scared and lost and I just wanted to feel something again. You were there and we both took advantage of each other and got what we needed. I can’t blame you, and, honestly, I can’t think of anyone better for this project. At least, I know you. I don’t know the people from Rutherford.” And she meant it. She didn’t want to see him again, but she couldn’t deny that he excelled at his job.
His smile was weak, and his eyes still held the sadness of regret. “I’ll make sure it gets done properly. I promise.”
Jacqui just nodded. They had both said their piece, now she hoped he would just leave.
He didn’t just leave, though.
His smile brightened a little. “It was good seeing you. It’s been way too long. Maybe we can catch up sometime?”
While she didn’t appreciate the shock of his unexpected appearance, she had to admit—grudgingly—that it was good seeing him, even with the guilty feelings. He had always been a great friend, someone her family trusted. Marc had been friends with him since their college days and, after Marc’s death, the two found solace in each other. She had fallen into his arms out of pure loneliness and he held her like there was no tomorrow. It was a move she regretted immediately. She could still see the pain in his face when she told him it was a mistake and she couldn’t be with him again. Her husband had not even been dead a year when it happened. Most people would have said that was plenty of time, but Jacqui was not most people. It was the second time she had betrayed her marriage. The first was not getting onto that plane.
Another year had not really changed her all that much. She was still focused on her projects as penance for surviving. She had no social life. She didn’t want a social life. “I don’t know. I have a lot of work to do.”
He nodded. “I understand. But if you change your mind…just a cup of coffee between old friends.” He handed her a business card. “I’d really like to just catch up. Call me if you change your mind.”
She took the card, her arms immediately crossing back over her chest afterward. “I don’t think I will, but I’ll hold onto the card.”
He smiled again, a hopeful expression brightening his face. “Everyone needs coffee sometimes. And friends.”
She watched as he turned and walked away. His back was even thicker than she remembered, his shoulders broader, his ass… She shook her head, scattering the thoughts. She didn’t need to return to those trails of thoughts.
Back inside she faced the inquisition from her father about who was at the door. She suddenly felt like getting out of the house. She smiled at her father. “How about going for a drive?”
He studied her a moment before agreeing. “Beats being cooped up in here all the time.”
She didn’t really agree with him. Being cooped up kept you safe. She needed safe. Safe was good.