Page 51 of Trick or Treat
“No. He’s always on time. He never misses out on time with his kids.” Jenna nudged her shoulder with her own to get her to finish her story. “He said he never got the message that school was getting out early yesterday so he thought he had until three o’clock to pick him up. Unfortunately, he was out of town and couldn’t immediately get there. Since he’s in the middle of a custody case, he flat out refused to let Keegan’s mom come get him. It would just end up being something she could use against him in court. Besides, odds are I might not have been able to reach her anyway.” Lindsey took a drink of her wine.
“Why’s that?” Jenna asked.
“Because she forgets to pick him up from time to time. When she doesn’t show up, I’m supposed to call Trick.”
“Does she no-show often?” Cami asked.
“More than you would think.” Lindsey nodded her head. “Keegan doesn’t say anything, but it really upsets him. It flat out makes Trick mad.”
“Well I can imagine.” Jenna finished off her wine and set her glass aside.
“Anyway, he said he was going to see if he could get someone to pick him up. When he called back he said his mom had pies in the oven and everyone else was unreachable. One of his friends offered to send his mom, but someone else in the background said she was working and wouldn’t be able to come either.” She picked at an invisible piece of lint on her pants.
“That sucks. Who finally came to get him?” Jenna asked. “How did he get home?”
“Me.”
“What?” they both squealed.
“I felt sorry for him so I told him I’d take Keegan.” Lindsey scrunched up her face, waiting for them to tell her how stupid she’d been. She shouldn’t have been surprised when they didn’t immediately tear into her.
“What did he say when you volunteered to take his son?” Cami asked.
“At first, he didn’t say anything. I think he was in shock. Then I think he realized he didn’t have any other option unless he wanted Keegan’s mom to come get him. He asked me if I was sure and I told him yes. I mean, I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure. Keegan’s a great kid.” Lindsey pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. “He asked if I would also pick up Reagan from daycare and take them both to his house. Of course, I said yes.”
“Wow. You went from hot steamy weekend, to complete shut out, to picking up his kids and taking them to his house.” Jenna shook her head as if she couldn’t wrap her mind around it.
“Yeah. I know.” She let her head drop back on the couch and closed her eyes.
“That doesn’t sound so bad so far,” Cami said.
“No. So far it wasn’t. I watched the newAvengersmovie with the kids, then we baked brownies and played Twister while they were in the oven.” Her smile was wistful because up until that point, she’d been secretly playing house in her head. Wondering what it would be like to come home to Trick and his children every night.
“That sounds like you had fun,” Jenna offered, trying to be helpful by seeing the bright side.
“Yeah. His kids are really great. Keegan watches out for his little sister all the time and never complains. I have a feeling he might be more of a caretaker for her than their mother when she has them from what Trick has said and a few instances I’ve observed at school.”
“So where did it go wrong?” Cami asked.
“When Trick got home. He came in and found us playing Twister. The timer went off for the brownies and I went to get them out of the oven. I could hear him telling the kids to pick up the game and that he was going to change into some dry clothes. I heard him come into the kitchen, but I had my back to him, washing the few dishes we used to make the brownies. It wasn’t until I turned around that I discovered he wasn’t wearing a shirt. And he was wearing these sweatpants low on his hips, showing off that perfect V.”
“Ooooh,” Jenna and Cami both said at the same time. They both knew exactly what she was talking about. That perfect V that showcased a man’s happy trail. It just made a woman want to lick him all over.
She cleared her throat and shook herself out of her momentary daydream. “Yeah. The man is freaking hot. Anyway, I wasn’t paying attention and I burned my fingers on the hot brownie pan. He came rushing across the room and shoved my hand under the cold water. We were standing so close and we might have said something to each other, but I honestly couldn’t tell you what. That’s when he leaned down and kissed me. It was like the last four weeks apart never happened. I was debating on maybe asking him for another chance, but…”
“Uh oh.” Jenna leaned forward to sit with her legs crossed. “This is where it gets bad isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Keegan was yelling down the hall that Reagan wouldn’t listen to him. As Trick was turning to walk away to go check on him, I saw that he had long scratch marks down his back. The kind a woman puts there when she’s so into the hot monkey sex she’s getting, she doesn’t even remember doing it.”
“And there it is.” Cami shook her head. “Damn.
“What did you do when you saw his back?” Jenna asked.
“Considering he was going to check on his kids, I told him he might want to put a shirt on before he went in there. He just looked at me like I was crazy as I grabbed my purse and walked out the door.” Driving home without breaking down had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. She’d gotten home, stripped her clothes off, and poured herself a bubble bath. She waited until she was in the tub before she dissolved into a fit of tears. Why did it bother her so bad that he’d been with someone else? Did she honestly think a guy like Trick would be celibate the rest of his life, pining for her?
“I guess this means things are never going to work out with you and Trick?” Cami couldn’t hide her disappointment that Lindsey and Trick wouldn’t be happening.
“No. I don’t think so.” She shook her head and chugged the rest of her wine.
