Inseparable: A New Adult Erotic Romance (16 page)

Julie went in and sat on the floor near him. "I don’t know, Jack, I wish I knew what to tell you. We can try driving over to the house where I painted the murals. Bonnie said they were on vacation, but I got the feeling they should have been back by now. Why don’t we just take a drive and see?"

Jack took a deep breath and nodded. "I promise I won’t cause any trouble. I just want to know my girls are safe."

The drive over was quiet as they were both lost in thought. Julie wanted to help somehow, but all she could offer him was more stress and worry. Jack drove safely, without the manic energy he’d had earlier, but he kept sighing every few minutes. Julie wanted to hold his hand or comfort him somehow, but felt uncomfortable intruding on his solitude.

They arrived at the mansion and parked across the street. The exterior lights were on, but they were probably turned on by a timer. The house was shadowed in the trees, but none of the windows that faced the street had lights showing.

"The girls’ rooms and playroom was in the back on the second floor. Even if they were home, you might not see the lights from here."

Jack began to whisper after a long moment of silence. "This house belongs to the owner of my old company. Sophie and I came here once for a holiday party, back when we got along. I didn’t recognize the address, but I knew as soon as we got close where we would end up."

Julie sat quietly, letting him talk. Jack laughed, then continued. "She went on and on about how much she liked the place. I thought it looked hideous. The boss spoke to everyone as he made the rounds, but I can’t remember him paying any special attention to her. I wonder if it was going on then, or if it started later."

"Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry." She said, unable to hold back the hurt in her voice.

"I was a fool. When I met her, she made sure I knew she was out of my league. She never missed a single opportunity to remind me of how lucky I was to have her. I guess she realized I was happy doing sales and wasn’t going to move on up the ladder as fast as she wanted. So she found someone else who would."

Jack just stared at the dark house, his hands on the wheel. Julie wept quietly for him, wishing she could comfort him. Headlights splashed on the road behind them. A black Suburban turned into the driveway of the house and drove around to the detached garage. Jack watched out of his open window as the girls appeared, jumping and spinning with princess dresses and tall pointed hats. Two other people walked together behind them dragging large rolling suitcases towards the front door. After they went inside, Jack started the truck and drove away.

***

T
hey lay in bed later, both staring at the ceiling, each in their own separate hell. Julie held his hand under the covers, brushing her thumb along the back of his hand. Jack didn’t speak, didn’t move. Julie slept eventually.

The next day, Jack was more like his old self again. He had risen early and made them both breakfast. Julie came in tousled from sleep and sat as he brought her coffee.

"Let’s go out tonight. This is my last night and I don’t want to spend it brooding about things I can’t change. After the lawyer cashes the check, I’ll have about $20 left. Where can we go for $20?"

"Maybe a matinée or a round of mini golf."

"Didn’t you say your mom goes to a bar near where she works? Since I can’t take you to meet my mom, maybe I could meet yours."

Julie was uncomfortable with the idea, but didn’t want to explain why. "Sure, if you want to. We could call Polly, too, and see if she is free. I know you met over the video chat, but she still wants to see you in person."

Jack smiled, but it had no energy. "Aren’t you afraid she’ll tell me all your secrets?"

Julie’s stomach turned over suddenly and she ran for the sink to throw up the coffee she just drank.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jack came to her side, suddenly alarmed. She turned on the water and rinsed her mouth.

"I’m fine," she said as she ran the water and washed it down the drain. "I must have picked up a bug or something." She hated lying, but couldn’t find the strength to tell him the truth.

Jack felt her forehead. "You don’t have a fever. Do you want me to call you in sick for the day?"

"I can’t afford to be sick, Jack. I am getting low on cash, plus I owe Polly some money as well. That stupid power steering pump turned into a whole fiasco and took most of the money I earned last week. Bonnie sent me a list of potential jobs, but none of them are going to start until at least next week. Plus rent is coming due at Mom’s place and I have to save from two paychecks to have enough." Julie found herself getting angry and took a deep breath. "I’m sorry. None of this is your fault. I just need to shower and drink some water. I’ll feel better after a shower."

Jack had an odd look on his face as she walked to the bedroom. "OK, just let me know if I can do anything to help you. You do so much for me."

Julie took a deep breath and put her hand on the door frame. "And I love doing things for you. Let’s go out tonight. It’ll be fun."

***

J
ulie kept busy at work to make the time pass more quickly. She kept finding herself staring at the little boys, her hand resting on her stomach. Her friend Cathy came up during a lull in the late afternoon with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you OK?"

Julie realized she’d been staring again. "Yeah, why?"

"You seem off somehow. I figured you’d be walking on air with Jack back in town this week, but you’ve been too quiet. Something’s up, tell me."

"Cathy, I’m fine, really. It’s just been a little rougher than usual. Jack’s ex is still making trouble for him and he’s struggling to find a job here in town."

"That’s Jack, not you. There’s something up with you. You keep staring at the kids with this look... I can’t even describe it."

Julie had to clench her jaw to keep from crying. "I’m fine. I just can’t talk about it right now, OK?" She walked away quickly, before Cathy could see the tears that had started forming in her eyes.

When she got closer to the office, she saw a familiar black Suburban drive past slowly with its driver’s side window down. Sophie seemed to look right at her with a smug grin, and nodded once as if marking her score. It was impossible to see inside through the windows from the outside, but Julie couldn’t help shivering as her gaze passed over.

***

T
hat evening, Julie and Jack walked through the door of the little bar near the pawn shop where her mom worked. The sign just said "Bar", which made Jack chuckle a little.

"What is this place really called?"

"We’ll have to ask Mom." Julie took his hand and pulled him over to the table where her mom sat."Mom, this is my boyfriend Jack Brousard. Jack, this is Lily Polk, my mother."

Lily pushed herself up out of the chair with her thick arms, stepping close to give Jack a big hug. "It’s great to meet you, Jack. I’ve heard so much about you."

Jack bent down slightly to hug her back, grinning at Julie over her shoulder. "It’s nice to finally meet you, too."

"Well, only believe about half of what she says. Sometimes she acts like she is the Mama and I’m the little girl, but I only let her get away with it to keep her happy. That girl isn’t happy unless she is in charge of someone."

"I’m right here, Mom. You don’t need to sugar coat it," Julie said.

"Well, I’m here to spend my last $20, so let’s get started. What do you want Miss Lily?"

"I’ll just take whatever’s on draft. It’s usually Natural Light."

"OK, what about you, my dear?"

Julie sighed. "How about some water to start."

"Be right back!"

The two women watched him go before Lily spoke up. "Oh, Sugar, he’s so good looking. I approve!"

Julie grinned, watching him get their order from the bartender. "He sure is. I’m glad you like him."

"So when are you going to leave the nest and officially move in with him?"

"Not for a while yet. You’re stuck with me for now."

"Stuck with you? Hell, I haven’t seen you in a week. Bobby said you brought the computer back, but other than that no one has seen you around. You could call me more often." Lily gave her a look that made Julie angry.

"I told you I got a job painting some more murals like I did for Jack. I’m working more than ever and there is more going on right now than you know. Just cut me a break, please?" Julie said it with a tense smile, but when Jack came back he seemed to notice something had happened.

"Here you go, let’s have a toast. To new friends, quiet nights, and peaceful dreams." They touched cups and drank together, but the mood had changed.

"So, Lily, what do you do for fun?" Jack tried to get things going back in a better direction.

"I hang out here mostly. Sometimes I sing a little karaoke if they bring in a DJ. There are a bunch of us rejects from the 80s who play cards, listen to our old club music, and reminisce about being young and skinny."

"You were a club kid in the 80s?"

"Yeah, there was this great place called NRG we used to go dance. We saw lots of club bands down at Numbers or Cabaret Voltaire. Sometimes we’d go out to hear rock bands play at Cardi’s or Fitzgerald’s."

"Really? I love that old stuff. Did you ever meet anyone famous?"

"No, I wasn’t willing to blow the doorman just to meet someone, or get forced into mediocre sex on the green room sofa. I had some friends who did, but I was more interested in the music then. I wanted to be like Madonna when she was still good, or Wendy O. Williams, or Annabella Lwin." She had a faraway look as she smiled. "I did sing for a couple of bands, but no one really took girls seriously as musicians back then. You’d always get pushed to be in some kind of over-produced novelty act like the Bangles or the Go Go’s."

Jack seemed to perk right up. "Hey, I’d love to hear you sing! Julie, why didn’t you tell me your Mom was a musician?"

Julie had been watching them talk with a weird kind of fascination. "Well, I knew, I guess, but I never really heard her speak of it like this before."

"I was too young to club in the 80s, but my older brothers used to come back from going out in Houston or New Orleans with great stories about seeing Zebra, Kings X and Beat Temple. I still have some of those old cassettes back at my parent’s house. I’m going to have to rip them and put them on my phone." Jack seemed to get lost in his happy memories for a moment.

"We have some of that old 80s stuff on the jukebox if you want to check it out." Lily grinned as she gestured to the digital jukebox stuck to the wall near the door.

"Seriously?!" Jack was up in a flash to scan the jukebox’s listings.

"Oh, Julie, he’s a keeper," Lily gushed. "You have to bring him around more often, too."

It was easy to forget that he was ten years older than she was. The fact that Jack and her mom had hit it off so well made Julie feel very uncomfortable. Before she found herself in her current situation, she had intended to wait to take their relationship further. She felt rushed both by her body and by Jack speaking to his mother about her. As she sipped her water, she heard a song start that her mother played all the time.

"Oh, my god, I can’t believe you picked Under the Milky Way," Lily shouted over the music. "This is my favorite song in the world."

Julie listened to the acoustic guitar beating the circular chord progression as the vocalist started singing about a loveless fascination. Jack came back to the table dancing, and pulled Julie out of her seat to spin her around the room. She held on and tried to follow his steps, but it ended up just falling apart and making him laugh. When they sat back down, Julie leaned against his arm with a sigh, but her stomach was in knots.

"So I think I know where the rest of my money is going to go. At least it will after I get us a round of shots! What’s your poison, Lily?"

"Oh, tequila works for me. Julie and I got wasted one night a year or so ago and ended up playing truth or dare. It was a hoot! Want to do it again, Sugar?" Lily was flushed with excitement.

Julie smiled weakly and shook her head. "Not feeling up to it tonight, sorry."

Jack sat her back up and said, "I’m not taking no for an answer! Let me get us a round."

"Jack, no. I’m not going to have one."

"Why not, Julie? This is my last night for two weeks. Please just have a drink with me."

"Jack, I can’t." She felt compressed, like a spring under too much pressure.

"Oh, Sugar, stop being a party pooper." Lily pushed her arm playfully, but it made her rock back in her seat.

"Damnit, Mom, I said I can’t have a fucking drink." Both Jack and her mother were taken aback at her emotional outburst. "Believe me, I’d rather be drunk than pregnant!" Julie’s hands flew to her mouth to try and stop the words.

"What?" Lily whispered, looking between Julie and Jack with a confused expression.

Jack turned white and his brow furrowed, then his mouth opened slightly like he wanted to say something. Instead of speaking, he shook his head slowly, took a step backwards, then turned around and walked out into the night without looking back.

Lily looked panicked. "Julie, go after him. You have to go after him!" she said.

Julie sat with her hands over her mouth for a moment longer, and then dashed to the bathroom to throw up. By the time she was able to go outside, Jack’s truck was gone. She walked out towards the feeder road for the freeway, watching the car lights flying past in the night.

Her car was back at her Mom’s apartment, so she took the shortcut under the freeway interchange. She felt strangely numb as she walked under the towering supports for the overpass. She paused for a moment by the pillar that had been her thinking spot since she was a teenager. She rested her head against the cool cement and let the tears fall, practicing what she wanted to tell Jack.

"I’m sorry I never told you before. It slipped out. I’ve been so afraid, but you’ve been under so much pressure. If you don’t want to be part of our lives I’ll underst—" Julie broke down completely, great sobs convulsed her and made her sink to her knees. "Jack, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry."