Somewhere in Between (Madison Square #1) (7 page)

Papa Jack nodded at him and turned to David. “Where’s my beautiful daughter-in-law?”

“She’s at the store. She wanted to take care of inventory before the baby comes.” David sighed and made his way back to our table.

“You don’t deserve that girl,” Papa Jack called back to him.

“I know, Dad.” David grinned. “I know.”

David kissed my cheek and said a quick hello before moving to the other side of the table, slipping off his suit jacket, and taking his seat next to Sean. Drew slid into the chair next to me with his back to the wall. He leaned over and plucked a fry from my basket.

“Hey, get your own.” I smacked the back of his hand. Completely un-phased, he just smiled and plucked another fry.

Bridget came back with her tray and set two pints of Guinness down for Drew and David and a basket of fish and chips for each of the boys. She set an extra basket of fries in front of me with a wink. I made a mental note to add a little extra to her tip tonight.

I picked up the malt vinegar and handed it to David. We’ve all been friends for such a long time that we had each other’s likes and dislikes down to a science. When I met Drew back in college, this motley group of misfits came along with him. They accepted me immediately and made me feel like a member of the family, something I will be eternally grateful for.

“Should Millie still be working this hard? The baby is coming really soon,” I said, starting to worry about Millie.

David twisted the lid off the vinegar, dumping a generous amount on his food. “You try telling her to take it easy.” He grumbled. “I’ve been trying to get her to slow down for weeks. She is determined to work right up until the delivery.”

“Pfft. Women,” Sean said.

I chucked a fry at him. He just grinned, his mouth full of fried fish.

The door opened and I saw Wiley searching the crowd. I stood up and waved to get her attention. She moved quickly though the bar toward us.

“Lexie!” She called, using that dreaded nickname. Drew lifted an eyebrow at me and mouthed, “Lexie?”

“Shut it,” I told him.

I loathed the name Lexie. I am so not a Lexie. Wiley knows it bugs me, but she uses it with such affection, I let it go. Sean stood when she reached the table and offered her his seat. He went to grab a spare chair from the hallway leading to the restrooms.

My boys are such gentlemen. He set the chair at the end of the table, straddling it and folding his arms on the back of the chair. His eyes roamed up and down Wiley as he thoroughly checked her out, and he wasn’t being at all subtle. I just shook my head. I guess I should have had the no-screwing-my-work-friends talk with Sean too.

“This is Sean, David, and Drew.” I pointed to each guy as I said his name. “Papa Jack is behind the bar.” I gestured toward him and he nodded a response.

“Guys, this is Wiley,” I said as she gave an enthusiastic wave.

“As in Wile E. Coyote?” Sean piped up.

Drew almost choked on his beer. I bit my lip to stifle a laugh. I didn’t want to embarrass Wiley. I elbowed Sean in the ribs, causing him to wince at the contact.

“Not exactly.” Wiley giggled. “I had the misfortune of my parents naming me Willimina. I shortened it to something more me.” She shrugged her shoulders, not seeming bothered at all.

Bridget stopped by our table, standing silently next to Wiley, waiting not so patiently for her order. Bridget was a strange bird. She didn’t say much, but we regulars didn’t notice much anymore. Bridget knows what we like and makes sure our beers are never empty, so no one complains.

Wiley looked up at her with a bright smile and Bridget raised an eyebrow. David leaned toward Wiley, offering her a quick lesson in reading Bridget’s facial expressions. “What do you want to drink?”

“Oh!” she said. “Black and Tan, please.”

Bridget moved on, and Wiley turned her attention to us. She looked around the table, appraising the guys. She glanced at David, then back at me. “He’s hot,” she mouthed. I sipped my beer and wiggled my ring finger at her. Her smile faltered and she nodded her head when she got my point.

I never really thought of David as hot. He’s good-looking, of course. Clean-cut and polished, whereas Drew is usually a little rougher around the edges. David just always felt more grown up, like we were all pretending to be adults but he really was one.

“So, this is the trivia group,” Wiley said to no one in particular.

Drew set down his beer. “Pretty much. We’re missing David’s wife, Millie. Unlike the rest of us slackers, she actually has a work ethic.”

We all nodded. There was no denying that one. Millie works herself like a dog. She’s going to go crazy on maternity leave.

“Everyone has their specialty,” Drew continued. “David handles sports and European history. I handle geography and music.”

“He thinks he does,” I interrupted.

“Smart ass over here handles literature and pop culture,” he said, hooking a thumb in my direction with a smirk. “Sean is here for the beer.”

Sean put a hand on his chest, pretending to be wounded. “I’m hurt. I have a plethora of useless knowledge in my pretty little head.”

I leaned across the table to Wiley. “Useless is the keyword.”

Sean looked at me, feigning shock. “I expect this crap from him,” he said, gesturing toward Drew, “but Alex, for shame. Besides, what I lack in actual knowledge, I make up for in enthusiasm.”

“Yeah, Mr. Enthusiasm here is why we always lose. He likes to yell out the wrong answer.” I took a long drink of my beer as Sean pouted in his seat.

“Since Millie isn’t here, think you can handle fashion and movies?” David said to Wiley.

She smiled. “I will give it my best shot.”

As the night went on, Wiley turned out to be a major asset to the team. She picked up the slack by answering questions from all of our categories, including one about what animal the Canary Islands were named after. We would have had that one if Sean hadn’t jumped up and yelled, “Canaries!” FYI, it was dogs. Who knew? Well, Wiley knew, but seriously, dogs?

Between questions, I noticed Wiley watching Drew and me. I could feel her eyes on me as he pinched the skin on my hip when I wasn’t looking and again when I laid my head on his shoulder while laughing at something Sean did. At one point Drew pushed a piece of hair away from my face and smiled. To me, this gesture felt natural, something he had done a hundred times, but when I glanced at Wiley, her eyebrows looked like they were trying to escape into her hairline. I took a long swig of my beer, feeling a little self-conscious.

At the end of the night, we humbly accepted our fourth place appetizer coupon, even though there were only four teams playing. We all said goodbye to Papa Jack and filed out of the bar. I said goodbye to David as he headed to his car. Sean wrapped me in a hug and dipped me back ballroom style, kissing my cheek. I laughed, my body tightening, afraid he was going to drop me. Drew shook his head and laughed as Sean gave Wiley a goodbye hug.

Sean and Drew started talking about work, and Wiley pulled me a little away from the guys and gave me a hug.

“I was wrong,” she whispered. I pulled back, completely confused. “You don’t want him.” She smiled. I started to tell her I told you so, but she held up a finger to stop me. “You don’t just want him. You’re in love with him.”

I just stared at her. What? How could she say that? Drew was my best friend. I was not in love with him. She was crazier than I thought. She smiled, having already made her point, and walked over to Drew. She gave him a quick hug and headed out toward her car.

My mouth was still agape when Drew slung an arm around my shoulder. “You ready?” he asked. I was too stunned to speak. I nodded my head and let him lead me home.

Chapter 7

Drew (Then)

“What are you doing this weekend?” I asked, dropping down on the bench next to Red.

She turned to look at me, a pen stuck between her teeth as she reviewed her notes. Midterms were in full swing and Red was stressing about her chemistry midterm. She never worried like this about her design classes, but chem was a killer.

She took the pen out of her mouth and sighed. “Drinking.”

“That bad, huh?” I chuckled.

“Why do I need to know this? I’m not pre-med.” The frustration was written all over her beautiful face.

I picked up her notebook and looked over her complicated notes, but it just looked like code to me. “Beats me. I barely made it through myself.”

I dropped her notes back into her lap and focused back on Red. She had her textbook open in her lap, her red hair hanging down like a curtain to shield her face as she read. I reached out, tucking the soft waves behind her ear, and froze when I realized what I had just done. The gesture was small, but intimate.

I waited for her to react, but she was so engrossed in her last minute study session that she didn’t seem to notice. I instantly relaxed, scolding myself for the involuntary slip up. If I kept doing shit like that, I would just end up chasing her away. She had gotten under my skin in a way no other girl had, and I wasn’t about to screw it up.

I sat up straight and tried changing the subject to distract myself from the need to touch her again. “So, how was your date?” I forced a smile. The thought of her going out with that douche made me crazy, but we were friends and friends talked about that kind of stuff.

“My what?” Her eyebrows pulled down, confusion spreading across her face. She was so distracted, I didn’t think she heard me.

“Your date. Didn’t you go out with that guy from the party?”

“Peter? I had to cancel. This exam has made me a nervous wreck all week and I didn’t have time.” She dismissively waved her hand before focusing back on the book in her lap.

I bit my lip to keep my smile from spreading. I was ecstatic that she had blown him off, but I was keeping that shit to myself.

She looked at her watch and slammed her book shut. “Shit! I gotta go. I’m going to be late.”

I got to my feet and helped her gather her notes. She headed toward the science building and I ran to catch up to her. “Meet me at the Brew after, okay? We can celebrate the end of exams.”

She sighed. “Okay, but I may need something stronger than coffee.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” I winked, watching as she headed into the building.

***

Red dropped into the armchair next to me, letting out a long breath. I closed my book and looked at her. She sunk down into the chair, dropped her head back, and looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes were a little wild.

“So, how did it go?” I asked.

“Thank God that’s over,” she said.

I handed her a coffee cup.

“Thanks.” She took a long sip, then choked, almost spraying liquid all over me. “Gah! What is this?” She coughed.

“Something stronger.” I grinned.

She laughed and took another sip. “Why did you want to know what I was doing this weekend?” She sank deeper into the chair, seeming slightly more relaxed.

“I wanted to see if you were up for a road trip.”

“A road trip? With you?” Her eyes widened.

“You can try to sound a little less horrified.” I chuckled. She started to say something, but I stopped her. “Sean is coming too.”

“Is that supposed to be better?” she asked. “Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Home? Like, to see your family?”

“Yeah.” I took a sip of my coffee, the warm, sweet taste filling my mouth.

“Why do you want me to come?”

I blinked, a little surprised by her reaction. “I figured you could use a chance to blow off some steam, have some fun.”

“With your family?”

“Yes, with my family.” I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew she’d been feeling disconnected since her parents died. I figured spending time with my family would be just what the doctor ordered. Her reluctance to go surprised me.

She stared at me, searching my face for something. “Aren’t they going to think…?”

“Think what? We’re friends, Red. I bring Sean home with me and no one thinks we’re dating.”

“You guys do make a cute couple.” She giggled. Good. Giggling was good.

“Come on, it will be fun. They will all think you’re too good for me anyway.” I shot her a wink.

She smirked and considered it for a moment. “Okay. Yeah, I’m in!”

***

“I gotta take a piss,” Sean said from the back seat. We were only an hour into the three hour trip.

“Jesus dude, you have the bladder of a gnat,” I said, flipping on the blinker to take the next exit.

Red sat next to me in the front seat, her long legs curled under her as she read quietly, ignoring Sean’s whining.

“Look, man, we have two more hours. This is the last stop.”

I pulled off the highway and into the nearest gas station. It was a little run-down. No doubt the bathroom would be less than sanitary. I guess crabs would be his punishment for a small bladder.

Sean took off for the bathroom as soon as we parked. Red and I got out to stretch our legs. She leaned against the hood, watching Sean disappear into what was basically a glorified outhouse.

“What are they like?” she asked without looking at me.

“Who? My family?” I took a seat on the hood next to her.

“Yeah.” She looked down at her hands, nervously picking at the skin around her fingers.

“They’re great. You’ll love them.”

“I’m sure, but will they like me?” She finally looked at me, and I was a little shocked to see the genuine fear in her eyes. My stomach clenched. This trip was supposed to make her happy, to give her a chance to relax, but it seemed like it was just stressing her out more.

“Are you kidding? Of course they will. Is that what you have been worrying about?”

She shrugged her shoulders and looked away.

“Red, you’re worrying about this too much. If they’re cool with
Sean,
” I pointed a finger toward where he emerged from the bathroom, “then you’re good.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been surrounded by family, anyone’s family.” The sadness in her voice made my chest hurt.

Determined to get her to relax, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and led her back to the passenger side of the car. “Trust me, Red, they’ll love you.” I didn’t doubt it for a second.

We pulled into my parent’s driveway a few hours and three more stops later. I felt like I was going to end up killing Sean on the way back. I was sure Red would help me bury the body in the woods somewhere.

I got out of the car and glanced up at the old, two-story house I grew up in. The paint on the siding was faded and peeling in some places, but it looked cheerful, as usual, with its bright red shutters and Mom’s garden so full of life and color even at this time of year. Dad must have been keeping it up for her since it’s been hard for her lately.

I took a deep breath. Home.

I grabbed me and Red’s bags from the trunk and stepped up on the porch. I was about to reach for the doorknob when it turned and opened.

“Mom,” I said a wide smile spreading across my face.

She opened the screen door and stepped out, reaching for my face with a tired smile. She was thinner than the last time I saw her. Her fingers were cold against my face, but her eyes told me that Mom was still somewhere inside that tiny frame. The green scarf I got her for Christmas was wrapped artfully around her head.

Mom had been diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago. She had already been through two surgeries and five rounds of chemo. Her body was frail and slowly giving out, but her spirit never broke. She was a fighter and the strongest person that I’ve ever known.

I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her against my chest, wishing I could keep her safe if I just held her close enough. I reluctantly let her go and turned to see Red standing on the steps behind me, eyes wide. I should’ve told her about Mom’s diagnosis, but I couldn’t figure out a way to say it.

Sean bounded past her. “Hey, Mom.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he headed into the house. Sean had been a part of the family for years now. That is how we Collins work. Once we claim you, you’re ours for life. I just wished I could get Red to understand that. I hoped inviting her home with me would help to convince her.

After Sean disappeared, Mom, Red, and I stood awkwardly on the porch. I cleared my throat, gesturing for Red to come closer. “Mom, this is Red.”

Red shook her head at the mention of my nickname for her, extending her hand to Mom. “Alex,” she said as mom took her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Collins.

“Oh please, that makes me sound old. Call me Emma.” Mom smiled. “Well, come on in and meet everyone.”

Mom waved her fragile arm toward the door. I picked up our bags and followed Mom into the house with Red following close behind.

As soon as I stepped inside, my childhood rushed back to me. I was lucky. We weren’t rich, but we had enough. My dad owned a bar not too far from home and Mom was a second grade teacher until the cancer progressed too far for her to keep working. Dad worked a lot, but he always made it home for dinner before heading back to the bar every night.

I headed into the kitchen, walking past family photos from over the years of David and me with missing teeth, grinning like idiots. There was one with Dad, David, and me after our little league team won the regional championship. Dad was wearing his world’s best coach hat the team pulled together and bought for him and David and I were in our uniforms holding baseball gloves the size of our heads.

I didn’t realize I had stopped walking until Red said, “You were so cute. What happened?” I smiled and nudged her with my elbow. She giggled and followed me to the back porch.

The backyard looked exactly the same. Mom’s vegetable garden lined the fence on the right side of the yard and our tire swing still hung from the only tree. David and I wanted so badly to build a tree house, but the old oak tree only had one limb strong enough to carry a weight. Dad said we would break our necks and hung the tire swing as a compromise.

There was a small deck just big enough for a patio set and the grill. For years Mom tried to convince Pop to move the grill off the deck because, with a good wind, we all ended up with a face full of smoke, but he said he was the head of this family and would be damned before he was banished from the deck.

Everyone was sitting around the patio table, talking, when Red and I approached them. “Well, look who finally showed up,” David said as he slipped his arm around his girlfriend, Millie. “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”

I held my hands up. “Don’t blame me. Sean had to pee every five minutes.”

I dropped a hand on my dad’s shoulder. “Hey there, Pop.”

He placed his giant paw over my hand and gave me an affectionate pat. Jack Collins was not a cold man, but he was not much of a hugger.

“Who do we have here?” David asked, nodding toward Red.

Everyone turned their attention toward her and her cheeks began to turn pink. I’d never seen her blush before. It was cute. It seemed to bring her entire face to life.

“This is my girlfriend, Alex,” Sean said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“In your dreams. I-I mean, I’m not,” she said as she fought against her natural instinct to be sarcastic.

I laughed. “Relax, Red. No one here believes anything Sean says.”

Mom came out of the house with a couple of beers. She handed them to Red and me before taking a seat on the arm of Pop’s chair. He wrapped an arm protectively around her waist, pulling her in tight against his side. Mom’s diagnosis was hard on all of us, but it was devastating to him. He hid it well, but we could see the toll her illness was taking on him.

I took a sip of my beer and started the introductions. “The big guy there is my Pop. We call him Papa Jack.” Pop nodded at Red with a smile, which she returned. “This is my brother, David, and his girlfriend, Millie.” They both smiled and waved at her. “He is older and maybe a tad wiser, but I am definitely better looking.” I winked and Red giggled, waving back at Millie and David.

We sat down, easily joining in on the conversation. After a while, Red started to loosen up and really enjoy herself. It felt right to have her here. She was easily fitting into my family’s rhythm, which was both amazing and terrifying at the same time.

We ordered pizza, ate, and laughed ‘til long after the sun went down. Papa Jack got up and lit the citronella torches surrounding the deck to keep the bugs at bay. When he was back in his seat, David got to his feet, hitting his fraternity ring on the side of his beer bottle to get everyone’s attention.