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Her clock chimed in the background. “Yes, darling, I do. Did you get the invitation to Donna’s party?”
I rolled my eyes. Donna Stevensons was a backstabbing bitch, who had been pretending to be my mom’s friend.
“Yes. I’ll see if I can work my schedule so I can come. I’ve got to run though. I don’t want to be late for work. Love you.”
“Love you, too, Ainsley. Come home whenever you can.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I hung up the phone and took a deep breath as I grabbed my keys. I avoided going home as much as possible. She still lived in the same house as I had when I was a child. I hadn’t been home since my mom’s birthday. I would go visit her twice a year for her birthday and Christmas. Otherwise, Mom always came to my place as I used the excuse of being busy with school and work. I loved her, but the memories of what had happened in my childhood home were too painful. Every corner reminded me of something bad.
My mom and I were close, but we both kept secrets from each other. With the club, I had added another secret to the pile. In the end though, she had always been there for me, and she had never let my father touch me. Anytime I’d aggravated my dad, he would take it out on my mom that night. I’d learned to do as I was told, and I never questioned him. Sometimes I wondered if he’d known that I knew what he did to her.
I hate him.
I got in my little car and drove to the campus library. As I was pulling into the parking lot, my phone beeped with a text. It was Nora’s mom, Nancy.
Nancy: My boss has asked if I can take clients out at the last minute. Can you watch Emilyn until ten? I know it’s Friday. If not, I understand.
Me: Of course I can. I’ll pick her up from school.
Nancy: You’re a lifesaver. Thank you!
Me: You’re most welcome. I love watching her when I’m able to.
My day officially sucked. I wanted to see Adam again. I liked the escape and the freeness he could give me from the real world. But Nancy and Nora needed my help more than I needed another orgasm. Adam and I hadn’t made plans tonight, and I refused to put my life on hold for him.
I walked the campus, lost in my thoughts. The old stone steps to the library came into view, and I went inside to clock in. Since the campus was nearly deserted, my task for the last few weeks had been to make sure all books were in their proper place. The project was about halfway completed. It was a mundane task, but it paid the bills. I noticed my manager, Maria, was not at her desk, so I left her a note and headed out to the floor to begin today’s sorting. It was going to be a long day, but the smell of books consoled me and wrapped me in a comforting blanket.
I was headed over to pick Emilyn up early from the kids program she went to during the summer while school was out. It was a little after three as I pulled up to the old red-brick building. I rolled down the window and waited as freshly cut grass invaded my nose.
I had completed another few aisles of books at work today, and my head was tired after alphabetizing all day long. On top of everything, I hadn’t heard from Adam, which bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
Maybe he got his fill of me for a couple of days?
It was ridiculous for me to think that we would see each other every day. A teacher escorted Emilyn to the back passenger side of my car. Emilyn threw her backpack across the seat as she got in with a smile.
“Hey there, Squirt. How was your day?”
Emilyn had black hair, like her mother, and a petite frame, like Nora. Her eyes were an emerald green that had so much fire and spark in them.
We smiled at each other in the rearview mirror.
“It was good. Mrs. Thompson showed us how to make a liquid tornado in a two-liter bottle during project time. I made mine with purple liquid.”
I pulled away from the curb. “Oh, that sounds fun. I remember doing those as a kid. How does spaghetti sound for dinner? If that sounds okay, I need to stop by the store to get hamburger meat and noodles.”
“Sounds great. I love spending time with you, Ainsley.”
Her sweet little voice warmed my heart and lightened my sour mood, distancing Adam from my thoughts.
“Me, too, Squirt.”
We drove to the local grocery story and got out of the car. After paying the club fee to Adam, I had exactly fifty-two dollars and sixty-seven cents in my bank account. Things were tight, but I could make it on my own. I would get another check from the library this week. My academic scholarship covered my tuition, rent, and utilities. As long as I didn’t go crazy spending money, I could get by comfortably. There wasn’t a lot of extra money each month, but I was on my own, and that was what mattered.
I grabbed a shopping basket, and Emilyn and I began heading back to the meat department.
“What movie do you want to watch tonight, Squirt?”
I already knew the answer before Emilyn responded.
“Can we watch The Last Unicorn? I love Prince Lir. I asked my mom for that movie for my birthday.”
Her birthday was coming up in December, and I had already asked Nancy if I could get the movie for her. She had fallen in love with it when we watched it at my house one of the first times I had kept her. Watching that movie with my mom was one of my fondest childhood memories.
“I think that sounds like the perfect date.”
We grabbed some wheat noodles on the way to the meat section.
“Can we get some garlic bread, Ainsley?”
I grabbed a small thing of hamburger meat. I had a huge can of tomato sauce in the cabinet at home that I had bought when it was a two-for-one deal.
“I have some regular bread at home. We can put butter and garlic salt on it. It’ll be cheaper. Does that sound good?”
“Yes, that sounds fun. Ainsley, why is that guy staring at you?”
Emilyn took her little hand and pointed to someone behind me.
Crap. Now some guy knows we’re talking about him. How am I going to handle this suavely?
Slowly, I peered over my shoulder and froze when my eyes met those brown ones that had been in most of my thoughts as of late.
Adam.
I gave him a shy smile, and he began walking toward us. He had on a baseball cap, T-shirt, and jeans. The way he looked me over had me melting. I turned to face him fully, and I drank in the sight of him.
He spoke first, “Hey there.”
“Hey.”
He is gorgeou
s.
I knew I had that look of lust in my eyes with how he quirked his mouth, but I didn’t care. It was hard to believe last night we had been intimate with each other.
A little set of hands began pulling on my elbow as Adam and I continued to be locked in a trance.
“Who is he, Ainsley? Who is this guy smiling at you funny?”
I pressed my lips together. Adam seemed to be at a loss for words, too, as he looked down at Emilyn.
“Um…this is Adam, my, um…he’s, um…my man friend. Yes, he’s my man friend at the grocery store. He’s, um…shopping.”
Oh geez, I’m an idiot, a total non-loquacious, blabbering imbecile.
“Man friend? What’s a man friend, Ainsley?”
Adam raised an eyebrow at me and chuckled. I wanted to slap his chest for not helping in this matter. At least Emilyn was only questioning his title versus how I had stumbled through that explanation.
Little Emilyn’s voice pressed on with a question, “What’s a man friend?”
I looked down at her, trying to get my thoughts together. “Well, it’s a man who’s a friend. Adam, this is my friend Emilyn.”
Please let this awkward moment end. Kill. Me. Now.
Adam crouched down to be at eye level with Emilyn. “It’s nice to meet you. Ainsley has told me how much fun you have together. What are you doing tonight?”
Emilyn pointed to the basket. “My mom has to go out to dinner with people tonight, so Ainsley is watching me. It’s going to be fun. We’re making spaghetti and then watching The Last Unicorn. It’s cheaper to make garlic bread out of bread at home, so that’s what we are going to do.”
“I bet it is.” Adam stood up. “Is there anything else you need to get?”
His voice was deep, and it curled my toes. I had to keep reminding myself that a seven-year-old was beside me, and Adam and I were outside the club walls.
I looked in my basket, making sure I had both things I needed since my mind was a scrambled mess. “I’ve got everything.”
“Good. I’ll walk you up to the front.”
I wanted nothing but to spend a little more time with him. I actually missed him after seeing him for the last three nights.
