Never Saw it Coming Page 12

  Her mother folded her hands in her lap. “No, I don’t think I do know what you’re talking about. I assume that since you have tattoos and he doesn’t, that’s a deal breaker. Your mom and dad drove trucks to feed you, and his parents had a nice B and B, that’s a problem. You tend a bar. He’s got a good job offer now for a startup that could become something. You think that you’re less than him?”

  She wanted to argue that her mother had it all wrong, but she wasn’t sure she did.

  “I’m not good at relationships. He deserves someone better than me.”

  “Your taste in men just sucks. You’re stuck in the mindset that they have to be like you. Maybe different is better. Same hasn’t worked out for you, has it?”

  Dealing with the disappointment from Jason over missing his soccer game would have been easier than listening to her mother point out her grand flaws.

  “I understand same,” Chandra crossed her arms in front of her. “Same has a way of finding me.”

  “Oh, my God,” her mother said, and her eyes had gone wide.

  “What?”

  “It has a way of finding you, alright. When you least expect it and need it.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked as she followed her mother’s line of sight. “Oh, my God!”

  ~*~

  Mike told his son he loved him and hung up the phone. Two more weeks and he’d be coming for a visit. He couldn’t remember when he’d been happier. Not having his son close by had been the only downfall to moving to Colorado, but he continued to convince himself that it was for the best. It gave Dane a chance to be an adult without his father hovering over him. And it gave Mike an opportunity to move on.

  He hadn’t seen the detour coming that was for sure. Who would have thought he’d stumble into the restaurant that would now become his whole existence? And of course, then there was the feisty tattooed bartender that seemed to have all of his attention.

  It was going to take some time to win her over, he decided. But since the moment he’d kissed her last night, he knew he wanted to.

  Jason jogged across the field and high-fived the glass, waiting for Mike to return his gesture. Ah, one of the perks to indoor soccer, Mike thought, as he returned the high five.

  Then he noticed Jason’s expression change as he looked up toward his mother. The enthusiasm was gone. He hurried to the center of the field, but the same energy wasn’t there.

  Mike tucked his phone into his pocket and turned to see a man standing with Chandra. His hair was long, nearly as long as hers, and jet black, pulled back in a ponytail that also matched hers. He had on a heavy leather jacket, but Mike could clearly see the tattoos on his neck and hands.

  He sported a full goatee and a few earrings. No one needed to tell Mike who the man was. No one needed to explain why Chandra had been so put off by his affection either. Mike wasn’t her type of man, that sure as hell was obvious.

  The man put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in tight to him.

  Mike was out of place. Perhaps it was time to head out. Jason and Chandra looked as though they’d have plans later, and he had a job to do. That apartment wasn’t going to refurbish itself while he stood at a soccer arena feeling sorry for himself.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jason’s expression had been as loud in her head as if he’d screamed at her, Chandra thought, as he’d gone back out to play. He hadn’t expected to see his dad, and by the way he was playing now, he wasn’t too keen on it.

  She’d kept her eyes on where Mike had been standing, but he’d disappeared. He showed up for his glory, just as he’d promised he would, and then took off. What was it about men deciding it was better just to leave?

  Austin hollered at the referee when he blew the whistle, and the players looked up in the stands. Chandra could feel the heat fill her cheeks, and Jason had walked off the field.

  Chandra sat down, and eventually, Austin followed suit.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Came to see you and the kid.”

  She hated when he called him that. “You should have told us you were coming.”

  He shrugged. “Things just work out, ya know? I had some time.” He winked, and she knew exactly what that meant.

  “You’re out of a job, huh?”

  “Freaking idiots who run casinos. Laid off a handful of us. You know, we don’t fit the bill.”

  Oh, she’d heard that excuse from him for years. But what he was really saying was he couldn’t pay the few dollars in child support she sometimes got, and he was going to be looking to sleep on her couch.

  Her mother squirmed next to her. She hadn’t even acknowledged Austin and vice versa.

  “Where are you staying?” She had to ask. Might as well get the obvious out of the way.

  “Oh, babe, I was going to stay and visit for a while. You know. Spend some time with you and the kid.”

  “Jason.”

  “I know his name,” he argued, then flashed her that smile that used to turn her into a pile of goo.

  She watched as Jason took the field again. When he looked her way, there was sadness in his eyes. The day certainly wasn’t going the way she’d wanted.

  Jason ran down the field. He was open for the pass, but when the ball was kicked in his direction, it was swiftly intercepted by the other team.

  “Damn!” Austin shook his head. “He’s not very good, is he?”

  Chandra watched her mother close her eyes and take in a deep breath. Then she began to gather her things and stood to collapse her stadium seat. “I’m going to head out to the lobby and get something to drink,” she said, carrying her bag and seat with her.

  Chandra wasn’t a fool. The woman wasn’t coming back to sit and listen to her grandson’s father criticize him.

  When her mother was gone, Chandra sat down, and Austin followed. “You know he scored earlier. The first point of the game.”

  “No kidding? Wide open net, huh?” He laughed at his own joke.

  There wasn’t even any reason to go on, she thought. She looked again to where Mike had stood, but he hadn’t returned. She’d focus on giving him a piece of her mind when she got back to work. The last thing she wanted was him letting Jason down.

  ~*~

  Mike had gotten as far as the door before he’d turned back around and stood off to the corner of the lobby to watch the rest of the game. He rested his arms on the counter and watched as Jason let the ball slip away from between his feet.

  “You hiding too?” Esther’s voice had him turning his head.

  “Was under the impression I was going to be in the way,” he said.

  Esther plopped her bag up on the counter. “For the next week to a month, we’ll all be in the way.”

  “I take it that’s Jason’s dad?”

  “Can you really even call him that?” She huffed out a breath. “Dads are interactive. Dads care. Dads… well you know. You’re a good dad.”

  He smiled. “Thanks.”

  “Jason deserves more than that,” she nodded in Austin’s direction. “Shows up when he needs something, and that girl of mine seems to forget everything when he’s around. Gets her heart broken every time.”

  “How does Jason deal with it?”

  “See how he’s playing?” Mike winced when she said it. “Yep, you know what I’m talking about. He takes it in stride. Enjoys the attention for the few minutes he gets it, and then he gets heartbroken too. There’s a cycle.”

  “That’s not fair to either of them.”

  “Never is. So I’ve already texted Tracy and asked to stay with her for the week.”

  “You have a system?”

  “Boy do I.” She turned to him and rested her arm on the counter. “Still looking into that house?”

  He folded his hands in front of him. “Keeps crossing my mind. Peter offered me a signing bonus, thought that could go a ways. I have the apartment until I’m done renovating it. Then I could live in the ho
use. But I just can’t commit yet. Besides, it still doesn’t have a for sale sign.”

  Esther puckered her lips. “I’m nosy. I poked around. The investment company that owns it is just holding it. They’re willing to sell.”

  “Really?” His voice rose. “You’re a good sleuth.”

  “I have nothing to do when Jason’s at school.” She laughed. “Offer is still on the table. I’d like to be part of it if you move ahead with it.”

  “Chandra’s afraid I’ll steal your money.”

  She laughed again. “I’m not.”

  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Let’s have lunch next week and lay out some plans. Then we can look into moving forward.”

  “I think that sounds lovely.”

  ~*~

  Chandra placed the call to the restaurant to check on Ernest, as they walked out of the soccer arena. Austin had momentarily won Jason’s attention as they hurried toward her car.

  Ernest convinced her that he was fine in charge and she should take the afternoon off. He’d be there until close anyway.

  She hated to turn over her responsibilities, especially since she was covering for Gabe. But it seemed as though she was going to have no choice.

  Once they got home, she and Austin were going to have a long talk. She didn’t want to keep going through this on again off again relationship when it was convenient to him. She didn’t want it for Jason either. They both deserved better than a man who dropped in every two or three years and made a mess before he left again.

  She unlocked the car and Jason threw his stuff into the backseat. “Where’s grandma?”

  “She texted and said Tracy came by and picked her up,” she said through grit teeth.

  “Did she watch my game?”

  “All of it.”

  “And Mike?”

  Austin climbed into the front seat and turned to look at Jason. “Who’s Mike?”

  Chandra quickly started the engine. “He’s a friend. He lives above the restaurant where Gabe used to live.”

  His brows drew in, and she knew he’d been gone a long time.

  Putting the car into drive, she pulled out of the parking lot. “Gabe is the nephew of the man who owned the restaurant where I work. He lived upstairs until he got married. He’s on paternity leave, and I’m managing the restaurant.”

  She saw the grin on his face from the corner of her eye. “You’re the woman in charge, huh? Making the big bucks?”

  She thought she might be sick just listening to him talk. “I’m in charge. No big bucks.”

  “And the guy upstairs?”

  “He’s a handyman who helps out and is renovating the apartment.”

  “Handyman?” He clucked his tongue. “My son worries about the handyman?”

  She gripped the steering wheel tightly. “They’ve become friends,” she said as she looked in the mirror at Jason, who simply looked out the window. He might be mad at her, but at least he didn’t dive into anything that would lead Austin to believe there might be something between them because until Austin arrived, there might have been that thought. “How long are you staying?”

  “I’m back, baby,” he said, just as he always did when he came around. “Thought I’d teach the kid how to play soccer for real.”

  She glanced back again, but Jason still stared out the window.

  Somewhere inside of her, a piece got lost when Austin would show up. She could escort the biggest, drunkest men out of a bar, but she couldn’t stand up to the weasel that showed up every few years. Jason didn’t even carry his last name, so why did she worry that she couldn’t just dump him on the side of the road?

  Glancing at him, she remembered why. She’d fallen for the bad boy image. He was tattooed from his neck to his knee, and she loved the mystery in that. When she was younger, she’d admit, she loved him for the danger he brought on the back of his bike and the sensations he gave her in bed. But the heartbreaks he’d dished out over and over didn’t make up for it.

  A little piece of her disappeared each time he came back, and there was no doubt in her mind she’d fall into his charm, his arms, and into bed with the man before he disappeared into the night again.

  Her mind wandered back to Mike kissing her in his apartment and then escorting her out. Why hadn’t she let that kiss linger longer instead of turning on him? Perhaps if she thought Mike could love her, she wouldn’t already be considering the eventual fall she’d be having over Austin.

  It hurt so much she rubbed her palm between her breasts to numb the pain.

  She had a type. Looking at Austin, she realized he was exactly it. Bad boy, tattooed, and damn it—unemployed.

  Wouldn’t it be nice if a decent man, one who was employable and kind to her son, wanted her too?

  As she waited for the light to turn green, she bit down hard on her finger.

  “Oh, you’re nervous. What’s up, sweet cheeks?”

  She watched the light turn green, and she gripped the steering wheel and gunned the car through the intersection.

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Chill.”

  “I need to get back to work.”

  “That’s cool. I’ll hang with the kid at the house.”

  She gritted her teeth and took a breath to combat the idea when Jason spoke, “It’s okay, Mom. We’ll be okay.”

  She cringed as Austin turned and held up his hand for a high-five. Jason returned the gesture, and Austin sat with a satisfied smug grin.

  This wasn’t going to happen, she promised herself as she pulled up in front of her house. He wasn’t going to weasel his way into their lives. He didn’t belong there, and he’d never wanted to be there.

  But for a few days, she’d give him the gift of their son’s attention. And as they climbed out of the car, she thought she’d head back to work and give Mike a piece of her mind.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mike stood a few feet back from the wall and studied the two paint samples he’d painted. He’d give it a few days to decide which shade to go with. His mother had always taught him to look at it in the dark, the light, bright sunlight, and dim as well. Let it grow on you, she’d say.

  As much as he wanted to get a move on the apartment—and perhaps get out, he knew his mother’s advice was still good.

  He picked up the notebook from the kitchen table and his tape measure. As soon as he painted, he would hang new blinds. If he measured for them and ordered them, they’d be ready just in time. There were three windows in the living room and one in the bedroom. It wasn’t going to be a huge cost, so he thought he’d opt for something a little better than what was there.

  Later he’d set up a time to have Gabe come up to the apartment, and they could discuss the kitchen, bathroom, and the bedroom. He had some storage ideas to make the bedroom a more effective use of space.

  The thought caught him and made him laugh. Bedrooms were used effectively enough, if one was lucky, he amused himself as he heard the knock on his door.

  Setting the notebook on the table, he hurried to the door and pulled it open.

  Esther and Tracy both stood in the hallway with grins adorning their faces.

  “Well, this is a fantastic surprise. Come on in.”

  “We hate to bother you,” Tracy said, dropping her woven bag on the table. “I brought tea. Can I interest you in some?”

  Mike shut the door. “I think I have a teapot. I’ll start some water. Have a seat.”

  “Do you mind if we sit at the table? We have some things we want to go over with you.”

  Mike opened the cupboard and looked around. He’d been right. There was a teapot up on the top shelf. He pulled it down, filled it, and set it on the stove.

  “What could you ladies want to discuss with me?”

  Esther took her jacket off and hung it on the back of the chair before sitting down. “I was telling Tracy about your thoughts on investing in that property.”

  “Oh, and what do you think?” he p
osed the question to Tracy.

  “Well, I have to admit, I thought it was something I’d like to get in on. Now that I’m up here,” she whistled, “I’m convinced I was right. You do wonders to dark, desolate spaces.” She looked back at him after scanning a glance over the updated room. “I want in,” she offered as she clapped her hands together and the arm full of bangle bracelets jingled loudly.

  Mike chuckled. “Really? You both want a piece of this?”

  “We do. We can finance a great deal of it. But it would be your manpower and know how that gets it going in the right direction.”

  He could feel the permagrin on his face tugging at his cheeks. “I can’t think of two more enthusiastic partners. I have to admit. I was still on the fence about it, but looking at you two, it’s hard to say no.”

  Esther smiled and Tracy pulled a notebook from her bag. “We’ve looked up some information online and ran some preliminary numbers. Give them a look.”

  She pushed the notebook in his direction, and he picked it up. “You did find a lot of information online.”

  “I can help with the interior design,” Tracy offered.

  “And Jason can put in a few hours of labor after school, if you think you could use him,” Esther also offered.

  “He’d be a great asset if his mother is okay with it.”

  Esther huffed out a breath and shook her head. “She’ll be fine with it when she gets her head out of her ass.”

  Mike was glad that the teapot began to scream at him at that moment. He turned and pulled it from the stovetop.

  Opening the cupboard, he turned back to the women. “I only have two mugs.”

  “Oh, you two enjoy,” Esther said with her lips pursing. “I’m fine.”

  Mike took down the mugs, filled them with water, and set them on the table. Tracy opened her bag again, and pulled out two homemade tea bags and set them in the water.

  “They need about ten minutes,” she said. “Sit down with us.”