Clinking dishes tell me I’m not the only one awake in the house.
Rounding the corner past the living room, I find Charlie sitting on a breakfast stool with a spoonful of Fruit Loops about to meet her lips. She smiles with a Cheshire-like grin that says she knows something.
But instead of saying anything she places the spoon in her mouth and chomps down on the cereal.
Finding the counters bare of any sweets I frown and move to the cabinet and grab a bowl.
“So, who did you sneak out of here?” She raises her eyebrows. Her dark hair is pulled up in a high ponytail and she has on shorts and a tank top.
“Um...no one.” I pour the Fruit Loops into the bowl and she picks up her phone from the counter and acts like she’s looking at the screen, but I know she’s waiting to drill me with another question.
“Then you must have one awesome vibrator based on the satisfied look on your face.”
I stifle my laughter and take my bowl over to the kitchen table. “More like a hefty imagination and a subconscious that wants to play it out in my dreams.”
“Damn. I wish I had your imagination.” She grins over her spoonful of Fruit Loops.
That’s the thing about Charlie. She’s kind of a cheerleader for everyone. Not the rah rah rah throw my pom-pom’s in the air kind, but she doesn’t seem like she’d ever wish ill will on anyone. She only ever seems genuinely pleased when someone else is happy. Being from a family in the upper echelon of San Francisco high society, I’ve seen my fair share of people who really don’t want you to succeed or find happiness.
My face flushes and I try to bury my head into my bowl of cereal.
“So, who’s the guy? An ex from back home?” Charlie rises from her breakfast stool and joins me at the table with her bowl of cereal.
I haven’t had as much time to bond with Charlie since she also works some shifts at Happy Daze Tavern on top of the fact that she’s a local and shoots home for family dinners occasionally. Ava has her dad here too, which leaves me with my art. Not that I’m complaining, my hotel pieces are starting to move from the sleazy rent-a-room-by-the-hour variety to the high-end resort living type.
“Not an ex.” My spoon skims through the milk, stirring the small rings of colors around.
I glance up to find Charlie leaning back in her chair, her gaze on me. She’s waiting for me to expand. The problem is, because Charlie is local, she’ll know Marcus.
She leans forward as though we have to worry about someone overhearing us. I’m assuming Ava is still sleeping. “I know we don’t know each other all that well, but just so you’re aware, I’m not a gossip whore. I won’t push you to talk to me, but if you want to, I’m here.”
Then she stands and takes her bowl to the sink. The kitchen is silent as she grabs her purse and puts it crosswise on her body then takes her keys off the small table we have next to the backdoor to our apartment.
“Marcus Kent.” I blurt out his name fast, like she’s not going to hear me.
Truth is, I need to talk to someone about him and most of my other friends took the summer as a vacation before we finish the final year for our Master’s.
Her Chucks skid to a stop and she slowly turns around, the smile teasing her lips looks like she’s trying to bluff with a shitty poker hand.
“Well, he’s definitely worthy of the orgasm you had this morning.”
She sits down on the edge of the chair she just left. “He’s the dad? The one with the Popsicle sticks and glitter comment?”
I nod. “Yup.”
She has a knowing look on her face. “Marcus is very protective of Lily.”
“Aren’t all dads?” I ask, pushing my bowl of cereal to the side.
“Yeah, but he’s different. My boss is a single dad too, but he’s more go with the flow,” she talks with her hands and pauses trying to think of the word to describe him. “Let’s just say he’s an open book with his son. Now he’s older than Lily, but when it comes to Lily’s mom, everyone who’s close to him is super tight-lipped about the situation. That’s a hard line with Marcus. He never talks about it and no one ever talks to him about it.”
Her eyes are filled with sympathy, as in ‘don’t even bother with him, you’ll get nowhere’. But I love a challenge. Isn’t that how I ultimately embarrassed myself in front of him at eighteen? Would I really be willing to put myself out there for him again? Especially since this time around he seems to be doing the pursuing.
“How do you know him so well?” I ask and she shakes her head, making small strands of hair fall from her ponytail holder.
“He’s my boss’s good friend.” She’s holding something back though, I see it in the way her gaze darts away from me.
“Oh, my God.” My hands fly up to my mouth. “Have you been with him? Did you guys date and now I’m telling you—”
She laughs, her hand pulling mine from covering my mouth. “No. That’s not it at all.” She takes a deep breath and lets it puff out her cheeks when she exhales.
“Please don’t tell anyone this because my boss doesn’t want it to get out.” She pauses again.
My mind races with a million different thoughts. Are Marcus and her boss an item? Is he gay? Is he already attached to someone?
“They’re members of this thing called The Single Dads Club. But you can’t say anything about it,” she adds quickly.
I scrunch my nose. “What’s the big deal with that?”
“A lot of people know about it, but they meet at the bar and the guys don’t want that broadcast because then the single women would flock there looking for their next baby daddy.”
“Whatever happened to dads using their kids to score with women? You know like they do with puppies?”
Charlie stands and opens the fridge, taking out a water. “These guys aren’t those type. The kids all come first. Relationships are second and usually of the temporary variety if you get my meaning.”
My heart pricks a little with her comment. So, if something happens between Marcus and I, it would be for the summer and that’s all. Secret rendezvous after Lily goes to sleep is all we’d share.
“Oh, don’t look so down. You might be the game changer for Marcus.” She winks. “Okay, I’m off to do inventory.” She walks toward the door, but it swings open before she reaches it.
In walks Ava, in her clothes from last night and nothing but her keys in her hand.
“Am I the only one that’s not getting any?” Charlie says, shaking her head.
“What? I went for a walk.” Ava walks to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water. “Can’t a girl get a little exercise without getting the third degree?
“Does this exercise have a name?” I ask and Charlie laughs.
Ava swings around and pins me with a mock glare. “No.”
“I am the only one not getting any exercise,” Charlie laments and walks out the door, shutting it behind her.
“Wait, what is she talking about?” Ava asks.
I stand and put my bowl of cereal in the sink next to Charlie’s. “Nothing.” I walk up to the island counter and can tell from her just fucked hair and her inside out shirt that she wasn’t out for a walk. But since I don’t want her prying into the situation with Marcus, I don’t bother trying to get any information from her as to where she spent the night.