Misery Company

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Dean received another email from Travis and this one had much more information, things no one knew about her parents, copies of files Travis was able to track down. Mac Ashby had secrets, a whole lot of them. Dean sat back in his chair and stared at the screen as he considered; now what?

He could show her what he found and get her completely out of his life, that sounded good but didn’t feel like the right answer. Keep your enemies close. His mind started to drift to Jake’s date, something he was trying to forget since they left. It was unbelievable for Mac to get dressed up going on a date.  No one would believe it, hell he didn’t until he saw her. The funny and very scary part was the fact she had looked nice…pretty.

Dean glance at the clock, it was just past nine. He needed to either go to bed or seriously get out of the house. Thinking about Mackenzie Ashby could only do bad things to his mental health.  Megan was asleep and his parents were downstairs, there was only one clear choice; Dean laid down.

IIII

Mackenzie had been nervous to the point her knees shook and she nearly tripped twice. Luckily no one had noticed. Jake was being a sweetheart, she found herself smiling at times at things he said and when he took her hand as they walked into the restaurant. She had never been into the fancy thing but that didn’t mean she hated it. Jake was trying to impress her and admitting only to herself, he was succeeding.

“You don’t look completely miserable.” Jake commented.

Mac smiled behind her menu. “Oh I am, I just hide it good.” Her voice gave nothing away, as always she hid her true emotion like a pro. “But since we’re here we might as well talk.”

“Get to know each other?”

“Something like that.” She agreed. She was curious about him and even if they never spoke again she wanted to remember their date, have as many facts as she could. “You first.”

“What do you want to know? Just start from the beginning?” Mackenzie nodded. “Alright. My name is Jake; I’m the oldest out of three kids. I’m continuing classes to earn my degree while I intern for my uncle. I’m a morning person but hate all kinds of coffee. This sounds dorky but for fun I like to read the business section in the paper, I like numbers. I think you’re really beautiful. Your turn.” Jake finished, a full fledged smile forming on his lips as he watched her face.

Mac tried to keep the neutral facade going and lost as she returned the smile. “There isn’t much to say. I’m an only child; I live with my aunt since my parents died when I was really young. I go to high school, do you always go chasing after younger girls?” she teased as her sarcasm slipped right back into place.

“I’ve been trying to tell you that this is completely different from any other date or girl from my past. I didn’t factor in your age when I saw you. You came storming out of your car and I was intrigued. No I didn’t go looking for a girl younger then me or a girl at all here in town but here you are.” Jake explained after they placed their orders.

“Not for long, this is one date and nothing more. I have school and what comes after to focus on and you have that internship.” Mac was honest; she didn’t want to hurt Jake until she had to.

Jake nodded and chose to talk about a different subject. “How did you get into basketball?”

“By accident I guess. I’ve always been a loner and my first week in elementary school I was sitting on the playground waiting for time to pass when a basketball rolled past my feet. I picked it up and the rest is history.”

They continued with their small talk throughout dinner. Mac thought that was all, a nice dinner and she’d head home. Jake had other plans.

From the restaurant he took her to what he considered the second part of the date. “How many parts does this date have?” she had asked.

Saying nothing he smiled and took her hand.

IIII

You couldn’t sleep when your body felt wired. Dean flipped through some magazines, browsed the net and even burned a CD to pass time. Continuing to feel restless he grabbed the other end of the baby monitor and left Megan asleep in her crib. He stepped outside. The night was breezy, stars surrounding the moon high in the sky.  He dribbled the ball around the backyard a few times when the sound of a car moving closer caught his attention. Lover boy was back from his date with anger girl.

He set the ball down by the door before moving closer to the front of the house. He remained hidden as Jake walked with Mac onto the sidewalk. Feeling like a complete idiot Dean listened into their conversation. He chalked it up to his curious nature.

“You had a good time.” Jake said.

“It was ok.” Mac shrugged. “I guess a bet is a bet.”

“Don’t worry I won’t hold you to it.”

“I don’t mind.” It was barely heard as she whispered what was only meant for Jake.

Her words brought a smile to Jake’s face, he moved forward to close the small space between them and kissed her. Dean made an ugly face as he watched them. So much for the date being a nightmare and Mac getting out of his cousin’s life. A quick mental picture flashed before Dean’s mind; Mac hanging around the house, being at family dinners, being completely gross and in love with Jake. It all made him sick to his stomach. It was time to move forward with the plan.