Moments of fuck.
Moments where no other word will do.
I swear, it was like being haunted by my past. I didn't know how to make it any more clear that I didn't want this bitch anywhere around me, and I was wondering what I would have to do to get a fucking restraining order in place.
Fucking Mindy was standing in the parking lot of Rosalie's, at the back of my SUV. How the hell was this the way my perfect night with my family had to end?
I'd picked up Esme and our children from her place at five forty-five. We loaded up my SUV, Esme sitting beside me in the front seat, just like she used to, and I couldn't help but throw her quick glances every so often, smiling huge. Liora was babbling in the back seat as Jude held a one-sided conversation with his sister, pointing out places of interest to her. We were quiet, entertained by Jude's running travelogue.
At one point, I reached over and covered Esme's hand with my own, giving it a quick squeeze. When she looked up at me, I mouthed thank you. That covered a lot. Thank you for coming out with me as a family. Thank you for sitting beside me again. Thank you for smelling so fucking delicious and sweet.
Then, surprising me, just as I was about to not push it and remove my hand from hers, Ez took her free hand and used it to cover mine. After squeezing it, she kept her hand there, resting right on top of mine. I couldn't help looking over at her and letting her see the happiness in my eyes, and I swear there was happiness shining in hers. I also couldn't help wishing the pizza place was more than five minutes from her apartment because I would have driven across state lines to keep her hand on mine. I missed the big things about being with Ez, their absence making me feel as if I were a pumpkin that had been hollowed out, but the little things like simple touches left me lonely inside. This small contact with her soft skin eased the ache momentarily.
We were seated right after we arrived at the restaurant, ordered our drinks and pizzas, and our server gave us crayons for Jude so he could color on the butcher paper that covered the table top. I handed Liora one of her little books with different textures she liked to play with and just watched Ez play tic-tac-toe with Jude. After a few games with Ez and then with me, Jude lost interest and wanted to draw a two-headed dinosaur with three tails.
While the children were occupied, Ez and I snatched a few minutes of conversation. Nothing deep, just simple things about her upcoming semester, things Jude was doing in school, Liora's latest milestones...and the whole time I felt like the emoji with heart eyes as I watched her talk or interact with our children.
We ate and laughed, ordered a salted caramel chocolate chip cookie for all of us to share for dessert, paid the bill...and walked out to fucking Mindy by my SUV.
How the hell she knew we were here wasn't hard to figure out. I'd jotted down tonight's reservation on a notepad and had left it on my kitchen island.
Rosalie's Brick Oven Pizza
Saturday 6 p.m.
Table for FOUR!!!!
Trent and Mindy had invaded my place just after I'd made the reservation and when Mindy was at the island, she must have seen it.
"Tanner," Esme said. "Why is that here?"
"No clue," I said, handing her the keys to the SUV. "Listen, I don't know what she's going to say or do, so can you get the children in the car while I get rid of her?"
"Sure. Do you want me to start the car and accidentally back over her or something?" she asked softly.
That got me smiling. Somehow, despite Mindy's unwanted, enraging, annoying presence, Ez had made me smile. It was all I could do not to grab her and kiss all that adorableness. I thought of my raincheck...
"I'll keep it in mind, but let's hold off on all vehicular felonies until absolutely necessary, Ez."
"You're no fun, Tanner," she grumbled as I transferred Liora into her arms.
"Jude, get in the car with Mommy, please."
My boy shot Mindy a look -- didn't they say dogs and children could sense evil? -- and walked close beside Esme to the SUV. Once Jude had climbed up into his booster seat and Ez had Liora strapped in, I turned back to Mindy.
"Why are you here?"
"I need money, Tanner. I'm in trouble."
I just looked at her. She looked back at me.
"And? I'm still waiting to hear why you're here," I prompted after the silence continued.
"You owe me. You've kept me on the hook for years."
"Bye." I turned to my SUV.
"I'll tell my side of the story, Tanner," she called after me. "The heir apparent, future CEO of your family's business, got divorced because he let his ex suck his dick."
"Do what you want, Mindy. Just stay away from me and my family or I'll get a restraining order."
"I mean it, Tanner. If you don't give me money to keep quiet, I'll tell the press. That won't look good for you or your family's company. Imagine the scandal I could cause that could have been avoided if you'd just paid me twenty thousand dollars. You'd never even miss it and you could keep your reputation."
"You're fucking delusional, you know? Already lost everything I cared about, so go ahead, do what you want, but you're not getting any money from me."
"Tanner, I'm in serious trouble with some people you don't mess with. I've been working as a waitress at the Lair," she said, as if that explained things. At my blank look, she continued. "It's a biker bar half an hour from here. I don't make enough money as a waitress to maintain the lifestyle I need --"
"That's your problem."
"They might hurt me," she said. "I think they've figured out I've been stealing from the drawer."
"Well, again, at the risk of repeating myself, that's your problem."
"Are you kidding me, Tanner? You don't care what they might do to me?"
"No. Not in the slightest. In fact, if it keeps you out of my life and away from my family and me, I might write them a thank you note. If you're so worried about what they're going to do to you, I suggest you take that out-of-town job to get away from whoever since you aren't getting a dime from me."
"There is no job out of town! I just told Trent that so he'd help me get to you. I swear to God I'll go to the press if you don't give me the money I'm asking for. The tabloids would pay me for my story."
"Did you know that blackmail is illegal?" Esme stepped from behind the SUV, phone up in her hand. "I got the whole exchange recorded, Tanner. I sent it to you and your mom, too."
"You bitch!" Mindy hissed at my wife.
"I think you're confused with which one of us that term applies to," Ez said mildly.
My phone chimed with a text and I looked at it, suspecting who it was. "Mom texted. She said I told you that filth was a gold digger."
"She always thought the worst of me!"
"Get the fuck out of here, Mindy," I said to her. "I ever see you again, I'll get the police involved, and I have the recording to back up the need for a restraining order."
"I could be dead the next time you see me."
"Trust me when I say I wouldn't attend your funeral so I'm hoping there won't be a next time, dead or not."
"I stole from an MC, Tanner. They aren't going to let this go!"
"Well, good luck with them. Ready to go, Ez?"
"Tanner!" Mindy shouted as I walked Ez to her side of the car and helped her in. Then I crossed in front of the car and got into the driver's seat.
"Tanner!" she shouted again.
I rolled down my window. "Do you hear that? Sounds like some motorcycles headed this way."
She looked toward the street, and I backed away while she was distracted.
"There were no motorcycles," Ez laughed softly when we were out on the street.
"Sorry about that whole scene," I apologized.
Esme looked out the windshield. "Are all our dates going to be this dramatic?"
It took me a second. Did she just say what I thought she said?