"Dia, I can't do it. Why in the hell did I let you talk me in to this? I don't even know the first thing about this guy." Amanda sat on the couch in her blue silk robe and yellow duck slippers, bending down to pick up what looked like Cocoa Puff off of the floor. Apparently Jaxon had been eating in the living room again. "Can't you call him and tell him I can't make it?"
"Hell no. You need to get out. It's been how long, almost a month since you and Randy broke up? If you don't get back in the game, you're just gonna sit around and mope yourself to death." Dia yelled to a person she recognized on the street, ignoring the hell out of Amanda and her excuses.
She hadn't been moping. Sure she had her bad days, but she wasn't moping. Okay, maybe she was a little, but she had the right to. She was trying to get over a broken heart. The only other broken heart she'd ever had was ten years ago, when she found out that Travis cheated on her. "It's been three weeks, thank you. And I'm fine. I don't see why I need to go out with this guy. What if he's boring?"
"Well, you're boring. I wouldn't set you up with one of my hotties 'cause God knows you wouldn't know what the hell do with him." The erupting giggle from Amanda on the other end of the phone put a smile on Dia's face. "I'm serious Mandy, he's a nice guy. He's a little slow for me, but he's a good way to ease you back into dating. He's gonna be at your house in about thirty minutes, so get your ass off your couch and put some clothes on."
Shaking her head, Amanda reluctantly got up. It had been a little over eight months since she'd had a first date and before Randy, it had been almost three years. What in the hell was she supposed to talk to this guy about? She didn't know the first thing about him. Dia had shown him a picture of him and that was it. "I hate you. And just so you know, if my ass ends up on the Eyewitness News, I'm gonna come back and haunt you for the rest of your life."
"Mandy, stop! You're gonna have fun. Now get ready and I'll see you on Monday at work." Dia wasn't giving her another chance to change her mind. Instead, she hung up on her friend. She knew damn well Amanda wouldn't call Brian and break the date and Dia sure as hell wasn't doing it. She had no choice; she had to go. And if she was still sitting around with rollers in her hair by the time he got there, then that would be Amanda's fault.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Rusty Scupper was a nice seafood restaurant located on Key Highway, just off of the promenade at the Inner Harbor. The food was good, so was the atmosphere and at six o'clock, it was still early enough to take a stroll around the harbor if the date was going well or late enough to have an excuse to have to go home, if he fucking sucked. Judging from the exhilarating conversation they shared, Amanda guessed that she would going home right after dessert.
Brian Ensley was a very attractive man. Standing at just about six feet tall, his sharp blue eyes and curly blonde hair made him look like a little boy. Of course, he was still shorter than Randy and his blue eyes didn't shine quite the way that Randy's did, but it wasn't like Amanda was paying attention to that or anything. No, Amanda was paying attention to Brian as he described to her the wonderful world of mortgage broking. If ever Amanda thought home loans were exciting, listening to Brian recount it changed her mind.
"So with the way that interest rates are fluctuating, I can't understand why people don't want an ARM loan. You should see how many FIXED applications I have to process in a day." With a gentle smile, Brian accepted the refill of his wine and turned his eyes back to Amanda. "So tell me about the US Postal Service."
Amanda didn't want to talk about the post office; she barely wanted to be there half of the time. Swallowing a forkful of mashed potatoes, she thought about something she could say about the post office that wouldn't make her sound as boring as he was. "Well, I've been there for almost nine years…"
"And you don't own a home?" Brian interrupted. Shaking his head, he sat his whine glass down and folded his hands at the table. "With your job stability, and years of service, I'm sure you'd qualify for a home loan. It truly is the best investment you could make. You should come by my office; I can start the paperwork for you."
Amanda fought the urge to laugh in his face. Oh she had been through the home loan process before. In fact, looking for house in Baltimore County was something that she started doing with Randy's encouragement. It wasn't to be their house, but of all the houses they looked at, he had just as much input as she did. He had a list of houses that he didn't like because there were no sidewalks for Jaxon to ride his bike on or the yards were too small to have big cookouts, or the distance from the house to the post office downtown, Jaxon's school, and the airport was too great. Randy's name wasn't going on the deed, but when Amanda found their dream house, Randy was going to be staying with her there.
"Thanks."
First dates sucked. She didn't know anything more about Brian, except maybe had to be the most boring thirty year old man on the planet. A man his age should have been hanging in strip clubs with his friends, not sitting at home checking the damn Dow Jones to see what the next day's interest rates were going to be. If Jaxon would have met this guy, he would have either laughed in his face or completely shown his ass. If Randy thought he had it bad on their first real date, Brian should have been counting his lucky stars that Jaxon was out of town.
"I don't wanna go." Jaxon stood in his mother's room with his arms folded across his chest, adamant about staying home. "Besides, we always watch the ball drop together. Who am I gonna kiss at midnight?"
"Jaxon, you're always asleep before the ball drops anyway. I'm just doing something different this year. Nana and Pop-Pop wanna take you downtown for the fireworks and then you get to sleep over. And do you know how hard I had to beg Tommy's mother and Nana to let him come? You, my friend, are getting out of my house tonight."
"But why does he get to stay here?" There it was that damn whine. That pouty, 'it's not fair, I can't watch you if I'm with the grandparents' whine.
Amanda really wanted to tell Jaxon that he couldn't be there because if there really was a God, she was getting laid. It had been almost three years and she was long overdue. Randy might not have been perfect, but he was decent enough. "He's not staying here. We're going out to dinner and then we'll come back, watch the countdown on TV, and then I'll be in bed before one…okay, Dad?"
Stomping back into the living room, Jaxon rolled his eyes at Randy. He looked too corny to just be going out to dinner. Who wears a jacket and tie if they weren't going to Mass? And what was with that cologne? Who was he trying to impress? Jaxon had seen enough of those Axe Body Spray commercials to know what happens when guys put on cologne. Randy was shifty and Jaxon didn't trust him. "Where are you taking my mother?"
"To a restaurant that you can't go to." Randy had a satisfied smirk on his face that finally he would get to spend some time alone with Amanda without having to stop himself from shaking the shit out of Jaxon.
A restaurant? How vague can one get? "You're not gonna try to make her pay are you? Cause you're not a champion or anything and you don't look like you have a lot of money." Jaxon would be damned if his mother was getting all dressed up, even putting on earrings and lipstick, for some guy that was going to stick her with the check.
"You know, Santa takes back presents when he finds out that, little, smart ass, little boys were cutting up after Christmas." Thank God, Amanda had told Randy that Jaxon still believed. It was amazing really because a child of nine, a boy even, rarely did. But, she had rationalized with her son that if he didn't believe and didn't get anything for Christmas, was it really worth the risk? If nothing else, it gave Randy something to hold over Jaxon's head.
"He won't listen to you, only parents." Rolling his eyes, Jaxon sat down next to Randy. "So here's how it's gonna go. You're gonna take my mom out, but you're not gonna hold her hand, or make stupid eyes or kissy faces with her across the table. You're gonna eat, YOU pay the check and bring her back here. She sits on the left side of the couch, so you have to sit on the right. Watch Dick Clark and go home. Okay?"
Randy had to admire Jaxon's determination. In some sick twisted way, he reminded him of himself. He was pretty demanding and didn't take no for an answer. But still, Jaxon was a child telling him what to do. "I don't know what kinds of dates you've been on before, but that ain't how I see this night going."
Jaxon drummed his fingers against the arm of the couch and felt his lip twitch. That look on Randy's face said that he was going to try to kiss her. That was not happening. "And you're not gonna kiss her."
"Yes I am."
"You're not gonna touch her. I got ways of finding out. I could lift some really good fingerprints from her." The more Randy smiled, the more pissed off Jaxon became. Obviously setting the ground rules wasn't working, so he decided to appeal to Randy's sense of decency…that is, if he had any. Sitting himself on the coffee table in front of Randy, Jaxon decided to have a man to man with him. "Look, you're the kind of jerk that will say a bunch of nice things, make her feel really special, and then try to…you know."
Was Jaxon giving him the sex speech? The childish side of Randy wanted egg him on to find out just what this child thought he knew. But, the adult side of him knew that this was not an appropriate conversation to have with a child. "Look Kid, I'm not trying to do anything but have dinner."
"I don't want my mom to end up hurt. So if you kiss her, you better be standing up."
"Excuse me?" Standing up? What did that have to do with anything?
Did Jaxon have to teach everybody about sex? Was he really the only informed one? Apparently Randy was as clueless about that whole sex thing as his mom was and Jaxon wasn't going to give either of them any ideas. "Never mind. On second though, just don't touch her. I got my eyes on you."
Amanda came out in the living room and opened the door. "Mom, please take this boy. I'm about to knock him out."
Debbie Wilcox smiled at Randy as she entered the apartment. "Hi. I'm Debbie, I'm Mandy's mother."
"Randy." Randy stood up and shook Debbie's hand.
"Mandy and Randy. That's so cute." Debbie smiled.
Jaxon rolled his eyes. Of course Randy would try to get in good with his grandmother too. It was all a part of Randy's evil master plan, but Jaxon wasn't stupid. The goal was to get rid of Randy, not have everyone like him. "Okay. Mom, I had the talk with Randy. I'm gonna call you to make sure you're home safe. And I gotta picture of him in my bag to give to the cops if they need it to find him. And I told him that he can't touch you, so if he tries, use the pepper spray. And…"
With a frustrated sigh Amanda hugged her son. She loved that he cared so much about her and constantly tried to protect her, but good Lord he was annoying her. "Jax, I'm a big girl. I'll be fine."
Kissing his mother and wishing her a happy new year, Jaxon picked up his bag and glared at Randy. "Don't forget…I can take fingerprints."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was amazing that Randy was able to get reservations at Windows on New Year's Eve. With its large glass window overlooking the Inner Harbor, it was the perfect view for watching the fireworks indoors. The only problem was that neither Randy nor Amanda were really interested in looking at any damn fireworks. Making their own, yeah, but watching them…not so much.
For about two weeks, they had talked to each other, almost everyday. She let him in on little pieces of her life. Not that she felt that Randy was her soul mate or anything, but because it felt good to have a man pay attention to her. And being in his presence, she found that she liked the way he would smile at certain things she said, and the way he would stare at her when she wasn't looking at him. He looked at her like he wanted her and she hadn't had someone look at her like that in a very long time.
"So what's the deal with Jaxon's father?" It was an honest question. Randy wanted to know what was about to get himself into.
"There's no deal. He lives in New York. He sees Jaxon a few times a year. He and Jax have more of a phone relationship, but that's it." There was the distinct sound of irritation in her voice when she spoke about Travis.
"I meant, what's the deal with you and him."
A hysterical laugh poured from her mouth. "There's no deal. I met him when I turned sixteen. I had Jaxon before I turned seventeen. And Travis had another child four months afterward." With a shrug, Amanda picked up her water glass. "We get along, I guess, mainly because I don't call him on his bullshit. But he's a piece of shit. That's not fair. He's a really good father to his kids that live with him. Jaxon? Jax gets the shitty end of the stick. That's why he's so protective over me. It's been just the two of us since I was sixteen."
"Is he always like that or does he just really hate me?"
"He hates you, but he's always like that. I think you get it the worst I've seen it though. He's usually more subtle." Amanda had to laugh at how much Jaxon hated Randy. It was actually quite cute. "And the fact that you aren't afraid of him really pisses him off."
Laughing himself, Randy sipped on his wine. "He told me he can lift fingerprints off of you, so I better not lay a hand on you."
Amanda shook her head at the imaginative control her son had. "Oh did he now?"
"So I guess that means I won't use my hands." He had no idea why he turned the conversation, but it probably had something to do with her eyes. She had the most amazing eyes Randy had ever seen. Why didn't he didn't notice those eyes before?
"You know how you wait in a long line for a ride and, everybody around you hypes it up so you think it's gonna be great. But when you finally get on it, it's okay but it's over in like a few minutes? Then you have to ask yourself, 'was that ride worth that long ass wait and all that setup?' That's been my experience with men." She really wasn't trying to turn him off, but she didn't have time for a lot of bullshit. She was a single mother with a life that revolved around her son; Randy's interest in her seemed like it was more than getting her in bed, and that was a little more than she had time for.
"You only say that because you haven't taking a ride with me." Randy's cockiness was usually a blessing and a curse, but the sultry sound of his voice and the way he refused to let her eyes fall from his, he knew damn well what he was doing. Taking her hand in his, he gently ran his finger across her palm. "They're no lines with me. Just one hell of a ride. I'm like an express train with only one destination." It would have come off a lot smoother had he not been smiling. He was serious, but he liked her and he didn't want to push too far. He would gladly give her a night to remember, but if she wasn't ready for that, then she wasn't ready. He didn't know what it was about her, but they just clicked. He genuinely liked Amanda. So, if she wasn't feeling it, that smile could mean he was playing, but if she was, it meant he was dead serious.
"An express train, huh?" It wasn't like she was new to flirting or that she didn't know a line when she heard one. But she really wanted to find out if he lived up to the hype. She had seen his body in those little wrestling trunks and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to find out if it looked as good in her bed as she thought it would.
"Yeah." Randy's gaze fell from her eyes to her lips. Were they that plump before? He couldn't remember. "One ride is a straight shot to pleasure like you've never known it."
"What if I don't want to ride an express train? What if I want to go local?" She swore her brain was melting with the way his finger was gently tracing her palm. It had been forever since she flirted with someone. And though she thought could hold her own, she found that her eyes were feeling heavy and her voice was steadily dropping to just above a whisper just from feeling his thumb run across her hand. "The local train is nice and slow. It goes to every stop; it takes the long route… shows you all the scenery. You don't miss a thing."
"Oh don't worry, this is a long ride. Fast at times, slow others. You will see everything. And anything you happen to miss, I can show you on the way back." If she continued to look at him like that, he was going to have to put her up on that table. What the hell. Why not go for it? "Do you wanna get out of here?"
Nodding rapidly, Amanda drained the last of the wine in her glass. She didn't know what the hell she was doing, but all she knew was she was doing it. She wasn't just Amanda, Jaxon's mother; she was Amanda, a woman. And at that point in time, the woman side demanded that she get some attention too.
It was only eight o'clock, but Amanda was back in her apartment and sitting out on the patio with her feet up on the railing, holding her glass of iced tea. That had been the worst date she had ever had. God, Randy would have bust a gut laughing if he saw how boring Brian was. Why was everything always going back to Randy? She wasn't with Randy anymore. All the fun, all the fights, all the making up…it was all gone now. For all she knew, someone else was getting all the Randy that she had before.
Reaching over to grab her cell phone, Amanda smiled because she knew who was on the other line. "Hey Boopie…how's it going?"
"Mom?" Jaxon's teary voice whined through the phone. "I wanna come home."
Amanda put her feet on the ground and felt her heart speed up. Jaxon never asked to come home when he was with his father. "Jax, what's wrong?"
"I hate Keisha. She's so mean to me." His sniffle was enough to break Amanda's heart.
"Why are you around her? Where's your father?" Amanda was going to kick Travis' ass. She distinctly told him to keep that bitch away from her son.
Jaxon closed the bathroom door and sat with his back against it. "I don't know. He dropped me off over here and Grandma took the girls out today. I can't find anybody else." At ten years old, Jaxon knew that he couldn't be disrespectful to Keisha because it would make his father mad. But she had no right to say those things about his mother or about him either. "She keeps calling me names and yelling at me. I don't wanna be here. Can I come home? Please?"
Amanda's adrenaline was at an all-time high. She knew first hand how much of bitch Keisha was. She didn't want to be around that woman, she could only imagine how hard it was for Jaxon. "Jax, I can't get you. It's gonna take me hours to get up there." She ran her hand through her hair and growled. "Lemme call your dad. I'll call you right back, okay? I love you."
"I love you, too." His voice cracked as he cried harder.
No sooner did she hang up with Jaxon, did she call Travis. After the third ring, she was greeted by loud music in the background. "Where the fuck are you? Jaxon called me crying because Keisha is in his shit. Didn't I tell you I don't that bitch around my son?" That usually nice demeanor of a naïve girl that Travis was use to know, only came went away when Jaxon was threatened.
Huffing, Travis walked outside to hear her. "Look, I had some things to do. I ain't gonna be back until Sunday morning."
"Why the fuck would you invite him up there if you ain't even gonna be there?"
"Shit, Mandy…it ain't like I knew about this shit. I got called in to work at the last minute. I'm in fucking Philly, what you want me to do?" He didn't know he was going to work. The security firm he worked for often called him away to different states depending on who he was supposed to be protecting. It was ironic, because he should have been protecting his child.
"You know what Trav? Fuck you. I'm getting my baby and bringing him home."
"That's his damn problem now. You always fucking babying him. Leave that boy alone, he's alright." He wasn't having this conversation. Sure Keisha could be mean, but so what, she didn't mean anything by it. Maybe if Amanda didn't pet him up all the time, Jaxon would be tougher now.
"He's coming home."
"You always do this shit when I finally get him. Do what you want, Mandy. I gotta go."
Amanda hung up the phone and paced around her apartment. If she left now, it would take her over five hours to get to Brooklyn. There had to be faster way to get Jaxon. She didn't want to do this, but she didn't have a choice. Jaxon was more important than the sinking feeling in her heart at hearing his voice. Slowly, she dialed his cell phone and prayed to God that he was near. "Randy?"
Randy sat up straight in the chair and held his breath. He could always tell when something was wrong with Amanda. "Amanda? You okay?"
"Are you near New York?" She had thrown his schedule away when he ended things. She had no idea where in the world he was.
Stepping out the room for privacy, Randy quickly found a seat on the front porch. "I'm in Connecticut. What's wrong?"
"I hate to ask you this, but Jaxon is in Brooklyn and Travis left him with Keisha. He's crying, he wants to come home. That bitch is fucking with him. It's gonna take me hours to get him." She couldn't stop herself from crying. She just wanted Jaxon home and safe. Not that Keisha would touch him, but she would hurt him verbally and emotionally and no matter how tough Jaxon appeared, he was a little boy with a huge, soft heart.
Randy's heart broke. He hated when Amanda cried, it was worse than anything he had ever been through in his life. "Why would Travis leave him? He knows how she is…"
"I don't know. I can't get to him…"
"Calm down, baby. I can be there in an hour." Randy stood up, totally prepared to get his belongings and pick up Jaxon. "Call him and tell him I'm coming. I'll have him home soon okay? Don't cry."
"Thank you." If nothing else, she knew Randy would take care of Jaxon until he was home with her. "I'm sorry I got you involved."
"Don't be." Randy made his way back in the house and stuffed a few items in his bag. "I'm leaving now. I love you." He didn't mean to say it. They weren't together anymore, but it had never been truer. He loved her, he couldn't help it.
"I love you, too." Shit. Why did she say that? He didn't love her or he wouldn't have broken her heart. Just when she was getting over him, now she was going to have to see him again. It didn't matter though, Jaxon was more important.
"Mommy?" As soon as she clicked over she heard her son's broken voice on the other line. "Please come get me."
"Baby…Randy's on his way, okay? You're gonna be home soon."
