"Hows the job hunt going?" Genesis asked as she helped her aunt whip up dinner the following afternoon. Her mind kept wandering back to the three handsome strangers. She couldn't get them out of her head no matter how hard she tried. It's initially why she offered to help Lucy with dinner. A distraction to keep her mind off the boys yet somehow it only made it worse. She couldn't get them out of her head!
She'd nearly lost a finger chopping onions and was banished to peeling potatoes.
Lucy sighed. "I haven't been able to find anything. You'd think at least someone would have a sign or something!"
"If you want maybe we can go to the boardwalk tonight? I can help you look." She offered narrowly avoiding a mishap with the sharpened tip of the peeler. Who the fuck needs a sharp pointy peeler? That's just an accident waiting to happen.
"You would?" The smile on her face hurt more than words could express. The motherly love that always filled her smile hurt so much. It's why she'd spent almost every morning over the last week in the garage with her car, each night alone on the boardwalk. Sam and Michael had the one thing Genesis always wanted. A mother who gave a damn. Lucy cared where they went, how long they where out, she set rules and actually acted like a mother. Renée was nothing like Lucy. Lucy cared about both her children. She didn't shun their differences or hurt them when they didn't conform to her whims. She didn't scream at her children or slap them for talking too loud. She didn't demean them or talk down to them. Never once did she insult them or humiliate them. It hurt to be around them because every time she watched them interact she turned into that little girl who couldn't understand why mommy didn't love her.
She hated that little girl. The girl too naïve to see the blatant manipulation, the girl who's blind hope for her mother's love only decimated her childhood. She can still remember the moment her world shattered. "You are why we got divorced in the first place! I never wanted you! You are nothing more than a mistake Charlie wouldn't let me get rid of! Everything was perfect until you came along!"
She was only seven.
"Of course!" She smiled, briefly meeting the woman's eyes as she buried the pain. She refused to let Renée hurt her anymore. She'd stopped letting herself care when Renée decided to send a card for her eighth birthday addressed to the mistake. "Whatever you need, just let me know, okay?"
"Oh! Your father called last night."
~{~}~{~}~{~}~
Lucy had this look of sheer wonder plastered across her face. She honestly reminded her so much of a puppy. Her big brown eyes filled with wonder as she walked the streets. The crowds where less dense this far from the rides and the more attractive stuff. Yet for some reason it felt like she was being drawn further down the street. Each step forward she took felt like a weight off her shoulders.
"I don't see anything." Lucy sounded so defeated, it tugged at her chest. She wanted to help Lucy, for no reason other than she was good to her children.
"Hey! Look there's a-"
"Momma!" They both froze. Their eyes zeroing on the small child standing in the middle of the path. His pudgy cheeks coated in tears as Lucy instantly gravitated to his side. Crouching down in front of him and starting to speak softly with the boy before leading him into the movie store she was previously going to point out.
Genesis couldn't help the small laugh that left her lips at her aunts predictability. Following just in time to narrowly avoid being rammed by the child and his mother hurrying from the store. "What the fuck man, people keep trying to plow me down. I'm starting to get mildly offended." The sarcastic comment rolled easily off her tongue as she entered the store. Her green eyes sweeping across the retro design. VHS tapes and CDS advertised throughout the shop as she approached Lucy and a man. The name badge on his shirt reading Max in big block letters. His too large nose and bulky glasses capturing the majority of her attention. Until she noticed the dog by the door. It's tail slowly waging side to side as it looked at her with curious eyes. It looked to be a Husky, it's pure white coat bringing a soft smile to her lips. Her previous dog, Chief had been a Husky Shepard mix. God did she miss that dog.
"Hey there cutie," she spoke softly, holding her hand out to the dog who approached slowly. Sniffing at her hand his tail wagging faster as he licked at her fingers before nuzzling his head into her palm. She took it as a sign it was safe to move closer. Her hands scratching at his head with the pads of her fingers. The hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she felt holes being drilled into her back. She tried to ignore it.
"His name is Thorn," her head shot towards the man who spoke. His soft brown eyes reminding her of her father as he sent her a kind smile.
"Hello, Thorn," the dogs ears perked at the sound of his name. His tongue licking at her cheek making her laugh.
"I take it you like dogs?" Lucy posed it as a question.
"Yeah, my dog Chief passed away a couple months ago. He was a Husky-Shepard mix. Looked a lot like thorn here, he just had the different colored eyes." The feeling of being watched grew to the point she could no longer ignore it. Her eyes drifting around the store until she caught sight of Paul, Marko, and Laddie's dad. With them was another blonde, his eyes locked onto her with an almost teasing glint in his ice blue eyes. His stunning cheek bones and pink lips not distracting from the sparse facial hair that speckled his jaw bone. The black trench coat tied in the center as a single gloved hand brushed a strand of bleached blonde hair back into place. A mullet seriously suited him, despite the style having died out in the nineties. Though now that she thought about it, pretty much everyone in Santa Carla sported an eighties vibe from hair to clothing. It was kind of weird. Though what's probably weirder is that all four of them where hot as hell and just looking at them was getting her worked up in a way she didn't want to address. Why where they all so fucking attractive? Like holy shit!
"He seems to like you."
She bit back the no shit Sherlock response and instead opted for, "Dogs are a good judge of character." Her eyes met those of the mystery man. The knowing smirk on his plush lips sending a rush of arousal through her. She swallowed heavily, tearing her gaze from him before she did something she'd regret.
The man smirked at her words, in a way that had a shudder racing down her spine. It was almost predatory the way he was looking at her. "That they are."
~{~}~{~}~{~}~
Genesis was fashionably late, Sam and Michael, where just late. It was starting to get annoying as she stood outside her car, Lucy flipping through the radio stations within to distract herself from her worries. "Aunt Lucy," she spoke softly, catching the woman's worry filled eyes. "They're probably just late. You know how concerts can get."
"I hope so."
She kept a reassuring smile expertly plastered across her lips, her eyes flickering back to the entrance of to the boardwalk with mild annoyance. It was already midnight and they'd yet to emerge. It was getting pretty god damn ridiculous. She was actually tired and wanted to sleep. Was that too much to fucking ask for?
Her foot was tapping against the cement when something caught her attention. A girl around her age practically skipping through the entrance. Her wild hair bouncing in a mess of frizz and loose curls. The ankle length patterned skirt and white tank gave her a gypsy feel as her eyes trailed her sun kissed arm to find Laddie at her side. The boys brown locks an absolute mess as he wiped furiously at his cheek.
Low and behold she practically beelined towards the sexy guys. Abandoning Laddie halfway making Genesis clench her jaw to stop the insult ready to fall from her lips. Her brain to mouth filter actually working properly for once. Her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she caught sight of Michael practically running out the entrance to the boardwalk, Sam showing up a few moments later. Both looked pretty out of breath as Genesis brought her fingers to her lips to whistle.
Both boys looked, along with about half the boardwalk as she waved them both over. "About damn time." She pretty much hissed as she couldn't be bothered to play nice. "We were supposed to meet up at 11:30, remember?"
"Sorry, Genesis. I lost track of time at the concert." Michael apologized. "We ran back once we found out what time it was."
"Yeah," Sam seemed slightly sheepish. "We split up for a bit cause I ran into some friends so he had to hunt me down."
"It's okay," she sighed. "Just next time try to be a bit more cognizant of the time. Lucy was worried sick." She motioned towards her car where Lucy Emerson was watching them interact with a slight smile on her face. "You coming with us Sam?"
He glanced quickly between Michael and me. "Is it cool if I ride with Michael?"
"Yeah, I'll see you guys back at the house."