Derailed (8 page)

“I wish you would.”

“Very funny.”

“Fine. The first night we kissed.” I decided to leave out the part about me being in my underwear.

“And last night?” I could tell the suspense was killing her.

“Last night he was waiting for me when I got home, and well, it didn’t stop with a kiss.”

Kelly squealed, jumping out of her chair to get to me across the table. “How much more than a kiss?”

“A lot more.” I so didn’t want to be discussing this, especially not at Marney’s.

“You slept with him?” Kelly yelled. “Wow. So are you guys back together again?”

I looked around the empty café, hoping Gail hadn’t heard Kelly’s outburst. “No. Absolutely not.”

“So it was just one time?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Then what?” I sensed some disapproval in her voice, but chose to ignore it.

“We’re, uh, going to try to do a causal sex only thing.” Man, it sounded worse when I said it out loud.

She shook her head. “No way. No freaking way. There is no way that you and Ben can do that. Not possible.”

“Well, it’s all I’m okay with.”

“You can’t do the hook up only thing with an ex. It’s not going to work.”

“Based on what experience…”

“Books, movies, common sense.” She looked at me like it was the most obvious conclusion in the world.

“She’s right, you know.” Gail pulled up a chair and sat with us. “History can complicate things.”

“Please. No.” I covered my ears. I didn’t need to get a lecture on the pitfalls of casual sex from someone my grandmother’s age.

Gail continued. “Let’s go easy on her; I have a feeling she’ll figure this one out on her own.”

“Fine, fine. But even if you’re just messing around, you could at least ask him about the boat, right?” She fidgeted in her chair.

“I don’t want to have to ask him favors. I hate owing people.”

“Hun, you are doing him all kinds of favors, so you’re not going to owe him anything. I think it’s the least he can do.”

“You do realize I’m using him as much as he’s using me, right? This was my idea, not his.”

“The sex?” Gail asked.

“No. The keeping it casual. It was the only way I’d agree to let it happen again.”

“So you’ll ask him?” Kelly repeated, playing with the cardboard sleeve on her to-go coffee cup. “It would mean a lot to us.”

“Fine, I’ll ask, but I’m not making any promises.” I was pretty ticked at Kelly for even asking. She wasn’t usually the pushy type. It must have been wedding nerves kicking in.

“All right, ladies, it’s time for Molly and me to get back to work.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave. By the way, have fun tomorrow night.”

“What?”

“Have fun with Gavin.” Kelly winked at me.

“It’s your fault, you know.”

“No, it’s Tom’s.”

“But you’re a couple, so by virtue of that status, it’s also yours.”

Kelly laughed. “I wonder what Ben will think when he finds out. Oh wait, why would he care? You’re just hooking up.”

“You are such a comedian.”

“I know.” She grabbed her purse and laughed on her way out the door.

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“For a girl who said she wasn’t interested in getting back out there, you’re sure having some fun.” Gail tossed a dish towel at me.

“And I thought coming home would be the solution to my problems,” I mumbled before going back to work.

Chapter Nine

I brought my phone in with me when I took a bath that night. When I found the container of wild flower bubble bath, I knew I couldn’t resist. None of my apartments in Boston had anything but showers, and I was surprised it took me as long as it did to succumb. I settled into the tub, reveling in the feel of the warm water before calling Becca.

She answered on the first ring. “One second.” I could just see her whispering as she grabbed her phone and left the library. It was something I’d seen her do on an almost daily basis since starting law school.

“Hey, stranger.” Her friendly voice greeted me.

“Hey yourself. How are you doing?” This was the longest we’d gone without talking since we’d met freshman year of college.

“All right. Just studying for the Civ Pro final.”

“Fun, fun,” I said sarcastically. I inhaled, enjoying the fragrance of the bubble bath. It was stronger than I’d expected, but I liked it.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if you were still here.”

“It would be bad for me.”

“True enough. Did you even read one case this semester? By the way, when do you plan on telling the school you aren’t coming back? All of our professors have been asking about you.” I could tell she hadn’t really wanted to bring it up.

It felt like it had been ages since I left school, but really, it had only been a few days. “I guess I should probably call. I also need to cancel my loans for the fall.” I shuddered, thinking about the huge pile of loans accruing interest. I had no idea how I was ever going to pay them off.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.”

“How’s your mom?” I quickly changed the subject.

“The same. Not worse, but not better.” The pain in her voice was real and raw. Her mom had been battling breast cancer for a few years, and she had recently stopped treatments. They were pretty much just waiting for the end.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not like it’s your fault. But do you have anything to cheer me up?” she asked hopefully. She didn’t quite sound like herself, and I wondered if things with her mom were worse than she was saying.

“When am I the one with cheerful news?” I’d been a downer for months, and I knew it. Sometimes I wondered how Becca even put up with me.

“Well, you sound better…”

“Do I?”

“Is there any particular reason why?”

I laughed nervously. It sounded phony even to me. “Not that I know of, unless it’s the ocean air.”

I heard the telltale beep of call waiting. “Can you hold on a second?”

“Sure.”

It was Ben. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Hey, Mol. I wanted to see what you were up to.”

“Just talking to my friend from Boston.”

“Why does it sound like there’s an echo?”

“Oh… I guess because I’m in the bath.” I readied myself for a suggestive response.

He didn’t disappoint. “Can I come join you?”

“Nope. I’m on the phone with my friend, remember?”

“Okay, so maybe later?”

I swirled around the water with a hand, disappointed that it was starting to turn cold. “How about I come to your place?” It had been hard to kick him out, and there was no way I was sleeping next to him. He’d freak out when I had one of my dreams.

“Sounds good to me. I’m on Basil Street now. Number Five.”

I hadn’t thought about where Ben lived. I still pictured him sleeping in his bedroom at his parents’ house—the room with the band posters lining the walls and every video game console known to man hooked up to his TV. I was curious what his current place looked like.

“All right, I’ll be over in a bit.”

“Great, I can’t wait.”

I switched back to Becca. “Sorry about that.”

“Who was it?”

“Ben.”

“Wait, as in high school boyfriend Ben?” Becca knew all about the drama surrounding us. She jokingly referred to him as “the one who got away” even though I’d remind her that I was the one who dumped him.

“The one and only.”

“Care to expand on why he’s calling you? Is he the ‘ocean air’ you mentioned earlier?”

I laughed. I loved Becca’s humor. “Maybe a little.”

“All right, go get some ‘ocean air’ then.” She laughed. “One of us needs a little fun.”

“You could try dating again, you know.”

“Great idea. Because I have such a good track record with that. Hey, doesn’t Ben have a brother?”

“Yes, and he’s the last guy in the world I’d set you up with.” I wouldn’t sic Jake on my worst enemy.

She laughed again. “Fine, but you can’t keep all those cute southern boys to yourself. You better send one my way eventually.”

“All right, I’ll keep that in mind. Good luck with Civ Pro.”

“I think I’ll be okay on this one. It’s Contracts I’m dreading.”

“You’ll be fine. Just don’t push yourself too hard and make sure to get some sleep.”

“I’ll try,” she promised.

I hung up and added some more hot water to the bath. I enjoyed a few more minutes of soaking before draining the tub and taking a quick shower to wash off the remaining bubbles.

It took me a minute to figure out what to wear over to Ben’s. I didn’t have much experience going over to a guy’s place for the express purpose of hooking up. I eventually settled on black yoga pants and a tank. It seemed like the right mix of cute and casual.

I felt a small flutter of nerves as I parked out front of his place. I couldn’t pull in because his truck took up the whole driveway. His house was one of those small, cottage style homes. I walked up the front steps, ringing the doorbell while simultaneously reminding myself that there was nothing to be nervous about.

Ben answered the door in nothing but boxers. And I worried about what I was wearing.

“Nice of you to dress up for me,” I teased as I followed him in.

“I just got out of the shower. I figured you were clean, I should be too.”

He led me into his small den that had an equally small kitchen located just off it.

“Nice place,” I commented, taking it in. What it lacked in space, it made up in character. Chair rails and the original wood floors gave the place a warm feel, and the sparse furniture made the most of the limited space.

“Come on. Let me give you a tour.”

He showed me a decent sized bathroom, a small room that housed all of his musical instruments, and finally his bedroom. For some reason we both paused in the doorway. As natural as what happened at my house had been, actually planning to let it repeat itself felt different, more dangerous maybe. He walked into his room and grabbed a pair of jeans off his bed. He stepped into his pants, buttoning them before walking back out.

“Want something to drink?” He broke us out of our awkwardness.

“Sure.”

I followed him back to the kitchen where he opened two Pacificos, cutting up a lime to put in both. “You like these?”

“Definitely. You can’t get much better in the summer.”

He handed me my bottle before we moved into the den. Not ready to sit, I walked around the room. There were a couple of pictures on the mantle. One was of him with his family. The other was of us at the beach. He had his arm around me, and the smile on my face looked almost unfamiliar. Had I really ever been that young or carefree?

“Um, yeah. I know that probably seems weird… but I like having it there.”

I guessed this was the history part Gail had hinted at.

“Does it weird out the girls you usually bring home?”

“I haven’t brought any home in a while, and when I did, we didn’t exactly spend much time in here. By the next morning, I don’t think any of them would have cared.”

“Oh.” I knew very well just how many girls Ben was with after I left. Kelly told me all about them, but it was different hearing him admit it. Clearly he had experience with the casual thing.

“Yeah…”

Awkwardness again.

“So you want to watch something?”

“Sure.” I was pretty sure that when you’re engaging in random hook up sex, you weren’t supposed to watch movies first, but I was willing to do anything to stop the weirdness. I was very tempted to bolt for the door.

“Okay. What are you in the mood for?”

“Umm. Something funny.” Comedies were usually a safe bet.

He opened a cabinet and started flipping through DVDs. “How about
Wedding Crashers
? I remember you liked that one.”

“Sure, I kind of have weddings on the brain anyway.”

“Oh shit. Sorry, Molly. I wasn’t thinking.” He closed the cabinet and looked at me guiltily.

“No, it’s not that. I meant I was thinking about Kelly’s wedding,” I reassured him.

“Oh. I heard about that. It’s in July, right?”

“July fifteenth.” I didn’t mention that the date was one I wasn’t likely to forget. “She actually wants me to take their engagement photos.” Maybe I could work the whole boat conversation in naturally.

“Oh cool. You’re taking pictures again?”

“I’ve started since I got home. I don’t know if I’ll get anything good, but I said I’d try.”

“I’m sure they’ll be great.” He took a seat on the tan couch, and I joined him.

“She actually…” I trailed off, not wanting to even ask. It seemed too presumptuous, and he might feel obligated to say yes.

“What?”

“Kelly wanted to see if there was any way I could take the pictures for her on the
Serenity
?” I asked, referring to the boat by name.

“Sure. When would you need it?”

“Saturday or Sunday.”

“I don’t think we have anything scheduled for Saturday morning, if that works.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Well, on one condition.” He broke into a wicked grin.

“What?” I asked hesitantly.

“Come with me right now to check it out.”

“Um, now? It’s after ten, and why?”

“Just come.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me off the couch with him.

“All right.” It’s not like we were having a blast at his place anyway.

He pulled on a t-shirt that was slung on the back of the couch and snagged his wallet and keys off the half wall separating the den from the kitchen. “After you.”  He gestured for me to walk out.

I opened the front door, headed down the steps, and waited by the passenger door of his truck. He followed me out and went around to the driver’s side.

It had been a long time since I’d been in a truck as big as his, and it took me a second to climb up. I buckled my seatbelt and noticed him staring at me. “What?”

“It just feels like old times having you in my truck.”

“It’s a different truck.” Or really it was an updated one. It was the same model Ford, but this one was new and blue, not gray. I remembered how excited he’d been in high school when his dad had given him his old one. We’d spent more time fooling around in that thing than I would ever admit.