After I Fall (4 page)

“Is that really what you think?” she asked. “Because that’s not what I meant at all.”

I sighed. “Then maybe you should say what you mean. Because clearly, you and I have a habit of not being on the same page.”

“I know. And I’d like to work on that. That’s why I was hoping you could make a little bit of time for me? Maybe we could go out for a nice dinner tonight. Just you and me?”

“Maybe another night? I’m on my way over to Clara’s right now,” I said.

“Clara’s again? You were at her house last night. And she’ll be over here this weekend. Sweetie, don’t you think you ought to make a few more friends? You should get out, make some connections.”

“Mom. I’m seventeen. The only connections people my age make are connections to the next kegger. Is that what you really want? Believe me. I’ve been to a kegger or two. They are nothing like the champagne brunches you seem to think people my age should attend.”

“You’re being absurd,” she told me.

“I don’t think I am.”

“I think we should throw a party here. We can invite people your age. Maybe hire a band? I can check with the caterer today to see what dates would work.”

A band?

“Mom.” I shook my head. “No. Not happening. I don’t need you to try to scrounge up friends for me. I’m happy with—”

“I would not be scrounging,” she interjected. “I simply think you need a little nudge in the right direction. I know it had to be hard to move here after the school year was underway. I know it’s hard to make friends at your age. There’s nothing wrong with meeting new people.”

I bit my lip and shook my head. I couldn’t find the words to explain to her that after Dad died, I hadn’t had a whole lot to give. Moving here, meeting new people, making friends…it had all been so overwhelming. Was it really so bad that I was doing this at my own pace?

Besides, it wasn’t like I didn’t have
any
friends. Apparently I just didn’t have the
right
friends.

“I’ve got to go.” I slipped out of the door before giving her a chance to stop me.

“…and then we hopped into the backseat of his car where I proceeded to peel off his shirt and lick those yummy abs of his.”

My head spun around and my mouth fell open as I faced Clara. “Wait! You did
what
? With
who
? And where was this? And again…
who
?” I stammered. “You’re not even dating anyone!”

My best friend gave me a wry look. “So you
are
actually paying attention.”

“Of course I’m paying attention,” I meekly agreed. We both knew I hadn’t been. Not until the tail end of the farfetched story tumbled from her mouth. I blew out a breath. “Sorry. You were right. I wasn’t paying attention.”

She shrugged and smiled. Any trace of annoyance she may have felt faded away. Clara was like that. Easy-going, easy to talk to.

“It’s okay. I get it now,” Clara said. She readjusted her huge, straw hat. Her short, dark hair peeked out from under the edges of it. She had pale skin and a smattering of freckles. She was always careful to keep out of the sun’s rays. She claimed it made her freckles worse.

“Get what?” I demanded.

“I get why you’re so distracted.”

I smiled innocently at her.

“It’s
him
,” she said. She motioned toward Eric. “And don’t play dumb. By ‘him’ I mean that absolutely scrumptious new guy.”

I gave up the innocent act and just grinned.

“I thought you two were friends?” Clara raised her eyebrows at me.

I knew why she was asking. Eric had barely looked my way since Clara and I showed up with the girls.

I frowned. “I didn’t say we’re friends. I said we’ve talked a few times. I gave him a ride home. He bought me frozen yogurt.” A realization occurred to me. Maybe he’d only spent his break with me yesterday in an attempt to somehow make things even between us. Was that it? Had he felt like he owed me? And now that he’d paid me back, he had no reason to waste any more time with me?

My heart sank under the weight of my thoughts.

“I guess I read into things too much,” I told Clara.

“Or maybe Jace scared him off,” she shot back.

“I don’t think he’s
scared
of Jace,” I corrected. “I think I made it clear to Eric what I think of Jace.”

“What’s up with him, anyway?” she asked. “Since when does Mr. High and Mighty crash your yogurt eating party?”

I shrugged. “No idea. At least he isn’t here today.”

Clara scoffed. “Oh, I don’t know. Speak of the devil and he may appear.”

“What?”

She pushed her sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose and motioned behind me with her eyes.

Jace and Mike were walking in from the golf course.

Even though I was seated in my normal spot, Jace didn’t look my way. I felt a bit of triumph over that realization. Maybe after yesterday, he’d finally gotten the hint. Or maybe I’d been reading too much into that situation as well. Maybe just a little bit of attention from Jace felt like a whole lot. Because it was
that
stifling.

I glanced at the girls. They were too busy to care that I wasn’t really watching them today. I turned my attention back to Clara, where it belonged.

“Are you busy this weekend?” I asked. “Please, tell me you’re not busy.”

She gave me a suspicious look. “Why?”

“I kind of told my mom we have plans for this weekend. She wanted to go away, to a spa, do some shopping—”

“Oh,
no
!” Clara gasped as she slapped her hand over her heart. “Alone time with your mother? How frightening.”

I didn’t smile. I just let her carry on with her theatrics.

She rolled her eyes at me.

“Em, what would a weekend away hurt?”

“Is that a no?” I asked. “You don’t want to come over?”

“That’s not it. I just think you should give your mom a chance.”

“A chance to pummel into my brain that I need a little more eyeliner? A little higher heel on my shoe? A lot more highlights in my hair? A more professional application of the make-up I
do
wear?” I shook my head. “That’s what I’d hear about all weekend. She’d pick me apart and then beg to put me back together again.
Her
way.”

“Okay,” Clara relented. “If you need me to be your excuse, count me in.”

“Thank you,” I said. I meant it. Clara was the oldest, with three younger brothers. Her family was close. I knew she had a hard time understanding the distance between Mom and me.

“Show offs,” she muttered under her breath.

I realized she’d made a major subject change.

I twisted around in my seat.

Jace gave a nod to Mike who jogged to the far side of the pool. Jace gripped a football in his hands. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to him to want to show off when it was neither the time nor the place. He raised the ball into the air. He tossed it over the pool to where Mike was waiting on the other side. Mike easily caught it and threw it back.

“Like they can’t do that somewhere else?” Clara asked in annoyance.

Eric walked out with another tray of beverages. He eyed Jace and Mike warily. He was careful to walk behind Mike. I was twisting back to face Clara when Jace’s movement caught my eye.

He had the football in his hand. Mike cocked his head to the side, toward Eric. The ball went barreling through the air, bypassing Mike. I let out a shriek, a poor excuse for a warning.

The ball blasted into the back of Eric’s knee instantly throwing him off balance. He never saw it coming. He stumbled; the tray of drinks flew into the air. With outstretched hands he collided with a mermaid statue. The statue toppled and crashed through the window of the small shop on the edge of the pool area. The lower half of the mermaid hit the ground while the top half busted off and disappeared inside of the building. Eric went down on his knees, barely missing going through the window himself.

I didn’t realize I’d gotten to my feet. But I was standing. My heart was pounding. I had a hard time wrapping my head around what I’d just witnessed.

Jace’s hands flew to his head. He tugged them through his hair. When he turned around, he was grimacing. It was the closest I’d ever seen to a repentant look on his face.

Mike darted toward Eric, ignoring him completely. He scooped up the ball, tucked it under his arm and hurried away.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Clara muttered through fingers that were pressed over her lips.

We watched as Jace and Mike bolted like the cowards they were. They looked like they couldn’t believe what had happened either. They had just wanted to make a fool out of Eric. They hadn’t expected to trash the entire pool area.

Eric staggered to his feet. Shattered glass sparkled in the sun. Colored drinks oozed out of their containers, blending together. Blood spilled from Eric’s knees. He looked around, dazed.

No one was laughing but everyone was staring at Eric.

A hushed hum of chatter began to fill the air.

“What…? What is going on?” The words came from a man in plaid pants and a white polo. He had just stormed out of the main building. It took him mere seconds to assess his version of the situation.

I hurried up to the fence that separated the tennis courts from the pool area. Clara was only a step behind me. She put her hand on my wrist. I glanced at her and she shook her head.

“I think you should stay out of this.”

I was tempted to shout through the fence but I didn’t want to humiliate Eric anymore than he already had been.

“Daniels! How could you be so clumsy! How hard is it to carry a tray of drinks?! You are
fired
!” He looked around, realizing he had an audience. He dropped the volume but his tone was still harsh and his voice still carried. “And you will be paying for damages. Expect to receive a bill in the mail for the balance of what your paycheck doesn’t cover.”

“Yes, sir,” Eric said. “Anything else, sir?”

I detected only the slightest hint of sarcasm on the last ‘sir’.

“Whoa,” Clara muttered under her breath.

“This isn’t right,” I said.

She grabbed onto my arm when she realized I was going to charge into the pool area. “Stay out of it, Em.”

“But this isn’t his fault,” I argued.

She nodded. “I know but I think you’ll just cause a bigger scene if you go up there.”

“So what?”

“Seriously, EmLynn, don’t.” She subtly nodded toward the cabana. “Don’t look,” she ordered just as my gaze was about to swing away. “Jace is totally watching for your reaction.”

“So what?” I repeated. “I’m supposed to care what Jace thinks?”

She shook her head. “No but you don’t want to make things even worse for Eric, do you?”

“Do you think he did this because of
me
?” It seemed absurd. But then I remembered the way his face had clouded over last week. The day I’d teasingly pretended to be interested in Eric. I shook my head. Jace wouldn’t go to all of this effort because of me. I had to be missing something.

When I glanced back at the pool area, Eric was already gone.

It was hard to believe a man in plaid pants could be so intimidating. But as he barked out orders to another employee to come clean up the mess, I was glad I wasn’t employed here.

“I should have said something.” I turned to Clara.

I was irritated with myself for just standing there. I should’ve done
something
. I should’ve spoken up. My father raised me better than to just sit back and watch someone be treated unfairly. I couldn’t turn back time but I could do my best to try to correct it now.

“Keep an eye on the girls for me. I’ll be right back.” This time I took off so fast that Clara didn’t have a chance to stop me.

“
Em
?!”

I ignored her as I marched through the door that led into the main building. I was hit by a blast of cold air. I looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Eric. I wasn’t sure where the employee locker room was. Maybe it wasn’t even in this building.

He was bleeding. I wanted to see how badly he was hurt. Or if there was anything I could do to help. Was it bad enough that he needed stitches? His ex-supervisor hadn’t bothered to ask.

My heart twisted in my chest, squeezing painfully. Eric was around here somewhere. Hurt, bleeding, and probably feeling humiliated beyond measure.

When he’d finally composed himself enough to listen to the man that was firing him, he hadn’t looked like he was in pain. He’d simply looked mad. Really, really mad.

I could relate.

The man in plaid entered from the pool area seconds after I had entered from outside. He stormed off down a hallway and I hurried after him.

“Excuse me!”

Startled, he stopped in his tracks. Irritation marred his face. When he looked at me, he blinked, then pushed the expression away. He forced a smile.

Just for me.

How lucky.

“Miss Calhoun, what can I do for you?”

It wasn’t the first time that someone had incorrectly called me by my step-father’s last name. It was the first time I decided to let it slide. I was slowly learning to pick my battles and I knew I had a bigger battle ahead.

“I’d like to talk to you about the incident at the pool just now. The one involving Eric?”

“Let me assure you that the unfortunate incident has been dealt with.”

“I was there. I saw how it was dealt with and that’s the problem.” I tried to channel my mother. Calm, cool and authoritative. “If you need someone to blame, someone to cover the damages, I suggest you have a little talk with Carl Deveroux’s son. Jace intentionally hit Eric with that football. He waited until Eric’s back was turned. Eric never saw it coming. If you need someone to blame, blame Jace.”

I could tell by his expression that he was as likely to confront Jace as he was to wear his bathrobe to work.

“I’m sorry Miss Calhoun, I can’t do that. This issue has already been dealt with.”

“So an innocent guy lost his job because some rich, arrogant jerk’s goofing around got out of hand? How does that make sense?”

He remained silent and couldn’t hold my gaze. For a moment I felt sorry for him. Working here, I was sure he’d dealt with more than his fair share of arrogant jerks.

This conversation wasn’t going at all as I’d intended.

I was tempted to insist he hire Eric back. I quickly thought better of it. I wasn’t sure if Eric needed this job or not. But surely, he could find somewhere else to work. Anywhere had to be better than here.

“You can’t seriously plan on charging Eric for the damages,” I said. Even if he’d saved every penny from his paychecks so far, I doubted they’d cover replacing a window
and
a statue.

I glanced at his nametag.