Sidewalk Flower (26 page)

And wait some more.

Since none of them were willing to crack
the egg shells that lay at their feet.
 

All she could think about as she studied
the black and white tiger-striped rug she’d bought Jaxon years ago was what in
the world might happen tonight?
 
And that
Jaxon must never have told Vangie who had gifted him the rug.

A door from upstairs
creaked open.

She plastered a smile on her face, making
the example for Lucky and Ben, as they snuck into the dining room and waited in
their happy poses.
  

“Surprise!
 
Happy Birthday, sweetie!” they called out in
harmonized unity as Maryella and her parents entered through the dining room’s
arched entrance.

“Onnie Tissa!”

Maryella ran and jumped into her arms as
the two whirled around.
 
On the final
spin, and as she got her bearings back, she noticed Ben’s eyes showing entirely
too much white.
 
Okay, so maybe that had
been a bit self-indulgent.
 
But she was
making up for both lost time from the past and the future and Vangie could suck
it.
 
But, to make nice, she stopped and
set Maryella down.
 
Lucky bent over and
gave the birthday girl a big hug, which garnered him a juicy peck on the cheek.

Next it was Ben’s turn.
 
“Hi, cutie pie.
 
So what do you think?
 
Are you surprised?
 
It is your birthday, right?”
 
He’d known Maryella since Jaxon had brought
the one-week-old baby girl to the studio to meet the Sin Pointe family.
 

She reached her small hand up and snagged
the hat from Ben’s head and then placed it on her own.
 
Her blonde hair had been braided into a
kaleidoscope of weaving tendrils, probably by a hairstylist.
 
If only Trista could do those things for
her.
 
Without a moment’s notice, Vangie
stalked over and snatched the hat off her daughter’s head, holding it back out
to Ben.
 
Maryella’s smile fell to the
floor.
 
Ben stood up, inched back, and
took his hat with him toward the kitchen.
 

“Mommy, ow.”
 
Maryella rubbed the top of her head.

“You don’t want to mess up your princess
braids, do you?”
 
It was Vangie’s
condescending tone that irritated Trista the most.
 

She fought to suppress her two gut
reactions.
 
First, to
grab Maryella up and twirl her away from here.
 
The second involved a few choice words for
her mother.
 
The likes
of which included reminding Vangie that this had once been her home and she’d
better tread a little more lightly if she knew what was good for her.

Instead, she opted for a direct “don’t
you dare ruin this for your daughter” look and then quickly morphed back into
Maryella’s fairy aunt-mother, taking her hand and walking her over to the table
to show her the cake.
 
Vangie huffed so
loudly Trista was sure she’d made her point.

While it appeared Jaxon and Ben had
ducked out, she could feel Lucky’s presence close by.
 
She imagined the animosity being so
flagrantly tossed around was probably completely foreign to him.
 
Back home, they would have taken it outside,
settled it in private.
 
It was southern
taboo to make such a display in front of the guests.
 
Welcome
to LA, honey
.

The air in the room remained tense until
finally, Vangie stormed out.
 
Jaxon
better be ready.
 
Poor
guy.

Too bad Ben had been scared off.
 
He would have enjoyed seeing the fruits of
his labor glinting off the angelic pair of brown eyes beneath Maryella’s long
lashes.
 
Vangie could try and wreck this
if she dared.
 
It had been two minutes
and she’d already managed to make this about her.
 
Trista set Maryella down at the head of the
princess table then sat in the chair Lucky pulled out for her.
 
An arm strung around her back had never felt
as good as his did just then.
 
Hunkered
down for the next round, they waited.

 
“Daddy, Mommy, wheh ah you?
 
Come mack.”

Jaxon was the first to answer Maryella’s
call.
 
Vangie followed behind him with a
cocktail glass in her arched fingers and a cold glare on her red lips.
 
Ben surprised her and entered next but he was
ready to leave, she could tell.
 
He sat
down in the farthest seat possible.
 
His
big eyes had lost their pop and sparkle.

“Here we
are,
sweetums.
 
You ready to eat?
 
Daddy’s so hungry.”
 
After serving Maryella her plate, Jaxon did
the same for Vangie.
 
She didn’t bother
to thank him.
 
They ate quietly through
their pizza.
 
Jaxon serenaded the apple
of his eye with a sweet rendition of Happy Birthday and then they again moved
cake and ice cream into their mouths before dispersing.
 

While Lucky and Ben chit chatted and
played with Maryella, Trista sat in the living room, hell bent and
confused.
 
For the life of her, she’d
never understand why the undeserving were given so much—precious children,
loyal loved ones, safe homes.
 
Without
thinking, a wish formed in her heart.
 
If I’m ever lucky enough to have the things
she has, please let me take good care of them.
 
Fine, she could admit it was a prayer, but
couldn’t bring herself to call God out by name or end things with Amen.
 
But there it was.
 
For the first time in twenty years, she’d
prayed.
 
It was all because of that man
sitting beside her.
 
She squeezed Lucky’s
hand, trying not to let her hopes fly too high.

From the rear, a heavy pair of footsteps,
steel-toed ones, thumped her way.
 
She
looked over Lucky’s arm to see Jaxon standing behind the couch.
 
He motioned for her to come over.
 
Ben and Lucky glanced her way.
 
“I’ll be right back,” she said, rubbing
Lucky’s shoulder.
 
Curious, she joined
Jaxon in the kitchen.

If he stalled much longer, she’d flick
him just to remind him they were standing here like statues.
 

“Just spit it out, Jaxon.”

But really, he didn’t have to.
 
When his face dropped into that familiar
grimace, she knew he was there to do his other half’s bidding.
 
“Trissy, hey, thanks for coming.
 
I know Maryellie loved seeing you.
 
She misses you.”

“Okay.”
 
She waited for the rest.
 
Unless that was it and he expected her to excuse herself.

Jaxon paused long enough for Ben to come
in the room, interrupting her dismissal. “Hey Jaxon, I’m gonna head out.
 
I’ve gotta get back to the studio.
 
Thanks for having me over.”

“Benny, thank you,
mate
.
 
Everything turned out such a beaut.
 
I really appreciate what you did.”
 
He stretched his hand out to shake
Ben’s.
 
Hopefully it was laced with some
sort of unspoken apology at how Ben had been treated.
 

She hugged her buddy tight.
 
“I’ll see you soon.”
 

Then Ben left, slightly slumped, his
striped vest not so zippy.

Trista used Ben’s exit as
a segue
for her own but decided not to tiptoe around Jaxon’s
feelings.
 
“So it’s time for me to get
going.
 
Would it be a good idea for me to
take Lucky, too?
 
Or does he get to
stay?”

“Trissy, you know I feel like shit over
this.
 
Why do you have to do that?”
 
He leaned into her as he whispered, but
instinct must have kicked in and he quickly pulled back.

“Do what, Jaxon?
 
You know, I get it that Vangie hates me but
what did anyone else ever do to her?
 
So
answer me, does Lucky need to leave, too?”

A sweet child played in the next room so
she funneled the veracity of her words into the pitch black pupil of her
eye.
 

“Yeah, it’s probably a good idea if he
left with you.”

“Fine.
 
I hope it’s worth it every night, Jaxon.
 
I really do.”

“Excuse me, but you hope what’s worth
it?”
 
Vangie had slithered her way into
their midst.

She took a step toward Vangie and stood
tall with one hand poised on her hip.
 
“Nothing, I was just leaving.”

“That’s what I thought,” Vangie said
without blinking or slinking back.
 
The
perfect red outline of her lips begged to be smeared but then she’d have
something to hold over Trista.

“Vangie…” Jaxon interjected.

“What, Jaxon?
 
Did you have something to say to her comment
about me?”

“Vangie, don’t.
 
Trissy was just leaving.
 
Can’t we just act like we all get along for
our daughter’s sake?
 
You don’t have to
make this any harder than it already is.”

If she could just zip
his lips.
 
Vangie would make
him pay for that one later.
 
Throwing all
that guilt in his face had been wrong.
 

A second later, Vangie stomped out of the
room.
 
Maybe if she was fast enough,
Trista could snatch up Lucky and give a meaningful goodbye hug and kiss to
Maryella before Vangie returned.
 
But
then, just as soon as she’d left, the green-eyed monster was back, much too
close to Trista’s face.
 
She dangled the
white and pink gift bag Trista had brought for Maryella.
 
Inside was a yellow sunflower dress she’d
sewn in the same smock style as so many of her own dresses.
 
Vangie thrust the bag forward, clipping her in
the cheek.
 
“Take it.”

It bit, but she knew she had to
apologize.
 
“Vangie, look, don’t do
this.
 
I’m sorry, I’m leaving.
 
Please just keep the dress for Maryella.”

“No, it’s covered in cat fur and you know
she’s allergic to that animal of yours.”

No way.
 
She took the dress out and inspected it.
 
There were two stray pieces of Figjam’s fur.
 
They must have attached themselves as she’d
wrapped the dress on her bed.
 
She hadn’t
vacuumed in a while, as she was always at the studio.
 
Dammit, she should have known Vangie’d play
this game.
 
She looked over to Jaxon, and
instantly regretted it.

Crap.

Shush, Jaxon
.

“Here, Trissy, I’ll save it for her.
 
Give it to me.
 
But it’s probably best you go now.”

“You will not!”
 
Vangie’s voice busted through the quiet mimicry
they had been engaged in.
 

Jaxon cut a glare that scared Trista but
only seemed to make the mother of his child angrier.
 
Not able to be in the presence of Vangie any
longer, Trista made her way to the living room where Lucky was obviously aware
of something.
 
He’d taken over as puppet
finger master and was trying to keep Maryella distracted.

“Lucky, we need to go, now,” she said,
concentrating on sounding calm.
 
“Maryella, sweetie, happy birthday and just remember…” She leaned down
closely so that only the child would hear what she was about to say.
 
“Auntie Trista loves you and I always will,
no matter what.
 
Okay?
 
Promise to remember?”
 
She hoped the child would.
 
Their time was up.
 
Vangie stood seething in the kitchen doorway.

Trista was up and out then, hoping
Lucky’d had the sense to follow her.
 
She
made her way to the villa’s front door and pulled it open, knowing this was the
last time she’d ever step foot in here again.
 
As long as it was ruled by what was apparently the best lay known to man.