A Dirty Business (Kings of New York #1)(46)

“Jess.” He sighed, sitting down on the front-porch swing.

“She called me ‘honey.’ My mom’s not called me ‘honey’ since—” Oh, dear god! “Are you two fucking?”

“What?!” He shoved back up to his feet, the swing hitting against the house behind him. “No! Why are you saying that?”

“Because that’s when she last called me honey. When she was getting laid. When Dad was alive. What is going on? You’re over here all the time lately.”

A resigned expression sobered him. “I’m not actually. You happen to come the very few times I’ve checked on your mom. You know my local hangout is Bear’s Pub. A lot of our friends hang out there. It’s easy for me to come over in between games.”

“Um.” I was in an alternate universe. “It’s eight in the morning. There’s no between games. You made pancakes this morning? How early? I’m early.”

“You have been gone for a long time.” He gentled his tone. “Your mom called me one night, out of the blue. I had nothing to do with it, but she suddenly wanted ‘to get healthy’ again. I have no idea what brought it on. I didn’t ask. I never ask, not with this family. I support and I help. That’s my job, what your dad would’ve wanted me to do, so I agreed. Four mornings a week, I come over, and we walk at six in the morning.”

“At six?”

He nodded.

“In this neighborhood?” We weren’t exactly in SoHo.

Another nod.

“The local gangs like to curse at me. That’s our neighborhood.”

A third nod, and a sigh. “I’m aware. I get the same curses. Why do you think I go with her? She said she’s going to go with or without me. I go. And I let my gun show.”

Jesus Christ. My mom was in a walking phase.

“I have to sit down.” My head was starting to pound. “I’m getting PTSD from her mood changes. She hates me one visit, now I’m ‘honey’ and ‘dear,’ and she’s walking. She looks sober.”

“She’s been sober, at least since this new health kick.”

I gave him a look. “Every day?”

“Every day I’ve seen her, and we’re walking four times a week. You know I’m here a lot on the weekends. She’s been sober. I swear it.”

“I can’t. I just can’t with this.” I started to get up, needing to leave.

This was bringing bad déjà vu of other times she’d gotten on a health kick. It would keep on and on, and I’d start to think she’d be good and happy, and then I’d wake to text messages telling me how I was the daughter of Satan. How dare I exist? I was the reason my father was dead. I should’ve gone to prison instead of Isaac.

“I’m out.”

I couldn’t handle that whiplash. The PTSD was real.

“No. What? Stay.”

“No. I know how this goes, and I’m not going to get sucker punched, not by my own mother. Not again.”

I was starting for the stairs.

“Jess! Come on. Stay for breakfast. Just . . . stay. Please.”

I continued down the stairs. “Nope. Good luck. Though, she doesn’t abuse you when she starts drinking again. I’m sorry she keeps calling you, but you keep coming, and I don’t get it. My own dad wouldn’t have been as patient as you’re being with her, but cool. Have fun with this new Chelsea Montell. Enjoy it as long as it lasts, because it will end. And when it does, she’s a bitch.”

“You never told me how it went with your aunt.”

I was at my car, and I reached for the handle but paused. I looked at him across the top of my vehicle. Forget the aunt. “Good luck with her. You’re going to need it.”

I got in and pulled away.

I had an entire day before my shift. That meant downtime for me to think or, worse yet, feel things. I went down the list of my options.

Bar. There’s always a game somewhere. That meant drinking.

I was lying to myself.

The studio? No. That also meant feeling, and I didn’t want to feel.

The gym? I could do the gym. My mind was made up, and I was at a red light when my phone started ringing.

Kelly calling.

“What’s up?”

“Where are you?”

I recognized this voice of Kelly’s. Something happened or she got an idea in her head, and she was on a mission. I’d learned in the past that if I could, I tried to always be around for whatever Kelly got into when she sounded like this. It was usually epic entertainment. Sometimes I felt guilty because Kelly was like my own real-life reality show playing out in front of me, but then I hushed that feeling and enjoyed whatever was going to happen.

“Leaving my mom’s. What’s up?”

“Justin’s cousin called and invited him to a whole-day party at this mansion. You in?”

“We work tonight.”

“We’ll be back in time. I promise. Justin said he could drive. Please, please, please. We have not hung out in forever, and I know, I know. I’m partly at fault because I’m at Justin’s so much, but Jess, what about if I move out? This could be like our last hurrah or something.”

True. Also, Kelly was fun, and it was a perfect day for some Kelly funness.