Lonely Heart (4 page)

Not a virgin…point taken.

I held my belly, eased down beside her, and focused on ignoring the headache behind my left eye. “First of all, my love life is none of your business. Second, don’t ever embarrass me again.”

“I embarrassed you?” She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever.”

“No, there is no ‘whatever’. You’re not here for a good time visit, Tiffy. You got kicked out. Why did you make him do that?”

She crossed her arms in the typical fashion of every angry teenager who felt life was unfair, even though they were the ones who screwed up. “It wasn’t my fault, you know how daddy is; I was born.”

I sighed. “And?”

“And…I was seein’ someone he didn’t like. I’m shocked he even paid attention.” Her eyes lowered.

So was I. Our father treated us as if we were children forced on him instead of his own flesh and blood. Our brothers, on the other hand, were his pride and joy.

“What’s this about momma’s car?”

Tiffany rolled her eyes again. “Momma let me borrow her car to go to Stephanie’s house. I ended up at Steve’s….on purpose.”

“What’s this about Steve bein’ twenty-eight?”

She shrugged. “I need a man who’s established to take care of me until I get on my feet. There are no guys my age like that. Well, there are, but they are full of crap. Older men know what they want. ” She huffed in exasperation when I cocked an eyebrow. “Look, he was wrapped around my little finger, okay. I went over to solidify the deal─”

“Sleep with him,” I amended.

“Yeah, whatever. The point is, everything was goin’ good until daddy showed up and threatened him with his shotgun. Needless to say, Steve ended it right there. Daddy and I fought about it, then he put me out.”

I stared in disbelief. “Daddy came with a shotgun? We’re talkin’ about the same Bailey Rodgers, Senior I grew up with, right?”

“Yep.” She kicked off her sandals, sat cross-legged on the couch. “Daddy was more interested in what was goin’ on with momma’s car. Since when did he give a rat’s ass what I did?”

My temples pounded, forcing me to squint. I applied pressure until the pain subsided.

“Are you alright?” Tiffany laid a hand on my arm.

“I’ll be fine. My blood pressure has been up for the last month. My doctor is dang near ready to put me on bed rest. I don’t have time for foolishness. I have no problem with you bein’ here, Tiffy, but there are gonna be some rules.”

Her eyes widened. “You’ve got to be shittin’ me.”

“Rule number one, no cursin’.”

“Oh come on!”

“My baby is not gonna be raised around foul language. This is not Bailey Senior’s House, so leave the bad habit behind.”

“Like you don’t curse!”

I stared at her, unaffected by her accusation. “When I do it’s because I’m pissed. Besides, this is my house, my rules. If you don’t like it…” My silence filled in the blanks.

Another eye roll followed. If she didn’t watch it, they would end up on the floor instead of her head. “Okay, fine. What else?”

“Two, start lookin’ for a job. There are no free rides here.”

“No problem. I don’t like bein’ broke.”

“It’s not about bein’ broke, Tiffy. It’s about believin’ a man is gonna take care of you. Look at me,” I waved a hand around my apartment. “I had a man who swore he loved me, wanted to marry and take care of me. Bein’ pregnant changed everythin’. If I hadn’t been able to care for myself before this happened, I’d be screwed.”

Tiffany’s gaze went to my belly. “Can I touch it?”

I smiled. “Sure.”

Her eyes widened as my baby kicked. “That’s amazin’!”

I placed my hand over hers, moved it to the other side. “I think your niece or nephew is sayin’ hello. Feel that?” She nodded. “That’s an elbow or somethin’.”

After a few minutes, she pulled away. It was then I realized her eyes were watery. “Why did he leave you, Kaity?”

I studied my sister. How crazy was it to have siblings, but feel as if I were an only child? Since moving to L.A., I’d been adopted into Yasmine’s family just as Ebony had. My issues with my parents had nothing to do with my relationship with Tiffany, Bailey Jr., or Justin. While Yasmine and Ebony were my ‘sisters from another mother’, as Yasmine liked to say, Tiffany was flesh and blood.

We had a lot of time to make up for. It would be my goal to get to know her again. And let her know me.

The good and the bad.

“He didn’t, I left him.” My attempts to get as comfortable as possible were failing. “Luke used to be different. We talked about havin’ a family of our own one day, but in the end, it was all talk. Instead of bein’ happy about the baby, he got mad. I don’t want my baby to grow up like we did. I’ll be all my baby needs. All the love, all the care…even if he doesn’t want to be part of this.” I rubbed my belly and forced my voice to stay strong. “Learn from my mistakes, Tiffy. Don’t get into a relationship with someone who will leave you high and dry.”

“I’ll be sure to avoid one if you can tell me the formula for detecting a man full of crap.” Tiffany’s laugh was dry. “We’ve been screwed over for most of our lives. I thought you found a way out.”

I patted her knee, lay back to rest my head against the sofa, and closed my eyes. “Yeah, well, me, too.”

“At least you’ve got me now to help out.” Her voice perked up.

I glanced over at my sister. God, it had been three years since I last saw her. She was sixteen then. Though she seldom acted like it; Tiffany was wise beyond her years. For as much she promised to help, I had no doubt she’d be just as much of a handful. No longer living underneath our father’s roof would be a life changing experience.

I know it was for me.

With any luck, I’d help her navigate the treacherous waters. But most of all, I hoped to keep her from making the same mistakes.

“Glad you feel that way. You can start by unpackin’ those boxes.” I pointed to the pile stacked in the corner of the small dining room.

The boxes were too much for me to carry and squatting down was nearly impossible without assistance. Yasmine attempted to help, but she was pregnant, too, though not as far along. Ebony was swamped as well. Her new position at the zoo and her new husband Brian’s work schedule made it hard for them to spend time together. Both helped me move in, but she hadn’t been able to stay and help unpack. I was in no way about to interrupt their time together for help unpacking pesky boxes.

“Now? I haven’t even seen the place. Where do I sleep?”

“Kitchen is there,” I pointed, doing the stewardess routine. “…bathroom is down the hall on the right. There are two bedrooms. I guess you can use the baby’s room. My room is at the end of the hall. I’ll put the crib in there; it’ll save me a trip in the middle of the night. The patio is there, and this is the living room.”

Tiffany laughed. “Okay, thanks for the tour of the mansion. Can I put my stuff up first?”

“Sure, be my guest. Look in my closet for extra hangers if you need them.”

I counted down as she dragged her first bag down the short hall until she got to her designated room.

“Kaity, there’s no bed in here,” she yelled down the hall.

“It’s supposed to be the baby’s room. Crib, not bed,” I yelled back.

“Well, shoot, that’s not there either.”

“One step at a time,” I mumbled, my thoughts going back to my car.

Tiffany walked back down the hall. “Can I sleep with you then?”

“The moment you get a job you’re buyin’ your own bed.”

“Agreed.” She grabbed the handle of the next bag.

“You have one time to kick me in your sleep and it’s the sofa, understand?”

She stopped, put a hand on her protruding hip. “I’m not five anymore.”

“Thank the lord for small favors.”

“Ha, ha, ha.” She disappeared back down the hall.

Small favors.

Maybe that’s why Tiffany had landed in my home. How big of a favor was yet to be seen.

Chapter 6

“¡Aye!” I scooted from beneath the Monte Carlo, examined my bleeding thumb, and cursed the vibrating phone in the pocket of my overalls.

There was no need to check the caller ID. After going off for the tenth time, it could only be Gina.

I washed the grease from my hands before retrieving the first aid kit from the office. Tio Alejandro sat behind his desk, exhaustion etched into his face.

“Are you okay?”

He ran a hand over his graying beard and sighed. “Sí. I’m going home as soon as I complete the order forms.”

My thumb bandaged, I walked over to the desk to scan the inventory forms. “Go home, Tio, I’ll finish this.”

“No, my job is here, yours is out there.” He pointed towards the garage.

I shook my head. “Tio, go home, spend time with your wife. It’s getting late.” Five-forty-five wasn’t exactly late, but for a man who’d spent years on a strict schedule, it was. “Take your wife some flowers and enjoy your evening. I’ll make sure it gets done.”

His mouth opened as if to say something, but thought about it. “Sí, esta bien. Gracias.” He scooted his seat back from the desk. “You finished with the Monte Carlo?”

“Sí. When I finish here, I’ll replace the gas filter on the Maxima. It’s overdue.”

“See, told you not to take that job.” He grabbed his jacket from the coat rack.

And I told him we needed to make upgrades to the shop to accommodate newer vehicles. It was a losing battle.

The business management portion of my training felt as if it were a waste of time. In order to put it into practice, I would have to own my own shop. The amount of capital needed was daunting. My business plan was written. In order to make it happen, I would need to apply for a business loan and have my own capital to bring to the table. My savings account had a meager balance.

Though I put in the work, I was in no hurry to leave my uncle without support. The other mechanics were just that…mechanics. His sons didn’t care. My aunt knew nothing about the business. Without me, the shop would fail.

My family was too important to walk away from, even for my own dreams.

Forty-five minutes later, my cell rang again. I couldn’t avoid answering any longer.

“Gina, I’m working.”

“Amor mio, you’re always working.” Her sigh was loud on the phone.

“That’s what people do for a living.” I tried my best to keep sarcasm out of my voice.

“You’re cancelling on me again?”

“Damn.” I’d forgotten about our plans for the evening. “Gina, lo siento. I’ve got some things to do here and another car to finish. It’ll be late by the time I’m done.”

“¿Que? I’m all dressed up in this sexy number I know you’ll like. Antonio, I don’t know why I put up with you. Maybe it’s because you’re so damn cute.”

An image of what she could possibly be wearing came to mind. One thing about Gina, she knew how to seduce. “Look, I promise to make it up to you, but this time, I’ll call when I know I’m free.” A few minutes later, we disconnected.

Gina. We’d dated for two years, but known each other since childhood. She was my sister Adrianna’s best friend, and had a crush on me for as long as I could remember.

As a teenager, I ignored her. She was three years younger and at the time my interest went to women my age. After graduation, my attention was on cars and earning my mechanic’s license.

Gina, on the other hand, grew up and went to college. She left looking like my sister’s best friend but returned a full blown woman. It didn’t take long for her to find me, and an even shorter time for us to sleep together. Since then, we dated, but with my hectic schedule, the frequency of our dates had diminished. I cared for her, but she wanted too much. For the past two months, the ‘M’ and ‘K’ words slipped into too many conversations. The idea of marriage didn’t scare me. It was the concept of kids that did. Gina wanted five.

I loved kids, even enjoyed spending time with my six-year-old nephew. The idea of raising kids of my own is one I refused to entertain. I couldn’t become my father. After watching him grieve the death of my mother and spend fourteen years struggling to raise us, that was a future I refused to entertain. Though my sister and I helped out as much as we could, there were times when he was alone and depressed. Only recently had he started dating again.

I wanted a relationship. I wanted a wife. I just couldn’t have kids.

One of these days I would let Gina know. I’m pretty sure our time spent together would end the moment she found out.

I closed the books and filed them away before heading back into the garage. All the mechanics were gone for the day, so I closed the bay doors, turned on the radio - which my uncle hated - and started working on Kaitlyn’s car.

Kaitlyn.

Kaity Lynn.

I wondered what her story was. A single white woman with the cutest button nose and long blond hair. Her eyes were a shade of green that…

What the hell was I doing thinking about her eyes?

I ran my thumb across my forehead and focused on the task at hand.

By the time I was done, it was too late to take her car over. Tomorrow was Sunday. I’d do it in the morning before visiting my Abuelita.

****

“Good morning, did I wake you?”

Kaitlyn’s sister, Tiffany, rubbed her eyes and shot me a dirty look. I hid my smile. “Is Kaity up?”

She stepped aside and waved me into the apartment. I averted my eyes, trying to ignore the bare legs that stopped at the edge of the nightshirt she wore which, barely covered her body.

“Kaity Lynn! You’ve got company.” She put emphasis on Lynn, then disappeared into a room down the hall.

Since I hadn’t been asked to sit, I stood near the door and scanned the apartment. The walls were bare and boxes sat piled in corners. It appeared she hadn’t lived here very long. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t seen her during my weekly visits to my grandmother.

The door at the farthest end of the hall opened and Kaitlyn appeared. She walked towards me while rubbing her eyes with both hands. Her hair was wound up in a sloppy ponytail that spilled out over her ears. Her robe fell open; as much as I tried, it was impossible to stop staring. She wore a short pink night gown hiked up over her round belly. She sported the same long set of legs as her sister.