Page 94 of Off the Mark
A gruff voice yelled, “Yeah, and what’s it to ya? They can’t fuckingsit?”
I pulled open the blinds and saw the same older gentleman with the kitten from two weeks ago. Plus a very short woman and a very tall woman, both with dark hair. All three of them had their bare feet kicking in an inflated baby pool in the middle of the sidewalk. “What’s going on out there?”
Dean waved me over. “Charlie, please meet the nosy people who casually sat and listened to our conversations through the window.”
“Dean Knox-Morelli, I’ve never been nosy in mylife,” the tall woman said.
“That’s my mom. And my other mom. And that’s Eddie, who you know from the rec center,” Dean said. “Technically he works there, but Tiffany’s taking up a lot of his time.”
Eddie took a long drag of his cigarette. Squinted at me and nodded. “You’re Rowan’s friend who makes him all flustered. I remember you. How you doin’?”
I waved from the door. “Great. How’s the kitten?”
“Thrivin’,” he said with a nod.
Tabitha breezed past with a new drink in her hand and splashed on into the water. “Charlie, do you remember that thing Alice was saying about people being there for you when you need them the most?” She waved her hands at the surrounding block. “Meet the people.”
Dean ambled over to his mothers, bent low so they could pat his face the way Alice kept doing to Rowan. There was something about the gesture that tugged at a place deep in my chest—I see you. You’re here. Thank god.
It brought up tender memories I rarely recalled anymore—my dad, pulling down my first helmet and tapping me on my nose, sayinggo get ’em, tiger. My rowdy cousins, still around and cheering for me from the sidelines.
My mom there too.
A second later, Rowan was behind me, his hand pressed to my back. The quicksand sensation increased—at this point, every stray touch between us was as sexual as it was romantic. Especially here, on this stoop, on this street, with the people who loved Rowan the most.
“I got the wine glasses and a stern talking to about treating you like a gentleman,” he whispered, lips quirked. “Alice O’Callaghan believes you are descended from heaven above.”
“Like an angel?”
“You got it.”
“Then she never needs to know what I used to say to threaten the Pain Machine.”
He mimed sealing his lips and winked. To the kiddie pool folks, he called out, “Come on, Charlie. I need to get you home before these drunk rascals make you stay all night.”
“What a lovely idea,” one of Dean’s mothers said. “But where’s your grandmother?”
“Right here, and I need a moment alone with Charlie,” Alice said, taking my hand. “Rowan? Get out please.”
He frowned. “Uh…?”
Alice shut the door in his face. I spun to face her, hands on my hips. “I see you don’t tolerate any nonsense either.”
“And I never have,” she said, though her eyes twinkled.
She took my hand again and pressed something into it—a small silver coin on a long chain. “This is one of my good luck charms, and I want you to have it. Rowan said you have an important race in a week. I don’t think you need luck, but I always like knowing that people are thinking about me.”
I turned my hand over, touched the metal. “Alice, this is so kind of you. I can’t…I can’t take this, what if we —?”
She closed my fingers over the coin. “Charlie, I tease my grandson about finding his soul mate all the time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how the world works. Do you want my opinion?”
She sized me up and down the way I used to size up drunk bar patrons. “You’re it for him, my dear. And it’s clear to me you feel the same way.”
I swallowed hard, all the blood rushing in my ears.
“But I’m giving this to you as a friend. No matter what happens between you and Rowan. I know you were there the night he was hurt.” She squeezed my hand. “He told me. I’m so glad he called you and I’m so grateful you showed up for him.”
My cheeks burned.
