Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

Ash

"Ashton and Mel!" My mom embraced me with one arm and Mel with the other. "I'm so glad to see you together again!"

"No, we're?—"

Mom spoke over me. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to this boy, Mel. Don't let him tell you otherwise."

"Aw, thanks. I think I'm pretty great too," Mel said.

"Happy birthday, Mom."

"Thank you, sweetie! I'm glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss it."

Mom's birthday party had been on my calendar for weeks, but I couldn't deal with Rick without a buffer, so I'd brought Mel.

But I should have known Mom would try to revise history and put us back together as a couple.

Little did she know how far off base she was, since I couldn't get Sawyer out of my fucking head.

Mel had gotten most of the details out of me—minus the dirtiest parts—and was annoyingly gloating that she'd guessed I was hot for him years ago.

Not that she'd told me in so many words. I kind of wish she'd explained it to me like I was a little kid. Then maybe I would have understood.

Even after last night, the ground shifted beneath my feet, knocking me off-balance. Like the world had tipped just a little, settling into a new gravitational pull. And that pull led right to Sawyer.

Mom's gaze fell to the plate I held, which contained samosa puffs, a favorite of hers. I'd used the resort kitchen to fill pastry with cheesy potatoes and spices, folding them into little triangles, crimping the edges, and baking them to a golden, crispy brown.

I'd had to fight the urge to go visit Sawyer while there. That's how strong that fucking pull was. But I needed to play it cool. Sawyer wasn't ready for the full boyfriend experience.

Hell, I wasn't sure I was ready either, but after losing Sawyer once, a part of me wanted to cling on to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Happy birthday to me!" Mom said, taking the plate from my hands. "You're the best son ever."

Rick stepped around Mel to join us. "The best son ever would have shown up on time."

He snagged a puff from the plate, popping it into his mouth before Mom could even try one.

He chewed. "Hmm. Almost as good as the ones at the Eberly party, huh? That caterer was amazing."

"Rick," my mom said with a head shake. "Ash made these, so I already know they're phenomenal."

"Oh, I didn't realize you made them," he said. "Well, good job. We can't all be high-dollar caterers."

He grabbed two more, contradicting his own assertion they were just okay. "Next time, show up on time." He turned, gaze falling on Dick Weiler, a banker who he did business with. "Hey, Dick, I saw your pics on Facebook. Congrats, man."

He took off while Mel muttered under her breath, "Did you hear that? He likes the Dick pics."

I bit down a laugh while Mom finally picked up a puff—after Rick had half-cleared her plate—and took a bite. She hummed, eyes fluttering close.

"You know just how I like these," she said with a sigh.

"Sorry I don't have a better present," I said.

"Hush," she said, patting my cheek with one hand. "You're working so hard. How is the food boat going?"

"Pretty good," I said. "I'm learning a lot about what people want out on the lake. I've been refining?—"

"Silvia!" Rick bellowed. "Come over here and listen to this story, honey."

She grimaced. "I better go, or he'll get annoyed. Tell me more later, okay, Ash? There's drinks and hors d'oeuvres on the buffet. We'll do the cake soon."

She kissed my cheek and hurried over to Rick, joining the throng of businessmen and their trophy wives. I hated to think of my mother that way, but why else would she stay with a guy like him?

Mel linked arms with me. "Well, duty done. Should we mingle?"

"I guess," I grumbled. "If I leave now, I'll never hear the end of it."

We moved through the room, making painful small talk with my parents' friends. Only Mel's sly, cutting remarks got me through it without dying of boredom.

Mom loved the idea of me and Mel together, but Rick had made no secret of the fact he looked down on her family for not being one of the wealthy snobs on this side of the lake.

I'd grown up in Bubble Butte—which was a ridiculous name but a great little town—and I'd been a hell of a lot happier before Mom met Rick. Sure, we got a nice house, boats, cars, and vacations over the years. But it all came with strings.

Mel and I grabbed plates, and she loaded up with deviled eggs. The woman was a fiend for them, even though she'd be bloated as heck later.

Meanwhile, I took a little of everything, mentally analyzing their flavor profiles and imagining ways I could reconstruct them with new twists.

The cumin wings had some real potential. A little brown sugar could add a hint of sweetness to the spice that would be nice. Serving them with a creamy raita would help balance the bold flavors, as well.

Lakin Hornby sauntered over. "Those wings are the shit."

"They're pretty good," I agreed as Lakin piled more food on his plate.

Lakin's parents moved in the same crowd as mine, which was the only explanation for why he was here. We trauma bonded over our rich, douchey parental units—and more than one joint at parties.

"So, where have you been?" he asked casually before tearing into a wing with a ravenous hunger. Speaking of joints, he must have had one recently, because the guy had munchies written all over him.

"Oh, around. I started a food boat over in Swallow Cove."

He shook his head. "I heard about that. Wild, man. Why would you go there?"

"Well, I didn't have any backers here."

"Ol' Rickie wouldn't back you?" he asked with surprise.

"Nope. Wanted me running his stupid party boats."

"Sucks." Lakin took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Gotta say, though, you had a pretty sweet gig. I mean, you got paid to party every night. You met so many hot women, way hotter than the women who live around here." He glanced at Mel. "No offense."

" Some offense taken," she said, giving his shoulder a playful shove.

He swept his gaze over her. "Present company excluded, of course."

" Of course," she said with a smirk.

I got a flirty vibe between the two. Huh. Wouldn't have taken Lakin as her type, but then…I wouldn't have taken Sawyer as mine. If anyone was flipping the script, it was me.

"Partying gets old," I said. "What are you doing these days?

"Working for the old man. What else?"

"Yeah…"

This was getting awkward fast. Lakin was a nice enough guy, but we didn't have a lot in common anymore. Bonding over parental units only took you so far, especially when neither of us were kids. Our destiny was in our own hands now.

I'd taken the path of independence. Lakin had chosen a different one. I didn't judge him for it, but…we weren't exactly on the same wavelength.

"Hey, there's a party out at Sean's in a couple weeks. You should both come."

Lakin's eyes were fixed on Mel now. I was actually kind of impressed how he'd turned an insult against women in the Ozarks into a come-on to Mel.

"Sean is an idiot," Mel said.

"But his parties are lit," Lakin said with a grin. "Just come out. For old times' sake. We can all catch up."

"I'll think about it," she said.

"Cool." He glanced at me. "What about it, Big Dix? You gonna come too?"

I rolled my eyes at the stupid nickname I'd gotten while on the football team. "Maybe."

"All right, cool." He knocked knuckles before ambling away.

Rick chose that moment to reappear. "Now, Lakin is a good friend to have, Ash. He's doing good work for his dad."

"Hmm. I remember doing good work for you, too. But what did I get for it?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "A damn good paycheck and a lot of tips, Ash. That's what."

"But not your trust," I said. "Not your belief I could take over the business."

He scoffed. "You weren't ready. Still aren't."

"Maybe not, but you could have gotten me ready. You didn't want to."

"Goddamn it, Ash," he said loudly enough that half the party paused and looked our way. "Is it always gonna be this way with you, huh? Nothing is ever good enough for you. I gave you plenty, you ungrateful?—"

"Rick," Mom interjected, arriving out of breath. "Don't make a scene."

"He started it."

"I'm ending it," I said, putting my plate on the table. "Thanks for the invite, Mom. Enjoy the rest of your party."

"Oh, don't go…"

Mel stepped up, proving why I'd chosen her as buffer. "It's my fault. My sister needs us to pick her up from work. It's been real nice to see you again."

"You too, honey."

Mom hugged her while Rick shot daggers at me with his eyes. That was fine. I was shooting daggers right back.

For Mom's sake, I smiled and softened my voice. "Let's have lunch soon."

When Rick isn't around.

She patted my arm. "We sure will, and I'll come see that food boat of yours now that you're settled in. I can't wait to try everything."

"Thanks, Mom."

Rick didn't say anything, but his disapproval was louder than any shouting he might have done. He'd never believed in me. Not to run his business and not to back one of my own.

But that was okay. It was better that I do this on my own. Otherwise, he'd take credit for everything I did.

Mel and I started for the door. Rick caught up with us just before we made our escape.

"Ash," he said. "I don't want us fighting. For your mom's sake."

"I don't either."

He nodded. "Good. When you're ready to come back to DreamBoats, there's a place for you there."

"I'm not?—"

He held up a hand. "I know you've got your own thing. But if it doesn't work out, you'll have a place with me. I know you got impatient, but I was just waiting for you to grow up. When you do, maybe we can talk."

I nodded once and walked out, not trusting myself to speak. Even when Rick pretended to be supportive, he was betting on me to fail.

"You okay?" Mel asked.

"Not really," I muttered. "I'm just gonna go home and crash."

"You're not gonna go blow off steam with Sawyer?" she asked with a little too much insight. "That's what I'd do."

"Don't make this weird."

"Hey, you can hardly blame me. You're my ex, and so is he. I'm picturing so many things right now."

I shoved her. "Well, stop it. This is all strange enough without my ex-girlfriend drooling over my—" I stopped short.

"Over your boyfriend?" she prompted.

"Too soon for the boyfriend label," I said. "Way too soon."

"But you want it," she teased as we walked down the dock toward her boat. "Admit it."

"I plead the Fifth."

She laughed. "Okay, but that's basically an admission of guilt."

She wasn't wrong. But I couldn't go there yet. Not out loud, anyway.

It made it too real, and I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up that there was a future beyond some sizzling-hot hookups.

This was a whole new world for Sawyer and me, and that was without taking our history and my major fuckup into account.

Apologies or not, I'd hurt him.

I'd do everything in my power to never hurt him again, but the one thing I couldn't do was make him believe it.

Sawyer would have to take a chance on me for that to happen, and from everything I'd overheard him say to his brother the other morning, he didn't take chances.

And maybe part of the reason he didn't was because of what I did when we were teens. How was that for irony?

Or maybe it was karma.

I was setting myself up to have my heart broken by Sawyer, but then, maybe I deserved it.