“It’s good but I’m going with the sweet potato pudding this time.” I’ll have coffee to counter the sweetness.
“Never tried that but I like sweet potatoes.”
“Then you’ll love this. You can have some of mine. No way I can eat all of it.” The bowl it’s served in is as big as my head.
I didn’t realize how hungry I was until our food was arrived. “Want a bite?”
He nods.
I spoon a sample and hold it out over the table, pulling it back each time he tries to put it in his mouth. “You little tease.”
Ping!
I hear the sound of a new message, and I give him the bite so I can see if it’s Meredith.
“Finally, she responds. I must have called her at least a dozen times last night. I was worried because it went straight to voicemail every time.”
I need to see you
I’m not sure I like the tone of that message.
Swoosh!
I’m at Devour.
Ping!
Be right there.
Swoosh!
K
“Meredith says she needs to see me so she’s coming by.”
Beau grimaces. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“I agree.” I’m worried about what she did last night.
I wave my hand when I see her standing at the restaurant entrance. “Shit. Grayson isn’t with her. That isn’t a good sign.”
“Did you really think he would be?”
“I guess not but I had hopes.”
Meredith pulls one of the empty seats from the table and joins us. “I’m happy you finally saw fit to contact me. I was worried all night.”
“I’m fine but I wanted to come by in person to let you know I’m going home today.”
“With Grayson?”
“No. He didn’t come to the room last night. I haven’t seen him since I left the reggae club. I’m sure he spent last night with her.”
Something is terribly wrong. She’s wearing huge Audrey Hepburn sunglasses instead of her usual Ray-Bans. “Take off your glasses.”
“No. I’ve been crying and my eyes are puffy.”
I see the edge of the purple bruise she’s tried to cover with foundation. “Take them off now.”
She doesn’t so I reach to do it for her. She slinks away, slapping at my hand. “Stop, Anna James.”
“Don’t make me cause a scene in the middle of this restaurant. Because I damn sure will.”
She removes her glasses and glares at me. “Happy?”
Her left eye is purple and swollen shut. “Oh, Mere. What happened?”
“The wrong guy––that’s what happened.” Her voice breaks on the last word.
The fucker didn’t blacken her eye in public, which means she was behind a closed door with him. “Did he do anything else?”
She pulls the neck of her shirt away. “He tried to choke me while we were having sex. I thought he was going to kill me.”
I can make out the partial outline of a handprint on her skin. His fingertips have left deep purple bruises on the front and each side of her neck.
She points to her face. “When I fought back, he did this to me.”
Grayson insisted she learn how to protect herself in case something like this ever happened. The defense skills he taught her may have saved her life. “Does Grayson know?”
She shakes her head. “No, and he’s not going to.”
She can’t keep this from him. “He’s your husband. You have to tell him.”
“I don’t have to tell him anything. He lost that privilege when he betrayed me.”
“Who did this to you?” Beau’s voice is alpha and commanding.
“Linc Michaels.” That son of a bitch. He’s the one who crawled into the booth with us at the private couples lounge and propositioned us for a poly relationship.
Beau curses beneath his breath.
“This is a very serious matter. Grayson needs to know his wife’s been violated.”
“I’m leaving because I don’t want him to see me like this. It’s humiliating.”
“This is a criminal offense. Did you report it?”
Meredith scoffs. “We’re in another country. What are the authorities going to do to him?”
“Maybe nothing but there should be a police report.”
“Don’t have time for all of that. I’ve changed my flight, and I’m leaving for the airport now. I came by because I couldn’t go without seeing you first.”
Meredith doesn’t need to be under the impression I’m going to keep this secret from Grayson. “If you don’t tell him, I will.”
She gets up to leave, and I stand to hug her. “Good luck finding him. He was out all night. If he’s still between her legs, he won’t resurface for a while.”
Is he stupid? Would he really throw away their marriage for a fuck?
I know he messed up, but I don’t think he’d do it again after seeing the way he hurt Meredith.
“Call me the minute you’re home. I need to know you made it back safely.”
“Will do.”
She replaces her sunglasses and points her finger at Beau. “You! Be good to my girl or I will drive to Buckhead and personally take it out on your ass. Despite what I look like right now, I’m a pretty good brawler.”
“You got it.”
My stomach drops to my feet as she walks away. “I feel sick.” All of that sweet potato pudding I just ate is threatening to make a reappearance.
“You have to call Grayson.” No doubt.
“Doing it now.” I choose Grayson’s contact and hit call. “That fucking Linc. I knew he was screwy, but who would have imagined he would be a choker and hitter?”
The phone rings several times and goes to voicemail. “I don’t want to tell him about this through text, but I’m afraid he won’t call if I don’t give him a heads-up something went wrong.”
Swoosh!
Call me immediately. Something bad happened to Mere last night.
Grayson immediately calls me back. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
I’m not having this conversation over the phone. “Where are you?”
“The suite. All of Meredith’s things are gone. What is going on?” He must have just missed her.
“We’re leaving Devour right now. It’ll take us about five minutes to get back to Beau’s suite. Meet us there.”
“AJ! Is Meredith okay?” That’s a subjective opinion.
Physically, she’s going to be okay, but I think it’s highly probably she will experience some emotional repercussions from this.
She was assaulted. It has to be a reminder of the violence she witnessed between her parents. If I know Meredith, she’s going to equate this to her becoming like them. Her worst nightmare.
“It’s complicated.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It isn’t a clear-cut yes or no. Come to our suite and I’ll tell you everything.”
Grayson’s standing outside our door when we arrive. His shirt and face are sopping wet with sweat. He must have run all the way here. “Will you please tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Beau opens the door and we file in. “Meredith was attacked by a man last night. He choked her hard enough to leave purple handprints and finger imprints around her neck. She fought back and was able to get free but he did a number on her face. One of her eyes is purple and swollen shut.” I leave off the part about Meredith having sex with him. Grayson can probably insert that part for himself but that’s for them to sort out.
“Who was it?”
“Linc Michaels,” Beau says.
“You know him?”
Beau nods. “He’s from Alpharetta.”
“Will you help me find him?”
“Gladly.”
Grayson is an experienced kick-boxer. He has the ability to do more than hurt someone. “What are you going to do?”
Grayson punches his fist into this palm. “He attacked my wife so
I’m going to show him what it’s like to have his ass kicked.”
Assault in a foreign country. That’s a recipe for disaster. “Please don’t do anything that could get you detained by the police. You don’t need to land yourself in a Jamaican jail.”
Grayson takes his phone from his pocket. I assume he’s trying Meredith. “I’m kicking this guy’s ass and getting the fuck out of here so I can go home to my wife.”
“She’s not taking my call. Fuck.” He takes the phone away from his ear. “You ready, Beau?”
“I’m ready.”
He comes to me and kisses the side of my face. “Listen, Beau. Grayson works out with a professional kick-boxer. He has the ability to hurt this guy bad. Please don’t let him take it too far.”
“I’ll keep him in check.”
It feels like Beau’s gone too long. I’m a wreck, but I hate to call or text since I already know he’ll be back as soon as they’re done with Linc.
I decide it’s a good idea to sit on the balcony and watch for him. Or an ambulance.
I listen to the ocean’s waves. The sound normally brings me peace, but it’s a bust today. Too much has happened.
The curtains are sucked into the open doorway by the draft when Beau comes into the suite. “Out here.”
He comes the doorway, his shirt saturated with blood. “Not mine.”
“I take that as a sign you found Linc.”
“Yeah, but it took a while.” Coward was probably hiding since that’s what cowards do.
“Grayson opened a can of whoop ass on him?”
“I don’t want to piss that man off. He’s a beast.”
“Told ya. You didn’t have to moderate?”
Beau shakes his head, appearing to be in disbelief. “Dude never lost control. Every move he made was calculated.”
“He’s been training for a while. I think focus is one of the first things they’re taught.”
“He’s yet to see what his wife looks like. He’s going to regret not killing Linc Michaels when he gets home and figures out how brutally he attacked her.” Alpharetta isn’t far from Buford. Linc might want to consider lying low for a while.
“I’m glad he didn’t know. He might has done something very bad.”
“I’m not sure how much control I’d have if your face and neck looked like Meredith’s.” I don’t know what that means. Would he go after Linc to right a wrong or would some form of affection for me drive him to go after my attacker?
I have no idea.
“I need to check in with Grayson.”
I call his cell and he answers on the first ring. “Tell me you’ve heard from her.”
“I haven’t. Sorry.”
“My calls go straight to voicemail.”
“Her phone’s probably turned off because she’s on her flight.” Or she’s blocking him. Meredith wouldn’t hesitate to do something like that.
“I can’t live without her, AJ.” His voice is gritty with raw emotion. Good. He needs to feel the pain and consequence of his actions.
“Where were you last night while Meredith was getting the shit beat out of her?” I need to know he wasn’t with that woman if I’m going to give him my support.
“I got drunk with some buddies and then slept it off in your suite. I knew she wouldn’t let me go to our room, and frankly I didn’t want to walk in on something I could never unsee.”
My room was booked under his name, so he wouldn’t have had a problem getting a key.
“I swear I was not with her, AJ. I’m not stupid enough to go down that path again.”
“I believe you.” But I’m not the one he has to convince. “You have your work cut out for you. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going home to try and save my marriage. My flight leaves in two hours.” Good. That’s the first step toward a reconciliation.
He has to get moving if he’s going to catch that flight. “Call me as soon as you can. I need to know everything is okay.”
“I will. Love you, AJ.”
“Love you, too, G.”
I’m gutted when I end my call. “I don’t think I feel like going out today.”
“That’s fine. We can stay in, watch television, and order room service. Anything you want.”
“Thank you for being understanding.”
“No problem. I need to make a few phone calls anyway. Plus, my brother emailed me about a new listing in Buford. I should probably check it out now in case I need to move fast to secure it.”
Wow. He’s serious about moving his gig to Buford. “I’m happy to take a look if you need me to.”
“Thanks, Peach. I may have to hire you on as a business consultant.”
“I wouldn’t turn down the extra income.”
He looks away from his computer, all his focus on me. “Are you having financial difficulties after your divorce?”
“I do okay, but teachers don’t make a ton of money. I enjoy nice things, so I usually have a second job for supplemental income. I call it my fun money since I use it to splurge on things I can’t afford.”
“What’s your second job?”
“I work in one of Meredith and Grayson’s restaurants doing whatever they need me to for the night.”
“You’re a fill-in for whoever calls in sick?”
“Yeah. I float. I started out as a hostess, but they were short-staffed on servers one night so I filled in. One time I helped cook. I’m a jack of all trades.”
“That must work out well for them since you’re dependable.”
“Except when I take ten-day vacations to go to a hedonism club.” Where I meet the most fantastic guy who’s perfect for me.
Beau’s phone rings. “This is business. I need to take it.”
I nod. “Sure.”
“Hey, man. Give me just a minute to get to the listing.”
I don’t want to intrude on Beau’s call, so I put my earbuds in and listen to my writing playlist while I try to jot down a few words for the book I’ve been working on.
Yes. I’m a creative writing teacher who dreams of publishing a novel. And no one knows. Not a single soul.
I’m listening to “Sorry” by Ross Copperman. If I could choose only one song to describe the plot of my story, that would be it.
I busy myself channeling the day’s emotions into words. Before I know it, I’m a thousand in. That’s good progress for me; I tend to write slowly.
I get up to take a bathroom break and stretch my legs. I become restless so easily. It often prevents me from making more progress in one sitting.
I finish in the bathroom and Beau waves his hand to gain my attention. I take the earbuds from my ears. “Huh?”
“Come here. I want to show you something.”
I go to the computer and sit in his lap, putting my arm around his shoulders. Oh, my. I’m shocked to see the faces of a woman and a baby staring at me. “I was FaceTiming with Caroline and Ashlyn. Caro saw you walk by and threw a hissy to meet you.”
Thank God I showered and got ready earlier or I’d be mortified.
Beau adjusts the computer so we’re centered. I hold up my hand and wave. “Hi. I’m Anna James. And I know that little cutie must be Ashlyn.”
Caroline uses Ashlyn’s arm to wave at me. “Nice to meet you. I guess Beau told you I’m his sister, Caroline.”
“He did.”
“Did he also tell you that his niece is the apple of his eye?”
“He might have mentioned something like that.”
“He couldn’t stay away the whole week without seeing his girl. She misses him, too.” Caroline bounces Ashlyn on her lap when she whines. “See Uncle Beau, Ashlyn? He’s right there.”
Ashlyn’s face fills the screen when she leans in to bite the device they’re using to FaceTime. “Sorry, girl. Can’t have that.”
“She’s beautiful,” I say. Her hair is the exact color of Beau’s, but I can’t tell if she has hazel eyes like his or not.
“Thank y
ou. She can be a handful sometimes.”
“Yes, she can be,” Beau says.
“We’ve gotta run, Beau. Anderson is supposed to be coming by to see her in a few minutes.”
Beau tenses. “Okay. Love you. Kiss my girl for me.”
He closes his computer. “That son of a bitch, Anderson, gets their hopes up and then won’t show. Happens at least once a month. Caroline’s a mess for days when he stands them up.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Shitty and lowdown. But what do you expect from a guy who’ll take advantage of a seventeen-year-old kid when he knows better?” Beau rubs my back in a circular motion. “What have you been working on so diligently while I was making my calls?”
“Just a little project to keep me busy.”
“What kind of project?”
“I’m writing a novel.” I don’t know why I tell him but it feels right.
“Writing a book? Like a real book?”
“Yeah, not a fake one. ’Cause that would just be silly, right?”
“Smartass. I want to know everything about it.” I like that he has an interest in my passion.
“Let’s see. There’s no title because I’m too indecisive. It’s a teen/young adult romance about two neighbors, a boy and girl, who were friends their entire lives until they entered high school. The boy becomes too cool for school and begins bullying the girl. Somewhere over the course of their four years in high school, he falls in love with her. During their senior year, he has to figure out how to convince her he has changed so he can win her heart.
“I want to read it.”
“It’s not finished. Or edited.”
“So?”
“I’m not at all comfortable with that.” The thought of him reading my private words makes me panic a little.
“You weren’t at all comfortable with me fucking you in the ass either, but you got okay with it real fast.”
That mouth.
“The antagonist’s name is Michael, but I’ve decided I’m changing it to Beauregard.”
Beau scowls. “You must hate that character.”
“I love that name.”
“If you want to keep it realistic, you’d better include kids making fun of it.”
I was right. “Your name is Beauregard. I knew it.”
“I’m only saying that because I know I would have made fun of a kid called that. It’s stupid.”