Page 7 of That One Moment

Nodding to the security guys at the door, I exit the bar to find a quiet place to stand. The night is warm and the air smells strongly like the ocean. A taxi pulls up in front of me and a bunchof college-aged kids hop in. A few others walk a few doors down to the burger place that is hugely popular after a gig.

I find a quiet spot and lean against the brick wall not far from the bar’s entrance. Glancing down at my screen, it’s impossible to keep the laughter from bubbling out of me as I finally read the message.

Cooper:I had a date last night, and it was perfect. Tomorrow, I'll have a fig.

We’ve been spending a lot of time together these past three weeks and I may have told him about my love of dad jokes and puns. Imayhave told him a lot about me - there’s a possibility that I have done a lot of oversharing. I’m so comfortable around him. It’s like he’s always been a part of my life - like maybe we met in another lifetime or in a parallel universe and were destined to find each other in this one.

Me:That’s the best one yet.

Writing bubbles appear almost as soon as I hit send and I stare at the screen. I don’t even look up when the bar’s doors open and I hear the band announcing their final song of the evening. Nothing is more important in this moment than Cooper's words.

Cooper:Hold your horses, Jamie, there’s so many more where that came from. Just you wait.

Be still heart, be still.

Me:I’m not going anywhere.

Cooper:Good, neither am I.

Chapter Three

Caiden

Sweat beads down my forehead and I rub it away with the back of my gloved hand. The weight of the stones I’m laying has a warm ache squeezing my calf muscles every time I bend to pick one up. Taking a moment to stretch, I shield my eyes from the blinding sun, startling when a hand lands softly on my shoulder.

“Didn’t mean to startle you, hun. It looks like you could do with something cold.” Margery peers up at me, her silver hair shining in the bright sunlight. She holds out a tall glass of water, condensation dripping down the sides, ice clinking together and a slice of lemon balancing on the side. I hadn’t realised just how thirsty I was, the sight of the cold drink enough to have my dry mouth salivating. I take the drink with a muted ‘thank you’ and finish the entire glass in three large gulps.

“You’re right, I did need that.”

Margery looks at the area I’m working on, her head tipping from side to side while she tries to determine exactly what it isI’m doing. I finished the garden here at Hopewood Lodge last year, but this is something new that came to me one night and with permission from management it’s become my little side project. By the time I’m done, there will be a beautiful water feature in this spot. Complete with LED lights and hardy, all weather plants that don't require much work.

Being here, outside in the fresh air, where my mind is focused on something other than the shitstorm that is my life, is the distraction I need. A pang of jealousy steals my breath momentarily when images of my twin and Jamie smiling at each other come to mind, uninvited. The two of them have become inseparable in the month since we were introduced to our new family.

I see the heart eyes my twin flashes at the annoying brunet and I don’t get it, really, I don’t. Jamie Durand is annoying as fuck. He’s too perfect and no one is that perfect, not without having some darkness hiding somewhere. Oh, but all my dad and Coop see is the golden boy who loves his mother, who focuses on his school work and who tells these awful fucking jokes that Cooper eats up like they give him life. Jamie thinks he’s so fucking funny.

Newsflash - he’s not.

Jealousy swells into anger, my body going tense and rigid; a visceral reaction I seem to have whenever Jamie invades my thoughts. It’s not until Margery’s cheery voice pulls me from my downward spiral that I realise I completely zoned out and missed her question.

“Sorry Marge, this heat must be getting to me,” I apologise.

She smiles, a warm, comforting tilt of her lips and a knowing look in her eyes that tells me she’s on to me and isn’t buying my story. I should know better than to lie to a retired school teacher who, from the stories she's told me, has seen some shit in her lifetime.

“Sure, hun. Why don’t you come sit with me on the patio and tell me what’s really got you clenching your jaw so hard, I fear for your pretty teeth.”

I flash said teeth at her in a smile that is far from genuine but she just chuckles and grabs my arm. “Come, help an old dear to her seat.”

Despite the swirling, tumbling, turbulent emotions I spend my life warring with, I can’t help but relax a little in Margery’s company. Taking her arm, I breath in her rose scent, feeling my muscles unfurl as we walk to the outdoor seating area. The scent of summer flowers hangs in the air and my lungs expand as I breathe it in while taking in the beauty of the scene I helped create.

Margery and I sit but I don’t offer her anything - I don’t particularly like talking about me or my feelings. So instead, we sit in silence until she gets fed up and breaks it, getting straight to the point.

“What’s got you so worked up? Don’t think I don’t understand why you’re really here on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I know a need for distraction when I see it.” She hits the nail on the head with that comment.

“My dad is getting remarried.” That’s the start of it and for now, it’s enough.

“And you don’t like his new lady? Or….”

I shake my head though it’s not really an answer. Margery raises an eyebrow at me, her lips pursed into a straight line as she waves her hand for me to continue.

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