Page 106 of Please Save Me

Normally, when she and I came here at whatever unhinged hour Rosemary demanded her mother eat breakfast Mason got a vegetarian breakfast burrito with extra potatoes and an additional side of home fries. That was probably the safest choice, but I was planning on giving her breakfast in bed, and the idea of her eating a burrito in my room felt almost sacrilegious.

I was so busy with the menu in my hands that I hardly noticed I had company. That was until a slightly familiar voice drew my attention.

“This seat taken?”

I looked up to see a man with graying hair and swampy green eyes. In my current state, it was impossible to fight the look of irritation he drew. This was the jackass who embarrassed Cameron in front of thewholechurch.

Normally, I would have given him a piece of my mind and maybe knocked a few of his disgustingly yellow teeth out, but I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with him right now, so I decided it wouldn’t kill me to be civil.

I forced a tight-lipped smile as I gestured to the space. “Go ahead, knock yourself out.”

He slid onto the bench, grunting as he lowered himself, and I turned my attention to the menu.

Prior to pregnancy, Mason liked sweet breakfasts, so that meant I could get Pancakes or French toast… Would it be offensive to get a French woman French toast? She also really liked cheesy eggs right now. Maybe I should just get the stuff to make breakfast at home? No, I wasn’t feeling well enough to do that, or—

“So, what on the menu do you recommend?” the man asked, inching closer to me.

I wrestled with the urge to tell him to back the fuck up.

“I’m a vegetarian; you wouldn’t like what I do,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Fair enough. I’m an eggs and bacon kind of guy myself.” He laughed. “What do you think you’re going to get?”

“Not sure. I’m getting something for my wife.”

“Oh—Is your wife that pretty dark-haired woman that hangs around—”

“Don’t talk about my fuckingwife.”

The man was either completely oblivious to the fact that I wanted to knock his teeth down his throat, or he just didn’t care. But today wasn’t the day for me to get another felony.

“Why are you even talking to me?” I snapped before I could think better of it.

The man didn’t answer, and while I hoped he’d get up and walk away, his presence lingered. Being near him gave me the unnerving sensation that a million people were watching me. Slowly, I looked over to see him staring at me with a smile so wide it should have split his lips.

“Just making conversation. You’re a member of my church,” he explained.

“No, I’m a member ofCameron’schurch.”

“Same thing; he ain’t fit to run a holy area. Polyamory, homosexuality, and, to top it off—”

“You better watch your fucking mouth before I wipe that smile off your face,” I growled, my gaze never leaving his.

His smile wavered, but only for a moment before returning somehow bigger than before.

“Easy now,” he said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “No need to get violent.”

But that’s where he was wrong. He insulted my boyfriend, and he’d apparently been watching me and my wife. This guy was a grade-A fuckingcreep.

Every fiber of my being wanted to knock him down a few pegs, but Mason deserved better. So, I ignored my instincts, put the menu and my coffee cup at the hostess station, and left. I’d just stop at the grocery store, medicate myself, and make breakfast for her at home.

After getting back from the grocery store, I went to the bathroom, retrieved the bag from my hiding spot, took two pills, hid them again, and then started making breakfast.

I decided to make arepas con queso and huevos pericos like my mom did every weekend. Jasper wanted to help, but in ten minutes, he knocked six eggs off the counter, spilled the corn flour on the floor, and sneezed directly on the arepa dough. Yet, I didn’t even feel frustrated. High me was a better dad than sober me.

Instead, I cleaned up or started over and moved on. The only downside to being high was how time slipped away from me. By the time I remembered I wassupposed to bring Mason breakfast in bed, everyone in the house had already eaten, and Cameron was giving me dirty looks that Idefinitelydeserved.

But I decided that if she wasn’t out here, she was either sleeping or had a snack while I was gone, and I didn’t feel bad anymore. Once everyone else was done and the table was clean, I cooked a few more eggs, plated them with a few arepas, jam, and a glass of orange juice, then made my way to the bedroom, wooden tray in hand.

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