Blues Beach [Suncoast Society] Read online

  “She ruined a good sushi dinner, too,” Stu muttered. “That’s worth at least a bad kind of spanking.” He mustered a smile, which finally drew a ragged laugh from Brandon.

  “Yeah. Someone please start the coffee. I need to get moving and go talk to them.”

  He only hoped Eric and Tracey would agree with his plan. Hopefully it wouldn’t take Emma long to realize she was wrong about Eric.

  Brandon also had a suspicion that maybe Eric would volunteer to drive Emma to swimming. If so, it would force her to spend time with him, rightly or wrongly.

  He knew he had to coax this festering emotional boil to come to a head so Emma could lance it and clean it out, or else she would leave for college a bitter, angry young woman unable to discern her legitimate fears and pain from perceived threats that didn’t exist.

  All he could do was try.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  They started the morning off with Tracey bent over the toilet and puking, Eric holding her hair for her while she did.

  “Sorry,” she hoarsely said.

  “Hey, please stop apologizing.” He kissed the back of her shoulder. “I feel guilty you’re puking because of me.”

  Once her stomach settled, Eric and Tracey showered together and Eric dressed for work. She didn’t have to open today, fortunately, so she’d have time to go home and get ready.

  Getting some sleep had helped. Having Tracey in his arms had helped. He still felt a dark cloud in his brain about this whole situation, but it didn’t feel as hopeless as it had last night. And, at least now he knew Brandon and Tracey were on his side and hadn’t made plans behind his back the way Emma had portrayed it.

  Brandon arrived carrying three cups in a drink carrier, two of them coffee and one mint hot tea for her, and a bag of bagels. They settled at the small table together while he detailed that morning’s confrontation.

  “So I guess the next question is, if you really mean you’ll do anything to earn Emma’s trust, will you go along with this?” Brandon looked at him.

  Eric wasn’t sure it would work, but he was willing to try it. Especially when he saw how hopeful Tracey looked. “Yeah. But how’s she going to get herself and Grace to swimming and school if we can’t take her?”

  Brandon smiled. “Oh, I said Jeff and Stuart are under orders not to take her. I can’t speak for Tracey, although I hope she’ll follow my lead.”

  “That leaves me,” Eric said. “You want me to volunteer to take her every morning.”

  Brandon’s smile widened. “Bingo. I was hoping you’d volunteer.”

  “Are you sure forcing her to spend time with me is the best course of action?”

  “It’ll be the fastest way to get her to see she’s being stubborn.”

  “Or it could permanently turn her against me.”

  “I don’t think it will. She backed herself into a corner with this deal, and I laid it out to her. If she goes the full three months still refusing to see reason, then even she’ll understand she’s just being punitive.”

  Eric forced himself to take a bite of his bagel. “I guess we don’t have any other choice.” He reached over and squeezed Tracey’s hand. “I won’t lose you a second time.”

  Brandon handed him two house keys. “Do you need help packing your stuff? Might as well get you checked out today.”

  “I’ll help him,” Tracey said.

  “Fair enough.” Brandon finished his bagel. “Take as much time as you need. Come in when you’re ready. If you want to run a load home, Jeff’s there. He’ll help you and show you which room is yours.”

  Eric stared at the two keys. “Thanks.”

  Brandon stood and gathered his garbage to toss. “For what it’s worth, I think you two need to be together. Not that you need my permission, but maybe Emma will see reason sooner if she understands that I’m okay with this and sees you two together.”

  “Thanks.”

  Once they were alone again, Eric struggled to finish his bagel. He felt like he was pinballing all over the emotional spectrum, and it exhausted him.

  It also reminded him too much of his bleak, grief-consumed days early on after losing Paige.

  Tracey smiled. “Let’s get you packed, Sir.”

  He focused on her. “It doesn’t bother you I’m not acting more Domly right now?”

  She leaned in and kissed him. “Frankly? It’d bother me more if you were a pushy asshole. I think we both have issues to work through, but we can work through them together. That’s kind of the point of being in a healthy family, they’re there to support each other. Bran’s right—Em will come around with us living there. She has no choice. Keep being yourself, and trust Brandon.”

  * * * *

  She helped him pack and go through his room to make sure they weren’t forgetting anything. It filled his car and part of hers. Then they stopped by her place so she could grab enough things to get ready and leave for work from Brandon’s, plus not have to go back there later, after work.

  Jeff opened the front door and walked down to help them when they arrived at Brandon’s. He gave them both hugs. “Welcome home, buddy,” he said. “Perfect timing. You can help me finish moving the heavy stuff. I already broke down the daybed. You can use my bed for tonight, and we can go get either your bed out of storage or Tracey’s bed tomorrow.”

  “Tracey’s,” he said. “Hers is bigger.”

  “Excellent.”

  “I need to talk to Ruth and tell her,” Tracey said. “I’ll see her at work.”

  “Seriously,” Jeff said, “we’ll help you pay a couple of months’ rent if she needs it.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I’ll pay it,” Eric said. “I have it.” He’d have to dip into savings, but if this was going to work, he’d take care of his responsibilities.

  Tracey was his responsibility.

  “Okay,” Jeff said, “but the offer stands if you need it.”

  “How did Emma get to swimming and school today?” Tracey asked.

  “She called a friend who doesn’t live far from here and her mom picked her up. Grace’s mom had to take her to the pool, and they’ll ride to school together, but Grace will have to take the school bus home.”

  He snorted. “Grace is not happy with Emma right now. Brandon called her after he talked to you guys, and she is pissed off at Emma for leaving her last night. She’s even more pissed at Emma for getting herself grounded.”

  “I’m sorry,” Eric said.

  Tracey and Jeff both stared at him. “It’s not your fault!” they said together.

  “This is all Em,” Jeff said. “She was totally out of line with Brandon this morning. Frankly, I’m shocked he didn’t ground her for longer. I think the only reason he said Grace could come over two afternoons a week was because he knew we’d all miss Grace and he didn’t want to punish her for Emma’s wrongdoings more than she already would be by the whole driving thing.”

  When Eric got to work, Brandon led him to the office and shut the door. “We okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m checked out and we took everything to your place. We’ll use Jeff’s truck and move Tracey’s bed tomorrow.”

  “Good. Tonight, don’t outright volunteer to drive Emma to swimming.”

  “Okay, now I’m confused. I thought that was the plan?”

  “It is, but I want her to ask you. She might be super-stubborn and fight it for a couple of days. Let the subject come up first. If she doesn’t bring it up, I’ll make sure to ask how she’s getting around. That can be your opening.”

  “What if she refuses?”

  “Why make life harder on herself? I apologize in advance that it means early mornings for you, but I really think this’ll help.”

  “Then I’ll do it.”

  “Good man.”

  “But what if she finds alternate ways to get to swimming and school?”

  Brandon grinned. “If it’s a parent, I’ll simply call them, tell them what’s going on, and ask that they h
ave complications that make it impossible for them to come get Emma. I’ll handle that, don’t worry.”

  “I don’t want to play her.”

  “This isn’t playing her. This is setting up the chess board to ensure she finally opens her mind. Look, if I wasn’t sure about you, trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this. I get why she’s upset, but she’s dug her feet in for no good reason. Even Grace said that. We have to teach her how to discern legitimate fear from stubbornness now, before it’s too late.”

  “All right. I’ll follow your lead.”

  * * * *

  Tracey found Ruth at work and updated her. Then she spent the rest of the day fighting her nervous stomach, which today had nothing to do with morning sickness.

  It was all due to Emma and her dogged determination to hate Eric no matter what.

  She knew when she returned to Brandon’s later that evening that it’d be after dinner time. Eric met her at the door with a kiss. “I made you a plate.”

  “Thank you. How was she?”

  “She glared at me and Brandon and then as soon as she finished the dishes, she stormed to her room.”

  “Yikes.”

  “She didn’t yell at us, so that’s an improvement.”

  She ate at the table, Eric and the other men joining her. They talked and planned how to arrange the moving of Tracey’s bed tomorrow while she focused on her food.

  This had all happened so…fast.

  Yet, on the other hand, it felt…right.

  Righter than anything ever had.

  When she finished eating, Stuart took her dishes for her. “You go on. We got this.”

  Tracey wanted to try to talk to Em, so she sent Eric on to their bedroom. She stopped in front of her door and knocked. “Honey, can I come in?”

  “Why not.”

  Tracey slowly opened the door. Emma lay on her bed, a textbook open in front of her. She didn’t look up at Tracey’s entrance.

  Tracey realized she had no clue what to say to her daughter. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too.” Still didn’t look up from her book.

  “I know you’re upset, but—”

  “You have no clue what I’m feeling,” she coolly said. “You never did with Pat, either, or you wouldn’t have put me through that, and you wouldn’t be putting me through this.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Whatever.” She finally glanced at Tracey. “Because of your screw-up, I get grounded. Great.”

  “That’s not what happened and you know it,” Brandon said from the doorway.

  Tracey startled, not even realizing he’d been standing there. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “No one’s saying you don’t have a right to be hurt or angry over what Pat did to you, but Eric isn’t Pat.”

  “Sure he’s not. You all say he’s a good guy so he must be good and I’m the bitch.” She turned back to her book.

  He sat on the end of the bed. “You are being a bitch, honey.” He laid a hand in the middle of her book and she looked up at him. “I love you, but you’re being a bitch.”

  Tracey stepped forward. “Hate Pat, that’s fine. Be angry with me for having unprotected sex—okay, but that can happen to committed couples, too. The pill’s not foolproof. But Eric is guilty of nothing more than not using a condom when we should have. He didn’t force me to have sex with him, and it was as much my decision as it was his. He asked me and I said yes.”

  “I told you to do what you want. What more do you want from me?”

  “I want you to trust me,” Brandon said. “If you can’t trust anyone else, trust me. Have I ever done anything to breach your trust?”

  She stared at him for a long moment. “No, sir.”

  “I hated Pat. Do you honestly think I’d let a guy I didn’t trust live here?”

  Her voice dropped to a mumble. “No, sir.”

  “Do you think I’d be working this hard if I thought he wasn’t worth it?”

  Her gaze fell. “No, sir.”

  “Work with us, honey. We’re all trying. Most parents would have said screw this, we’re the adults, suck it up. Your mom isn’t doing that. She’s trying, Eric’s trying, we’re all trying. Try with us.”

  He stood and gently herded Tracey out ahead of him, closing the door behind them. As he walked her down to what was now Tracey and Eric’s room, he leaned in and whispered, “Patience.”

  “Have I lost her?”

  He stopped and took her hands, making her look at him. “Do you trust me?”

  She nodded.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “This will work out.”

  * * * *

  A week into living at Brandon’s, and other than Emma’s chilly, glaring presence, Eric thought it was…fine. It was nice having people around, and even nicer having Tracey in his bed every night.

  That morning, Emma stopped in the bathroom doorway while Eric knelt beside Tracey and held her hair back as she puked. He didn’t ignore Emma, but he didn’t spend an inordinate amount of energy on her.

  His focus was on Tracey.

  He waited until she was done and got her a cup of water and wet washcloth, all while aware Emma watched. Finally, when he couldn’t take it anymore, he turned, forcing himself to keep his voice calm. “Is everything okay?”

  She looked…he couldn’t label it. Confused? Angry? He wasn’t sure.

  “My friend just called. They can’t come get me this morning. Her mom’s car won’t start.”

  Tracey started to say something, but Eric spoke over her, his heart pounding. “When do we need to leave?”

  Emma glared at him. “Twenty minutes.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

  She nodded and disappeared, the sound of her bedroom door closing coming to him.

  Tracey looked up. “I’ll take her.”

  “No.” He smiled. “This is the opening. I’ll take it.”

  When he saw Brandon a few minutes later, the man wore a smile and arched an eyebrow at him.

  Eric gave him a silent fist bump.

  Brandon had already given Eric the address, so he didn’t even need to ask Emma where they were going. She silently stared out the window as they drove and he didn’t try to force conversation with her.

  When they arrived, he parked, and she turned when he started to get out. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to wait until practice is over so I can drive you to school.”

  She stared at him for a long time, finally turning and heading inside.

  He followed, texting Brandon that they were there.

  Grace soon arrived, and she made a point of walking over to him, where he sat on the lowest tier of the bleachers, and gave him a hug before she joined the other coaches.

  After practice, while Emma was changing, Grace walked over and the two of them planned.

  Once they were on the way to school, he broke the chilly silence in the car. Grace had sat in the front seat instead of in back with Emma, giving her a bit of her own cold shoulder.

  “Emma, what time do I need to come get you today?” Eric asked, looking in the rearview mirror.

  That made Emma look up from her phone. “What?”

  “Pick you up from school. What time?”

  “Don’t you have to work?”

  “I’ll just work later.”

  “I can take the bus.”

  He let that sit until he was making the last turn into school. “Your dad said Grace can come over this afternoon. I can pick you both up and take you to the house.”

  She glared at him. “Two thirty.”

  “I’ll see you guys at two thirty then.”

  He thought she muttered thanks as she climbed out and headed inside.

  He’d take the win.

  Grace waited until Em had headed for the building to lean in and give him a peck on the cheek and a broad smile. “Good job,” she whispered before heading inside.

  * * * *

  Over the next two
weeks, Eric drove Emma to swimming and school and picked her up to take her home. She actually started talking to him in more than monosyllabic sentences. Meanwhile, Brandon and Stuart went out on Saturday nights with Eric and Tracey, taking them to Venture and introducing them to friends in the Suncoast Society.

  If it hadn’t been for Emma’s prickly resistance to getting to know Eric, it would have been nearly perfect. New friends, feeling like he belonged—the ability to play with Tracey, once he’d had a talk with her obstetrician and found out what kinds of impact and other play were safe to engage in.

  It was like a dream come true, in most ways.

  The true shocker came on a Wednesday night when Grace was over for dinner, and they were all sitting at the table. Emma had acted fidgety all evening, her face frequently turning red, as if having thoughts that embarrassed her but she couldn’t give voice to.

  Finally, halfway through dinner, she spoke up. “I need to say something.” Her gaze was fixed on her plate as she took a deep, shuddering breath. “Grace, I’m sorry I blew and left you at the restaurant that night. I shouldn’t have done that. I was upset and it was wrong.”

  Grace, who’d been acting cool toward Emma ever since then, nodded. “Thank you. Apology accepted.” She leaned in and hugged her.

  When Emma finally sat up again, she looked at Eric and there were tears in her eyes. “I’m…sorry. Thank you for driving me to swimming the past couple of weeks, and for picking us up from school. I appreciate it.”

  He nodded. “You’re welcome. I’m happy I can do it for you.”

  “I’m also sorry I gave you both a hard time.” She took a deep breath, her gaze once again dropping. “I can see you’re not like Pat,” she softly said. “Dad’s right. I’m scared, and I shouldn’t take it out on you. If you guys want to live somewhere else, you should.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” Tracey said. She got up to hug her.

  Eric didn’t move, not wanting to force this and feeling Emma still wasn’t completely on board, but that she was trying. “I appreciate that, Emma. Thank you.”

  She let out a long, shaky breath. “It’s been good having you both here. This is about me, not you, and I get it now.” She finally met his gaze again. “Thanks for being patient with me. I’ll keep trying to get past this. But I mean it—you guys deserve a place of your own. Hopefully close by. I want Mom to be happy, and I can see how happy you make her. You’re a good guy. I’ll keep working on this. I’m sorry for how I acted and I’ll try to do better.”