Chapter 6
Saturday night, Marie was soaking in her tub when Ann called. She let out a heavy sigh as she answered. “You’re interrupting my bath.”
“Why are you taking a bath at ten o’clock at night?”
“Why are you calling at ten o’clock? I could be in bed.”
“Because it’s a Saturday night, and I knew you’d be up. You should be with Parker. I can’t believe you declined lunch. Who rejects Parker Nichols?” Ann said in disbelief.
“Parker seems like a nice guy and yeah, he’s very handsome. God, the way my stomach gets butterflies when I’m around him…but I can’t. I have to think of Jackson. And if I’m honest, I couldn’t handle love-struck fans falling at his feet. Besides, as I sit here in my bath…honey, he wouldn’t want any of this.” Her face soured, looking down at her breasts and stomach.
“Give me a break! I’ve seen your body. It’s better than half the twenty-somethings I see out at the beach.”
“Well, at least they have firm, perky breasts. Craig always pushed me to get a boob job. I should’ve listened. Now I can’t afford one on my own.”
“Jesus, Marie, stop it! Some men like soft breasts; they fit in their mouths easier. You need to get laid and all your worries will be over.” She giggled.
“Man, you’re vulgar,” Marie chided, laughing at the same time. “But you’re right. I need to get laid. It’s been so long since a man has touched me, and lord knows, Craig was a horrible lover,” she admitted. “But at least there was physical contact.”
“Oh honey, I’m willing to bet Parker is a terrific lover. Call him! Call him for a booty call!” Ann rallied.
“Now you stop! I would never call Parker, let alone for a booty call. I’m not that kind of girl! And even if I was, I’ve given up on gringos.”
“What’s gotten into you? Now you’re rejecting white guys?”
“My mother had reservations about Craig because he was different from us. Maybe she was right. Maybe it’s better to stick with your own kind.”
“That’s a load of crap. You know that isn’t true. Craig was wrong from the get-go! We established that years ago. I think you’re just trying to talk yourself out of the sexy Parker Nichols…’cause you’re scared.”
“Yeah, I’m scared! You think I want a repeat of Craig? And being sexy doesn’t mean good in bed. Or a good match for me. I know that from personal experience. My only O’s happened in the tub.” Marie had never been with anyone other than Craig. Fit, muscular, and attractive didn’t mean a damn thing in bed. Craig had been a lousy lover, and he wasn’t sexy. But Parker was, and from the vibe she got from him she’d wager he was a fantastic lover too.
“Wait! Why didn’t you tell me you were getting off in the tub?! That’s what you meant when you said I was ‘interrupting.’ Girl, you should have hung up on me!”
“Oh sure, if I said, ‘I’m masturbating in the tub,’ you wouldn’t have gotten off the phone.”
“Damn straight! I wouldn’t have believed you knew how.” Ann chuckled, always the wise-ass. “Well then, I’ll let you get back to your fun. But if you called Parker, it would be more enjoyable.”
“Enough about Parker!”
Marie didn’t know it, but Jackson was eavesdropping and heard the entire one-sided conversation. The second he heard Parker’s name, he stayed put, catching every word. From what Jackson could understand, his mom liked Parker. Maybe he could help her. He dug through her wallet for Parker’s business card and ran to his room to put the number in his phone. He ran back into her room returning the card before she got out of the tub.
Back in his room, he paced back and forth, taking deep breaths. He shook his head and worked the kinks out of his neck, like a boxer right before entering the ring, working up the courage to call his favorite superhero. Seconds later the determined eleven-year-old pushed the call button. It rang and rang, and it went to voicemail. “Dang it!” He took a deep breath, “Hi, Professor Pierce, er I mean, Mr. Nichols. My name is Jackson Ramsey. Can you call me back? It’s about my mom…Marie.”
Parker had screened the call, unfamiliar with the number. When he listened to the message, he nearly dropped his phone. “She has a son? And he’s calling me about her. Hmm…” He wasn’t sure if he should return the call, but it wasn’t like he could call Marie to let her know her son was calling him. He was intrigued, and he liked Marie, so he returned Jackson’s call.
“Hello, Mr. Nichols?”
“Hi Jackson, call me Parker. Is everything okay? You mentioned your mom.”
“Wow, I can’t believe I’m talking to you! You’re my favorite actor.”
Parker laughed. “How old are you, Jackson? Does your mom know you called me?”
“I’m almost twelve, and no, she doesn’t know. She’s in the bathtub.”
“Oh,” Parker said surprised. The thought of Marie in a hot, steamy bath made him smile while a sensation in his athletic shorts jolted him out of his chair. “So why did you call me? I assume you got my number from the business card I gave her?”
“Yeah, I found it in her wallet. Are you angry?”
“No, I’m not angry. Just curious. Why did you call?” Parker walked to his refrigerator, took out a beer and made his way out to the patio. Maybe the cool ocean breeze would keep his thoughts off of Marie, naked in the tub, but it wasn’t likely. He twisted off the cap and took a few swallows.
“My mom likes you; do you like her?”
Parker coughed.
“Are you okay?”
Parker coughed more and cleared his throat several times.
“Yeah, I was drinking something, and it went down the wrong pipe.” He cleared his throat again, composing himself for the most interesting conversation he’d ever had with a kid. “How do you know your mom likes me?”
“I heard her talking to her best friend Ann on the phone. She said you were sexy, but she wouldn’t like fans falling at your feet. And something about a boob job and my dad was a horrible lover, and O’s. Girls are strange. Half of what she said I didn’t understand.”
“Whoa, sounds like you heard a lot.” He paused; this kid was something else. “Yeah, girls might be strange, but they’re also great.”
“Do you like my mom? Like, do you want to date her?” Jackson asked in an innocent voice.
“Yes—she’s very pretty. I like her, and I would like to take her out to lunch sometime.”
“That would be awesome!!!”
“Jackson, are you on the phone? It’s late,” Marie asked.
Parker’s ears perked up hearing Marie’s voice. The rapid beating of his heart was not normal for him. She stirred him up in more ways than one.
“I’m just talking to my friend. I told him you know Parker Nichols,” Jackson said.
“Jackson, that’s not true. I don’t know Parker Nichols, and neither do you. Don’t be lying to your friends.”
“But you met him, so you know him. You have his business card. You could call him if you wanted.” The excitement in Jackson’s voice made him sound hopeful.
“I’m not doing this with you, buddy. I won’t be calling Parker. Now I want you off the phone in ten minutes, okay?”
“Okay,” Jackson agreed, pausing a few beats. “Sorry about that Parker.”
“It’s okay. I’m not sure I should talk to you on the phone. It sounds like your mom wants nothing to do with me.”
“But, since I found your business card we’ve been better,” Jackson blurted.
“What do you mean?”
“Since my parents divorced I haven’t been very nice to my mom. I’ve been mean to her,” he admitted.
“Why would you be mean to her? Is she mean to you?” Parker asked with concern.
“No. Mom’s never even yelled at me. I was angry at her because my dad left us. She didn’t make him happy, so he left.”
“Jackson, your mom seems great. You should be nice to her. Divorce is hard on the parents too, you know.”
“Yeah, she’s cried a lot. She used to be fun until she turned into a zombie. Last week was the first time she went out with her friends in two years. She seemed happy after that, but she got sad again.”
“What made her sad?”
“My dad is getting married, and I told her I was getting a new mom.”
“Oh, I can see why that would make her sad. You only have one mom, Jackson.”
“I know, but I want my old mom back. She used to laugh, be silly, and dance around the house. And she makes the best chocolate chip cookies.”
“She sounds great. But now that your dad is getting married again, she might cry more…because she loves him and it takes time to get over someone.”
“No, she doesn’t love him. He was mean to her. He always made her feel bad. I think she cries because she’s alone and thinks nobody wants her. That’s what she said in the tub. And something about you ‘not wanting any of this.’ But, I’m not sure what she meant.”
Parker laughed to himself. He definitely wanted some of that.
“I better go before she comes back and takes my phone away. Thanks for calling me, Parker. You’re cool in real life, too.”
“Thanks, Jackson. I’ve enjoyed talking to you, too. Maybe we’ll get to meet sometime.”
“That would be awesome! Except she said she’d never call you.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Goodnight.”