Alexis looked straight at him with that, clinched jaw and all. “Yes, Cory. You’ve made that perfectly clear. I’m sure if it was only me you were hurting, you’d already have her away from me. I’m well aware of that.”
“You’re not taking either one of them to Florida,” Cory whispered close to her ear. Now he was just being an ass.
Alexis turned to face him, keeping her mouth close to his. “And you’re not taking Kinley to Chicago, nor am I sending you the video when I try out my new toy.” Cory’s eyes moved to her lips before turning toward Riki and Ellen.
“Do you want to go to the movies with us, Lexis?” Riki asked with a mustard covered french-fry to her mouth.
“Alexis is going to a bar tonight,” Cory answered for her, dipping his own fry in mustard. Alexis shot him a dirty look.
“Don’t tell her that,” Alexis ordered out of anger. Idiot. “I’m going to watch John work. He’s DJ-ing there tonight.”
“Our Johnny?” Riki questioned.
“Yes. John that always plays music at the farm.”
“I want to come, too.”
“It’s only for big people. You can see him at Thanksgiving.”
“I’m going to see Ellen at Thanksgiving, right Daddy?”
“Yes, we’ll be out of town that weekend.”
Alexis refrained from stating the chant in her head aloud. Kinley won’t. She didn’t say a word when Cory got up and took both checks to Carole either. Kinley went to Ellen and Alexis kissed Riki. She walked out with Bernie coaching her from behind.
“Don’t look at him. Start laughing like I just said the funniest thing in the world.”
Alexis did that. She laughed so hard she thought she might pee her pants. Laughing made her laugh harder and it felt good, like she upped him one. Finally.
SEVEN
Alexis dressed in maternity jeans and a red satin shirt. The good thing about being pregnant was the cleavage. She could never pull off this much cleavage without the pregnancy help. The mirror told her what she really looked like and she groaned, plopped back on her bed, and dialed Bernie.
“You on your way,” Bernie asked after half a ring.
“No, I’m not going.”
“What do you mean, you’re not going. Why not.”
Alexis set up and fluffed her hair. “I’m pregnant. I look pregnant, and I don’t want to be seen in a bar. Someone will be on the phone with my dad before I ever reach the bar.”
“You’re almost thirty. Your dad can’t beat your ass anymore. Get over it. Come on. What else are you going to do?”
Alexis stood and turned for a side view. Yup, very pregnant. “I don’t know, Bernie. I just don’t think this is such a good idea.”
“Meet me at the County Line or I’m coming after you.”
Alexis looked down to her blinking phone and slid her feet into a pair of cowboy boots. One more once over in the mirror with an approving expression and she was off. Not bad for a pregnant girl.
“This is crazy, Mr. Dog. This is so crazy. Who goes to a bar pregnant? You want in or out?” Alexis questioned while gathering her things, head darting around the room for her keys. Mr. Dog followed her out and plopped to his rug in front of the swing¸ ready to stand guard.
The inner chatter while driving to the bar was filled with how crazy she was for going to the bar with Bernie. Her cousin the DJ would probably be the one to tell her parents. Part of her wanted to go, to get out of the house, and part of her thought it ludicrous. People were going to stare and talk, she knew they would. It’s what small town folks did. Her name may as well be in the Brady County Gazette. Alexis McKinley, pregnant parties at the County Line. Her mind was made up when she pulled beside Bernie’s car and she left her. She wasn’t going in alone. She could have at least waited on her. With little help, Alexis mustered up an attitude and dialed her number.
“What?” Bernie answered.
“I’m not coming in there. You could have at least waited on me.” The tap on the window to the left, and seeing Bernie standing right beside her with a big smile did little for her uptightness.
“Have I ever left you alone?” Bernie questioned.
“Oh, yeah. Lots times,” Alexis assured her with mater-of-fact assurance.
“Name one.” Alexis and Bernie walked up the old steps and Alexis did just that.
“Janie Sue, third grade. You went to her birthday party instead of mine. Mike Sims, seventh grade, you left me alone with Brandt Thatcher to kiss him under the bleachers. Sherry Winters, ninth grade, you left me alone with her while you lost your virginity to her brother.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay, but Sherry Winters doesn’t count. She was a little kid.”
“Yeah, and you left me alone with her and Barney for hours.”
“It was not hours. That boy shot his load three seconds in. Where do you want to sit?”
Alexis looked around at the loud, crowded bar and groaned. Yup, bad idea. “The bar,” she replied with a nod, holding her jean jacket over her growing baby. Maybe if she sat down nobody would notice.
Her cousin John waved from behind his setup and both girls waved back, taking a seat at the corner of the bar.
“What’s your flavor ladies?” Olivia questioned.
“Liv! You got a tattoo. Let me see that,” Bernie exclaimed.
Olivia placed her arm on the bar and showed them the writing down the back of her arm, “This too shall pass,” was spelled out in a fancy font.
“Rough year?” Alexis questioned with a smile. Olivia’s dad was a deacon with her dad at the same church.
“You might say that. I heard you and Cory broke up. I’m sorry to hear that. I really like him. You two made a cute couple,” Olivia said while wiping the counter with a bar rag.
“Yeah, shit happens,” Alexis replied with only that. Olivia was a super sweet girl, but they weren’t what you’d call friends and she wasn’t going into any more detail than that. No way.
“I’m swamped. I’ll come and talk to you guys when I have time. What do you want?”
“I want a draft,” Bernie Ordered.
“I’ll just have a coke, fountain,” Alexis said in a yawn. Oh boy. This could be a long night and she could suddenly foresee the future. Bernie was going to get trashed and Alexis was going to babysit. Sigh.
“Coke, really? How about a volcano. I just learned how to make it on YouTube. Tequila and Rum.”
“She’s pregnant,” Bernie blurted while her fingers tapped to an old Merle Haggard song, forgetting about the filter she wasn’t born with. Great. Olivia read the annoyed expression on Alexis’s face and pointed to her new tattoo with a wink.
Despite the fact that Alexis was the only one in the entire bar not consuming alcohol, she had a good time. Bernie got drunk on beer, but not shots, thank God. Alexis could handle that Bernie. The position of their seats allowed Alexis to watch the pool table and the dance floor. Bernie kicked ass in pool and danced while Alexis watched.
“Where’s your boyfriend,” the familiar voice spoke behind her. So much for her good time. Alexis breathed in a deep breath and spun on her stool. Cory’s eyes went straight to her cleavage and she used it to her advantage. With an elbow on the bar, she sat up straighter, moving her firmer than normal breasts toward him.
“If I would have known you were just going to dump the girls off on someone for the night, I would have taken them home. You have them every other weekend. What are you doing here?”
“It’s ten o’clock. They’ve been asleep for a while, and they’re not dumped with anyone. Ellen is with them.”
“And you came here because?”
His eyes remained focused below her neck. “For the beer.”
“My eyes are up here,” Alexis pointed while she fought control herself, trying not to move her eyes down his body as well.
“Yeah, I know where they are, but when you dress like that it’s hard for a man not to look. Of course you knew that, right? Why else would you be in here d
ressed like that?”
Alexis laughed. “Do you want something?”
“Yeah, let’s dance.”
“No, let’s not.”
“Why not?”
“I’m pregnant if you haven’t noticed. I’m not going out there.”
“I’ll hold you close. Nobody will see.”
Alexis tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“You. You’re wrong with me.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Come dance with me.”
No way. Alexis wasn’t about to be that close to him. She could already smell him and there was no way she would make it through a dance without melting in his arms, succumbing to his poison again. Nope. Not happening. “I’m not dancing with you.”
“Why? Afraid your boyfriend will see you?” Cory asked with eyes that drove her crazy, pursing his lips to the bottle of beer. Alexis licked her lips as his met the rim. Oh brother.
“No, Cory. Because I don’t want to.”
“Cory! How the hell are you?” Bernie slurred. Okay, maybe she was sneaking shots.
“Hey, Bernie. How you doing?”
“I’m doing amazing. You wanna do a shot. Come on, let’s do a shot.”
“No, I’m driving. I hope you’re not.”
“Am I, Lex?”
“No, Bernie. You’re not driving. I’m calling Travis.”
“He’s locked in a gym. I should go there and have sex with him.”
“Bernie! You shooting pool or what?”
“Gotta go.”
“Good old Bernie,” Cory joked with a grin.
“Cory, what do you want?”
Cory’s eyes went to the yelling, guys hooting a greeting. The beer bottle made contact with the bar a little harder than needed. “Not a damn thing, Lex. Not a damn thing.”
Alexis shook her head. What the hell? She couldn’t keep up. Her eyes went to his ass, walking toward the door and then she knew what the hell. Oh my God. What else could happen? Mitch strutted around, shaking hands and bumping shoulders. Fantastic.
“Give me another shot,” Bernie called from the corner.
“No, Bernie. I want to go. Let’s get out of here.”
“Why? Where’d Cory go?”
“He left. I want to leave now.”
“But I’m having fun,” Bernie whined with a pool-stick, supporting her sway.
“Bernie, please. I don’t want to have to deal with—.”
“Hey, ladies,” Alexis once again heard the familiar voice from behind.
“Okay, we can go,” Bernie quietly offered. “Hey, Mitch. We were just leaving.”
“Can we talk, Lexi?”
“No need. You were drunk. I was drunk, forget it. It was my fault, too.”
“I wasn’t apologizing, Lexi. If anyone should be doing that, it’s you. That’s not what I wanted to talk about,” Mitch confessed with his eyes now going to her cleavage. His fingers ran down her arm as his eyes joined hers again.
Alexis pulled her arm away from his touch. “Really, what else is there?”
“Us.”
“Oh, my God. I can’t do this. There is no ‘us’ Mitch. There will never be another us. Let’s go, Bernie.” Alexis kept her jacket over the swell in her abdomen and came to her feet. He probably already heard, but she wasn’t about to talk to him about it. No way, no how.
“One dance?”
“No dances. I’ll see you around.” Alexis pulled Bernie by the arm. She pulled back and downed her last shot.
“Aren’t you proud of me, Lex? I didn’t leave you,” Bernie slurred while Alexis kept her from walking into a group of people huddled in a circle.
“Yes, I’m very proud of you for not leaving me here,” Alexis replied with a frown. She was the one dragging her out of the bar drunk, not the other way around.
Once Alexis had Bernie safely home, she drove herself home in a fog. She should have known better. Mitch coming in there actually crossed her mind. Although she hadn’t run into him yet, she knew he had to be moved and settled by now. Football season was in full swing and he knew everyone around there. Never in a million years did she think Cory would show up there. Never. He came there for her. He heard the plans while he eavesdropped on her stupidity, when she didn’t bother hitting the end button on her phone. Her gut told her not to go. She didn’t even want to go. Why the hell did she keep putting herself out there for more, and why the hell was Cory there to see her? Did he think she was going to be vulnerable enough to let him have is way with her again? Pffft, she probably would have.
Alexis went to bed in her bed, hating her life. How much more could she take? It had to be out. What else could go wrong?
****
Just like every weekend after Cory had the girls, Alexis left work early to get them from Sam’s. She had to. She missed them too much to make it a whole day. Normally she made it until at least two, but not this day. The studio was still slow and would remain that way until about the middle of October. Her work was caught up, and Bernie was fine handling it alone. The only problem with that was, the girls weren’t there.
Sam didn’t answer the house phone, but answered her cell phone on the first ring. “Hey, where are you. I’m on my way to get the girls.”
“Um, I’m not home. I don’t have the girls.”
Alexis pulled to the curb, heading out of town. “What do you mean you don’t have them? Where are they?”
“I don’t know. Cory didn’t bring them.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to. I just figured you guys made other plans.”
“Okay, I’m going to call him. Next time call me.”
“The last time I called you when you didn’t show up, you got mad at me.”
“Yes, but I had them then, not Cory, and I wasn’t mad. I had morning sickness. I’ll talk to you later. I’m not mad at you.”
Alexis tried Cory’s cell phone first and of course he didn’t answer. She dialed his office next.
“Dr. Baker’s office. This is Jackie, how can I help you?”
“Hey, Jackie. It’s Alexis. Is Cory busy?”
“Hi, love. He just stepped out for lunch. You might try his cell phone.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Alexis looked for the town cop and made a U-turn. Cory was just backing out in his stupid new truck when she blocked him with her car. They both got out and she stomped toward him with fire in her eyes.
“What the hell, Lex?”
“This is not okay. You have to tell me what’s going on. You can’t just do what you want.” Alexis was mad. She was pissed and her heart thumped loud and hard in her chest.
“They’re fine. They’re with Ellen.”
“You still have to tell me. Don’t you ever do that again,” Alexis stood her ground, demanding through gritted teeth.
“Calm the hell down. What’s wrong with you?”
Alexis took a deep breath and tried to relax. “I thought…”
“You thought what, Lex?”
“I thought you took them because of Mitch.”
“Took them?”
“Yes, like to Chicago or something. I had all these crazy thoughts going through my mind, like Ellen being here to help you. You wouldn’t do that, would you?”
“No, but I am taking them there in November for four days.”
“No you’re not.”
Cory looked down at his watch. “I’ve got to go. I have a dentist appointment. We’ll discuss it later.”
Alexis walked backward away from him. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m going after the girls.”
“No you’re not. Ellen is leaving tomorrow. Let her keep them today. You’re supposed to be at work.”
Alexis once again closed the distance between them in four quick strides. Geesh, she was touchy. “Why is it you think you’re calling the shots here? Who the hell do you think you are?”
; Cory flared right back, angry expression, and a stiff back. “What’s the matter, Alexis, your boyfriend not take care of you last night?”
Alexis didn’t even think about it. She didn’t have time to think about it. Her hand did the thinking for her. A loud crack permeated with the sting of her open hand. “Fuck you. He took care of me. He took care of me way better than you ever did.”
Cory grabbed both her arms and shoved her against his truck, rough, but not too rough. The firm grip to both her arms and his body against hers kept her from moving. “Back off, Alexis. Go back to your little boyfriend and stay the fuck out of my face.”
She didn’t think that one through either. She couldn’t slap him again due to the hold he had on her arms. Cory dropped his hands from her, took a step back, and wiped spit from his eye with a white hanky. “You back off. You stay the fuck away from me, and don’t you ever think you’re telling me where and what you’re doing with my daughter.”
The only response Cory had was the evil glower on his face, the angry vein in his neck, and the quick eye movement to the right. Alexis jerked her head to the direction of his eyes and stormed off.
“Good afternoon, Mrs Beasley,” she calm, cool and collectedly replied. Sure she’d never felt so much anger in her life, Alexis jerked the gearshift into drive and smashed the gas. Loud shrieks from the tires were heard as she peeled out of the parking lot, followed by blue lights and one quick sound of a siren. Great.
Alexis laughed. There was nothing more to do but laugh. It was comical. This was her life now. Full of drama. “Hey, Bradley,” she greeted with a warm smile, just like old friends meeting for coffee.
“What the hell are you doing, Alexis? What if a kid would have been riding by on a bike? What if you ran over Mrs Beasley?”
“I wasn’t going to run over Mrs Beasley, and I looked both ways before I pulled out.”
The town cop removed his hat and ran his hand over his crew cut in frustration. “You’re not allowed to burn rubber any more than you’re allowed to make U-turns. Where are you going so fast?”
Alexis looked around him when Cory drove by, nice and slow, wearing a smirk. Her middle finger went stiff right at him.