Page 34 of Something Reckless

ALBA

T he elderly customer yelps when I accidentally knock over her water glass while setting her ravioli in front of her.

“Oh my…Oh…I’m so sorry…” I say, hurriedly reaching for the tumbling glass while juggling the plate of pasta in my other hand. “I’m so sorry.” I barely manage to keep the hot dish from crash-landing in the woman’s lap.

Thankfully, the customer catches the glass, avoiding disaster. She smiles graciously at me. “It’s okay, dearie. Everything is fine.” She leans closer and whispers so only I can hear. “But between you and me, I can tell that you need a break.”

She’s right. I’ve already messed up her pasta order twice. Now this.

My shoulders collapse when I exhale. I check the clock on the wall. “You’re right.” I smile at her. “Thank you so much for understanding.”

“I’ve definitely been there,” she tells me. “Being a working woman isn’t easy.” She graciously mops up the wet table with her linen napkin .

“Again, thanks for understanding.”

I clean up the mess I made, refilling the water glass and giving the patron a dry napkin. Then with one last apology, I disappear into the back of the restaurant and collapse against a wall in the dark hallway. I push out a heavy breath. Jeez—today’s been rough.

Throughout my shift, I’ve been replaying that conversation I had with Easton last night. The man offered to be my sex genie. Oh my god. The more I think about what that implies, the more I know that I can’t possibly go through with it.

Sure, it’s a nice concept. Easton’s face is breathtakingly handsome and his body is beyond yummy. Any girl would be lucky to get some of that action. But unfortunately, my moral compass is in working order. I can’t just go around hooking up with my sister’s ex-hookup.

Breathtaking face and beyond-yummy body notwithstanding.

It’s so tempting, though. Because he’s nice. He’s just nice. And funny, and considerate, and charming.

And nobody’s ever kissed me the way he does. Or made me laugh the way he does. Or listened to me the way he does.

And I want him. I really, really want him.

But is any of this a good idea? Especially with Jagger’s paternity up in the air? Are we just making an already complicated situation more hopelessly complicated? At this point, I don’t even know.

This whole scenario feels so unfair. The first guy I’ve been interested in in ages is completely off-limits to me. Just my luck.

When someone pops up in the open entryway, I jump .

Jules frowns at me.“Hey, are you okay? You’ve been weird and jumpy since you got here this morning.”

“Ugh. Just a lot going on.” I flinch.

She sashays in my direction, and I stare at her. Did I ever mention that my bestie looks like a freaking Victoria’s Secret model in her slutty Tinkerbell uniform?

“Is it Jagger?” she asks, concerned. “Is he all right?”

I smile instantly at the thought of my nephew. “Jagger’s great. It’s just—” Mr. Drummond’s voice booms through his office door as he speaks on the phone, and I grab my bestie’s hand, leading her into the alley out back. “It’s Easton,” I say, closing the door with my foot.

Julissa’s entire posture changes, instantly going defensive. “What did Easton do? Is he being mean to you? He’d better not be being mean to you. Or else I’m marching up Marigold Peak right this minute and kicking his ass.”

I huff out a laugh. “Easton hasn’t been mean to me, Jules. The opposite, actually.”

Her head tilts to the side. “Okay. You guys are getting along? Good. So, what’s the problem?”

“We’ve been getting along a little too well. That’s the problem,” I admit.

Jules shifts impatiently from one foot to the next. “Girl, you’re being cryptic. Spit it out. You’re killing me here.”

I glance around the alley to make sure we’re alone. Then, I start at the beginning, filling Jules in on all the details I’ve omitted to tell her over the past few weeks.

“We, um, we…well, I kissed him a while ago—after he asked me to,” I rush to add.

“But we promised it wouldn’t happen again and that it wouldn’t make things weird between us.

We really were trying to keep things strictly platonic.

That is, until I admitted to being a virgin.

And now, Easton has offered to…‘help me out’. ”

“To help you out?” she questions.

“I told him that I was considering meeting someone from one of those hookup apps, and he went on this rant about how unsafe it is. And then…”

“And then…?” she rotates her wrist, making a speed-it-up motion. I can see her getting more excited with every word I struggle to string together.

I gather a breath. “Easton volunteered to fulfill every one of my fantasies, Jules…He even wants me to write him a wishlist.”

My friend screams, stomping her feet like a maniac before she launches herself at me for a hug.

I try to shrug the crazy lady off me, even as I find myself grinning, too. “Julissa—the man is basically my twin sister’s ex.”

“They never dated,” she rebuts dismissively.

“They have a child together,” I insist. “Well, I mean, we’re waiting for the new paternity test results, but it’s pretty much guaranteed.”

“Raya doesn’t get to be part of this equation.” Jules chuffs. “She left her kid with you and didn’t bother to look back. So she can fuck off as far as I’m concerned.”

My heart tightens like a fist. “That doesn’t mean I get to steal her family…”

“Her family ?!” Jules laughs bitterly. “She doesn’t want her family. Nobody forced her to run off and leave her child behind.”

I chew on my lip, still not totally convinced.

My bestie rolls her eyes. “When are you going to stop making excuses for that bitch and just admit that she’s a terrible person?”

“But she was just eighteen…” I say softly .

“Newsflash—you were ‘just eighteen’, too. The difference is you stepped up and took on a responsibility that was never yours to carry. So again—Raya does not get to be the victim here.”

“But Jules…” I whine. “What kind of person would I be, playing sex genie with the father of my sister’s child?!”

“A sexually satisfied person, if the size of that man’s feet is any indication.” My friend chortles. “You know what they say about the size of a man’s feet?” She winks, stretching her arms as wide as they’ll go. “I’m betting his ‘thing’ is this big.”

Laughing, I give her shoulder a shove. “Be serious. Please.”

She sighs. “Alba, Alba, Alba. Loyal to everyone else. Meanwhile betraying yourself on a daily basis. Working yourself to the bone, taking care of your sister’s responsibilities.

Protecting Jagger. Being there for your mom.

Picking up the pieces your dad left behind.

Doing nothing for yourself.” She shakes my shoulder roughly. “Girl, wake up!”

Her words hit deep, yet still, I resist. “Come on, Jules. I don’t want to be a terrible person.”

She vigorously wags her head. “You could never be a terrible person. You’re a person who spent your entire adult life putting everybody else first. When do you get a turn?”

I feel my eyes start to water as I realize that I don’t have an answer for her. I don’t have a timeline for when I’ll finally make myself a priority. And that makes me sad.

She lays a hand on my shoulder. “Let me ask you a question—do you want to do this with Easton? Guilty conscience aside, be honest.”

I peek up at her with tears clinging to my lower lashes. “Yes…” I squeak, embarrassed.

When Easton first brought up this crazy idea of helping me out, I thought, no freaking way .

But then it dawned on me. Maybe this might actually be beneficial.

If I ever want to have a real relationship someday, it would probably be best if I didn’t bumble through all the intimate parts like some awkward, forty-year-old virgin.

I want to know what I’m doing. I want to know what I like.

And who better to learn with than Easton?

Someone trustworthy. Caring. Patient. And yeah—mind-blowingly hot.

It’s just hard to reconcile the idea that my sister ‘had him’ first.

I give my head a hard shake. I can’t let myself give in to my baser instincts. “No. No, no, no, Julissa! What kind of woman just sneaks around behind everyone’s back, getting freaky deaky with her nephew’s father?!” My arms flail around me as I yammer.

Jules quirks an eyebrow at me, amusement playing on her face. “Um, ‘freaky deaky’…?”

I whimper. “You know what I mean.”

Chortling, my best friend pulls me into another tight hug. “Stop being a martyr. It’s getting old. Time to be selfish, Alba. Time to be selfish for once.”

Right then, the restaurant door pops open, startling us both at the same time. Mr. Drummond sticks his head out into the alley, frowning at Jules and then at me. “Break time’s over, girls. We just got a big reservation for tonight and there’s still silverware to wrap.”

“There in a minute, boss,” Jules says sweetly, before flipping him the bird behind his back.

Where would I be without this crazy girl?

With both hands on my shoulders, she turns me around and pushes me through the door, doing a happy, little jig as we go .

“My bestie’s gonna get laid. My bestie’s gonna get laid,” she sings.

“Oh, boy…” I groan, burying my face in my hands.

Jules just continues to dance. “Can I make a recommendation for your sexy wishlist, girlie? Do anal beads. Anal beads are fun.”