Streamline (21 page)

He was simply amazed that Mrs. Walsh had welcomed him into her family, especially since he’d learned Cam was pregnant with his baby when he’d left town years ago. The fact that he was an alcoholic facing prison time didn’t really sweeten the deal either.

Terrified of raising the baby alone and with no idea how to get in touch with him, Cam had decided she had no choice but an abortion — a decision that had shocked her parents when they’d discovered it after the fact. Cam had told Jason her parents had been fighting more the last year of her father’s life, but otherwise they’d had a happy marriage.

Mrs. Walsh clearly missed her husband, and Jason wondered if her grief had skewed her judgment about the man she allowed her daughter to date. He and Cam had been together when Mr. Walsh was still alive, and it seemed like Mrs. Walsh needed to turn back the clock to those positive memories. She’d just dismissed the more troubling aspects of his previous time in Pensacola. Still, he was grateful — almost as grateful as he was for Cam’s willingness, finally, to trust him again.

When Jason’s cell phone vibrated, he saw it was his parents’ home number and excused himself to the foyer. “Leo?”

“Hey, Jase.”

“Hey, you’re back from Ft. Lauderdale, huh?”

“Yep, our flight landed about an hour ago. Mom and Dad aren’t home yet.”

“Still stoked about your forty-three in the hundred?”

“Absolutely…I hope I can hold onto this feeling for a long time. But it’s back to the water on Tuesday. The high school season’s over — now on to nationals.”

Jason exhaled. “You swimmers are
nuts
. You’ve been swimming nonstop since when? September? And now you keep going?”

“Well, we get a break in April after senior nationals.” Leo’s voice faltered. “I’m calling you to, um, ask you out to dinner on Monday night.”

“Sure. That’s the night before my sentencing hearing. I’m buying.

Where do you want to go?”

“You don’t have to pay, Jase. I, um, I…”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s dinner with Audrey, and Mom…and CS. He offered after I did so well at the meet.”

“What?” Jason exploded. “I’m not spending my last night of freedom with Criminal Shithead, Leo.”

“He told me I could invite whoever I wanted, and I wanted you. Please? For me?”

Jason sighed. Leo sounded so needy. “Where is this dinner?”

“Bonefish Grill on Twelfth Avenue.”

“CS okay with me going?”

“Truthfully, he seemed kind of mad. But he didn’t say no.” Jason sighed again, licking his lips. “Okay. But you owe me. You better visit me in prison, Leo.”

“I seriously doubt you’re going to prison, but if you do, I’ll be there. Thanks for coming, bro. I’ll call when I know what time dinner is.”

They hung up, and Jason stared at the linoleum floor, shaking his head.

“What’s wrong?” Cam asked when he returned.

“I have to go out to dinner tomorrow night with CS.”

“Who’s CS?” asked Mrs. Walsh.

Jason winced. “Uh, that’s an abbreviation for my father. Commander Scott.”

Cam chuckled. “That’s not what it stands for.” Jason’s eye’s widened.

“Relax. Mom and I tell each other
everything
. Life’s too short to keep secrets.” She turned to her mother. “Jason and Leo call their father Cruel SOB.”

Mrs. Walsh shook her head. “You boys sound exactly like Bill.

Sometimes he’d be so frustrated with your father, Jason. I’d hear him rant for hours when he got home from work.”

“Yeah.” Jason nodded. “I feel sorry for his new second-in-command. What’s his name? Ronald something?” Mrs. Walsh seemed to bristle. “It’s Roland Drake. I do not like that man. He seems so…slick…so smug, or something.” She shuddered. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the lot of them on the base anymore…Anyway, I’m going shopping. Will you be here later?”

“We should be,” Cam said.

“If I miss you, good luck at your hearing, Jason. I’m pulling for you.”

Once again he was awed by her kindness. “Thank you, Patti.” They smiled at each other. “My attorney thinks it’s looking okay for me.”

Cam tilted her head. “Is he still scared of you?”

“Yeah.” Jason grinned, flexing his sizeable biceps for the ladies.

“I’ve got no idea why.”

The women laughed.

Once her mother left, Jason reached out and stroked Cameron’s hand. “This day’s almost half over, Cam. You can get through it.” Her mouth formed a tight line.

He tried to distract her. “I’m kind of hungry. S’okay if I have a piece of cake?”

“Sure.” She served him a big piece.

Digging in, he purred in a deep rumble. “Mmm.” He took another forkful and held it out to Cam. “Will you eat a bite?” She pursed her lips, considering for a moment. When she nodded, he lifted the fork to her mouth, accidentally smearing frosting near her lip. Oblivious to her chocolate moustache, Cam grinned at him.

Suppressing a laugh, Jason took another forkful, this time pur-posefully smudging frosting on her face.

“Hey!” She snatched a napkin to wipe her mouth.

This time he didn’t bother with a fork and instead grabbed a gob of icing and lathered it on her cheek, eliciting a shriek. Ducking her head, she scooped some frosting and tried to plaster it on his moving target of a face.

It became an all-out food fight, and both screeched with laughter as they flung chocolate frosting everywhere.

Final y Jason took Cam in his arms and languorously kissed and licked the sweetness from her cheek, chin, lips. They ended up on the sofa, kissing and caressing.

“Thanks for getting me through this day,” she whispered.

“March twelfth isn’t only your dad’s birthday. It’s also the day we had our first food fight.”

She beamed. “Our
first
food fight? Well, then, I can’t freaking wait for our second.”

Leo strolled the hallways of Pensacola High, trying to hide his disappointment at the lack of attention he received. He felt like a changed man after reigning victorious in one individual event and helping his relay win their first state title, but besides congratulations from a teacher or two, no one else seemed to care. They didn’t even notice his shaved head.

At lunch, Leo studied Audrey while Alex and Elaine bickered over the sexual orientation of Tom Cruise. Alex was convinced he was gay, but Elaine said the rumors were simply to sel magazines.

Audrey seemed far away.

“I don’t think you two will figure out it out anytime soon,” Leo finally interjected. “Why don’t you just let the guy live his life?” Offering his hand to Audrey, he rose from the table. “Want to take a walk?”

Audrey hesitated a moment before she slung her purse over her shoulder and grasped his hand. She tossed her half-eaten sandwich in the garbage. He led her outside, and they meandered the school grounds. The clouds seemed to reflect Audrey’s gloomy mood.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have the meet you wanted,” Leo said. “I’d be upset too.”

“What?”

“I…uh…it’s not right you had a bad meet, and I had a great meet.

You worked so hard, and you didn’t screw up like me. It should’ve been the other way around.”

“Leo?”

He forged on. “I wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to intervene on my behalf at a crucial time in the season. I totally ruined it for you.”

Leo looked down and Audrey let go of his hand. “No — ”

“You’ll be better off without me next year.”

“Will you
shut up?”

He turned to her with frightened eyes.

“My meet had nothing to do with you!” She chewed on her lip.

“Well, it did, actually, but not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Audrey, don’t be mad,” Leo pleaded.

“Leo, I know you have to go the Academy, but I hate that we’ll be apart. I could
never
be better off without you…you got that? Don’t say anything like that again.”

He’d jammed his hands into his pockets. “Sorry.” They resumed walking. “So you don’t think the Oxycontin mess screwed up your swims,” Leo said. “Then why’ve you been acting so weird since the meet?”

Now Audrey looked down. She stopped short and gazed at him.

“There’s a reason I didn’t swim well.”

Leo nodded. She turned to continue their walk. After a few moments, she spoke again. “There’s a reason I didn’t swim well.”

“I got that part.” He smiled to encourage her.

She kept walking in silence, seeming to grow increasingly frustrated. “Ughhh!” She threw her arms up.

Leo once again took her hand and led her to sit next to him on a bench, far from the other students who’d ventured outside.

“There’s a reason I didn’t swim well,” she said a third time. She gripped the strap of her purse and stared at her hands. “Oh, okay…This is how I’ll tell you.” She groped in her purse and took out a pink box. She shoved it into his hands.

Pregnancy Test
. It took a full ten seconds to realize why she’d given it to him. His stomach dropped to his feet.

“You’re
pregnant?”
he whispered.

Audrey’s slow nod made him feel sicker. Horror clouded his vision, and his breaths came quick and shallow. He’d managed to destroy his life once again in one fell swoop. But this time his life wasn’t the only one ruined. He’d taken Audrey down with him. The ramifications of this huge mistake would grow and affect everything they knew — like a massive rock splashing into a pond, creating ever-expanding ripples of disruption on the once-smooth surface.

He quickly stood, stuffing the pregnancy test back into her purse and towering over her, clenching his fists at his sides. Then Leo drew his right arm back and sent his fist careening into the brick wall behind the bench. He barely heard the sound of knuckles hitting brick.

When he again drew back his fist, Audrey screamed, “No!” She leaped up and grabbed his arm. He tried to shake her off, then snapped out of his trance when he saw her tears.

“Why are you crying?”

“I…I don’t know,” she sobbed.

His eyes flared.
“Why are you crying?”

“Because you’re scaring me!” She cowered.

He suddenly saw his behavior through her frightened eyes and grabbed the sides of his head, totally repulsed by himself.

“Oh, Audrey.” He crumpled into her arms. “I’m so sorry.” He felt her trembling, and he squeezed her tighter. “What are we going to do?” She let out a strangled cry. “I don’t know. I’ve known for sure just since last night, and I’m still in shock. I can only imagine how you feel, hearing about the baby right now.” She untangled herself from him. “Let me look at your hand.” Leo pulled away and stared at the swelling and bruising already forming. Audrey carefully examined the damage. He felt nothing.

No physical pain — that would come later. There was only emotional pain right now: self-loathing and terror.

He swallowed. “Does anybody else know about this?”

“No.”

Her response calmed him a bit. Nobody else could know. They would have to make sure nobody found out…especially one certain commander. Leo had been consumed by avoiding his father to minimize the damage to his own well-being. Now he had to keep three lives safe from the venom of Cobra Snake.

“I won’t go to dinner tonight with your family,” Audrey said softly.

“No. I need you there.” He had to pretend things were okay for at least one more night. “We’ll figure this out. Together.” She choked down a sob and nodded.

The hostess smiled at them. “Scott, party of five?” Jason stood with the rest of his family, taking intentionally deep, even breaths. She should’ve announced, “Dysfunction, party of five,” or maybe even, “Awkward, party of five.” Jason swallowed a dark laugh and filed that away to share later with Leo.

He looked over at his brother, who’d barely spoken to him since arriving at the restaurant. Leo had his arm wrapped protectively around Audrey and a worried face. If Leo planned to ignore him the whole night, Jason wondered why he should even stay.

He’d expected things to be awkward with Callous Sadist. His father had avoided all eye contact and appeared uncomfortable standing with his
criminal
son. He’d wedged his hands into the pockets of his khaki uniform pants and jingled his change while they waited to be seated.

When they arrived at their round table, Jason quickly calculated the way to sit the farthest from his father, making the clockwise seating arrangement CS, Leo, Audrey, Jason, and his mother. Jason helped guide his mother into her chair and tucked her canes into the corner.

When his mother giggled at something his father whispered in her ear, Jason scowled. His parents seemed somehow closer since returning from the state meet, and he wondered what the heck was going on.

Everyone busied themselves with the menus for a few moments.

Leo sipped his water and tilted his body toward Audrey, as if to shield her from CS. The waiter arrived with bread and prepared to take their orders, looking expectantly around the table. Leo reached to pick up the bread basket and the waiter asked, “What happened to your hand?”

Everyone stared at Leo’s bruised right hand, which he quickly yanked away and hid under the table. “Um, it was an accident.” Curious Suspect gave Leo a strange look, then told the waiter he’d like the peppercorn-crusted salmon.