Rocky was furious, and I mean the ‘I-will-kill-you-while-you-sleep’ type of furious. Though my initial joke of shoving some bachelorette party favors in her face was pretty harmless and even resulted in a sale, I guess I did draw the line by booby trapping her workspace with more serious toys. The, ahem, type for professionals, if you know what I’m saying.

I knew she was ready to pounce on me from the moment I heard her scream my name over the intercom system. Truth be told, I was a bit scared and took my time walking toward the middle of the store. By the time I made it to the main register, Rocky was beet red and shaking with fury.

I gulped before asking, “Hey, boss. You wanted to see me?”

“What the hell is your problem?” she demanded.

I wish I could say what happened next was a mature, decent conversation where I was able to explain my actions and she was able to rebut, sharing her innermost feelings.

It wasn’t.

After pointing fingers back and forth, we were no better than the pile of butt plugs surrounding Rocky’s feet, which I had to admit, was a pretty funny sight. Unfortunately, that was the only thing humorous about the situation.

After being called a dick by Rocky (seriously that hurt like a bitch) and me retaliating by accusing her of only being concerned about money, I was certain that whatever weak foundation of a friendship we had left had all but crumbled. To make matters worse, Ethan chose that moment to show up, practically ready to lick Rocky’s face off!

Since there was no way I’d stay to watch whatever fucking lovefest was going on between them, I quickly busied myself by plucking all the sex toys off the floor, trying my best to ignore whatever the hell they were talking about. However, I couldn’t help but glance over at Ethan, who kept throwing discreet looks at the toys littering the floor.

Bet he’s wondering which to use on Rocky.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I shifted slightly so that my back blocked his view. I quickly threw the last dolphin head into the box and abruptly stood just as Ethan was on his way out.

“Bye,” Rocky called after him as I purposely nudged her with my shoulder.

She turned around and sneered in my direction. “Hey, what’s the big idea?”

Without answering, I gripped the heavy box and pushed my way toward the Dungeon. I needed to get away from it all. Most of all, I needed to get away from her.

“Well, you were successful in your quest, Jesse.” I dropped the box at my feet and kicked it away. “Somebody was finally let go…too bad it was you.”

***

Pissing off Rocky was just the tip of the iceberg to my otherwise horrible day. Later that evening, I pulled up to my house and noticed a strange car parked in my driveway.

“What the fuck?” I muttered angrily, placing my car into park. I jumped out of my high SUV and slammed the door with enough force to shake the damn thing. I was about twenty feet away from the door when a chorus of laughs emanated loudly from the inside. Something in me snapped. It was as if repressed memories were awakened and flooded my brain, causing a rush of heat to fly through my veins.

“Little get togethers.”

That was what my mother used to call them. Fucking get togethers. It was such an innocent name for what was nothing more than a bunch of immature adults drinking and smoking their way into a stupor. There would be many nights when I’d come home to find my mom shirtless and passed out on the floor next to her ‘friends,’ and let me tell you, there’s nothing more traumatic than having to peel your unconscious mother off the floor to get her dressed. If I shut my eyes and imagine hard enough, I could still smell the burnt popcorn that surrounded her and the gross stench of alcohol and old vomit on her shirt.

Eyes glazed over, I shook the thought from my mind and with the fury of a hundred starving lions, I burst through the door.

“Jesse!” My mother choked back a cough. Her eyes danced excitedly. “Glad you’re home.”

Was she drunk?

A movement in my periphery caught my eye. Dumbfounded, I watched as a bright-eyed young woman stood up and extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Michelle.”

I frowned at the freckled face. “Hello?”

Obviously sensing my confusion, she explained, “I’m from the Home Care Agency that you sent an inquiry to. Um, your mother actually set up this meeting to interview me as a potential nurse.”

“Potential nurse,” I repeated with a sigh of relief. I’d take a nurse over a new drinking buddy any day. “Hope my mom was cordial.”

Mom flashed me what looked like a kind smile, but I could see right through it. Had Michelle not been standing there, she would have snapped, berated me, and just been downright nasty. Mom snuck me a smirk before turning back to the woman. “Michelle has been telling me all about her skills and expertise. We were actually waiting on you to come home so you could meet her.”

“And your mom is an excellent host. I could actually see us getting along really well.” Michelle grinned, brushing back a few locks of her fiery red hair.

Red.

Warning flags again?

Examining our new nurse, I couldn’t help but wonder whether she was either totally oblivious, or just one really good actress.

My mom’s an excellent liar too. She’ll manipulate you in no time…unless that’s what you’re planning to do to her, which in any case, welcome aboard!

I finally forced a smile. “Well, looks like you two have already made up your mind on this arrangement. There’s really no need for me to put my two cents in.”

Michelle’s smile quickly faded. “Um, I hope I didn’t offend you. I didn’t mean that I had this job for sure. It’s just—”

I cut her off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Seriously, you need thick skin to work for her.

Michelle nodded in relief, turning back toward the couch. Taking advantage of her turned back, Mom threw me a scowl, but kept her voice kind. “I told Michelle it was important she meet you before we moved forward.”

“Why?” I asked blankly. “I gave you the list; you picked one, end of story.”

Mom inhaled, causing her tank to tick a bit louder than usual. “Because we said we’d decide together, of course. I couldn’t say yes without your blessing.”

“Because I’m paying?” I shot back.

That was all it took for my mom’s mask to fall off. Unable to keep her kind facade, she snapped, “Because I need your signature on the contract.”

The fact that we hadn’t scared Michelle off was a good sign. Snorting, I shook my head and turned back toward the poor soul who had no idea what she was in for. “When can you start?”

“Seriously?” Her eyes widened. “But you didn’t even interview me.”

I shrugged. “Anyone who gets along with my mom this well is a winner to me. So? When can you start? Would you be able to start tomorrow? I really need to get back to my business in Charleston and if I need to train you, I need to start now.”

Her jaw dropped. “Well, needless to say this is beyond protocol but I see no problem with it.”

“Good.” I was already turning toward the door.

“Um, when are you planning to leave?” she asked in confusion.

“I just have to tie up some loose ends first…”

***

It was as if I was dragged across town by some magical force. Whipping in and out of traffic, slowing at stop signs and lights—I was a zombie if not a robot under mind control. I don’t even know how I made it to Rocky’s house, but before I knew it I was parked across the street, gaping at the foreign red two-seater sitting pretty behind Rocky’s old car. There was no way her parents came home from their work convention early (nor drove that ostentatious piece of shit) and I doubted it belonged to her sister, Emily, either.

“Shit, that must mean…” My voice trailed off just as Ethan walked past an open window looking as cheesy as ever. Heat rushed through my extremities, culminating at my hands, which gripped my steering wheel tightly. I pried each finger off quickly; worried I’d do something as crazy as rip the wheel off my dashboard.