Match This! (The UnSocial Dater#1) (22 page)

“You mean dinner?” Darby smiles.

She shakes her head. “We have lunch with Nana, today she didn’t have it ready. Daddy said she gwowed her wings and was gonna go up high in the sky.” She puts her hands under her pits and makes like she’s flapping her wings.

“Heaven.” Darby smiles and nods.

“You know where that place is Dawby?” she asks tilting her head.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

“You think you can take me there so I can be sure she’s okay? So I can tell her she needs to come back so Daddy can wowk?”

“It’s a secret place, only people like your Nana get to go there.”

She leans in and whispers, “I won’t tell anyone else,. I pwomise. But I need lunch first.”

I stand up and walk away, I need space from her, I need to do something to rid myself of these fucking feelings.

I walk into the bathroom, close the lid and sit down. I take a few deep breaths and look at my phone. I open it up and scroll through. I see a new message from rider 1. I hadn’t heard from him in a couple days and he was a distraction as well as someone to be a cunt to without repercussions.

@rider1: New dude who's liking your pics. He’s fucking married.

Kat: No idea what you’re talking about.

He doesn’t reply.

Well, I guess I can’t fight with him, asshole.

I walk out of the bathroom and Darby looks up from down the hall and mouths she’s hungry while pointing to her belly.

I nod and walk to Ricco’s room. I knock once and push the door open. Ricco looks up.

“I’m taking off, and Darby wants to take Nat with her, you good with that?” He gives me a look of concern. “My sister is good with kids and your daughter asked for lunch.”

“Fuck,” Ricco says leaning back. “How the fuck did I do that?”

“It’s been a bad day, get over it. I’m taking her with me.”

He nods. “Don’t fucking break her.”

I turn around and flip him off and walk towards the girls. “Let’s go get some lunch.”

****

Two hours later I call the shop and let Zack know Darby and Nat are at my place, and to tell Ricco she’s not broke and she’s having a good time.

“Fucking busy tonight, Kat,” Zack laughs.

“Good, make that bank.”

I hang up and walk over to where Darby and Nat are sitting on the couch with an old sketchpad she found of mine and insisted it was a coloring book. I had no crayons so I had to run to the store to get some, I also picked up a booster seat since legally Nat was supposed to be in one and apparently she had no idea what they were.

Fucking men.

Mom had called Darby while I was gone and told her she was tired and would be staying the night. She would be back tomorrow.

At eight o’clock both girls looked like zombies. In Nat’s case it was because she was three-years-old and in Darby’s case, she was jet lagged.

Darby helped Nat with a bath and put one of my unicorn tee shirts on her. It hung to her ankles but Darby told her it promised happy dreams and Nat seemed excited.

I told them to take my bed and the two did without question.

I waited for them to fall asleep to crack open a bottle of wine and sit on the couch, sketchpad in hand, deciding whether or not I should get into drawing something now, since when I get inspired sleep is not an option.

I decide to set it beside me. Ricco will be here in a couple hours to grab his daughter anyway. I have no clue how early Darby gets up in the morning but I would love to take her to breakfast or do something before I take her to the shop with me until Mom gets back.

I decide on opening up the boredom-buster app, which also serves as the beacon of hope to the hopeless.

I see a new message from my, well, hell I if I know what the hell he is. A friend, an enemy, a stalker.
Shit,
he could be a sixty-five-year-old lesbian who stole a few pictures off someone else’s profile for all I know.

Nonetheless, I was bored. So I open it.

@rider1: I don’t care what you do. But If I were you I’d call the fucker out.

Kat: Nothing to call him out on, it’s not like we’re an item

@rider1: He’s been between your legs

Kat: No he hasn’t

Why the hell do I push send?
I scold myself.

@rider1: Good thing. There may still be hope for you.

Kat: Meaning?

@rider1: Me.

Kat: What happened to, “Done.”

@rider1: Goodnight Kat.

Kat: Goodnight

I walk up the stairs to grab a pillow and a blanket. I don’t want Darby to wake up down here alone, and I’m not sure how she’d feel if I climbed into bed when Ricco comes to take Nat home.

As I’m walking back down I decide to see if Rob has messaged and he hasn’t.

I look at the time, it’s only nine thirty so I decide to call him, hell, why not?

He answers in a sexy sleepy voice. “Hey babe, you home?”

“Yep and I’m bored.”

“I have a cure for boredom.”

God he sounds hot. “Is that so.”

“Yeah, get up here and I’ll show you.”

“Um, I’m not sure I can.”

“Kids are asleep right?”

I look in my room. “Yeah but how did you know that?”

“I put them to bed, wore ‘em out. They missed their dad. Their dad missed their mom, so get your ass up here and give me something.”

“Rob?”

“Very funny,” he chuckles.

“What’s funny?”

“Oh, you wanna role play. I’ll be Rob, you be, oh I don’t know how about a cat.”

Oh. My. Gawd. This motherfucker is an actual mother fucker.

“This is Kat, asshole.”

“Wait, what?”

“You are a piece of shit, you know that?”

“Wait, Kat, no I was fucking with you,” he tries to play it off as a joke.

“No dickstain, you weren’t and I can promise you never will.”

I hang up and toss the phone on the couch and grab the bottle of wine.

What a joke this is.

What an idiot I am.

I wake up when I hear a knock at the door. I drag my ass off the couch and walk over, looking through the peephole I see Ricco standing outside with his head hung low.

I open it up and he shakes his head. “Not sure what to say.”

I step back. “It’s raining, figure it out inside.”

“Were you sleeping?” he asks catching the towel I toss to him.

“Did you ride your bike?”

“My
One and Only
,” he corrects as he towels off his hair, then takes of his black leather biker jacket.

“Right whatever, she can’t ride that thing, especially not in the rain.”

He looks up and his eyebrow raises. “You telling me how to parent?”

“Me? No, I don’t even like kids.”

“Right.” He kicks off his boots and walks in as I follow him.

“But you don’t have a booster seat? That’s illegal.” He turns around and looks at me, eyebrow cocked. I stop and cross my arms. “What? It is.”

“No room for a booster seat on my ride, Kat.”

“Then maybe she shouldn’t-” He holds up his finger and I stop talking.

“Not that I have to ever defend my parenting abilities to anyone, but the truck’s in the shop. She has a damn seat in it. I’m not fucking stupid, got it?”

I shrug and stick my nose in the air. “I asked her if she had one and she had no clue what one was.”

He shakes his head. “She also thinks you’re a cat because that’s your name. She’s fucking three. It’s her ride.”

“What’s her ride?”

“The booster, she calls it her ride.”

“Is it a high back booster?”

He scowls at me and try not to smile, he rolls his eyes. “We done?”

“Where’s her mom?”

“Apparently we’re not done.” He shakes his head, walks over to the sink, grabs a cup out of the drainer and fills it up.

“I was just wondering,” I say grabbing the bottle of wine and pouring myself a glass.

“How is it that we’ve known each other for nearly four years and you’re clueless about everyone around you.” He walks over, grabs a strand of my hair and tugs. “Is it really blonde under here?”

I swat his hand away. “Ha. Ha.”

“It’s a legit question,” he shrugs.

“Why bother? I mean life is so much simpler if you just ignore everything around you.”

“Right, the badass Kat, but the badass Kat isn’t so badass when she’s around her friends, her mom, and her sister now is she?”

“They get me.” I shrug and down a glass of wine.

I have no desire to have this conversation, none whatsoever.

“Cause you let them get you. Me, the Steel family, those two guys who work at the shop, they get you too.”

“I really don’t hold much in now do I?”

He reaches over and tugs on my shirtsleeve. “Do you have any clue what last Thursday’s conversation was like at the shop before you got there?”

“Because I dress different at home than work?” I laugh.

“You don’t just dress different, you act different. Less,” he pauses, “homicidal.”

“Whatever," I say. “We may not be viewed as professional, but my art is important to me.”

“Deep,” he nods.

“Personal,” I respond.

“And yet you keep a wall around you?” he asks lifting the cup he grabbed and drinks down the water.

I smirk and he scowls. “What?”

“You love peen?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“Your cup says,” I stop when he turns it around and looks at it.

He shrugs. “I love mine and you seem to love plastic cock.”

I shake my head and smile. “That was-” I stop because I don’t know what that was and then I shrug.

“A whole new facet of Kat.”

“Did you think I didn’t like dick, that I was a lesbian or something?”

“No, Kat, I didn’t think you were a lesbian.” There was something different in his gravelly voice.

He straightens his stance. “Where’s my Nat?”

“She’s in my room, asleep. It’s right over there,” I point.

“I know where it is,” he nods.

“Right.” I walk over and look out the window. “Still raining, you should wait it out.”

“Planned on it.” He walks over, lays the towel on the couch and sits.

“The remote-”

“Don’t need it, you and I are gonna chat.”

“About?” I ask walking over and sitting on the other side of the couch, because again like last time, he’s in my spot.

“This pending partnership,” he says looking at me. “I heard you were reluctant.”

“I don’t really care for responsibility.”

“Heard that, but it’s not seen or felt.”

“I really wasn’t given a choice. I mean how wrong is it that she didn’t even ask for payment. I don’t feel like it’s mine. It was like a fucking man giving his wife sexy lingerie for her birthday when it’s more for him.”

He tilts his head and leans in. “That makes no damn sense. What does fucking have to do with having a business handed down to you from people who view you as family?”

“You know what I mean.” I shake my head and wave him off.

“No. But while we’re on the subject of men, women, and fucking, what the hell are you doing on that dating app thing?”

“Zack has a big damn mouth,” I huff.

“No, Kat, the thing’s in your hand all the damn time.”

“Is not,” I defend.

“Fine, whatever, but it’s a shit place to meet someone to have a relationship with.”

“Maybe I’m not looking to meet someone, maybe I’m just looking to fuck.”

His eyes widen and his jaw drops but he snaps it shut.

“Oh please, like you aren’t out doing the same damn thing.” I lean back against the couch and cross my arms over my chest. “The difference is, I have a vagina and not a dick.”

“What exactly do you think it is I’m out there doing, Kat?”

“It’s not what I think, it’s what I know,” I laugh. “
Is Mr. Ricco Martinez available?
You get served paternity paperwork at least once a month. So clearly you’re out there fucking.” He starts to interrupt me but I talk over him. “And, you don’t know how to wrap it.”

He leans forward and looks at me. “I know how to wrap it.”

“I’m sure you all do, I mean who didn’t get the banana in health class demonstration. But, Ricco, why the hell don’t you?”

He stands up and takes my empty glass, walks over and fills it up. He comes back, hands it to me and sits down. “I do.”

“You said-”

“No, Kat, you assume. You assume and I’m not gonna argue with you. You seem to like being pissed about… everything. Hell, I even think it amuses you.”

“Right. So what, they break?” I laugh. “Or do they fall off?”

“Are we really going to sit here and talk about my cock?”

“Sure, why not,” I smile.

“You smile a hell of a lot more here than at the shop too.”

“Yeah well, let’s not talk about me, let’s talk about you.”

He leans forward and grabs my phone, types something in and hits the Match Up app. “How the hell do you know my phone password?” I try to snatch it and he pulls it back.

“Just tried the one you set on the computer at work. FUCKOFF, not real original.”

“Give me my phone,” I say reaching again.

His big paw wraps around my wrist and yanks me closer. “Let’s talk about this distraction.”

“Let’s talk about all your issues and leave mine be.”

“Two.”

“Two what?” I ask looking over at him flipping through the app.

“Paternity tests. Neither kid was mine.”

“Whatever, I really don’t care.”

“The others are Nat’s mom trying to haul me to court for visitation or child support.”

“She doesn’t see her mom?”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” he grumbles.

“So why does she get support?”

“How the fuck am I supposed to know?”

“Um well, you do go to court. I’m pretty sure you find out there.”

He sighs and looks at me. “Nat’s mom is incarcerated. Sold drugs, stole shit, shot a convenience store clerk. She got eight years, she’s on year three. Some dumb ass judge still allows her to collect support. No idea why. Can’t get a straight answer. I fight the increase, usually win, but it doesn’t go away.”

“I don’t understand, why doesn’t your lawyer-”

“Don’t want a lawyer.”

“Ricco, that’s insane-”