Redemption, H.L.B. Adams [grave mercy txt] 📗

“Ann it’s okay. If I get in a bind I’ll call you, but I think I’ve got it all down. No Alice in Wonderland or coke before bed. No mushrooms under any circumstances, and a non-fictional bed time story about someone in the family.”

“Okay,” Ann said taking a deep breath, “Bye Brandon, take care of my baby.”

“I will Ann. I’m not going to hurt her Ann. She’s my daughter and I love her too,” Brandon said trying to reassure Ann, but knowing it was no good. She was a mom; she was going to worry about her baby. “Bye, I’ll bring her back Sunday evening.”

“Okay, bye,” Ann said walking back to the school as Brandon got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

“You okay?” Ann heard someone ask from behind her. It was Jason. “Yeah,” Ann said turning around to look at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Came by to see Jasmine.”

“You asked her out yet?”

“No. It’s weird when she first came to town she seemed interested, but now she doesn’t seem interested in anything but friendship with me,” Jason said discouraged.

“Why don’t you just ask her and see what she says? It could just be a misunderstanding, or you thinking too much, or her playing hard to get.”

“Yeah, I’ll ask her, but it’ll have to wait she just left.”

“Okay,” Ann said rolling her eyes. She knew for a fact that Jason had Jasmine’s number, but he refused to use it. ‘What happened to the suave guy who could get any girl he wanted?’ Ann thought looking at him. ‘He used to be so confident, even a little cocky.’

“So, since you don’t have Mac this weekend, you want to go out. Hang out with adults for once.”

“I hang out with adults.”

“You know what I mean. No kids allowed deal. Go to a bar or something. You haven’t gone out in six years. I think it’s time you go have fun.”

“I don’t know. I have a lot of work I need to catch up on.”

“You have all weekend to do that. Come on Annie live a little.”

“Maybe,” Ann said. ‘It would be nice to get out and have some fun, but I haven’t done anything like this in years. I don’t even know I know how to have fun like that anymore.’

“I’m taking that as a yes. I’ll pick you up at eight,” Jason said grinning.

“I didn’t say yes,” Ann said following Jason to his truck.

“I don’t care. Be ready at eight or I’m dragging your ass out no matter what you look like.”

“Jason!”

“No arguing Miss Mackenzie,” Jason said in his mock teacher voice. “I’ll see you then,” he said and gave her a kiss on the forehead before he hopped in his truck and left.

“What just happened? I didn’t agree to go out. Oh my god, what am I going to wear?” Ann said to herself rushing back into the school to get her stuff so she could leave. “I don’t have any partying clothes. At least none that will fit, and they are probably dry rotted. Dammit I’m going to have to make a trip to the mall in Montgomery. I don’t have time for all this,” she as she walked back to her truck.

She hopped in and headed to Montgomery. No matter how much she complained she knew she was going out tonight, and was going to have adult fun for once. She was secretly happy, but every now and then she’d think about Mackenzie and want to turn around and go to Brandon’s and just to spend the weekend with her daughter.

 

Two hours later Ann was home and wondering what she was going to do until time to get ready. She wasn’t used to having free time. She stood in the middle of her living room for a few minutes at a loss before she decided to go out and treat herself to a supper that she didn’t have to cook.

She entered Lynn’s dinner five minutes later. “Hey girl,” Pam said as soon as she entered. “Where’s my favorite little girl?”

“At Brandon’s,” Ann said smiling.

“Ah, her first sleep over had her dad’s. How you handling that?” Pam asked as Ann sat down at the counter.

“Good,” Ann said knowing everyone in the dinner was listening. Lynn’s wasn’t popular with the college students, just the locals, and they all knew her and Brandon and the situation. She knew tongues had been wagging ever since Brandon had shown back up in town. She had had to go through all the gossip six years ago, and she didn’t like having to go through it again. Ann was a private person. She had never given the towns people much to talk about until six years ago. It wasn’t that she was a perfect little angel growing up, she just knew how to hide things, but she couldn’t hide this, just like she couldn’t hide the fact that she was pregnant and the father of her child had skipped town six years ago.

“That’s good,” Pam said. “What are all y’all looking at? Eat or leave. So sweetie what can I get you?”

“Country fried steak plate and sweet tea, please,” Ann said smiling. She knew Pam hadn’t been trying to stir up more gossip. Pam really did care about her and Mac. Pam was the type who knew everything about everyone in town, but she never told anyone what she knew. The way Pam saw it if they wanted everyone to know they tell them.

“Okay, coming right up,” Pam said and went to get her tea. She sat Ann’s tea down in front of her and went to fix her food.

“Hey,” a man said sitting down beside her. It was Rick Johnson. He had been the star quarterback when they were in high school. He still looked the same over all, tall about six foot with light brown hair and the physique of a quarter back, but he looked older somehow. He didn’t have wrinkles or grey hair. It was just an aura, adult hood. He had asked her out several time while they were in school, and then again after she had had Mac. Ann considered him a friend, but nothing more.

“Hey,” Ann said smiling at him.

“So, you have the night off?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“You want to go out then?”

“Oh Rick, I already have plans, sorry,” Ann said shaking her head. He just wouldn’t give up. It was like he asked her out every time he saw her. Most of the time they just talked like old friends do, but when he was single for longer than a month at a time he asked. Ann remember then that he and the woman he had been dating from Montgomery had broken up about three months ago. “You know Rick, we’re not a good match. We’re too much alike. We’d end up killing each other on our first date,” she said jokingly to take the sting out of the rejection. Rick laughed, at true laugh, and said, “I know, but I keep trying. The one difference between us Annie is that I don’t mind living just a little on this side of danger.”

“Yeah, well I was never one for danger,” Ann said laughing. She knew overall him asking her out I had become nothing more than a joke over the years. He used to ask her out in high school just to bug Brandon. Jason, Brandon, and she had always been best friends, the three musketeers, but Rick had been part of their wider group of friends. His persistent offer for a date was just in good fun.

“So, who are you going out with?” Rick asked as Pam brought out their food.

“Jason,” Ann answered and took a bite of her country fried steak.

“Hmm, so you two finally got together.” Ann choked on her food when he said this. Rick beat her back until she stopped choking and said, “Guess not.”

“Yeah, not. Jason has always been like a brother to me. You know that.”

“True, but there is always speculation around here.”

“Yeah and most of the time the speculation is wrong.”

“True, like how everyone said we’d get married,” Rick said jokingly.

“Who said that?”

“Me,” Rick said laughing. Ann joined in on his laughter. She had always liked hanging out with Rick. He could always make her laugh.

“So, who you seeing these days?” Ann asked as she continued to eat.

“No one in particular. I figured I’d go back to my player ways for a while. Play the field and then maybe I might actual meet someone that I want to spend my life with, instead of someone who I spend a couple of months with trying to make a relationship work that was failed from the beginning.”

“Well you were always good at playing the field,” Ann said smiling. “And that’s probably a good idea. Instead of looking for a relationship, just look for fun. You’re more likely to find the right one when you’re not looking for her.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing all these years, just not looking because you’re more likely to fine the one that way?”

“No, I decided I wasn’t going to date again until Mac’s grown. Easier that way, I don’t have to explain to Mac who a new guy is, and I don’t have to worry about turning guys off by having a daughter. Plus it gives me more time to spend with her.”

“But what about now that Brandon’s back,” Rick whispered not wanting everyone to overhear their conversation. He knew Ann wouldn’t like that.

“What about it?” Ann whispered back.

“You’ll have a lot more free time now. Are you honestly telling me you’re not going to want to use that time for… personal relationships?”

“You mean sex,” Ann whispered and laughed at his wording.

“Not just sex. Get your mind out of the gutter. That just lets you know that you need to get laid if that’s the first thing that pops to mind,” Rick whispered laughing as he watched Ann start blushing.

“Shut up,” Ann said without any heat.

“What I meant was that connection, not all sexual, with some one of the opposite sex. Well unless you’ve switched sides then with some one of the same sex,” Rick whispered.

“First of all I haven’t switched sides. Secondly I don’t know. I’m still just taking things as they come. I’ve gotten good at that. If I find someone that I want to have a “personal relationship” with then I will, until then I’m single. And I don’t do casual sex, sorry,” she added to make him laugh.

“Oh well, I had to try,” Rick said jokingly and they both busted out laughing. They laughed even harder when the noticed everyone was looking at them. “Everyone in town will be talking about mine and your romantic involvement by the time we leave here,” Ann said laughing. Rick wiggled his eyebrows and said, “Want to give them something to talk about.”

He stood up, pulled a laughing up, dipped her, and kissed her. An obviously fake kiss by all the smacking and laughing, but they both new it would do the job. They would both have messages when they got home. They sat back down laughing. Ann just shook her head. She knew why he had done it. It would keep people from talking about the Brandon situation. Rick knew she would rather they gossip about something false, than something true in her life.

A few minutes later they paid their tabs and headed out. Rick walked Ann to her truck. “Thank for that,” she said to him.

“For what?” Rick said with a mischievous grin. “I didn’t do anything, other than finally kiss you.”

“Uh huh,” Ann said rolling her eyes and smiling.

“You’re welcome,” Rick said sincerely, “I thought it might help. You looked like you could use a laugh. Plus they’ll stop talking about you and Brandon and Mac for a while. They’ll be too busy talking about the hot affair we’re having.” Ann laughed and gave him a hug. “See you later,” Ann said and hopped