Oceans Collide Read online

  I looked over at Sunshine who was lip singing to the lyrics of B.o.B Airplanes. She really was like sunshine on a rainy day. I appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to sit here and make small talk with her. Livie really seemed to be the real deal, and I was going to do everything in my power to keep her around. When I saw that creep all up in her face, I almost lost it. This morning I was ready to fuck her in the studio, but now. Now I just wanted her in my life period. I wanted her friendship, her loyalty, and her trust more than anything else. She wasn’t like other women I’ve met. She seemed special.

  Livie

  As we pulled into the Cheddar’s parking lot, I reached for the radio dial and turned it down. As he pulled into a parking space, I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned in my seat to face him. He put the truck in park and killed the ignition. He wasn’t so serious looking anymore, but he had that ‘I’m about to apologize look’ on his face. I cut him off before he could even open his mouth.

  “Lawrence, please don’t apologize for anything. You did nothing wrong, and there is no need for an apology. There are certain feelings and emotions in life that I understand all too well. I’m not the typical girl, if you haven’t noticed. So if you’re good now, then I’m good. Ok?”

  The smile on his face spoke volumes, and his carefree laughter filled the cabin of his truck. “You certainly aren’t like any other woman I’ve met, and I’m happy for that. I do have one request though.” I raised my eyebrow at him.

  “And that would be?”

  “That from this point forward you call me Law. Only very special and privileged people get to call me that, so you should feel extremely honored.” The look on his face was dead serious, but the laughter in his eyes made me laugh inside. I punched him on the shoulder again. I couldn’t help it. I was a person that needed physical contact. Not the sexual kind… not yet anyway.

  “If you want to touch me, you just have to ask. You don’t have to assault me all the time,” he said laughing so hard he snorted. He jumped out of the truck and ran to open my door. Such a gentleman.

  Jumping out of the truck’s cab, I landed lightly on my feet. He instantly looked down at my sneakers and I started to feel underdressed. Maybe I did need to buy a few pair of heels. “Are those Steve Maddens?” I was taken aback by his off the wall question.

  “Yeah why?”

  “Nothing. I love Steve Madden kicks. Check mine out.” He pulled up one of his pants leg.

  “Nice,” I said with a whistle. “So when are you going to take me shopping?” I asked closing the truck door behind me. He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side.

  “I’ll take you shoe shopping when we open this fucking studio. Promise.”

  “You’re on, boss man,” was all I said as we made our way into the sports grill.

  A tall skinny girl with red hair and pale skin greeted us once we got inside. “How many are we seating tonight?” she asked cheerfully.

  “I made a reservation for two under Hawthorne.” The pale girl’s face turned tomato red.

  “You’re Lawrence Hawthorne?” she asked sheepishly looking down at her peep toe heels. I felt Lawrence exhale a deep breath. “Yep, that’s me. Can we be seated now?”

  “Oh… of course. Please… follow me.” He took his arm off my shoulder, placing it on the small of my back as we followed the hostess. I’m surprised she didn’t break her neck in those ridiculous heels. She could barely keep her ankles from leaning to the sides with each step. Exactly the reason why I stay away from those death traps.

  She opened two fancy wooden double doors and led us to a private room toward the back of the restaurant. It was a nice quiet area. The noise from the TV’s playing every sport imaginable was drowned out by the glass-paneled walls. The hostess pulled out my chair for me, and I accepted the seat. She then turned to Lawrence still flustered she could barely speak. “Mr. Hawthorne, if you… if you need anything. Please let me know.” She lingered there for a moment as he took his seat. He looked annoyed by the attention she was giving him, and I thought it was cute.

  “Thank you, Rachel,” he said looking at her nametag. “That will be all for now.” She smiled and turned on her death traps. The extra switch she was putting in her step made me laugh out loud and she nearly ran through the double doors.

  “That was interesting. Is it always going to be like this when we go out in public?”

  “Yeah, pretty much. If you think that was bad, you really are as innocent as I thought. Wait a minute; you’re the one who has guys cornering you in public. So I should be asking you that question, Sunshine.” I laughed.

  The double doors opened and the waitress came in. She was an older woman and was a lot more professional. She took our drink orders and our orders for King Mons Burritos. I loved the burritos here. This was the only place that loaded there burritos full of sour cream and guac. My mouth was watering just thinking about it.

  “So, Sunshine, why do you really want to work at the studio? I really did read through your portfolio, and your recommendations were impressive, but honestly why is it so important to you?”

  “Going straight for the heavy, huh?” He nodded his head in agreement. “Honestly, I have no experience in sales, management, or dealing with people. What I do have experience with is pain, fighting, and discipline. I live and breathe for the fight. I never got into professional jujitsu or kickboxing, which is my favorite contact sport, but I’m great at it. I love it. My father used to train here in Chicago, and in turn, I picked up on everything he taught me. I really can’t tell you why I would be good at working at your studio or why you should hire me. I just know what I’m good at, and your studio would be the perfect fit for me.” I looked up at him and he was studying me. “Not much of a sales pitch, is it?” I asked fiddling with the folded napkin on the table.

  “I didn’t ask for a sales pitch. I asked you why you honestly wanted to work at the studio, and you gave me your honest answer. I can respect that, and in case you’re worried, I’m not reneging on my decision to hire you. Any woman that can put me on my ass twice in a row is on my to-be-worshiped list.”

  Boldly, I asked, “How many women do you currently have on that list?” His cheeks flushed and I smiled at his reaction.

  “Honestly. My mom is number one and you’re number two. Don’t tell my mom that though. I like driving her crazy.”

  The way he talked about his mom tugged at my heart. I remember when I was able to talk about my mom like that. Unfortunately, it was too long ago, and right now, it didn’t really matter what I thought about her. The same waitress popped back in with our orders. She placed them on the table and left just as fast. I could feel the relief rolling off Law. Every time the doors opened, he cringed thinking it was the hostess.

  We ate in silence and half way through my humungous burrito, my cell phone went off. I pulled it out of my phone wallet to see my dad’s goofy face on my Skype. I guess Law saw it too, because he laughed. I looked up at him. “Do you mind? My dad has issues with keeping tabs on me.” I said lightheartedly. He shook his head no, as he took another huge bite out of his burrito.

  “Hey, Dad, what’s up?”

  “Nothing, kid. Just wondering how your dinner was going with Mr. Hawthorne?” Uh oh my dad had his business tone, and it scared the crap out of me.

  “Dad, you promised! Dinner is going fine, and you’re actually interrupting, Clooney.”

  “Sorry, kid, just doing my job. By the way, you mind putting Mr. Hawthorne on the phone for a moment. I’d like to have a couple words with him.” That was so not a question. I saw it in his furrowed eyebrows. I looked up at Law who was grinning as if he had just hit the lotto.

  “You don’t have to,” I mouthed as I moved the camera away from my face. He motioned for me to hand over the phone, and I did. As soon as he took it, he excused himself and went to stand in front of the glass-paneled windows. I tried to eavesdrop, but he switched off the Skype and used my phone as a headset. He probab
ly had an iPhone, too.

  He returned back to the table after about a five-minute conversation with my dad. He was still smiling, so I figured the conversation wasn’t too bad. He handed me back the phone, and I snatched it back. “Dad, whatever it is you’re doing, please stop.”

  “Kid, I’m not doing anything. I just wanted to introduce myself to your new boss. I have a feeling you two are going to be extremely successful.” The grin on his face had me really scared now. He was up to something. “Oh, and Livie, I overnighted two iPads for you and the boss man.”

  “No more freebies!”

  “It’s not a freebie, Livie. It’s a celebratory gift for following your gut, kid. Proud of you. I’ll let you two finish your dinner. Be safe, kid.”

  “Night, Dad!”

  “I’m so sorry, Law. That was too embarrassing. My dad is a great guy, but he still treats me like I’m five or something.”

  “Don’t apologize. That’s what a real father is supposed to do. I don’t want to rush you, but are you about done with your dinner? I want to make it to my mom before she is slammed at the hospital. I’d like for you to come with me, if that’s okay with you?”

  “Oh. Sure. I’m good to go if you are.”

  Chapter Ten

  Lawrence

  Our waiter came, and I paid the bill. Sunshine tried to give me crap about it, but I ignored her. No way was I going to let her pay for anything while I was around. Any other girl, I would have let pay for everything. The talk with Mr. Acosta was nice. He loved his daughter and asked me to take care of her. He didn’t tell me what happened to her, but he said in time, he hoped she would open up to someone. I wanted to be that someone for her, but even if I weren’t, I’d still be here for her. It was weird for me the way this relationship was evolving. I saw Livie as someone that I needed. Someone I wanted to protect. I wanted to see her happy and to see her live. Those chocolate eyes haunted me when I looked into them. Mostly because they looked distant, hurt, and alone.

  I guess this is how a big brother would feel about their younger sister. However, I had a feeling it was stronger than that. I wasn’t falling in love with her or anything. I felt like I already loved her for the person she was. I put my arm around her shoulders playfully again as we headed out the restaurants doors, and then suddenly, when I saw the chick standing in front of us, I froze and wanted to disappear. In front of me stood Julissa with her bitch crew. Oh, shit. This evening just got royally fucked. I pulled Livie to the side and whispered in her ear. “Sunshine, trust me on this, okay? I broke up with a crazy ass girl a day ago and shit is about to hit the fan. Whatever you do, don’t encourage her. The bitch has issues. Sorry, Sunshine,” were the last words I could say before I heard my name being yelled out by Julissa.

  “Lawrence Hawthorne, is that you?” Fuck fuck fuck! I tried to ignore her, but she stepped in front of me and pushed her hand up against my chest. I felt Livie freeze at my side.

  “Juls, please don’t do this. It’s not worth it. I’m not worth it.”

  “Oh, please, save that shit for the birds. You think you can just break up with me, change your fucking cell phone number, and come out in public with this bitch!” I felt Livie pull away from my side inching forward, but I pulled her back into me by the waist.

  “I already explained to you why we were breaking up, Juls. You need to respect that. As for my phone number, I wouldn’t have changed it, but you kept texting me crazy shit and leaving even crazier voice messages. That shits not cool, and it’s not necessary, Juls.” She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

  “You didn’t address the bitch. Who is she, Lawrence?”

  “I got your, bitch.” I heard Livie mumble, and I pinched her side. She elbowed me back.

  I knew Livie could mop the pavement with Juls, but I wouldn’t let her do it. Too much was at stake for the both of us. “Juls, we’re getting ready to go now. Please don’t make this harder on yourself.” I was trying so hard to stay calm, but a crowd was gathering, and I was starting to feel antsy. I needed to hit something.

  “You are not leaving until you tell me who this bitch is!” Juls shoved her finger into Livie’s chest, and the next thing I knew, I was being tossed back behind Livie. Shit shit shit! I came up fast behind her trying to pull her unto me, but she shrugged me off hard.

  “Don’t!” That’s all the warning I needed, so I backed off a little giving her more space. She stepped up to Juls standing toe to toe with her.

  “Look, skank, Law doesn’t want you anymore, and he never will. Get over your shit and move the hell on. And, to answer your question, I’m not his bitch or anyone else’s. You got that, skank.” Juls was fuming, her face, neck, and ears turning red. She looked to me.

  “Since when the hell do you let trash call you Law? You never let anyone call you that, not even me and you were fucking me! Now you listen here, bitch! He might be with today, but he’s mine! You fucking get that? Lawrence fucking Hawthorne is mine!”

  Juls went to push Livie with both hands, but she dodged her. Livie stepped forward ramming her shoulder into Juls causing her to stammer back. Livie’s footwork was so clean that I didn’t even notice when she shifted her weight and placed her heel behind Juls until Juls was knocked on her ass on the side of the curb with her legs splayed wide open. Juls had on a sundress and fuck, you could see everything. The lace thong she had on didn’t even cover her clit.

  Livie moved back toward me to regain her composure. “Now, if you’d excuse us, bitch, we were leaving.” She grabbed my arm as she was dragging me away. She dragged me off the curb and turned around to face Juls, who was still on the floor with her legs wide open. “Oh, and by the way, tuck in your fucking tampon string, skank!” Juls started crying hysterically as we both sprinted to my truck. When we reached the truck, we both looked at each other and busted out laughing. I could hardly breathe I was laughing so hard. “That shit was so fucking funny, Sunshine. Get in the damn truck and let’s get out of here!”

  Livie

  As soon as he pulled out of the parking lot, my heart started to calm itself. I was so ready to stomp that bitches face in, but I held it together for Law. The look on his face when he saw that Juls chick was pure panic. I didn’t like that she had that kind of effect on him. He was too good of a person to have to deal with that. At least from what I knew of him so far. I’m glad he broke it off before we met. If she were still in the picture, I would have never been given the chance to work for him. By the way, we both cracked up laughing about it, so I figured he was cool with what I just did, but I needed to be sure.

  “Hey, Lawrence?”

  “It’s Law, Sunshine. Don’t let what that crazy girl said to you change us. We have a good team going on here, no need to explain. I saved you earlier from douche bag in a suit, and you saved me from crazy tampon string girl.” He couldn’t hold it and busted out laughing again. I exhaled a breath in relief.

  “Sorry, Law. I guess I just lost it. I don’t like to see you so unsure of yourself, I guess.”

  “Don’t worry, Sunshine. I feel the same way. You still up for coming to the hospital with me to meet with my mom?”

  I turned to look at him, and he had that damn million-dollar smile on his pretty face. Yes, he was pretty! “I’m down,” I said giving him a wink. We drove for a little while in silence before he spoke.

  “So I know we have a lot to figure out with the studio, but I was hoping you could help me with the name?” he asked shyly.

  “You want me to help you name your studio?” I asked stunned. He took a quick glance at my face and snickered.

  “Yeah. As my assistant studio manager, I would like for you to help me name the place.” My jaw, heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, and every other internal organ hit the floor!

  “You’re kidding, right? Assistant manager, me? Really? You really want me to be the studios A.M. You do know what that means, right? I mean, of course you do, but man, are you serious? This isn’t a joke, right?”
/>   “Sunshine, Sunshine, calm down. Take a breather.” He was laughing at me. “You would think I just asked you to donate your left ovary or something. Yes, I’m serious, Livie.” Oh, crap, he just called me by my name. He really was serious!

  “Wow… I… I don’t know that to say, Law.”

  “Don’t say anything. Just help me name the damn place.”

  I turned my head to stare into the night out my passenger window. The tint was so dark that I was staring at my own reflection. I could she Law’s face in the background. He had a smile on his face, and he was extremely calm. I breathed in and out deeply.

  “How about Hawt’s Martial Arts Studio? You know, H A W T?” He cocked his head to the side as he drove. Thinking about the suggestion, I guessed. He finally straightened his neck and smiled.

  “So are you secretly trying to tell me that I’m hawwwtttt?” My hand instinctively flew up and slapped the back of his head. I was nervous enough giving him my suggestions, he didn’t have to be such a dork about it. “Ouch! Okay, okay. I like it, Sunshine.”

  I raised my eyebrow at him. “Really?”

  “Yes, really. I like it.” He reached for the satellite radio dial on the touch screen, and we listened to music for the rest of the ride to the hospital.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ocean

  Cutting off the ignition, I sat in my truck staring at my dad’s house. I hated when he flat out harassed me to visit him. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, or because I didn’t get along with my dad, but because I hated this fucking house. The house that once belonged to a family… a complete family, and the fact that he was too weak to take down the pictures of Mom and Stormie drove me mad. I couldn’t say that I was dealing with their deaths better than Dad was, but I at least had the decency to let them go… or at least, I thought I did.