REAL DEAL (Single Dad's Club #1)

Chapter 2

2

Marcus

“Put the iPad down!” Dane’s voice booms through the dirt parking lot and the serene woods.

Not like he gives a s**t. The word conformist is an antonym next to the word Dane.

He’s dressed in athletic pants and a white t-shirt. I’m not sure the man owns anything other than jeans and workout gear and his stash of white t-shirts must overfill his drawers. He was my first friend in c****x Cove and he’s a true good-time-guy. Hence why when he’s behind the bar he owns—Happy Daze—he’s in his element.

“Why is Uncle Dane so loud?” Lily places her fingers in her ears and shakes her head back and forth.

“Because he likes to be the center of attention,” I say, watching him take the iPad from Toby’s hands and toss it in the front seat. Then he proceeds to unbuckle his eight-year-old and hold the door open.

“Jeez, Dad, I was in the last two seconds of the game.” Toby files out of the car and sends a death glare Dane’s way.

“I asked you ten times.” Dane slams the car door, and Toby secures his backpack and walks through the small space between Dane’s Mustang and an SUV.

“Hey, Uncle Marcus. Lily.” He keeps his head down but is polite nonetheless.

“At least you haven’t lost your manners,” Dane says, stepping up onto the curb.

Lily follows Toby down the dirt path toward two guys with Camp Tall Pines t-shirts who are directing everyone to the path that takes them where they’re supposed to be.

“Shitty ass morning.” Dane rubs his temples. “Late night closing.”

He snaps his fingers and points to me. “What about Dirty Harry?”

I stare over at him with an are-you-f*****g-kidding-me look. Dane’s been trying to change his bar name since I met him.

It’s one of the many things we have in common—both our father’s left us their business. Difference is, Dane’s dad is still alive and is usually saddled to a bar stool Monday through Friday from open to six at night, telling Dane how to run the business.

“I like Happy Daze,” I say, walking behind Lily and Toby.

“I like Happy Daze,” he repeats, mimicking my tone.

I hit him in the shoulder and he pretends to lose balance.

“Want to talk about a shitty morning? Lily asked about her mom,” I say, still trying to figure out how to get that line of questioning out of my daughter’s inquisitive mind. I’ve dodged this bullet for years and I know this morning isn’t the last of the questions to come from her.

“Did you tell her that you pray every night she doesn’t turn bat s**t crazy like her mom did?”

I glance over at Dane and find him smirking. I can’t even argue the point. My ex, Lily’s mom has issues, but worse than that is the fact that she effectively abandoned Lily.

We stop near the benches of the outside auditorium and he shoves his hands in his pockets. All the parents and kids are filling into the bleacher-style sitting arrangement.

Looking at my watch, I wonder how much longer until I can start my day at the shop.

“Garrett!” Dane screams to our other friend who’s perched in the top row closest to the edge like he can’t wait to make his escape.

Garrett has an eleven-year-old daughter. All his complaining about his adolescent daughter makes me feel like Lily is perfect, but his situation also reminds me that the nightmare of adolescence isn’t too far away. Sydney, his daughter, isn’t even sitting near him.

“What’s up Sexy Beast?” Dane asks, fist bumping him.

Garrett’s blank stare says he’s not amused with Dane’s new nickname. I bump fists with Garrett and sit down. Lily and Toby sit in front of us, but soon, Toby’s friends come by and he’s chatting with them.

“Mallory!” Lily screeches and a bunch of parents turn their heads in our direction. Mallory and her mom turn around and smile. I give the obligatory wave. “Can I go down there?” Lily’s up off her seat now, jumping up and down, braids bouncing around everywhere.

I check to see that Mallory’s mom is still looking so I non-verbally ask her and she waves Lily down.

“Stop flirtin’,” Dane says and elbows me.

I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone as cheerful in the morning as Dane.

“I’m not flirting,” I deadpan.

He laughs and then elbows Garrett who shifts to the side. “Yeah, Marcus and flirting can’t be strung in the same sentence. Am I right?”

A few people look back at us as he peels with laughter at his own joke.

“How long is this going to take?” I ask Garrett, who’s been sending his daughter here forever.

“Not long. Just an introduction and then they’re off to the groups.” Garrett’s all business all the time. “I need it over with now though. My foreman just called and that log cabin on Cedar Circle is due for inspection.”

I smile over at my friend. “That’s fantastic, man. What is that, four this year?”

His lips turn up slightly, but never a full-on grin. Never from Garrett. “Yeah.” He shrugs.

Garrett owns a small but successful company that builds log cabins. Some he’s built especially for the families, others he owns and rents out to tourists during summers.

“You still workin’ on the same boat?” Dane peers past Garrett, shooting me that annoying smirk.

“Boats and houses are two different things,” I remind him for the millionth time since we met.

“Boats have to float, but houses have to stay upright. Same difference if you ask me.” Dane runs his mouth, always happy to bust my balls.

I’m happy to return the favor. “Keep serving those shots of whiskey.” I raise my eyebrows in challenge.

For once I shut him up, but only because a familiar deep voice is now talking over the intercom.

“I’m Victor Pearson, the Camp Tall Pines owner.” Vic is a fellow member of the Single Dads Club and though we’re friendly, I’ve never seen him in this environment. “Thank you all for joining us this year.” All the kids cheer with their arms raised. Lily looks over her shoulder to me and I plaster on an excited smile for her benefit.

Her fingers run over her bead and thread bracelet. She’s nervous.

Vic continues talking about how he started this camp as a single dad himself seventeen years ago and how his own daughter now works here as a camp counselor. He apologizes that she’s not there for us to meet at the moment and explains that she’s off seeing to a couple of final details before the campers split up into their groups. A few other employees walk up on the makeshift stage. All of them are new camp counselors and they’re all young and appear eager to be here. They all seem cool, but I’m only concerned about one. The blonde from the parking lot that I now know for certain is Caterina Santora since Vic just introduced her.

So, she’s pretending not to know who I am? Interesting.

A half hour later, Lily and I are following the directions to the group Lily has been assigned to.

“See you tonight?” Garrett asks, doing the man handshake thing we do.

“Yeah.” I run my fingers through my hair, remembering that the library won’t happen for Lily since I have the Single Dads Club meeting tonight.

“See you guys.” Garrett turns and follows Sydney and her beehive of friends to the overnight camping area.

“Now don’t go getting confused. You might have as much facial hair and be as big as them but the Grizzlies are not your family,” Dane calls out, again, laughing at his own joke.

Garrett shakes his head and I’m sure that middle finger would be raised if there weren’t so many kids around.

“I love poking the giant,” he continues the jokes about Garrett’s size.

He’s big, that’s irrefutable, but Dane acts like he’s the comedian up on stage with how many Bigfoot jokes he tells at Garrett’s expense.

We come to a fork in the road—literally—I don’t mean that in a metaphorical sense. Toby’s green group heads to the right and Lily’s orange group veers left.

“I guess this is where we part.” Dane places his hand over his heart. “Call me.” He feigns sadness, clutching his white t-shirt, but as soon as we’re a distance away, his contagious laugh bounces off the trees.

“Uncle Dane is funny,” Lily says, clasping her small hand in mine.

“Yes, he is.” I agree and squeeze her hand.

We walk a few steps in silence and I know she’s nervous, but after her first day she’ll have made a ton of friends and be fine.

“Daddy?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say, continuing down the path surrounded by large earthy green trees that block out the sunlight.

“What if no one likes me?”

Realizing that this is going to be a heavier talk than I anticipated, I stop us on the path.

Bending down, my gaze reaches hers and I can see how worried she is. I wonder why she’s so self-conscious? Lily has always been eager to meet new kids and make new friends. She’s never feared the unknown, which is something I’m sure she inherited from her mom. This side of Lily, the tentative side, is me.

“Everyone will love you,” I assure her.

Her eyes cast down to that bracelet. When Lily was three, she had a blanket that she never went anywhere without. On the advice of some other dads in the Single Dads Club, I tried swapping it out with something else. I chose a bracelet. The ratty and worn bracelet now tied around her wrist, hanging on, literally, by a thread. Mistake number one thousand and thirteen I’ve made with Lily.

Her small head nods and she’s still not looking at me.

“Hey now.” I tilt her chin up with my finger. Usually my smile alone makes Lily giddy.

“Excuse me,” a voice sounds from next to us.

Lily and I both look up and I can’t stop my gaze from running over her body. Caterina is like a mirage that keeps appearing.

“Lily?” she asks and bends down to Lily’s level. “I have a cool bird feeder craft for us to do. Do you want to join us?”

Lily inches closer and her hand stays securely fastened to mine.

“I’m sorry, she’s not usually shy,” I comment.

Cat barely grants me a fleeting look before concentrating back on Lily.

“Come on. I promise we’ll have fun.” She holds her hand out, but Lily doesn’t take it.

“Can my dad come?” Lily asks and this time Cat’s gaze meets my eyes.

Only for a brief second and then she turns away. I know I’m a little older than the guys she usually dates, but I’ve been told I’m easy on the eyes. This girl was shoving her naked breasts in my face six years ago and now she’s acting like she doesn’t have a clue who I am.

Something primal unleashes inside me, roaring to life. Maybe it’s ego or maybe it has more to do with the spectacular woman Caterina has grown into, but I’m suddenly really f*****g perturbed that she doesn’t seem to remember me.

“Sure,” Cat says in a small voice.

Her blonde hair is short and sassy now, unlike the long braid she had the first time I met her. I thought all girls hit puberty by eighteen, but she’s developed more curves—her breasts straining her t-shirt and her shorts hugging the swell of her ass. As I’m busy checking Cat out, Lily takes her hand and the two stroll down the path toward a log cabin.

There’s a few other counselors in the room with kids mostly Lily’s age. I don’t see Mallory anywhere and the thought that perhaps I should try to switch her into her group comes to mind. Maybe it would set her at ease.

But after a minute Cat gets her started on the craft and Lily is busy chatting with the boy across from her. She hasn’t sought me out, so, I walk over to say good-bye.

“I’m going to go to work. I’ll be back for you at the end of the day,” I whisper in her ear.

“Bye, Daddy.” She kisses my cheek and quickly turns to tell her new friend about her Uncle Dane and all the bad words he says.

Great. She’ll teach all the kids the bad words during camp.

Unable to let the need to make Cat acknowledge our shared history go, I decide to approach her before I leave.

Her back is to me and she’s talking to another one of the counselors. The redhead she’s talking to notices me and her gaze flicks from Cat to me. Finally, Cat looks over her shoulder and turns to face me, though she takes a step back. She probably thinks I’m some p*****t dad who keeps eye f*****g her.

“Can I talk to you a sec?” I ask and she dries her hands with the paper towel she’s holding and heads out the door, not bothering to wait for me.

“Caterina Santora?” I ask and she nods, her expression blank without an ounce of acknowledgment in them.

“Yes, you’re Lily’s dad.” She places her hand out in front of me. “Nice to meet you. So she’s not normally this shy?”

She really doesn’t seem to recognize me at all. It’s probably better that way anyway. At least I know she won’t be taking my bad behavior out on my kid.

“No, that’s rare. I’m guessing first-day jitters maybe.”

She nods. “Well, she’s adjusting well now. The camp has your number so I’ll call you if there are any problems.” She moves to step away and I know she probably has a million things to do, but I can’t help trying to figure out if she really doesn’t recognize me.

“Yeah, okay.”

She smiles and starts walking back to the cabin.

“It’s Marcus,” I call out and her footsteps stop.

She slowly turns around and a small smile graces her lips.

“Marcus Kent,” I give her my full name, waiting for some form of recognition.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kent. Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of Lily.”

Then she disappears inside the cabin.

I get nothing more from her. Zip. Zilch. Nada. No hint of remembering who I am at all.

“Marcus!” Dane yells and I look up the hill to find him staring down at me, his phone in his hand.

I trudge back up the hill, my mind a jumbled mess. Dane’s watching some video when I get up there.

“See these Ninja Warriors? I’m thinking of building Toby one.”

“One what?” I ask while we make our way to the parking lot. “An obstacle course?” Seriously, where does he come up with this s**t?

“Yeah, to get him away from the electronics.”

“A broken arm is a better option?” I shake my head to myself.

“Come on. My kid’s more coordinated than that.”

“Why don’t you just have designated electronic time?” I ask, digging in my pocket for my keys.

As we approach the parking lot, I see that most of the moms are standing in clusters chatting. Garrett gave me a heads up about this. They’re here for one of two reasons. They’re gossiping or they’re waiting for the single dads.

“You know I hate rules,” Dane comments.

My eyes zoom in on a mom who definitely knows me, Krystal. She’s a single mom of three boys. She’s nice and all, but too up in everyone’s business for me. Plus, Krystal’s assertive and I’m not big on a woman who goes after what she wants like she’s a lion hunting her dinner.

“Huh?” I ask, not remembering what we were talking about.

“Electronics. Forget it, I’ll ask the group tonight.” He waves me off.

The two of us pass by Krystal and her gang of other moms.

“Hey, Marcus,” she coos. “Dane.”

Dane stops and I want to grab his arm to keep him moving.

“Krystal, lookin’ good.” He steps closer to her and she narrows her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, you want Marcus, right?” He chuckles. “Marcus buddy, Krystal likes you,” he pretends to whisper and the other moms all laugh. I’ve been warped back to the halls of junior high with his little display.

“I gotta get to the shop,” I say. “Nice to see you all again.” I nod and walk off, Dane following behind me. I’m polite and courteous, but I’m sure they all think I’m an asshole because I’m not interested.

“Later!” Dane calls out, folding himself into his car.

As I put my key into the ignition, the red flashy sports car across the lot catches my eye. There’s a Berkeley sticker in the back windshield.

She has to be messing with me. I can’t possibly be that forgettable, can I?