Book Boyfriends Wanted 10: His Curvy Genius

Xavier

I watched Karissa run toward the door and sighed. Dammit. It had been weeks, and I hadn’t made any headway with her. And now…

“Sorry, man. I didn’t know she’d take offense to that word,” Trent said.

I nodded. I knew. Friends was not even close to what Karissa and I were to each other. But when Trent asked me about her, McJenna was there and there was only so much I could say.

Judging by the look on Finley’s face, she got it, but she was on Karissa’s side, which meant I was even deeper in the doghouse.

I sipped my wine and let dessert happen around me. I ate the cake Karissa left behind, groaning in ecstasy and wishing I could tell her how much I enjoyed it. She was creative with her baking in college, but nothing came close to the delectable cake in front of me.

“Can I go into town tomorrow?” McJenna asked, drawing my attention back to the table. She’d joined us again when she heard there was dessert to be had.

“Sure. What do you want to do? I can take you after work.” I pushed my plate away and leaned back to look at my daughter.

She scrunched up her face and, for an instant, reminded me of her mother. Denise was quick-witted and funny, but she knew her tongue was sharp and would hold back. Not always, but when she did, she made the same face.

“What is it?” I asked, knowing J wanted to say something I wasn’t going to like.

“I kind of want to go by myself,” she mumbled.

“By yourself?” I arched a brow at my one and only child and wondered if she’d lost her damn mind. Nope, I didn’t need to wonder. She clearly had.

“Yeah. You keep telling me this is a safe town and that it’s a good place and all these things, but you hover around me like we’re in the worst parts of the city in the middle of the night.”

I stared at my daughter, my mouth opening and closing like a dying fish. She was right. I didn’t like it, but she was right. I had been hovering, and I didn’t trust her. I didn’t trust anyone. Not with my kid. She was mine, and the only other person on the planet who was supposed to love her as much as I did deserted both of us. How could I trust someone else?

“Why don’t you come to my store?” Finley suggested. “Maybe you can ride with me in the morning? There are a few shops close by. Cracked is down the street, and Blake’s working. You can wander but have places to go if you get bored or need a backup plan.”

I glared at Finley, but there was no heat behind it. She was helping, and I appreciated it, but I wasn’t ready for my baby to leave the nest. Even if the nest wasn’t mine.

“Please, Dad?” McJenna said. She smiled up at me, her baby features no longer visible as the young woman she’d become when I was too busy to notice pleaded with me.

“Fine,” I said, not liking the whole thing but knowing I had to accept it. She was right. I chose to move to MacKellar Cove for her. To get her away from the less than stellar life she was living in Niagara Falls. She didn’t have friends there, not good ones, and leaving meant a fresh start. It was good.

Moving to the town where Karissa lived was just a bonus. A pretty big bonus but still.

Finley and J made plans for when they would leave the next morning. I had a full day at the theater, which meant I wasn’t going to be around or available if J needed something.

My circle was getting bigger. I didn’t like it.

I cleaned up the dishes from dessert and started the dishwasher. I covered what was left of Karissa’s cake and put it in the fridge. Then I went to the patio to tell everyone I was heading upstairs.

“It’s not that late yet. You’re already going to bed?” Trent asked.

I nodded. “I have to be in early tomorrow. I want to walk through a few things before the contractors show up. They’re coming at six.”

“That is early. I didn’t realize. We could have planned this for another night.” Trent looked at Finley for confirmation.

Finley lifted George over her shoulder and patted his back. “Yeah, we definitely could have. I’m sorry.”

“It’s no big deal. Thanks for taking J tomorrow.” I leaned down and kissed the top of my daughter’s head. “Be good for Finley. And get some sleep tonight.”

“I will,” she said as she dodged any further attention. “I’m going to go to my room.”

I stood and nodded to my best friend and soon-to-be bride and followed my daughter up the stairs just as George started to fuss.

I said good night to J again and continued past her to my room. She waved without looking up, her nose in her phone.

I closed my bedroom door and groaned. My room was supposed to be an oasis, but it felt more like a prison. I owed everything to Trent, but that reliance on him was starting to feel like I was taking advantage of him. For years, our relationship felt unbalanced, but whenever I brought it up, he insisted he thought of us as family and wanted us around. It would destroy McJenna to move out of Trent’s estate, but it was time for me to stand on my own two feet. Nothing reminded me of that more than walking into a newly decorated room that I had zero attachment to.

* * *

The house was quiet when I got up. I showered in my private bathroom and snuck out, making sure I reset the alarm after I disarmed it.

The sleepy town of MacKellar Cove was dead so early. No one was out. I had to admit it was peaceful, even if the quiet gave me too much time to think sometimes.

The old theater was right in the center of town. Trent said it was a popular hangout when he was in high school, but it was definitely not maintained. Which was why we were doing a complete remodel. I wasn’t so sure about running it, but I didn’t have anything else to do, so I was jumping in with both feet and hoping I could pull it off.

The crew was nowhere to be seen when I arrived, but a silver sedan told me my assistant was already there.

I let myself into the front door, the door we all used for safety reasons, and found Genevieve sitting behind the counter with her computer open, typing away. She didn’t bother to look up, just pointed toward the coffeepot and baked goods. Neither of us were fans of the morning and had learned over the last few weeks to coexist but not interact unless absolutely necessary.

I started to feel awake after my breakfast. I took my time walking through the site and getting a feel for the progress we’d made so far. Trent didn’t give me a budget to work off of, but I was determined not to go overboard, especially once Genevieve laid out the income projections for the theater. With two screens and the reality of a small town, sticking to a budget was not optional. It was required.

The projection rooms were at the top of the list for renovation. Technology had changed so much that having a projector was no longer necessary. Movies were digital, which meant new equipment and a room that was clean and secure. Thankfully, it was cheap to do. The theaters themselves were going to be a different story.

The screens left hanging in the theaters were useless without a projector. They were also uneven and dirty. Getting rid of them was an easy decision. Finding replacements was not so easy. Neither was finding replacements for the seating.

A knock on the door had me returning to the front of the theater just in time to see Genevieve let the crew in. She tilted her chin back to accept a kiss from Teddy, one of the men on the crew and her husband.

“Are you awake yet?” Teddy asked her.

Genevieve shook her head and shuffled back to her seat behind the counter.

Teddy chuckled and followed the rest of the crew into the first theater.

“Today’s the day,” David said.

I nodded.

“And you’re sure about this?”

I looked over the sea of seats and nodded. We couldn’t leave them in. Even though I hadn’t found replacements that were anywhere close to the budget I’d set, I couldn’t leave the old seats in place. They were worn out and dirty. They squeaked every time they were moved. And they would ruin the entire experience of going to the theater if they were still there once everything else was finished.

“Okay,” David said. “We’ll yank them all out.”

I stood back and watched as he addressed his crew. He paired them into teams to work on the rows of seats. Each section was four seats together as one piece. Getting them out was not going to be an easy process.

“Have you thought about tables?” Genevieve asked. I didn’t hear her walk over, but she was standing next to me.

“Tables? In a movie theater?”

“Yep. I haven’t been in one like that, but I’ve heard about them.”

“I thought people wanted to relax. All the big theaters have those huge reclining chairs and wide aisles.”

“I know, but why do we have to do the same thing?”

I looked at her and tried to make sense of it. We were doing the same thing. We were showing movies. Why would someone want to watch a movie from an uncomfortable chair? Especially when they could go twenty minutes away and find a theater with the expensive recliners.

“It’s okay,” Genevieve said. “I was just thinking out loud. I thought it seemed like a fun idea. Especially if you themed the two theaters. One for families and one for adults only.”

“What does that mean?” I asked. “Adults only? We’re not showing porn.”

Genevieve laughed. “I didn’t suggest that, but glad to know that’s where your mind goes, boss. I meant you could serve alcohol and offer food and make it more of a dinner and a show kind of thing. Instead of just candy and popcorn.”

I stared at the open space. There were no steps that would limit how we set up the theater. The ground was sloped, but we could work with that. It was definitely an option.

“Dinner and a show? I think I like that. Let’s look at photos of other theaters and we’ll talk. Tables and chairs should be easier to find than theater seats. And cheaper.”

“I agree.”

I walked away as the idea rolled around in my head. It would definitely make the theater unique. And would create an appeal other local theaters didn’t have. It could be a great selling point.

David’s crew worked through the day, removing the seats from one theater until it was all bare floor. Once they left, I walked around, checking for holes and marks that would need to be repaired, marking them all with spray paint so nothing was missed later. The sticky floor was worse where seats had covered the mess left behind by years of neglect and not enough cleaning.

“Do you need me to stick around any longer?” Genevieve asked, long past time for her to have gone home.

“Nope. We’ll start to make a plan tomorrow and source some seating. Thanks for your help today.”

“You’re welcome. I’m excited to see this place open again. It’s been too long. Make sure you get out of here tonight. Your kid needs to see your face.”

I smiled and thanked her. She was right, but I wanted to finish just a few more things.

I went through the websites Genevieve sent me earlier of theaters set up for a show instead of just a movie. One of them had live performances in addition to movies, but I didn’t think that would be a huge draw in a place like MacKellar Cove. I couldn’t fathom very many people willing to perform for a small town audience.

The fourth place I looked at made me sit up and really pay attention to the design. It was eclectic with mismatched seating. Each table was different and none of the chairs matched. I loved it on sight, but I wasn’t sure if Trent would go for something so outside the box. Getting him to agree to tables and chairs was going to be a big enough leap, to have them all different might make his head pop off.

But I saw the quaint quirkiness of it and knew it was the right move. Getting a liquor license might not be easy, but Trent should have some pull. And if we couldn’t get a liquor license, we could allow people to bring in their own alcohol.

I never would have thought of any of it without Genevieve, but she was right. It was definitely going to make a difference.

After making a few more notes, I finally packed up and left the theater. The sun was sinking, telling me I’d worked too many hours yet again. I didn’t intend to work twelve-hour days, but I couldn’t let the work drag on. I needed the theater to open so it could start bringing in money so I would know I was contributing. Not that Trent needed the money, but I needed to know I wasn’t being a drain on him. Not anymore.

The house was lit up and loud when I got home. George was screaming at the top of his lungs, and Finley was crying. I stopped at the edge of the kitchen, wondering what in the hell happened, and caught Trent’s gaze.

“Everything okay?”

Trent shook his head. “George has been crying most of the day. Finley didn’t even go to work today because he woke up screaming, and we couldn’t get him to calm down.”

“Gas? Colic? New food?” I asked, pulling the things that upset McJenna from deep in my memory. Those years were a blur at the time, but now, I hated that they were gone. I would have loved to have had more kids. Especially with Karissa, but that wasn’t in the cards. Not then.

“We don’t know. It’s been a long damn day.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“You were working.”

“You still could have called.” I reached for George. Finley handed him over without hesitation. I flipped him onto my forearm and patted his back gently. He kept screaming.

“I need a minute,” Finley said. “I’m sorry. I just need a minute.”

I nodded and walked the baby out to the patio. He kept screaming, but I kept patting his back and moving around. I supported his head in my hand and rocked and bounced him.

“This has been the worst day yet,” Trent said, following me onto the patio. “He’s just been screaming. He hasn’t been like this before. I thought Finley was going to walk out.”

“She wouldn’t. She’s not the same.”

Trent didn’t reply, but he didn’t have to. McJenna’s mom walked out after a day like the one they were having. She couldn’t handle being a mom at all, but she definitely couldn’t handle a crying baby. Finley was not like that. Finley always looked at George with love in her eyes. Denise never looked at McJenna that way.

As I rocked and bounced, George started to quiet down. I felt his belly roll, like gas was working its way somewhere. He let out a loud fart, then whimpered and farted again.

“Damn, dude,” Trent said, staring at his son. “No wonder he was upset. We tried that, but it didn’t help.”

“He just wanted to share it with me. But now it’s time for Daddy to take over.” The stench was filling the air and making me choke.

“Oh, man. Are you sure you don’t want to finish the job?”

I laughed as Trent took his son. “You know I would if you needed me to.”

“Yeah, I know,” Trent said as he cradled his son against his chest. “I got it.”

I watched them walk away and missed those moments. I missed my kid. She was growing up far too fast and it wouldn’t be long before she was moving out.

Damn.

I took the stairs and knocked on the closed door to McJenna’s room. I let myself in when she called out. “How was your day?”

“I didn’t do anything. Finley didn’t go to work, so I sat in here all day. This place sucks, Dad.”

“J,” I warned.

“Sorry, but Dad, what am I supposed to do? I don’t know anyone. And if I can’t go out, I’m not going to meet anyone. Maybe we shouldn’t have left.”

“You hated it there.”

She grunted.

I got it. Nothing was good. And watching Finley and Trent create their own family was making my kid feel like she was a burden. An afterthought.

“It’ll get better, J. I promise.”

“You said that before, Dad.”

She was right. I did. One day I would be right.