No Strings

“And what if he doesn’t?”

“Then it’s his loss. Because I’ve only just met you and I already know you’re worth sticking around for.” I grab a container of pineapple and toss it to him.

“Eww, pineapple?”

“Best pizza topping ever.”

Chapter Five

Benjamin

I can’t think. Can’t focus. I’m trying like hell to get some work done, and my only thought is Savannah fucking Cartwright. She and her Southern accent and her goddamn sass are going to be the death of me. Between her messing with my workout routine, undermining me in my own office, and giving me attitude when I confronted her, she has my head spinning every which way.

Most women would’ve jumped at the chance to fuck me. But not her. She gave that shit right back and then walked away, shaking those delectable hips of hers. And of course my son likes her. If I’m honest, I’m a little jealous of the way they get along. As if they’ve known each other for years when they only met a few days ago. The kid is mad at the world, but not at her…

While we were eating lunch, she even got him to talk to me for a few minutes, something he hasn’t done in a long time. When we were done discussing our favorite movies, the remainder of lunch was spent with the two of them talking about random shit, laughing and joking. Without him even realizing he was doing it, he opened up to her. Through their conversation, I learned more about my son than he’s given me since he moved in. He hates going to a new school because he misses his friends and knows nobody there, which is hard for a freshman who’s been going to school with the same kids his entire life. Their football team sucks, so he doesn’t want to play. There’s a girl he has a crush on, but he’s not sure if she feels the same way. Of course, Savannah told him to go for it and gave him advice on how to go about it—in person and with her favorite flowers. The woman is obviously a romantic.

I put a call into his private school, and with a donation that could probably buy them a new damn wing, they’ve agreed to let Brody back in on academic probation. I’m planning to tell him tonight—and hopefully win some points.

When I eye the clock and see it’s just after four, and I’m clearly not going to get anything else accomplished today, I shut everything down and head out early—something I don’t think I’ve ever done before.

I stop by my dad’s office to see him, but when I ask his secretary if he’s available, she tells me he’s in a meeting. I shoot him a text, letting him know I stopped by and that we should do lunch soon to discuss our upcoming projects. It seems like since I’ve been home, aside from the one lunch Amalia insisted on, I haven’t seen much of him lately.

When I arrive at Savannah’s place, I knock, but the sound of music coming through the walls must drown it out because nobody answers. I knock again, and when it goes unanswered, I turn the knob to see if it’s unlocked. My kid is in there after all. The door opens easily, and I walk in—I’ll have to mention to her later that even though our building is safe, she’s still in New York and needs to keep her door locked.

When I step over the threshold, I’m shocked by what I see—although, at this point, nothing Savannah does should surprise me. With the music at a deafening volume and their backs to me, Savannah and Brody are standing in the kitchen, flipping what looks like pizza dough into the air. Brody’s head is thrown back in laughter while Savannah shakes her ass to the beat of the music, singing the lyrics at the top of her lungs. The entire area looks like a flour bomb exploded. The white powder covers the counters, the floor, their faces and hands…

Flashbacks of my mom flipping out over messes in the house sneak up on me. Of her trying to bake cookies with us but getting upset when we got icing everywhere. Of Amalia begging for Play-doh and then getting spanked when it got stuck in the carpeting. Every memory, every holiday, every family moment was tainted. Eventually, we stopped trying to create new memories and did our best to avoid making Mom mad. But we were young and still did things to upset her until the day she had enough and ended her life.

Brody glances at Savannah, raising the pizza dough roller to his lips to join in the musical duet like they’re on stage. His smile is spread across his entire face, and his laughter is so loud, I can hear it over the music.