8. Crossing the Line

Kali had a pretty good imagination. According to her mother, it had always been one of her biggest weaknesses. It had come in handy when Miriam was small and wanted bedtime stories, but always expected a new one. Kali had no trouble coming up with new stories about fairies, pirates, and anything else Miriam wanted to hear about.

Despite her impressive imaginative skills, however, Kali would never have imagined that she would find herself sitting in Sean Wilder's backyard with him, watching her daughter play with his dog. And yet, that is exactly where she found herself the week after New Year's. She had not expected Sean to stick around after the shaky beginning he'd had with Miriam, but he'd stopped by on Christmas to bring her a present (a book that was about three years too young for her, but it really was the thought that counted), and had come by to spend time with her twice since then. Kali was impressed, but still a little skeptical.

This was the first time they'd been to his house, though, and Miriam had insisted on her mother's presence. Despite the fact that Sean was her father, she still felt a little awkward around him and having Kali around made her feel more comfortable. So, now Kali found herself sitting on a lawn chair in her high school boyfriend's backyard, sipping a cup of coffee and feeling like it was all a little surreal.

“She looks happy,” Kali commented aloud, watching Miriam laughing as Sean's golden retriever ran into her, nearly knocking her over.

“She does, doesn't she?” Sean agreed with a grin. He paused to take a sip of his coffee. “Thanks for bring her over, Kal, I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, she's your daughter too.” Kali shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Yeah, but still...you know she wouldn't have come without you. So thank you.”

Kali couldn't help shrugging again. It was like an instinct. “I've never kept her from you.”

She didn't mean it to come out like a slight, but it did, and she knew that Sean had taken it that way when he laughed in the sad, defeated way she'd become used to in the past few weeks. There was a slight impulse to apologize, but it disappeared quickly as Miriam came running up to her parents.

“Mom,” she began, out of breath from all the running she'd been doing. “This dog is totally crazy, I love him! Can we get one? Do you think Justin would let us get one?”

“Uh, I dunno, honey, but I'm sure your dad would love to have you come over and play with him anytime,” Kali replied, partially because it was true and partially as a peace offering to Sean for what she'd just said.

“Absolutely I would.” Sean smiled first at his daughter, then at Kali. The smile in Kali's direction was accompanied by the sort of wink he used to give her when they were teenagers. Some things never changed.

“Awesome!” Miriam exclaimed and then returned to her rough housing with the dog in question. As she departed, Kali noticed how dirty her clothes had become, something that Miriam would never have stood for when she was younger.

“You're helping break her of her girlyness,” Kali commented with a laugh. “Justin got her into basketball, now you have her running around with dogs and getting mud all over herself. All my hard work down the drain!”

“Yeah.” Sean laughed as well, but it was different from Kali's. She'd noticed that his laughs tended to reflect his feelings more than hers did. This one had an oddly contemplative feel to it. When he spoke again, she understood why.

“So, what's going on with you and Justin anyway?” he asked.

“Uh, I clean his house and cook his food, he gives me money. It's a splendid arrangement, really.”

“He also takes Miriam to father-daughter functions, comes up in every conversation with either of you ever, and buys her Christmas presents,” Sean added pointedly.

“I don't think I need to point out to you that she was kind of in need of a male role model,” Kali retorted.

“Yeah, but...your boss? Kind of weird.”

“Not really.” Kali shrugged and paused to take a sip of her coffee. “It just sort of happened that way. He's around Miri a lot, they click, he's really good with her...it makes sense that they got close.”

“And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“I dunno, you two just seem kind of chummy for you just being his maid,” Sean observed. He was clearly trying to get information out of her as discreetly as possible, but it was proving more difficult that he had anticipated. “And when I asked him about you guys he stuttered like a 14-year-old girl on her first date.”

Kali rolled her eyes, not particularly interested in discussing any of this with him. “Um, okay, when did you get so nosy?”

“I'm not being nosy, I think I have a right to know about the men in my daughter's life,” Sean defended himself.

“Yeah, well, I'm not your daughter.”

“Okay, touchy subject,” he realized, raising his hands in surrender. “I'm sorry I brought it up.”

“I'm not touchy, it's just none of your business,” Kali explained, trying to sound a bit less accusatory. “I'm not sitting here interrogating you about the women in your life.”

“Well, there aren't any.”

“Whatever.”

“Why?” Sean grinned slyly and Kali again had flashbacks to her teenage years. “You interested?”

* * *

“Wait a second, so that guy is actually buying a gift for the slutty secretary?” Justin asked me incredulously. A handful of popcorn had stopped halfway from the bowl to his mouth, as his jaw hung open in shock.

“Yeah,” I confirmed, glumly. It was my fifth time seeing Love Actually but Alan Rickman's impulse to cheat on Emma Thompson still got to me, much as it was now getting to Justin for the first time.

“Seriously? His wife is so nice, though! Why does he want to screw up a good thing? I mean, the secretary's not even that hot.”

“I totally agree.”

“Okay, Miri, here's option number five,” my mother's voice interrupted from behind me. She was getting ready for a date and had been parading her different outfits in front of me while Justin and I bonded over chick flicks. I tore my attention away from the television and turned to look at Mom.

“That's the one,” I stated immediately, no doubt in my mind. She was wearing a cream colored sundress, with a flowy skirt that stopped just above the knee, and a fitted top that showed off her curves beautifully. It was perfect.

“Yeah?” she inquired skeptically.

“Yeah. With your black ¾ sleeve sweater, and those silver dangly earrings Lanie got you for Christmas,” I suggested. “Ooh, and your strappy black sandals!”

“You're my favorite daughter!” She turned to the pile of accessories she'd left on the kitchen table to find said dangly earrings and I turned my attention back to the TV. “What are you guys doing?”

“Justin is finding out about what scum men are. It's making him very emotional,” I informed her.

“Because he's a 14-year-old girl?”

“Hey!” Justin protested immediately. “I'm just a sensitive guy, what can I say? The ladies dig that about-”

He had turned around to look at Mom, and had not only stopped talking, but nearly choked on his popcorn as his eyes fell on her. I watched him carefully as he watched her flip her hair to one side to put on one earring, then repeat on the other side. He looked even more stupified then he had been when watching the movie.

“Yeah, that must be it, because it's clearly not your eloquence,” Mom teased in response to Justin's unfinished sentence. She finished putting on the earrings and bent over to slip on the shoes I had suggested.

“Is that what you're wearing?” Justin abandoned the previous topic of discussion entirely.

“Yeah.” Mom paused to look down at her dress before looking back up at him and frowning. “What, you don't like it? Miri likes it.”

“No, I like it, it's just...isn't this your first date with this guy?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Don't you think it's a little...suggestive?” He chose the word carefully, but not carefully enough. I think my mother couldn't decide between being angry and annoyed, as she both rested her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes, signature gestures of each emotion.

“No, Mom, I think it's fine,” she replied sarcastically. “Miriam?”

“Looks fine to me.” I shrugged. The top was cut a little low, but I'd seen worse.

“But you're...I mean...it's all just kind of out there, don't you think? Up top?” He clearly didn't want to directly refer to her boobs, so he was trying to get the gist of it out without actually using the word.

“Oh my God!” It was Mom's turn to be incredulous. “Are you seriously talking to me about my boobs right now?”

“No! I never said that!”

“Dear Lord. Okay, I'm going to go put on a sweater. Will that make you feel better?” The tone was mocking, but I could see in her eyes that she was a little flattered Justin had even taken the time to notice and be concerned about her, in his own weird way.

“Yes, in fact, it will.”

Mom's eyes rolled again and she disappeared into her bedroom in search of the sweater. Justin turned back around on the couch, cheeks slightly red. I grinned at him.

“You totally like my mom,” I informed him.

“Don't you dare start with that again,” he warned me. “And no I don't , I just thought the dress was a little suggestive, that's all. You can't trust guys these days. Hasn't this movie taught you anything?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but there was a knock on the door, interrupting my train of thought.

“Mom, he's here!” I called, not moving from my spot on the couch. My mother and I had an understanding that when she went on dates, I did not have to answer the door. Largely because it was pretty much a rule from the time I was born that I did not meet or really find myself involved with the men in her life unless there was some solid prospect of a future. That rarely happened.

“'Kay, I'm coming,” her voice replied from the bedroom. Seconds later she appeared in front of us, hair flowing over her shoulders beautifully, makeup finished impeccably, and a glowing smile spread across her face. “Good?”

“Good,” I confirmed.

“Awesome. Wish me luck!” She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before bustling out the door to greet her date.

“Luck!” I called after her.

Justin said nothing, but it did not escape my notice that he was not watching the movie anymore. It wasn't until my mother was out of sight that he spoke. “We don't get to see him?”

“I never meet the guys my mom dates until later,” I explained. This was the first time Justin had been around for such an event, and he was clearly having trouble understanding the mechanics. “But I usually peek out the window to get a look at them.”

“Um, so what are we waiting for?”

He was out of his seat and over to the window even before I was, and I followed as quickly as much my shorter legs could take me. We huddled next to the window and peeked out from behind the drapes in the most inconspicuous way possible. A tall man with shaggy blond hair was leading my mother to his Jeep.

“He looks kind of...” Justin's voice trailed off as he tried to find the right word to describe him.

“Cute,” I supplied.

“I was gonna say 'homeless.'”

I had no choice then but to burst out laughing. “Yeah, okay, crazy guy. Let's finish the movie.”

* * *

Justin was always glad to get back to his own home after a long trip. He enjoyed being on the road and performing, but there really was no place like home. There was nothing like sleeping in your own bed with your own pillow and being surrounded by the people you cared about.

This trip, in particular, he had been anxious to get back from doing press on the new album. He had left just after the arrival of Miriam's father, and had been gone for four weeks. He had spent a lot of time wondering what was going on in his absence and how the girls were holding out with this new man in their lives. He'd spoken to Kali a few times on the phone, but they'd all been brief discussions and his curiosity had not been entirely cured. All he could gather was that Sean was around and that while Kali felt a little weird about it, everything seemed to be going all right. No actual details had been given.

So, as he pulled up into his driveway, he couldn't help glancing over at the Colobong house. He could see Kali sitting alone, a book in one hand, and a glass one of wine in the other. Miriam didn't seem to be home. Forgoing unpacking for the moment, he headed straight over there and rapped his knuckles on the door. He saw Kali's head shoot up from her book in surprise.

“Come on in,” she granted him entrance when she saw who it was.

“Hey,” he greeted her with a smile.

“Hey!” She set her book down on the coffee table and returned the smile. “You're back!”

“I am.”

“How was your trip?”

“Fine. Same as usual.”

“Good, good.” She set the glass of wine down as well and stood up. “Have a seat. Do you want some wine?”

“Uhhh, sure,” Justin consented, obeying the orders to sit. Having just been sitting for hours on the airplane and in the car, it wasn't really the most appealing prospect, but Kali seemed lonely so he decided to keep her company. “How have you and Miriam been?”

“Good. Things have been crazy with Sean being around and all, but it's been good I think.” She shrugged and handed him an extremely full glass of wine.

“Geez, think you poured me enough?” Justin laughed.

“Too much?”

“No it's fine.” He took a sip of the wine in question as Kali sat down next to him on the couch. “So, he's still around, huh?”

“Yep, he's still around.” Kali took a sip from her own glass, which she had topped off while pouring Justin's. “Every time he calls, I keep thinking, 'this is it. He's calling to say that he's leaving town and won't be seeing Miri anymore,' but so far, he seems to really be serious about sticking around.”

“Well, that's good right?” He asked the question as much to convince himself as to convince her.

“Yeah. Miriam needs a dad, he's her dad...it's perfect.” She didn't sound entirely convinced.

“Where is Miri?” It had just occurred to Justin that the younger resident of this house was no where to be seen.

“Uh, Disneyland. Sean took her today and she's going to spend the night at his place and come home tomorrow.”

“You don't sound particularly thrilled about this,” Justin observed.

“It's fine, it's just...” Kali paused and turned her body to face Justin's. She tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear before she continued. “Okay, I'm about to say something really horrible and stupid, and you have to promise not to laugh or tell me I'm dumb or anything, okay?”

“Promise.”

“Okay. It's just that I'm so used to being a single parent that I feel weird having to share Miriam with her dad, you know? Usually the only other adults in her life are my friends, so even if they spend time with her, in the end she always comes home to me and I always make the decisions about her life, and I'm the one she comes to for parental things. But now he's here and...I have to let him take her to Disneyland and stuff and it's not just up to me and...it's just weird.” She let out a sigh at the end of this and her shoulders slumped as if her entire upper body was deflating.

“That's not horrible or stupid,” Justin assured her. “Makes complete sense to me.”

“Yeah?” Kali asked skeptically.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” She shifted her body back so she wasn't facing him anymore and took another sip of her wine.

“Besides, you're probably just worried about her. 'Cause this Sean guy doesn't exactly have a great track record and the closer you let her get to him, the more chance there is of her getting hurt if he really does up and leave her again.”

“Yeah, you're right.” Kali nodded absentmindedly. “But if he does that, I'm going to kill him. I'm not even kidding. I will literally murder him if he hurts my little girl.”

“No you won't, because I will get to him first. My car's faster,” Justin pointed out when he saw Kali open her mouth to protest. “You can dance on his grave if you want.”

“Okay, cool,” she conceded with a small chuckle. It faded out quickly as a brief and strangely heavy silence fell between them, broken only by her slightly tipsy need to speak. “You're gonna make a great dad someday, you know?”

“I hope so.” Justin finished off his glass of wine. It had taken him far less time to drink it than it probably should have.

“You will,” Kali repeated sincerely. Her hand fell on his thigh, giving it a reassuring pat, and lingering there afterwards. “I'll definitely be a little jealous of the girl who'll get to call you her baby's daddy.”

“Well, you already make a great mom and whoever I end up with won't even be able to compare with you, so...” He left the sentence unfinished since he didn't really know how to finish it, and he let his hand cover hers and mimic her reassuring pat.

“Whatever,” she laughed, letting her head fall to the side so that she could look at him.

Justin again mimicked her actions, turning his own head towards hers until a pair of icy blue eyes were looking into deep brown ones. He didn't say anything, though, instead finding himself allowing his wine-stained lips to find hers.

It was almost shocking how quickly Kali's lips returned the pressure of his own, her hand finding its way to the side of his face and caressing it gently. Before either of them really knew what was happening, bodies were pressed together in an effort to feel closer, tongues were intertwining, and Kali was shifting her position so that she could straddle Justin's lap and face him more fully. Justin's hands slid underneath the hem of her top, itching to pull it off.

Eventually, they had to break apart to breathe, and Justin took the opportunity to bring up his uncertainty about the situation. “Are you drunk?” he asked breathlessly.

“Not really,” Kali replied. She began to trail kisses across his jaw and towards his neck, and Justin officially knew what it meant to have your breath taken away.

“Are you sure?”

“Don't ask me stupid questions right now,” she ordered in a mumble against his skin. She made her way back to his lips and nipped at the bottom one playfully before recapturing both in a passionate kiss. All stupid questions left Justin's mind. He finally allowed his hands to begin pulling at the fabric of her top and she leaned back, allowing him to remove it.