Freefall

by Tess Oliver

  I shook it at him.

  His heavy lids lifted, and he stared up at me. “What? I was just cleaning some shit out of the storage in the garage. I found the box and brought it in.” He was quite drunk, but it still seemed as if he was making up the story as he went. The man was definitely up to something, and none of it was good.

  I decided to tell him that Grady attacked me in his kitchen. Maybe he would at least stop Grady from coming to the house. I tossed the note at him.

  He had a hard time focusing on the words. “You’re making that up. When were you ever alone with him?” He wadded up the paper tightly in his fingers. It was obvious he was trying to convince himself that it was a lie. It was better for his ego.

  “Do you remember the other day when he came back out to the pool limping?” I wrote.

  His lips pulled tight as he read. Again, he wadded the paper up in his fist and then he looked up at me. He was still hoping that I’d made it up.

  I stared down at him and lifted my foot up and down to explain Grady’s limp.

  He leaned forward and took another drink. With amazing speed for a drunken man, he flew off the couch and grabbed me. His breath was stale with alcohol as he pulled me painfully against him. His hand was pressed directly over the bruise, and I winced as he squeezed it. “Don’t you think I know that every man who meets you wants to fuck you? Do you know what it’s like to watch every asshole we pass on the street stare at you? Even that goddamned tattoo artist looked like he wanted to jump you right there on his table.” He tried to kiss me but scotch had impaired his aim, and I easily dodged his mouth. “But you belong to me, and no one else will have you. I will see to that. No one can take you from me when we’re married.” He released me so abruptly I stumbled back several steps. He dropped back onto the couch, and I hurried up to my bedroom.

  I was certain his outburst had nothing to do with Nix. Lincoln had no idea I’d been seeing him or that his grandmother was the lady I sat with. This had something to do with business and the sudden appearance of the posters. Lincoln had gotten himself in deep with something, and it seemed I was involved too.

  CHAPTER 21

  Nix

  I’d spent two hours working on a highly detailed screaming skull tattoo while listening to the guy tell me about the creepy fetish he and his girlfriend had about having sex in places associated with dead people. Apparently, they liked to climb the fences of cemeteries at night and run around naked. Funeral homes were particularly high on their list for having a raunchy good time. They’d even gone as far as bribe the night guard at a coroner’s office so they could go at it on the exam table. I was glad to see him go.

  Like some stupid, pining teenager, I’d check my phone a million times for a text from Scotlyn, but the only text that came was from Clutch who said he’d been out looking for Taylor who had not come home last night. I hadn’t heard from Scotlyn since I’d dropped her off on her corner. At least now I knew where to find her if I didn’t hear from her.

  Cassie came in while I was cleaning equipment. “Your eleven o’clock is running late. Should I get some lunch? I’m starved.”

  “I wouldn’t say no to food,” I said.

  “Dray texted that he is taking his mom to the airport tonight. I think he’s taking her leaving harder than he’s letting on.”

  “Yeah, probably.” It was amazing how well she knew, Dray. When you love someone, you sense every feeling they have. Whether they talk about it or not. I was definitely learning that fast.

  “Anyhow, he said if he doesn’t show up at the Lucy by midnight, he’s lost in the hell that is LAX.” She laughed. “You’re supposed to come looking for him.”

  I filled the trays for sterilization. “He’s on his own when it comes to that place. It’s almost easier to build your own pair of wings and learn to fly than to drive into LAX.” I carried the trays to the autoclave.

  Cassie watched me, and I knew she was itching to ask me something. She leaned up against the counter and crossed her arms. From the familiar expression on her face, I knew what was coming next. I was about to be a patient in one of her psychoanalysis sessions. “So, Boss, care to explain your moodiness?”

  I slid the trays into the autoclave and looked back at her. “Don’t know what you mean.”

  “Oh, come on, Nix. I’m about to bring out my bottle of Midol. You’re a grump. You’re depressed. Are you retaining water?”

  I smiled at her. “It’s about a girl.” I said not really wanting to say more.

  Her eyes went round behind her giant lenses. “Nix Pierce has a girl thing? No way. It is unheard of.” The front door opened and I was relieved that Cassie got pulled out of the room. “Hey, Taylor,” Cassie said.

  I picked up my phone and texted Clutch to let her know she was at Freefall.

  Cassie poked her head in back. “Do you know where Clutch is?”

  “I just texted him. He’s been out looking for Taylor.”

  Cassie stepped into the back room. “She looks like crap,” she whispered.

  Taylor had her arms wrapped around herself, and her shoulders were uncharacteristically slumped. Her copper hair was uncombed and tangled, and the usual layers of lip gloss were absent.

  “Hey, Taylor, what’s going on?”

  Her eyes were red from lack of sleep or too much weed or a combination of both. “I lost my phone and I was trying to reach Clutch.” Her voice broke as if she might burst into tears at any second. Taylor usually radiated with cheeky self-confidence, and it was really hard seeing her like this.

  “Clutch has been out looking for you. I let him know you were here.”

  She still hugged herself tightly and nodded weakly.

  “I was just going next door to get some food,” Cassie said. “Do you want something, Taylor? You look hungry.”

  ‘No, thank you.” Taylor reached up and tucked her long hair behind her ear with shaky fingers. Her earlobe was covered in dry blood and she was missing several of the tiny hoops that usually lined her ear.

  “Let me get you something to clean that ear.” I spoke calmly, certain that she would bolt like scared rabbit if I moved too fast. I walked into the back and picked up the container of sterile wipes. She didn’t look at me as she plucked out a cloth.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  She winced as she wiped the blood from her ear. I pulled another cloth out and wiped the rest of it off.

  “My dad ripped them out,” she sniffled, “he said they made me look like a whore. He threatened to send me to a boarding school for my last year of high school, so I left.”

  “Maybe you can still talk him out of it, Taylor. Running away is just going to make you miserable and upset him more.” I didn’t know much about her parents except that I’d always thought that they’d done something right. She might have been wild, but Taylor had the carefree confidence that most seventeen-year-old girls could only dream of.

  Taylor peered up at me. “Why does Clutch hate me so much?”

  I smiled. “Do you really think he’d spend the whole day looking for you if he hated you?”

  My question seemed to brighten her mood.

  “I’ve got some water bottles in the office. Are you thirsty?” I asked.

  “Water would be great.”

  I returned with the water just as a massive silhouette filled the front window. Clutch nearly yanked the door off its hinges as he walked inside. Relief added some color back into his face when he saw Taylor was all right.

  “Please don’t yell at me,” Taylor said between sobs.

  Clutch shook his head and crossed the room in two steps. Taylor fell into his arms and cried. She was tall and thin like a runway model and she nearly disappeared in his embrace.

  My phone buzzed, and as much as I hoped to see a text from Scotlyn, it was from my sister. “Call me when you get a chance.”

  Now that Clutch was here, Taylor didn’t need anyone else. I walked into the back and called Diana. “Hey Di, it’s me.”r />
  There was a long pause, and I knew instantly something was wrong. “Diana?”

  “Hi Alex, we need to talk. Are you free at all this afternoon?”

  “I can have someone cover for me. What’s wrong?”

  “We just got back from the doctor’s.”

  There was a lead ball sitting on my chest. “Is her mind getting a lot worse?”

  “Actually, the vitamin B shots seem to be helping. Cognitively, she was about the same as last time.” Her dramatic pauses were killing me.

  “So why do you sound so awful?” I asked.

  “It’s her heart. It’s weakened a lot since her last physical.” She spoke quietly into the phone. “Nana’s lying down, and I don’t want to wake her. What time can you come by? We need to make some decisions.”

  “Shit, shit, shit,” I said more to myself than into the phone. “I’ll be there in an hour.”

  I hung up and sat down hard on my work stool. The aroma of onions floated into the back room. Cassie hung her head in. “Food’s he—” She stopped and walked over to me. “If you’re still moping about the girl—”

  I looked up at her. “My grandmother’s heart is failing.”

  “Jeez, Nix, I’m sorry. What are the doctors going to do?”

  “Not sure. I’ve got to go see my sister. Can you get Dexter to come in and do some tattoos?”

  “I know he’s been looking for work. I’ll call him right now.” She turned to leave but then looked back over her shoulder. “Clutch was walking Taylor out to his car. Said he was taking her home.”

  “That’s good.”

  “When is he going to admit to himself that he loves her?” Cassie asked.

  I smiled. “I think he already has. He’s just not letting Taylor in on it.”

  “He’s almost a bigger jackass than Dray.”

  ***

  I pulled up in front of Nana’s house. Each year that I grew older, the house looked smaller. Even the massive mulberry that I’d spent time climbing looked smaller. Diana’s car was still in the driveway. I’d almost hoped that she wouldn’t be there. I wasn’t really ready to talk about any of this yet.

  Scotlyn hadn’t texted me all day and I wondered why. If I texted her there was a chance that Hammond would see it. That was the last thing she needed to deal with.

  I was halfway up the walk when my phone buzzed. “I couldn’t text earlier. He’s been following me around the house today. Like an annoying pesky fly.”

  I was relieved to see that she was all right. “I was definitely waiting to hear from you.”

  “Having a good day?” she wrote.

  “Nah, it’s a rough day. I would give anything to see you.”

  “Fly is back.”

  That was her last text. I stuck my phone in my pocket and walked inside. Diana was sitting at the kitchen table reading the notepad with Nana’s memoirs. Scotlyn’s handwriting immediately evoked a reaction in me.

  Diana’s mouth hung open in surprise. “Did you know Nana was in love with a man before she met Grandpa?”

  “I don’t think she wanted us to read those notes yet.” I stood behind Diana and glanced over her shoulder at the writing. “Whoa, way to go, Nana.” I sat down across from my sister.

  She finished reading the notes. “Well, you always did take after her— in every way it seems.” My sister’s favorite hobby was being judgmental. She suffered a lot from older sister syndrome.

  I pulled the pad of paper out from under her fingers and turned it over. “So what are the doctors going to do for Nana?”

  “Not much. She’ll have some prescriptions to take but her heart is weak.” She leaned forward. “Alex, she can’t stay here alone anymore. I took her to a few places on the way home, and she seemed to like the idea of having other people her age to talk to. The places are expensive. I know you and your friends like to use Grandpa’s Big Bear cabin when you go snowboarding, but we’re going to have to put it up for sale.” She glanced around the kitchen. “This place will have to go as well.”

  I slumped back in the chair. “How did she take the news about her heart?”

  Diana fingered the corner of the notepad and laughed softly. “She said it was a blessing.”

  “Why?”

  Diana’s eyes watered as she spoke. “She figures now she’ll go before her mind goes.”

  My selfishness in not wanting to ever lose her had never let me think in those terms, but her reasoning made perfect sense. I pushed up from the chair. “Whatever needs to be done, Diana.” This time, it seemed, I had no choice but to surrender. The hallway floorboards creaked as I slid into Nana’s room. She was fast asleep with her quilt tucked in around her. Just as the house looked small, she looked smaller and frailer too. I walked over and kissed her forehead. She didn’t even stir. I wondered how much of her past was floating around in her dreams still, and now, it seemed, those memories might at least stay with her until the end.

  Diana had her purse on her arm. “I’ve got to get back home. Dan picked the boys up from school, but he can never get them to sit down and do homework.”

  “You were always good at being the homework police,” I said.

  “Not that my tactics ever worked on you.” She sighed and looked at me. Tears welled up in her eyes, and I walked over and hugged her. “I wasn’t really expecting such terrible news from the doctor.”

  “Me neither, Di. Let’s hope the meds give her some long, quality time.”

  ***

  The rest of the day rushed by in a blur. Dexter filled in on tattooing while I tried to finish up paperwork in the office, but my concentration sucked. Cassie left early to run errands. Clutch came in just as she’d walked out. He plopped down on the couch in my office as I worked at the desk.

  “Hey man, Cassie told me Nana’s not doing too well,” he said.

  I didn’t turn around to look at him. “Yeah, it’s her heart.” I leaned down over my paperwork to let him know I didn’t want to talk about it. He knew me well enough to get the hint.

  “I talked to Taylor’s dad. He’s kind of rough around the edges, but I think he’s just pissed at himself for losing control of his kid.”

  “Taylor’s not out of control,” I said. “She’s just a seventeen-year-old girl who likes to have fun . . .” This time I turned to face him. “Remember us as seventeen? I’m surprised we’re still alive.”

  “Hey, I was never as bad as you and Dray.”

  I laughed. “That was because you were more focused on money, and we were more focused on getting laid. You were definitely no angel.”

  He scrubbed his hair and it stood up in blond spikes all over his head. “What a long damn day. I’ve been out since six this morning looking for her.”

  “It’s almost as if you’re crazy about her or something.”

  Clutch leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs and shot me an annoyed glare. “Don’t fucking start with that crap again, Nix. I’m good friends with her brother. I was worried about her for Jason’s sake. I have a vested interest in the guy. We’re starting up that vintage car parts business together.”

  I shook my head and swung back around to my work. “All right. But the way she landed in your arms the second you walked into Freefall confirms that she is nuts about you.”

  “School girl crush,” he muttered. “She’ll get over it.”

  “Yeah, she will. I just hope you can deal with it when it happens.”

  “New subject. This one is making my head pound,” Clutch said. “That Corvette is so sweet, I think I may have to keep her. I’m definitely crazy about that little doll. Sleek and fast, the way I like them.”

  I glanced back at him over my shoulder for a second. “Uh, we’re still talking about the car, right?”

  “God, you’re an ass.”

  I turned back to my desk. An empty soda can bounced off the back of my head.

  The couch cushions sucked in air like a landed fish as Clutch stood. “Well, I’m going to meet th
e guy about the Pontiac. Hell, I thought people would be fighting for that damn car. Instead I’m driving it around town begging people just to look at it.” He stopped in the office doorway and turned back. “That’s a real drag about Nana.”

  “Yeah.”

  I was glad to lock up the shop. I’d only had a few cryptic texts from Scotlyn, and I had no idea when I’d see or talk to her again. But I would see her again.

  ***

  The pink sky of dusk crossed the horizon and the choppy waves of late afternoon had flattened to smooth curls. It was about fifteen degrees cooler out on the harbor than in town, another perk of living on the water. Flat gray clouds had drifted in making the sky darker than usual.

  My neighbor, John, was just leaving the dock as I stepped on it.

  He always gave me a naval salute instead of a regular greeting. “If I had a beautiful girl like that on my boat, I would not have kept her waiting so long,” he said.

  “Are you talking to me?” I asked.

  “Who else— the seagulls?”

  My heart sped up along with my pace. I reached the Zany Lucy but was there was no one on deck. It was definitely a day of disappointment, and stupidly I’d assumed it had been Scotlyn, which seemed highly unlikely the more I thought about it. I climbed on deck and went to open the cabin when light steps sounded on the dock behind me. I turned around.

  Her blonde hair swirled loosely around her tanned shoulders, and the thin cotton material of her sundress clung to her body. She smiled down at me and hugged herself against the cool ocean breeze. And for now, all the crap of the day disappeared.

  Scotlyn put her foot on the top step and my hands were on her before she got to the second one. I held her tightly as I swirled her around and lowered her feet to the deck. The dimming light of the day made her look almost unreal, too beautiful to exist.

  “It’s been a bad day,” I said, “please do not be a mirage, or a figment of my imagination, because that would really suck.”

  The faintest smile turned up her lips, and she reached up and put her hands around my neck. She lifted to her toes and kissed me, lightly at first and then her arms tightened and her lips parted. My tongue drifted over her lush bottom lip and the urgency deepened. Our mouths stayed pressed together as I awkwardly reached behind me and opened the door. We stumbled inside still gripping each other tightly.