by TJ Hines
Dani started laughing. "This is Micah. My fiancé. Not my brother."
Gemini smiled sheepishly at Dani. The guys looked back and forth at one another, not getting why Dani was laughing until finally, they got the confusion, and the most beautiful guy she had ever seen started gagging and Micah started laughing.
Gemini apologized to them. "I wasn't sure. I lived in Chicago and people used to say things about Southerners up there, so I was confused."
"No worries. We know you didn't mean anything by it," Dani said, grabbing Micah's hand who had grabbed another chair to sit by her. Jesse slid into the booth across from Gem and Gem's heartbeat immediately sped up. He was so close to her, she thought. She focused back on Dani.
"So, when do I start?" Gem asked, intentionally not looking at Jesse.
"About two hours ago," Jesse said. "Thanks for helping us out by the way. I'm Jesse, Dani's brother. Our other waitress quit when she finally got hired on at the factory. She didn't tell us until yesterday, so it left us in a real bind."
"It's really not a problem. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I needed a job if we were going to stay here."
"Dani mentioned you were moving here. Why? I mean there is like nothing to do here. At all. I've lived here most of my life and if I got the chance to leave I would, but Dani insists on staying here. And I love her. So here I am," Micah said giving Dani another kiss on the forehead.
“Our mom and dad died in a car wreck last year. I was awarded full custody of Destiny shortly after and we decided that there were too many memories in Chicago and wanted a fresh start so here we are.”
“Bless your hearts,” Dani said shaking her head.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Jesse responded.
“I get that. My dad died when I was little, and my mom moved us from Birmingham up here. Partly because there were too many memories in our old house. So why did y’all pick Hope?” Micah asked.
Gemini decided to be honest about this question and told the group that Taura, rather Destiny, picked the town because of the name. She thought it was fitting because everyone including them needed a little hope.
“So where are you guys staying?” Dani asked. Gemini looked out the window at Taura sleeping peacefully in the car. She didn’t want to lie to them, but she didn’t want them to look at her with pity either when they found out they had nowhere to go. She hated those looks.
The girls got them all the time back in Chicago because everyone in the neighborhood knew their mom was a druggie and didn’t take care of them. Neighbors always tried to give them food, but Gemini always refused, partly due to her pride and partly because she didn’t want anyone to know how bad off they actually were. It had been a while since those days. Ever since Gem started working, she was able to buy Taura better clothes, thrift store clothes but better than what they had. She took care of her baby sister and always put her first. Even if that meant admitting they needed help, like now.
CHAPTER SIX
"We don't have anywhere yet. I figured I would find a hotel or something for a couple of days until we found a place to rent," Gemini said.
Gem noticed Dani look over at Jesse who nodded back at his sister.
"You're in luck. We got a travel trailer you can borrow until you find a place of your own. Micah and I used to live in it until we moved in with my granddad last year. It's just been sitting there ever since," Dani said standing up. "I can take you to see it as soon as we close up for the day. It's not much but you are welcome to it until you find your own place."
Gemini didn't know what to say. She had never known so much kindness before. They all barely knew her, but they were willing to help her and Taura who were total strangers. Gemini had to look away as tears welled in her eyes. Gemini would normally decline the offer, but she had no other option at the moment and she really didn't want her baby sister sleeping in a car at a truck stop all night. So, she put her pride aside and accepted the offer.
"Great!" Dani exclaimed. "I'll take you and Destiny to look at the place in a few hours. We close up at three on Saturdays."
"Sounds good."
"Welcome to the family," Jesse said giving Gemini one of those beautiful, heart-stopping smiles again. Gem really had to learn how to control herself when it came to Jesse. She had more important things to worry about than boys at the moment. She smiled back at him and probably turned several shades of red.
Dani brought Gem some more of their famous lemonade. Micah and Jesse got up and finished bussing the tables. When Gem finished her burger, she started helping the team clean the diner up. If you didn't know better, you would think they had worked together for years.
Taura woke up an hour or so later and came back inside, sweaty hair matted to her head.
"It got so hot out there. Is that normal?" she asked Dani sitting at the bar as the group all worked around her.
"Oh yeah, and it will only get worse. Summers are brutal but you get used to them," Dani replied placing a strawberry lemonade down in front of Taura.
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that."
Before Gem could respond to Taura, the cop that had been talking to Dani and Jesse's granddad got up from the booth and walked over to the register, where the older lady, whose name was Sharon, began checking him out. Gemini's heart began racing again and she could feel her anxiety start to climb. She tried to casually walk over to Taura, who wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her, like a normal eleven-year-old.
Gem thought about making a run for it but realized that it would be fruitless because the cop was too close to them. So, she did the only thing she could do. She kept her back to the guy and blocked his eyesight to Taura as much as possible. The cop kept his head down as he left; his cowboy hat pulled low in the front.
Thank the Heavens above, Gemini thought. That was close. Too close. She really hoped that this wasn't an everyday thing for the cop, if so, she would have to find a better solution to keeping her and her little sister off his radar.
Taura settled in watching the rest go about the chores to close the restaurant while waiting on the few people who came through the doors. Most of them were travelers but Gemini did get to meet one or two locals. She met the only hairdresser in town, a middle-aged woman named Tammy, who swore that she did the hair of Mrs. Dolly Parton once when she was traveling through the area years ago. Gemini didn't know who Dolly Parton was and made a note to look her up when she had the chance. But she did think that Tammy was genuinely nice and friendly. Gem also met Mr. Roundtree, the Mayor of Hope. He seemed like a nice man even though it appeared that Mr. Johnson, Dani, and Jesse's granddad, did not care for him.
Dani explained that while Mr. Roundtree was the mayor, her granddad was the man everyone in town went to see to fix any problems that arose. He was the unofficial mayor. That, she said, annoyed Mr. Roundtree. She also said they had history and it wasn't good. Gem asked her what kind of history, but Dani just told her she didn't really know anything except it had to do with her mom and Mr. Roundtree's son. Needless to say, that when the mayor walked into the diner, Mr. Johnson, went to work next door at the mechanic shop that he owned.
Gemini didn't realize the time until Dani said it was time to close once the last patron had left. It was already a little before four. Sharon had already gone home for the day, leaving just the five of them to lock up. Dani told Gem to follow Micah and her home so they could show her the little trailer where the girls could stay.
Gem and Taura got back into their rental car and followed Dani and Micah to a little farmhouse about a mile, from what the speedometer said, from the diner. She didn't realize how close she was going to be from the interstate. Again, she decided that was a positive thing not a negative. They could make a quick getaway if they needed too. Of course, first, they would need a car. Gem made a mental note to put that on her list of things she needed to deal with later. It was an ever-growing list.
The farmhouse was quaint. It was painted a pale y
ellow and had a wrap-around porch on it. There was a small barn back behind the house, as well as a fenced-in area that looked to contain some type of livestock. Gem wasn't sure what though because she wasn't about to get to close in case the livestock bit. Neither one of the girls had much experience with animals, except for Mr. Bojo, of course. The most animals they got to see was at the zoo, which they had only been to twice in their lives since their mom started using drugs.
Gemini finally spotted the travel trailer parked between two giant trees next to the house. It was nice on the outside and had one of those pull-out sections to make it bigger. This was going to be their home, even if for a little while, and Gem couldn't have been any happier. She looked over at Taura who was as lit up as she was.
"We're home munchkin."
CHAPTER SEVEN
After showing them around Dani left the girls to head to the grocery store. She said something about cooking for them tonight as a thank you for saving their butts today. Again, part of Gem wanted to decline the offer, but she knew Taura needed to eat something substantial. So, she said thank you and went to look at their new home.
The trailer wasn't huge by any means, but it gave the girls a place to sleep out of the car and it hadn't cost her anything. That, of course, didn’t sit right with Gem so she decided to give some of her paychecks to Dani and Micah for letting them stay here until they found their forever home.
Taura was exploring the space and Gem really wanted a shower to wash the last day off her so she made her way to the tiny bathroom to check for towels. Luckily enough there were a few in there. Gem yelled at Taura to let her know to stay inside. Taura didn't answer but she knew she heard her. How could she not in this place? Gem stripped off her clothes and got under the running water. She couldn’t help but cry a little, partly out of relief to find such wonderful people and partly because she was scared. Scared for their future, scared of Taura's ability, and scared of being separated from one another.
She had been strong for so long. She had to be for Taura. But sometimes when she was alone, like in the shower, all she could do was cry. She thought it meant she was weak so she wouldn't let herself break for too long. She finished washing up, stepped out of the shower, and composed herself so that her sister wouldn't worry. As she was toweling off, she realized she had left their backpacks full of their clothes in the backseat of the car. She really didn't want to put the nasty clothes back on. She decided to quickly go to the car and grab their backpacks. They were in the middle of nowhere and the car was just in front of the door to the trailer. She decided it was worth the risk. So, she wrapped herself in a towel and started for the car.
She went to open the door up and she heard an "ouch". She quickly shut the door.
"Who's there?" she asked, grabbing the door handle so the person on the other side couldn't open it.
"Sorry, sorry. It's me. Jesse. I was just checking on you guys."
This was so embarrassing. At least he didn't see her in her towel. She hoped.
"Oh, my word. I am so sorry that I hit you with the door. I didn't know anyone was standing there."
"It's my fault really. I shouldn't have stood so close to it. So, can I come in? I need to grab a couple things from the bedroom."
"No! I mean, now is not a good time."
"What's going on?" Taura said walking back in the living room from the little bedroom.
"It won't take but a minute and then I'll get out of your hair," Jesse said.
Taura burst out laughing at the realization of what was going on.
"Shut it, Taura," Gem growled.
"She can't let you in right now Jesse 'cause she's naked," Taura yelled through the door while running away.
Gem turned fifty shades of red. How embarrassing.
"Oh man, I'm sorry. I'll come back later," Jesse said.
"Wait!" Gem yelled. She didn't want to take the chance of getting their clothes anymore, especially if Jesse was home.
"Can you get the backpacks out of the back of the car and bring them to me? Please," she pleaded.
"Of course. That won't be a problem."
Gem heard Jesse walk away and sighed. This was not how she wanted the evening to go, she thought. Jesse was back in a flash.
"I'm gonna leave them right outside the door, 'kay?" Jesse said before leaving again.
Gemini reached out the door, keeping one hand grasped around her towel so it didn't fall and lead to even more embarrassment and grabbed the backpacks. She quickly shut the door back and hurried to the bedroom to get dressed. She couldn't believe what just happened. Taura was still laughing from the other room. Gem was never going to live this down.
The girls had dinner that night with their new friends, including Mr. Johnson, who insisted on the girls calling him Junior. Dani made her famous fried chicken, which was great according to Taura. After dinner, Micah invited them to stay for game night. Taura got really excited by that idea but Gemini decided to decline the offer because they had had a busy day and needed to get to bed. She truly was too embarrassed to be in the same room with Jesse. She hadn't glanced in his direction the entire night. Taura kept snickering every time Jesse asked Gem a question.
On their way out, Dani gave Gemini the password for the WiFi, invited her to church in the morning, and told her they started work at 5 on Monday morning. Gemini's mouth almost dropped at how early that was, but she kept it together. After all, she was pretending to be a seasoned waitress, so those types of hours were probably normal. The girls said their goodbyes and started for the trailer when they were greeted by a giant of a dog. The girls screamed and didn't know what to do besides flattening themselves against the house.
Jesse and Micah ran out the screen door, followed closely by Dani and Mr. Johnson. Micah immediately started laughing at the scene before him, while Jesse called the dog over to him.
"Bear, come here boy."
Gemini thought Bear was a fitting name for the beast. If he had stood up on his hind legs, he would have been taller than Gem.
"Bear, come here. These are our guests. So be nice," Jesse said. "He's actually a very sweet boy. He won't harm you."
Bear sat down in front of Taura and started wagging his tail, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He lifted a paw for Taura to shake and shockingly Taura took it and shook the dog's paw. She then petted him like they had been friends forever. That girl and animals. They loved her and she loved them. Gemini was still a little more hesitant, but she had managed to pry herself off the side of the house. Which was a plus. Micah, Dani, and Mr. Johnson went back inside. Jesse stayed because he must have known Gem was still a little terrified of the dog, she thought.
"He's a Bernese Mountain dog. He helps around the farm protecting the goats and the chickens. He's a softy really. A big ole teddy bear. Aren't ya boy?"
Bear looked over at Jesse with a happy grin on his face, but he immediately returned his attention to Taura.
"He's very pretty. And huge. How old is he?" Gem asked.
"He's about two years old. His sister and brother are around here somewhere. Bear, here, likes to sleep on the porch."
"There are two more of him around here!" Gemini yelped.
"Calm down. They won't harm you unless you are a coyote or something like that."
“Well, I am definitely not a coyote.”
“I sure hope not,” Jesse said smiling at Gemini. She couldn’t help it, she smiled back.
Taura and Bear started playing together and she looked so happy Gem didn't want to pull her away. So, she sat down on the porch steps. Jesse sat down near her and they struck up an easy conversation about work and the town. Jesse did most of the talking and Gem decided after a little while that she could listen to him talk all night. His voice was so soothing and melodic. She thought he probably had a beautiful singing voice, deep and rich.
Taura continued to play with Bear who had found a toy for her to throw for him. Before long, one of Bear's siblings had made their way over to the g
roup.
"That's Allie. Bryant is around here somewhere. He's the more serious of the three. He doesn't leave the goats too often."
"Allie, Bear, and Bryant. Gotcha."
"Grandpa is a huge Alabama football fan." Gemini didn't watch football much; she watched more hockey than anything else growing up and that was before her mom sold their television. The games she caught now were either at work or the YMCA.
"Sooo, what did you do back in Chicago?"
Gemini almost made a huge mistake. She had gotten so into their conversation that she almost forgot she was Dusty not Gemini and that she wasn't a high school senior about to graduate. Thankfully, she caught herself.