Red Ochre Falls

by Kristen Gibson

  I hoped it would be easy for me to find work since most college interns and part-timers would be headed back for fall term. Being young and eager should help me land something, right? Trouble was, I wanted a job that paid well with flexible hours—to leave early on class days, and take off whenever mom needed help. Basically, I needed a miracle. Jocelyn helped set me up with an interview at a local law firm. Maybe I’d get lucky.

  I dressed in my best navy suit mom bought me for college interviews. It still looked new, and was the most professional clothing in the closet. The tailored skirt and jacket paired well with a white blouse, nude pantyhose and heels. I tied on bright scarf with yellow flowers for some added color, then spritzed my hair and brushed on some blush and mascara.

  Not only did I look sharp for the interview, but I also felt better since our run-in last night. I might even see how Garrett responded to my polished look, although, it didn’t matter because I felt good all on my own. My confidence soared as I grabbed my bag to leave.

  “You look great,” mom said when I stepped into the living room.

  “Gee, this old thing.” I twirled. “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck, sweetie. I know you’ll do great. If they’re smart, they’ll hire you on the spot.”

  “Thanks, mom. See you later.” I leaned over, kissed her on the forehead and headed downstairs.

  The car was in the garage, so it was necessary for me to walk to the back office and through the back hallway in order to leave. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Garrett, but got a nice compliment from Hank on the way out. The garage door gave me trouble, but after a little nudging it flew open. My car didn’t screech at startup this morning, which was a pleasant change. I backed the car out, and left it running while I got out to close and lock the garage door—no remote openers in this old place—and drove to the interview.

  The office was impeccably decorated. The receptionist sent me back through a set of mahogany stained wood doors inlaid with glass. A woman with short black hair and a chic grey dress looked up at me over a large desk. The light from two overhead chandeliers reflected metallic flecks on her lips and nails—not what I expected in a conservatively decorated law office, but she made it work.

  “Mr. Myagi is expecting you.” She pointed toward a row of conference rooms. “Second one on the left.”

  They must have recently remodeled because the fresh paint smell overpowered my senses—I thought she just called the guy Mr. Myagi. “Excuse me. Who?”

  “Mr. Myagi.”

  “You know Mr. Myagi is—” I started to say it, but a short grey haired man stepped up and shook my hand.

  “Yes. I get that a lot, especially since I’m Asian. At least it gets me free coffee every now and then. So, I’ve learned to own it.” He smiled. “Well, grasshopper. If you’re ready, I’d like to ask a few questions.” I chortled at the grasshopper comment, and sat down to talk with him.

  After about thirty minutes the interview was almost over. I wasn’t sure the questions he asked me really highlighted my strengths as much as they pointed out my inexperience. So, I took the opportunity to reiterate my dedication and drive—it might have been better to call it desperation, but I didn’t want to scare him and ruin my chance to land this job.

  He made some more notes before the interview concluded and I went on my way. Overall, I thought my chances were pretty good, and the Jocelyn connection could only help.

  I had to book it out of there in order to meet Chloe, but was going to be late, so I texted her. When I finally got there, a number of people posed by Fountain Square and shot pictures, probably to share with family, friends, and social media followers. It looked tempting, but I’d have to find Chloe first.

  I scanned the crowd on the south side then moved clockwise until I’d covered the whole area around the fountain. She wasn’t there. Something felt off. She asked me to meet her. Sure, I was late, but I’d sent her a text to let her know it. She should be here. I sent another text and paced back and forth while I waited for a response. By the time twenty minutes had passed, I took another pass then ducked into a hotel café nearby. She didn’t appear to be there either, so I ordered a soda while I decided what to do next.

  I paid for the soda and left some change. As I hurried out, eager to do another search I noticed one of the pedestrians from the fountain at the café. Not Chloe. I tried looking again, but got frustrated and walked to my car.

  The entire way things played out in my head. Chloe’s sudden call after a long hiatus, and the call from her mom seemed explainable, but the visit from Tab bothered me. Footsteps followed, and they shared my pace. Usually, foot treads sound different until the person tailing you slows or passes you. It wouldn’t have been weird except it sounded like they’d been there for more than a block. I sped up slightly and the person behind me did the same. My car came into view and the keys were already in my hands. As I put the key in the lock someone grabbed me by the shoulder.

  “Mattie,” he said.

  “Ack!” I turned and saw Derek. My heart pounded in my chest and I was about to keel over.

  “Oh, my gosh. I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, you scared me.” I breathed hard.

  “I’m so sorry. I saw you and thought I’d say hello. I tried to get your attention, but you seemed distracted and kept speeding up.”

  Of course I was distracted, I really needed to get to the bottom of this. I needed to find Chloe. “I was supposed to meet a friend and she ended up being a no show. I guess she got so busy at work she forgot to cancel.”

  “Her loss is my gain.” Derek smiled. “Do you want to grab a coffee?”

  “I should get back home, I’ve got to find out what happened to my friend.” I looked at him and noticed the chiseled features of his face. He was handsome, but I had other worries.

  “How about another time?”

  Derek seemed really disappointed. I caved.

  “Sure.” I didn’t know what else to say. He seemed nice. I figured one coffee couldn’t hurt. I could maybe pick his brain about the business and learn more about the Davis and Mackenzie families.

  Derek helped me into my car and waited while I got it started. My spotted chariot decided this, of all times, to crap out. Even though I cranked it and pushed the gas, the car made a chortling sound and died. My face went beet red. Derek held back laughter.

  “Can I give you a lift?”

  “Please.” I made sure to slam my door shut before locking and leaving it. There was no way this could be good. And it was most likely going to cost a lot to get my car fixed. It’d take a lot of work to earn enough to pay for repairs. I figured Derek and I could make the most of the ride, and I’d tell mom all about it right after I took a nap.

  Turns out, Derek had pretty good instincts. Having been around the funeral business his entire life, he said he noticed how bothered I was by it when we met. Not hard to miss a panic-stricken girl bolting across a busy street and nearly running a guy over just to get away from a dead guy. He was able to put me at ease about the whole living and working with dead bodies issue I seemed to be having this week.

  He pulled his Lexus up the driveway and parked. When did we get here? It didn’t seem like we’d been in the car long enough to already be home. Oh, well, I thought. As I unbuckled, my car door opened.

  Garrett extended his hand to help me out. I didn’t notice him when we pulled into the driveway. When did he get here? My brain must not have been fully functioning today—my interview felt a little flat; I couldn’t find Chloe; and guys were magically appearing before my eyes. Maybe a nap wasn’t the only thing I needed.

  “Is everything okay, Mattie?” Garrett sounded concerned.

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “Just some car trouble.” Derek walked over to us. “I saw her downtown and offered to give her a ride.”

  “How nice of you.” Garrett’s voice had an edge to it.

  “Yeah, my car bit the dust. I’d h
ave had to call a tow service, and cab it back here if Derek hadn’t been there to help.” Then I turned to thank Derek only he hugged me instead. I don’t know if I was more uncomfortable or Garrett, but we both thought Derek’s move was a little over the top. I didn’t hate it, but it felt weird with an audience. I stepped back. “Thanks, Derek. See you soon.” I did an uncomfortable wave at the elbow because I wasn’t sure what else to do besides wave goodbye.

  Garrett gave him the stink-eye to indicate it was time to leave. Derek smiled. He got in his Lexus and we watched him drive across the street and go inside the house.

  “I’m hungry,” Garrett said out of the blue. “How about you?”

  “Me too.” He might have noticed the hesitance in my voice.

  “Sorry, Mattie. I’m glad you got back okay. There’s just something about the guy I don’t trust.”

  I tried to analyze his expression—was it a mix of concern and regret? I couldn’t tell—but decided to leave it alone for now and get the lunch I’d missed. I’d search for Chloe and deal with my broken car later.

  “I could eat. But, I need to check on mom first.”

  “Sounds good. Think you’ll be ready in twenty?”

  I smiled and nodded.

  “Mattie? You’d better change and bring your bat.” He winked. “I’ll meet you in the front office.” I watched him turn and walk away before I ran up the stairs.

  Mom was fine, disappointed our car broke down and that Chloe stood me up, but happy to hear I made it to the interview, and got a ride home without much trouble. She reminded me Aunt Eileen planned to visit, something I’d forgotten about until now. I mentioned Garrett’s offer for food, and she told me to go ahead. There may have been a slight hesitation when she said it, but it was hard to tell. This didn’t need to be a big deal. My plan was to play it safe: we’d eat and we’d talk, nothing more. Easy, right?

  I changed into khaki shorts, a light blue t-shirt and tennis shoes. After a quick touch-up, I stuffed my ID case in my shorts, hugged mom and grabbed my bat on the way out.

  “Wait here, I need to check something in the back room,” Garrett told me when I reached the front office. “It shouldn’t take long.” He put his phone in his pocket and jogged out the door.

  I hadn’t been here, except to peek when we took our first tour of the place a few days ago. The front office, located just inside the glass doors at the front of the house, looked more formal than the back office. The guys planned funerals with grieving families in this office. The room projected style and professionalism, and a designer’s touch ensured it felt like it belonged in a grand old Victorian home.

  The focal point of the room was a cherry stained writing desk framed by two large cherry bookcases that stood against the wall a couple feet behind the desk. A deep burgundy leather chair sat empty at the desk. Opposite the desk was a floor lamp and a small round-top table situated between two Queen Anne chairs. Large windows behind the chairs and table let in an abundance of natural light. Beige sheers covered the windows.

  I peered out one window for a few minutes contemplating the day. When Garrett returned, he had on shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes, like I did. Only his t-shirt hugged his upper body muscles like nothing I’d ever seen. I swallowed hard and he smiled.

  “You ready?”

  “Ready for what?” I had some idea, but at the rate my day had gone, asking seemed like a smart move.

  “A stress reliever.” He took my hand, then lead me out the front doors. This was not the Maserati from the other night. It was a big Ram truck, and looked newer than any car I’d ever owned. He opened my door and helped me up. He got in on the other side and started it up. Can trucks really look this good? I ran my hands all over the inside to find out. He made a couple noises and handed me a granola bar.

  “Here, you look hungry.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t get lunch and I have major truck envy.” I ate the first part of the granola bar. He pointed to some water in the cup holders so I could wash it down.

  “Hopefully, it’ll tide you over until dinner.” He started the truck and we took off.

  Dinner? Who said anything about dinner? I would’ve been happy to get a snack bag of chips, and a little chitchat about the weather. This ran dangerously close to actual date territory. I got nervous so I devoured the rest of the granola bar and went along for the ride.

  When we got to the batting cages, he directed me to an open one on the end.

  “I like to be on the end. It’s less distracting.”

  “Huh. Me too.”

  Although he brought a shiny new bat out of his trunk when we arrived, he reached for mine.

  “Do you mind?” he asked permission.

  “Go ahead.” I shrugged and gave it to him. As he walked over to feed the machine, he handled the bat almost with reverence.

  “Not a lot of bats like this around these days.”

  “I know. Metal is king, but it’s a little too shiny for me. Plus, metal bats just don’t sound the same as wooden ones.”

  “I know.” He turned and smacked the crap out of the first ball that came out of the machine.

  Impressive, I thought. Let’s see if it was just a lucky shot.

  He swung again. The bat extended out, then up and over as he sent the next one flying. It was a nice shot, too.

  “Do you play?”

  “Not for a long time.” He popped the next one foul.

  “Why not?”

  “Just haven’t had the time. Or the desire.”

  “Yeah, I can relate.”

  He cracked another, and another. Then he turned the bat toward me.

  “Wanna try?”

  “Sure,” I said. Not sure how this would go, I started to get antsy. Once I had the bat, though, things calmed.

  “Just pretend it’s your ex,” he joked.

  I turned my head to glare at him and missed the first ball. “Very funny.” I settled back in, more determined than ever to whack the snot out of the next ones. Crack. Crack. Crack. I hit them one after the other. Then started to pull my hips too much and hit a couple fouls.

  Garrett put his hand up for me to stop and walked closer to me. “You probably know this already,” he said, and put his hands at my hips. I gave him a death stare.

  “Easy now.” Garrett pulled his hands up then motioned to see if I would let him put them back. I didn’t think I needed a baseball lesson, but it felt nice having him try. I gave him the okay nod. “You’re trying too hard. Relax and wait just a second more before you swing.” He was right. My body was tight and it messed up my swing. But, was he really talking about batting, or was it something more? I wondered.

  I tried to remain calm, but Garrett used his hands to steer me through a slow-mo swing. He looked and smelled so good I almost dropped the bat. He pushed my arms into position and slowly moved his hands back down to my hips. So much for food, talk, and nothing more. This felt thrilling and dangerous. I needed to get a grip. Only, he did it for me. He backed away and motioned for me to swing again. “Go on.”

  Another ball went by as I regained my composure. I listened for the whirring sound and then the thump as the machine launched the ball. This time I was ready and hit it right on the sweet spot. Much better.

  We traded off a couple more times before we left.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “I could eat.” I really could eat.

  “I feel like Italian. How about you?”

  Boca is known for really good food, and I was seriously hungry after our workout. But, I barely had twenty dollars to my name, and really good food costs money. So, I wasn’t sure if I should say yes, but I really didn’t want him to leave.

  “Sounds great.” I’d either eat breadsticks, or forgo food for a while to afford dinner. It didn’t matter. I just wanted to find out more about him.

  We talked about the day’s events and ate a good meal. He seemed interested to know more about Chloe and Tab, and had a few words about Derek showing up out
of the blue. I got the distinct impression he and Derek had a problem with each other, not sure what the problem was, but it may be part of the rivalry Garrett’s dad, Hank, mentioned when we met. I would’ve prodded, because it’s my nature, but he was already doing me a favor helping me unwind and paying for dinner—he told me during our early dinner we’d also stop by and check on my car, which was still downtown, probably racking up parking tickets.

  The city started to glow from sunset and evening lights when we got to the contraption I called transportation. He parked behind it then held is hand out for the keys. I obliged since they were on the ring with my house keys, and wished him good luck because he was going to need it.

  We exited the perfectly polished truck. I stood next to the decaying car as Garrett got inside and turned on the ignition. It made a feral noise, like it might start, but then stopped. It wouldn’t even turn over on his second attempt. He shook his head, then patted the dash and pulled the keys out. We went back to the truck and climbed inside.

  “What?” I tried to sound defensive, but it was hard to sound tough when he looked at me like that. “I know it’s not the most stylish, but at least it’s paid off.”

  “I didn’t say anything,” he defended.

  “You didn’t have to. I’ve seen your gorgeous cars. The Maserati you drive to work, and now this new Ram.”

  “You noticed that, huh?”

  “Hard not to notice.” And it’s not just the cars, it’s you. I thought to myself. You’re a hard guy to miss. I had no idea if it was only in my head, or if he’d really set his sights on me, but the way he acted had me excited and anxious. Why couldn’t I keep things straight when he was around?

  “Good. Now that we’ve established you noticed the cars. What do you think about the guy?”

  Gulp! This guy was direct. Um, where to begin? Your charm and wit, your gorgeous eyes, or maybe it’s your superhero biceps? I went to la-la land for a minute as I contemplated his good qualities.

  “Speechless is good, right?”

  “Most of the time,” I blurted. My smart aleck comment made me feel a like I’d regained some self-control. Only, it didn’t take long for his warm scent and blue eyes to distract me again. I exhaled long and slow. Self-control around him was difficult to maintain.