Bourbon Blaze

by Deanna L Rowley

  Kilo shook his head and looked toward the front of the office. The three in the office heard the front door open.

  “Kilo!” They watched the dog as he turned toward the voice. In under ten seconds, Sean Kilduff stood in the doorway to Sophia’s office. After putting his hand on his dog’s head, he looked in.

  “Are you okay?” Sean asked.

  “I’m fine, why would you ask?”

  “Kilo didn’t scare you?”

  “No.” She explained how Kilo had made his presence known. “He knocked on my door, then sat in the hallway until you came in.” Sophia looked at Sean, “Why are you here? I’m nowhere near finished with your bike.”

  “I’m not here about the bike. I’m here because you haven’t returned my calls in over four days.”

  “We’re out of here.” Curt glanced at Sophia. If she gave any indication she didn’t want to talk to Sean, he’d step in. However, Sophia surprised him by jumping to her feet, going to the door first. She paused, looked at Kilo, saying, “Let’s go outside.” The dog jumped to his feet and headed toward the door. Leaving the adults to follow. Once outside in the parking lot, Sophia walked over to a corner away from the entrance. Not waiting for Sean to start, she turned on him, crossed her arms over her chest, glaring.

  “Why are you really here?” Sophia asked.

  Sean crossed his arms over his chest and glared back at her. “You haven’t been returning my calls. I know you’re pissed. I understand. Enough is enough, if you want to break up with me, say it to my face. I’m a big boy, I can handle it.” Kilo whined. Sophia reached out and put her hand on his head. Sean uncrossed his arms, keeping a steady eye on the dog, remaining silent. It’s the first time Sophia had given any attention to Kilo without flipping out. He stayed silent until she knew what she had done. Kilo must have thought the same because he sat there with a goofy expression on his face, not moving a whole hell of a lot.

  Sophia drew in a deep breath. “I’m not avoiding you. I was going to call you tomorrow or Saturday morning. I’ve got a lot to think about.”

  “Can I ask what the main thing is?”

  “Me.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning I’m messed in the head. I need to clear my head to wrap around the fact that I’m mad at Susan. I’m not going to get into it with you now. Just know that it’s something that I have to deal with. No one can help but me.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  “I know.” Sophia stepped away and began to pace in a tight circle.

  “Talk to me, Sophia. I’m not looking to put any pressure on you. Talk to me, at least, please.”

  Sophia studied the man standing a few feet from her. She stopped pacing to face him. “Fine, I’ll be the first to admit I went off when I found out you and Susan had a thing. I know it was years ago. I know I wasn’t in the picture back then. I know all this. I can’t get over you being with Susan, or that you’d want someone like me.”

  Sean scowled at Sophia. “What are you talking about?”

  “Look at me.” Sophia practically screamed as she ran her hands down her body. “I’m short, fat, and…” She couldn’t continue the statement because Sean stood before her. He reached out to gently grip each side of her face, leaned in, and kissed her. Several minutes later, he let her up for air. Both breathing hard.

  “Don’t ever call yourself that word. You’re curvy, healthy, and fit. I’ll be honest here because that’s the type of relationship I want with you, honesty at all costs. Susan called, she told me what happened. One of the reasons it didn’t work out with us, she wasn’t my type. Yes, she’s a smart, beautiful woman, she’s a great mother. We had no zing between us.”

  “Yet, you had sex with her?”

  “Yes, I did. I won’t apologize for what I did in my past. It’s the past. I won’t hold your past against you. Now tell me what’s wrong, because there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  Sophia looked at Sean, when she tried to lower her eyes, he wouldn’t let her. He took her chin gently in his fingers, keeping her face raised to look at him. “Talk to me, Sophia.”

  “Fine.” She tried to cross her arms over her waist, Sean’s closeness prevented it. She ended up putting her hands on his waist. “It’s my scars. How can you want me, I’m overweight, I’m covered with scars? If we’re going anywhere with this thing between us, how can you even want to touch me? I have a hard time when I shower. If I can’t stand to touch myself, how can I even ask you to.”

  “You’re not asking. How can we know if anything can develop unless we proceed? We can’t develop anything if you don’t answer my calls. I like you, Sophia. Last week, our date stayed with me for days afterward. I don’t mean to scare you. You could be the one for me. I’m thirty-four years old. I want to find the love of my life, get married, and have children. So far, you’ve been the one who’s checked all my boxes. At this point, I’m not willing to walk away, not before we get to know each other better. If you want me to, I will. The ball is in your court now. I’ll leave you to think about what I said. I hope you’ll agree to go out with me for our second date on Saturday.”

  “Can I ask where you live?”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know how late I’ll work on Saturday. I’m not ready to let anyone know where I moved to, yet. I hope you can understand that.”

  “I can.” Sean released his bent up breath. “If it would make you feel better, I’ll text you my address. It’s a straight shot down Seventh Avenue from here.”

  “Text me your address.” She drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I’m now going to ask you to give me the next couple of days to think. If I want this relationship, I’ll be at your place at three on Saturday afternoon. If I’m not there by three-thirty, then I’m not going forward. Can you live with that?”

  “Yes. Not that I like it. I can’t force myself on you. I hope to see you by three on Saturday.” Sean stepped back, called to Kilo. Together, they climbed into Sean’s pickup truck and left Sophia standing there. Sophia stood outside for several more minutes, gathering her thoughts. She made her way back inside the office. She saw Scott and Curt standing in the hall. She waved her hand, indicating she was fine.

  “Everything’s all good. Did you decide if you’re going to call Ginny?”

  “We thought it would be better for you to call her.” Curt smirked as she shook her head at them. “I don’t want to tell her Justin’s been talking about her family’s situation.”

  “Me? What can I say? I don’t know her or her situation, only what Connor said. We don’t even know if she’s looking for a job. Who knows? Maybe her old man left her rich.” She sighed, rubbed her forehead. “Give me her number.” She took the paper Curt handed her and went into her office. For the first time in a month, since she’d started working at HALO-Iowa, Sophia closed her office door. She had to wrap her mind around the call she was about to make. Sophia needed to separate the conversation she’d had with Sean moments ago. With her thoughts in order, Sophia picked up the phone to dial.

  “Hello?” Came a soft female voice over the phone.

  “Is Ginny Alexander there, please?”

  “Speaking, who’s calling?”

  “You don’t know me, my name is Sophia Swanson, I work at HALO Customs.”

  “Can I ask why you’re calling me?” Ginny asked after several moments of silence.

  “I’m sorry if I offend you. My cousin’s son, Connor Phillips, told me his friend Alyssa Alexander’s father left them. We here at HALO are looking for someone to run our front office.”

  “What do you mean to run your front office? What do you do?”

  “My boss is Curt Bannerman. HALO Customs is a motorcycle repair and design shop. There are ten employees. Curt and I are the designers. We do custom paint jobs on the bikes. Right now, Curt and I are answering the phones, placing orders, scheduling repair and paint jobs. Waiting on people who walk in. It’s not leaving us time to do our own job.
We’re reaching out and offering you a job if you need it.”

  “What are the hours?”

  “Monday through Friday eight to five, Saturday’s eight to noon.”

  “What’s the pay? What about benefits?”

  “Why don’t you come in and we can interview you.”

  “Is your boss Justin Pritchard-Bannerman’s father?”

  “Yes.”

  “I can be there in an hour.”

  “Good, we look forward to seeing you. Oh, when you come in, call out, Curt and I will either be in our offices or out in the shop. If you can’t find us, go down the hall and through the door at the end. It leads to the shop, I’ll let them know we’re expecting you. They’ll come and find us.”

  “Thank you, I’ll see you soon.” Hanging up, Sophia went to find Curt. She told Randy and Scott someone would be there in an hour to interview, to come get them out of the booth.

  “How did it go?” Curt asked as he looked up from the design he was airbrushing.

  “She’ll be here in an hour. I told Randy and Scott to get us. I mentioned she’d be the office manager, and I gave her a short list of her duties. I told her what Connor said. She never denied it. I didn’t push. She’s very interested in benefits and pay. Instead of answering her, I asked her to come in.”

  “Good call. I’ve talked it over with Chris. We agreed with what you and I discussed. We’ll both interview her if you prefer.”

  “I do. I’m going to continue working on Sean’s bike. If everything goes right, I should be done in a few days. And no, I don’t want to talk about what happened earlier.”

  Curt gave her a nod. Together, they leaned over their individual jobs. Not looking up until someone pounded on the door of the paint booth.

  “Randy.” Curt asked the man who poked his head in. “What’s with all the noise?”

  “Someone here to see you.” Randy stepped inside. “A woman said Sophia called her, please tell me you’re going to hire her.”

  “Why?” Sophia asked her friend.

  “She’s gorgeous.”

  “Oh, well, if it’s Ginny, yes, we’re going to interview her. You need to go slow, if at all.”

  “Why?”

  “According to our sources, her husband left her and their children less than a week ago. We don’t even know how many kids she has. We know of one twelve-year-old girl. Don’t know if there are any more.”

  “I call bullshit, there’s no way that woman has a twelve-year-old. She looks too young. I understand what you’re saying. I’ll back off, don’t ignore her because she got my motor running. I know when to make a move or not.” Randy said to Curt. “You can trust me.”

  “I know we can.” Curt slapped his shoulder. He and Sophia cleaned up before going into the front office. Sophia went in first. She saw a woman sitting in a chair, wringing her hands.

  “Ginny Alexander?” Sophia asked as she approached. The woman jumped to her feet. Sophia noticed she wasn’t over thirty. “Hi, I’m Sophia Swanson. This is Curt Bannerman. Thank you for coming in. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’m fine, maybe water.” Curt handed her a bottle from the small refrigerator in the front. The phone rang, Sophia and Curt looked at each other. Ginny laughed, watching the two people do the childish game of rock, paper, scissors. On the third ring, she walked over, picked up the phone, and answered.

  “HALO Customs, how may I help you.” She listened and put the person on hold. Before she could say anything, both Curt and Sophia said.

  “You’re hired.” After the phone call, they interviewed Ginny. They ended up hiring her on the spot as the office manager. They’d have to work around her schedule because she had three children. At the end of the interview, they were all happy with the plan they had come up with. Curt had said that in a pinch, Ginny could bring the younger boy. After Ginny left, Sophia and Curt high-fived as they went back to the paint booth. Knowing Ginny would be starting by nine in the morning.

  16

  The last hour Sophia worked, she found she couldn’t concentrate. Curt had left for the day. She cleaned up her work area, closed up, climbed into her car, and drove out to Susan’s house. Sophia noted Susan’s car in the driveway as she exited her own vehicle.

  Unsure of her reception, Sophia made her way to the front door. She knocked and waited. Sophia was surprised when Susan answered it. Sophia thought she caught a look of fear on Susan’s face before she broke into a smile.

  “Sophia, come in.” Susan stepped back, calling out to Connor. The young man limped to the door and hugged Sophia.

  “Are you moving back in with us?”

  “No, I’m here to apologize to you and your mother. I left here mad, I should have talked things over with you, Susan, before leaving like I did.”

  “Don’t apologize.” Susan directed Sophia to follow her to the kitchen. Sophia noticed Connor stayed in the living room as the women went to the other room. Susan dished up a plate setting it in front of Sophia.

  “Tell me you’re not living in your camper.”

  “I’m not, I found a nice place to live.”

  “Are you going to tell me where it is?”

  “I don’t know if you know him, but Randy Fry is one of my co-workers. He works in the repair shop. He told me Monday that he had moved into the main house and had a doublewide home available for rent. He lives way out on Seventh.”

  “I’m happy for you.” Susan sat across from Sophia. She didn’t waste any time before she blurted out. “I’m going to start. I need to apologize to you first. The first thing is that it was uncalled for me mentioning Tomas the way I did. I wasn’t there, I had no idea what you went through. I’m sorry I threw him in your face. Second, I had no right to tell you about Sean and I. The night before you left, I’d received some disturbing news. I lashed out at you. I can’t tell you about it yet, but it’s something I’m dealing with. I’ll be the first to admit yes, we’re cousins, we’ve known each other for a month. We both know it takes time to develop trust. I’m glad I was able to offer you a place to live until you could get on your feet. Am I upset you’re not living here? Yes and no. Yes, because I want to make sure you’re okay. I feel like your older sister. No, it’s good you’re out on your own. I need you to promise me something, though.”

  “What?” Sophia asked as she cut into her meatloaf.

  “If you need anything, money, a place to crash, a shoulder to cry on, a drinking buddy, or someone to rant or rave at, call me. Just because you’re not living here, doesn’t mean I want you out of my life.”

  Sophia didn’t know what to say. She stood, went over and hugged Susan. Wiping tears from her eyes, she sat back down.

  “Yes, I can promise. If you need me for anything, contact me. Even if you need Connor to come to the shop after school. He’s more than welcome to come home with me. I’m still going to need cooking lessons.”

  “Is there room where you are to cook?”

  “Yes, it’s actually a three-bedroom, two bath home. The kitchen is twice as big as this one. I think you’d love it. All of its features are lost on me.” The two women shared a laugh, easing the tension between them.

  “If you and Connor want to come over to my place for Thanksgiving, you’re more than welcome. Remember, I can cook Rice Krispies treats.” She laughed at Susan’s snort.

  “You’re on. If you have the room, can we come over the night before? Spend the night? I’ve got those four days off. I can go grocery shopping on Wednesday. Connor and I can come over after he gets home from school.”

  “He won’t be going to Justin’s?”

  “No,” Connor said from the doorway. “They’re leaving the weekend before. They’re going to Uncle Chris’s in Florida.”

  “Huh, Curt hasn’t said anything to me. I’ll have to talk to him tomorrow. Would you like to come over to my place?”

  “Sure, I’ve been listening to you two. I don’t know what happened, but I’m glad you’re back to talking to each
other. Mom’s been upset since you left.”

  Sophia stood and hugged the younger boy, she stepped back, he asked. “You’ll be here at my party on Saturday? It’s at two in the afternoon.”

  “Can I bring someone?”

  “Sure, let them know I’m going to be thirteen.” He grinned like a Cheshire cat, when the two women laughed. Sophia left hours later, feeling better about her relationship with her cousin. Now she had to call Sean to tell him to meet her at Susan’s on Saturday. On the way home, Sophia stopped for groceries. Leaving the store, she looked around. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She paused several times on her way to her car. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

  At home, she unloaded her car, and made sure the doors were locked. For the first time in her life, she felt unsafe. Feeling on edge, she doubled checked the locks before taking a quick shower. Sophia planned to call Sean after climbing in bed, she fell asleep, only to have nightmares of dogs attacking her all night. The alarm went off, Sophia groaned and dragged herself to her shower. She washed away the demons from her dreams.

  After dressing, she fixed herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Leaving for work, she looked around, aware of how isolated she was. Hurrying to her car, she made sure she was locked inside before she even started it. Driving into work, Sophia kept glancing at the sky. She didn’t understand what she saw. In the parking lot, she exited her car, locking it, looked around, and saw Curt pull in. Sophia waited for him to exit his truck, she noted he didn’t lock it, she wasn’t comfortable leaving her vehicle unlocked yet.

  “Morning.” Curt called out, heading toward the front door of the office.

  “Curt, can I ask you a foolish question? You’re not allowed to ever pick on me about it.”

  “Sure.” Curt smirked.

  “What’s this?” Sophia held out her hand, Curt stared at her, she pointed to the sky. “Is it snow?”