by Freya Barker
"I know, but Caleb will be over shortly and he’s picking up Beth. Also, Joe is going to be back soon to fill us in on some progress he has made with respect to Julie's disappearance. He found out about half an hour after he left here this morning."
I feel so guilty. With everything that has been happening Julie has been on my mind, and I’ve been worried about her, but I haven't been focused on it, and that just seems awful. Seb seems to clue in to where my thoughts are going.
"Don't Arlene. The best thing you did for her was take down that son of a bitch and give Joe a chance to question him. You can't be responsible for everything, worry about everything. Not all the time. We do it collectively, and we have not let her down. Not as a group."
My eyes flit over to Gus who has listened in and he nods his agreement.
"He's right. You are not solely responsible for the concern over others, we all are. No worries. No recriminations, okay?"
Yes. Strangely I am okay with that. Something comes to mind that my ever-so-wise friend Emma will toss at me on occasion; 'You are no good to others if you don't take care of yourself first'.
Lunch is delicious, of course, and by the time I have scarfed down yet another muffin, which is undoubtedly going to make a re-appearance on my ass somewhere later, Caleb and Beth have arrived reporting for cleanup duty. I have awesome friends.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"Sorry I couldn't get back earlier. We had some more developments I wanted to check out before I drove back here."
Joe just walked in at Emma and Gus' place where we all have ended up at after a full afternoon of dirty work. Caleb and I got up in what used to be my apartment, but is now a burned out shell, to try and cover off as much of the hole in the ceiling to the diner as possible with sheets of plywood and tarps to keep the weather out as much as we can. With two contractors coming in from Cortez tomorrow and a third from Durango on Wednesday, we should have the three quotes the insurance company requested by the end of this week and hopefully can get work started as soon as the next.
The small stuff we were able to rescue has been cleaned off and packed up and tomorrow we'll make a few runs to the storage unit to get it out of the way. Once the dumpster gets there in the afternoon we'll be hauling trash. That ought to be fun. As much as I loved hanging around with Arlene, it feels good to be doing something productive. For some reason sitting at her house for three days felt like waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I am pretty damn sure there is another shoe that is gonna drop. Hopefully Joe has some news.
"First grab a chair and pull it up, Joe. You probably haven't eaten yet either and these guys have been at it all day, too. Eat." Emma waves her wooden spoon in the direction of the dining table that is already pretty crowded, but we all huddle together and Joe manages to squeeze in with a smile for Emma. No one messes with her when she is in nurture mode, especially not when she's been made to wait all day before she could unleash on us. Looks like she hasn't been out of the kitchen all day; dish after dish of salads, vegetables and rolls come out, and finally she calls Gus to help her bring out the roast. When he lifts the thing out of the oven, my mouth drops open and Arlene bursts out laughing beside me.
"Christ, Ems. The entire population of Cedar Tree coming for dinner? We better make room."
The thing is huge. Big enough to feed four families at Christmas. Gus chuckles and Emma whacks him with her elbow, blushing slightly.
"Bite me, Arlene."
"I'd rather bite that, but I'm afraid there is no more room on the table for that monstrosity. What is it? A buffalo?"
"Just beef and you're a pain in my ass. Just put it on the counter, Gus. We'll have to cut it here. Unfortunately, our resident smartass is right. It won't fit on the table." Emma admits grudgingly.
"That looks fucking amazing!" Joe says. "It's been forever since I've had a good home-cooked meal, let alone one that looks and smells like this."
Arlene gets up and starts taking drink orders. When she passes Emma, she throws her arm around her shoulders and kisses her head. "This is why I love ya." She says quietly.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." But Emma is smiling as she murmurs her response.
The food is amazing.
"We've been trying to track down the sister of the owner of Koko's. His full name is Matt Collins and his sister's name is Tanya Lopes. I got a call this morning from Monticello that they found a car registered in her name, sitting by the side of the road – abandoned, apparently with a flat tire. She's crossed state lines which makes this much more complicated on one hand, but on the other, it gives us a whole new set of resources. Since the car was found just north of town, the assumption is she was headed for Moab, where it’s relatively easy to get lost with all the tourist rentals they have out there."
Arlene is sitting beside me on the couch and has been twitching in her seat since Joe mentioned Matt Collins' name. I know what's bothering her.
"Joe." I interrupt. "Sorry to jump in but can you quickly tell us the condition of the guy? Has he regained consciousness?"
Arlene's hand tightens on my leg and I see Joe notice it as well. His eyes soften as he looks at Arlene and then at me.
"Should have started there, huh? Yes. Got that call when I was about to meet up with you at the diner. He woke up and was responsive and seemed lucid, so I wanted to see if there was anything he was willing to tell me."
A shudder runs through Arlene's body as it finally relaxes, leaning in against mine and I tighten my arm around her and tuck her in closer. She turns her face in my shoulder.
"I wasn't able to get a whole lot out of him before the doctor put an end to it. He’s been diagnosed with a severe concussion so whatever he comes out with at this point should be considered questionable - according to her." He emphasized with some bitterness.
"Her, Joe? What doctor would that be, someone we know?" Gus probes what we all sensed is a sore spot with Joe. Dr. Naomi Waters. No one knows why, but there was some serious chemistry there and a bunch of sore feelings, that was obvious. Other than a scathing glare in Gus' direction, Joe doesn't react.
"Here is what we do know; Mr. Collins' establishment was in some serious financial trouble until about four months ago. A sudden influx of money from an unknown source solved his immediate problems and has kept him afloat since. What we also know is that about two months ago, Mr. Collins started dating Julie."
"What?" Arlene exclaimed. "I don't understand. What do you mean, he dated Julie? She told me she had no one but her aunt."
"I'm not sure what exactly is going on, Arlene, but I aim to find out. The one thing to keep in mind though is that if Julie was his girlfriend, maybe she didn't disappear, but left willingly?"
Just like Arlene, I’m confused. I talked with the girl and she hadn't seemed like she was lying. She appeared to truly be distraught and upset about the problems she was having with her little one. Then again, desperation can make people do stupid things. She may have genuinely felt all those things, except not for the reasons she indicated. Who knows?
It's late by the time we get home and have a chance to shower off the remaining grime of the day. I suggest Arlene go first, but only because I want to walk in on her. I'm sneaky that way. She still gets a little self-conscious with her body from time to time and I want her to know how irresistible she is to me. Funny thing is, it doesn't just have to do with her body - well, that's a lie, it does - but it's the whole thing. Her taste, her smell, her spirit, humor and yes, her fantastic skin with the endless freckles, the awesome overflowing hands full of ass and her fucking endless legs. Never thought I'd fall for someone so unlike me in many ways, at least on the surface. Wasn't looking and bam.
Her head whips around when I slip through the shower curtain and settle in behind her slippery wet body. Rock hard already, my cock slips between her butt cheeks and instantly she freezes. I don't stop stroking her body, but slowly create some distance and angle my hips so when I pull her back against me, my cock is positioned again
st one cheek. I lean my chin on her shoulder and whisper, "Relax, love. Never fear me."
She turns and wraps her arms around my neck, nuzzling and kissing.
"Not you, just ass play."
Stroking my hand down to where I have a good hold of one of her ass cheeks while the other slides up her spine to her neck, I hold her gaze.
"You have a luscious ass that I love, that's all. I'll cop a feel, have a taste, get an eye full - but I will never violate that boundary unless you bring it down. Got it?"
She nods, but I'm not convinced.
"Arlene?"
"Sorry…" She is hiding her face now. "I'm pretty fucked up, right?"
Not wanting to stand in a shower that is slowly getting colder, I quickly wash and rinse us both, help her out of the shower and towel her off. A quick wipe down for myself and I take her by the hand to the bedroom and lift up the covers on the bed for her to crawl under. When she turns her back as I settle in beside her, I roll her right back and see tears brimming in her eyes. Fuck.
"What you give to me, Arlene is more than I ever thought was possible. The feelings you bring out are unlike anything… Well, anything. I already feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams. There is nothing to miss - there is too much to take in. Do you realize how unique it is to find what we have? With our backgrounds, both of our fucked up histories? We were a hundred to one odds. Who could have imagined that you and I would hit it off, let alone fall in love. I don't want perfection… you don't want perfection, we both want real and this is as real as it gets. Wrinkles, blemishes, nose hair and hang-ups… All of it."
"Love you, Seb." She smiles.
Fucking A. She did it.
"Know you do, Spot. Love you back." I lean down to kiss her when suddenly she pushes me off her.
"Wait a fucking minute! I don't have nose hair, do I?" She tries to get up out of the bed, I assume to get to a mirror and I can barely hang onto her as I’m about to piss myself laughing.
"Not you. Me." I manage to get out before she seriously injures me with her flailing limbs.
She immediately stills and ducks her head down to examine my nostrils. Great.
"I don't see anything."
"I trim them, Arlene. Now can we drop the nose hair?"
She climbs back in bed and right on my lap, pushing me back against the headboard.
"I love you and your nose hair, Seb. It's quite normal for a middle-aged guy, you know."
Brat. I smack her butt, grab a good hold of her in case she tries to take off and then I get her back good.
"I'm sure, love, except I'm only forty-two, not quite middle-aged yet."
Her mouth falls open and I can't stop my chuckle.
"Wha…You…Forty-two? I'm three years older than you?"
Gotcha.
CHAPTER TWENTY - THREE
"Fan-fucking-tastic…"
I've been sent into Cortez for some work-gloves and there are at least ten different kinds to pick from. How the hell am I supposed to know what they want? Bunch of asswipes, telling me I'm being a pain in their ass and to go 'cool off' in Cortez. All of them snickering too. Men. They thought it was funny I never knew Seb was younger, that I was pissed at him for never telling me. Well now I'm pissed at all of them since apparently everyone had been aware. ASSWIPES!
And Caleb is no use at all He is sent to babysit me and instead stays in the car yapping on his phone, so now I have ten different pairs of gloves and not a clue what to get. Fine. I’ll get them all. Three pairs of each; small, medium and large and if anyone has anything to say, I'm gonna flip even harder.
Caleb is still on the phone when I get to the truck and barely spares me a glance as he turns the key in the ignition and pulls out of the ACE Hardware store parking lot, then he checks back again and gives the three bulging plastic bags I have at my feet a cursory look.
"Do some Christmas shopping while you were in there?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. Got every one of my friends exactly what they deserve this year." I tell him with a snarky tone.
The "Ouch" from his mouth is far less satisfying when accompanied by the single raised eyebrow and that irritating self-assured smile on his face. Argh!
For the rest of the trip I keep my eyes directed out the window and try to figure out why exactly it is that I am so pissed. Do I really care that much about a three-year age difference? No, not particularly. Not either way. It makes me feel a bit more insecure maybe. What makes me mad is that I didn't know. Of all people, I should have been the one to know and I had no clue. I hate that I didn't know. Really, really hate it but that is really no one's issue but mine. Dammit, it's annoying when I find out I've behaved like an ass. Groveling is so not my style.
"Better?" Seb opens the door to the diner, takes the bags from my hands and pulls me close. For the first time since the night before, I look him in the eye. "There you are." In an instant his mouth is on mine and he is making up for lost time. That is, until Gus interrupts us.
"What the fuck? Arlene, were they having a sale or something?" He empties out the ACE bags on the table and we all stare at the mountain of gloves. "How many pairs did you buy?"
"Ehh, thirty? Maybe?"
Four pairs of eyes turn to me and I start to chuckle.
"What? I didn't know which ones so I got them all."
"We're stocked up now." Caleb throws out, cracking everyone up.
With the tension relieved and my hissy fit over, we can start pulling some of the damaged stuff into the parking lot, which is where the container should be dropped off sometime today. Beth and I handle the smaller things and the guys head straight for the kitchen, pulling out the appliances. Seb insists on checking them all first, even though the insurance company has written them all off. He has pulled one of the grill/oven combinations out first. He wants to try and salvage it for personal use he says. Okay then. Don't know where he'd put a big appliance like that, but I'm all for not throwing away what can be saved.
Thank God we haven't had any real precipitation since the storm the night of the fire. The ground is fairly dry and with the sun out it’s pretty nice, despite the frosty temperatures. I had held hopes that maybe we would be able to re-open before Christmas, but Seb was quick to point out that with temperatures hovering around freezing and the amount of work that needed to be done, not to mention the speeds at which insurance companies tend to part with their money, it was less than likely we would actually be able to accomplish that. It also gave me an idea. Once we have the quotes in and sent off to my insurer, I am taking Seb on a little surprise trip. I may not be good with words, but I know how to listen. He has done a lot for me, even without me realizing it, and this is a perfect opportunity for me to take care of him for a change.
The buzzing in my pocket drags me out of my thoughts and I don't recognize the number on the screen of my phone when I pull it out.
"Hello?"
"Arlene?"
"Julie? Is that you? Are you ok? Where are you? Is Liam with you?"
Beth, who is working side by side with me in the dining room must have heard the conversation because she disappeared and within seconds is back with Seb and the rest of the guys at her side. Gus mouths 'speaker' at me and I fumble with my phone to find the right button, just in time to hear Julie's voice again.
"They have Liam. I'm so sorry, Arlene. I don't know what to do, they have my baby!" The fear in her voice is enough to bring tears to my eyes.
"Hold on, honey. Are you alone?" I'm trying to follow the instructions that Gus is mouthing at me.
"Yes, I got away from her but I don't know where they are keeping Liam. Please help me!"
"Julie. It's Gus here. We're going to help you. Where are you right now?"
"A drugstore just inside Moab. She was holding me in an adobe bungalow outside of town but I managed to get away last night after she got a phone call, tied me to the bathroom sink and took off. I used a rusted side of the drainpipe and part of a chipped tile from the floor to get through
the zip ties. I ran all night. I'm so scared. I didn't know who else to call… She said the guy they work for has more power than the cops."
"You did good, honey. Is there anywhere you can hide out for a little while? I will make sure you get picked up as soon as possible, but I need you to keep out of sight. A storage room perhaps? Bathroom?"
"Yeah, I can."
Caleb already has Joe on the phone and he is listening in to Gus exchanging information with Julie. After I jot down the number of the drugstore for Gus, he reluctantly lets her hang up and turns to us.
"When you guys are done with the contractors here, would you mind heading over and staying with Emma or picking her up? I'd feel better if she wasn't alone, and I have a feeling Caleb and I will be busy."
"No problem. First contractor won't be here for another half hour, I can easily run and bring her here. She may have some good ideas for us anyway." I offer, but Seb is quick to grab the keys from my hand with a kiss and a whispered, "I'll do it", is off and running.
"Even better."
"How are you gonna get someone there so fast?" I ask Gus.
"They crossed state lines, Arlene. Federal involvement means better resources. Joe probably already has a helicopter on the way. She won't have to wait long, but we are not waiting for that; we have to find that little boy."
Just like that the atmosphere has changed and is now laced with a sense of urgency. Beth is standing off to the side, looking a little pale and I go over to check on her.
"You okay, hun?"
Shaking her head slightly and focusing her eyes on me, she appears to collect herself.
"Yes. I'm fine. Just… You know… Here we were, joking around all morning and even yesterday, so wrapped up in the diner and actually enjoying the prospect of getting a good start in when all this time poor Julie -" She’s obviously feeling the same guilt I was… I am.