by Marla Monroe
The two men walked in and shook hands with David and Mitch.
“Joe turned himself in as soon as he made sure they were taking care of his daughter. We didn’t have to look for him. He admitted everything you told us and gave us the gun, which by the way, wasn’t even loaded,” the first policeman said.
“He better be glad he turned himself in and wasn’t running free out there,” Mitch muttered.
“Mitch,” Adonna warned.
“Just saying.”
“Are you pressing charges? I know you said you weren’t earlier…”
“What the hell?” Mitch and David demanded at the same time.
“No, I’m not. As I understand it, you’re pressing charges on brandishing a gun at the hospital when he demanded they take care of his daughter, so I would think that would be enough to punish him for making bad decisions. Is his daughter going to be okay?” she asked.
“She is for now. She needs a bone marrow transplant. She has leukemia and they don’t have insurance or money to get that kind of treatment,” the second policeman said.
“What about Shriner’s Hospital or St. Jude, or Lebonheur?” Adonna asked.
“She’s on the waiting list and they still need money to get there and such. It just doesn’t look promising. I feel for them, but he’s not making good choices.”
“I suppose it’s hard to when you’re desperate,” Adonna said.
“That’s true,” the first police officer said.
“Hope you feel better soon. We need to get back to work now,” the second officer said.
“Thanks. I’ll be fine.”
The second they were gone, both men jumped all over her.
“What do you mean you’re not pressing charges? He held you up and hurt you, Adonna. You can’t let him get away with that,” Mitch said.
“He’s suffering enough, Mitch. His daughter is dying. If they can’t get her to one of those places, she’s going to die. That’s a horrible thing to have to do. Can you imagine losing a child?” she asked.
He sighed and shook his head. “No.”
“David?” She looked at him.
“No.”
“So? What can we do to help? Can we raise money somehow to help them? What can we do?”
“I don’t know. You’re going from not pressing charges when he hurt you and paying his hospital bill to raising money to help them. That’s a lot to take in, Adonna,” David said.
“I just can’t stand by knowing a child is dying and I could help,” Adonna said.
Mitch drew in a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. “Neither can we. We’ll help somehow.”
“Thanks, guys.” Adonna smiled, then winced. It hurt her head to smile too wide. She needed to remember that.
* * * *
The Saturday of the fun run for Chasity Day dawned bright and sunny. Thanks to the women on the mountain, the day was lining up to be a complete success. There was going to be dessert sale, catfish plates for sale, the fun run, games, a car wash thanks to the guys, and a raffle of a free custom-made table from one of the woodworkers up on the mountain. So far, they’d managed to raise a total of three thousand dollars toward their goal of four thousand.
Adonna wanted to pay for the family to go to Lebonheur at the end of the month. So far, everything was in place and the family was hopeful. Joe was out for the time being, provided he did his community service and showed up for his parole visits. He had a part time job at the shop with David and Mitch. They’d discovered that he was a fairly good mechanic and used him on simple jobs like oil changes and such.
With everything that had happened, they’d postponed their hiking trip until the next day. Adonna just hoped that after all the festivities of the day she’d be up to the trip tomorrow. Right now, her feet were killing her. She’d made the fun run and helped out at the various booths up and down the street.
“You looked about wiped out, babe,” Mitch said when he caught up with her at the dessert tent.
“I am. I never dreamed this would be so much work. I mean, everyone is doing their fair share, but it’s still a lot to do,” she said.
“Take a break. Put your feet up. How about something to drink?” he asked.
“A bottle of water would be great. That and a sandwich.”
“Coming right up.” He disappeared into the milling crowd but was back within seconds with both.
“That didn’t take long.”
“Just have to know the right people,” he said with a grin.
“How are the car washes going?” she asked.
“Great. The kids are having a blast. I think they’re getting more on themselves than on the cars, but who cares. It’s all for a good cause and the customers aren’t complaining,” he said with a chuckle.
“I really appreciate you guys giving Joe a chance at the shop. I know you resented him because he hurt me, but he was desperate and not thinking straight.”
“I know, but hurting someone else isn’t the way to figure things out. At least where he is, we can keep an eye on him,” Mitch said.
“Hey, guys. What are you doing over here when there’s work to be done?” David slipped into the tent and planted his hands on his hips with a mock scowl on his face.
“Screw you, man,” Mitch said. “I’m feeding our woman. She was melting away out there.”
“You going to feel up to our trip tomorrow?” David asked with a frown.
“I’ll be fine after a nice hot soak in the tub and a good night’s rest,” she said.
“Good. Looking forward to it. Come on, Mitch. The kids are a handful. I need your help before they wash the shop away,” David said.
“No rest for the weary,” Mitch said with a huff.
“Thanks for the sandwich and water. I’ll see you guys later,” Adonna said, waving them off.
By the time the day was over, they’d more than raised what they needed, and everyone had pitched in to clean up the mess left behind by all the people who’d come out in support of the young family.
At seven that night, Adonna slid into a hot tub of water scented with her favorite bath salts and sighed. It felt good to her aching feet and back. She was going to sleep like a baby tonight. Unless she fell asleep in the bath and drowned that was. The water felt so good, she wouldn’t be surprised if she did fall asleep.
After washing off, she leaned back and rested her head against her bath pillow and thought about the day and how much fun she’d had. Then she thought about the phone call she’d received from the realtor. The owner of the billing had agreed to let her lease the building with the stipulation that she’d buy it after eighteen months with twenty-five percent of her lease payment going toward a down payment. She thought it was a generous agreement, but she was nervous about signing the paperwork. Would she be able to buy the building in that time? What if her business tanked before then?
She shook that thought from her mind and forced herself to relax. She’d talk to the guys about it tomorrow. They always helped her think things through. They’d know what to do. She really wanted that building for her store and was afraid she’d make the wrong decision.
Twenty minutes later, Adonna caught herself napping and forced herself to climb out of the tub and dry off before slipping between the sheets of the bed and falling asleep.
Chapter Ten
“We’re almost there, babe. You can see their house from here,” Mitch said.
Adonna looked in the direction he was pointing and could see the outline of a roof, but it still looked a long way away to her. She frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. “That doesn’t look like almost to me, buddy.”
Mitch laughed. “I promise, it’s closer than you think. You’ll see.”
“I can’t believe I let you guys talk me into this. I thought it would be a little harder than the last one, but this was like five times harder than the last one I went on with you,” she fussed.
“You sure are a complainer today,” David teased.
&nbs
p; “I’m still recovering from yesterday. We should have put this off another week,” she said.
“Maybe, but think on the bright side. You’ll be in so much better shape after this that you’ll feel great after this is over with,” David said.
“Joy, joy,” she muttered.
“What was that?” Mitch asked from ahead of her.
“Nothing,” she said.
Another twenty minutes of walking and they finally reached the backyard of the house they’d been heading toward. She nearly cried when they walked up on the deck and she could collapse onto a chair there while David knocked on the back door.
“Hey, man. Good to see you guys. Come on in.” A tall man with long, black hair pulled back and opened the door and ushered them in.
Mitch pulled her to her feet so that she could join them. She nodded at the man who they introduced as Jasper.
“This is Phillip,” Mitch said, pointing at another man with shaggy brown hair who was carrying a cute little boy in his arms who was jabbering away.
“That must be Ranger,” Adonna said.
“Sure is.” A pretty woman of about five foot five inches with shoulder length, caramel colored hair strode into the kitchen, reaching for the bundle of energy. “I’m Caro. You must be Adonna. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“He’s cute as a button,” Adonna said, smiling at the little boy.
“Don’t let him fool you. Behind that cute little smile is a demon on wheels. He can get into stuff so fast it will make your head spin. I don’t know where he gets his energy, but it takes all three of us to keep up with the little bugger,” Caro said.
“I can imagine. He looks like he’s full of mischief,” Adonna said.
“Hey guys, come look at what we’ve been working on,” Phillip said.
Adonna watched as Mitch and David followed the other men out of the kitchen. She felt an overwhelming feeling of panic at first then it washed away as Caro started talking about the street fair they’d had the day before.
Fifteen minutes later, the feeling of unease was completely gone, and she and Caro were chatting as if they’d known each other for years and not mere minutes.
“So how do you like David and Mitch?” Caro asked as she fed Ranger some crackers.
“Um, I like them a lot. They’re great guys.” She wasn’t sure how to answer that.
“Do you see yourself spending your life with them?” Caro asked.
“Whoa. Are you asking what my intentions are with them?” she asked.
Caro chuckled. “I guess it sort of sounds that way. I just wondered if you were serious about them or just marking time with them.”
“I’m serious enough. I’m not one to play around for the fun of it, if that’s what you mean,” Adonna said.
“They’re really good guys. They’ve helped the guys up here several times with their cars and trucks when something isn’t working. And they’ve always been there when something needed doing. Couldn’t ask for better neighbors either.” Caro wiped the little boy’s mouth where he’d dribbled mushed up cracker.
“I knew they were good men the first time I went out with them. I’m just not used to dating two men at one time. It’s odd, you know?”
“Yeah. I felt the same way at first, but now it all feels normal to me. And the sex? Well, that is out of this world.” She waved her hand in front of her face.
Adonna felt her own face heat at the other woman’s words.
“I don’t believe it. You’re actually blushing, you own an adult toy store and you’re blushing,” Caro said with a laugh.
“I may not be a prude, but some things still get to me. I’m not used to the whole two men, one-woman idea yet. I mean, I’ve watched enough of the porn to know how it all works, but actually living it is all new to me, you know?”
“We need to have a community cookout again before winter sets in so you can meet everyone else up here. You’ll fit right in with the rest of us. I’ll talk to the others and set a date. I can’t wait for you to meet everyone, you’ll be living up here in no time.” Caro cleaned Ranger’s face again as he chomped away at the crackers.
“I don’t know about that. We’re still in the beginning stages of dating. It may be too soon to plan a get to know your party.”
“These men move fast up here. You’ll see. It won’t be long before they’ll be planning a joining ceremony up here,” Caro said.
“A joining ceremony?”
“Right. You marry one of them legally, and then you do a joining ceremony for all three of you here on the mountain with all of us as witnesses later.”
“Oh, that’s right. They told me about that. They just didn’t call it a joining ceremony. I like that term though,” Adonna said.
“It won’t be long, and we’ll be having yours. I can’t wait.”
“We’ll see.”
“Hey, babe. You ready to head back?” Mitch asked from the doorway leading into the kitchen.
“Yeah. Better get going.” She turned to Caro. “Thanks for having me. I really enjoyed the talk.”
“Come back anytime. I love having visitors,” the other woman said.
They said their good-byes and Jasper drove them back to the house. Mitch and David tried talking her into staying with them that night, but she really needed some time alone, so she begged off, saying she needed to do some chores at home. They groused about it but reluctantly drove her home and kissed her good-bye with the promise she’d let them pick her up on Wednesday and she’d stay with them through the weekend.
The one thing she hadn’t done was talk to them about the lease proposal and she hated that she’d forgotten. Now she needed to make a decision and she was worried she’d make the wrong one. She poured over her business plan and thought about all the scenarios she’d come up with that were possible for the differing outcomes, and finally made up her mind that she’d accept it. She called the realtor and told her to draw up the paperwork and she’d sign it. Then she poured a celebratory glass of wine and drank to her decision.
Wednesday afternoon, she packed a small suitcase along with her computer and her entire business plan for the boutique, and had everything sitting at the door for when the guys picked her up on their way home from the garage. She couldn’t wait to tell them about it. They’d either texted or chatted each day back and forth, but she hadn’t wanted to broach the subject over the phone. Adonna wanted to talk to them about it in person.
At six, she heard the sound of their truck pulling into her drive. She opened the door before they even reached it and threw herself into first Mitch, then David’s arms, for a hug and a kiss.
“I’d say someone’s missed us,” David said with a huge grin.
“Maybe a little,” she said.
“A little? I’d say a lot.” Mitch bit her lightly on the chin. “Come on, gorgeous. Let’s get you in the truck. Looks like you plan to stay a while.”
“You said through the weekend,” Adonna frowned. “I have to have a change of clothes for every day.”
David chuckled. “Don’t mind him. He’d wear the same pair of pants every day for a week if they didn’t get too stiff for him to sit in.”
“Fuck you, man. I would not.” He sniffed. “Maybe a few days but not an entire week.”
Adonna and David laughed.
She let David help her climb into the truck then buckle up as Mitch got into the driver’s side. It didn’t take long to reach their home on the mountain. She loved their place and always felt as if she were coming home every time she arrived there.
“I’ll put your suitcase in the bedroom, babe,” Mitch said.
“I’ll put your laptop in the office,” David said. “Make yourself at home. I haven’t thought about dinner yet tonight. Not sure if Mitch has or not either.”
“I’ll look and see what you have. Bet I can come up with something eatable,” she said.
“Not your place to fix for us, honey,” David said as he disappeared down the hall.
“What are you doing?” Mitch asked.
“Making omelets. Figured they were fast and easy.” Adonna poured some of the egg mixture into the skillet.
“You don’t have to cook for us, babe,” Mitch said.
“I know that. I wanted to. Stop fussing and get the plates out.”
The men gathered plates and silverware while she cooked. Once it was all ready, they ate at the bar then quickly rinsed everything off before loading the dishwasher and turning it on. Adonna was pleased that everything had gone so smoothly. She’d been worried they’d have made a bigger fuss.
“I’ve got something I want to talk to you guys about,” she said.
“Sure, babe. What do you want to talk about?” Mitch asked.
“Let’s get comfortable in the den,” David said.
They settled in the den on the couch with her in the middle. She liked being between them. They each touched her in some way as she got ready to talk to them about the store.
“What did you want to talk about, honey?” David asked.
“The owner of the building I want to rent came back with an alternate proposal to allow me to lease the building.” She went over the details of the lease agreement with them. “Well, what do you think? Was I wrong to accept it?”
“I think it was a good agreement. I might have pushed for either two years or fifty percent, but more than likely he wouldn’t have accepted either. How do you feel about it?” Mitch asked.
“I don’t know. Part of the time I feel like I’ve got this. That my store is going to be doing well by that time. And part of the time I’m worried that I won’t be quite on my feet in time to be able to afford a mortgage payment on top of everything else. That adds more insurance and property taxes on top of my other expenses,” she said.
“That’s true, but you can take all of that off on your income taxes,” David reminded her.