by Tabatha Kiss
“Hello, Jovie.”
I smile back. “Hey, Dr. Myers.”
“Rachel,” she corrects me.
I shrug. “It’s been a while. Just making sure…”
“It’s always Rachel to the significant others of my children.”
“Oh, we’re not—”
“Jovie, I know my son. If you two really did part ways for good after your little town square spat last night then he wouldn’t be smiling like that today.”
She points out the window behind her and my cheeks burn.
“Okay…” I chuckle. “You got us.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t say a word.” She halts across the counter from me. “How are your teeth?”
I press my lips together. Somehow, I’d forgotten all about Rachel and Dave’s patented awkward greetings. “They’re fine,” I answer.
“When was your last x-ray?” she asks.
I try to think back far enough. “Uh…”
“Oh, that’s not good.” She shakes her head. “Come and see me soon.”
“I’ll have to check my schedule.”
“So, you’re missing quite the party out there,” she says, pointing through the windows.
“Well, someone has to hold down the fort in here in case all those wacky party-goers feel the sudden urge to buy oodles of toys all of a sudden.” I gesture around. “Also, I wasn’t invited, so…”
She sets the cupcake down in front of me. “And that someone deserves a secret, stolen pastry for putting up with that bullshit.”
“Thank you,” I say, admiring the perfect spiral of blue frosting on top. “Tell your grandson happy birthday for me.”
She nods. “I will.”
“He’s a cute one.”
“He takes after his dad,” she says, lowering her voice. “Sara was never that cute.”
My lips curl. “And thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.” She takes a deep breath while her eyes wander my face. “You, on the other hand, look more like your mother than ever and she was the most gorgeous woman I ever met in my life.”
I pause as my smile fades. “Oh, wow.”
“Wow, indeed.” She tilts her head. “Did I ever tell you about the time she and I started a book club?”
“No.”
“This was ages ago, obviously. Everyone was doing it. Oprah was doing it, so naturally, we started one, too. Every Wednesday morning, a few of us moms would get together at my house, shove you little kiddos in a playpen, and talk about whatever book was hot at the time over a box of wine.”
I laugh. “Sounds like fun.”
“It was while it lasted.” She smiles. “Joanne... well, she had different tastes than the other moms. They were more Mr. Darcy and she was more Mr. Grey, if you know what I mean.”
“I might.”
“Anyway, after a few months, things got a little rough for her and she started showing up less and less. Hank was no help at all so she would bring you over from time-to-time and I’d watch you while she went to her doctor appointments.”
“I don’t remember that,” I say, thinking back.
“You were still so tiny at the time,” she says. “Whenever she brought you over, Sara would throw little fits. She was so envious of you, even back then.”
I roll my eyes. “Sounds about right.”
“But William...” She smiles. “He’d plant himself on the floor next to you and he wouldn’t move again until Joanne came to pick you up. He adored you from the moment he first saw you.”
I look out the window, quickly finding him in the crowd across the street. He stands tall with Andy balanced on his shoulders and a pointy party hat on his head, laughing and screaming along with the other kids.
“To be honest,” Rachel continues, “it was a little disappointing when the two of you split up. I thought you were in it for the long haul.”
“I figured you’d be among those who pegged me a bad influence on him.”
She waves a hand. “It’s not like you two shared needles or went on killing sprees together.” Her brow arches. “Right?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, then, I don’t see anything wrong with a little harmless mischief now and again. You were just kids and you grew up eventually. No harm done.”
I sigh. “I wish everyone else saw it that way.”
“Listen, Clover might not be a big fan of second chances but I am... and with the way my son has been eying this place for the last hour, I think he is, too.”
“You might be right about that.”
She reaches out and lays her hand on mine. “Welcome home, honey.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Thank you, Rachel.”
She pats my hand and winks before stepping toward the door. “Oh,” she pauses in the doorway, “and Jovie...”
“Yeah?”
“If you break my son’s heart again, I will hunt you down and kill you myself. Got it?”
I stand taller. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Bye, hun.” She grins and steps outside again.
The uneasy feeling wears off quickly and I smile as my attentions lock through the window at Will across the street. His eyes shift in the direction of the toy store and he catches sight of his mother sneaking back over to join the party. He pauses with quiet panic in his eyes and I laugh to myself.
The sun sets and the party packs it in.
Mr. Trin said I could close up as soon as they do so I rush to lock the doors before any of them get the idea to do a little after-party shopping.
It takes me about thirty minutes to do the closing paperwork and count down the cash register. One of these days, I’ll get that down to twenty, but I take my time to make sure I don’t make any mistakes.
I flick off the lights and slide my jacket on over my tank top.
The phone rings and I pause, silently debating over whether or not to answer it. I’d rather just ignore it and go home but the responsible thing wins out and I reach for it.
“Trin’s Toys. This is Jovie.”
“Count to thirty and then step outside.”
I pause. “Will?”
He hangs up.
“Will?” I ask the silence.
I drop the phone back onto its cradle and bolt for the windows to scan the street outside. Sara and several others still linger in the center of the square, chatting and picking up trash while kids sit around looking bored. I scan the crowd for Will but he’s not there. I suddenly remember that I’m supposed to be counting and I try to estimate how much time has passed since that phone call.
I reach twenty-five and Marv’s tow truck crashes into another car at the other side of the square. My jaw drops as I step outside to get a closer look.
Tucker hops out of the truck and screams at the man in the other car, drawing the attentions of every person left behind in the square.
A red car rounds the corner and halts by the curb in front of me.
“Jovie, get in.”
I look in the window at Will’s face. “Holy shit, Will.” I point at Tucker. “Are you seeing this?”
“Jovie...” He stares harder at me. “Get in.”
I gasp and hop inside. “Oh, my God. You set this up, didn’t you?”
“Just keep your head down.”
“You planned a diversion so no one would see you picking me up.”
He smirks. “Shh.”
I swoon a little harder. “It has property damage and everything.”
“It’s just a little dent. An easy fix.”
“I’m so proud of you!”
“Head down, please.”
I slide into the seat, obscuring myself as we ride away from the square unnoticed. “Wait, whose car is this?” I ask.
“I borrowed it from the shop,” he answers.
My jaw drops. “You stole it?”
“I borrowed it to take it for a test drive,” he says. “We had to rebuild the engine yesterday. It’d be unethical to return it without
testing it first.”
“You are so gonna get laid for this.”
He laughs.
We ride for several blocks until we reach Lucky’s bar. Will pulls around back and parks in the shadowed corner of the lot where the Bolt sits there by itself.
“Come on,” he says, throwing open his door. “Before someone sees us.”
I hop out with him. “We’re just leaving this stolen car here?”
“No, Tucker’s going to pick it up later.” He opens the bike seat and takes the two helmets out. “Let’s go.”
I take mine from him and quickly check the strap to make sure it’s in place before sliding it onto my head. “Where are we going?” I ask through the shield.
He straddles the bike and reaches into his jacket for his keys. “I’ll explain when we get there.”
I take the seat behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, enjoying the sudden rush of vibrations between my legs as Will revs the engine.
We take off onto the highway at high speed and Clover disappears behind us.
Twenty-One
Jovie
We ride for at least twenty minutes. The rush of it chills and thrills me to the bone. I hook my thumbs into the belt loops of Will’s jeans, just like I always used to do in order to hang on. He doesn’t mind. He never did.
Farmland and plains become hills of concrete as we reach Overland Park but Will rides off the main roads as we pass through the city. I twist in my seat, glancing over my shoulder at the old, yet new, surroundings. I haven’t been through here in a long while.
Will turns into a parking lot and I read the brightly-lit signage as we pass by it.
A community college?
He navigates the campus quickly, taking the narrow turns with no thought or hesitation and I tighten my grip on his belt. The school is mostly deserted at this hour, save the random bunches of students rushing home from late afternoon classes.
We come to a stop in a parking lot outside of a building labeled Auto Lab. A pure white garage door sits closed in front of us, dim lights just barely illuminating the small windows in the middle.
“And we’re here,” Will says after sliding his helmet off.
I do the same and run my fingers through my hair to make sure it’s not too out of whack. “And just where is here?”
The garage door slides open and a man stands there with one arm extended over his head, holding it in place to keep it from rolling closed again. “Hey, Will.” He grins.
Will steps off the bike and gives me his hand to help me down. “Hey, Aaron,” he says. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too.” The man eyes me and I take a closer look myself. He wears a dark jumpsuit with dirty knees. He’s young, maybe a few years older than we are, with thick hair and a long goatee. “And you’re Jovie,” he says.
“I am.” I nod.
“Come on in.”
Will takes hold of his handlebars and guides his bike into the garage. I follow close behind, my eyes constantly glancing around. This place seems a lot like Marv’s back home, but cleaner with newer technology.
Aaron slides the door closed and secures it down. “Okay, guys. You have an hour before shift change.”
I raise a brow as Will shakes his hand.
“Thanks, Aaron,” Will tells him. “I appreciate it.”
Aaron flashes me a knowing grin as he walks through the door in the corner and closes it behind him.
I squint at Will. “You know that guy?”
“Yeah, that’s Aaron.”
“Yes, and who is Aaron?”
“Night shift janitor. We used to hang out when I’d stay late to study. He’s a cool guy.”
“Is there anybody in Kansas that doesn’t like you?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Figures.” I take another look around. “So, this is where you went to school?”
“Yep,” he answers. “Everything I know about cars I learned in this very room.”
“Well, not everything,” I tease. “I’m pretty sure I taught you a thing or two about cars.”
He points a finger. “You taught me a thing or two about the backseat, yes, but under the hood…”
“Okay, okay.” I hold up my hands. “I concede.”
“It took me about two years to get my degree in Automotive Technology.”
“Sounds fancy. I’d have just called it Car Shit.”
He laughs. “Marv hired me on at the shop about a year in, so I worked it and learned it all at once.”
“You kept really busy,” I say.
“I had to. If I didn’t, then…” He pauses. “I just had to.”
I stare a little closer at his eyes, easily sensing the pain as it quickly dispels. “Will, why did you bring me here?”
He takes a breath. “Well, I’ve been thinking about our blank slate.” I wince and he holds up a hand. “Just hear me out before you make the face.”
I force a neutral expression and stay quiet.
“I’m not going to ask you anything about your life over the last four years,” he says, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell you about my life. I want you to know what I’ve been up to. If you don’t want to know, that’s fine, too. We’ll ride right on back home but this place was a big part of me for a while and I wanted to share it with you.”
I smile. “That sounds reasonable.”
“And…” he leans back against the seat of his bike, “I wanted to get you alone again and that’s difficult to accomplish back home nowadays.”
“So, you brought me out of town,” I nod, “and shut me up in a garage.”
He frowns. “Yeah, it seemed more romantic in my head…”
I chuckle and step toward him. “No, it’s not bad.”
“No?”
“It has potential.”
I take hold of his jacket and lean in to kiss him. He instantly parts his lips and kisses me back. His fingers crawl behind me and I twitch with the shivers racing down to my ankles.
Will shifts back and throws one leg over his bike, sitting down on the seat with that smirk in his eyes. I go with him and straddle his waist, facing him on the seat with my legs resting on his.
His hands travel up and over my breasts to my shoulders, slowly sliding my jacket down my arms. I let it slip off my back to the floor and Will leans in to kiss my neck above my tank top.
I smile wider with each warm press of his lips on my skin. “Do you remember our first time together?” I ask.
“How could I forget?” He nods, smiling. “The spring fling. Junior year. I went with Blair McQueen but she ditched me to dance with Roger Peck and never came back.”
“Bryan Sumner.” I recall my date, cringing. “He tried to force himself on me in the boy’s bathroom.”
Will slides his hands around my waist to draw us just a little closer. “I walked in and your lipstick was smeared and your mascara was running.” He kisses my collarbone. “He’d torn your dress and the strap was hanging off your arm like this.” He hooks a finger under my strap and slides it down to reveal more of my skin.
I smile. “You kicked his ass.”
“Well,” he chuckles, “I got in a few good hits before Vice Principal Sanders walked in. I looked up and you were gone... but then I walked outside to my bike and there you were.”
“I waited for twenty whole minutes. You’re lucky I didn’t get bored.”
He rests his forehead on my chest. “You slapped the seat and asked, ‘does this POS seat two?’”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Whatever happened to that crappy, old moped?”
“Got rid of it when I bought the Bolt senior year.”
“You rode us out of town and we stopped somewhere just off the highway by the woods,” I say, letting the memory fill my head. “I turned on the seat to face you, just like this.”
I ease myself closer, sliding up to rest my legs a little higher on his thighs.
“You kissed my fore
head,” he says, “and I remember my ears started ringing, like all the blood vessels in my brain were about to explode at once, but I heard you thanking me.”
“Of course. You saved me.”
He kisses my neck. “You could have taken him.”
“But I didn’t have to.”
“Then... I don’t know.” He draws my tank down an inch further, exposing a little more of my cleavage to kiss. “Things get a little fuzzy...”
I push his leather jacket down his arms, feeling his strong biceps flex with my passing touch. “Well, we made out for a while,” I say. “It took forever for you to get up the nerve to touch my boob.”
He chuckles, digging his teeth in. “Oh, it’s all coming back to me now.”
“Then, I reached down, like this...” I slide my hand toward his belt, “and I unzipped your pants... like this.”
He keeps his stare on me as I flick the button on his jeans. “I thought I was in for a handjob because that’s all any girl I knew ever did.”
I raise a brow. “Except me.”
“Except you,” he says, sighing as I slide one hand into his briefs.
His stiff cock twitches as I wrap my fingers around it and tease him with a few firm strokes.
He grins and tightens his grip on my waist. “Best nineteen seconds of my life.”
My head falls to his shoulder as I laugh. “Was it?”
“At the time, yeah,” he says, hovering by my lips. “You said, ‘don’t worry. With a cock like that, you’ll learn how to use it.’” He kisses me once, his breath full of heat.
“I was right,” I say. “You did learn how to use it.”
“I had a good teacher.” He gazes into my eyes. “From then on... It was all about Jovie Ross.”
I pause my stroke. “Until we broke up.”
“No...” His lips brush mine. “It’s always been you, Jove.”
We fall against each other, touching and stroking. I squeeze his shaft, forcing him to groan and his hands push beneath my skirt in retaliation. He invades my panties, effortlessly pushing the crotch aside to plunge his thick fingers into my begging core. I gasp as desire tears me apart from the inside out.
Will plays me with his closed eyes, easily targeting the exact spot that makes me moan against his lips. I almost can’t function as his rigid knuckles take me over. My muscles turn to jelly and my heart pounds against my ribs. He brings me so close, just a few more seconds of it would have me writhing and shaking on his hand but I’d rather save it.