by Devon Ashley
Brady.
At first my jovial expression fell away, confused by the way he was shuffling awkwardly towards me, hunched over with one hand on the back of his hip, dragging his right leg like it was so numb it was literally dead weight. Even weirder, his face was all scrunched up like he was squinting to see me, full lips puckered outward so far they seemed swollen from an allergic reaction. It wasn’t until the goofiest grin preceded words spoken in an old-timer voice that I was able to laugh out loud at what I was seeing.
“Little Miss,” he said, his deep voice crackled and whiney, “do you have any sneezeweeds?”
At a temporary loss, I looked at him with confusion. “Sneezeweeds?” Was that even a real thing?
“Yes. Sneezeweeds.”
Even though I knew it was a joke, I played along, trying to remain professional. “I don’t believe I do, but perhaps I could order some for you. Would that be okay?”
He hobbled his way to the opposite side of the counter, his palms slamming down so hard my pen vibrated, his body still wobbly regardless of the support. “I need them faster than steam rises off cow shit.”
I felt my mouth twitch. “Wow, sir. I’m not really familiar with the rate that steam rises off shit, but that sounds really fast.”
“It is!”
“Okay then. Can I ask what the sneezeweed is needed for so quickly?”
“I want to give them to my wife,” he replied rather soft and kindly, a total one-eighty in behavior.
“Aw. Well, that’s sweet,” I practically cooed. “But why would you want to give her sneezeweed? We have so many pretty flowers, and I’m guessing that sneezeweed is some type of flower-in-a-weed?”
His voice raised high in volume. “No! No flowers! It has to be… Sneeze. Weeeeeeed.” I almost lost my shit right there and doubled over in laughter. His eyes went absolutely crazy when he leaned over the counter and extended the word weed for so long.
“Okay, okay. Sneezeweed.”
“She needs it fast.”
“Faster than steam can rise off shit, I know, sir.” I grabbed my laptop to search for sneezeweed online. The first entry I came to gave a brief description of a cluster of small white flowers that bloomed in the summer and surprise, surprise…were used to help people sneeze. “Ooh, are you sure you’d want to give your lovely wife this particular flower? It says here it’ll make her sneeze.”
“Exactly!” he cheered.
“Why would you want to make her sneeze?” I implored, faking concern.
His eyes bulged out and his hands lifted to make shaky fists in the air. Hysterically, he yelled with frustration, “Because she got the devil inside her, woman!”
Damn it, a few chuckles got through, but the way he was waving around like a mad man was just too much.
“You know that ole saying about how not blessing someone when they sneeze makes them vulnerable to possession?”
“I guess,” I mumbled, pinching my lower lip with my teeth, fighting the smile off as best I could.
“Well my wife sneezed and I didn’t bless her. Now–”
“Why didn’t you bless her?” I interrupted.
“Because she done pissed me off, that’s why! And ever since that night she’s been an absolute bitch! She got the devil inside her! And I need her to sneeze it back out!”
“Sir, do you swear? That she’s the devil now?”
“Eh?” he yelled, angling his ear so he could better hear me.
“Do. You. Swear?” I shouted, grinning madly. You’d think being hunched over and squishing his face so it’d appear puffy and wrinkled wouldn’t be attractive, but hell if I couldn’t stop staring at him.
“Every damn chance I can,” he cried back, slamming his right fist on the table for effect.
My eyes were stinging with fresh tears and I let the laughter go. The weathered old man before me turned back into Brady. He was grinning and shaking his head at me. “You can’t laugh at this shit. One of these days, some strange redneck who lives on the outskirts will come in here spouting this crap.”
I shook my head, wiping away the moisture from beneath my eyes. “I don’t believe you. No one’s that crazy.”
“You’ll see. I’ve seen it.” Then he leaned over the counter. I mirrored his move so our lips could lightly kiss, the slightest buzz of electricity tingling inside me. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I greeted back.
“So, I have a problem.”
I hid my mouth with my hand and leaned over to whisper, even though there was no one around to hear our conversation. “Rub it with hydrocortisone three times a day for three days. Then poof! Gone.” Another one of Nana’s cure alls to end alls, even though I meant it as a joke.
His smile approved. “Not my current situation, but good to know.” He reached out to play with my hands in the space between. “But I do have a conundrum of sorts. You see, I have this really hot girlfriend who’d I love to butter up by giving flowers, but she runs the local flower shop. So how am I supposed to show her some love if I can’t order them without her knowing about it beforehand or even having to create her own gift?”
I threw one hand to my chest in a dramatic fashion. “Gasp! The horror!”
“I know, I know. And I can’t buy them from the competition because that would be like the biggest faux pas I could make.”
“Look at you using all these grown up words today!”
He flashed me a smile that was utterly charming. “So what is a man in my position to do, hmm?”
“Well, I’m sure this college man you’re speaking of is smart enough to figure out the solution to your problem.”
“So you’re throwing me to the wolves then?”
“Mmm…more like tossing you into the river. Sink or swim baby.”
“Lucky for you I’m a swimmer.”
With wide eyes, I replied, “Lucky for you you’re a swimmer.”
“So are you coming over tonight?”
“How else will Nana be able to sneak in her special friend?”
“They grow up so fast.”
“That they do.”
We were grinning like idiots, and if anyone saw us through the windows, we probably looked that way too. For all I knew Nana could hear every word of this sappy dialogue in the back. He kissed me sweetly and deeply, and a surge of warmth fill my insides.
“You do realize you just called me your girlfriend, right?” I asked, allowing my lips to hover beside his.
“I do. Don’t you think it’s about time we labeled this?”
If only we had labeled it before Nana called me out on it last night…
“Brady McCoy, are you asking me to be your girl?” I teased, pulling back so we could actually see one other.
He flashed me a smile that could melt any girl’s unmentionables. “I guess I am. Are you saying yes?”
“I guess I am.” I kissed him again, not caring if there was an audience somewhere. “And speaking of Nana’s special friend, I’m having dinner with them tonight. Care to join? Give me something to look at when they start canoodling?”
That made his laughter burst out. “Someone to talk to if they disappear for twenty minutes?”
I shut my eyes and pinched my face, letting my forehead kiss the counter. “God…” Just the thought…
Brady’s hand gently rubbed the back of my neck, which didn’t make me want to come out of hiding any sooner. “Help…” I whined.
“Gee, I’d love to…” – such an obvious lie – “…but I have to wash the dog tonight.”
My head flew up. “You don’t have a dog.”
“I will by the time dinner comes around,” he said matter-of-factly. His eyebrows cocked once, not fazed by my stare-down.
My eyes were pinching more by the second. “You’re definitely going to have to figure out how to get me flowers because you’re incredibly close to the dog house, pal.”
“I’ll get a cute one,” he promised with an evil half smile, leaning in to k
iss my cheek. Emphasizing the size with his hands, he added, “Little baby Husky or something.”
My glare didn’t cease as he backed his way out of the shop, patronizing me further by blowing me invisible kisses I refused to catch.
Just before seven we met Clarence at Willinger’s Steak and Sushi, one of the nicer establishments to eat at in town. So much so I felt uncomfortable wearing anything but a cocktail dress and a pair of heels there. And the sad part was that I didn’t even own a dress like this. I had to take another dive into Rory’s closet and search for the one that showed the least amount of cleavage. All I could say was thank God we were the same size…and that a small part of her wardrobe was sensible.
Clarence Mueller stood to greet us as we approached the four top, reaching out for Nana’s hands and giving her a soft peck on the cheek. He was a tall gentleman, slightly overweight with thinning gray hair and a small circular bald spot forming near the back of his head, and finely dressed in a charcoal pinstriped suit and freshly shined black oxfords. After his pleasantries with Nana, he helped her to her seat while boasting to me, “Tessa, so glad you could come this evening. It’s wonderful to finally meet you. Louise speaks of you all the time.”
I allowed him to take my hand for a firm shake before he helped me with my chair as well. My sassy inner monologue wanted to reply that until a few days ago, I didn’t even know the guy existed. But I behaved myself and simply lied when I replied, “Thank you. She’s gone on and on about you as well.”
Nana’s face might’ve been nonchalant, but exclamation lingered in her eyes. She knew as well as I did she’d been quite secretive about her new friend.
Was he even new? For all I knew he’d been her special friend long before I arrived.
Not backing down, I grinned and teased her with a single lift to the brows. Not wanting to take it any further, I buried my head in my menu and waited for questions to be asked of me, answering them in kind, but mostly with a simple yes or no. I engaged when necessary, but Clarence seemed to be a talker, so it wasn’t required of me that often. He told us stories of his children and grandchildren, none of which lived nearby, though he was trying to convince his soon to be divorced daughter to move back to Campbellsville with her son so he could help them get back on their feet.
All in all I liked him. As an individual. As a man. Even as a suitor for Nana. He spoke ill of no one and kept his eyes focused on her most of the time. He was nice to look at, obviously cared deeply about the family he spoke of often, and was constantly trying to include Nana in upcoming events like Thanksgiving dinner. It comforted me to know she wouldn’t be alone for the holidays if I chose to stay in California for them.
Since I was the most silent one, I finished my meal first. I excused myself to freshen up, then made my way to the bar to kill a few more minutes. I ordered a second glass of wine, and as I waited, I dared to peek back at the table. They were lost in conversation. Lost to the world, probably, leaning towards each other to keep their conversation private. Clarence reached for her hand and clasped it right there on the table. Both were smiling, which made my lips curl sweetly as well.
I took a sip of the wine placed before me and pulled up a barstool to give them a few more minutes. Nana might’ve said they were just keeping good company, but from what I watched of them that evening, I was made to think they were in it for a little bit more.
I’d come to the conclusion that there was no better way of waking up than being held in Brady’s arms. And by that, I meant held down, because he literally had the grip of a bear. Sure, it was nice being in the security of his warmth, but I was pretty sure he mostly did it for his own protection. I had a bad habit of kicking and hitting in my sleep. His conscious self was well aware of the problem, and it seemed his unconscious form figured out a way to combat the problem when it struck: literally hold me down so I couldn’t move.
And oddly enough, the restriction didn’t wake me up at night, so it was a win-win for both of us.
Brady was still passed out, so I had to fight my way free. I made it downstairs and started the coffee. Once the scent pushed its way through the house, a groggy, hair-mussed Brady lazily shuffled into the kitchen. This was the first sleepover where I actually stayed until morning, and I couldn’t help but chuckle over the reality before me.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I teased with a smile. He took the time to wink at me before tending to his coffee, so he knew exactly what was entertaining me.
“I’m not the only one with morning hair,” he mocked, pointing at me with one finger as that hand raised his mug to his mouth.
I shrugged. I so didn’t care what I looked like right now. It even surprised him that I walked over and pecked his lips once. “I’ll still kiss you. Even though you’re still dog-less.”
“It ran away, I swear.”
“Uh-huh,” I muttered, my tone making it extremely clear that I didn’t believe him for one second.
At that moment, Owen shuffled his way past the squeaky door in a t-shirt, cotton pants, and a pair of slides, dragging his feet and grunting his acknowledgment of us as he made a bee line for the coffee pot. Unshaven and unkempt, the guy looked exhausted except for that split second of surprise seeing me standing there in his kitchen. Rightfully so. I was usually long gone by now, but now that Nana knew my dirty ways, there was no point in sneaking around anymore.
“Hidey-ho, little bro,” Brady slowly taunted with song.
Owen stopped pouring his coffee just long enough to turn and give Brady a disgusted look. “Dude. Say that ever again and I’ll beat the ever-loving crap out of you.”
Brady faked a scared expression as Owen turned his attention back to his cup.
“Word to the wise,” Brady said to me, “don’t ever piss this one off. He’s got a barn full of tools and he’s not afraid to use them.” I sort of just nodded, too busy watching Owen as he turned back to face us – or me, rather – cocking his eyebrows over what his brother just said, confirming the declaration. “He’s also very cranky until you get his coffee down him in the morning,” Brady continued. This time Owen did the nodding, still staring at me in a daze.
“So what’s on the agenda today?” Brady asked him. “We still hitting the trails later?”
Owen rubbed the heel of his hand over his eye. “Way later. I need to put some serious time into that hutch today or I’m not going to make the deadline.”
“Okey-dokey, little bro,” Brady sang again, an evil smile taking over his delicious lips.
Owen’s eyes narrowed. “Better wear your protective gear, grandpa. ‘Cause I might just shove you right off the path.” With that he kicked his foot off the cabinet and set into motion, quietly mumbling, “Tessa,” on the way out in goodbye.
Once the door swung shut, Brady called out, “Love you too, douche!”
I just shook my head at him, giving him the eye.
“What?” he asked. “Nothing but brotherly love here. And did you notice the ever-loving crap? Owen rarely curses. Sometimes it brightens my day just to irritate him enough to finally let one out.”
“Brotherly love all right,” I snarked, patting him on the shoulder before taking my cup to rinse in the sink. “So if you’re biking this afternoon, what are you doing tonight?”
Warm hands snaked down my sides and took hold of my hips, thrusting them back against his. Lips kneaded the skin beneath my jaw and I found myself sighing as I tipped the area higher to give him more of an area to play with.
“I can think of so many things to do tonight. If you’re free, that is.”
Oh, I was totally free. Capital F-R-E-E.
His left hand played with the hem of my shirt until it slipped its way beneath and palmed my bare stomach. I forced back the shivers trying to tingle their way up my spine, which were already making my back arch forward just as his hand cupped my left breast. “No promises, but I can pencil you in as a maybe.”
He playfully squeezed my nipple and he
ld on, making me squirm, then used his other hand to hold me tightly against him. As my breaths deepened within my chest, his hand moved up and down with them. He tenderly bit the tip of my earlobe, then whispered, “Judging by the state you’re already in, I reckon you’ll use something more permanent than a pencil to schedule my time down.”
“Well, well, well. Aren’t we sure of ourselves this morning?” I mocked, bumping him off me. He disengaged easily. “We really need to work on your low self-esteem issues.”
“You know, I was going to give you a little something before you left this morning, but now I’m thinking I’ll let you wait it out until tonight.” I childishly stuck my tongue out at him. “And to think I left a surprise in your room.”
I began making my way out of the room, barely bothering to look his way, all the while snarking, “I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict it’s not a cute little Husky.”
When I got home, I found my surprise. Smelled it, more like it. A handful of orange peonies crisp and in a short, wide vase on my bedside table, a white envelop tipped against it. I inhaled their sweet perfume, long and deep, savoring every second. I was surprised he got it done, but I also had the feeling Nana was his secret weapon. I opened the card and my lips slowly curved outward.
Stay.
That one word took my breath away. Stay?
My body mindlessly moved to sit on the bed, my head already going a mile a minute.
Staying would mean uprooting my life, changing everything I already had planned. The place I lived, the school I graduated from. Literally living three thousand miles from the life I’d established. Francie had been my roommate for the past two years. We had planned on being there for each other for another two. Was I really going to give that up because of a guy I had connected with for barely a month? As much as Nana would probably love me to stay, I highly doubted she’d want me to do that because of a boy.
But a part of me seriously wanted to consider it, and visions of what could be were already streaming in my head like a movie trailer. This plus this could equal this. There was a chance we could be incredibly happy together. He was a genuinely nice guy who was smart and put family first. Was I really going to risk throwing that away? It wasn’t like staying here would change the fact that I’d still get a degree. It really only effected my choice in college.