“Kent?”
“Yeah. You know, he’s been gone a long time now.”
“I know, I think about him every day.”
As she drove through town, she thought she saw Jeremy’s black truck in front of a barroom. She swallowed hard and tried not to think about him. But, in the back of her mind there lurked the ugly fact that he could easily turn up again on her doorstep. One of McCabe’s men could be watching – or not. Nevertheless, she had to stay on guard.
Once home, they walked Thor as usual. It seemed odd that McCabe wasn’t out on his porch. Maybe he’d bumped into someone who gave him a lift to the VFW.
In the kitchen, out of the corner of her eye, Paige spied a black vehicle as it rolled into the driveway. She stepped away from the window and pulled the Smith and Wesson revolver off the shelf above the pantry, dropped five bullets into the chamber and clicked it shut. This time she was ready. Her fingers dialed 911.
As Jeremy pounded on the door, Paige quietly moved upstairs with Justin and Thor and locked them in the bathroom. As she descended the stairs, Jeremy had kicked the kitchen door off the hinges. She moved barefoot around the bottom of the staircase and brought the revolver up in front of her with both hands. It took Jeremy a moment to notice her standing there in the doorway.
He was drunk, she could tell. He had one of her butcher knives in his hand and was yelling her name. He was too busy screaming and breaking things in the kitchen to notice her standing there calmly pulling the hammer back. She carefully aimed and fired once into a nearby cabinet. She didn’t hit him – but, he stopped in his tracks and stopped yelling.
In fact, his voice became a raspy whisper.
“What? Paige! What are you doing?”
“What I should’ve done a long time ago.”
“What are you talking about, Paige?”
Jeremy leaned against the kitchen counter and she stared at the knife.
“Drop the knife, now!” Paige growled.
“Fuck you, Paige. You owe me big time. I got nothing. Your life didn’t change. I’m the one who suffered. You owe me. I want money. That’s what I’m here for. I know you have money from that boyfriend you’ve been seeing – yeah, what’s his name? McCabe. The asshole with the white Cadillac – you didn’t think I knew – did you. You owe me!”
“I don’t owe you shit, except maybe a bullet center mass. Go ahead, test me. I’ve been practicing at the range. I’m a good shot.” She embellished that part, hoping he’d believe her. The most she’d done is shoot a paper cutout of a man on two or three occasions. She hit the middle a few times, however, now when a real threat stood before her – she couldn’t get her hands to stop shaking.
The sound of police sirens was deafening. Paige moved back a few steps and held the revolver down by her side when the policemen entered. The door was already off the hinges making easy access as the officer grabbed Jeremy and wrestled him to the floor. Another grabbed the knife from his hand and told him to stop resisting. He was handcuffed and dragged to the cruiser parked in front of the house.
Paige’s breathing was shallow and irregular – she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her hand trembled as she laid the revolver on the floor, as the officer requested. She watched as he unloaded it and put it on the kitchen table.
“You okay, ma’am?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just shaky. Thanks for…that.”
“Funny, we got an anonymous phone call a few minutes before your 911 call.”
“Huh – really?”
“Yeah – maybe a neighbor or concerned passerby heard the commotion when he kicked this door in. Had to take him a few minutes by the looks of things.”
“Yes – it did. I knew I was in trouble. My son is upstairs. Can I go to him now?”
“I’ll go up with you, ma’am. I’m sure he’s frightened.”
“Thanks.”
As she got to the top of the stairs, Paige called out to Justin. He opened the bathroom door and Thor came bounding out. Then, Justin ran out and hugged her. Paige felt a lump forming in her throat. No child should be subjected to this kind of crazy.
“If you need anything, ma’am, just give us a call.”
Paige held Justin for a long minute.
“It was bad, wasn’t it, mom?”
“Yes – you did a great job. Don’t worry. I’m ready for anything.”
“Thanks, mom. I wasn’t afraid. I knew you could handle it. Plus, I had Thor to protect me. Gee, you’re shaking, mom – are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just catching my breath, you know?”
Paige felt relief sweep over her. Her phone buzzed with a text from her sister. Sadie wanted Paige to bring Justin over to celebrate the last day of school and all he had achieved. After boarding up the doorway, she locked up the house -- then piled Justin and Thor into the Mini-Cooper. They needed a change of scenery for a while. As they drove by McCabe, he was sitting in his wicker chair on the porch, smiling like the Cheshire cat – and he gave her a little wave.
CHAPTER 19
June 20th was a day Kent would always remember. He made it through the end of the program and waited for Gramps to pick him up. He felt like a prisoner being allowed to go free. Most of the others had already taken off. Even though he’d made new friends, he couldn’t wait to get away from the place. He had forged a unique relationship with his roommate, Rob, and they promised to keep in touch – although Kent doubted they would. If anything came from this, it was at least a chance to meet the guy face to face April had chosen over him. That all seemed so long ago. The rejection didn’t sting like it used to. It was just another plan that didn’t work out.
Kent heard the roar of an engine, and seemingly out of nowhere, a blue Chevelle Super Sport skidded to a stop right in front of him. A familiar voice rang out.
“Let’s go, squirt!”
His grandfather stepped out of the car and embraced him, right there in the parking lot. He felt tears stinging his eyes and he slapped Gramps on the back.
“Hey, nice ride! What year is this?”
“1966 – pretty ain’t she? We put lap belts in it. Not original, but probably a good idea when you see how he drives. Strap yourself in. Burt was an Indy driver back in the day. You’re libel to get whiplash.”
Kent recognized Burt from the VFW. He nodded and stashed his backpack in the rear seat and buckled up. The engine roared and the windows were down. The feeling of being in the car was euphoric. Fresh air rippled over his skin and Steppenwolf blasted from the sound system. A magical feeling of freedom swept over him as he listened to his grandfather’s laugh. Kent felt like pinching himself. Was it all a wonderful dream, too good to be real?
An hour later, they were at Gramps’ old farmhouse. As Kent stepped out of the car, he noticed the place looked even more dilapidated than he remembered.
“We are giving this place a paint job, top to bottom!” Kent exhaled.
“We are? Great!” Gramps smiled. “Welcome home, squirt.”
Kent couldn’t stop himself from glancing a few houses down the street. Paige’s Mini-Cooper wasn’t there. Damn, she was probably out somewhere with her friends.
“First things first.” Kent tossed his backpack onto the porch and headed for the barn.
“What’re you doing?” Gramps followed him.
“I’m mowing this lawn. But, first I’m mowing Paige’s lawn before she gets home. I want to surprise her.”
As Gramps smiled and scratched his head, Kent wheeled the lawnmower down the street, filled it with gas and started it. It felt so good to be able to do something besides sit around all day and talk about problems. When he was done mowing, he fired up the gas trimmer and did the hedges. As he finished, Paige’s car pulled into the driveway.
It was Justin’s voice he heard first. A squeal of excitement.
“He’s back!”
The moment her car stopped, Justin opened the door and ran to him. As Kent scooped up Justin, his eyes traveled to Paige stand
ing in front of him. He gently put the young boy down and she immediately embraced him. He felt Paige’s breathing change as she laid her cheek against his chest. Her arms encircled his waist and she held him like that for a few seconds. He’d had dreams like this, now it was happening and raw emotion coursed through him.
“Damn, I missed you, Paige.” He didn’t want to cry, but he felt tears of happiness stinging his eyes.
“I missed you, too.” Paige whispered. “Kent, you’ve got to stay and tell us how your mission went.”
His eyes traveled from Paige to Justin, and back to Paige.
“Okay – sure.”
“What was it like?” Justin asked excitedly.
Kent noticed Paige’s giggle. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her passionately. He would’ve done so, but not yet, in front of Justin.
“Well, I can only tell you this. I was with a group of guys, we had a mission to complete. It was a special, secret mission. There’s a code embedded inside each one of us who have served. We all leaned on one another – helped each other through the mission. That’s the brotherhood, Justin. Friends forever. We’d do anything for each other. That’s my real family, not the one in Rhode Island.”
“Wow – that sounds cool! So, you can’t tell me what you did?”
“Nope. It’s top secret. But, know this: I learned a lot about myself. I was put to the test and I passed with flying colors. Just like you. You’re now moving on to the next grade in school, right?”
“Yes! I sure did miss you, Kent.”
“Hey, looks like you’ve got a door here that needs repair. We will tackle that tomorrow. How about that? I’m going to catch up with Gramps. He seems tired tonight.”
“Yup, tomorrow. See you then.” Justin shook his hand.
Kent rolled the mower out to the street and waved goodbye.
“Ah darn. I wanted to talk with him.” Kent heard Justin’s voice as he walked away.
Kent had all he could do to keep moving and not turn back. He missed Paige and Justin so much his heart felt as if it had just been resuscitated after being dead for a while. He was living once again. Hope ran through his veins. Visions of holding Paige against his chest like that stayed with him.
Gramps was waiting on the porch. Kent stopped to take in every little detail as he gazed at the blue Chevelle still sitting in the driveway.
“Where’s Burt?”
“He’s gone. Caught a ride home with a guy from the VFW.”
“He left his car here – why? Is something the matter with it?”
“No. It runs perfectly fine.”
“Oh – okay. He didn’t feel like driving it home?”
Gramps waved an envelope in the air.
“No – he left it here for you.”
Incredulous, Kent stepped onto the porch and took the envelope out of Gramps’ hand.
“What is this? Some kind of joke?”
When he took the sheet of paper out, he realized Burt had put the title of the car in his name. The whole thing was written on the back – he’d sold the car to Kent for $1.
“Why would he give me this beautiful car?”
“We’re all proud of you, Kent.”
Gramps didn’t look at him but uttered the words that flooded him with gratitude. “I’m thankful that I have you for my grandson.”
“And, I’m blessed to have you for my grandfather.” He’d never spoken those words aloud, but felt they needed to be, now at this moment.
“Sweet ride, ain’t she?” Gramps smiled.
Kent’s fingers lightly skimmed the perfect paint job. “Marina blue.” He released the hood. “It’s all original. Wow, someone took a long time restoring this baby.”
“Yeah – Burt has another one to work on. The guys at the VFW wanted you to have this one, so we made an arrangement.”
“Arrangement?”
“Well, we need a handyman to help get the VFW into shape. You’d already started the job before you went away. Paige raised a lot of money, and we need a guy we can trust. We wanted you to take it on, with the help of a couple other vets.”
“Sure! I’d love to…” Kent felt his heart would burst. “I must be the luckiest guy on earth! I can’t wait to take Paige for a ride in this.”
“Well, it’ll be a lot of work at the VFW– but, I think it’s a good trade.”
“Thanks, Gramps – I’m gonna make you proud.”
“You already have, squirt.”
Gramps was quiet for a moment.
“Kent, I did some things while you were gone…”
“Like what? Good things, I hope.” Kent was waiting for the shoe to fall.
“I got permission to sell an acre of land here.”
“What? Why? I should’ve known. You need cash.”
“Yes, that and I told your father he’s an idiot.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. You’ll probably hear about that sooner or later. I’m not going into a nursing home. He’s ticked off about that. No one’s running my life but me.”
Gramps almost seemed joyous as he uttered the words, like he’d won a long running battle.
“I never thought you needed to be in a nursing home. Heck, that’s what I’m here for – to help you out. I had a lot of time to think the past few weeks. I have ideas.”
“What sort of ideas?”
“Well, I’d like to clean out this barn and see if we can get zoning for a business.”
“What type of business?”
“Salvage.”
“You mean sell junk?”
“Not junk, exactly. I can make things out of some of the items you have stacked up in there. You know – things tourists might buy. And, I’d like to set up a small workshop and fix items for people – like lawnmowers, bikes, things with small engines.”
Gramps ran his hand through his hair. Kent could tell he was thinking this over – actually contemplating the idea.
“You know, that just might work.”
“I know it would work. It will take a lot of effort, but we can do it together.” Kent held his breath as he waited.
“Let me talk to the code enforcement guy. He’s an old friend of mine. There are a couple of businesses in this neighborhood, small ones, but I think this is not strictly residential.” Gramps stood. “In fact, I’ll head down there tomorrow.”
Kent’s phone vibrated and he looked down to see a text from Paige.
I’d like you to come over for dinner tomorrow night. I’m making your favorite, mac and cheese, bring Gramps, too.
Kent texted her back.
We’d love to come for dinner. What time?
Paige answered. Dinner will be at 7:00 PM. Welcome home!
P.S. I missed you, Kent.
Kent smiled at Gramps.
“Dinner tomorrow at Paige’s house – Mac n Cheese night.”
Gramps smiled. His eyes gleamed with mischief. “Yes!”
Kent stepped inside the old farmhouse kitchen and opened the fridge. Not much in there, but he found a meal replacement shake, and drank it as he walked into the barn. The stuff was piled high. He’d need some help getting it all out of there and sorting it. Justin was out of school for the summer. He’d be a good helper. He might be able to get Paige to assist, too. It would give him the opportunity to spend more time with her, which was what he lived for.
If he stood just right in the barn, there was a window he could gaze through which gave a clear view to Paige’s house. He watched her in the driveway shooting hoops with Justin. He wondered if he was good enough for her. She could have any guy in the world, but she was inviting him to dinner. He couldn’t wait to see her tomorrow. If he could, he’d run down to her house and chase her into the bedroom, toss her onto the bed and kiss her until she couldn’t stand it any longer. It was a fantasy he’d harbored for a long while. Not so easy to do with Justin there. But he was patient. He was a marine, after all. He would wait and plan every moment with Paige.
/> CHAPTER 20
The next morning, Gramps was all smiles. “Got it.” He waved a piece of paper in the air triumphantly as he dashed out of the town hall toward Kent.
“I filled out paperwork, and got the go-ahead to set this place up as a small business. We are required to keep most of the stuff inside the barn, but we will be allowed to put a few pieces in front along with a sign. Hey, what’re we going to call this business?”
“Grandfather’s Barn?”
Gramps narrowed his eyes. “How about K&P Salvage? That’s what I put on the permit.”
“What does K&P stand for?”
“Kent and Paige.” Gramps smiled.
“Okay, I like the sound of that.”
As Kent turned the key in the old Chevelle, it rumbled to life and he drove to the grocery with Gramps for some supplies, then home. It was fun tooling around in a vintage car that turned heads. People smiled and pointed, honked and waved when he went by.
Gramps’ elbow in his rib ended his reverie.
“Hey, we’ve got to go to the club tomorrow night for the Checker Tournament. It’s a fundraiser.”
“Sure. I’m pretty good at checkers.”
“The guys are all waiting to see you, Kent. They’ve been asking about you every day since you’ve been gone.”
“I can never repay them.”
When it was time to lay his head down on his pillow, Kent dialed Paige’s phone number. He was staring at her house from his bedroom window. He knew the bathroom light just went out at her house – and she was probably slipping into bed, herself.
“Hi, Kent.”
Oh yes, her voice sounded soft and feminine.
“I missed you so much, Paige. You sure you want to get mixed up with a guy like me?”
“Of course, why would you ask?”
“Well, you know – there’s the obvious. I’m damaged goods.”
“Kent, don’t say that. The only reason I hesitated was your age. You’re seven years younger than I am. I’m the one with the extra mileage, not you!”
If she could’ve seen him, he pushed his chest out and exhaled. He wasn’t used to compliments like that. It felt good. All his worrying about being an amputee – and she didn’t even care about that.
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