Looking up from his phone, Dad spots me and walks over pulling me into a hug.
“Hey, sweetheart. They have the table ready for us. And I am turning my phone off until I leave here.” With his phone already in hand, he powers it down before he slides it back into his pants pocket. Coming straight from work he is dressed in his slacks and button down shirt, but must have taken off his tie. It is a rare event to find him in something other than business attire.
“You don’t have to do that. I know you are a man in high demand.” At this time of night, there is probably only one person who might actually call that would make me mad, and it’s the one woman who knows she better not.
“Nonsense. It’s my little girls birthday dinner, so you get my full attention.”
“Dad, you do realize that I am no longer a little girl right? I am twenty-two now.” I reply as I take my seat across from him.
“Cheyenne you will always be my little girl. Even when you are sixty.”
Well, I guess I can handle that.
Dinner, as expected, is delicious and I even have a good time catching up with my dad, hearing about the business and the plans Grandfather has to open another office. This one being somewhere out in Texas and if all goes well, means that Dad will be spending a lot of time out there helping it get off the ground.
After our plates have been cleared and the check’s been paid, Dad reaches in his pocket and slides a key fob across the table in front of me. Noticing the four connecting circles I look up at him in shock.
“What is this?” I ask.
“This is your birthday present. You wouldn’t let me get you a car when you turned sixteen, or when you graduated high school. I have talked to your mom and Bill, and they both agree it is time to retire the Jetta.”
For my sixteenth birthday he did try to buy me a car, but I refused only willing to take Mom’s used Jetta. In our small town kids weren’t driving a BMW or Lexus or whatever else Dad wanted to buy me. Everyone knew my family had money but I hated to be judged by that fact, and never wanted anything showy or flashy. My mom understood my decision because it was an adjustment for her when she first married my dad.
By the time I graduated high school, I still didn’t want a new car. The Jetta had a couple issues, but always got me where I needed to be. Now the only time I drove was when I went back to Redwood, we hardly ever used our cars anywhere around here, and if we did, we just took Sawyer’s Jeep.
“The Jetta runs fine, Dad, really. This isn’t necessary.” I argue, but know it isn’t true. My check engine light has been on for weeks now.
“Cheyenne, that car is fifteen years old. It has to be on its last leg by now. Please, take the car. I love you and I want to know that you are in a safe vehicle.” Dad says with a stern look, letting me know he won’t budge.
“Alright, I will accept it. Thank you and I love you too, Dad. But you do realize that you could have gotten me a Kia and I would have been just as happy, right?”
Picking up the key, I examine it closely. I still can’t believe that his is what car keys consist of these days; just a little black and silver box with three silver buttons and a small red one at the bottom
“I know. That is why you deserve the best, baby girl. Now, why don’t we go take a look at your new car?”
Making our way outside, I realize why I didn’t see my dad’s BMW when I parked. He had driven the beautiful, shiny, pearl grey Audi A6 to bring to me.
And as much as I loved my old Jetta, one look at this baby and I was in love.
Turning around I throw my arms around my dad, hugging the life out of him. “Thank you so much. It’s amazing and I love it.”
“Man, does that make me happy. I know things have been tense at the house the last few years and I am working on that, but just to see that smile on your face right now makes everything better. Hand over your old keys and I’ll take the Jetta back with me so your mother can donate it.”
Of course she would. That woman is a saint. Every year around the holidays, she made me spend an afternoon going through my closet pulling out items to donate. Knowing that I would be getting a new wardrobe for Christmas helped to ease the pain of letting things go.
“Okay, let me grab me stuff out of there first.” Running over to the Jetta I unlock the doors and gather up all my belongings.
“You’ve been good to me girl, I will miss you.” Kissing my fingers I place them on the steering wheel before standing and walking back to my new car and laying my stuff on the passenger seat.
“Alright sweetheart, I will let you get back home. I am sure you have schoolwork to do. I am extremely proud of you Cheyenne. I know I don’t tell you enough, but just know that I couldn’t be more proud. I love you.” Pulling me into another hug, Dad kisses me on the top of my head.
“Thank you, Dad. For the car, but mostly for driving up here to see me.”
“I would come weekly if I could.” He says looking frustrated.
“I know you would.”
“Your grandmother is planning a family dinner the weekend after this. Are you able to make it?” Dad asks, almost pleadingly.
“Yeah, I will be there.” I wrinkle my nose in distain.
“She won’t be home. Her father is having surgery so she is flying out to New York.” Dad informs me, bringing instant joy to my night.
Smiling I confirm, “I would have come anyways, but at least now I am looking forward to it.”
“You get your honesty from your mother. Both of you are like open books and could never fake an emotion. One of the many things I love about you. I know you usually stay with your mom and Bill, but you are more than welcome to stay at the house. Either way, I will see you then. Love you and drive safe.”
“I will, Dad, love you too. I will call early in the week and let you know when I am heading down. Friday is my free day so I will more than likely come then.”
It is sometimes difficult planning a trip home and making sure to spend equal time with both my parents. Mom and Bill see me the most, especially since I usually always stay at their house. This trip I plan to take advantage of spending time with my dad and will stay at his house since the witch is out of town.
Sitting in the driver seat of my new car, I look around at all the knobs and buttons wondering how long it will take me to figure out what each one does. For tonight, I just need to get the radio on and make it home to show the girls. Tomorrow, I can start playing with all the buttons.
My phone hasn’t yet been synced to the Bluetooth, so I grab it out of my purse and call my mom.
“Hey honey.” She answers.
“Hey Mom. Guess what I am doing right now?”
“Hmmm…. I don’t know. Tell me.” Mom says, feigning ignorance.
“Well, I am on my way home. In my brand new car!” I exclaim, letting out my excitement.
“Oh good, I am so happy you accepted. I bet your dad was ecstatic. He had been nervous to try again, but we told him not to take no for an answer.”
“Yes, he was. Part me wanted to turn it down, but then I saw the beauty on four wheels and that was all she wrote.”
“Good. You deserve it.”
“I also wanted to let you know that I am coming down next weekend. Grandmother wants to have a family dinner and Dad would like for me to be there.”
“Oh, Cheyenne, I’m sorry. We have a wedding that weekend and won’t be home.” Hearing the sadness in my mom’s tone, I feel the same way.
Mom and Bill have a lot of friends and enjoy getting out of town on the weekends. I’m happy that they get to do this, but sad when it happens on a weekend I am coming home.
“That’s alright, Mom. I guess Dad will be solo that weekend, so I wanted to stay his house anyway and some spend time with him.”
My dad’s house was my first home and is the last place where we were all together as a family. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
“That will be nice. You guys need it. If something comes up o
r you need to get away, the house is yours. I will make sure the fridge is stocked with all your favorites, but most importantly I would never forget your pickles.” My mom laughs; everyone thinks it’s a joke. Pickles are not a joking matter.
“You’re the best mom ever! Okay, well I am at the apartment. Tell Bill I said hello and I miss you guys.”
“We miss you too. Love you, honey.”
“Love you too, bye Mom.”
Ending the call, I quickly send a message to Sawyer.
Come downstairs. Bring Becks.
Sawyer: K. Just me.
I am leaning against the hood of my car when I see Sawyer bouncing down the stairs of our apartment building. As soon as she sees me, her faces drops with worry.
“What are you doing, crazy? Are you drunk and need help up the stairs?” Sawyer asks.
“Huh?” Oh wait, I guess we have been here before, last year when I got drunk and needed her help up the stairs. She found me up against a nice car with the alarm going off. “No, not this time. Just thought you might want to check out my new baby.”
“Quit playing, Chey. And get off that car before you scratch it.”
Holding the key fob in my hand, I hit the lock button causing the headlights to flash and the alarm to chirp.
“Shut your mouth!” Sawyer yells, leaving her eyes widened and mouth hanging open.
Running over she admires the outside before I unlock the doors, allowing her to view the inside features.
“I know, right. Late birthday present from my dad.”
“Lucky bitch. Preston is going to be so jealous. I got to send him a picture.” Pulling her phone from her pocket, Sawyer snaps a few photos and chooses one to send.
“Where is Becka? She was here when I left.”
“Not sure. She left about an hour ago, but didn’t mention where she was going.”
“She is being so secretive these days. Why can’t she just tell me who this mystery guy is? The other night at Penny’s I kind of got the feeling it might be Chad.”
I still haven’t come around to asking her about him yet.
“I don’t know, I don’t really see her with Chad. But, it looks like she is pulling in now,” Sawyer comments, looking past me. Turning around, I see the headlights of Becka’s car.
Walking through the parking lot, paying attention to only her phone, Becka doesn’t even notice us until she is right upon us.
“Oh, hey. What are you guys doing hanging out in the middle of the parking lot?” Becka asks and then takes notice of the car we are standing around. “Sweet car, might want to back off a bit before the owner comes outside.”
I quickly fill her in. “It’s mine. Late birthday present from my dad, now, where have you been, slut?”
“Take a breath there, sister.” Becka says looking amused and I can hear Sawyer giggling behind me. “I went and grabbed dinner with Lilly. And congrats on the car, slut.”
“Thanks.” I say disappointed knowing I got all worked up for nothing. I think at this point she is carrying on with all this just to mess with me. “But, I was hoping for more juice than that.”
“Sorry. Come on let’s go up and watch a movie or something.” Without waiting Becka heads to the stairs. Glancing to Sawyer, who just shrugs her shoulders and follows.
One way or another I will get to the bottom of this.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Hey, how are you dressing tonight?” Becka asks, leaning into my room.
“I think I’ll just wear something casual, like maybe this dress.” Holding up the hanger in my hand I show Becka the emerald green cotton dress. It is one of my favorites because of how comfortable it feels and that it can be dressed up or down. “It’s only Thursday, so no need to go all out.”
“Awe, is someone sad there won’t be a certain front man to impress tonight?”
“Whoa, let’s not get crazy now.” I laugh. “I’m not really looking to hook up tonight.”
“Words I never thought I’d hear from you. Anyway, I just have to get dressed and I will be ready to go. Sawyer and Preston meeting us there?”
“Yeah, but Preston had a special date planned first. Something about winning his manhood back at a go-kart track. Who knows with those two, but they are coming to Penny’s afterward.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that story. I bet Sawyer smokes him again.” We both laugh knowing that she is probably right.
After Becka leaves to get ready, I throw on my dress and walk into my bathroom to finish my make-up, which is also being kept casual tonight. Being around Sawyer more this last year has reminded me of my country roots. She has always finds a way to make casual look so damn good and super effortless. That girl could wear anything and still look good.
When I first moved away from Redwood, I did everything I could to be someone else. I didn’t want to be just a small town country girl anymore, and always wanted something bigger for myself. Before coming here, I bought a whole new wardrobe that mostly consisted of short tight dresses and extremely high heels. It was fun being someone new for a while and I was honestly enjoying the new attention it was gaining. But, it was a lot more work than expected, constantly making sure my hair was styled all the time and having make up on everywhere I went. I have a natural curl to my hair that most don’t even know about because I spend hours making sure that it’s straight.
When Sawyer moved in last year, she reminded me how much I missed just being able to quickly toss on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Not to mention the comfort of sliding on a pair of sandals that I didn’t have to worry about killing my feet later on in the night. Of course there were still those nights when I went all out getting ready, but my comfort days were winning the majority of the time.
Running my fingers through my hair one last time, I slip on my trustee wedges and walk out of my room.
Taking a seat at the bar, I motion to Chad that we want our usual and he gets to mixing. So far the bar isn’t too crowded, but it is still early. It is insane how much the crowd can change from one hour to the next.
Chad places two vodka cranberries and two shot glasses down in front of Becka and I. The shot is almost the same color as our drinks, with just a lighter pink tint to it, so I have no clue what this might be.
“Alright handsome, what are you giving me this time?” I ask curiously, and Chad leans over the bar towards me with his devilish grin.
“It’s a wet pussy.” Chad says with a bit of heat and amusement in his eyes before he leans back standing with his arms across his chest.
“Damn, right out the gate with that one?” I laugh. “No foreplay banter to work our way up it?”
“Why waste time. I’d rather get down to business.” I can tell Chad is having a hard time keeping a straight face.
Shaking my head, I tap glasses with Becka and down the shot, tasting a hint of peach.
“Mhm, fruity and delicious.” I say pushing our empty glasses toward Chad. “Are all the shots you give me going to be dirty?”
“Absolutely, baby. I can go all night long.” Chad says dragging it out. “Think on that one.”
But, without giving me the time to comeback with something, he walks away. Oh, he’s good all right.
“Let me ask you this.” Becka asks, and I turn in my seat to face her. “If Chad didn’t work…”
“Hell yes!” I quickly respond, knowing exactly where she was going with the question. “I would be all over that.”
“Thought so.” Becka laughs taking a sip of her drink.
It’s at that moment that I remember thinking she might like Chad.
Shit.
“Becka, do you have something going on with Chad?” I ask, watching as she nearly chokes on her drink.
“What?” She asks, coughing. “No. Why would you think that?”
Ending her coughing fit, she almost looks disgusted with the idea. Okay, well I guess I was way off on that one.
“Just trying to figure you out. I thought I caught you checking him out
the other night and I didn’t want to keep flirting with him if it would have bothered you.”
“Definitely not Chad. Cheyenne, I am not doing this to keep secrets. I’m just not ready to talk about it. Okay?”
The pleading look on Becka’s face lets me know I need to drop it. Nodding my head, I turn, with my back to the bar to check out tonight’s scenery. As a frequent guest here, I am able to recognize most of the faces. Might have even hooked up a few; maybe.
Then my eyes land on someone who I know I must meet. I haven’t been rewarded with a look at his face yet, but judging from the back view, I can’t imagine it’s not just as fine. His blonde hair was shorter than I would normally prefer, but with the way his gray t-shirt is hugging his lean body, I sure as hell don’t care about his hair.
Aside from the upper half, it’s really his lower body that caught my eye and how perfectly the dark denim fits tight against his ass. I love a man with a great ass. It even reminded me of a certain pitcher from my past.
“Damn.” I use my hand to fan myself, suddenly feeling hot. I didn’t plan on hooking up with anyone tonight, but this opportunity would be hard to pass up.
“Jesus, who has caught your attention so quickly?” Becka ask, looking around the room.
“That fine specimen over there.” I point to the group where he is standing, still with his back to me. “I must know who he is. Hey Lilly, I need to send a drink to the blonde over there.”
Lilly looks in the direction I pointed. “Okay. Gray shirt?”
I simply nod my response, short of words at the moment.
“Sure thing. What do you want me to take over?” she asks.
“A red-headed slut.” Becka says catching me off guard and I bust out laughing.
“Nice. But he will get that once he comes over here. Just give him whatever he is drinking.”
“You got it.” I watch as Lilly mixes a Jack and coke, yet another reminder of the guy from my past.
Sipping on my drink, suddenly feeling nervous, my eyes follow Lilly until she reaches the group. With a smile, Lilly says something casually then points in my direction and the hottie turns around to see who sent the gift.
Falling to Pieces Page 5