by Thia Finn
“If you think that’s bad, wait till you see where we’re going then.” She smirked when she said it.
“So tell me how to get to this luxury resort you call home.” I followed her instructions down streets and made turns, so we eventually ended up at the same building I saw her the night I followed them. Progress. We’d made some progress, finally.
“This is it,” she announced when I pulled up in front of the building.
“Oh, okay.” I needed to keep the judgmental tone out of my voice. “Is this a small apartment building or something?”
“Uh, no.” The street light shined on her face. I could see her hesitancy. “It’s actually a shelter for homeless people, Hayden.”
“Oh, right. That would make sense if you needed a safe place to stay.” I quietly took a deep breath not to alert her to my shock. My loss for words had me in a panic, though. What could I say? She didn’t need to live in a shelter. Damn, why didn’t I see this the first time I came here?
“It is safe. A guard sits at the door and has to unlock it to let me in. He’s a big guy, too. No one will get passed him that doesn’t belong.”
“You mean like stalkers and ex-husbands?” It was a legit question.
“I guess. It’s mostly women who are homeless, like me. Women who can’t make enough to support themselves, so they offer a little help to get back on your feet. There’s a lot of women with children living here. That’s terribly sad.” She looked down where I still held her hand in mine.
“I appreciate you bringing me home, Hayden.”
“What did you do last night?” I started thinking about it the minute I pulled away from the curb. “Wait. Don’t answer that yet. First, I want to say I’m sorry about last night. I should’ve never said those things to you. You didn’t deserve my anger, and I feel awful for what I said.”
“No, you were right. If I’d only told the truth to begin with, but I was so embarrassed about it all.”
“There’s no reason for it, babe. I told you I understand. If you could see some of the places I lived with my mom when I was a kid, you would know how well I understand.” I squeezed her hand in mine.
“Yeah, but you were a kid. Look at you now. I bet you live in some great home with all you make working with Assured Distraction.”
“I’ve been so lucky since I came to Austin. Most musicians come here and never make it. I came here, and Ryan and the rest of the band took me in like I was their pet project. I have worked my ass off to prove I deserved their kindness, though. It hasn’t all been fun and games.” I decided I probably needed to tell her about my son but didn’t know if that time should be now.
“Okay, I guess I’ll go on in. You’ll understand why I don’t invite you in for a drink, right?” A beautiful smile beamed across her face. It made me feel great that we got a lot out in the open.
“Uh, yeah. Makes a lot of sense to me and please, Timbre, if you need something… anything… just call me. I’m glad you’ve kept your phone through all of this.”
“It had to be the last thing to go. I need it, too, badly.”
“You’ve got my number in there?”
“No. Why would I have your number?”
“Because I gave it to you on my card. Tell me your number.” I pulled my phone out and started dialing as she repeated the numbers. Hers rang, and she touched answer. “Now we both have each other’s numbers. Promise me you’ll use mine when you need me or help or a ride. Or anything.”
“I promise. No more dangerous situations like last night.”
“What? You didn’t tell me about last night. What happened? How’d you get here?” I looked at her beautiful features. The strawberry blonde curls framed her gorgeous face. I swore every time I saw her I discovered something more about her that intrigued me. Tonight it was the perfect green eyes. I needed to pay more attention to them in the daylight. I wondered how they’d gotten by me the first time we met.
“I rode the bus. A stop was right outside the gate.”
“Great.” The sarcastic tone rolled off my lips before I could keep it in check.
“I had no choice, Hayden. I had to get home.” She opened the truck door to get out.
“I know.” I pulled her back into her seat. “Sorry. This could have ended badly. It scares me for you.”
“If you only knew,” she said it under her breath, but I caught it.
“Tell me what happened, Timbre.” My voice was no nonsense this time. I didn’t want to be mad, but this sounded bad.
Those deep greens bore into me like she considered whether or not to tell me.
“Timbre? What happened on the way home?” I said it more forcefully. I still held her hand, and she wasn’t getting out until I knew it all.
“Okay, but you can’t get mad. It’s over and done with, and I’ve learned my lesson.”
I nodded. “Right. Now tell me.” I only pacified her to hear the story. The option to be mad still held.
“Some guys got on the bus with me, but I sat behind the driver, so they didn’t do anything… at first.” The pause before the last comment put me on alert.
“And?” Yeah, my blood pressure started a rapid climb.
“They made some comments and called me some names.”
Well, shit. I knew my face glowed red. “Go on.”
“They said some things I didn’t understand in Spanish or English and Spanish mixed. They weren’t all Hispanic.”
“And?” What difference did it make? She was in danger.
“Then two police officers got on the bus and they all got off.”
“Thank God. They saved your ass, you know. Those guys could have taken you from that bus. There could have been a fucking gun or a knife making you get off without the damn driver even knowing. It would have been simple. You had absolutely no business being on a fucking bus in the middle of the damn night, especially alone. Fuck, you put your life in danger for no reason, Timbre. No fucking reason,” I yelled at her. When I finally stopped, she looked at me, and I about lost it.
I got out and rounded the truck in record time and pulled her from it so I could hold her tight in my arms. The idea of her doing something to cause her to be in such danger made me all kinds of mad but me yelling would never solve the problem.
“I’m sorry, babe. I shouldn’t yell at you. I’m so sorry, but that scared me to death to think of all the things they could have done to you.” I held her close.
She spoke in a quiet voice into my chest. “No, I’m s-sorry. I made a b-bad decision. Why didn’t I own up to my p-problems and let you take m-me home?” I knew the question she asked herself didn’t need my answer. The hiccups in her sentences told me she fought crying, but the tears on my shirt told another story.
“It’s okay. It’s behind you now. We’re not going to worry anymore about it, right? Please don’t make me worry about you again. I’d hate to have to stalk you every night to make sure you got home safely. Or worse, have to bend you over my knee and spank you for disobeying and putting your life in danger,” I said in jest, but the idea of spanking her sent my mind to other areas it had no business in right then.
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen,” she mumbled into my shirt.
“Oh, little girl. It could very well happen,” I said over the top of her head.
“Not in this lifetime.”
“We’ll see about that.” Our words turned into light hearted banter, but now my dick was onboard with the idea, so I had to back away to get it under control.
“Come on before we get carried away here.” I smiled at her, and she started laughing. “What, you don’t think I’d bend you over and spank you good for putting your life in danger? Just do it again and try me.”
“Yeah, yeah. Promises, promises.” She started for the door, but I held on to her hand stretching it between us.
“We’ll have to let that thought ride for another time. I gotta get going. Early morning tomorrow. I’ll talk to you soon.” I stopped her with a simple tug and cau
ght up to where she stood. Our eyes locked, and the desire for a brief taste to top this night off took root in my pleasure center. I bent down close to her lips. “For now, I’m going to kiss you instead of spanking. Okay?”
The green of her eyes flared for a second, and then she dipped her head in a single nod. That’s all I needed. I barely pressed my lips to hers in an easy kiss. As much as I wanted, I knew I couldn’t do more, or I’d probably want to take her home with me, and that was for another time. When I pulled back, she kept her eyes closed for a few seconds longer. Damn, I wanted to kiss her again so bad but decided no. I’d wait, and hopefully she would too.
She finally batted her lids open with a smile on her lips. “Thank you for the ride home, Hayden.”
“Maybe it’s me who should be thanking you for the honesty.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I owe you, and I always pay back my debts.” She winked at me and turned to the door that buzzed open.
She winked at me. Damn woman. Timbre Simons could be trouble. I was good with that. I think I liked trouble of her kind.
I sat across the breakfast table from Ryan drinking coffee and scrolling through my emails on my phone when Crew came downstairs followed by Tucker.
“Oh, hey Pops. Didn’t know you were here already.” He walked by me to the kitchen, but I grabbed his arm and hugged him. He responded but never took his eyes from the food on the bar waiting for him.
“I see how it is. Food takes precedent over me, huh?”
“I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since last night before we went to bed.” Both boys sat down and tore into the omelet Peri made and sat in front of them.
“I’m sure you are. Did Peri and Ryan starve you all weekend?” I glanced over the top of my coffee cup at Ryan who looked up briefly smiling. I knew better. These two could destroy the contents of a refrigerator in no time these days. They were so young to already have hollow legs to fill, but the speed they grew at told us why.
“What are you doing here so early, Pops?”
That earned him a glare from Peri for talking with his mouth full. He still had so much to learn about manners even though we started with them just out of diapers.
“I hadn’t seen you all weekend. I wanted to talk to you before you went to school.”
“Is something up? Did I forget something?” This time he spoke after swallowing since he caught Peri’s look loud and clear.
“No, just missed you is all.” I stood and walked over behind him for a proper hug from my son.
“Oh, okay. I thought I might have done something wrong.”
“Well, did you? You’re awfully quick to question me. Maybe there’s something you need to tell me?”
He grinned over at Tucker. These two were going to give Ryan, Peri, and me a lot of sleepless nights in the very near future. God forbid when they started driving.
Peri jumped on the look shared between them. “Boys, is there something going on?”
“No, ma’am,” they said in a monotone unison.
“You know I’ll find out, so if there is you’d be better off telling us now.” She didn’t let them fool her with the ma’am answer.
“Mom, it’s okay. We haven’t done anything wrong at all. You worry too much.” Tucker rolled his eyes at her, and I feared for my life. This kid still had a lot to learn about his mom.
“I don’t need you rolling your eyes at me, Tucker. Now or ever. I’ll worry all I want to, and you’ll learn to like it.”
“Sorry Mom,” he quickly added. Tucker stood, picking up his empty plate and rounded the island where Peri stood. “I promise there’s nothing going on. We just like getting you all worked up.”
“Yeah, momma Peri. You’re too easy.” Crew joined his cousin at the sink where they rinsed and put their dishes in the dishwasher. There were some things Peri taught them well. I learned all my parenting skills by watching her, including training them to pick up behind themselves. As far as teaching my kid skills, all I had to do was reinforce what she started. I owed so much to this great mother.
Crew returned to sit beside me at the table. “What’d you do this weekend, Pops?”
“Oh, you know… the typical. Sat home, read books, washed clothes, cleaned house, watched the History Channel.” I loved telling him things like this because I knew he never believed me.
“Boring. Now, what did you really do? Go on a date with a hot chick?” He arched his eyebrows at me wanting to know the truth.
Ryan spat coffee across the table. “And what would you know about dating a hot chick?”
“Oh, I’ve got my ways, but this is about old Pops here, not me.” The flippant answer didn’t go unnoticed by any of us.
“First of all, son, calling a woman a hot chick is disrespectful. We’ve discussed this before. And second, I’m an adult and don’t have to report to you what I do.”
“Right, Dad. Sorry.” He turned to Ryan. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be rude.”
Ryan nodded at him in acceptance. “I know you weren’t, Crew, but you need to save that kind of talk for your friends. I’m glad you accept me that way, and I love you like my own, but I’m not your best buddy here like Tucker. What the two of you say to each other is fine, but not to your dad and me. Tucker, do you understand this, too?”
“Yes, Dad.” Tucker’s head hung the same as Crew’s.
“Okay,” Peri intervened. “I think we’ve had enough of life’s lessons this morning. You guys ready for school? I’m driving this morning. Go get your stuff and meet me in the car.”
The two stood and ran back up the stairs.
“Damn, dude. When did we turn into our parents?” Ryan commented smiling. “I feel like an old man, and it’s not even eight in the morning.”
“You are an old man but still hot. Now kiss me.” She leaned in and kissed Ryan soundly on the lips before wiggling her eyebrows. “I’ll be back in a little while and if you send this one home…” she glanced at me, “… we can relive your glory days.”
He swatted her on the ass as she walked away. “I’ll be the hot rock star waiting in the bed for his favorite groupie wearing nothing but a smile.”
She called over her shoulder, “You do that,” and blew him a kiss just about the time Crew came running back down the stairs.
Happy he missed that little exchange, I stood. “Have a great day at school, dude. I love you.”
He hugged me bye. “Love you, too, Pops,” he took off out the door.
I poured another cup of coffee and held the pot for Ryan to see. He nodded at me and held out his cup.
“So, kid, what did you do this weekend? You can tell me, I’m a big boy.” He smirked at me when he said it.
“Not too much. Caught Carter and Halo’s gig at Stubbs with Gunner. They’re great together. I don’t know why they don’t try to take their act to the next level.”
“They are happy with what they’re doing for now. I’m glad we get to see them when we’re off the road, and they’re playing in Austin. Maybe we should see if AD can line them up to open for us sometimes. It might excite them enough to want more.”
“Doubt it. I think they like being home most of the time. Surprised the hell out of me that Carter’s turned into such a homebody.”
“Yeah. Does me, too. So that’s it? You sat around when you had a hall pass for the weekend?”
“No, not exactly. I saw a girl I knew at their show and took her home.”
“Now we’re talking.” His interest in my love life perked up.
“It wasn’t like that at all. Take my word for it.” I sipped the hot coffee.
“Damn, kid, we taught you all we knew about women, and that’s the best you can do? I’m ashamed.”
“Shut up. I’m not looking for one-nightstands or groupies anymore. You know that.” We’d had this discussion many times since Crew came along, especially after we’d moved out of Ryan and Peri’s house. I didn’t want my kid thinking that women were disposable. Groupies thrived on being dispo
sable, and I never wanted my kid desiring that lifestyle. I knew that sounded hypocritical but after having a kid and figuring out I couldn’t be a dad to him on the road, I made changes for myself. Those changes were for my son, too.
“So you met up with a woman and took her home. Who is she?” Ryan continued questioning me.
“Dude, have you turned into a gossiping female?”
“I gotta live vicariously through you now. I mean, I love my wife and wouldn’t change a thing, but I can still dream of the glory days.”
“You never had glory days. You were all in with the bitch and then all in with Peri. Were there ever any others?” I glared at him knowing full well there weren’t.
“Only a few in some down moments. Moments of weakness I’d rather not remember. I’m a one-woman man.”
“Right. So, yeah, I met her in a not-so-good way.” I explained the water story to him while he proceeded to laugh his ass off.
“So, when I ran into her with her friend, I wanted to see how she was doing. Turned out not so well but damn, I just about had to strangle her to get the story.”
“Likes keeping stuff to herself, huh?”
“That’s putting it mildly. She’s living in a homeless shelter, and I blame myself for some of it since she got fired.”
“Hayden, you had nothing to do with her getting fired if they were looking for reasons to let people go. The problem I have is why she didn’t find a job or turn to someone for help when she needed it. Doesn’t she have family or friends?”
“Her friends moved off to L.A. to pursue acting, and she stayed here. The girl has a college degree from some little university out west but it’s in psychology, and she can’t find a job with it around here without a master’s degree to go with it.” How many college grads did I know that couldn’t find a good job in Austin? Lots of them.
“She lives in a homeless shelter and was out in a fucking bar spending money on booze? Does that make much sense to you?” He put his phone down to ask specific questions, which told me he had doubts about Timbre.
“Apparently they went there to eat and stayed to hear the music which is when I arrived. Oh, and she only had water in front of her.”