Rydin' the Storm Out

by P. J. Fiala

  Molly stiffened up at Ryder’s words. She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. She sat back and collecting herself, she chuckled. “Good to know. Jeffrey Jepson is coming over this morning to discuss my purchase of the house. I was too nervous and excited to sleep anymore.”

  Ryder sat up and scraped his hands through his hair and down his face. That was weird, it seemed like she was uncomfortable just now. Molly handed him his cup of coffee and he smiled at her.

  “Thanks, babe. You’re incredible.”

  He kissed her first, taking her hand as he grabbed his cup and pulled her in, then took a drink of his coffee.

  “Mmmm. I needed that. Do you need me here with you?”

  “If you want to be here, I certainly don’t mind. After all, you’re living here or will be. But, I know you have work, so I don’t expect you to take off for this.”

  “I’m happy to be here, but only if you’re comfortable with it; I don’t want to butt in. I know you want to do this yourself.”

  “Thanks, babe. I really appreciate you letting a ‘girl’ take care of this on her own.” Molly smiled.

  “I’ve never said you aren’t capable of this because you’re a girl. Which, by the way, is one of the things I love most about you. I just want you to feel safe and comfortable with all the decisions, and there’s nothing wrong with having a second set of ears and eyes when talking about a purchase like this. That’s all.”

  That was true. Molly hadn’t thought of that.

  “Well, if you don’t mind coming back to the house around nine-thirty, I would love to have you here.”

  Ryder grinned. “Deal. I’ll be here at nine-thirty.”

  Molly went out to the kitchen to start making breakfast. If she stayed in the bedroom, he’d be late for work and she wouldn’t be ready for her meeting with Jeffrey.

  Ryder left a few minutes before eight to head for the shop with the promise to be home at nine-thirty. Molly cleaned up the breakfast dishes and straightened up the living room. She made the bed and picked up dirty clothes. She wanted the house to look nice and to make a good impression on Jeffrey. She wanted this to work out. She also thought a little more about Ryder. He didn’t push her, he just wanted to be part of her life. Molly had kept him at arm’s length for a while now. She didn’t want him to wake up one morning and decide she wasn’t worth it. So, tonight she would tell him she would be happy if he wanted to buy the house with her. After all, if they did it right and had a contract drawn up, they could do this together. They loved each other. She enjoyed his company, and she liked talking to him. Their evenings together were great; actually, everything they did together was enjoyable. They spent time sharing their days with each other. He shared his family with her without reservation. It was what she had always hoped for. She needed to introduce him to her mother, to share with him as much as he shared with her.

  Molly’s phone chimed with her business ring. “Memories by Molly.”

  “Hello. Molly. Bates.”

  Molly sucked in a breath. Her knees weakened as she sank into a chair in the kitchen.

  “How…How did you get my number?”

  “Well, you little bitch, you’ve plastered your name all over the Rolling Thunder DVDs. Your picture too. It wasn’t all that hard to find you.”

  Molly swallowed and tried to focus on a spot on the wall. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

  “You’re not supposed to contact me.”

  “Says who? Nobody’s gonna stop me from contacting you. I told you years ago, you owe me and you will pay me back. We both know what that means.”

  Molly hit the End Call button on her phone. Fuck! She should have known it was all too good to be true. Her breakfast threatened to make a quick exit, and she ran to the bathroom just in time to empty her stomach. She sat on the edge of the bathroom counter, unconsciously wiping her mouth with a wet cloth when her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Walking down the hall, she checked the time on her phone—it was only nine-ten. She opened the door to a short, balding, rotund man in his early forties. He wore glasses and his hair was too long for the small amount he had on his head. And, he smelled…gross.

  “May I help you?”

  “Are you Molly? I’m Jeffrey Jepson.”

  “Yes. Oh, please come in. I wasn’t expecting you until nine-thirty.”

  “Yes, sorry about that. I finished my meetings early and wanted to get this one out of the way before I have to go and see the probate attorney. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not.” Molly led him into the kitchen and pointed to the kitchen table.

  “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

  “Yes, black, please.”

  Molly poured him a cup and another one for herself. She didn’t know if she should call Ryder or just start without him. Jeffrey seemed to be in a hurry, so she didn’t want to keep him. She sat across from him at the table and sipped her coffee.

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “I’ve been here five years now. I’ve done a lot of work here, fixing it up hoping that it would be mine one day. I’ve painted, had the roof replaced as well as all the inside doors. I’ve replaced the kitchen flooring and was thinking about replacing the bathroom tile this winter. I’m very sorry for you loss, by the way. I really liked Mr. Jepson.”

  “Thanks. Yes, it looks very nice. You’ve done a great job.” Jeffrey looked around the room.

  Molly got a weird vibe from him. It was apparent that he was socially awkward, but it was something a bit more…creepy.

  “I found this in my dad’s safe as I was going through his things. He had just a couple of rentals, this one being one of them. As I was digging around trying to locate his assets, I came across this.”

  Jeffrey showed her a piece of paper his father had in his safe.

  Upon my death, if I haven’t previously sold the house on Ninth Street to Molly Bates, I would like for it to be sold to her for $115,000. We have a verbal agreement and I would like that agreement honored. Ellison Jepson

  Molly was stunned. The house appraised out at one hundred forty-two thousand dollars just last year. This was incredible. Molly looked at Jeffrey before looking back at the piece of paper again.

  “This is very generous. Are you holding to this agreement?”

  Jeffrey nodded but didn’t say anything. Molly was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with him. The way he was staring at her was starting to make her jittery. She was very aware that they were alone in the house and Ryder wasn’t due for another few minutes or so, and that was provided he could get away on time. Her heart was hammering away in her chest and her skin grew moist and pink.

  “O-okay. Y-yes, I would be happy to buy the house for this price.”

  Jeffrey stood up. “I would like a tour to see what you’ve done here.”

  Molly didn’t really want to give him a tour alone. Why would he need a tour? The price had already been established, but she didn’t know how to turn him down. He was giving her a fabulous deal on this house and she didn’t want him to change his mind.

  Molly nodded and slowly stood up. Jeffrey followed and Molly thought the best place to start would be outside. She turned and opened the sliding doors to the patio and held her arm out motioning him to head outside.

  She started by showing him the landscaping she’d done.

  “I planted all of the flowers, added the chips and edging and the decorations.”

  When Jeffrey made no response, Molly pointed to the roof. “I had the roof replaced two years ago.”

  She showed him the section of fence she had repaired. Now that she had shown him everything she could show him outside, she had no choice but to go inside.

  Please come home soon, Ryder.

  Jeffrey was eerily silent and continued to stare at her. Growing more and more uneasy, Molly walked into the living room. He walked close to her and touched her shoulder. He reached up and touched her hair and
Molly jumped. “I need another cup of coffee, would you like one?”

  “No.” His voice had become very flat and hard.

  Molly quickly walked into the kitchen and refilled her cup. She slowly turned to find him standing right behind her, very close, too close and effectively trapping her in the corner of the kitchen. Molly stepped forward and to the side to walk around him and he stepped in front of her. Her heart started racing and her breathing became choppy and her hands began shaking. Where is Ryder?

  “What’s going on?”

  Oh, thank God.

  “Hi, babe. Come on in and meet Jeffrey Jepson.” Molly said trying to hide the quiver in her voice.

  Ryder looked at the fear on Molly’s face and the close proximity between herself and Jeffrey. He walked over and held out his hand to Jeffrey while at the same time, stepping in front of Molly and between her and Jeffrey.

  “Ryder Sheppard. Nice to meet you.”

  “A-a-are you h-her h-husband?” Jeffrey stuttered out.

  “Not yet. But soon.”

  Ryder looked back at Molly and winked. She relaxed and smiled.

  “Did I miss anything? I thought the meeting was for nine-thirty.”

  “Y-yes, I was a little early. I had other meetings this morning and later today, s-so I thought I would come b-by early.”

  “Oh, well I’m sorry I missed it.”

  Ryder reached back and pulled Molly forward, putting his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Jeffrey stepped back and started walking toward the front door, Ryder and Molly on his heels.

  “Yes. W-well I’m leaving n-now. I h-have other things to do. I’ll leave you t-to work out the details with your bank.”

  He looked Molly straight in the eye for a long moment and turned and walked out the door.

  As soon as the door was closed Ryder reached forward and locked it. Molly’s shaking became pronounced. She reached out and hugged Ryder tight. When he felt her body shaking, he became enraged.

  Taking a deep breath to get his own emotions under control, he asked, “Did he hurt you, babe?”

  Molly shook her head no, but she couldn’t get words out just yet. When she had settled down a little, she told Ryder, “I was so scared. He was giving me the creeps. He wanted a tour of the house and I didn’t want to be alone with him in the bedroom or any small room. I took him out to the backyard first and tried stalling as long as I could. We came back in and I showed him the living room and he touched my hair. I was scared and went into the kitchen pretending to need more coffee. That’s when he came up behind me. Thank God you walked in when you did.”

  Ryder wrapped his arms tighter around Molly. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, Molly. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”

  Ryder calmly rubbed Molly’s back as he held her tight to his body, breathing deeply to keep his own emotions under control.

  Molly began calming down. With Ryder here, she felt so much better. She showed Ryder the piece of paper Mr. Jepson had written and kept in his safe. She was so excited at the price she was getting this house for. He looked at it and smiled his most brilliant smile.

  “Do you still want to buy it with me?”

  Ryder’s brows shot up. “Really? You mean it?”

  Molly nodded. “I was thinking about our conversation last night. You’re right, I can’t keep worrying about what my mom did in the past. I love you, Ryder, and I want to move forward with you. We could have a contract written up to protect each of us, in case it doesn’t work out, or whatever you want. Just let me know.”

  Ryder whooped and picked Molly up and swung her around. They were both laughing as he set her down.

  “We should go and talk to my mom and dad. They can give us advice and the name of a good attorney.”

  He didn’t need a contract, but if Molly wanted one, he would be fine. “We’ll need a contract written up for the house purchase and we should make copies of that note that Mr. Jepson wrote—in case Jeffrey changes his mind.

  “In the meantime, if he comes back here, you do not let him in this house if I’m not here with you. Hopefully, that was a one-time incident, but just in case, I don’t want you alone with that asshole.”

  “Yes, sir.” Molly saluted.

  But she didn’t need to be told twice. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Jeffrey Jepson, ever again if that were possible.

  “Congratulations, Gunnar. Do you feel different?”

  It was a stupid question, but really, what did you say to a twenty-five-year-old man who just got adopted? It wasn’t something Molly had experienced before.

  “Yeah, I feel different. I feel great. I finally have a last name I can be proud of.”

  Gunnar was all smiles, as was Jeremiah. Jeremiah walked over and put his arm around Gunnar’s shoulders. Molly couldn’t help but snap a few pictures. She wasn’t asked to take pictures today, but she wanted to for all of them. It was an important day for this family. She and Ryder still hadn’t told Gunnar and JT that Ryder was moving in and buying the house with her—they hadn’t told anyone. They decided to wait until after tonight. All he really needed to move was his clothes, his bike, and his truck. Some of the workout equipment was his, but he was going to leave that there for his brothers. He said he could work out there, or buy more for his and Molly’s place. That sounded great—his and Molly’s place.

  “Let’s go into the living room and open your gifts.” Joci was smiling and leading the way into the living room.

  It was now mid-November and Thanksgiving was just around the corner. Ryder was happy, incredibly happy. Gunnar officially became his brother today. He’d felt like a brother for a long time now, but today, it was official. Soon, he was moving in with the woman he loved with his whole heart. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone. They decided to wait until after they had eaten and Gunnar opened his gifts. They didn’t want to take any focus away from him.

  Ryder was beyond happy that Molly was letting him buy the house with her. He knew it was hard for her to overcome all the years she had fought to not become the woman her mom was. All that self-hate took a long time to get rid of. Ryder was determined to help her with that. She was a good woman and nothing like what she had described her mom to be. Now all he needed was for her to open up a little more about her childhood, especially her father. That seemed a little harder for her.

  Gunnar opened his gifts. Molly had picked up a beautiful jewelry/wallet valet with his new name engraved on the top.

  “Sweet. This is awesome. Thanks you guys…and girl.” They also bought him two dress shirts for the holidays with his initials monogrammed on the cuff, and ties to match with Sheppard monogrammed on them as well. He kissed Molly on the top of the head and hugged JT and Ryder.

  His mom and dad had gifts for him and there were gifts from his aunts and uncles and grandparents. They would be getting together during the week with them, but tonight was just the immediate family.

  “I have one more special gift for you, Gunnar,” Molly said holding up a small white box with a purple butterfly on the top.

  Gunnar gingerly took the box from Molly and looked at it with his brows furrowed. “You’ve already given me so much. What’s this?

  “This is something very special to me. When I was little, my mom found this amazing little chocolate shop, ak Kreations. It was our treat for special occasions. These were the treats that she would buy me every year for my birthday and Christmas and anytime I hit some sort of milestone in my life. Open it.”

  Gunnar smirked at Molly and began opening the box. As he opened the lid the most delicious aroma wafted up to his nostrils. Chocolate. Glorious chocolate. There nestled in a gold foil tray were 12 round morsels wrapped in gold. He picked one out of the box and unwrapped the foil wrapping and smiled. As he bit down he groaned in appreciation.

  “God, that’s amazing. What on earth is this? It tastes better than it smells, and it smells fabulous.”

  He chewed his chocolate as Joci peeked into the bo
x clearly loving what she was smelling.

  “Truffles. My favorite chocolate truffles. Aren’t they amazing?”

  Gunnar swallowed his truffle and handed the box to his mom. “You’ve got to try one. You’ll never eat anything better than that. Thanks, Molly.”

  Molly smiled her most brilliant smile as the box was passed around to each person in the room.

  “Jeez, these are great. Wow, Molly, you’ve been keeping secrets from us,” JT teased.

  Molly nodded. “Well, I told you these were for special occasions and this is the first special occasion I’ve been invited to with you all.”

  Gunnar stood up and said, “I’ll be right back.” Gunnar walked out to his truck and came back in with a box.

  “Mom, since today I officially leave my old name behind, I thought tonight we could look through this box. There are some pictures in it of people I don’t know and thought you could help me with them.”

  “Where did you get them?”

  “When Keith died, his wife, Dianna, found some of his things she thought I might want. Connor brought it over yesterday.”

  Connor was Keith’s best friend and had professed his love to Joci, which Jeremiah hated. But, Connor had always been there for her and Gunnar, and Jeremiah understood; he hated it, but he understood.

  Gunnar sat down and opened the box on the coffee table. He pulled some pictures out of the box and laid them on the table and set the box on the floor. The picture on top was a picture of Keith and Joci when they were much younger. Gunnar looked so much like Keith, it was uncanny. When Gunnar had met him at the hospital, after Joci’s accident, he looked like an old decrepit man. His hair was thin and of no color, his skin was ashy from the chemo and other drugs. He was a shell of the man he had once been.

  There was a picture of Keith on his motorcycle, and a few pictures of Keith with another woman—all being thumbed through and passed around on the table.

  “Hey, that’s a picture of my mom.”

  Everyone looked at Molly with furrowed brows. Molly pointed to a picture of Keith with her mom—the other woman.