Without another thought, I turned my back on Naomi, and walked down the driveway to my bike.
***
“You need to give her a break, Son,” my father said. “She was scared, in a town where she didn’t know anyone, and honestly, she doesn’t even owe you an explanation. She owes you less than nothing. You gave her an orgasm, that was it.”
I refrained from saying ‘and how do you know that?’ But just barely.
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion,” I observed, staring up at my old man.
I picked up the bottle of water I’d filled from the fridge, and turned, not bothering to wait for the man’s rebuttal. I knew he had one.
I also knew that he liked Naomi.
Hell, I did, too. Which was the problem.
She’d fucking left me in my bed, gone to work, and then had disappeared. Without a single word.
I didn’t know if she was hurt. Didn’t know if she was okay. Didn’t know if I should be assembling a posse to start looking for her. I didn’t know a goddamned thing.
I’d gone by her house to find it empty. Then had called in to work to see if they’d heard anything from her before she left, only to be informed that I’d have a new partner for a few weeks while Naomi took care of some personal issues.
I had no clue if those personal issues had anything to do with me since the woman hadn’t even bothered to answer her goddamned phone.
I’d spent the next few days in a state of constant worry until yesterday evening when a nurse from the hospital called to inform me that my ‘friend Naomi’ was there and that she’d asked me to pick her up tomorrow when she was discharged.
I’d jumped at the chance, but after days of stewing in anger and worry, I wasn’t in a good place.
So by the time I’d gotten to the hospital to pick her up the next afternoon, I was one seriously pissed off man who wanted to hurt her with my words instead of telling her I’d missed her like crazy.
Apparently, we hadn’t shared what I’d thought we’d shared, and it’d all been in my imagination, just like always.
Which led me to now, two days later, taking Naomi to the fucking walking trail again so she could share two hours with her new friend instead of talking to me.
“Ready?” I barked, startling Naomi who was just coming out of her room.
She bit her lip, then nodded once.
“Yes.”
She said that so quietly that I crossed my arms across my chest to keep myself from reaching for her.
“Then get in the truck.”
At least she was well enough now to get in by herself.
If I had to put my hands on her, I wasn’t going to be responsible for what I did.
For what I wanted to do.
Apparently, being mad at the woman didn’t take away from the fact that I wanted her.
No, life was a cruel bitch like that.
***
Naomi
“The man, though he hasn’t professed his love, really cares about you. I could tell that the day he picked you up from the hospital.”
I bit my lip and looked away from the greasy guy who’d finally managed to pass us, letting my eyes take in the grass that was lining the trail that we were currently walking at a crawl-like pace on.
I’d been seeing that same greasy guy everywhere I went over the last few days.
“I don’t know about that,” I said to Brady. “He doesn’t act like he likes me all that much.”
“That’s because you upset him. He doesn’t know how to deal with the fact that his girl would have major surgery without telling him. Instead of taking his feelings into consideration, you dismissed them in an attempt to protect yourself from potentially being disappointed. You left him the day before in a good place, and the next day you totally disregarded anything he might have been feeling. How do you expect him to react?”
That was so true.
I would react much the same way, and I only had myself to blame.
I frowned down at my feet.
“When my Molly and I married, she never kept a single thing from me. Until the day she found out she had cancer.”
That dropped between us like a two-ton elephant, and I had no clue what to say.
“She took that from me. Those hours that I would’ve sat by her side, she stole, thinking she was saving me from heartache.” He sounded lost. “Had I known that she was getting treatment, I would’ve been at her side, holding her hand. By not telling me, she robbed me of that and that time we could have spent together. I would’ve done anything for her, but now she’s gone, and I don’t know who I am anymore.”
Tears started to trickle down my cheeks.
“I’m furious. I want to yell and scream and curse. But I can’t.” He looked down at me. “You wanna know why?”
I knew why.
Because she was gone.
“I see you have your answer.”
I did.
“Why are you crying?”
I looked up to find Sean standing there, waiting for me.
He’d dropped me off at the trail, just like he’d done the day before, and he ran in the opposite direction while we walked the short route.
Then he waited patiently for me to return before he drove me back to his dad’s house and then left for the rest of the day.
He didn’t always leave the premises. Most of the time he went over to his father’s shop and worked on his project motorcycle either with his father or by himself.
I, on the other hand, was unsure of my welcome so I stayed where I was, bored to tears.
The one and only time I ventured out there to where he was, he’d totally ignored me.
I felt like I wasn’t wanted, so I’d gone inside without saying a single word to him in ten whole minutes.
“Mr. Thorton was telling me about his marriage and his wife,” I finally settled on. “It was sad.”
His eyes took in my face, the tears still coursing down my cheeks, and then turned his attention to my walking companion.
“You need a ride home today?”
That question was directed at Mr. Thorton, not me. I wouldn’t have a choice where I went.
I’d tried to leave.
Twice, in fact.
Both times I did, I found myself stopped before I could even get out of the driveway. Both times, Sean had dragged me back, even the second time when I’d waited until he was asleep with the lights off to try.
Though, I realized now, it was a mistake to ever think that Sean didn’t have eyes in the back of his head, because he did.
It was obvious, even to me, that he had to have some eyes somewhere. Cameras, or a movement alarm.
Hell, I didn’t know how I knew. I just did, and I didn’t try to escape anymore. Not after being on the receiving end of his blank stare that told me without words that the next time I tried that, he’d spank my ass—fucked up bowels or not.
“No, son,” Mr. Brady said. “But I’d love for you to put Butterfinger in my car. It hurts me to lift her sometimes.”
I looked down at Butterfinger.
She was an overweight Rottweiler who clearly needed to go on a diet…yesterday.
“Sure,” Sean said with so little enthusiasm I nearly laughed. “Can you unlock your truck?”
Mr. Thorton drove a small, thirty-year-old Nissan truck that clearly had been well taken care of. What hadn’t been taken care of, though, were the tires.
Tires that even I knew that he needed. A woman who had no clue when it came to anything car-related.
Hell, the only time I knew something was wrong with my car was when the beeping or warning lights started to appear.
Mr. Thorton handed Butterfinger’s leash over to Sean.
The moment Sean had the leash, Butterfinger dropped to her haunches and glared up at Sean.
“I don’t understand what I did,” he sighed. “I’ve never had a dog not like me.”<
br />
I wanted to say something along the lines of, ‘Maybe she’s reading that you hate me right now’ but chose not to open the can of worms.
It wouldn’t be good to deal with this now, in public with the whole freakin’ morning rush of men and women watching us hash this shit out.
I really, really tried not to laugh at what happened next.
But I couldn’t help it.
The moment that Butterfinger allowed herself to be hauled across the slick concrete, half of her body in Sean’s large arms and the other half stubbornly dragging behind her, I just couldn’t help it.
Sean glared at me to silence my laughter, but I could only turn and watch out of the corner of my eye while I said my goodbyes to Mr. Thorton.
“You really shouldn’t laugh, dear,” he informed me. “And I shouldn’t, either. He found my dog for me. I think that’s why she hates him, though.”
I agreed.
Two days earlier, Sean had disappeared for nearly the entire day, and only later that night would I get a thank you call from Mr. Thorton for having my boyfriend look for his dog.
A dog which happened to be staying at one of his neighbor’s houses being fed dutifully by three kids in their parents’ backyard, the parents none the wiser.
“You think it’s because she’s not getting fed his Twinkies and Little Debbies for dinner anymore that she dislikes Sean so immensely?” I asked for confirmation.
He nodded, smiling when Sean finally got to the truck and lifted the hundred and fifteen-pound dog into the passenger seat.
I walked forward and gave Mr. Thorton a hug.
“Be careful going home. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Mr. Thorton smiled. “Yeah, but I usually don’t walk on Fridays. If I walk tomorrow, I will not be walking on Saturday, okay?”
I pursed my lips, then gave the old man a kiss on the cheek.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “But I’ll still be here, even if you aren’t.”
I had to hide the smile that threatened my lips when Mr. Thorton turned on his patented glare.
“That, young lady, better not be a guilt trip.”
I shrugged, then wiped my eyes with my sleeves.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
He rolled his eyes and walked slowly to his truck.
I followed suit, but went one car past Mr. Thorton’s to Sean’s big blue behemoth.
I did manage to get in myself this time, though, so I was getting better. Even if it wasn’t coming as fast as I would like.
“You ready?”
I turned to study the man who’d waited until I was all the way in before getting in himself.
“Yeah,” I said softly, wishing I would get more than two words from him at a time. “Ready.”
He started the truck up, and he drove home.
Without, I might add, saying a damn word.
Chapter 12
If you like to spoon, you’ll love to spatula. That’s where I flip you over and make sure you’re done properly on both sides.
-Pickup lines that don’t work unless you have a beard
Naomi
Three weeks later
I was officially over Sean’s shit.
As I walked out of the station and saw him up close and personal with his ex, I decided that it was high time that I either shit or got off the pot.
It’d been three weeks of nothing but Sean ignoring me, and I was officially over it.
Something needed to give, and it wasn’t me.
It was him.
He either needed to forgive me, or I needed to move on, because I was tired of feeling this way.
I walked to my car, a car that I was lucky to have since Sean had been taking me everywhere for the last three weeks.
But he’d wanted to go vote on the way to work, and I’d needed to stop to get some ladies’ utensils, aka tampons.
Something that he’d allowed me to do either because he didn’t like dealing with women’s shit, or he was tired of being around me.
Regardless, I now had my car in my possession, and things were about to get real.
The moment I got to my car, I bleeped the locks and opened the passenger side door, easily extracting a spiral bound notebook from the floorboard and started writing my note with a pen I’d found on the ground outside of a gas station the day before.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I bit my lip, wondering if I should answer it or write the note.
I answered the phone.
“When are you coming home?”
My mom.
“Today.”
Her inhale was swift and sharp, and I smiled.
Then I wrote my note.
I don’t want you to be mad at me anymore. I was being stupid. I’m a girl, and we do stupid things sometimes. But ever since I’ve gotten out of the hospital, you’ve broken my heart a little more each day. It hurts. I miss my friend. Don’t be mad at me.
I placed the note on the seat of Sean’s bike, hoping that it didn’t blow off with a gust of wind.
With one last glance at Sean where he was talking with Ellen, I got into my car and didn’t look back.
Wouldn’t ever look back.
Putting my phone to my ear, I dialed my best friend and unloaded.
“I’m coming home.”
***
I drove ten over the speed limit the entire way and didn’t once get pulled over.
Either it was divine intervention happening, or I was just not speeding as much as other drivers.
Regardless, I pulled up in front of Aspen’s house seven hours later and turned my car off in her driveway.
I didn’t even make it out of my car all the way before my best friend was on me, tackling me to the ground and wrapping her legs and arms around me like a monkey on crack.
“Jesus,” the breath left my lungs, whooshing out so fast that I got light-headed.
“Your phone’s ringing.”
That was from Aspen’s husband.
I looked up and grinned at Drew.
“Yeah,” I acknowledged. “Been doing that for a couple of hours now.”
Or six.
He allowed me an hour before he’d started calling, trying to figure out where I was.
I hadn’t answered at all. The only clue he had that I left the city was that I’d at least called Big Papa and told him that I wasn’t going to be home tonight.
Though, that was out of courtesy to the man I was staying with since Big Papa was a worry wart.
“I missed you so much,” Aspen said, squeezing her arms tighter around my neck.
I patted her elbow.
“Yeah,” I wheezed. “But if you don’t let up, I might die.”
She snorted.
Did her grip around my neck let up, though?
Hell no.
“People are staring, Aspen,” Drew pointed out. “And your brother just pulled up.”
I looked up, the inch that Aspen’s grip allowed, and waved with my fingers at her brother.
He grinned at me.
“Looking a little red there, girl.”
I snorted, patted Aspen’s arm again to get her to let me go, and I breathed a sigh of relief when she finally did.
We both made our way to our feet, and Aspen was on me again.
“I’ve missed you so much. Do you think it’d be okay to…”
“No.” Drew and Downy responded at the same time.
I rolled my eyes.
“We can paint each other’s nails,” I informed her. “But I’m not going out drinking. The doctor strictly prohibited that.”
She huffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
I shrugged.
“Not even wine?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Come inside,” Drew said. “And make sure you dust yourself off. Y’all have grass in your hair and on your asses.”
I started to dust the grass off of my shirt, and followed Drew inside, waving at Drew’s daughter who was on the phone talking to someone.
She waved back but didn’t disrupt her phone conversation.
“Who’s she talking to?” I asked as soon as the door closed.
“Her man. He calls at the same time every day…if he can. They’re doing really good together,” Drew answered.
Drew’s daughter had met a boy who’d gone into the military, and he’d gone on his first deployment only three months ago.
“Is she still living at the dorm in the family housing?” I asked.
Drew grunted.
I grinned.
“What’s for dinner?”
My phone rang again, and I looked at Drew accusingly.
He handed it to me, and I silenced it by pressing the ‘ignore call’ button on the screen.
Then I shoved the thing into my pocket and crossed my arms over my chest.
“You’re a stubborn bitch, you know that?”
I looked at Aspen.
“Look who’s talking, felony girl.”
Aspen flipped me off.
“My life isn’t under scrutiny here, yours is.”
I shrugged.
“Well, my life is just that—mine, and you need to butt out of it.”
Aspen rolled her eyes as Downy started to chuckle.
“Do you remember that time my sister went all Carrie Underwood on your brother’s cop car, and you didn’t see your way out of it?” Downy butted in.
I turned my glare to him.
“This is an A and B conversation. C your way out of it.”
He did spirit fingers, raising his fingers high up above his head and wiggling them. The move made him look sort of ridiculous, causing me to sigh.
“Can you at least give me until tomorrow to talk about it?” I asked.
Aspen’s mouth twitched, and I moaned. “Oh, come on!”
And that was how I ended up pouring out my recent life story to my friends, who apparently didn’t have anything better to do with their lives.
“So you just left, and you didn’t wait to see if he had anything to say?” Aspen asked with incredulity. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
She was right. It didn’t.
I'm Only Here for the Beard Page 11