“No, I don’t think so.” I shook my head back and forth.
“So, are you going to introduce us or keep her all to yourself?” The door to the office opened and the other two men stepped outside.
“We’re just talking about her car. Ms.—sorry I didn’t catch your name.” Steve turned towards me as the two men approached.
“I’m Samantha—Samantha Grant.” I extended my hand to the first one, who was well dressed compared to the other two.
“I’m Joe Danvers.” He took my hand with one of his and wrapped the other around it as he shook. “I’m the mayor of Granite Falls.”
“The mayor?” I blinked in surprise. “Very nice to meet you.”
“I’m sorry about your grandmother.” He kept his hands-on mine as he talked. “If you need any help with any of the arrangements, please come see me at City Hall.”
“I’m Major.” The other guy extended his hand. “I work here with Steve and do whatever else needs to be done around town. Are you planning on selling Mrs. Grant’s place?”
“I don’t know. I was just going to check on things, handle the arrangements, and then leave it for my father to figure out once he gets better.” I removed my hand from the mayor’s grasp and shook Major’s hand which was so big it practically engulfed mine. “Everyone here is so friendly.”
“Yeah, it’s a small town.” Mayor Danvers nodded his head. “We don’t get that many visitors, but we try to roll out whatever hospitality we can.”
“I hear Axe has already rolled out his version of hospitality.” Major chuckled. “Be careful with that one.”
“For sure.” Mayor Danvers looked to Major and nodded in agreement.
“Come on guys, he isn’t that bad.” Steve let out a sigh and shook his head.
AFTER LEAVING THE REPAIR shop, I headed to my grandmother’s house. It was a little off the beaten path, but it seemed like everything in Granite Falls was like that. I pulled into the driveway and saw cats scurrying in all directions. I hoped they were just outside cats because I definitely couldn’t spend a night in a house that was infested with them. I pushed the key my father had given me into the front door and the smell of cat piss hit my nostrils like a torrent of fire. There were cats everywhere. I put my shirt over my nose and took a quick look around, but there was no way I could stay there long. My eyes were already burning when I got back outside and locked the door. None of the cats looked like they were starving and the door in the garage had a cat door, so I walked back towards my car. As I got closer, I saw the door to the house next door open and an elderly woman walked out.
“If you’re looking for Mrs. Grant, I’m afraid she passed away recently.” The older woman pulled a coat close to her shoulders and started walking down the steps.
“Yes ma’am.” I nodded and stepped out into the grass, putting a hand over my eyes to block out the sun. “I’m her granddaughter. I just came by to tend to a few things. My father will come by when he’s feeling better.”
“Randy? You’re Randy’s daughter? Mrs. Annie talked about you all the time. She was so proud of you!” The older woman’s face lit up when she realized who I was.
“She was?” I felt my face twist a bit in surprise. “I didn’t see her much.”
“That’s okay, darling. Family is family. When you live around here, you’re used to people leaving and never coming back—like your father.” She nodded. “I’ve been feeding the cats, but we’re going to have to find a new home for them soon. How many do you want?”
“I...” I shook my head back and forth quickly. “I’m allergic.”
“That’s a shame. She loved those things. I can’t say I’m partial to them myself, but I’ve tried to keep them from starving.” She let out a sigh. “Do you think your father will take any of them?”
“He’s not in any condition to take care of them either...” I looked around and saw that some of the cats had started to move back the garage.
“Well don’t you worry about it, darling. I’ll get it taken care of.” She smiled again. “Are you staying long, would you like to come inside for a cup of tea?”
Since she is offering to take care of all these cats, I guess it would be rude to say no.
“Sure...” I nodded and started walking across the lawn towards her house.
“I’m Fannie Smith.” She waved me towards her house as she started walking back up the steps.
“Samantha Grant.” I got to the edge of her steps.
“You’re not married?” She looked back over her shoulder and held the door.
“No ma’am.” I shook my head back and forth.
“I should introduce you to my youngest son. You’re very pretty and he’s not married either.” She grinned as I walked through the door.
“Thank you...” My face flushed a bit in embarrassment from the compliment.
Mrs. Smith’s house was fairly quaint. The most important detail was the lack of cats. I drew a breath of clean air and let out a sigh of relief that her house was nothing like my grandmother’s infested den. She pointed to the living room and hobbled towards the kitchen. I walked into the rather small room and looked at the photographs on the wall. There were pictures of her in her youth with a rather nice looking man wearing a military uniform. There were several pictures of them with children of various ages. A few pictures later, she was holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket surrounded by the other children who were much older. I assumed that was the son she offered to set me up with since there were no baby pictures after that. His life unfolded in front of me in a series of pictures, and he appeared to be quite attractive. The most recent one was of him with his arm around her. He was well built with an athletic body covered in tattoos. He didn’t appear to have as many as Axe, but he was definitely decorated.
“That’s Blue.” She chuckled as she walked into the room. “He’s a looker, huh?”
“Yeah, he’s a handsome young man.” I walked to a chair and took a seat as she poured the tea. “His name is Blue?”
“His name is John, but he didn’t like being called John Smith, so Blue ended up being his nickname.” She shrugged. “We just went with it.”
“Interesting...” I raised an eyebrow.
“He’s a bartender at The Water Barn. If you decide you need something stronger than tea, you should pay him a visit.” She took her tea and sipped it.
“I’m going there later, actually.” I nodded but I kept the fact I was going there for a date to myself.
“Good. Tell him he needs to come see me and if he isn’t in church on Sunday, I’m going to skin him alive!” She took on a serious tone and then laughed.
“I’ll pass on the message.” My smile was hidden behind the cup of tea as I took my first sip. “Wow, this is really good!”
I spent an hour with Mrs. Smith, hearing all about her life in Granite Falls and her children. Blue was the only one that stayed in the small town but she seemed a little sad that the rest of her children had moved away and had families while Blue was left behind. He seemed like a good guy, even if he did look like a bit of a bad boy in his pictures. After she finished talking about her family, she turned the conversation to mine. She told me a few things about my grandmother I didn’t know, and raved about her pies. She didn’t know my father much and said he was a bit of a loner. I kept an eye on my watch and when it got close to six, I realized I needed to go if I was going to meet Axe at the bar. I was a bit unsure about going out with a guy I had just met, but I felt like I did owe him at least one drink for changing my tire. I definitely didn’t have to sleep with him—not that I would have any idea what I was doing if I did. I said goodbye to Mrs. Smith and promised again I would say hello to Blue when I was at the bar.
Chapter 4: Axe
I don’t know why the fuck I came back to Granite Falls after my third stint in prison. Every time I returned, it was more of the same. The locals didn’t really like my business ventures unless they were customers. The sheriff and I had a long
history of disagreeing on how to make money. I didn’t see anything wrong with selling weed to the locals, especially if they wanted to buy it—hell it was legal one state over. The town seemed to have a grip on me that I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t like I had a family to keep me there and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to find love in the shit hole of a small town. If Samantha showed up for the date, she was going to be the first girl I had even shared a drink with since I got out of the big house. I hoped it might lead to more than a drink. I definitely needed to get my dick wet and Samantha was beautiful as fuck. She was easily the hottest girl I had seen in Granite Falls. I walked into The Water Barn and looked around. There was no sign of her, but it was early, so I walked to the bar and took a seat on a stool.
“How’s it going, Axe?” The bartender, Blue, walked over and leaned against the edge of the bar.
“Same old shit.” I let out a sigh. “How have you been?”
“About the same.” He smiled. “You want a beer or something stronger?”
“Let me get a shot of Jack and a beer. I’m waiting for someone.” I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and tossed some money on the counter.
“Coming right up.” Blue tapped the bar and walked towards the rack of liquor.
The Water Barn was bustling with activity, which was unusual for such an early hour. It was usually an older crowd, but I saw a few familiar faces. They were too busy with their drinks or their games of pool to notice me. I knew they would notice Samantha if she showed up. There was no way she was walking into The Water Barn without turning every head in the room. I looked back towards the bar and noticed that Blue had gotten held up with an order at the end of the bar so I waited, tapping my fingers on the bar in anticipation. Blue finally finished with the patron on the opposite end of the bar and walked back to me. He put a shot of Jack in front of me and started pouring my beer. I downed the shot as the beer was ready and immediately chased the shot with a bit of amber lager. Blue was pulled away again and had to deal with another customer before finally coming back to my end of the bar.
“You been riding much since I got locked up? You and Steve hit the highway any?” I sipped my beer again.
“No, I think he put his bike in storage once you went away. I’ve been busy with worth and taking care of Mom.” He poured a shot and discreetly downed it. “How was prison?”
“It sucked...” I grunted and sneered as I laughed quietly. “As usual.”
“How long until you’re back in business?” He leaned against the bar. “It has been dry as shit around here since you’ve been locked up—but hey, more people are buying booze.”
“I don’t know if I want to do that shit again.” I shook my head back and forth. “The sheriff will be on my ass and the mayor even gave me a hard time when I got caught before.”
“I thought he was buying from you.” Blue poured and downed another shot.
“Yeah, not that he would ever admit it.” I sighed angrily. “I don’t know, I might have to do it if I want some money, but I’m going to try and stay legit for a while.”
“That sucks.” Blue shook his head back and forth.
You could have heard a pin drop in the bar when the doors behind me opened. Every voice went silent and even the jukebox seemed to skip a verse in the song it was playing. I knew it was Samantha before I ever turned around. She was the only one who could have gotten that reaction. Blue whistled quietly as I turned around and held my hand up to get her attention. Her face went from one of concern to a smile as she recognized me and started towards me. She was absolutely ravishing and seemed to have recovered from her earlier dance with a flat tire. She walked up and I pushed a stool out with my foot, pulling it close the second she sat down. Her eyes flickered and a smile crossed her face. I could have gotten lose in those eyes for eternity—I could almost see my soul staring back from her emerald colored orbs. Her gaze was so innocent and it was clear she didn’t understand how much of an oddity she was in Granite Falls.
“You made it. What do you want to drink?” I looked to Blue who had his eyes fixed on Samantha.
Keeps your eyes to yourself, buddy.
“You must be Blue.” She turned her attention from me to the bartender. “Your mother says you need to come see her and if you’re not in church on Sunday, she’s going to skin you alive.”
“You know my mother? It looks like you’re drinking for free tonight.” Blue’s lips spread to a smile. “Nice to meet you—”
“Samantha.” She extended her hand and Blue shook it. “Your mother lives next to my grandmother’s place.”
“Oh!” Blue’s eyes seemed to flicker with understanding. “I’m sorry about your grandmother.”
“Thank you.” She nodded with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I’ll have whatever Axe is drinking.”
“So this is who you were waiting on.” Blue chuckled as he walked over to fix her a beer.
“You’ve been telling people about me?” Samantha turned to me.
“Everyone in town is talking about you.” I turned towards her and lifted my beer to my lips. “Surely you noticed the wind literally being sucked out of the room when you entered.”
“Yeah, I don’t really understand what the hell is going on.” She raised her eyebrows in confusion.
“You clearly don’t know much about Granite Falls.” Blue walked over and put her beer down on the bar.
“I’ll admit that I don’t.” She picked up the beer and took a sip.
Asshole. Now he’s hitting on my fucking date.
“Granite Falls isn’t exactly known for having a balanced population, I guess you could say.” Blue poured a shot and downed it. I could see that his eyes were getting fairly bloodshot.
“Balanced population?” Samantha seemed confused, and I could feel my chance of getting laid shrinking fast.
“Yeah, there aren’t many women here.” Blue chuckled. “Like, almost none...”
“Right...” I realized that I didn’t have much choice but to buy into his story at that point. It was the truth, but it wasn’t exactly a romantic tale. “This town is old—decrepit—most people just leave when they hit eighteen.”
“It sucks.” Blue got a request from a customer at the other end of the bar and walked away before he got a chance to finish his story.
“So, you asked me out because I’m the only girl in town?” She raised her eyebrows in shock as she took another drink from her beer.
“No!” I felt my tone getting a little harsh. “I asked you out because you’re beautiful—it isn’t my fault this town sucks.”
“I met a few people today...” Her lip twisted as she was contemplating her thoughts and she looked around the bar. “...and the only women I met were...old.”
“Welcome to Granite Falls.” I let out a sigh.
Thanks, Blue—you mother fucking asshole.
Blue’s revelation pretty much killed my shot of landing a kiss on Samantha’s beautiful lips. I tried a bit of romance, but even after a couple of beers, she didn’t seem to be buying it. Blue wandered by a couple of times and refilled our drinks, but the crowd kept him busy. Most of the guys in the room were too busy looking at Samantha to drink, but there were enough orders to keep him away. The date was an absolute bust. I killed twice as many beers as she did and she was clearly not going to get drunk enough for something filthy. She didn’t even let me walk her to her car when she decided the night was over. I kicked the edge of the door frame as I watched her climb into the driver’s seat and leave. She was so damn gorgeous and I wanted a fair shot at her. The only option I had was to go home and jack off because I clearly wasn’t getting any pussy. I needed something to drink that wasn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg so I hit up the liquor store and headed home.
Fucking Granite Falls.
Chapter 5: Samantha
I wasn’t beautiful. I wasn’t important. I was just convenient. That was how I felt when I left The Water Barn and ended my date with Axe. There was only one
hotel in Granite Falls and it wasn’t exactly high class, but it was better than trying to spend the night at my grandmother’s cat infested house. I was able to get a few hours of sleep and then I headed to the local church where my grandmother’s ashes were being kept. It seemed like the local preacher was also the mortician—and the coroner. I pulled into the church parking lot and stepped out of my car. I was ready to be done with Granite Falls. My father didn’t tell me anything about population balances or a serious lack of women, but after hearing what Blue said, I started to take note—I didn’t see a single other woman that was anywhere near my age. I walked into the church and hoped I could get my grandmother’s ashes and hole up in my hotel room until I could get my tire fixed. After that, I could be out of Granite Falls forever. My father could deal with the rest when he was better.
“You must be Samantha Grant.” I saw a man walk out of the back room of the church when I stepped into the lobby.
“The fact I’m the only woman you’ve seen in months give that away?” I could feel a bit of a bite in my tone, but I couldn’t help it.
“I’m sorry about your grandmother.” He motioned for me to follow, ignoring what I said. “We took care of the cremation as your father asked, and I have the ashes back here.”
I followed the preacher into the back room of the church which was set up as an office. The name on the desk said Luther Madison and I assumed it was him since he was the only person in the church. He walked over to a table in the middle of the room and picked up a copper colored urn. I had never really put much thought into what would happen when I was gone from the world, but cremation seemed like a strange way to spend eternity. There wasn’t going to be a ceremony, so the only thing left for me to do was to make a trip to the courthouse, sign some paperwork, and then be on my way once my tire was fixed. There was something about Luther that caught my attention when he handed me my grandmother’s urn. His eyes were almost tortured and the crow’s feet around the edge of them looked like it had been put there by some fairly rough days. The pictures along the edge of his desk were of him when he was much younger and there was a woman with him, but I noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding band.
Seven Roses: Reverse Harem Romance Page 18