Dean seeming to gauge my reaction started to rub his shoe against the wooden floor causing a persistent squeaking sound with every rub. “Well you see, we didn’t know how this would all pan out. You know, with you cooking and all.” His eyes widen, when he realized what he had just said. “I mean, your apple pie was great, but we’d never tasted your real food. Wait that didn’t come out right either. Dammit!” He gave the floor a final look before he rushed to get the rest of it out. “Well, we wanted to be helpful so we went ahead and ordered our regular from the Chinese place.” He took a big breath. Looking relieved at getting everything off his chest. With his eyes transfixed on mine and his foot causing a high pitched squeak, how could I stay mad at them?
“Fine.”
All three simultaneously scrunched their faces up in confusion. Well I guess they expected a fight, but who would argue with Chinese food? I wouldn’t. I was hungry. Though seeing their confusion I waited for the inevitable question. Which came as no surprise when Damon started to ask first.
“‘Fine’ as in ‘oh, thanks for thinking of me’ or ‘fine’ as in ‘oh, thanks for thinking I was gonna screw up’?”
I pretended to be disinterested by playing with the chipped pink nail polish on my fingernail. “Neither, just fine, it's perfectly fine.”
Still looking at my nail polish, which I really needed to re-apply, I heard the shuffle of multiple feet coming close gathering around me.
Soon a pair of green sneakers and cargo shorts came into my line of sight. Dean.
Still putting on the farce I looked away from my nails smiling sweetly at him. “Yes?”
Distrust was plastered across his face. “Okay, so I’m gonna go out to the car and get the Chinese food. Is that cool? Everybody is fine with Chinese and just everything?”
Ah, I loved how the word “fine” could have so many different meanings, and managed to put so many men all over the world into confusion.
Still smiling sweetly, I looked at Dean’s still confused face which was so endearing. “Oh, yes that’s fine. I’m fine, really guys. In fact, I think what y'all did is great. Y'all are wonderful. Y’all really shouldn’t have done this.”
Man, this fake smiling was really a pain in my cheeks. Literally. But to be able to mess with the guys a little... well that was priceless.
Fingers twitching, I fought the urge to rub my cheeks and jaw, but knew it would give it away.
Shit.
Damon must have seen my fingers twitching to touch my face. He narrowed his eyes at me. The gig was up.
Damon, not one for patience walked over knocking poor Dean out of the way saying, “Ass!”
Poor Dean.
“You’re bullshitting us aren’t you? I mean I thought maybe just maybe cause most women can act a little crazy but then you started pulling that ‘y'all’ crap. And then your fingers twitched and you looked antsy. I knew you were bullshitting us.”
Not answering I looked at Dean, who was rubbing his stomach where Damon had barreled into him and then Kasper who was still leaning up against the couch. Realization came quickly across their faces.
Dean amused, pushed Damon to the side, getting in front of me once more. “The whole time, you’ve been playing us?”
Not wanting Kasper who was still standing in the background, to feel left out, I winked at him to let him know I wasn’t mad. Looking back at Dean, I let the cat out of the bag. “Well after your little comment about how I talk and then to top it all off you went and bought Chinese food assuming I’d fail.” Opening his mouth I knew what he was going to say before he said it. “Yes, I know it went bad, but you assumed before it did. So I felt like making y’all sweat, and now you can go get the Chinese and I think it’s only fair that I pick out the show.”
I patted Dean on the arm as I walked around him, heading for Kasper and grabbing his hand. As Dean went for the Chinese, I pulled Kasper towards the couch flopping down and reaching for the remote. Kasper sat beside me, while Damon quickly took the other side. Leaving the chair for Dean. With a small smile, I put my legs into Kasper’s lap, leaning my back against Damon.
This was so comfortable. I could fall asleep in minutes.
“So, Butterscotch what are we watching tonight?”
Kasper’s smooth hand started to knead my calves causing me to smile. They were going to love it.
“Sherlock.”
Fourteen
Kelly
1. Sherlock was hot if you liked accents.
2. And well I’ve got nothing else
3. I was gonna have to remedy this
Half-asleep I rolled over nearly falling off the bed, barely catching myself by holding on to the comforter. I hated when that happened, it always caused my heart to jump into my throat and I had to somehow convince my body that it wasn’t about to die. Because at the time, I always felt like I was falling from a cliff eight hundred feet in the air. When in reality it was about two feet. Which made my body sound kind of pathetic when you thought about it.
Hands on the edge of the bed. I pushed myself onto my back.
Bed sheets skewed I laid in the rumpled mess thinking of what I needed to do today.
And the answer was nothing. I had nothing planned. What had happened to me? What happened to trying something new. I had failed in my mission, and I knew that with everything going on I probably had a good excuse.
But I didn’t want to make excuses, I wanted action.
Especially after my phone call with the police yesterday. The guys had gotten the contact info from an Officer Ramirez and with everything going on and maybe a little anxiety over calling I finally bit the bullet and called. Surprisingly nothing was taken, just destroyed and there were still no leads on who could have done this. He said it was still an open case, but I got the feeling that I might have been the low man on the totem pole, so to speak, and since I couldn’t do anything about my intruder, or my broken pink hutch, I needed to do something. Anything. And that’s exactly what I was going to do today.
With my new resolution and a brighter outlook, I pushed myself off the bed, grabbing my phone, and padded to the kitchen, where the coffee pot was calling my name. Sometimes I think it could really be calling me from my bedroom, screaming Kelly... Kelly…
The coffee soon started its magical gurgle, as I hummed my new favorite song, The Wolf, while watching the liquid gold drip as I held my only remaining coffee cup in hand. Patience was not my strongest suit.
Grrr, arrooooh
Duchess growled loudly gaining my attention. I turned finding her hopping about, as she waited eagerly at the door, and doing what could be considered the doggy pee pee dance. It was kind of cute and I probably would have found this even more cute or amusing if…
A: It wasn’t seven thirty in the morning.
B: I actually had coffee to drink.
C: If I didn’t know about the pee spot that was now under my kitchen table, that I barely managed to skirt around half-asleep minutes before.
“Duchess, can you wait just two more minutes and let mama get some coffee?”
She answered by prancing faster while doing her little dance.
I took that as a no.
Coffee pot barely filled for a cup, I poured what I could into the one mug that hadn’t been demolished along with my hutch. My dick mug, lovely. Maybe karma had a sense of humor after all. Cup filled I made a run to the door for Duchess. Barely open, Duchess ran straight to the nearest tree barking. Not following her, I made my way to the porch swing watching her in her endeavor of trying to capture the nonexistent squirrel.
Careful not to burn my tongue, I sipped on my coffee slowly, going back to the problem at hand. What was something I could do that I had never done? Those three weeks, had left me severely behind. Not to mention all the other things that had put me off course. I mean I was glad the boys and I were settled now, but not so glad about the break in. And now more than ever, I needed to take back my life. To take back control, to make a major decision
.
But what? What else could I do?
I ran my fingers through my hair thinking about all the new things I’d dared to try, or done that I’d never done before.
Gardening, Kickboxing, DIYing, and just moving...starting over by myself in general.
The last few months had been a whirlwind. But I didn’t want to be done yet. I wasn’t done. Not by a long shot. I needed to do something big. Something impulsive. Frustrated I blew out a breath. What could I do? What was one thing I’d never done but secretly always wanted to?
Eureka!
Excited, I jumped up from the swing spilling coffee across the deck and myself. The scalding hot coffee burned my leg. Whew, that hurt.
But I finally thought of something. Albeit a little reckless, but it was something that I’d always longed to do, but I knew Trevor would’ve hated it. And admittedly I had always been kind of chicken.
But not anymore. I was doing it, even if a certain amount of people had to hold me down. And I knew just the people to help me get over my fear.
On a mission I gulped down what remained of my coffee while looking around for Duchess who had mysteriously vanished and who I was sure still hadn’t peed.
At the edge of the porch, still not seeing her, I decided to yell.
“Duchess, come on, Mama’s got something to do.”
“Are you sure that’s where you want it?”
“Shut up Iris, at least it’s not on her twat!”
Why did I bring them again?
I rolled my eyes at Iris and Betty’s bickering as I sat in the chair at the tattoo parlor as I began to wonder if calling the girls was such a good idea. I had initially called Gertie, because she was the only one whose number I had and I really wanted someone with me. How sad was it that besides the guys these old broads were quickly becoming my best friends. At least I knew they would help me, to hopefully, not chicken out.
On the phone with Gertie, I told her what I wanted, and not one to waste time, she quickly called the rest of the girls including Eloise. Who I found out a little bit earlier, as did everyone else, that she had a long standing crush on Ben. This caused plans to take form in my head. That was after I survived my first tattoo.
Surrounded by the girls, I realized I was used to their bickering back and forth, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the tattoo artist who was sitting beside me now.
I tried to smile reassuringly at the artist who I hoped didn’t change his mind after getting a look and an earful from my group of women. Though I could understand if he changed his mind. I sent a glare at the women around me, praying they could keep the worst of their insults to themselves at least until he was done. No one wanted a tattoo artist to quit mid tattoo. Though with my luck…
The women ignoring my glare continued to bicker, so I answered Iris’s question in an attempt to shut them up.
“Yes, I’m sure this is where I want it, Iris. And yes, I know it’s going to probably hurt that’s why I wanted you girls here. Are there any more questions, before this nice man, starts causing me pain?”
Without a word, Betty pulled her purse up and sat down quickly on the tattoo artist’s lap as she rummaged through her bag to find something. Though what she would have in there that we needed in a tattoo parlor lord knows. At least life was always interesting around Betty.
“Aha!”
Pulling out a shot glass, and a mini bottle of Jack she proceeded to pour it to the top then handing it to me. I took the glass, eying it wearily. “What is this for?”
Betty zipped her purse back up, as she hopped off the tattoo artist’s lap, his face morphing into a sigh of relief, as she threw her handbag over her shoulder and proceeded to look at me like I was missing a few puzzle pieces.
“Liquid courage, girl.”
Still holding the glass, I looked at Betty, cautiously.
"How do you know that this would help me?” Tipping the glass up slightly I smelled the contents. One never knew what could be hidden in that flask.
She huffed out a breath, as she and the other ladies went to pull up their dresses.
What the...
"Woah! I don't need to see this!" the tattoo artist said. He pushed his chair back clumsily as he propelled himself backwards with his eyes closed in an attempt to unsee what he had just seen.
I didn’t really blame him, I wish I could unsee it too.
Gertie rolled her eyes, at the man's uncomfortableness, and smiled. "Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist, boy. It’s not anything you haven’t seen before." She winked. “Or maybe it is?”
Still covering his eyes, he cringed.
"No offense ladies, but I’ve never seen that before and I think I want this to remain a mystery for me. Please. For a very long, long time,” he said respectfully.
The poor man was being tortured. I could see it now, tattoo artist collapsed when forced to see elderly women’s yahoo.
Tragic.
To save the man from further embarrassment, I narrowed my eyes at the girls, only to come up short. I looked to my left and noticed Eloise’s mouth had dropped slightly open, which I feared was the same look that I had. Moving my eyes back to the four women in front of us, I saw they had all raised their skirts up to above their knees, closely to their unmentionables. And I swore I saw black lace peeking out under Iris’s skirt. A shudder went through me. Too much visual.
"Girl stop trying to look at our underwear and look right below it."
Caught and feeling slightly childish, I stuck out my tongue at Prudie for calling me out for not paying attention. Following her orders I dropped my gaze down slightly, to see what was right below their panty line. Besides the wrinkled and pale skin, that I tried not to stare at, which was hard, I’d admit, all four women had identical faded tattoos on their thighs.
"Y’all got matching tattoos?"
Eloise who had been quiet throughout the whole tattoo artist debacle squealed in my ear. "Nana, that is so cool, I wanna be like you when I grow up."
First...wow.
Second...
"Uh, I don’t know about that." I turned back to the girls flabbergasted at the matching tattoo and asked, "When did you possibly get these?"
I squinted to get a better look at the tattoos, because I wasn’t about to get closer. I noticed there were four flowers each a different color, pink, purple, red and yellow. Circling the flowers were giant vines amassed with large thorns with drops of blood that drizzled from them. Creepy yet beautiful. On each of the flowers, one of the petals I noticed had a written word in calligraphy. Nikao.
I wondered what that meant? Another tattoo, another story. And call me the curious cat. I went to ask, but was interrupted by the buzzing of my phone. The girls, who must have heard the buzzing put their skirts back into place. I shuffled back and forth in the chair causing it to creak with my movements as I pulled my phone from my pocket, I swiped across seeing that Kasper had texted in the group message.
Kasper
Hey, I’m going to be going to the school Thursday to work on my room, and lesson plans. Do you want to come help?
I smiled when I saw that Dean and Damon had already replied to his question.
Damon
Can’t, busy.
Communication skills were not really his forte.
Dean
Yeah, we’re packed at the garage this week, wish we could bro.
What was I doing Thursday?
Nothing.
Did I really want to go to school and work on my classroom, now? Then I thought of Kasper, being there and helping me out and his corny jokes and warm caresses...
I typed back quickly.
I can be there Thursday. I've got to do my own room anyways. I gotta go though, I’m getting a tattoo.
"Girl, are you getting the tattoo or not? Who you talking to?"
Before I could answer Betty, Eloise beat me to it.
"It's probably a guy, isn’t it Kelly? What guy have you got around your finger?"
/> I forgot she didn’t know about my little situation, and I didn’t really know how to approach the dating multiple guy subject. Luckily Gertie beat me to the punch.
Did you pick up on that sarcasm?
"Guy? Try three, Kelly's got three guys around her finger, isn’t that right Kelly?"
I stared daggers at Gertie, deciding like a predator to go for the jugular but she was saved when my phone buzzed again. Breaking me from my animalistic ways.
Besides, I figured now would be the best time to just show Eloise the truth. If we were going to stay friends, it was best to get the proverbial cat out of the bag so to speak.
Nervous I held my phone up to Eloise, so she could see who I was texting.
"Yes, I’m dating three guys, they’re friends with Ben; whom you like by the way. We are all very happy with the arrangement, at least for now.”
I sent a meaningful glance back at the older ladies as I said, "Now, let me answer this text and we’ll get started.” Glancing over the girls’ head I saw the tattoo artist had come back and taken a seat by the front door as a way to give us privacy. "I'm almost done, I promise. I'll be ready for the tattoo in just a minute!"
With a smile he waved his hand back at me yelling, "Take your time, it’s slow today anyways."
Happy at not losing my tattoo artist and by Eloise’s reaction, I look down at my phone and I wasn’t the least bit surprised by what it said.
Damon
Tattoo? Sexy.
Dean
Can I see it?
Kasper
You know certain areas hurt worse than others. Where are you thinking about putting it?
I texted back rapidly as voices around me began to rise, which usually meant that the girls were getting antsy. Which usually meant nothing good for me.
Road to Them: The Road Series Book Two Page 10