by J P Barnett
Steve focused on the barbecue when he spoke. “I don’t know where this is leading with Dee, but I’ll tell you the same thing now that I told you twenty some-odd years ago. Sometimes the best option is the one right under your nose.”
Jake took a few beats to comprehend. In high school, Jake had been hopelessly devoted to Deirdre, enamored with her intelligence, wit, and beauty. She never showed an interest in dating him, but when even the mere hope presented itself, Jake would return to her side—no matter who he left behind. Steve and Jake shared the bond of brothers. Steve never got left behind.
Shandi, on the other hand...
“That’s high school stuff,” Jake said. “We’re all adults now. Shandi’s moved on. Assuming she ever even liked me to begin with.”
“Oh, she definitely did. I think you were both too stupid to realize it, though. Why was everyone in high school so stupid?”
“Except you, of course.”
“Naturally. Everyone should just listen to me. All the time. The world would be such a better place.”
“You’re the one who invited her.”
“Cory made me... bastard.” Steve couldn’t contain the smile when he mentioned Cory. “Seriously, though. Dee’s great, don’t get me wrong. But she strung you along back then, and I just want to make sure you don’t let her do it again.”
Jake felt brotherly warmth. He had stormed back into Steve’s life out of nowhere and Steve would have been well within his rights to treat Jake like a stranger, but he hadn’t. He had taken Jake in. Treated him like family.
Jake squeezed Steve’s shoulder. “Thanks, man. Don’t worry. I got this.”
Steve nodded. “Okay. At least we had ‘the talk’. Now, don’t go destroying my guest house with your escapades, comprende?”
“No promises,” Jake replied with a wink, as the barking of multiple dogs pierced the air.
Soon after came the familiar crunching of gravel as a black Cadillac CTS pulled around the corner and parked behind Steve’s truck, just barely clearing the cattle guard.
“Looks like you’re up, Casanova.”
Jake walked away from Steve towards the car. Two of Steve’s shepherds stared expectantly at the car door. Ungrateful mutts. Where had they been when he’d walked over?
He visited Deirdre at least once a week since he’d returned to Rose Valley, but as she stepped out of the car, he saw Dee for the first time in twenty years. The dogs trailed behind her as though she carried prime rib in her pockets. Jake found her equally irresistible. She seemed otherworldly, encompassing years of fantasy and regret.
“Hey, you,” she said as they drew close enough to one another. Her perfume clouded him, mingling with the smell of the barbecue.
No. Jake did not have this under control at all.
Chapter 16
As its name implied, rolling hills encircled Rose Valley on every side. Entering the town provided a picturesque view of ranches and small businesses, with houses sprawling out from the city center without any discernible forethought. Zoning laws barely existed. Like any town, some buildings groaned under the weight of a century of existence, while some lightly popped out over the landscape with the hope of fresh construction. But somehow, all the chaos came together to present a unified front. A town that refused to yield to the higher-populated big cities down the highway.
As she steered her yellow Jeep Cherokee over one of the hills, Miriam felt fatigue pulling on her eyelids. Years of training had taught her to ignore the slight nausea and the urge to pull over and nap. The man in the backseat practically bounced with energy; he’d had the luxury of sleeping while she’d prepared this trip. In their group of four, she was the responsible one.
A simple and terse command issued from the backseat: “Pull over.”
Miriam pulled over as requested, put the Jeep in park, popped out of her seat, and opened the door for the man in the back. He stepped out into the night air with the regal grace that conveyed his stature—or, at least the stature he imagined he deserved.
Miriam spent almost every day of her life with this man. His mere presence still made her uncomfortable, though, despite her insatiable and uncontrollable need to please him. He stood six-foot tall, with a manufactured, but effectively distinguished air. The hair on his head clung closely to his skull, cropped with military precision. A day without shaving drew attention to the length of his face, but his mustache overpowered the stubble, expertly groomed in a manner generally reserved for bikers and wild west lawmen. His eyes were small, alert, and calculating, promising to diligently pick apart everything in front of him. This man commanded respect, leading a mission with energetic purpose. He always moved with purpose.
As the man peered out over the town, Miriam slinked back into the driver’s seat. While the man looked out on the city, Miriam found herself studying him—really looking at him. His outfit would look comical on most, but he wore it as if he’d come into the world wearing it. Khaki shorts with more pockets than one could ever use. A matching khaki shirt with even more pockets, the sleeves rolled up and buttoned into the rest of the sleeve. He looked as if he might lead a safari.
She knew the reason they had traveled all the way to Rose Valley with very little notice. The incredible events of Friday night garnered his attention. He viewed himself as the savior of Rose Valley and undoubtedly believed that only he could deliver them from the nightmare. Miriam had accompanied him on this trip over and over. In Florida. In Oregon. Even in the wilds of the Canadian Yukon. It always ended the same way, but somehow, he continued to believe that the next one would be different. Miriam didn’t know what stalked the residents of Rose Valley, but she doubted very strongly that it hailed from a mythical line of hidden creatures. Perhaps it had escaped from a zoo, or stalked the town with the anger of a spurned townsman. The odds tended towards the mundane.
She struggled for most of her life to understand why they did it, but Miriam now realized that this fruitless pursuit of the unknown only conveniently covered up his true intentions, though she wondered if even he knew why they persisted. Regardless of the outcome, they would walk away from Rose Valley with a solution to the “beast” problem. A mundane solution to a mundane problem, no doubt. But that’s all he really wanted, anyway. All would hail the great and powerful Skylar Brooks. But to Miriam, he would always just be dad.
Chapter 17
Awkward.
That was the best word to describe this evening so far. At times, Deirdre seemed warm and present, then would revert to cold and distant. Jake felt the same tingling adrenaline rush in his gut as he did on roller coasters.
Steve and Cory managed to keep the evening from completely going off the rails. They kept it light through the awkward times. Cory proved especially good at keeping the conversation moving, having far more success than Jake at getting Deirdre to talk. The fact that Cory and Deirdre both worked in the medical industry helped.
Now they sat lazily in Steve’s living room. Steve in his spot, Cory next to him, comfortably close. Jake and Deirdre sat next to each other on the loveseat, neither comfortable nor close. His sweaty palms and racing heart annoyed him. At their age, he shouldn’t have to guess as to whether Deirdre wanted him to make a move. Did he even want to make a move?
The conversation had fallen silent. Steve gave him a subtle look that only Jake picked up on, clearly understanding its meaning. Steve needed them to wrap it up.
“The barbecue was excellent, Steve,” Jake said as he stood up. “Thanks for inviting me over. And Cory, that was the best table setting I’ve ever seen.”
Cory grinned. “Thanks. It was some of my finest work.”
Jake turned towards Deirdre to tell her goodnight. Whatever grand goals he’d started the night with had surely crumbled. She looked up. Her eyes locked onto his. She smiled. His heart skipped a beat. Without him offering it, she took his hand. Not to shake it, but to use it to pull herself up off the loveseat, barely straining Jake’s muscles as she floated to
her feet effortlessly.
She dropped Jake’s hand, her fingers lingering on his just briefly. Or had he imagined it? Warm and present Deirdre crept back into the room, and Jake’s misgivings about his chances with her started to evaporate. He swallowed hard as she looked into his eyes.
Her soft voice filled with a new vulnerability when she spoke. “Walk me to my car?”
Jake nodded. Steve and Cory laughed. Deirdre didn’t seem to notice. She just grabbed her purse and started walking toward the door. Jake turned towards Steve, overwhelmed with panic and confusion and hoping Steve would have an answer for him. Steve only shrugged.
His heart racing, Jake took a deep breath and followed her outside. He caught up to her as they got to the bottom of the porch steps. They walked side by side until they arrived at her car. She turned towards him and leaned against the driver’s side door. Darkness consumed most of the ranch around them, but the moonlight glinted off her big blue eyes in an ethereal way.
“It was fun, right?” she said.
Jake tried to sort out his feelings on that question, but replied before he found the true answer. “Yeah. Uh. Thanks for coming.”
She glanced behind her. “That’s where you live?”
Jake followed her gaze to the guest house. “Yep. That’s my very humble abode. Well, it’s Steve’s really. I’m just staying there temporarily.”
She eyed him with a smirk. “Temporarily, eh?”
“Well, maybe not as temporary as I had hoped. Probably not for much longer. Time to move on and all that.”
“I dunno. It doesn’t look that bad. Looks quaint and comfortable.”
Her eyes bored into his soul. For the first time that night, Deirdre seemed in charge of the conversation. She stalked him, intent on destroying him, eating him, or conquering him. He struggled to find a defense mechanism to protect himself and came up short, knowing that his will paled in strength compared to the allure of her feminine form.
“Yeah. It’s okay. It’s fine for one person, ya know. Everything I need.”
“Tiny houses are all the rage now. It seems so efficient. I’ve considered getting one myself. I’ve never been inside a house that small.”
“Oh. Well. It’s good. Yeah. You might like it. Low upkeep. Low electric bill. All that. It’s not mobile like some of them. Steve and his dad built it for Steve to live in while he went to college up the road. It’s not anything special, really.”
Deirdre rolled her eyes and giggled. “You are not very good at taking hints, Jake Rollins.”
It hit him embarrassingly late. She wanted him to invite her in to his place. Foolishly unprepared for this eventuality, his mind raced. Did he want that? Emotions flooded his body as he tried to sort out the situation. A beautiful woman stood in front of him. A woman he’d pined after for years in his youth. The opportunity had arrived to finally follow through. How could the answer to this question be so difficult?
Deirdre didn’t let him make the decision. She took his hand and practically pulled him across the cattle guard towards his house. Her grip tightened around his hand snuggly, not making it impossible to get away but strong enough to ensure pain if he tried. She moved with surety and intensity. The situation became surreal and impossible and far too easy, heightening his discomfort.
Jake never locked the door. Deirdre must have assumed as much because she opened it without asking and only let go of his hand when they both made it through the doorway. Jake shut the door behind them, wondering if she intended to rip his clothes off next. Normally, he would have worried about her seeing his personal space, but it happened too fast for him to be concerned with it.
She moved around the room, looking at his few cheap decorations. His diploma on the wall. A few action figures on his desk. Certainly not the things of a distinguished, grown man worthy of the affections of a world-renowned researcher. He stood motionless before the door.
Deirdre poked her head into his bedroom. Then the bathroom. Then she took a tour of his kitchenette. None of it impressive. All of it impossibly interesting to her, apparently.
She made her way back to the couch and sat down, looking up at Jake by the door. He cleared his throat. “Not much, huh?”
“I like it,” she said, patting the couch next to her, as if he were a dog.
Jake went and sat down on the couch, facing forward. She turned to him, her knees touching his thighs. She smiled.
“So, what do you do all day? I mean when you’re not visiting me at the clinic or going through your rehab exercises?”
She suddenly seemed less intense. It no longer seemed imminent that she would pounce on him at any second. Jake felt more comfortable this way, his confidence rising as he regained some composure.
“I play chess with Bernard down at Mikey’s most mornings. Sometimes I hang out with Steve. Been doing a lot of research into the beast lately.”
“Ah yes,” she said. “I saw an interesting effigy to it on the way here in someone’s yard. Not sure whether they mean to scare the beast away or welcome it.”
When Jake didn’t respond, Deirdre continued, “You always did love cryptids. Is that what you think this is? A cryptid?”
“Sure. What else could it be?”
She twisted her mouth up in a strange, indiscernible way. “It could be a lot of things. Maybe it’s just a crazy person? Someone who lives out in the woods. Someone insane. More often than not, things have a completely rational explanation.”
“Yeah. But a man couldn’t do the things this beast has done. He ripped animals into pieces. He shattered Dub’s hand. Whatever this is, it’s stronger than a man.”
She took her eyes off him and looked around the room as she replied, suddenly distracted and disengaged. “Stronger than most men, maybe.”
Before he could reply, she stood up suddenly. “Mind if I use the restroom?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She went to the restroom and took her purse with her. Jake didn’t think anything of it. He supposed she might need to touch up her makeup, though he didn’t see any reason why she would. Concerning him more was the increasingly-difficult task of getting some kind of bead on her intentions.
He leaned back into the couch and took multiple deep breaths. Certainly, on some primal level, Jake wanted to continue with her. He wanted to feel her in his arms, feel her perfect lips pressed against his. He recognized that physical attraction and worked hard to push it aside and focus on whether he actually had an interest in Deirdre.
He could hear her in the restroom. He heard a faint click, and then a thunk and metal rattling as it rested on the counter. He couldn’t place the sound. It seemed heavy for standard female bathroom stuff. Maybe she only meant to touch up her make-up, because she clearly didn’t intend to go the bathroom.
His pocket vibrated. It was a text from Shandi.
How’d the big date go?
How did Shandi even know that Deirdre would be there? A wave of guilt washed over him. But why? He owed nothing to Shandi, nor did he need to justify potentially hooking up with Deirdre.
Talking to Shandi about Deirdre sounded horrible, but he needed to answer her. He wanted to answer her. He thought through what he might say, searching for something truthful, without seeming too scandalous.
As he thought it over, Deirdre came out of the bathroom and hovered behind the couch. Jake didn’t look up.
“Something wrong?” she said behind him.
Jake panicked. “Um. No. Everything’s fine. I just need to answer this text real quick.”
She didn’t move back to sit next to him on the couch. She stayed behind him. He thought it odd, but not odd enough to worry about it as he quickly pecked out an answer to Shandi.
Not over yet. I’ll text you later
Shandi immediately started texting back. He knew he should put down the phone, but he needed to see what she’d say for reasons that he couldn’t explain. He felt Deirdre behind him, shifting her weight, possibly reading over his shoul
der? He glanced at her.
She was in the same position behind the couch, her bare hand slipping something large and metal and black into her purse. A gun? No. Surely not. Well, maybe. A lot of people carried guns in Rose Valley.
She looked him square in the eyes. Unlike the Deirdre that had sat beside him just minutes before, this Deirdre looked scared, distant, and cold. Just like that, she changed again, her eyes giving no indication of violence.
He read Shandi’s reply:
Ooooh. Can’t wait to hear the deets.
He dropped his phone into his pocket. “Sorry about that. Where were we?”
Deirdre looked around the room. She seemed confused, lost. Maybe even a little angry? She surely read Shandi’s name on the texts, and maybe that brought up some form of jealousy? Something about her seemed off now.
“Um, I don’t remember,” she had the grace to give a faint smile. “Ya know. It’s getting late.”
She glanced at her wrist, but the bare skin showed no signs that she ever wore a watch. She laughed at herself and walked around the couch to Jake, embracing him in a hug. Jake wrapped his arms around her, easily engulfing her small, bony frame. Her purse got trapped between them, and the softness of her breasts and the smell of her hair electrified him. She leaned out, his arms still around her waist, their faces hovering only inches apart from one another.
Jake wavered between confusion and lust. He didn’t know what he wanted now, much less what she did.
She looked down, breaking their gaze. Her hands dropped from his shoulders. He released his hands from her waist.
“Um. I’ll see you at the clinic?” She nodded as if answering the question for herself. “Yes. I will see you there. Have a good week, Jake.”
Deirdre spun around and disappeared through the door in just a few steps. Jake stood there dumbfounded, trying to remember whether he had at least mumbled a good night to her. He felt sad and relieved all at once. He cursed himself for checking his phone, lamenting the years of pining and yearning that he wasted for a text with another woman. Somewhere in the many facets of Deirdre that evening there existed a small window of opportunity; she could have been his.