by Wilder, L.
“Are you looking for something specific?”
“They’re out of the kind that Tate likes, and I can’t decide between the Fruit Loops with marshmallows or the knockoff brand of what we usually get.”
“Tate isn’t picky about his cereal, Jackson. Anything will be fine.”
“You sure?”
“I’m positive,” I replied as I took one of the boxes from the shelf and tossed it into the cart. “Now, what’s next on the list.”
As he reached for another, he asked, “What about honey buns?”
“For breakfast?”
“No.” He smirked as he answered, “For your nickname.”
“Umm … no.”
“Well, damn. Now, I’m craving honey buns.”
After grabbing a couple boxes, he placed them in the cart and we moved down to the canned vegetables. Thankfully, we found everything we needed pretty quickly but got a little caught up at the snack aisle. As soon as Jackson made it over to the cracker section, he froze, and that same puzzled expression crossed his face. I waited for a moment, then asked, “Peanut butter or cheese?”
“I don’t know. They didn’t put it on the list.”
“Then, why not buy both? It’s not like T-Bone won’t eat them.”
“Good point.”
After grabbing several of each, he tossed them in the cart and asked, “How about you’re the jelly to my peanut butter.”
“That may be the worst one yet.”
“Really? I didn’t think it was all that bad.”
“That would be like me saying you’re the salt to my pepper.”
“Oh, that’s a good one.”
“All these crazy nicknames are starting to make me question your sanity.”
“You love it, and you know it.” He teased as he started towards the freezer section. “How about snickerdoodle?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong with snickerdoodle. They’re all sweet and—”
“Jackson,” I warned.
He chuckled as he held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. Okay.”
Thankfully, he gave the nickname hunt a break as we finished up our shopping. By the time we were done, we had two carts filled with enough food to feed an army. When we reached the register, I looked over to him and asked, “Are you sure we didn’t forget anything?”
“Yeah. We have everything we need from here, but we still gotta go next door to grab a few things.”
“Okay, and then what?”
“There’s a little diner up the road. I thought we’d grab a bite to eat before heading back.”
“But what about the groceries?”
“It’s twenty-five degrees outside so I’d say we’re good.”
“And you think Sue Ellen and Tate will be okay?”
“I gave her my burner number. She’ll call if she needs something, and besides, it won’t take us long.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out.”
“Yep.” He smiled then said, “That’s what I do.”
We checked out then unloaded everything into the truck. Once we were done, we walked over the general store and bought mass quantities of household necessities like toilet paper, soap, and shampoo. By the time we got it all loaded into the SUV, we could barely close the back. All that shopping had worked up my appetite and made my stomach growl loudly as I thought about what we could have for lunch. “So, where is this diner we’re going to?”
“Why? You getting hungry?”
“You could say that.”
“Well, it’s not far. Just a mile or two up the road.”
Jackson started the truck, cranked up the heat, then pulled out onto the highway. It wasn’t long before he pulled up to an old gas station. This wasn’t one of those cute little vintage places with the red gas pumps out front and the adorable little lanterns at either end. With all the chipped paint, weeds, and cracked windows, the outside of this place looked like it hadn’t been touched in over twenty years. No way could this be the diner Jackson had talked about, so I asked, “What are we doing here?”
“I thought you said you were hungry.”
“I did, but you said we were going to a diner to eat.”
“I know it doesn’t look like much, but the last time I was here, the food was amazing.”
“And how long ago was that?”
“I don’t know. Four or five years, I guess.”
“Four or five years is a long time, Jackson.”
“Jed assured me that it’s just as good as it was back then, and he must not be the only one who thinks so. Look at all these cars.” He cocked his eyebrow as he asked, “Now, are you coming or are you gonna let a few cobwebs run you off?”
“Oh, I’m coming,” I told him as I got out of the truck and walked over to the front door. Just as we were about to go in, I added, “If I get food poisoning or something, it’s on you.”
“So, you are scared.” He teased. “Well, this is the way I see it … a good cleanse would do me good.”
“Jackson!”
“I’m just messing with ya.” As he opened the door to the diner, he smiled and said, “The food is great. You’ll see.”
When we walked in, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the inside was much nicer than the exterior. It was very clean with country memorabilia hanging on the walls and picnic tables for seating. The place was packed, so it took a few minutes to find an empty spot. As soon as we were seated, I took a quick glance around at all the people, and none of them seemed to notice or care that Jackson and I weren’t from around the area. In fact, they didn’t seem to notice us at all, which suited me just fine. I’d just turned my attention back to Jackson when one of the waitresses came over to take our order. “Hey, y’all. How y’all making it today?”
“Doing good. You?” Jackson politely asked her.
“I’m doing the best I can.” She smiled. “My name’s Holly. I’ll be taking your order today. Can I get you two something to drink?”
She was a young girl, maybe eighteen or nineteen, and she was pregnant—very pregnant. Looking at her reminded me of the days right before Tate was born and how terrified I was about becoming a mother. I felt so lost and alone, and whenever I thought about having to raise my son on my own, I would become overwhelmed with panic. While my mother tried her best to be understanding and supportive, my father was too ashamed to even look at me. He remained distant for months, and even now, there are moments when I wonder if he’ll ever get over it. As I looked at her standing there with no ring on her finger, I wondered if she was having a similar experience. After Jackson had given her his drink order, I smiled at her and replied, “I’ll have a sweet tea.”
“All righty. I’ll go grab your drinks while you decide what you wanna eat. Our special today is either the tuna casserole for $4.99 or a cheeseburger with fries for $5.99, but you’re welcome to order anything you’d like from the menu.”
“Thanks, Holly.”
As she walked away, Jackson leaned towards me and whispered, “Poor thing looks like she’s about to pop.”
“She probably feels that way too. When I was that far along with Tate, I could barely walk across the room without feeling like I had to go to the bathroom.”
A solemn look crossed his face as he sat back in his seat and sighed. “I hate that I missed it. I would’ve liked to see you carrying our son.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t a pretty sight.”
“I bet you were beautiful.” An awkward silence fell upon as we sat there staring at each other. After several moments, he gave me a despondent shrug and said, “I just wish things could’ve been different. I missed out on so much … more than I even realized.”
“I know, and to be honest, I did, too. Had I known what I know now, I would’ve tried harder to let you know what was going on.”
Before he had a chance to respond, Holly returned with our drinks. As she placed them on the table, she asked, “Have you decid
ed what you’re having?”
“I’ll take the cheeseburger—medium rare, and the fries.”
Jackson nodded and said, “I’ll have the same.”
“You got it. If there isn’t anything else, I’ll go put this in.”
“Nope, we’re good.” Once she’d left, Jackson looked back over to me and said, “I talked to Gus earlier. He wanted you to know that your folks are doing okay.”
“Oh, thank you for telling me that. I’ve been so worried about them, especially after the way I had to leave without really explaining everything that happened. Mom had all these questions, and it was so hard not to answer them.” As I fiddled with my napkin, I went on, “Dad, on the other hand, was angry about the whole thing, but that came as no surprise. He’s always mad at me about something.”
“I’m sorry, Reece. I know that has to be tough.”
“It is, but I’m used to it.”
A hopeful look crossed his eyes as he asked, “Do you think things with your dad will ever get back to the way they used to be?”
“Maybe, but it would take something big like winning the SBJ Award or the Pulitzer for an article I’d written. Unfortunately, that’s not gonna happen.”
“I don’t know. It might. Have you thought about what you’re going to do about your article on Navarro’s cartel?”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. People might be interested to hear about what happened from my perspective, especially if Josue goes to prison.”
“I think you’re right but be careful. Even if he goes to prison, there’ll be people out there who don’t want his story told.”
“I’m sure you’re right about that. I guess that’s something I need to consider.”
“Just know that whatever you decide, I’ll have your back.”
“Thanks, Jackson. That means more than you know.”
“Anything for you … baby cakes.”
“Baby cakes? Really? Where do you come up with these things?”
“Just trying to be creative,” he taunted. “Don’t worry. I’ll come up with the right one. You’ll see.”
Right then, Holly brought over our food. The burgers looked amazing and they tasted even better. After a few bites, I looked up at him and said, “You were right. The food is really good.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“So, I have a question for you.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
“You told me there are things about the club that you can’t tell me, and I get that … well, I kind of do, but what are some things that you can tell me?”
“What do you want to know?”
I took a minute to think, then answered, “Why does a person join a club like yours in the first place?”
“Guys don’t just join a club for the sake of doing so, especially one like ours. They join because that particular club offers a purpose. Every club has its own ideals or philosophies, and of course, those who join add their own individual personalities. That’s what makes each club different from the other—so, if you can find the one that fits your purpose, you prospect and hope for the best.”
“So, what was it about Satan’s Fury that drew you in?”
“It was all about the brotherhood. The relationships I have with these men are like no other. I’d do anything for them.”
“You all seem to get along really well, which is saying something since there are so many of you, and all with such strong personalities.” I took a sip of my tea, then added, “I don’t know how you do it, but it works.”
“It works because we respect one another. Without that, and discipline, you have nothing.”
“You seem very passionate about this.”
“I am,” he admitted freely. “Until you and Tate, the club was all that really mattered to me.”
“I think that’s truly amazing. I’m not sure that I’ve ever felt so strongly about anything before.” I studied him for a moment, then asked, “I know your job at the club has something to do with computers. What about the others?”
“We own Daisy’s Diner, where Louise and her brother, Cyrus, work with a couple of the prospects, and we own the garage. Most of the guys work there, and I help out when I can.”
“So, you work and ride together.”
“We do.” He finished off his burger and smiled as he said, “We work hard and play even harder.”
“I bet you do,” I scoffed. “I can only imagine what partying with you guys would be like.”
“You’ll see soon enough. Once this trial is over, we’ll have us one hell of a celebration.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Jackson glanced down at his watch and said, “It’s after twelve. I need to get back and relieve Murphy.”
“Okay. I’m ready when you are.”
While Jackson paid the bill, I reached into my purse for my cash. I took out all that I had with me and put it on the table for Holly’s tip. It wasn’t much, but I hoped that it would brighten her day. Once Jackson was done at the register, I followed him out the door and over to the truck. As we were getting in, he asked, “So, I was right?”
“Yes, Jackson. You were right. This hole-in-the-wall diner was actually good.”
“Good. That’s two points for me.”
“Two points? When did we start keeping points, and how did you end up with two?”
“I figured it would help keep us on track,” he replied as he started the truck. “I got one point for last night when I did that thing you liked so much, and I got another one today for being right about the diner.”
“Fine. I’ll agree to those two points, but what about me? How many points do I have?”
“No idea. You’re the one who has to decide when you think you deserve the point. If we both agree, then it’s yours.”
“Okay, I think I can work with that.”
As soon as we made it back up the mountain, we went over and picked up Tate from Sue Ellen. I thought she’d be worn out from keeping him for so long, but she genuinely seemed disappointed that he was leaving. While we were gathering his things, she informed me that he’d been a little fussy and running a low-grade fever. It was time for his secondary back molars to come in, so we hoped it was just that and not a cold coming on. After we both thanked her for watching him, we rushed up to the cabin. As soon as we pulled up, T-Bone and Crow came out to help unload. After Jackson opened the trunk, he looked over to T-Bone and asked, “How’s the mare doing?”
“It was a damn mess, brother. I thought we were going to lose them both, but Jed kept his cool and ended up saving them both.”
“Glad to hear that.” Jackson shook his head as he said, “That Jed is really something. Not much he can’t do.”
“You ain’t lying, brother.”
“Well, I hate to leave you with all these groceries, but I need to go relieve Murphy.”
“No problem. We’ve got it,” Crow assured him.
With that, Jackson headed to the back to find Murphy. While the guys brought everything inside, I put Tate in his highchair and gave him a snack, hoping it would keep him entertained while I put things away. That worked for about a second, and then the whining started. I gave him some Tylenol and one of his favorite popsicles, but nothing seemed to work. I wanted to get dinner started but couldn’t get anything done with him feeling so off-kilter. I’d just taken him out of his highchair and was about to go rock him when Murphy walked in. From the time we’d first arrived at the cabin, Murphy hadn’t shaved or cut his hair, making him look a little menacing with his thick beard and unruly waves, but I’d quickly learned that there was a softer side to Murphy, especially when it came to Tate. His voice was all kinds of sweet as he looked down at my pouting son and asked, “What’s wrong, big man?”
“No,” he fussed.
I shrugged then said, “I think he’s got some molars coming in, but I’m not sure. I was going to try rocking him for a minute to see if it would settle him down.”
Murphy took a quick glance behind me, and when he saw all the pots and pans scattered on the counter, he asked, “You cooking something?”
“I was going to, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to let that happen.”
“I could watch him for you,” he offered.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind a bit.” When he glanced down at Tate, he asked, “Do you have toy or something he might wanna play with?”
I thought for a moment, then said, “Yeah. Let me run upstairs and see what I can find.”
With Tate in tow, I rushed upstairs to find something that might entertain him for a bit. I picked up a few toy cars, but he pouted, “No.”
I dropped them back in the toy box and took out a few trains. “How about this?”
“No.”
This went on for several minutes, and then I remembered that my old iPad was in my bottom drawer in my bedroom. It had a few videos downloaded on it, and a couple of games he used to like. As I hurried into my room to get it, I said, “I have something you might like.”
As Tate spotted it, his eyes lit up and he said, “I unt.”
“Okay, but you have to be careful with it.”