by Eve R. Hart
“Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning,” I said and before I could let what I was doing sink in, I bent over and placed a light kiss on her lips.
The only reason I didn’t feel strange about it was because she tilted her head up like she wanted that kiss.
“Be safe,” she said just before I walked out the door.
My heart did some weird flutter thing.
Fuck me.
How the hell was I going to let her go in a few days?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lake
“It’s fuckin’ cold,” the prospect said, his body doing its best to shrink into his coat.
I laughed and nodded in agreement.
I could tell he wasn’t trying to complain so I didn’t give him any shit.
The weather was so weird here. There was really no Fall. One day it would be in the high seventies and the next it would be a high of forty. And two days later, back up to the point you felt like you could wear shorts. Not that I was a shorts guy. I wondered if I’d ever get used to it. I got that I was still newish to the area and that there were going to be things I’d have to adapt to. But fuck, this weather was the worst.
“Wait,” I said looking at him. “You’ve lived here most of your life, shouldn’t you be used to it?”
He tossed his head back and barked out a laugh.
“Not something you really get used to. You should see it when we get snow. And I’m talking about light snow, barely enough to show up. Whole fucking town shuts down.”
“Really?” I asked because coming from the mountains, I was used to dealing with that shit all winter.
“City has like one plow. And better keep your ass off the roads. You think people drive like shit now…”
He shook his head like he couldn’t even tell me how bad it was.
Okay, that frightened me. People drove for shit in this city. It was worse when I was on my bike. It was like I wasn’t even there. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’d been cut off and almost ran up someone’s bumper because they just decided to slam on the brakes out of nowhere.
“What was that?” he asked in a harsh whisper as he reached for his gun.
The noise was faint and I would have guessed some kind of small animal. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to brush it off.
“Right behind you,” I said as I reached for my own piece.
We made our way through the maze of containers. It was dark and though our eyes had adjusted to the darkness because we’d been out here for hours, it was still hard to see clearly.
“Hold up,” I said as something flashed in my vision.
We both froze. I slowly reached for the flashlight I had tucked in my back pocket and clicked it on.
“Fuck,” we both said as the light revealed what was not even ten feet in front of us.
The damn alligator hissed at us and I knew it was time to fucking move.
“You think he sees us?” the prospect asked.
“Should we back away slowly or run?” I asked.
“I ain’t takin’ my eyes off of him.”
“Good idea.”
Ten minutes later, we were both standing on top of a bunch of stacked rusted out containers looking around like the thing was going to crawl up after us.
And that was how we finished out our patrol, walking only where we could without hopping down to the ground level.
I didn’t want to run into the thing again. Or another one. I also didn’t want to shoot it because, well, that just seemed extreme.
The sun started to peek its head up on the horizon as I flipped my phone around in my hand absentmindedly. I’d had this idea running through my head all night but was unsure of it. Finally, without thinking, I called Mouse.
“What’s going on, brother?” he asked as he answered the phone. “Everything alright? I was getting ready to head that way in a few.”
“Everything’s fine. Well, if you don’t count the alligator we ran into.” I let out a laugh and so did Mouse. “Can you bring Bridget over when you come?”
I thought about it for a minute. I wondered if he was going to ride his bike here. It was a bit cold, but some of us didn’t give a shit about that.
“You ridin’ over?” I asked before he could get a word out.
He chuckled, the sound of it ringing in my ear.
I guessed it was clear that I didn’t want her on the back of anyone else’s bike. Especially when she hadn’t even been on mine yet.
“Taking one of the SUVs, brother. Too fucking cold.”
“Good,” I said. “I’ll call her and have her meet you out front.”
“No problem.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and hit end. Before I could think better of it, I was calling her phone.
“What?” she answered in an almost whine. “I was having this good dream about eating ice cream.”
I chuckled because that was kind of cute.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I was eating it off of you,” she said and damn if her words didn’t shoot straight to my cock.
“Uh.” I cleared my throat trying to find something else to focus on. “Get dressed. Mouse is going to bring you over here. I want to take you somewhere.”
“Okay,” she replied and I could hear her moving around.
Something about the fact that she didn’t ask questions made me smile. It told me that she had some trust with me. Maybe it was blind trust, but I was still going to take it.
“Meet him out front in fifteen minutes.”
“You mean I could have slept for ten more minutes?” she grumbled.
“Sorry, Bridge, wasn’t sure how much time you’d need and I didn’t want you to get pissed at me because I didn’t give you enough.”
“I forgive you, for now. You can make it up to me later… with your tongue. See you in a bit.”
The call disconnected before I could say anything else. Which was probably a good thing because my tongue was currently tied and my mind was stupidly blank.
Not even twenty minutes later, Mouse pulled up to the gate. They both hopped out of the car and Bridget leaned against the side door as Mouse came walking up to me.
“She’s pretty fucking funny,” he said slapping me on the back.
“Yeah,” I replied with a shrug as I eyed him.
“No worries, brother,” he said, his lips tipped up in a knowing smirk. “Not trying to get up on yours.”
“No, it’s—”
“Not like that,” he said cutting me off. “Sure.” He rolled his eyes at me like there was no way he believed that. “Get the fuck outta here.”
And so I did.
“Come on,” I said as I slipped my hand into hers and kept walking.
“Sure,” she said and I could tell she was just playing.
I looked both ways before I crossed the road to Mr. Watkins’ house even though there was never any traffic out here.
“Should I be worried?” she asked as I pulled her up the rickety stairs.
“Always,” I replied with a wink.
After three solid knocks, I turned the handle and opened the door, then dragged her behind me.
I knew just where I’d find the old man, so I didn’t bother calling out.
“I changed it up,” he said as we hit the entrance to the kitchen.
He didn’t turn around as he spoke.
“I wanted pancakes,” he said and I could see him working on flipping one of them.
“I like pancakes,” Bridget said and lit the fuck up. “Though I don’t usually eat them in the morning.”
Mr. Watkins paused and slowly turned around.
His eyes landed on Bridget and a look of surprise overtook his face, the happy kind.
I could only smile.
“Hi. I’m Bridget. I have no idea why Lake woke me up at this horrible hour, but I’m glad he did.”
He hooted out a laugh.
“Ed,” he said returning his attention to the stove. “Nice to meet ya, girlie.
Grab a cup of joe and make yourself at home.”
“Hey,” I said a little shocked. “How come you let her know your first name?”
Was it just me or did I sound like a whiny child?
“Because you never asked, boy. Always Mr. Watkins this and Mr. Watkins that. Now, I appreciate the manners and respect, but a lady always gets my first name.”
The fucker had the audacity to wink at me. Bridget laughed beside me and patted my chest.
Then she gave me the eye as she sauntered up to the counter where the coffee maker was. I slid in behind her and pulled open the cabinet where the mugs were tucked away.
“Choose wisely,” I whispered next to her ear as I reached for my favorite one.
She gave me a curious glance then moved to look at all the different choices.
Finally, she chose the one she wanted and pulled it out.
“There something to this?” she asked as I filled her mug and then mine.
Once the pancakes were done, we all filled up our plates. There was barely enough room to fit around his table but we made it work.
“Okay, old man,” I joked. “Go.”
“You’ve already heard this one,” he said eyeing my mug.
“Yeah, but she hasn’t,” I said with a wink that said I had him.
I loved his stories and didn’t mind one single bit hearing them again.
His wrinkly finger pointed at my mug but he was looking at Bridget, who I noticed was staring at him with wide eyes.
“Gertie and I had been married five years…”
The man smiled as his eyes glazed over while he got lost in the memories. I loved these moments because he seemed so happy remembering his wife, his best friend.
I realized that I wanted that one day. I wanted my life partner to be one that I could share everything with. Someone that would make me laugh every day. Someone that would listen to all the important things as well as the little ones. Someone that would be there for me when times got hard and would lean on me when they felt a little shaky.
But now was not the time to think about those things.
“Saved up for three years and swept her away on a second honeymoon. Oh, it was wonderful. She bought this sexy little one piece and wore it every single day we were on that hot as hell beach. Nothing but us and the fresh air for four days. That was all I could afford. We ate peanut butter sandwiches in the hotel room but she didn’t care.”
Bridget’s eyes slid to look at me. I hadn’t even realized I’d been staring at her in a daze. There was this sweet smile on her face that had all the air rushing out of my lungs. I didn’t know what to make of it and as I tried to suck in a lungful of air, I realized that my whole body seemed to be paralyzed.
“We stopped and picked up that mug at this little shit hole of a tourist trap. But she thought it was the cutest thing. That was the beginning of it all. Swear we started traveling places just so we could get cheap, ugly mugs.”
He let out a laugh as his eyes fell closed.
Bridget studied the mugs again with a glow twinkling in her eyes. She saw them for what they were now and I could tell she was touched by it.
“Loved seeing her in that bathing suit so much, I moved her as close as I could afford to that beach. Spent many years making memories here.”
Without missing a beat, he moved on to the next story, telling Bridget about the time they drove down to New Mexico, where they picked up many new mugs to add to their collection. But he only talked about the one that held Bridget’s coffee. The one that had a cartoon alien holding up a peace sign. He went on about a hole-in-the-wall diner that they had found that served up hash that they dyed green.
“Gertie and I sat under a UFO-shaped light and talked about whether we believed or not.”
He chuckled then took a sip of his coffee. While he talked, it seemed that all of us had forgotten about the breakfast sitting in front of us that was likely cold now.
“And did you?” she asked with bright eyes.
“It wasn’t about if we did or didn’t. It was the fact that we’d been married almost thirty years at this point and we still had new stuff to discover about each other. Now eat,” he said with a smile.
So we did, the kitchen going quiet for a good ten minutes while we inhaled our food.
“That was just the thing I needed,” Bridge said, settling back in her chair after she drained the last of her coffee. Her hand patted her belly and a lazy smile held her face captive. “Thank you, Ed.”
“Any time, girlie,” he said to her with a wink, then he turned his attention to me. “You tell her about the rules?”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I didn’t really tell her anything.”
“Must be somethin’ special you bringin’ her around here.”
Bridget let out a throaty laugh as her head fell back.
“I’m just some crazy chick passing through. Lake was nice enough to take me in even after I gave him that shiner there.”
Yeah, it was still there, the skin now turning more brown than the black and purple it had been.
Soon it would fade even more and then be gone.
Just like Bridget.
I tried not to think about it but it seemed that was there, front and center in my mind.
“Well, you are always welcome here. Rule is, pick your mug, for every new one you pick, you get the story behind it.” His eyes shifted to look at the tall cabinet that held too many ceramic cups to count. “Pick the same one a second time, you gotta tell me a story. And don’t go trying to trick me like this one here. I may be old, but my mind is still sharp as a tack.”
“That sounds fair. Hell, you will probably remember better than me.” She smiled at the old man and something warmed in my chest.
She talked like she would come around again. Like she would be here in the future. And I wanted to imagine her here with me, enjoying the company of Mr. Watkins as much as I did, but I knew it was just a false illusion. Words she said to be sweet to him.
“Do you have pictures to go with these stories?” she asked sounding like an excited kid.
“I sure do,” he said, getting to his feet. “Come sit on the couch and I’ll get out the photo albums.”
“I got the dishes,” I said though I kind of felt like I’d been forgotten about there for a moment. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
We stayed for another hour. Mr. Watkins showed Bridget pictures of his Gertie but made sure not to overshare and ruin any future stories she might hear.
I took in the pictures of his wedding day, the man was beaming in every picture and so was his beautiful bride. Maybe I didn’t necessarily believe in soul mates, but it was clear that they were meant to be together.
He’d pause every now and then to grumble at the TV even though the game show contestants couldn’t hear him. Bridget laughed every time. Then he would pick right back up where he’d left off. He wasn’t joking, he was still sharp as a tack.
I hated that I had to push Bridget out the door but, alas, I had a job to get to. I wouldn’t be getting a nap in this morning, that was for damn sure. But it had been worth it, to share this part of me with her and watch as Mr. Watkins embraced her right away.
Wish it had been that way with me when I first walked my ass over here. But then again, he had called the cops on us and I imagined with the bikes and the cuts full of patches, we looked like we were up to no good. But he had let me in. And he told me to take a seat eventually, even going as far as to offer me a cup of coffee.
And I just kept coming back.
Only, I knew he loved the shit out of it.
Deep down, I think he liked having someone to help keep Gertie alive, even if it was just in memories.
“I hope to see you again,” he said to her as he walked up to the door.
I could tell her lack of response was because she hated to disappoint him.
Another reminder that she wasn’t going to be here that much longer.
But sh
e did embrace him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He shot a wink at me over her shoulder. The kind of wink that told me she was a keeper.
Oh, I know, old man. Only, it isn’t in the cards for me.
“Ever been on a motorcycle?” I asked as we made our way back across the road to where my bike was sitting.
“Uh, no,” she replied, drawing out the O.
“Hold on tight and don’t freak out,” I said with a smirk as I plopped my helmet on her head and made sure it was secure.
“Wait, that’s it?!”
“For you, yeah. I think you’ll get the hang of it right away.”
I climbed on and smiled when she didn’t hesitate to toss her leg over and settle in close behind me. Her arms fit just right around my waist and I didn’t even have to tell her to hug me tighter.
I took off slow so she wouldn’t do that so-called freak out shit, though I kinda had a feeling that she wouldn’t. I heard her giggles in my ear and felt them against my back. Never had riding my bike been so… joyful.
And that was saying something.
Because I loved to be on my bike, no matter how fucking cold it was outside.
I pulled up in front of the compound and she didn’t let me go until I had my kickstand down.
“Hold on,” she said in my ear. “I’m not ready to get off yet.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked jokingly.
“I mean… well, yeah. I can’t lie, I’m a little wet right now.”
Her laugh was soft but the air she pushed out of her lungs with it blew over my neck and caused a shiver to hit my body hard.
Finally, her arms slid away from me and I held back a sigh.
“Thank you,” she whispered then she placed a light kiss on my cheek before she hopped off with ease.
My brows pinched together with confusion as I swung my leg over then turned to face her.
“For what?”
“For this morning. Well, for everything really.” She smiled up at me. “I really like Ed. He’s cool as shit.”
I barked out a laugh.
“That he is.”
“I’m glad you have each other.”
And that right there told me that she got it without me even having to explain anything.