Wrecked (Stories of Serendipity #8): #8 (12 page)

“God dammit. Get out of my head,” he muttered to himself. When he wasn’t thinking about his dad and his stupid mistakes, he was thinking about Renae. And her unwillingness to talk to him.

“What?” Her voice answered him. He rose to his feet instantly and saw her. He watched as her face paled and realization dawned before she turned to leave, but he vaulted the counter to beat her to the door.

Making a human barrier she would have to cross to get to the door, he asked breathlessly, “You didn’t remember I run the place now?” Vaulting countertops was a lot easier to do when he was twenty-two.

“No. I’ve been…distracted.” She was looking at anything but him, her eyes dancing around the shop.

“Don’t leave. Let me take care of that.” He grabbed the box out of her hands and hefted it, carrying it back to the counter. “I get it. You don’t want to go out with me, but don’t make me lose your business.” He grabbed the packing tape from its new place behind the counter. “Where we shipping to?”

“Nacogdoches,” she said softly, looking at her hands twisting on the counter in front of her.

“Any hazardous chemicals? Spillable liquids?”

“No. It’s cookies and pajamas.” His hand with the tape stilled briefly at the image of her baking cookies in an apron with a light dusting of flour in her reddish hair. When he’d finished with the package, he handed her an order slip.

“Fill out the top part, please.” He couldn’t help but lean over the counter a little closer just to get another whiff of the smell emanating from her.

She looked up at him, after writing down the address of a college dorm. “It’s a care package. For my daughter.” She spoke as if she expected him to say something negative about it.

He held his hands up. “Look. I’m in my forties. It’s rare to find someone I’d like to date who doesn’t have kids.”

“Do you?” He looked at her blankly. “Have kids?” She continued.

He shook his head. “Good God, no. No kids here. Never been married.” He took the slip from her. “How we shipping? First class? UPS? FedEx?”

“First class is fine.” She continued twisting her fingers in her hand, and he noticed the pale spot where her wedding ring had been. He’d noticed the first night at the Gin it was gone because the indentation around the finger implied she’d just taken it off. He wondered what made her so nervous around him. Maybe she was a fresh divorcee? New to the dating scene? That would explain a lot.

“So…You don’t date much?” He was prodding. He wanted answers.

She shook her head.

“Just get out of a marriage?” He softened his voice, not sure he wanted to get involved with a woman with that kind of baggage but curious nonetheless.

“Widowed.” She took a deep breath and let it out with her next words. “Sixteen years.”

“Oh.” A different type of baggage.

Her stance changed, and Jason recognized it as the stance of a woman who was about to lay it all on the line to see what would happen. He purposefully blanked his face to absorb whatever she was going to say.

“In fact, that woman, Sabrina, from the gym Monday was his mistress. He was driving her home from a party, where they were both drunk, when he crashed and died. She walked away without a scratch, and he left me alone to raise my daughter.” She put her hands on her hips in a ‘Watcha gonna say now, sucka? pose.

“I see why that was such an awkward exchange now.” This woman had an entire set of luggage she was carrying around with this story. But he wanted more. “You never dated after him?”

She shrugged. “I had a daughter to raise. My priorities were focused elsewhere.” Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

He glanced down at her left hand on her hip. “So, she’s just moved out, your job as a mom is finished, and your friends got you out for a night on the town? Made you finally take off your wedding ring?” That made sense. And now he knew that she felt the same intensity he felt, and it scared her to death.

She nodded. “My daughter is the most important thing in my life… right now. I never spoke a harmful word about her father to her, I shielded her from the gossip, I raised her to be a smart, independent young woman who got a scholarship to college.” The words flew from her mouth, and she looked surprised at herself.

“See? This is what I like.” Jason gestured between the two of them. “I’d like to hear more about you and your daughter.” He glanced down at the package. “Kelly.” He looked at her again. Yeah, she had baggage, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Go out with me?” He held up his hands. “That’s the last time I’ll ask. I promise.” He crossed his heart with his index finger and said a little prayer she would say yes.

“Tell me why you stood me up, first.”

“I’d rather you heard it from someone else.” With impeccable timing, Jodie strolled through the door, sending the bell tinkling. Jason walked around the counter and held his hand out to Renae. “Come to my dad’s place with me. He’ll explain with much more panache than I ever could.” Jodie raised an eyebrow at him. “Renae, this is my brother Jodie. He came into town to help me out a little with dad.”

He watched as his brother shook hands with Renae, quirking an eyebrow at her. “Pleasure to meet you, Renae.” Turning to Jason, he said, “Have fun, Slugger.”

“Ha-ha.” He grabbed Renae’s hand, not giving her a chance to say no. “Come on. He’d love to meet you.”

“Are you kidding? I go to church with Mr. O’Niel. He’s been trying to fix me up with one of you for years.”

Jodie interjected. “That would be Jason. I’ve been married for a while. If it’s me, he’s more senile than we think.”

Jason’s mouth was agape. “You’re the lady from church?” To himself he added, “If I’d have known, I’d been going since I got here…” He looked back at Renae to see her smirking. “Sorry, I could have sworn he was trying to fix me up with a sixty-year-old lady from the bridge group.”

“Well, I’m not quite sixty…”

Grabbing her hand and tugging, he pulled a helmet down from a hook on the wall next to hats and coats near the door. “Well, his description of you did not do you justice. I may have to have a talk with him.” He led her to his motorcycle. “I can borrow Jodie’s Tahoe if you’re not comfortable on this…”

She yanked the helmet from his hand. “I haven’t been on one in years, not since my brother still lived at home, but it’s like a bicycle, right?”

He grinned at her and got on the bike, scooting forward so she could straddle behind him. Feeling her pressed against his back felt good. Real good. After starting it, he reached around and grabbed her hands, settling them across his stomach, practically purring at the way her fingers spread and traced the curves of his abdomen.

“You ready?” He called over his shoulder. She squeezed his torso, and he took that as a yes as he accelerated out of his space in front of the shop. She leaned against him, and the press of her breasts against his back sucked all the oxygen out of his helmet and sent all his blood to his groin. He was lightheaded as he navigated the streets out of the downtown area over the few blocks to Joe’s apartment complex. It was obvious she knew how to ride, leaning with him on the curves to make it easier, her front glued to his back the entire time. A sigh of contentment escaped him. He was tempted to just keep going, take her on a scenic drive around the outskirts of town, lay her down by the side of the road, and re-acquaint himself with her body.

All too soon, they arrived at his dad’s apartment, and Jason shut off the engine. He removed his helmet, and the absence of Renae’s arms around him as she removed her helmet was crushing.

“We’re going to do that again soon.” When he got off the bike and saw the gleam of excitement in her eyes and flushed cheeks, he vowed to do it as often as possible.

“What kind of bike did your brother have?” Jason asked as he led her to the door.

“An old Triumph he and my dad restored when he was in high school. He actually still has it. I just don’t get to ride it anymore.”

“Nice,” Jason murmured appreciatively as he held the door open for her, admiring her backside as she went in first.

“Hey, Mr. O’Niel!” She greeted Joe as she entered. He was in the kitchen stirring something on the stove. “Whatcha got cookin’?”

Jason noticed her Texas twang was more pronounced as she spoke to his dad and admired it. It sounded warm and friendly, not at all uneducated or redneck, just down home and comfortable. He wondered if she even realized she did it.

Joe turned to see who was speaking to him and dropped the whisk he was using into the pot. “Well, I was making chili, but it’s not quite turning out right. What are you doing here?” His eyes went to Jason, and turned knowing. “I told you, didn’t I?” He winked.

“Yeah, Dad. You did. But you neglected to mention she was smoking hot. Thanks.” He moved past his dad to the stove to see he was using the whisk on hamburger meat, ineffectively. “Let me work on this chili for you. Would you do me a favor and tell Renae what I was doing Sunday night?” He shooed his dad to his recliner and gestured for Renae to sit on the couch and listen before going back to finish the pot of chili Joe was wanting.

He kept an ear on the living room where he could hear Joe’s version of the events.

Joe sat up and preened at the attention, clearing his throat to tell his tale. “That sumbitch…” he paused as he looked a little chagrined, “excuse me, didn’t want to help me shower, so he stuck me in a bath tub. I can’t get out of a bathtub, and I told him so, but he didn’t listen. Sumbitch,” another pause, “excuse me. Jason came in, like he always does to check on me, and found me in that icy water, freezing my ass off,” another pause, “excuse me. He beat the shit out that sumbitch and called the ambulance for me, since I almost caught pneumonia. When the ambulance came, the police took Jason away until the next morning when Jodie could come down here and straighten everything out. So Jason spent the night in jail, sticking up for his helpless old man.” The note of pride in Joe’s voice was evident all the way to the kitchen.

“Wow. Are you okay? Did they take you to the hospital?” Validation swelled in Jason’s chest at her tone of contrition.

“Yeah, and left me there to poke at me all night long.”

“So, is that how Jason got his black eye?” Jason’s eye was actually looking better now. The black had faded to a greenish blue.

“Naw…I don’t know how he got that. But I’ll tell you how he got that scar down his face.”

Jason groaned as he saw Renae lean forward, anticipating another juicy story.

“He’d just got his first motorcycle,” he pronounced it ‘motor-sickle’ which always made Jason smile, “… and was out joy-riding, probably trying to impress some skirt.” He chuckled at his own little joke, and Jason craned his neck to see Renae’s reaction. She smiled, encouraging him to continue. “Anyway, he took a turn too fast and laid down the ‘sickle’ scaring me to death. His mama almost wouldn’t let him come back for visits after that one…”

“I’d imagine. It’s a wonder he wasn’t hurt worse.” Jason watched as she looked over at him, mouth squeezed tight, and a slight flush to her cheeks. Jesus. He wanted to know what she was thinking.

After the quick glance his way, she turned her attention back to Joe. “What are you going to do now? Do you guys have somebody else lined up?”

A grumble was his answer, and Jason knew exactly what he meant by it. Joe didn’t think he needed a caretaker. He was probably grumbling about ‘got-damn baby sitters’ to Renae, and Jason smiled to himself.

Jason had chopped and added onions to the hamburger meat to sweat before he added the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and the can of tomatoes. He lowered the heat to a simmer and dug around for the corn kits he knew he’d bought. Joe liked cornbread with his chili, so Jason got busy. When the corn bread muffins were in the oven, he went back to the living room.

“Ten minutes ‘till dinner.” He looked at Renae. “Can you stay? Otherwise, I can take you back to your car after the muffins are done.”

“Of course she can stay, can’t you hon?” Joe interrupted Renae’s open mouth, probably telling them she had other obligations. Jason almost kissed his dad right there in front of her.

“I guess I can,” she hedged, smoothing out invisible wrinkles on her jeans.

“Great!” Jason tried to contain his ridiculous joy, but he was glad she was feeling agreeable. Hopefully he was forgiven for their tragic date night, and she’d give him another chance. “What do you want to drink? We’ve got some beer, or I can make some iced tea. I think there’s a jar of instant in the cupboard…”

“Water is fine, thank you.”

He scurried to the kitchen to fix the drinks, chuckling to himself that she was seeing him so domesticated. He didn’t mind showing her this side of him, though. This was who he was, and since he’d moved up to Serendipity to take care of Dad, it had become a bigger part of who he was.

When he had everything ready, Jason brought a tray with three bowls, two beers and a glass of water out to the living room. “Sorry. The kitchen table is too small for us all. It’s just a little bistro table, seats two.”

“This is fine. It looks great!” He watched her lips as she put her spoon to them and blew on it to cool the chili. He inwardly groaned and watched her eat, fascinated.

“So, how’d you find her? I know it wasn’t church, you heathen.” Joe asked, mouth full of cornbread, spitting it out with his words.

Jason swallowed. “Um… I met her at the Gin, that night I was playing with Les, remember?”

“Actually, we met when I nearly hit his motorcycle with my minivan.” Turning to Jason, “Did you forget that?”

He hadn’t. In fact, it was right up there with his favorite days ever. At the time, the wreck had given Jason an adrenaline rush that made him feel more alive than ever. Close calls tended to do that. It was one of the perks of the motorcycle, not that he’d had that many wrecks. But he remembered every single one. In retrospect, he thought the adrenaline rush might have been because he’d met Renae that day even though he hadn’t realized how special she was. He still could kick himself for his treatment of her. He watched her eat, feeling a little weird about it, but unable to look away from her fascinated gaze on his dad. And that mouth.