Chapter 6
Anika
“Told you you wouldn’t get her back.”
I grin as I watch my mother try and keep Cherry from her mother’s reach.
Lindsey called earlier, asking if she could pop in with the baby because she was going stir-crazy at home. Of course when my mother called half an hour ago and got wind of that, she was over here in a flash.
Like most Sundays, my plan had been to work on the house. I want to finish up the painting in my main bedroom, but I only managed to get one coat up this morning. Then my body announced it was done, which worked out great, because no sooner had I put down my roller when my phone rang.
“Since my only grandchild is too old for snuggles, I have to grab opportunity when I can,” is my mother’s excuse.
Tucker is my brother’s stepson and was already a gangly teenager when he and his mother, Trin, entered our lives. At the time, Mom had been reminding us regularly all her friends were already grandmothers. The arrival of Tucker relieved a bit of the pressure on Bodhi and me to procreate.
Of course, since then the not-so-subtle hints have picked up again. Mostly focused on me these days, since my brother had a talk with Mom last year to get her to back off. He explained he and Trin are well into their forties, they have a life they enjoy, and with Tucker heading off to college in the fall of this year, are looking forward to maybe doing some traveling. He made it clear babies don’t fit into that picture.
So that leaves me, and to my mother’s despair, I’m fast approaching my forties with no viable baby-daddy prospects in sight. It’s not that I don’t want children—because I do—but it’s not something I’ve actively pursued.
I did at some point look into the possibility of having a child by myself, but then I started struggling with my health. After receiving my diagnosis last year, it took quite a while to regain some balance in my life, and at this point, I’m not sure I’d physically be able to manage my salon, my condition, and single-parenthood.
For now, I’m happy with my role as Cherry’s honorary auntie. I was invited to be present at her birth about a month ago, and I will treasure that experience for the rest of my life.
“She does need to nurse,” Lindsey points out to Mom as she plucks at the wet spot on her shirt.
“Mom, give Cherry back. Linds is starting to leak,” I tell her firmly.
That works. A few minutes later the baby is happy in her mother’s arms on the couch, and Mom is in the kitchen putting on the kettle for some tea.
“So where were you last night?” she asks, grabbing mugs down from my cupboard.
“Last night?” I echo, feeling heat rise to my cheeks.
“Yeah.” She points at the Tupperware container she carried in and tossed on the counter the moment she spotted the baby. “I sent Dad over last night to drop those off and he said you weren’t home.”
“What are they?” I ask, hoping to distract her.
There’s no way I’m ready to answer her question without exposing myself to further scrutiny. I’m still trying to come to terms with what happened in Hog’s barn last night, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to hide my confusion from my mother.
She has a sixth sense for anything reeking of a romantic prospect. I swear, she notices every-fucking-thing and becomes like a terrier, not letting go until she has an answer that satisfies her. It was infuriating as a teenager because I could never hide anything to do with boys from her. Nowadays, it’s only annoying when she pries.
The last thing I need is for her to find out about that kiss. She’d make a big deal out of it, and I’m not even sure if it was one.
Don’t get me wrong, Hog’s kiss shook my world in the best possible way, but when moments after he acted like nothing happened, I wasn’t sure which side was up. I still don’t know, because he certainly didn’t seem that affected over dinner, while I could barely swallow my food, despite how absolutely delicious those tamales were.
He never mentioned the kiss, not even when I was getting ready to leave and he walked me to the door. For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me again when he bent down, but all I got was a peck on the cheek and a promise he’d be in touch.
The entire drive home, and most of the night last night, I was left wondering if that kiss actually happened or was a figment of my imagination.
“Jalebi,” Mom says, opening the container. “We can have some with tea.”
“What is jalebi?” Lindsey wants to know.
“It’s a dessert or a treat,” my mother is quick to respond. “A deep-fried pastry covered in sugar syrup. It’s Anika’s favorite.”
She’s right, it was my favorite, but I’ve been avoiding sugar for the past year, which is why I haven’t been over at my parents’ house for dinner as much as I used to. Food is my mother’s love language, and refusing her food is like rejecting a hug to her. Every time I indulge, I can feel the effects on my body.
Maybe I should bite the bullet and tell them what’s going on with me, but not today. I have other things on my mind.
The talk is mostly about babies while we have our tea, and Mom gets up to leave shortly after.
“I have to get home to get dinner started,” she announces. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to stop in? Trin says Tucker is going to be there.”
“Thanks, Mom, but maybe next week? I really want to get the painting done today.”
She pulls me down to kiss my cheek.
“Okay, Sweetie, but don’t be a stranger, okay? Even Dad said we see so little of you these days.”
I shut the door behind her and close my eyes, banging my forehead against the doorpost.
“I’m going to have to take lessons from your mom for later,” Lindsey remarks behind me. “She does that guilt thing really well.”
I groan before turning around and walking back inside. “She is the master.”
Lindsey tilts her head and eyes me speculatively.
“She didn’t catch on to you avoiding her question,” she points out.
“What question was that?”
I know full well what she’s referring to and, for a moment, curse the fact I have not one, but two, intuitive and nosy women in my life.
Lindsey grins. “Nice try. Where were you last night?”
“What if I tell you it’s none of your business?”
The grin grows wider.
“Then I’d know I’m on to something. Tell me about last night, Anika. Where were you?” Her eyes narrow on me. “Or maybe I should ask who you were with.”
I guess better Lindsey than anyone else. Of all people, she may understand my confusion. It wasn’t that long ago she had to come to terms with the shift in dynamic between her and her man, Wapi. Their relationship changed from an adversarial one to a hot-and-heavy romance just last year.
“I went over to Hog’s place last night,” I admit.
“Hog? Pig-farmer Hog? Bodhi’s friend Hog?”
“Yes, yes, and yes. One of his pigs had a litter a few days ago.”
“But that’s not why you’re hesitant to talk about it. Something happened,” she concludes accurately.
No turning back now. She wouldn’t let me.
“There was a kiss.”
She shoots upright, startling the sleeping baby in her arms.
“Hog kissed you?”
I shrug, dropping my eyes to the carpet at my feet.
“Technically, I think I kissed him.”
Hog
Must be a full moon or something, because the calls haven’t stopped since the start of our shift almost twelve hours ago.
I take my seat in the rig and wipe at the sweat and soot stinging my eyes. The call was a house fire a few blocks from my crewmate Cheddar’s place. Two teenage kids had been home alone, dicking around in the garage with their father’s welding torch, surrounded by a variety of flammable and/or combustible materials.
It obviously didn’t end well for them. They may have gotten out with relatively minor burns, but by the time we arrived on scene, the house was fully engulfed with their family dog still inside. The parents pulled up right behind us and had to be held back while Cheddar and I went inside to see if we could find the dog.
It wasn’t easy, the poor thing hid under a chair and had been overcome by the smoke. It was just a little ankle-biter, weighed next to nothing when I carried it out. It took me almost ten minutes to revive it by giving the animal CPR. I wasn’t sure if we were going to get her back, but despite her size, she had a strong will to live. One of the neighbors offered to take her to the vet because the parents had their hands full with the kids and the house.
Glad we were able to rescue the pooch, but I’m not a big fan of a mouthful of dog snot and slobber. I’d feel a fuck load better if I could rinse and brush my teeth. Maybe I’ll even have a chance for a quick shower and a bite to eat before the next call comes in.
“Good save,” Vic says, patting my knee. “I still say kids between the ages of twelve and eighteen should be locked up for their own safety and the safety of the community at large.”
Her own nephew, Tucker, almost got himself killed a little over three years ago in some stupid teenage stunt.
“Hear, hear,” Cap says from the front passenger seat.
Our captain, Scott Beacham, has children of his own. Two daughters who are in college now, but judging by his stories, they did their own share of stupid stuff when they were teenagers.
“I’ve been considering it,” Cheddar, who has two kids as well, admits. “But Tahlula wasn’t too keen on the idea.”
Tahlula is his wife and the mother of their two little ones. They still have those teenage years to look forward to.
“Well, I for one am glad I don’t have kids to lose sleep over,” Vic comments. “Right, Hog?”
Technically Vic has a stepdaughter, but she was already an adult when Vic met Bill. I guess I’m the only other non-parent in the crew. To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that. Maybe she’s right, and I dodged a bullet.
When we arrive at the fire station, I’m thankful it’s not my turn in the kitchen tonight, so I rush for the showers. I pull a towel and a clean uniform from my locker and shove my dirty clothes into the laundry bag to take home.
The showers here at the station are amazing. The old ones were no more than a trickle and barely warm, but since the renovations a few years ago, we now have ample hot water and enough pressure for a decent massage. Too bad we tend to be limited to quick showers while we’re on shift, because I’d love to just stand here and let the water pound my neck and back.
This work is strenuous, and even though I’m in pretty decent shape for my age, my body doesn’t recover as easily as it once did. The aches and pains, plus the lack of sleep while on shift, get a little harder to deal with each year. Still, I have no plans to retire in six years when I’m fifty-five, the thought scares me a bit. I don’t have to until I’m sixty, if my body holds out.
I feel a ton better five minutes later when I walk into the kitchen where Bodhi and Cheddar are working on dinner. The scents coming from the large pot Bodhi is stirring are what drew me in here in the first place.
“I smell curry.”
I glance over Bodhi’s shoulder. He’s frying up leek and onion with a healthy amount of curry paste.
“Don’t get too excited,” he cautions. “I’m just doing a quick soup. Cheddar’s gonna grill open-faced sandwiches if you wanna give him a hand.”
I glance over at the sitting area where Cap and Sumo are lounged on the couch, watching a news channel. I’ll pass on the news; we see enough crap in our day-to-day life. Sandwiches it is.
“Sure, I’ll give you guys a hand.”
Five minutes later Vic comes walking in, her head wrapped in a towel.
“How much longer?”
“Impatient much?” Bodhi fires back.
“Guys,” she groans, leaning over the counter. “I’m so hungry I could eat the ass out of a rhinoceros.”
“Charming, Vic,” Cheddar observes dryly.
“Bill seems to think so,” she returns, sticking her tongue out at him.
“Good thing Bill is open-minded,” he lobs back.
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Hey, did you guys end up driving to Albuquerque yesterday?” she then asks Bodhi, changing the subject.
“We did.”
“And?”
“Tuck seems to like it. He can walk from student housing to classes. Plenty of fast-food restaurants near campus, which made him really happy.”
“What about Trin?” Cheddar asks. “What did she think?”
Bodhi chuckles. “I think reality is setting in for her. She seemed a little subdued on the way back.”
I’m only half listening to the small talk, my mind drifting to Anika, and the kiss we shared last night. It knocked me right on my ass in a way I knew I’d have to talk to her brother sooner than later.
It cost me, taking that giant step back with her taste still on my lips and a raging hard-on that did not let up all fucking night. But I want to do this right, which means talking to my friend before things with his sister go any further. I’d hoped to catch him alone during this shift at some point, but so far there hasn’t been a chance.
“…Hog?”
My head snaps up when Vic calls my name.
“I was asking how your weekend was. Did you do anything exciting?”
Fuck yes, I did. I got to live out a fantasy I’ve harbored for years, and the reality blew any stretch of my imagination out of the water. But I can hardly say that.
“Not really,” I mumble instead, sneaking a glance at Bodhi.
I’m not sure why, it’s not like I have a sign around my neck saying I kissed his sister. Besides, he doesn’t seem to be paying attention anyway.
But a moment later I catch Vic eyeing me with interest, and it feels like she’s looking right through me.