Five
FIVE
My eyes track every move she makes as she shuffles from foot to foot while talking on the phone to her daddy dearest.
“Dad, I know. I’ll email my professors and tell them there’s been a family emergency. It’ll be two weeks and I’m doing great in everything. I can do remote classes. I promise it will be okay.” She grows quiet and chews on her bottom lip. “I don’t know. I can…I don’t know. I have no solution for how I will get a computer. Maybe I’ll go buy an iPad. I gotta go find a place to get some clothes, anyhow. I have the outfit I’m wearing and the one I wore on the drive out. I don’t think a short denim skirt and cowboy boots are going to cut it for everyday wear.”
I hear a little noise –the kind that tells you someone wants your attention and you try your best to ignore it, but just can’t– and look over to see Kinsley standing next to Miss Shirley, the two of them watching me with judging eyes. I know exactly what they are trying to infer and I’ll be damned if they guilt trip me into it.
“Do you think the beach condo is available?” She asks and plops down into a comfy chair. “Well, when you find out, please let me know right away. I may just take an Uber to a strip mall and get some necessities. If it isn’t available, I’ll just look for a hotel.” She shakes her head, listening to the other end and I can only imagine her daddy is sending her the number to his black card to take care of everything. “Love you too, Dad. Give Sloaney and A.J. a big kiss from me. Bye.”
She presses end, puffs out a defeated breath and stares at the phone in her hands, looking sad and deflated. I look over to the ladies again, they’re non-verbal gestures intensifying. Kinsley glares at me, and Miss Shirley raises her eyebrows and widens her eyes. Those are universal symbols for ‘you better say something before I do’ . My hands ball into fists and internally I’m screaming. At Kinsley and Miss Shirley, at this woman for being so devastatingly beautiful, and at myself for what I’m about to do. I clear my throat and take a couple steps closer to her.
“Dagen.” She lifts her head and looks at me, nervously. “If you’re planning to stay here while we work on your vehicle, I…I have a loft that is private from the rest of my house. You’re welcome to stay there if you’d like.”
A loud, audible gulp falls from her mouth and her eyes flit to where Kinsley and Miss Shirley stand with wide smiles.
“Um. I-I don’t know if–”
“Oh honey, don’t worry about Henny. He’s not a creep or anything, Just an asshole.” Kinsley bats her hand in the air like she’s swatting away the crazy notion that I may take advantage of her.
“And I live very close by and will make sure he is a perfect and gracious host.” Miss Shirley adds.
I sigh and don’t understand what I did in my life to deserve these two. Wasn’t my upbringing enough punishment to escape ladies like the ones that seem to want to run my life?
“I mean, if you’re sure. I don’t want to impose. My parents are contacting the people we’ve rented a beach house from in previous years, so it’s possible I may be able to use that.”
“And if it’s not available?” I ask her.
She twists her mouth and says quietly, “I was just going to find a hotel.”
“For two weeks? Do you know how much that will cost in addition to the repairs? Are you ready to foot a bill that big?” She opens her mouth to speak and I interject. “Wait. I forgot. Daddy’s paying for it so I guess it doesn’t matter. We don’t have a Ritz-Carlton, so you may have to be okay with the local motel.”
She slams her hands on the arms of the chair and jumps to her feet. “I am so sick and tired of you being a top tier jerk to me. I am not a spoiled brat like you are implying. Yes, my father will be paying for the repairs, but don’t think that means it’s just another day. I’ll have to make it up by shoveling horse shit out of the stalls. They’ll put me in charge of feeding the animals and checking on the cabins. Not to mention I’ll probably be the one busting my ass every weekend, leading horseback riding lessons and teaching kids how to shoot an arrow. Do you know what it feels like to get tagged by a rubber arrow? You’d think it doesn’t hurt, but that rubber is a hard tip and when it comes flying at your head, you can only hope and pray that you’re left with a bruise and not down one eye. Don’t get it twisted and think I’m on a free ride thanks to mommy and daddy. Nothing is free in my home.”
Her green eyes glow with anger, but damn are they beautiful. Maybe I am being a little too harsh on her. She’s done nothing but be a mesmerizing woman who is slowly draining me of my ability to reason and form sentences. I can’t fault her for being gorgeous.
“I apologize. I have no excuse and I’m sorry for how I’ve spoken to you.”
“What?” the three women say in shock.
“Don’t make me say it again. You’ll get blood from me before a second apology.” She works hard to hide her smile, pressing her full lips into a tight line. “You can let your family know you found a place to stay. If it makes you more comfortable, I will stay somewhere else.”
“I’ll be sure to pop in to check on ya. My work is pretty lenient and I can set my own hours.” Kins walks out from behind Miss Shirley’s desk.
“Your work is lenient because your boss is your dad,” I tell her and she replies with a tongue out.
“Dagen, why don’t I take you to get whatever things you are needing and then we can go by grumpy’s house to drop it off.” She turns to me, holding out her hand, and says, “Keys, please.”
I scowl, but she only wiggles her fingers at me. With an exasperated sigh, I pull out my keys and hand it over.
“There’s an alarm so let me write down the code fo–”
“I already know it.”
“What? How the fuck do you know my alarm code?”
With a roll of her eyes she tells me, “Malik gave it to me once when he needed me to stea–I mean borrow something. The code just stuck.”
I make a note to call Malik later and possibly bust his head. “Well, don’t take anything this time, okay.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure. Let’s go, Dagen. Time to put a dent in daddy’s credit card.” Kinsley grabs her hand and begins tugging her towards the parking lot.
“Um, thank you,” Dagen says, skidding to a stop in front of me. “This is very kind of you and I appreciate it. I gave Miss Shirley my parent’s phone numbers so you can give them updates. My dad, Vaughan, is the one you’ll most likely want to talk to.”
I dip my chin and watch as she follows Kins out the door. I can’t help it when my eyes trail up and down her body, tracing the way her ass moves in those barely there shorts. She wears a cropped sweatshirt that shows a small hint of her flat stomach, and the thoughts that run through my mind would definitely be rated R.
“Eh um.” A clearing of a throat breaks the movie reel playing in my head with Dagen as the star. “You keep eyein’ that girl like that and it’ll earn you a right smack in that big head.”
My face pales remembering those smacks she administered to the guys and me. I’m pretty sure I have a dead spot on my head as a result.
“Yes ma’am. Sorry.” I walk over to where she sits at the desk and lean on the top. “You have all of her information?”
“Of course. This is ain’t my first rodeo, boy.” She scribbles some information down on a paper and hands it over. “Here’s her cell phone number. You’re going to need it to contact her.”
I shake my head. “I’ll just speak with her dad. Seems like he’s the one who will know what’s going on and footing the bill.”
“I know that. But you may want hers, because it’ll be mighty hard to ask her father for a date. Unless you’re trying to be a decent human being. I’ve never known you to be a traditional type boy.”
“What in the world are you talking about? I have no desire to ask that girl out. And I am not a boy. I stopped being a boy around the age of fifteen when I–”
“Aah you hush,” she scolds and holds her hands over her ears. “I do not want to know that about my boy. You just keep that to yourself. Tell Malik and Danté the same thing. In my eyes, you boys are still just that; boys. Now are you going to take this number or do I have to program it in your phone myself?”
My eyes narrow, giving her an irritated look, but by now she’s immune to it. I snatch the paper from between her fingers and it gets me a satisfied grin. This woman, I tell ya.
“I’ve ordered the parts and those should be here by Wednesday so at the latest, the car will go into the shop on Thursday.” I give Dagen’s dad, Vaughan, the breakdown of what the repairs are going to look like and how quickly we can get it all done.
I’ve decided to move this up on our priority list so that I can have that girl out of my home as quickly as possible. The sooner she is gone the better for my sanity.
“Okay, that sounds great. Thank you Hendrix. Feel free to text me with any updates. I know you can speak with Dagen regarding all of this, but she has a lot on her mind right now in addition to remote classes, so I’d like to take this one thing off her plate.”
He sounds like a very caring father. The kind I would’ve liked to have growing up. Vaughan has been quite understanding of it all and asked me if it seemed that his daughter was okay. He acted like the car could be totaled and he wouldn’t give a damn as long as Dagen is safe. I assured him she looked and seemed fine, but I have no prior knowledge of her so it’s really a blind observation.
“One other thing I want to mention. I’m not sure if Dagen spoke to you about this or not, but I have offered her the use of my private loft while she is waiting for repairs. She said that she was hoping to find somewhere closeby, and I have a separate and safe place she is welcome to use,” I stand from where I sit looking at my computer screen, and begin to pace the small office. “I have a friend, Kinsley Sawyer, who actually helped Dagen after her accident and has taken her to get some items she will need. Kinsley has offered to stay there with her, and I will stay at a friend’s house myself to make it more comfortable for the two of you.”
The line is eerily quiet and now I’m wondering if I have an angry father on his way to put a bullet between my eyes.
“How old are you, Hendrix?” He finally asks.
“I, uh, I’m twenty-nine sir.”
“Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime? Please keep in mind that I am friends with some very important people who could get me every answer I need in a blink of an eye. But I’m hoping you are a trustworthy man and will give it to me straight.”
I feel a cold sweat spread across my lip. I don’t know if what he says is true, but I would rather not find out and end up with problems that I really don’t have time or headspace for.
With the clearing of my throat I tell him, “Yes, sir, I have been arrested. However, it was when I was seventeen years old. I was arrested for drag racing which is a misdemeanor in the state of Mississippi. Because I was a minor and a ward of the state, I served community service and my record was expunged.”
“Hmm,” is the only response I get.
I scrub my hand over my face, irritated that I am having to explain myself to a man I don’t know because I have offered a place for his daughter, a girl I don’t really know or plan to, to stay while I repair her vehicle that she crashed. The day started so great. No emergency calls from the shop, no annoying texts from Malik, and no complaints from Danté about the bar. Miss Shirley brought in my favorite cookies and I was looking forward to an easy night at home, watching whatever the hell I want.
Then Kinsley had to go and call me out for a young girl who needed help. Dagen is no young girl and the moment I saw that, I knew my day was shot to hell.
“Should I be worried about your ability to keep your hands to yourself? The same friends that I have also have friends who would be fine teaching you a lesson if you are not able to refrain yourself.”
Okay, now I’m just getting pissed off. This guy thinks his daughter is a fucking block of rare gold and I’m going to steal her away the moment he turns his head.
“Sir, I can guarantee you that I will have absolutely no problems with keeping away from your daughter. I don’t mean to be rude or disrespectful, but your daughter is not someone who interests me. No offense, sir. She’s just quite young and in addition to that, I don’t date clients…in any capacity.”
“That is exactly what I like to hear. And you said your friend, Kinley-”
“Kinsley, sir.”
“Right. Kinsley. Is she a good person?” This man is going to worry himself to an ulcer.
“The best. She and Dagen have already made fast friends. I promise you, you will have nothing to worry about.”
With a big sigh he says, “Thank you. I know this seems a little extreme, but it’s a parents job to worry about their children. It’s just how it is.”
I wouldn’t know, because aside from Malik and Danté and Miss Shirley later in my teen years, I’ve never had anyone who gives two shits about me.
“I understand, sir. And this is the number you can reach me at any time. For anything. I assure you that your car and most importantly, your daughter, are safe.”
I can’t guarantee my safety, because if he somehow manages to climb into my head and see the thoughts about his daughter running rampant in there, I’ll be a dead man.And a man like me wouldn’t got to Heaven. I’d burn in the pits of hell.