Chapter Seven
I t took Selah two minutes to realize being a person of her word and paying her debts to a bet wasn’t worth it. This punishment was cruel and unusual for someone who sometimes confused Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe. Her mom would have to depend on her other two daughters to bring her a bit of happiness. That’s all there was to it.
While Kevin, the man who eventually showed up in the Bottlecap Brewery parking lot wasn’t unattractive, he looked ten years older than his picture and dressed ten years younger. He’d instantly given her a hug, started chatting her ear off, removing any opportunity for her to cut in and say, “Never mind.” Instead, she’d have to go through with it while hoping to make a short night of it so she could get a hot fudge sundae from the McDonald’s drive-thru on the way home, which was sure to be the highlight of her evening.
She hadn’t had high hopes to begin with, but it would have been nice if her date had been someone like Dex. Of course, it wasn’t fair to compare Kevin with Dex. In fact, it wasn’t even fair to compare Dex with Dex, considering how he’d been completely different at the park today. It made her doubt her first impression. Maybe he was a jerk after all. But it would have been nice if her date could have been similar to “Phone Dex.”
Kevin, though, wasn’t close. Having to pleasantly smile at whatever he was talking about was becoming tiresome as he bragged about having his own mechanic’s shop and how he gave special discounts to ladies if she ever needed “her transmission flushed.” Selah would have admired his non-stop ability to take ordinary things and make them sound as aggressively suggestive as possible, if she wasn’t too busy throwing up in her mouth.
“You know,” he said with a creepy glint in his eye, his arm around her shoulder tightening possessively, no matter how much she tried to pull away. “It’s a little crowded and hard to hear in here. How ’bout we go out into the parking lot to talk? My Element has seats that fold all the way down... like a bed. Anything goes because afterwards I can just hose it out.” He said the last part as a whisper into her ear, his breath hot and humid on her skin, making her bones want to crawl out of her body.
The suggestion was tempting, but not in the way Kevin was thinking. She had no interest in seeing his car transform into a cheap motel room, but the closer she got to the parking lot, the easier she had access to her own vehicle. She could make her escape and get that hot fudge sundae.
Selah made another attempt to extract herself from Kevin’s grasp, thinking half an hour was long enough for the bet to be counted as paid in full. Except the guy had a grip like a boa constrictor—the more she pulled, the tighter he held, until she all but jerked herself away from him. She made a show of looking at her phone. “Oh goodness. Look at the time. Well, it’s been... well, not exactly nice, but—”
“Come on, baby, that doesn’t work on me. Besides, you haven’t touched your drink.” His chair scooted closer, his hand, below the table, going to her knee and latching on. “I was just thinking we could—”
“Oh my God! Selah?” The booming voice was followed by a man nearly crashing into their table. “It is you! God! It’s been forever! How’ve you been?”
“Dex?” It took her a second, but the disheveled man with a red flushed face, who was definitely not sober, was the familiar park ranger. His hazel eyes were glassy, his smile a little too bright. Him looking at her as though she was a long-lost friend wasn’t an unpleasant experience, even while knowing it wasn’t true. Being on a date with a man who was becoming more lecherous made Dex a welcoming sight.
“Hey, I’m Dex. State. Park. Ranger.” He pointed to a spot over his chest before glancing down and realizing he wore street clothes and not his uniform. It didn’t seem to bother him, though, as he awkwardly lowered his finger and addressed Kevin again while taking the extra seat at the table. “Anyway, did you know this is Captain Selah? The Captain Selah, world’s greatest balloonist in the world,” he said to Kevin.
Her date looked confused. “Like balloon animals?”
Before Selah could correct him, Dex jumped in. “No, you dump truck. Hot-air balloons. In the sky. She pilots them. So smooth you’d think you were floating on a cloud or a balloon... or a balloon made of clouds.”
If Kevin was impressed by this, his expression revealed nothing. Plus, he probably didn’t appreciate the nickname of dump truck, even if she agreed the name suited him well. “Look, pal, we’re on a date and we don’t need any extra company, so if it’s all the same to you, fuck off.”
As though Kevin didn’t exist anymore, Dex focused on Selah, taking a few attempts to prop his head on a palm as he leaned on the tabletop. “What’s the world’s greatest balloonist doing with a dump truck like that? He doesn’t deserve to hear your pilot voice.”
Selah held back an embarrassing giggle because she didn’t want Dex getting into trouble. Her date’s annoyance was clear, his blue eyes growing hard and menacing. She was inexperienced at having two men fight for her attention. This had never happened before. Not that Kevin cared about her. She was merely a lady body that was, in his mind, available to him.
Selah was also under no illusions Dex wanted her either, based on their conversation earlier on the trail. His motivation in all of this was unknown. Where had he even come from? But his interruption was a silent prayer answered, and it was fun to pretend they were sparring for her.
Regardless, she didn’t want Dex to get in a real physical fight over whatever this was, because the whole situation wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t worth it. “Dex,” she said calmly, “are you here with some friends?”
“Oh yeah. That’s Jon, my best friend in the world and also a park ranger—so, just so you know, I’m not here alone, pal. ” This last part was directed at Kevin. Dex pointed over his shoulder to a man sitting at the bar who was watching this whole thing, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter.
“Then why don’t you go back to your friend and leave us the fuck alone? I’ll be happy to escort you—”
“Oh my God, I completely forgot to tell you,” Dex interrupted Kevin, doing a soft smack alongside his forehead with the palm of one hand. “You know that earbud you lost? Guess what? I found it!”
Selah was confused because, obviously, the earbud was no longer missing, but she replied, “Oh, yeah?”
“Yup. And then I just happen to run into you. What kind of a lucky break is that? I put it in a safe spot for you and everything. It’s in my glove compartment. Do you want it?”
It finally clicked. He was risking getting punched by a dump truck, doing this friendly drunk thing, all in the hopes of giving her an out, an escape. She’d never been so touched in her life. “Oh! Yes! Thank you. I do want it back. Can we get it right now?”
Kevin again wrapped an arm around her shoulder, trying to lock her into place. “Come on, baby. Can’t you get it later? It’s just an earbud. Fuck off, man.” He shoved a rough hand against Dex’s shoulder.
“No, you don’t understand. This is a very important earbud,” she said, attempting to stand.
“It was given to her by someone special,” Dex added, standing as well.
Kevin looked torn between wanting to punch Dex in the jaw and not wanting to let go and risk losing her. “Ok, well, maybe I should go too—”
On a dime, Dex’s drunk goofball routine switched off, his face transforming into something serious and sober. It made her wonder if he deserved an Academy Award for his previous performance. He rested a palm against the table and leaned toward Kevin, lording over him. “No. We’re going to the parking lot. You’re staying here. There’s probably someone else waiting for you, Big Daddy Sasquatch.”
Dex turned his attention to Selah, an easy grin slipping into place. “Captain Selah.” His hand swept toward the exit to let her lead them away.
The whole thing caught her off guard. What was happening here? On the trail today, he’d been in no-nonsense park ranger mode, clearly irritated with her, but this dark sternness was something else entirely, and it was directed at some loser on her behalf. Selah had never been so turned on by a state park employee before... or anyone else, for that matter.
Whatever Dex was doing, it worked because Kevin’s expression dropped along with his arms, releasing her. He looked confused and startled. She wasn’t sure why he’d give up over a bizarre name like Big Daddy Sasquatch when dump truck made him appear as if he wanted to punch a wall. Maybe this was some magical park ranger thing used to subdue angry bears and assholes. Regardless, she wasn’t going to question it, quickly joining Dex on the other side of the table and proceeding out the door of the brewery.
Safely outside, they stopped at the edge of the parking lot. Selah was free to say anything, but was at a loss for words, especially since she wasn’t sure if Dex remained aggravated with her and this whole thing was an act. “Thank you,” she said simply, but she never meant the phrase more than she had at any point in her life.
“Is everything okay?” Over Dex’s shoulder, his friend, Jon, appeared. She was relieved Kevin hadn’t followed them.
“Yeah, everything is okay,” Dex replied, his lids heavy as he gave his friend a playful salute. He leaned nearer to her, a scent of rum enveloping her, and in a loud stage whisper said, “He was afraid that guy was going to fight me and then he’d have to jump in and save me.”
Selah had no doubt this was the plan because Jon was taller, broader, and appeared to be the sober one between the two of them.
“You weren’t worried about that?” She wasn’t able to keep the humor from her tone.
“Nope,” Dex replied, swaying a bit. “I had to do something. That guy was a shitbag. And I also had a little bit to drink. I don’t know if you noticed.”
“Alright, buddy, it’s been fun watching you get into trouble, but Steph just texted me that Marie forgot her stuffie at home, so I need to make an emergency trip to Warm Springs tonight. Do you still want to get an Uber or come with me?”
Dex said he’d be fine and waved his friend off. After Jon departed, Selah stood there awkwardly. She should get going as well, but instead watched Dex as he leaned against the brick wall of the brewery with a heavy sigh.
“You doing okay there?”
“Oh, yeah. Great. I—I think it’s time to go home.”
“You okay getting your ride?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’ve got an app.” He had trouble pulling the phone from his pocket and it tumbled to the ground.
She had no obligation to the guy but, considering how the evening could have gone, she did feel one. “Come on. I’ll be your Uber and give you a lift.” It was only fair.
He stubbornly continued attempting to work his phone. “You’re also an Uber driver? Is your Uber voice similar to your piloting one?”
She laughed. “No. I’m just a”— friend was too presumptuous and, yet, she wanted some word to describe their relationship more than a person you’ve met a few times . Unable to come up with anything, she finished the sentence with—“a person who wants to make sure you get home okay since you came to my rescue tonight.”
“You shouldn’t do that.” His gaze narrowed in her direction, as if she was in trouble, and he might need to get stern again. Her breath caught in excitement.
“Do what? Return a favor?”
“You shouldn’t give a stranger you met in a bar a ride home. It isn’t safe. There are all kinds of weird people in the world.”
“But I’m not giving a stranger a ride. I’m giving you a ride, and I didn’t meet you in a bar. Remember?” What he said was true but, regardless of their complicated history, there was something about Dex that felt safe. She couldn’t explain it, even to herself.
“I don’t know how to argue any further,” he replied.
“Good.” She took him by the arm, leading him to her truck. “Come on, then.”
“And I want you to know that we’re even now. You witnessed my embarrassing moment and now I’ve witnessed one of yours.”
“Fine, we’re even.” Although, truth be told, she hadn’t been embarrassed. If there was anyone who should have felt shame, it was dump truck Kevin for being a creep. But if it made him feel better, so be it.
Dex did well enough giving her directions to his house on the western outskirts of Redmond, heading toward the town of Sisters. It was an older home, surrounded by a grove of juniper trees and sage brush. “Here you go. Are you going to be okay getting in?”
“Yeah. Thanks for the ride... and for not tipping the car over at the end of it.”
“Ha. Ha. Funny. I guess your opinion that I’m the world’s greatest balloonist was a lie. Now I know what you really think.”
“You’re still the best one I’ve flown with.”
“That’s very sweet but—” She was about to finish with, but you’ve never flown with my dad and caught herself in time. As far as she knew, Robert had never tipped the basket and landed on top of a client. He was a real professional.
Dex didn’t make a move to exit the vehicle. He stared at her as though trying to commit her face to memory. “Goodbye, Selah.”
It did feel like a true goodbye, like their paths were never to converge again. It made her sad. “Goodbye.”
There was an instant when his focus dropped to her lips, and her heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t her date... at least not the date she started the evening with. She knew he wasn’t going to try anything, but there was a part of her wanting him to try, anyway, to close the gap between them and give her some of the same dark fire and tenacity she’d witnessed earlier at the brewery. The idea of it made her insides want to fizzle with anticipation.
Disappointingly, he snapped from his trance, opening the door to the truck and promptly fell out, landing in a heap on the ground with an Oof . “I’m okay,” came a muffled reply, but he didn’t make any effort to get up as though the ground was as good of a place as anywhere to spend the night.
“God.” Selah put the truck into park, shutting it off before getting out of the vehicle to help him, where he was a pile on the ground. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. You didn’t see that, did you? I don’t want us to be uneven again in embarrassing moments.”
“I didn’t see anything. Here, let’s get you inside.” She helped untangle his limbs, getting him upright and offering support to him as they walked toward his house.
“This isn’t smart. You shouldn’t help weird men to their houses. You hardly know me.”
“Why do you think you’re a weird man?” she asked.
“I don’t know. No reason. You’re not afraid of crows, are you?”
“No, why—” A loud caw-caw cut through the air near her and she yelped, hugging her body closer to Dex’s. The source of the sound was a crow perched on the railing surrounding the covered porch. She never considered herself afraid of birds, but it was unsettling that this one wasn’t afraid of being near people and didn’t fly away.
“That’s Harper,” he said, while trying and failing to get his key into the lock.
Selah did her best to ignore the bird, taking his key and unlocking the door. As soon as it swung open, the crow jumped from the railing, skittering inside. “Um, a crow just walked into your house.”
“It’s okay. She does that all the time.” As if to prove the point, the bird did a flap hop onto the arm of a couch, walking along the back of it. From this point, it did a short awkward flight to the kitchen table as though looking for some remnants of food, but only found a stack of mail and, in some kind of protest, knocked the envelopes onto the ground.
“You have a pet crow?”
“Harper’s not a pet. She’s a wild animal.” Dex fell into a pale-blue recliner, leaning back with his eyes closed. In order to not prove his statement, Harper bounce-hopped to the top of the recliner and began to pick through the strands of Dex’s hair, rearranging them in a move that was very motherly for a crow.
“She doesn’t seem very wild. How long has she been your roommate for?” Before considering how inappropriate it was, Selah took out her phone and snapped a picture. She wasn’t planning on sharing the photo with anyone other than Naomi. She needed some kind of record, because who would ever believe this? And it was kind of cute.
Dex gently swatted Harper away. “Stop that.” He squinted at his shoes before leaning forward to untie one, looking like he might tumble to the ground again.
Selah sat on the couch, setting her phone on the coffee table, making sure something wasn’t going to happen to him.
“What’d you ask again?”
“Oh, I wanted to know how Harper became your roommate.” She found herself working on the half-finished jigsaw puzzle on his coffee table. It was a landscape picture of some colorful scenery with wildflowers at a lake.
Dex chuckled. “She isn’t the worst roommate I’ve ever had.”
Selah wondered if Ava had been a roommate of his. If that was the case, there wasn’t any feminine trace remaining. The house, at least the parts of it she could see, were quite masculine and utilitarian in its setup. Not that her bedroom was much better, as she hadn’t cared about putting in any effort to decorate when she’d eventually be leaving, anyway.
“I found Harper at work when she had a broken wing. The only wildlife rehabilitation in the area wouldn’t take her because of limited resources and she’s a crow. People aren’t generally interested in crows, but I couldn’t leave her there so I just...” He shrugged while managing to get one shoe off.
“There’s not a rehabilitation thing at the park?”
“No.”
She found a piece of the lake to fit, and the pieces snapped together. This part made for a better evening than eating a hot fudge sundae in the McDonald’s parking lot, all things considered. “Well, it looks like you did a good job with this one, so maybe there should be.”
“I’m not an expert.”
“But you seem to be knowledgeable about crows, at least from what you were telling me in the park earlier today. Maybe people should see them in a different light.”
“Yeah,” he replied, “but having a crow roommate makes me strange. You should know better than to hang out at some strange man’s house. What if Harper was a cougar instead of a bird? You just never know, and you’re too pretty to be mauled by a cougar.”
Selah wasn’t paying much attention to his drunken ramble until he called her pretty. That caught her attention because it wasn’t a compliment she received often. If Dex thought anything more about this, she wasn’t going to know because he was again leaning back against the recliner, one shoe off, his hair mussed from Harper picking through it. His eyes were closed with his mouth slightly open, and he was now emitting soft snores.
Selah got up, grabbing the blanket from the back of the sofa, and tiptoed toward him, bringing her finger to her lips for Harper. She wasn’t sure the crow knew the sign for silence, but the bird cocked her head and remained silent. Selah gently laid the blanket over him before quietly backing away.
“Goodbye, Dex and Harper,” she said before letting herself out and heading home.