Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Where are we going again?”
Flash looked at the woman next to him and was in awe of her all over again.
The hits for her just kept on coming, and yet she always bounded back, taking one day at a time.
She was exactly the kind of woman he’d been looking for.
Someone who didn’t sweat the small stuff, sure…
but Kelli wasn’t even sweating the big stuff.
She had every right to be upset. To be lamenting the fact that she couldn’t go back to her apartment because the person who’d broken in could still be watching and waiting for her.
Didn’t cry about life being unfair. Didn’t complain about only having enough possessions that could fit into a single suitcase.
She was still friendly, upbeat, and trusting.
And Flash wanted her more with every passing day.
It was getting harder and harder to sleep next to her and not take advantage of their situation.
Namely, the fact that Smiley’s apartment only had one bed…
a queen-size at that. Yes, he could sleep on the couch, but Kelli had put her fo ot down and said that if he took the couch, she’d sleep on the floor. Which was ridiculous.
So every evening since her apartment had been broken into, they’d crawled into bed together and slept in each other’s arms. For five torturous nights now.
Flash wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out and not slip his hand under those sexy boy shorts she wore to bed every night…
show her just how much he admired and wanted her.
“Flash?”
Oh, she’d asked him a question.
“Aces Bar and Grill. It’s owned by Jessyka Sawyer, who’s married to Benny. You remember them, right?” When she nodded, he added, “I thought it would do us both some good to get out.”
She murmured her agreement. Then changed the subject abruptly. “I think I’ve decided what I want to do. You know, as a career.”
Flash looked over again, this time in surprise. She’d been poring over the literature she’d gotten from the advisor at the community college, and they’d even had a couple of conversations about the pros and cons of a few different jobs. “Yeah?” Flash asked, genuinely interested.
“Uh-huh. Electrician,” Kelli said with confidence.
“Wow! Electrician. Okay, how’d you come up with that?”
“I just thought, what’s something I could do that would be seriously useful?
I mean, there are tons of jobs that are important, but are they truly useful in our own everyday lives?
Like…linemen or surgical technologists. They’re both vital in our society, but it’s not as if I could use those skills when I came home at night.
But if I knew th e ins and outs of electrical stuff, I could totally help our friends if they needed something looked at, or I could install fancy lights in my apartment.
If I ever own a house, I can put up a gazillion holiday lights and know how to manipulate the electrical system so it’s not overloaded.
” She shrugged. “It was either that or plumber…and I think I’d gag if I had to unclog a poopy toilet. ”
Flash couldn’t help but laugh at her verbiage. “I think that’s great.”
“You do? You aren’t just saying that or humoring me?”
“Not at all. If that’s what you’re interested in, go for it.”
“Thanks. I feel good about the decision. I’m going to go back to the community college as soon as I get the chance and see about signing up for classes.”
He was proud of her all over again.
“Flash?”
“Yeah?”
“Is the food good at Aces? I’m not trying to be rude by asking, it’s just that some bars have great drinks but crappy food. Like it’s all frozen and they just throw it in a fryer.”
“I know what you mean. And Aces has excellent food. Jessyka has done a great job in making sure her establishment is safe for women—and men, for that matter—and that it has a welcoming atmosphere, good food, and a wide assortment of drinks.”
Flash pulled into the parking lot of the bar. He tried to see it from the eyes of someone who’d never been there before. It appeared somewhat run-down. It didn’t have any flashing lights, it wasn’t modern-looking, but it was like a lot of things in life…it was the inside that mattered.
After parking, Flash got out and met Kelli at the front of his SUV. He took her hand in his and smiled down at her. “It doesn’t look that great from the outside, but trust me, it’s a hidden jewel for sure.”
“Of course I trust you,” Kelli said, as if it was a given. She gave him a crooked smile. “Did you notice that the S in the Aces sign is out? I could fix that…I mean, after I learn how in my classes.”
Flash chuckled. “That you could,” he agreed. He opened the door and when they walked in, he heard several people call out his name in greeting.
Kelli giggled from next to him.
“What?” he asked, leading her toward the bar, where Jessyka was beaming at them.
“It’s just…walking in with everyone saying your name reminded me of that old show, Cheers . Remember? Everyone would yell ‘Norm!’ when that one guy entered.”
Flash knew exactly what she was talking about, and he supposed Aces was kind of like the bar Cheers.
“It’s about time you brought her here!” Jessyka admonished when they got close. “Hi, Kelli! It’s so good to see you again. How’re you doing? After the break-in, I mean. Did the police find out who it was? Did they catch him?”
“Breathe, Jess,” Flash told her with a grin.
“Sorry. I tend to talk fast because it’s a given that someone will need me and if I don’t get all my questions out quickly, I’ll forget what I wanted to ask when I have to step away to deal with something else.”
“It’s good to see you too,” Kelli said happily.
“And I’m good. Flash doesn’t think it’s smart to go back to either of our apartments yet, and Smiley’s been so generous in letting us use his place.
And yes, the police ran the prints they found on the container of bacon the person handled when they broke in…
and it’s exactly who Flash and his friends thought. The guy from Jamaica.”
“Holy crap! Really? And he went to your apartment? Why?”
“Money. Revenge,” Flash guessed, already wanting to change the subject. He’d brought Kelli out to try to relieve some of the stress from everything going on, not rehash the details. “Benny has kid duty tonight?” he asked.
Jessyka beamed. “Yup. He said he was going to have a karaoke night. Trust me, I’m glad I’m missing that. I love my children, but they can’t carry a tune to save their lives. What can I get you two?”
“I’ll take whatever’s on tap,” Flash said.
“I think I’ll have a rum and Coke,” Kelli told her.
“Coming right up. You want to sit here at the bar or at a table?”
“Table,” Flash said.
“Sure thing. I’ll bring your drinks out when they’re ready. Here, take a menu with you. I’ll take your order when I swing by.”
Flash took two menus from a stack on the bar and put his hand on the small of Kelli’s back, leading her away from the hubbub of the bar, and also away from the pool tables on the opposite side of the room.
They sat, and Kelli said, “I like it. This place feels…homey.”
“Jess and Benny have worked hard to make customers feel safe and comfortable.”
“Well, they’ve succeeded. It’s wonderful.”
By the time Jessyka arrived at their table with drinks, they were ready to order .
“I think I’ll have the Santa Fe burger with fries, please.”
“Oh, good choice. We make the guacamole in-house and that chipotle mayo is so addicting. Flash? What are you having?” Jessyka asked.
“I think the hickory burger. I haven’t had that in a while and I’m craving your barbeque sauce. I don’t know what you put in it, but I swear it’s of the not-quite-legal variety.”
Jessyka chuckled. “Nothing illegal, promise. And I agree, it’s so good.”
When she’d left, Flash put his elbows on the table and leaned toward Kelli.
She looked great tonight. The jeans she had on clung to her curvy legs, making him think way too much about how they’d feel wrapped around his waist. And the shirt she chose was dark blue with a V-neck, giving him small glimpses of her ample cleavage.
It was enough to drive a man crazy. He loved it.
She was classy and sexy at the same time.
Her gaze was fixed on him, making him feel as if he was the center of her universe at that moment. He’d noticed that about Kelli; when someone was talking to her, she maintained eye contact, letting whoever she was chatting with know that she was one hundred percent engaged.
“How are you really doing with everything that happened last week, Kelli? And I don’t want to hear platitudes.
It wasn’t that long ago we were in quite the precarious situation.
And then you came home, had the shit scared out of you with our kidnapper breaking into your apartment, had to move out, go to a stranger’s apartment with almost none of your stuff…
and I leave you alone all day while I go to work.
I’m worried about you. Worried th at you’re pushing your feelings down in order to try to make me feel better about everything that’s happened. ”
Kelli reached out and took his hand in hers.
“Here’s the thing, Flash,” she said quietly, looking him in the eyes.
“Bad shit happens in life. It’s inevitable.
But I’m here. I’m alive. I survived. And I’ll keep on surviving whatever life dishes out.
I learned from a young age, when my dad was killed, that crying doesn’t help.
Being a bitter bitch doesn’t work either.
All it does is make me feel bad. I firmly believe that anyone who’s experienced tragedy looks at life differently.
Losing a job…dropping a full cup of coffee right after walking out of the store…
getting stuck in traffic? It’s nothing compared to the trauma I experienced with my dad. ”