Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
Scott exited the car, then hurried over and opened the door for Julie. He held out his hand to her, and felt ten-feet tall when she placed her hand in his. The tingles going up his arm just made his smile wider. With his hand on the small of her back, they turned toward the lot to look at the trucks. Halfway there, he removed his hand from her back and took her hand in his. While walking hand-in-hand he asked her questions as to what she wanted and as they talked, they walked toward the vehicles that interested her. They were outside for at least thirty minutes and no one came out to talk to them. With a shrug, they went inside and looked at the few vehicles on display there, and stood there for at least ten minutes before someone came up to talk to them.
“How may I help you, Sir?” the guy spoke as he approached and stuck out his hand. “Jimmy John, salesman.” They shook, and Scott scowled when the man totally ignored Julie. He didn’t even look at her. “What type of vehicle are you looking to purchase today?”
“None,” Scott said coldly as he scowled at the man.
“Excuse me? Why are you here, then?”
“Because my girlfriend is looking for a truck.”
“Why?” The guy was so condescending that Scott turned to Julie, then back to Jimmy John. “Please, find us another salesperson, you won’t work for us.”
“Huh?”
Scott shook his head, and continued in a cold voice, “You never even looked at the woman standing beside me. You totally ignored her.”
“But, she’s a cripple,” Jimmy John said with a sneer.
Scott looked at the man in front of him, and if Julie hadn’t put her hand on his chest to keep him still, he would have laid the man out on the floor.
“Mr. John!” came the barked words from behind the salesman. They all turned to see a very, very angry woman standing there. “My office! NOW!” She turned on her heel and walked away. The only thing that could be heard was her heels striking the floor as she walked away.
“Must be that time of the month,” Jimmy John said with a laugh as he looked at Scott, and as he slowly turned away, Julie pulled her phone and sent a text.
“I take it that was Darcy?”
“Yes, and I just sent her a text about what that ass just said. I hope she fires his ass.”
“I take it you know him?”
“He is Ass-Boom-Boom-hole’s best friend. They, along with those three men over there at the coffee machine grew up together. The five of them used to walk the halls back in high school like they owned the place. If the pheasants, their words for the other students they deemed beneath them, didn’t bow down to them as they walked the halls, or got out of the way, then they would physically push them. Of course, Boom-Boom-hole led the posse.” She shook her head and looked at Scott, then leaned in to whisper. “I don’t know if you ever watched movies about mean girls in high school, where they walked down the hall with the head bitch in the lead?”
“Yeah, I might have seen one or two like that.” Scott looked at her with a smirk. “Are you saying that Ass-Boom-Boom-hole was the bitch in the lead?”
“Yep,” Julie said with a giggle. They jerked their heads up when there was a sudden sound of something crashing, and without saying a word, both Scott and Julie rushed to the office. They saw that Jimmy John had Darcy backed into a corner with his hands around her throat. Julie held Scott back and at his look of anger, she only shook her head at him, then pointed to the two people in the corner. Scott whipped his head around when he heard a scream, and stared in shocked surprise when it was Jimmy John doing the screaming, then he grabbed his crotch as he fell to the floor.
Darcy looked up with a glare to the other men staring in at them. “If one of you have something to say, you’re fired like this piece of trash. I’m sick and tired of your good ‘ole boys mentality. It’s the twenty-fucking-first century, grow the fuck up. All of you guys peaked in high school. This is the real fucking world. Women are in charge, Jimmy was fired for his piss-poor work ethics, and calling a customer a cripple was a gigantic violation against the people with disabilities act. It’s a disgrace to have the four of you in my presence. I’ve put up with your shit for years. I’m done. As of five minutes ago, Jimmy John is fired, if you guys agree with him, you can pack your shit and leave. I don’t need trash like you working in my business. That’s right, boys, I own and operate this business. Not my father, not my family, ME! What I say goes.”
One of the other men came in and helped Jimmy John to his feet, and when the downed man rose to half his height, he was still slightly crouched from being kneed in the crotch. He pointed to Darcy and said with a menacing tone, “You’ll regret this.”
Scott stepped in then, but looked at Julie first. “Sorry, I can’t stand by and not step in.”
“Do what you have to,” Julie said with a nod, and they both looked at Jimmy John as he lunged toward Darcy. Before Darcy could protect herself, they all gasped when Jimmy John was on the ground looking up at everyone.
“What the hell?” he demanded.
Scott looked down at him with a cold look. “You’re an ass for attempting to hit a woman. You are a disgrace to every male. And to think I risked my life for fifteen years for assholes like you.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Not that you need to know, but I’m former military. I put my life on the line every fucking day to keep Americans safe, but if they are all like you, then my time in the military was worthless.”
Jimmy John jumped to his feet, and screamed at Scott. “You’re a liar. I don’t believe you.”
At the same time one of the other men pointed to Julie, and yelled, “Wait until Boom-Boom learns of this.” His statement caused Scott, Julie, and Darcy to turn to him with wide eyes.
“What the hell does that asshole have to do with this?” Julie demanded as she scowled at the men and looked over at her friend. When Darcy only shrugged and held her hands up like she didn’t know, Julie turned on the others. “Tell me, why does Ass-Boom-Boom-hole Garrison have anything to do with you calling me a cripple, and getting in Darcy’s face when she fired Jimmy John’s sorry ass?”
“If you must know,” Jimmy John said as he was once again picked up off the floor by one of the other men. “Boom-Boom is going to ask you to marry him, but he was waiting for your psycho bitch of a sister to move out first. Now with you being all alone in that big house, he can move in and get it back for his family after you stole it from his mother’s family.”
Julie couldn’t help it. She started laughing. When the four men stared at her like she’d lost it, Darcy was giggling, and Scott stood there with a gigantic grin on his face. When Julie got herself under control, she stepped up to Scott, leaned on his shoulder, and placed a hand on his chest.
“Do you mind?”
“Nope, go for it.” Scott answered, thinking she was going to set the goons in front of them straight, but when she reached up and placed her hand on his jaw, turned his head toward her, he went with it. He had just enough time to lower his head and turn his body into her kiss. It went nuclear the minute their lips touched. Scott wrapped his arms around her, and settled into the kiss. It wasn’t until Darcy stepped up to them and laid a hand on each of their upper arms that they broke apart. Before Scott could say a word, Julie turned to the other men in the room.
“ This is my boyfriend. Tell Boom-Boom that if he ever darkens my doorstep, I will call the cops and have him arrested for trespassing. I don’t hang around with posers, losers, and liars. All of which Boom-Boom and his family are.”
Scott turned in time to see the shock on the men’s faces, then they turned as one, like it was a well-practiced move, and headed toward the door. The aesthetic of them turning like they did was ruined when they all reached the doorway at the same time and tried to get out of the door at once, but it turned into a shoving match. When they finally got out of the door, he vaguely heard Darcy on the phone, then saw two men hurry over and stand by the men’s desks.
“Security,” Darcy said as they watched through the broken window and grinned when one of the security men stepped forward and started taking things out of the boxes they were loading up. From where they stood, it looked like they were trying to take the office equipment of tape dispensers, staplers, and even the electric pencil sharpener that was on the desk. No one said a word as the men were escorted out of the building, then directly to their personal vehicles. When the security men returned, they came directly to Darcy.
“Boy, you sure pissed off the peanut gallery.”
“What did they say?”
“Something about going to Boom-Boom and telling him that his wife is cheating on him, and they’re going to challenge the cheater to partake in going to something called The Oasis.”
Before any of them could say anything, a booming laugh came from behind them and they all turned to see a big, barrel-chested man standing in the middle of the broken glass.
“Mr. Wolfe,” Julie said with a grin on her face and hurried over to give him a gigantic hug. Before Scott could do anything, she turned to him. “This is Darcy’s father, Mr. Wolfe.” She turned to the man she had just hugged, and held her hand out to Scott. She smiled at him when he took it. “Scott, this is Mr. Wolfe. Not only is he my best friend’s father, but he also stepped in and helped Aunt Lydia and Uncle Darren after Mom and Dad passed away.”
Scott nodded as he held out his hand to the other man. As they shook, he said, “Thank you for looking out for Julie and Sara.”
“It wasn’t that hard, they were two wonderful girls that grew up to be extraordinary women.” He returned Julie’s hug and Scott’s handshake before he turned to his daughter. “The window repair people are on the way. I was in the back office when I heard the commotion and stepped into the security office to see it all on video. I made sure to hit record, so when you go after Jimmy John for destruction of property, you’ll have the evidence,” he said it firmly enough that not one person in that room took him for being a fool.
Mr. Wolfe then turned to Scott. “Are you really former military?”
“Navy SEAL, Sir.”
“Thank you for your service. Now, do you have any friends?”
“I do, why?”
“Because if The Oasis was brought up, then those asshats my daughter finally fired are going to be up to no good. How many former military men can you get here?”
“Just men, Sir? Because my entire SEAL team is retired and including me, there are eight of us. However, I know of six, seven, counting Julie here, former women who served in the military.”
“Is there any way you can get them here in three days’ time?”
“What’s going on, Dad?” Darcy asked in confusion as she took the broom from one of the other workers and started cleaning up the broken glass around her desk. When she’d fired Jimmy John, he’d grabbed something off her desk and flung it, shattering the window.
“The Oasis is just as it sounds. An oasis out in the desert. Think of an island in the middle of the ocean. This oasis is about five miles around, and has trees, and don’t ask me how, but there is a babbling brook there, and it’s a place where the guys would hang out in the summer. I’m not saying this to be mean, but no good ever came of the parties they had there. The two of you, along with Nicole and Julie’s sister Sara were good girls and didn’t cater to those asshats. Every single time they had a party, one of the girls would end up in the hospital from either being sexually assaulted, or beaten because she fought back.” Mr. Wolfe shook his head sadly. “I can tell you this now, because you two are grown-ass adults, but Boom-Boom and those four lowlifes you just fired were the ones that instigated everything, and the fingers were pointed to them. The parties out there died down significantly since those asshats graduated high school. I prayed almost every night for the fact that they were three years older than you girls. I would have put my foot down if either one of the four of you would have shown signs of wanting to hang out with them.”
“First,” Julie said as she looked at Darcy and got a nod from her. “First, Mr. Wolfe, they were three years older than us, and they acted like entitled assholes in school. Second, we avoided them then, and there was no way in hell we were going to go to one of their parties. Third, Darcy, Nicole, and me were too much into our studies to want to hang out with them. Four, after Mom and Dad died, there was no way in hell I would have hung out with them. I had too much on my plate with getting the house under control, getting my military career off the ground, and making sure Sara was taken care of.”
“As much as I am sorry for what you had to go through back then, I’m glad you had your head screwed on straight.”
“Sir,” Scott said with a frown. “If you don’t mind my asking, what do you do for a living?”
“I work for the state police. Back when Julie and Sara lost their parents, I had just made Detective. My first duty in that position was to notify the family.”
“Really?” Julie asked in shock. “I didn’t know that.”
“Why do you think your Aunt Lydia and Uncle Darren were there? I had to convince my partner, who was my superior, that we had to notify them first. He wanted to get it over with and come directly to the house. I had to tell him that you had just graduated from high school, and you had a younger sister at home. Because I knew you and your family, he let me take lead on the case.”
“That’s why Aunt Lydia and Uncle Darren were there that night?”
“Yes, they knew all about it, and we set it that Uncle Darren would contact us when they were settled into the house. We waited an hour, again, that was pre-planned, then we arrived to notify next of kin. Thank goodness your uncle had volunteered to go identify them. I couldn’t stand it if you and Sara had to do it.”
“Wow, thank you.” Julie looked at him with tears in her eyes and walked up and gave him another hug. She turned back to Scott to explain, “As I said earlier, Darcy, Nicole, and I were best friends. Dad and Mr. Wolfe here were also best friends.”
“Wow, I’m sorry for your loss, and thank you for looking out for Julie and Sara,” Scott said as he looked at the other man. “Now, what do I need to know about this alleged challenge from those asshats?”
“I’m not guessing here, because knowing those asshats as you call them, they will get their buddies together and challenge you. They like to think they are extreme sports enthusiasts. They are forever going to different places for boys’ weekends to ride their mountain bikes through the trails and such. I’m off duty today, that’s why I stopped by to see if Darcy wanted to go to lunch, but tomorrow, when I’m back to work, I’ll swing by and have a little talk with Boom-Boom. I have a feeling the assholes that my daughter just fired will get Boom-Boom all riled up. I’ll act as mediator. I would like to suggest that you contact your buddies to see if they can be here. No weapons. If this goes any further, then there will be myself and several law enforcement officers in attendance. It’s not like I don’t trust you, it’s them that I don’t trust.”
“Understood, Sir,” Scott said, and it turned out that Mr. Wolfe ordered lunch for them and as they waited for it to arrive, Darcy and Julie made the transaction of Julie purchasing a truck. By the time they left, it was decided that Julie would come back the next day to drop off her car and pick up her new truck once the plates had been transferred. They would wait to do the other paperwork on Monday, she’d just use the dealer plates until then.
When the couple returned to Julie’s home, they immediately changed into some old clothes and started painting the house. When Julie asked Scott if he had contacted anyone from Colorado, he looked at his watch, then nodded with a grin.
“I was waiting until they got off work for the day. They were going to have a BBQ like we did when you and Sara were there. I’ll call Manny and have him put me on speaker.” He walked over to the counter and picked up his phone, then dialed. He looked at her with a smirk. “You are more than welcome to listen to our conversation.” He laughed as Manny picked up on the third ring and Scott didn’t waste any time getting to the point. When he hung up, the couple looked at one another and nodded.
“I feel better,” Julie said.
“Good, we may live and work in Colorado, and you’re finishing up your life here in Arizona to move there, but one thing you have to understand with the guys, and I’m finding with the gals.”
“What’s that?”
“We are there for each other and the loved ones of our brothers and sister. It might not be by blood, but we’re family.”
“What am I?”
“Someone that I really, really like and want to get to know better.” He laughed at her shocked expression. “Especially after that kiss you laid on me earlier. I really want to get to know you.”
She giggled, then turned and picked up the paint brush she had been doing the trim with. “I like that idea, too, however, we need to get at least these two rooms done before we can call it a night.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Scott gave her a salute, picked up his roller, then got to work.